Blogging on Digital Storytelling -Jacob Dorton

Digital Storytelling is a useful tool to use when students need the background of certain information. As a future high school english teacher I could use it to give historical information on an author before we read a piece of text. It is hard for some students to pay attention when being lectured at, a good alternative to lecturing is using digital story telling to keep the students attention. I can see it as a very useful tool in the classroom that I will use on a frequent basis as an english teacher.

-jacob dorton

Digital Storytelling-Jessica Kallestad

Before this class I was not familiar with the term digital storytelling. I thought that it sounded like a neat concept, but had no experience with it. After Monday's class i fell like I have a better understanding of what digital storytelling is all about. Not only does digital storytelling help engage the audience, but it also is more fun for the presenter.

I think that digital storytelling is a great tool that should be utilized. I will use it someday in my classroom to teach lessons, and i will also have my students use it to present information to their peers.

Digital Storytelling - Ashley Carlson

Digital storytelling is awesome. I had never heard of it before this class, but I am now a huge fan of this new way to use technology. In the classroom, it would be a useful tool for students to learn how to present their science, history, english, and even math projects using digital storytelling. This new way to teach and inform is a great way to encourage children to start thinking outside of the box and start new ways to become creative. Students can also start teaching and tutoring themselves, as well as, other students in and outside of the classroom. We now can encourage students to use a plaethera of resources and combine them into a digital storytelling project that can show extra information and pictures in a more timely manner. The different technologies can add a more interesting, interactive aspect to teaching and being taught. Digital storytelling is an exciting discovery of resources that teachers can use to enhance their teaching, challenge their students, and invest more time on the important things that need to be accomplished during class.
What is most valuable about digital storytelling, is that we can use it in a wide variety of careers, such as: teachers, doctors, coaches, salesman, designers, etc.

Danielle- Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is another interesting tool we can use in the classroom to help teach students about english, math, science, etc. It allows students to become really creative too. This type of tool can help certain students learn better. It can be used from kindergarten and into college. This summer semester in this class was the first time I used digital storytelling, and I loved it. It also allows kids to get involved. For example, if some students are more into drama and acting, when they do a report or something like that, they can do it via video camera. Another way it is used is when high school students apply to certain colleges of their choice, such as Juliyard, because many schools like that require video portfolios be sent with their applications. So, digital storytelling is useful for so many things in life.

David digital story

I think digital story telling can be a very useful resource in your classroom. As a teacher you can make a move of your classroom lesson then students can watch the lesson at home if they need to review. Also, students that miss the lesson would have access to it. As a music teacher making a movie or a podcast of rehearsals and concerts would be very beneficial. Not only would I have access to review the performances but the students would also be able to also. In addition, with snapshot you can also show kids what to do with in a computer program which is a great things for kids that need to review a couple of times.

Blog on Digital Storytelling – Ryan H. – Assign #1C

Digital Storytelling is another example of how teachers convey material onto students differently. Through examples such as: video tutorials, and podcasts; digital storytelling allows students to start/stop material whenever they need and play it as many times as they like. For the student who learns differently, this method of education can prove very useful.

PowerPoint files don’t have to be just that anymore. One can capture various slides and tie it into a file seamlessly that includes audio. As a future teacher, I would like to assign a topic to my students, have them research it, and from that have them put together a video that tells a story on that topic. This would allow students to gain more of an understanding on a particular area of interest because they are investing their own time, and when that happens the students will absorb more information rather than when a teacher presents it to them.

Sean D - Digital Storytelling

Monday was my first experience with digital storytelling as it was for many of the people who posted before me. I think there are many useful applications for it in all classes. As a health enhancement teacher, I think the most beneficial way to use digital storytelling would be to have the students research a health related topic and report on that topic. I would have them use digital storytelling to share their reports. This allows them to be as creative as they want to be while sharing valuable information to the rest of the class. I think I would use snapz pro as a tutorial for the students to learn how to use either garage band or iMovie and then turn them loose on their various topics.

Overall these features give students more fun ways to learn. It is far better than just sitting and listening to a teacher talk. These tools will help keep the students engaged and the will learn far better than just listening to someone. I look forward to using these programs or programs similar to these in the future.

Digital Storytelling - Polly G.

Before class yesterday, I had never really known what digital storytelling was. I thought the digital storytelling website that we went to in class was very useful. I liked that it had information on all types of topics. It will be very useful for me to use in my classroom when I am a teacher. Digital storytelling would give students a different way of learning rather than watching a movie or listening to someone read out of a textbook. I also had a lot of fun creating a digital story with iMovie. It would be fun to create my own iMovie for my students if I went on a trip somewhere, so they could see a new place. It would also be fun to have the students take turns using the video camera and record things that they like to do in their spare time on the weekends. This would be a great way for the class to get to know one another. I also thought that the SnapzPro program was very useful as well. It is a great program to use if you are trying to show a big group of people how to do something. By using SnapzPro, if someone needs to hear the directions again or is a slower learner, they can watch the video as many times as they need to until they get it. I know that I will use digital storytelling in my classroom. I know that my students will have as much fun using it as I will.

Digital Storytelling - Cheryl E

After using iMovie, SnapZ Pro, and Garageband for the first time in class, I see how useful digital storytelling could be in the classroom. Creating a video using iMovie is a great way to take a class on a field trip without even having to leave the classroom. If there were not funds available or time available to take a class trip, the teacher could put together a video of the important points and show it in class. Garageband is a very easy way to assemble a podcast. I think this would come in handy in the classroom. A recording could be made of a teacher's lecture and then added to a powerpoint presentation using Garageband. Therefore, students that miss class could view the podcast and it would be just like they had been in class. This also allows students to go back and listen to a lecture a second time if they didn't completely understand everything the first time. SnapZ Pro is also a great mode of digital storytelling. When using a new program or trying to explain to the class how to do something on the computer, SnapZ Pro can be used to exactly show them what their computer screen will look like and the steps that need to be taken. Since SnapZ Pro also picks up audio, you can verbally walk the students through a tough process while showing them on the screen. I think this would be a great program to use when I am teaching because I could show students how to put equations into an excel worksheet, or teach them how to use a math program on the computer. Digital storytelling I think will become a lot more common as classes, especially college level classes, start to be delivered more online. Using all three of these programs would make it possible to deliver almost any class online. Lectures can be recorded and made into videos, powerpoints can have audio added to them to make a podcast, and computer work can be captured to make a screen tutorial.

Angela Z- Digital Storytelling

After using iMovie, SnapZ Pro, and Garageband for the first time I have discovered that the use of these in my future classroom can be beneficial and relevant. Creating and using podcasts while teaching can add color to the information being given while catering to auditory learners. Creating a "how to" video through snapz pro is a simple and concise way to show a tutorial. It aids in explaining the steps needed to accomplish a goal on the computer through capturing photos of the steps and making a movie with them. This can allow students to see exactly what the screen will look like and the actions they will need to take. Through iMovie, the creative options are open. Teachers could create and show movies in replacement of simple and underdeveloped lectures or simply as additions to lectures. For example, in regards to literature, a comedic iMovie could could grab the students' attentions while informing them of authors' lives and writings.
Each of these types of digital storytelling can be useful as assignments for the students as well. They allow the students to share their work over the Internet and take creative liberties in doing so. They also apply to different types of learners: kinesthetic, auditory, and visual. Each of these has a place in expanding learning situations in the classroom.

Digital Storytelling - Brittany B. - Assign # 2b

Today we experimented with different methods of digital storytelling. We created a video, a podcast, and a tutorial using Snapz Pro. The best pro of digital storytelling is the ability to post them to the internet so that students could access them from home. Before today, I had not used iVideo or SnapzPro. I was very surprised at how simple it was to create a digital story. I think that as a music teacher these tools could be very useful. When we are studying a famous composer I could post an educational video for them to watch and comment on. I could also have a podcast with some of their most famous works for the students to listen to for free. I also plan to use many different educational music programs such as Finale, Sibelius, and Garage Band in my classroom. SnapzPro is an excellent way to show all of my students how to use these programs: I only have to record it once, and my students can watch it as many times as they want in order to understand it.

Blog about Blogging-Jessica K.

I have very little experience when it comes to the blogging world. Not because I don't like the idea, but just simply because i have not had a chance to use blogging yet. I think that blogging could be a very useful tool to use in the classroom. Not only does it give students an alternate method of communicating their thoughts through writing, but it also can be a useful tool for parents and coworkers.
Blogs seem to be very versatile. From a future teachers standpoint, I like the idea of posting upcoming event, homework assignments, projects/papers students have done, pictures of classroom activities, and also having a place for parents to interact with the teacher and other parents.
The only downfall that i see with blogging as a way to "take the classroom home" is not every household has access to the Internet.

Blogging on blogging - Sean Dellwo

My experience in blogging is very limited. From what I do know about blogging, it can be a very useful tool for educators. I think the best way I would use blogging is by having my students answer questions about a topic or share information on that topic that could be useful to other students. Another way to use this tool is by sharing projects with parents. This way parents can stay in the know. The way I would use blogging as a health enhancement teacher is by posting on various field trips we might take. Living here in Bozeman students and teachers have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors since there are so many little hikes you can do close to town. So I would take my students on a hike to the "M" and take pictures and have students share what they saw and maybe learned from the experience. Personally blogging is a great way to share activities, or photo's of activities you have done. I have a friend that goes to Europe every year for music class. He blogs on all of the activities they do so he doesn't have to send out a million emails to update friends and family. Instead if you wanted to know what he was doing in Europe, you just log on to his blog and find out. My experience in blogging is very limited, but I think if I learned more about blogging there would be a ton of other ways you could used blogging as a tool and resource. Blogging seems to becoming one of the fastest and easiest ways for people to stay in touch, and generally see what people are doing. I think there might be a new version of blogging that is growing called twitter. Twitter is just a way for people to tell the world the what they are doing at that moment. It seems to be a more instant version of blogging. Overall I think blogging can be a very useful as a teaching tool.

Sean

Jake D. #1C

I was first introduced to the idea of blogs being used in education last semester. I was apprehensive at first, but the idea eventually grew on me. After doing some research and having a better understanding of how blogs can assist students learning I was open to the idea. I love the idea of having a class blog and posting assignments so students can access them from home while they are taking a break from Facebook. The idea of blogging for education sake also opens up many avenues for students to work together on a project. In the past, group work was done by maybe one or two in the group, and ten people got credit for the work. With the technology now, teachers can look and see who has contributed to the group and grade accordingly. As an English Ed major I look forward to using blogs in my classes. It will allow my students to collectively write stories, and have the opportunity to read each others material and gain inspiration from that.

-jake

Angela Z-Assign. 1c

Originally I was skeptical on the usefulness of blogging in reference to teaching. I considered it to be a social networking tool and did not necessarily carry any useful value for students and teachers. However, the students that I will be teaching have or will have grown up in a technological world where things such as blogging are normal and comfortable to them. Therefore, utilizing blogging will be a good way to connect with the students and allow them to expand their knowledge. Through the use of these aspects of technology, students will be able to learn in a wider variety of ways and become more well rounded.
I have discovered that blogging, while it is a social network, can be a support system for students. Teachers can post reviews, outlines, reminders, and so much more for the students, but the students can also partake in posting. It gives them an avenue for asking questions, being creative, and keeping their families updated on what is going on in their classrooms and schools. One teacher remarked that she has her students do their creative writing assignments through blogs, giving students a chance to view on others' works and give constructive criticism. While blogs are foreign to me, they will not be foreign to my students and can be a useful tool for communication and expansion.

Abbie B. Assign. # 1c

As a technological device, blogging has evolved from being solely associated with individual expression to being acknowledged as a tool for education and information. As a future English teacher, blog use in the language classroom can enhance writing skills and discussion skills simultaneously. As an assignment, students could be required to each create their own blog for their specific English class. On this blog they could respond to prompts provided by the teacher about current readings. It could also be a requirement that students read their peer blogs to use as a basis for discussion in the classroom. Instead of turning in drab, typed out journal responses every week, students would have the chance to personalize their responses on their blogs by adding graphics and designing their own layouts. Even the teacher could respond to the reading in a personal blog, giving the classroom forum a unified feel.
For the most part, it seems to me that blogs could be very beneficial in the classroom. I would assume there to be some difficulties such as computer access, grading assessment, and rude remarks between students via blog comments. Although, overall I believe blogs can give a voice to students who are too afraid to always speak up in class and provide a creative facet for other students who do not always do well with textbook writing assignments.

David Frank 1c

I think blogs can be a good thing. It is a good idea to keep students informed of assignments, important events coming up and can also be useful in keeping parents informed. A couple of problems I see with blogs are some kids do not have access to computers or the internet at home and so checking the blog or doing assignments on the internet will be a problem. The other problem I can see with it is that if you want the kids to do an assignment on it and the site goes down or the kids can't access it for other reasons this will cause a lot of hassle.

Blog on Blogging - Polly Grooms

Blogs are becoming a mainstream and useful tool in the world of education. Blogs give students a way of communicating with people all over the world. This is important because it would help students be able to see different views and opinions on a variety of topics in a different way than they might see it. This would open their eyes up to many things that they may have never thought about before. Blogs also give students the opportunity for them to share the work they have done. Students would also be able to benefit by being able to see the work of others as well. Because computers can be a fun way for students to learn, blogs could motivate students to do their homework because it is something new and exciting.
Not only do blogs benefit students, but they benefit teachers as well. Blogs are a great way for teachers to post assignments, communicate with their students, and keep parents informed through news letters. Blogs also give teachers access to communicate with other teachers. A teacher could find a great lesson plan from another teacher's blog and use it in their own classroom. As a future teacher, I plan on using blogs in my own classroom. I think that it would be fun to do a reading blog, and have the students write their thoughts and feelings on the assigned reading. Everyone interprets writing in a different way, so through blogs kids would be able to see what their peers' thoughts were as well.

Blog on Blogs - Ashley C.

At first I was skeptical of blogging, I thought it was only for people who wanted to randomly post thoughts and opinions online because they didn't have anyone else to tell. I was also against the idea of encouraging young children to access the dark waters of the internet in fear of accidental exposure of inappropriate material. Now that I know what it is about and the different ways it can be used, I am huge a fan of the blog. I see blogs as a great way to save time and accomplish more in the classroom. Having been a student who was always afraid to raise my hand, blogs can reach the painfully shy students who don't want to participate in person all the time. I would also like to infiltrate blogs into the classroom by posting driving directions for parents, permission slips, assignment instructions, etc. online in order to save time in the classroom. In my new opinion, blogs encourage student, parent, and teacher communication. Students can feel more comfortable discussing classroom subjects online without feeling put on the spot in the middle of class. There is also a vast amount of information teachers can give to students by combining blogs with lessons in class, with even more discussion and sharing taking place because of blogging . I feel behind the times in saying blogs are something new and weird to me, but I'm really looking forward to having a more time efficient and accessible tool that can enhance my effectiveness as a teacher.

Blog on blogging – Ryan H. – Assign #1C

Since the day the world-wide-web has emerged the Internet has taken us by storm, and one of the many uses it has to offer for educational purposes is blogging. For teachers, it is our virtual classroom. One can post homework assignments, video tutorials, and even podcasts to classroom blogs. The possibilities are endless, and we as educators must embrace a technology such as this to keep up with our ever technologically savvy students. Blogging puts a new twist on learning as it allows teachers, students, and parents to be fully engaged in the classroom. Blogging can even enable students that learn differently to grasp material more effectively. For example, if a dyslexic student has trouble reading, a teacher can convert text to an audio file that utilizes screen-reader software. This can then be posted onto the blog to provide an alternative format for the student to gain that information. I am all about making the Internet an immersive learning environment, and I believe that blogs help us as educators convey material onto our students more efficiently. In the classroom, I plan to use blogs to provide alternative ways into learning. For example, these can either be through video tutorials and podcasts. This would allow my students to access material and play it over again in case they do not quite get a concept that was being conveyed to them in class.

Blog on Blogging

Danielle Knight.

Blogging is very useful for many purposes, including journals and educational purposes. For educational purposes, blogs are meant for students to learn and discuss about educational topics with teachers and other students in their class. Journals is a general sense of how blogs used in the world. These educational blogs allows the students to express their thoughts about a topic they were talking about in class. It can also be a place where students can ask their teacher questions on homework or to discuss an assignment with other students. However, there are negative side-effects to blogging. These side-effects include blogs being time-consuming, they tend to be public unless you set it to private, and they encourage that informal writing style we see in texting and instant messaging. So, blogging has its good sides, and its bad sides. I would definitely use it in my classroom to discuss homework and classwork assignments and to talk about books that we read and have read in class and outside of the classroom. But, I will have some set ground rules for blogging. 1. The students have to set the blog to private so only the teacher, other student the class, and parents can see it. 2. The student have to use a little more formal writing style. So, blogs can be useful when used properly, but they can be a hassel to maintain.

Blog on Blogging - Cheryl E. Assignment #1c

From past experiences I have found that many people use blogs for keeping friends and family up to date on their everyday lives, long trips, and medical issues. Until I started searching the web, I had never really seen blogging used for educational purposes, but I think that it is a great idea! I think in particular, it is a great way to let parents know what is going on in class, remind them of important dates, and keep them involved with their child’s education. I also think that it is a great resource tool that could be used by teachers to show their supervisors everything they have accomplished throughout the year and how far the students have come. Blogging can also be used as a resource tool among teachers as a way of sharing ideas, lesson plans, discipline tactics, etc. as well as an avenue for asking questions where others can give you answers. After seeing the many ways blogging can be used in education, it has given me some ideas for ways I could use blogging in my own classroom. I think that in a math class, the blog would be less interactive and probably more informative since it is harder to type math equations. However, I think I would try to post a weekly “challenge question” that the students could then try to answer throughout the week, commenting on answers and why they think an answer is correct or not. I also plan on using a blog to post assignments, post answer keys to tests and quizzes so students can learn from their mistakes, and post additional resources for students to use.

Blogs on Blogging - Brittany Blanksma

Before this class, I was under the assumption that a blog was basically a journal entry where outspoken people could share what was happening in their lives, or they could speak out about their views on various topics. With this perception of blogs in mind, I never had an interest to go and read the lengthy, self absorbed thoughts of complete strangers. However, after searching the web for a few blogs, I learned that they can be used for various educational purposes. The blogs I looked at involved many different classrooms and school districts and I learned that they posted a variety of different things including pictures, videos, and sound clips to keep their blogs interesting. Many teachers use their blogs as a newsletter for parents to be able to access in order to learn what their children are doing in the classroom or to access homework assignments. Other teachers use blogs for students to post homework on, or as an outlet for students to post their ideas on topics. I've learned that blogs are pretty cool and I definitely see why it is a good method for engaging students and sparking their interest with the use of technology.
As a future music teacher, I think a blog would be a very innovative way to involve my students in the learning process. If we are preparing a piece with an ensemble, or studying a composer, I could ask my kids to post their favorite performances of the piece on the classroom blog, or I could ask them to study about the life of a composer and post pictures and links to their findings.

Blogging in Education

Blogging can be more than angry youth ranting against the world. As teachers, we can use the blog as a great form of communication with students, parents, and other educators. Many different formats can be utilized when blogging with students and parents. Question/Answer, discussion, and research posting are all good for students. They can do book reviews and comment on each others work. For parents, blogs can be an efficient newsletter. Also, parents can be kept up to date on important homework assignments and projects. Peer-to-peer teacher blogs are superb resources for many ideas. These include discipline, classroom management, lesson plan help, and much more. As a music teacher I plan on implementing blogging for music reviews, practice help, and sometimes for forwarding funny jokes to my students.

Ian W.

Blogging about blogs in education

Post your thoughts on the usefulness of blogs in education. Search the web for ideas of how blogs are being used for educational purposes. Write a one or two paragraph post in this blog about your findings and an idea that you create(or adapt) for using a blog in your classroom. Remember to title your post using your first name and last initial. To get started click "Sign In" above and follow the directions on page 21b in your lab manual.