BP_13_Garageband

This week I have been looking over Garage Band.  One of the coolest features I found on Garage Band is the ability to make a podcast using a microphone.  You can record your voice and make it sound different.  You can also slow it down or speed it up.  Another cool thing is the ability to put music on top of your voice to make it sound like a tv or radio show.  You can also do applause and boos or most sound effects. 

Another fun feature I found on Garage Band is the ability to make your own music and ring tones.  You can string together many instruments at different times and make music.  It is very difficult to do and for the more than average user however it is very fun once you get the hang of it.  Also the ability to make your own ring tones is cool.



One last thing I found interesting is how easy it is to share the things you do on Garage Band.  All you have to do is hit the share button at the top of the page.  I also found it very cool that you could put your recordings from Garage Band straight into iMovie.  If you need a voice over or anything like that.

BP_12_iMovie

This week I have been watching videos and playing around with iMovie.  One of the interesting things that I found out how to do was just put audio over a video.  You can detach audio from a video file and put it on top of another video.  This allows for layers of audio.  I could even record myself singing different things and put it all together for some harmony!

Another interesting thing I figured out was how to load music onto iMovie.  The first time I tried it I sat there for about 90 mintues trying to figure it out before I quit.  After watching the videos on lynda.com it made it alot easier and I think I will try to make a small music video with it.

One last thing I found out about iMovie is how to upload my videos to youtube or share them with my friends and family.  iMovie makes it very easy.  As easy as clicking on share then choosing your option.  The lynda.com videos over iMovie were very helpful and would reccomend them to everyone.  I am not a novice movie maker but I have never done it with iMovie.  Going from the other two programs I know to iMovie can be very frustrating because of the different interface and layout.  However the videos make it easy, just have to put in the time and effort to watch them.

BP_11_Go Animate

 Check out my goanimate.com video.  Awesome web 2.0 tool!!!


GoAnimate.com: Homework by tstoker

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

BP_9_Lori_Martin

Be sure to follow this link to my friend Lori Martin's blog!

Bp_10_Sherry_Martinez

Be sure to follow this link to my friend Sherry Martinez's blog!

BP_8_Google_Docs

          A very useful web 2.0 tool that can be used by numerous amounts of people is Google Docs and Spreadsheets.  Google Docs allow a group of people to work on a word document or spreadsheet at the same time.   It is the same format as Microsoft Word and Excel.  The best thing about Google Docs is that it is a great collaboration tool.  Students can work on this from across the country or across the room without talking.  Multiple editors also mean that one person is not doing all the work.  Most people today are familiar with Microsoft Word or other types of word processing software.  Open office is another one.  Google Docs follows the same format and options with only a few less features than Word.  The ease of use of Google Docs is good.  Buttons across the screen allow the creator to name multiple editors and email it accordingly.  The user interface is simple and easy to read.  When sharing with colleagues one can send the link in an email and the other person can follow the link directly to the word document.   Some ways that educators have been using Google Docs is by writing essays and submitting them online.  When submitting through Google Docs, the student can put their project with their last name first.  This allows for the teacher to keep them in alphabetical order.  Also it puts a time stamp on the paper so the teacher can see when it was turned in.  The teacher can keep multiple folders in Google Docs that stores all the papers online for them.  This also eliminates the students with having to keep up with papers after being handed back or the teacher with having a messy desk.  Google Docs can do a great number of things and greatly simplify the lives of teachers and students in every day education environment.

BP_7_bubble.us_Video

BP_6_Manuel Miranda

Be sure to check out my comments on my friend Manuel's blog!  Here is the link.

BP_5_Andrea Nichols

Be sure to check out my comments on my friend Andrea's blog.  Here is the link!

BP_4_Bubbl.us

A great web 2.0 tool to use in the classroom is bubbl.us.  Bubbl.us is a website that is used to create concept maps.  It is very easy to use and can be as large or small as needed.  A person can also color code each bubble to mean a certain thing.  It is very user friendly and requires no monthly fee.  One great thing about this website is that the maps can be shared and edited by other people.  This allows people to collaborate easily with other people if they need to.  Also by signing up  a person can save their map and use it for future use in the classroom.  A very handy 2.0 tool indeed.

BP_Diigo Group

BP2_iGoogle Screen Shots

BP1_Google Reader

I was tasked with picking five RSS feeds to subscribe to, to help me in my professional life. I teach history to 8th graders and I get to use a lot of technology. 


1. PBS Teacher - This feed has many sources for teachers to use.  It has a list of blogs from other professionals that give great ideas such as general help in areas of discipline, classroom management, and technology.  If you go to the website http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/ you can see pictures of the people that are writing the blogs and also read comments on that post.

2.  Second Life - This feed has a list of new destinations and also popular destinations in the Second Life universe.  The reason this will be helpful is I am doing my action research project over Second Life in the classroom.  This feed will allow me to keep up with any new history sites or clothes I might like to purchase for my avatar to keep my kids interested in the topic at hand.  http://secondlife.com/destinations

3. Teaching Pre K - 8th - This is another teaching feed that has some actual lessons on it for teachers.  It also gives some maps for teachers to use.  This will be helpful when a teacher posts a history lesson or new maps that can be used in my classroom.  The website also has good sources of information for a teacher.  http://www.teachingk-8.com/

4. Classroom 2.0 - This is my favorite subscription.  This feed posts articles from the Diigo group Classroom 2.0.  There is also a website www.classroom20.com that has many more articles of web 2.0 tools to use in the classroom.  Not only does this website list the tools to use, but it also gives new and exciting ways to use these tools other than what is listed. 

5.  NHEC (National History Education Clearinghouse) - This is my next favorite subscription.  This blog has videos and lessons for U.S. history.  It is designed to give history teachers more knowledge and content to teach with as well as give some power points that can be used for the classroom.  Also the videos show teachers using history with technology in the schools they teach in.  http://teachinghistory.org/nhec-blog