Jing....not just a sound

"Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction"

 

How many times have you watched a tutorial or webinar where the speaker was narrating a software package as the action is taking place on the screen?  Step by step, they show you and tell you, only tactile stimulation is missing. Cool huh?  It was probably created by a neat little software package called Camtasia Studio by TechSmith.  It is a great software package, fast, versatile and relatively easy with a little practice to master.  It will also cost you between $100 (Mac version) and $200 (Windows) for the package (yes that's educational pricing). That's not what this blog edition is about.  Its about Jing.
Jing is also offered by TechSmith and its free.......yes its free.  While it offers less function than its expensive cousin, it is a really great tool to place in your educator tool kit that will allow you to create a spectrum of resources for your instruction that students can access anytime.  Of course you'll have to place your tutorials on a school server, CD in the class or on YouTube, but Jing makes all those easy to accomplish.

Below is a link to their website

http://www.techsmith.com/jing/

I won't go into a tutorial here, they have a great one on their website. It only takes minutes to start creating your own educational resources....oh and if you want to show Mom how to use email or Dad what YouTube is all about its great for that as well.  Just FYI, if you try to install it at school make sure you can access it around your school system firewall, your I.T. department can help with this.  Tally Ho!

Bring out the Gimp

Life is like a taxi. The meter just keeps a-ticking whether you are getting somewhere or just standing still.

The time has arrived when I am beginning to post tutorials on a Google site that I have.  I will post updates as new items are added but for the first posting I have created 8 tutorials for using the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) software.  For those of you who don't know this software think Photoshop, but free!  This is a small free open source program that runs on most computers without issue.  I encourage you to download the software, look over the tutorials, (by the way there are hundreds more on YouTube and all over the internet) and begin creating havoc for your friends and family by turning those old boring photos into incriminating evidence.  Imagine your octogenarian uncle flexing his muscles on Muscle Beach in Venice or your sister walking arm and arm with George Clooney.  If you can imagine it, with enough practice you can do it with GIMP.

Your choice, a beach with strangers or all to yourself.......as far as anyone has to know.  

The practical application for educators is that this software will allow for the creation of slides, graphics, images or other components of any presentation that might need graphic editing.  If there is a picture that represents a concept you want to teach but the image is too dark or there are other elements you wish were or were not in the picture.  No problem!  With a little practice this can become a tool that can help you create eye popping instruction.

Follow the link below to the basic tutorials

https://sites.google.com/site/pchsvideoproduction/tutorials

YouTube and my future 15 mintues of fame

"All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure."

Mark Twain

If you want to know how to do it, its on YouTube..... and so am I.  I never sought this type of world wide fame and notoriety, but then neither did the other million or so people who are there as well.  Alright, some of them did. After seeing a groin shot the first thousand times and those millions of cute pets I decided to look deeper.  Guess what?  There is actually a great deal of useful information sprinkled it with the karaoke and practical jokes.  Watching some of the tutorials gave me an idea, some of them are for advanced students, some are for beginners, there are not a lot for the middle.  So that's what I hope to provide, from beginner to somewhere below expert, in plain language with basic information that will be useful  for the average person or for the person who needs or wants to produce digital media for work, school or to embarrass their family and friends.
In future updates I'll include links to both the web page and the YouTube channel as I begin to post.  Stay tuned as they say!

Oh the games people play

"Why don't they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as well as prohibition did, in five years Americans would be the smartest race of people on Earth."
Will Rogers.

Is gaming the future of education?  Can you imagine a student spending the amount of time on a academic or career and technical education subject they currently spend on a popular video game such as Call of Duty?  Imagine the hours/days/weeks spent in trial and error, it learning the different maps and strategies involved in each level of the game, just think of the higher order thinking skills involved in this complex, tedious and heart pounding exercise.  Why do they do it?  Because it is fun, challenging and there is a clear objective at the end they wish to achieve.

In the 2011 Horizon Report, http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2011-Horizon-Report.pdf  6 technological trends of potential importance were examined.  As the report acknowledges, there are a great many technology trends fighting for their place in the brave new world, some will make it, some won't.  The report attempts to identify by scientific method and input from many sources those most likely to succeed and most importantly have dramatic impact on the way technology effects our world.  Out of this years 6 emerging trends I believe game based learning has the greatest potential for educators in the near term.  While AR is an exciting trend, I believe it will be difficult to see its true potential in K-12 schools which have limited space on campus in which to utilize the real power of the technology.  Game based learning offers the hope that we can engage our students in a new manner that draws them into the experience rather than alienating them from it. 

Game based learning has received a great boost from the consumer market and the research that has been conducted for the purpose of discovering why games appeal different ages and sexes and how we respond to different interface components.  Also the vast array of MMO games that have appeared in the last few years with ever increasing complexity requiring even stronger problem solving skills is truly astounding.  I must confess a slight addition to an online racing game called Blur myself.

Our goal for the future must be to speak in the language of our students , as digital natives they expect interaction with technology.  This is their touchstone.  If we can successfully integrate educational content into learning games we will be assured of having our students full attention and engagement.  Problem solving, group cooperation, goal directed action are but a few of the higher order thinking skills MMO's offer the educational establishment.

The question we must as educators ask is do we have game?

Up, Up and Away

"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way."
       Learning by mistake....or should I say mistakes is a valuable method to absorb information.  While not always efficient, it is a way to make sure the lesson sticks.  That's an indirect message I've gotten from some of my readings on learning environments.  Create an environment where students are encouraged to develop hypothesis and then discover if they are correct.  The important thing is not the conclusion, its the process.  How did you come to that answer, how did you succeed or fail?  When there is no fear that there will be consequences if the hypothesis fails, students are free to consider broadly and deeply and to coin a cliche, think outside the box .

     They will fail, but they will learn why and that is the most important facet of the equation.  Being able to consider, evaluate, recalculate and find the right path taps all the higher order and 21st Century Thinking skills that are so important in today's world.  Don't let mistakes hold back your instruction, my father once told me the a person who doesn't make mistakes, isn't doing anything.  Apparently they're not learning anything either.

blogs, twitter, lions, tigers and bears. O my!

"Flying is simple. You just throw yourself at the ground and miss."
It is with reluctance that I grudging am being dragged into the present. Like most of my generation we're happy to just keep things the way they were.  Its safe, you know how to do everything, you don't have to learn anything new or else.  You can walk to school through 2 feet of snow uphill, both ways!  You may envy the turtle with his gift of instant invisibility (at least from the turtles point of view), but that gift will not keep you from being run over by a car.  Just cause you refuse to see it doesn't mean it will go away.  Twitter, blogs, wikis, they're all heading toward you at breakneck speed.  Don't look away, don't cover your face with your arms, take the wave and feel the impact.  It may be more fun than you think.