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My journey included working with digital images and digital video along with side trips to both Inspiration and Captivate. My journey went fairly smooth with only a few bumps in the road. I was able to return back home with no major damage, and full tank of new ideas.

The journey and side trip activities will enhance my math lesson plans. I plan on using the Inspiration tool at the start of the year with each class. The first few days of class usually include some math games and time to get-to-know everyone. Using a bio web is a great way to introduce oneself. As a class, we could use the computer lab to create and share the student bio webs. In order for the kids to understand how to use the Inspiration tools, I could incorporate the use of the Captivate side trip. Using the Captivate tool, I could put together a slide show that explains how to use Inspiration. The digital images and digital video journeys will also be beneficial to my math classes. Students will need to understand how to crop and enhance digital photos that are required for a yearly baking project I assign. Within the project, students will be required to use movie maker to edit a short video presentation. I will also use the digital video for my projects throughout the year. I also plan on creating a short clip for my symmetry, coordinate graph, and tessellation (reflection and rotation) projects. The benefits of the activities I took part in this class are many in the classroom setting.

When I become a media specialist, my role will change as far as the curriculum and the students and faculty I will be working with. My concern will no longer just be math. I will no longer be in the math learning community as far as planning. Soon I will be working with all subject areas, all grade levels, and the entire faculty. A few benefits of the course jump right to mind. The use of the digital video will come in handy for many reasons. I will use this experience to help with the TV productions course, creating short videos to advertise the media center as a whole, highlighting an author or genre, and for extras curricular activities like a book club. The use of the tools within Captivate will also be valuable when I become a media specialist. I will use this tool in making power point slide shows explaining how to use new technology, like Safari Montage, as well as highlighting media procedures for new teachers. I am not really sure how Inspiration could be incorporated in the media center except to use with students who sign up for the book club. Those students can use the tool to share ideas about characters and events in the story.

Ultimately, I believe that all the information on the various tools from this course will help me to introduce the media center to new students and teachers, and teach both students and faculty about the resources and tools available in the media center. As a media specialist, I will also be working with teachers or grade levels to put together research projects and presentations. While helping in the planning stages, I can offer the use of the tools to enhance classroom lessons and projects. Although the Windows Media Maker is available, the other programs and tools are not currently available in my county. Therefore, I will need to look for similar tools that are available if the school or media budget cannot provide the funds. Overall, this journey has given me the experience and knowledge to help put together presentations for faculty meetings and professional development opportunities.
Kelli

4/15 posting

My students have started to turn in their wiki spaces projects and I am so excited with the final projects. This was the first time I have ever assigned a project that required any "technology," so I did not have any high expectations. But, to my suprise, the students followed directions, they were creative and turned in work that was exceptional compared to what I had expected. I can't wait for this project next year. I already know what needs to be tweaked/deleted and added.

I was really fighting myself to get started on the digital video final journey activity. I can't even tell you how many times I reread the directions and looked through the various links. I am sort of a procrastinator,but usually I know exactly what I am going to do. Not this time! I even looked at what grade I would end up with for the course if I did not do the project at all. I eventually decided to play around with the movie maker tools and had so much fun with just my uploaded digital photos. So, with an unexplainable feeling of frustration, I tried to decide on what to video tape for the activity. Feeling a little defeated, I just decided to create a story using my sons Lego collection. When I told my son what I was thinking about, he got so excited that he decided what Lego scene to use and started created the Lego soldiers. His excitement and energy made me smile and forget my frustration. I had a great time with him and the Legos. I did find out that I do not have a steady hand, which I need since we do not have a tripod. I also found out that even though the video camera can zoom in, it does not mean the model (Lego man) will be in focus. The video for this first activity is uploaded and ready to be edited. Thank goodness the due date was extended:)
Kelli

4/8 posting

To be honest, I have not worked on the digital video journey project this week. I fixed a few things on my captivate project and then focused on getting ahead in another class. I was so relieved to learn about the extension for the due date, that I unintentionally pushed the project aside. I plan on getting a good amount, if not all, completed by this weekend though.

My student's wiki baking projects are due Monday, so I look forward to seeing what they created. Although I am a little uneasy at the same time, because as of last Friday, no one had even started on any part of the project....hopefully they work well under pressure:)

Kelli

4/1 posting

I put the final touches to my captivate project and feel good that I can submit it (and be done with it:)) I have looked at all the sites related to the digital video project and attempted the practice activity. I was not happy with the outcome, so I will be doing the activity again this weekend. Spring break is about to start and I am excited to have some time off. I should be able to complete everything for both classes before it is over! After Sprink break, my students will be presenting their baking projects. I have assigned something new for my gifted class. They have to share a digital presentation within a wiki that they create themselves. I am curious whether these projects will turn out the way I imagine them. I am sure I will have to tweak the project for next year, but it will be interesting to see what these 6th graders create.
Kelli

3/25 posting

I decided to get a jump on my second side trip (Captivate) because it seemed to be so simple. I downloaded the trial version of captivate and dove right in. In the mean time the digital video journey opens up and is due very soon and my trial on Captivate is running out. I feel a little stressed. I do not like the captivate program. I am frustrated with everything trying to make this slide show. But I will push through! The practice activity for digital video looks fun. I grabbed my camera and tried to make a video with it. Suprisingly, it was so easy, except, I could not get the camera to zoom in and out. I guess my camera does not allow for that...I will be using my daughter's camera for this job instead.

Kelli

3/18 posting

I finished up the side trip for Inspiration. My final project was a web for the book Gregor the Overlander. The file was huge!

Now I am working on the sidetrip 2 with Captivate. The practice activity seemed pretty easy, but I am having a hard time deciding what to do for the final project for the side trip.

I did not do much this past week. I was caught up on both my classes. The only difficult thing that occured relating to technology was getting my new DVD/VCR combo to work in my classroom. It seems that there would be an easier way to set this up without having to rewire things to turn on the DVD player, then the document camera etc...After I tried numerous times to figure it out, I called our math coach over. He was able to figure out how it worked and I was able to watch a baking video with my class. But we can't get it to play in color. I have not tried to figure that out yet, but I am sure it is just a case of pushing the right button. I am off to write linear function rules....
Kelli

weekly posting 3-3

I completed the practice activity for the Inspiration side trip. I was thinking about incorporating the use of the program into my math class next year if I can get the school to subscribe.:) I thought making a biography web may be a more interesting way to introduce the kids to eachother and myself. Using this activity will introduce the kids to the program and then I can use the webs for other math related activities through out the year.

Kelli