Thanks to Dan from www.flashkit.com/loops/Easy-Listening/Dan-Osnoff-6358/index.php for the music.
Thanks to websters dictionary for the definition.
Monday, June 27, 2011
No end to Apps in sight
I recently went out and got a IPhone this past April and I haven't been able to put it down since I got it. Its my new favorite way to waste my time this summer. I was amazed to see the number of apps that are available and what they can all do. A friend of mine downloaded a bunch of 3rd to 4th grade level education apps and every time he flys with his family, which is very often for some reason, he gives his phone to his son and he plays the games on the flight to keep him occupied.
There were a few limitations that I found with these portable devices. First is the battery life. If you were working on a personal PC, it would be plugged in and you could work all day on it. You can plug the portable devices in too, but they were made to be taken with you and the batteries don't last very long if you are constantly using them. Another limitation is the amount of computing power that their processors have. Since they are so small, they don't have they capabilities that lap tops or PCs have so they can't run a lot of the more complex software that is out there like AutoCad, Photoshop, or others that need a lot of RAM, video cards, and memory storage.
You can link up your portable devices up to come computers that have the right connecting bay. This increases the devices computing power because you are using the computer's power to run your device. The Internet will run faster, use peripheral devices that make the device easier to use, and a much bigger screen to view. The obvious downside to using something like the Asus is that you have to carry it with you everywhere you go which makes me question why someone wouldn't just carry along a laptop instead.
One app that I use everyday in my woodworking class is the bubble level on my phone. I know it isn't very fancy or ingenious design, but I can't tell you how much easier it is to just carry my phone around with me and check all of the projects for squareness instead of carrying around a rusty metal square instead. Plus it never becomes uncalibrated and it has three different levels in one. I can also use the camera on my phone to measure squareness over long distances if we are doing basic construction. The best part is that its free! Another app that I am thinking about getting is Home 3D. You can design a one level house on the device as a blueprint and then add wallpaper, flooring, windows, doors, any picture that is in your photo library, fixtures, and appliances. Then it will give you a 3D walk through of your dream house. Plus you can export it to your computer and save it as a dwg. or PDF file and print them off. This would be nice to use for my intro to drafting class so they can take a 2D drawing and turn it into a 3D video. The last app that I would like to use in my classroom is TeacherPal. I don't have a computer in my classroom because it wouldn't survive with all of the sawdust that we make on a daily basis. This means that I have to go from my shop to my office to do roll for the day. I found an application that would let me do roll on my phone so I don't have to leave the students by themselves and unattended. I can upload pictures of the students and get e-mail addresses so I can instantly e-mail the absent students what we went over that day.
There were a few limitations that I found with these portable devices. First is the battery life. If you were working on a personal PC, it would be plugged in and you could work all day on it. You can plug the portable devices in too, but they were made to be taken with you and the batteries don't last very long if you are constantly using them. Another limitation is the amount of computing power that their processors have. Since they are so small, they don't have they capabilities that lap tops or PCs have so they can't run a lot of the more complex software that is out there like AutoCad, Photoshop, or others that need a lot of RAM, video cards, and memory storage.
You can link up your portable devices up to come computers that have the right connecting bay. This increases the devices computing power because you are using the computer's power to run your device. The Internet will run faster, use peripheral devices that make the device easier to use, and a much bigger screen to view. The obvious downside to using something like the Asus is that you have to carry it with you everywhere you go which makes me question why someone wouldn't just carry along a laptop instead.
One app that I use everyday in my woodworking class is the bubble level on my phone. I know it isn't very fancy or ingenious design, but I can't tell you how much easier it is to just carry my phone around with me and check all of the projects for squareness instead of carrying around a rusty metal square instead. Plus it never becomes uncalibrated and it has three different levels in one. I can also use the camera on my phone to measure squareness over long distances if we are doing basic construction. The best part is that its free! Another app that I am thinking about getting is Home 3D. You can design a one level house on the device as a blueprint and then add wallpaper, flooring, windows, doors, any picture that is in your photo library, fixtures, and appliances. Then it will give you a 3D walk through of your dream house. Plus you can export it to your computer and save it as a dwg. or PDF file and print them off. This would be nice to use for my intro to drafting class so they can take a 2D drawing and turn it into a 3D video. The last app that I would like to use in my classroom is TeacherPal. I don't have a computer in my classroom because it wouldn't survive with all of the sawdust that we make on a daily basis. This means that I have to go from my shop to my office to do roll for the day. I found an application that would let me do roll on my phone so I don't have to leave the students by themselves and unattended. I can upload pictures of the students and get e-mail addresses so I can instantly e-mail the absent students what we went over that day.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Animoto vs. Photostory
I found that they were both pretty to use in all. I think that the hardest one was the Photostory just because I had a little difficulty getting the music to play when I wanted to. It wasn't because it was harder to create a video. I feel that I would use the Photostory in my classroom more because it had so many more options to choose from. I like that fact that I can put my own voice on the different slides to explain what is going on. The only thing that I could do in Animoto was type on the slide, but that made it harder to see what was on the slide. Plus I only had a certain number of characters that I could use so using complete sentences wasn't an option. I could see many of my students using Animoto for presentations because it is so easy to use and strait forward. They could easily play the slide show and talk in front of the class. I was really lothing this assignment and it was a pain to download all of the upgrades for my computer just so I could use Photostory, but after I got into it, I was suprised to see how user friendly.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Hello new way to spend my day!
I can't believe that I haven't found out about this before. I didn't know about readers even though I always see it in my Google Docs page every other day. I'm always downloading podcasts to listen when I am traveling and now they can come to me! My favorite site to go to is HowStuffWorks. I'm always trying to figure out how things work and I just get lost in it all of the time. I also use it in my classes as visual representations because the students really get involved. I also like to go to the Food Network feeds because I like to try to cook healthy dinners from time to time to get in shape for my wedding in a year. Plus its nice to have new things to eat from week to week. I have some of my favorite recipes that I like to make, but they aren't the healthiest to eat on a regular basis. I also subscribe to Mike and Mike in the Morning. Its a radio show on the ESPN network that I started to listen to when I was driving 50 miles one way for my student teaching in college. I got hooked on it, but I can't catch the entire show now because I don't have to get up as early anymore. (Thank goodness!).
Monday, June 6, 2011
Week 1 Blog Part 2
The way that I understand Copyright is when you create something that is original work like a book, movie, photograph, or other work, you need to get it copyrighted so that you have the exclusive rights to it. You can dictate how it is used, published, viewed, or copied. No one can alter it in any way unless you give them permission to do it since you created it in the first place. I believe that its important to get things copyrighted to ensure that the owner gets all of the benefits from their creation whether it be money, notoriety, or fame. I know that if I wrote a book that was sold by the thousands, I would want to be paid for every book that was sold and not have to worry about it being copied and have someone else reap the benefits without doing any of the hard work. Before I looked at the prompted questions, I thought that there was only one copyright and that was it. I then learned that I use Fair Use copyright all of the time. I read a great article and I was surprised to see how much I use it.
Fair use is something that as an educator, I use often and didn't really know it. However, there are limits to using it. Nancy Willard, a former copyright attorney explains that "The fair use doctrine, established in a long line of court cases, provides a limited basis by which people can use a copyrighted work without getting permission from the creator. The essence of the fair use doctrine is that a person is not using the work in such a manner that is, or has the potential of, diverting income from the creator." That is why I stopped using YouTube to show video clips, and started using TeacherTube instead. I can use most copyrighted material in my class as long as I don't have it available for the students personal use. This way the author isn't losing out on attaining any profits from their use.
I was also interested in learning about creative commons licenses. If you have ever read the fine print where it says "all rights reserved" and it says "some rights reserved" that is the creative commons licenses. For the most part, I believe that if something has some rights reserved then it is available for part of the product to be used by anybody else as long as the owner states what can be used and what can't be used without the consent of the owner. From what I have researched, there have been many court cases about disputes on what was used with and without the consent of the owners. Personally, its a little confusing and I wouldn't want to have to deal with it at all. Its an interesting concept, because someone could use a part of a copyrighted material and manipulate it or change it into something new, but its still not 100% theirs technically. I can see why its used in some cases.
Fair use is something that as an educator, I use often and didn't really know it. However, there are limits to using it. Nancy Willard, a former copyright attorney explains that "The fair use doctrine, established in a long line of court cases, provides a limited basis by which people can use a copyrighted work without getting permission from the creator. The essence of the fair use doctrine is that a person is not using the work in such a manner that is, or has the potential of, diverting income from the creator." That is why I stopped using YouTube to show video clips, and started using TeacherTube instead. I can use most copyrighted material in my class as long as I don't have it available for the students personal use. This way the author isn't losing out on attaining any profits from their use.
I was also interested in learning about creative commons licenses. If you have ever read the fine print where it says "all rights reserved" and it says "some rights reserved" that is the creative commons licenses. For the most part, I believe that if something has some rights reserved then it is available for part of the product to be used by anybody else as long as the owner states what can be used and what can't be used without the consent of the owner. From what I have researched, there have been many court cases about disputes on what was used with and without the consent of the owners. Personally, its a little confusing and I wouldn't want to have to deal with it at all. Its an interesting concept, because someone could use a part of a copyrighted material and manipulate it or change it into something new, but its still not 100% theirs technically. I can see why its used in some cases.
Week 1 Blog Part 1
My understanding of Open Source is an application that is available to anyone online that chooses to download it or use it. There are no restrictions as to who can use it or where or when you can use it. Once it is on your computer and has been downloaded, it is yours to use for however long you want. Sometimes you have to sign up to their site, network, or newsletter, but almost all applications, you don't have to pay a fee to use it. Someone owns the rights to the program and it can't be changed by anyone.
Free applications are applications that are free to use and free for anybody to change anything about the application. Wikipedia is an example because anybody can use it and anybody can change the information of the pages as well. Proprietary applications are apps that are privately owned and you have to pay to use them for a week, year, or just a one time fee. From what I have found, the open source apps are licensed under The Open Source Initiative. It is an organization that helps encourage open source software.
One of my favorite Open Source applications is called West Point Bridge and you can get it for free here . It was designed by the military to help in the creation of building bridges in the field, but its a great application to use to help my students understand the physics involved and forces used in building bridges. The students get to create bridges on the computer with all kinds of sizes, shapes, materials, and lengths to see if it will hold a load. Another OS application is a Google App called Google Sketch Up. Its an application that allows the student to draw 3D images similar to draw on the computer like AutoCAD. I like to have the students try to draw their project on the computer that they plan to build, and compare it when they have built it. You can find it here and get it free.
Free applications are applications that are free to use and free for anybody to change anything about the application. Wikipedia is an example because anybody can use it and anybody can change the information of the pages as well. Proprietary applications are apps that are privately owned and you have to pay to use them for a week, year, or just a one time fee. From what I have found, the open source apps are licensed under The Open Source Initiative. It is an organization that helps encourage open source software.
One of my favorite Open Source applications is called West Point Bridge and you can get it for free here . It was designed by the military to help in the creation of building bridges in the field, but its a great application to use to help my students understand the physics involved and forces used in building bridges. The students get to create bridges on the computer with all kinds of sizes, shapes, materials, and lengths to see if it will hold a load. Another OS application is a Google App called Google Sketch Up. Its an application that allows the student to draw 3D images similar to draw on the computer like AutoCAD. I like to have the students try to draw their project on the computer that they plan to build, and compare it when they have built it. You can find it here and get it free.
Hello
Hey, my name is Blake Atkinson and I'm in my third semester of taking masters classes. I teach Industrial Technology in Willard, MO and I just finished my third year of teaching. Hope to learn lot's in this class!
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