CEP 800/815/822 Tech Labs
The following projects were created during the overseas summer cohort in Rouen, France. The goal of each lab was to explore a different technology tool that can be used in our classrooms. Click on the title to view each example.
Web Design
Our first few labs involved various aspects of web design. Using programs like Weebly, GoogleSites, or Dreamweaver, we had to create web pages and incorporate various elements like photos, links, videos, maps, etc.
The program I used the most for the web design labs was Weebly. I was most comfortable with its features and user-friendly nature. This is why I have used Weebly for most (if not all) of my web-based assignments throughout the MAET program!
Dreamweaver was a little more complicated to use than Weebly or GoogleSites, as it involved more advanced web design aspects such as HTML and CSS code writing. In addition, Dreamweaver costs money, whereas there are numerous other web designing programs that are free! Weebly and GoogleSites provide an easy to use tool for even the most novice web designers (like many of our students!) for creating many kinds of web based presentations or tools.
The program I used the most for the web design labs was Weebly. I was most comfortable with its features and user-friendly nature. This is why I have used Weebly for most (if not all) of my web-based assignments throughout the MAET program!
Dreamweaver was a little more complicated to use than Weebly or GoogleSites, as it involved more advanced web design aspects such as HTML and CSS code writing. In addition, Dreamweaver costs money, whereas there are numerous other web designing programs that are free! Weebly and GoogleSites provide an easy to use tool for even the most novice web designers (like many of our students!) for creating many kinds of web based presentations or tools.
Bibliographic Tools
The purpose of this lab was to help us with our research for the Video Research Project on Understanding Understanding. Online bibliographic tools like Zotero or EndNoteWeb are very useful for storing/cataloging research sites.
There are also programs like BibMe that can also be useful when writing a research paper as they can automatically generate citations for footnotes, endnotes and bibiographies. This can be an extreme time saver, especially when trying to figure out the proper way to cite sources in various formats (APA, MLA, etc.).
There are also programs like BibMe that can also be useful when writing a research paper as they can automatically generate citations for footnotes, endnotes and bibiographies. This can be an extreme time saver, especially when trying to figure out the proper way to cite sources in various formats (APA, MLA, etc.).
Creative Commons
One of the most useful labs (in my opinion) was the one that taught the use of Creative Commons for using and sharing various resources in ways that do not violate copyright or fair use agreements. The link on the title is to the Weebly page created during the web design labs where one can find an example of a properly attributed photo about 9/11 from a flickr user.
Creative Commons can be used for finding pictures or information that are allowed to be either represented on other sites, remixed or recreated for various uses within certain limitations. Some resources found through Creative Commons can be used openly without attribution, some require attribution, and some require the owner's permission. All of this information can be found relatively quickly and easily through the Creative Commons tool.
Creative Commons can be used for finding pictures or information that are allowed to be either represented on other sites, remixed or recreated for various uses within certain limitations. Some resources found through Creative Commons can be used openly without attribution, some require attribution, and some require the owner's permission. All of this information can be found relatively quickly and easily through the Creative Commons tool.
Mind Mapping
This lab required us to explore and evaluate various web-based mind mapping programs like Mind42, Mindomo, and MindMeister.
We had to choose the one we liked best and create our own Mind Map to organize our thinking for our TPACK project. I chose to use Mind42 because it seemed easy enough to use. I tried Mindmeister, especially because I saw it also had an iPhone app…but I found it not easy to use. I wasn’t sure how to use the “connect” arrows and clicked on it but couldn’t click out of it so everywhere I moved my mouse, an arrow danced across the page!! Mindomo looked alright, but once I had gotten comfortable with Mind42 I decided to stick with it.
We had to choose the one we liked best and create our own Mind Map to organize our thinking for our TPACK project. I chose to use Mind42 because it seemed easy enough to use. I tried Mindmeister, especially because I saw it also had an iPhone app…but I found it not easy to use. I wasn’t sure how to use the “connect” arrows and clicked on it but couldn’t click out of it so everywhere I moved my mouse, an arrow danced across the page!! Mindomo looked alright, but once I had gotten comfortable with Mind42 I decided to stick with it.
Video Recording/Editing
This lab was designed to teach us some tips about recording and editing videos using programs like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. We applied this knowledge in a "Quickfire Challenge" in which we had to take an educational theory and create a video that explained that theory.
My group chose to create a video demonstrating the theory of Experiential Learning using the example of teaching someone how to ride a bike.
My group chose to create a video demonstrating the theory of Experiential Learning using the example of teaching someone how to ride a bike.
VoiceThread for Web Presentations
In preparation for the RELATe Conference, we had to use voicethread to create a quick presentation to explain our plans for our conference sessions.
VoiceThread is an easy to use resource for recording and archiving information, particularly for presenting during something like a web conference. Other tools we looked at for this assignment were ones like Google Docs and Zoho Show for live presentations. Though each of these tools has a live chat feature, neither allows recording of sound. In addition to VoiceThread, one could also use SlideShare to create a pre-recorded web presentation.
VoiceThread is an easy to use resource for recording and archiving information, particularly for presenting during something like a web conference. Other tools we looked at for this assignment were ones like Google Docs and Zoho Show for live presentations. Though each of these tools has a live chat feature, neither allows recording of sound. In addition to VoiceThread, one could also use SlideShare to create a pre-recorded web presentation.