PE1_iMovie

Lynda.com has done an excellent job with the iMovie 11 online training videos. They have truly optimized the online learning process. Their short clip bursts of lessons are perfect length for the average attention span to see an instructional clip, absorb it, and break for reflection. I found myself hitting rewind a few times to clear up questions I had and also to enhance my long-term retention. Rewind is our friend!

Lynda.com has certainly selected talent that is very easy to listen to. The speaker in this iMovie series is very skilled at this topic and the video quality is excellent. This is exemplary of high quality online education.

One iMovie feature that I found unique and extremely helpful is the orange bar display underneath the portion of an event clip that has been used in the project window. The iMovie event window screenshot below shows the orange bars in the bottom of my event clip lines. As an editor, it is very helpful to know which video segments have been used or not and this feature makes that easily recognizable.

One additional highlight I’ve gleaned from the training videos is that Mac has thought of everything. There is a button for ease of use everywhere. For example, this toolbar button with two arrows causes the project window and event window reverse.

 The windows don’t just switch instantly. They actually morph on screen so the viewer/editor can see where each window of information was and is going. What an absolutely brilliant design.

I’ll continue the videos and unveil more details soon. 

BP2_Twitter

'Twitter - Taking Education To A Higher Level!'

I remember my first visit to ‘Twitter.’ It was like finding out there was another world in the galaxy. I still laugh at that moment, like see my teeth laugh. Twitter is a milky way of quick pieces of mind candy. Now I am a tech savvy type that was cautious to get pulled into this time warp called The Internet. You are thinking, “What did he type in first?!” I typed: ‘Technology’ – and who shows up one the page that causes me to skip all the rest? Bill Gates. I really like him. Bill was the first person that caused me to hit “follow.” Thanks for your inspiration Bill. Then, after five minutes, I had hit 17 “follows.” You almost feel like you are someone’s friend just because you get to see their tweets.

So this first time on Twitter, how do I see these tweets? What is all the buzz about?!! I hit some button by accident, and saw those streams of gold. Pure overload that my brain should never have seen. Unbelievable, now I know why people swarm here. It is total play land. It is fluttering of brain waves peaking every curiosity to infinity and beyond. I need help, maybe therapy even. I’ve just seen Twitter.

So now I’ve been unleashed and wonder how can I use this Web 2.0 Platinum hit in my classroom? Grab a chair in case you faint. I’m going to give my next exam on Twitter! Every student has a computer. Every question pops up. They bolt online to for research and every essay question is submitted by email to me. They type with a fury of opinions. I’ll even throw in a true/false question for assessment authentication! How do I keep them from sharing or sending answers? I will give them all a separate question matrix. This will be the hottest thing since sliced cheese in plastic wraps.

Then after the exam, I’ll lure students to content related sites and soon they’ll be hitting “Follow” on several places related to my course. It works. Why? Twitter makes you feel connected. Research has proven that people crave connection. There is an increase in social isolation today, so Twitter is students’ way to connect and engage at a higher level than before. Web 2.0 Twitter will save us. It will enhance a feeling of connection, it will offer students new quick sources of information streams related to my course topic, it will help my class go green to save paper, it will acclimate students to use of Web 2.0 tools, and it will offer a unique change of pace to testing assessment. “Twitter me my test,” they will say, because of what has happened today!

BP3_iGoogle Screen Shots

I just finished populating my iGoogle pages according to my ETC assignment guidelines. This site should be mandatory for every educator to set up. I had no idea how powerful the iGoogle site is. The gadgets are a lifesaver for time. 'Time' is of course, is our race. Contact me if you need info about setting up your iGoogle account. Here are the screenshots of my iGoogle pages:

This is my Home Page:

This is my FSO/CBR Page:

And this is my ETC Page:

Please let me know if you have any interesting sites that I should add. I will let you know any new sites I find as well. Enjoy!

BP1_Welcome to my blog

Hi, welcome to my first blog with a 'title' and an 'image.' I chose the golden apple to commemorate every great teacher that changed our life for the better. We all have that one teacher that comes to mind first. What grade level was your favorite teacher in? I have two that always pop into my mind. My kindergarten teacher and my high school speech coach were the best. What grade level was your favorite teacher?

Blogged On Phonics Is Born!

Hello world!

Welcome to Blogged On Phonics. I look forward to collaborations and conversations that you have always wanted. On our journey of the mind, hopefully we can change the world in a positive way!

- Blogged On Phonics Founder