Mar 30 2007
Training Day at the CLC
I’m at the CLC learning how to do lots of amazing things on my new MacBook … Very excited and I’m looking forward to trying everything out at home. I’m a bit frustrated, though, at the fact that I can’t access the internet – I hope it works okay at home! Claire has let me use her internet today, though.
We’re just being told about the task for next time. We’ve to try to use as many different software packages as possible and produce something small. Or big. Something.
So … today we’ve learnt about CrazyTalk, ComicLife, Pages, Keynote, GarageBand, Fronter, iMovies, iPhoto … I have recorded some of the talks, and need to work out how to make them into podcasts.
I will blog later to describe some of the things we’ve done.
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Hi Sue – I’m really impressed at all your blogging – have you blogged before or are you just a fast learner?! I have 2 questions – firstly, how do you personalise your page as you’ve done? Secondly, it looked like you’d inserted pictures by linking to Flickr – is that right? How do you do that? Some of your ideas sound great and I look forward to sharing them…
Tessa
Sue, what a day. I was given some new software to learn today – become an expert by 16th April – no pressure then. When you are working on the recordings make a copy of them first so that you can play with the copy. You could also investigate PodBean which is an audio hosting site. We will cover this later in the course but I’m sure that you will be fine.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help with your a’level podcast project.
Judy
Thanks – I will need to find some appropriate images first, I think. Have run into a little problem at the moment … I can’t access the internet from home. We have no wireless access at the moment (hopefully in about a month or so, depending on how quickly I get my act together at changing supplier), and when I plugged in the USB, it doesn’t recognise it, and I can’t remember how we set it up! Oh dear. I’m still having to ask to borrow my husband’s computer … however, I think he’s quite looking forward to having a go on Photoshop Elements!
Another problem … I can’t get any sound from Crazy Talk. Very frustrating. Any suggestions?
Other than that, I’ve had fun with Photobooth and a cracking time with Comic Life!
Tessa,
Sorry for replying to Judy first – your comment was awaiting moderation, whereas Judy seems to pass that by! (Judy, are you a moderator or something yourself on our blogs?)
I’ve been blogging since about November. Later I’ll add my RS blog site as a link – it’s not great, but it’s been good practice! I also have a blog about my research, but that’s still private at the moment, as is the one I use to communicate with my family. Blogger is another good site for blogs. A friend at another school has started an excellent Geography site, which I’ll also link.
To personalise the page, go to Dashboard (on the Admin page) and choose something like “Change the site’s look” – you’ll have a lot of different backgrounds and layouts to choose from. Also “widgets” – I haven’t really tried these out yet, but you could, for example, add a Google search facility, to save you having to leave your blog to search for something. I noticed that when I was ferreting around!
As for the photos, after logging on to Flickr, go to “Your account” (at the bottom of the page), then click on “Extending Flickr”. There’s a link that says something about adding a blog, and that’s where you enter your blog address. Once that’s on, when you see a picture you like (mine are both my own), you can click on “blog this” and you will get the chance to add a comment, and that picture and comment will automatically get sent to your blog. That’s a new one for me, but I look forward to using it in future!
What subject do you teach? Also, it would be good if you could add your blog address if you leave another comment, so I can quickly go and read your blog! Have fun!
Susan
Susan
Thanks for your help – I’ve replied on my own blog about some of the things I’ve now done, and attached a link to a silly Comic Life thing I’ve done! These steep learning curves take a lot of time but are also exciting – it makes you realise how engaged and excited we could be getting the kids too!
I teach English – some of my ideas for the project are similar to yours in fact, though i want to work with A level groups to try and make them more independent learners. But your exam technique idea with both 10 and 12 would be a good one – are the digiboards those memo pads that someone had on Friday, or something else?
What’s the other research that you’re doing?
I look forward to seeing your Comic Life piece of work – I’ve made a “Welcome to RE” poster, but haven’t managed to think of exactly how I might use it in class yet – although I have a few vague ideas!
Yes, the Digimemos are the pads that we saw briefly on Firday. I’m quite excited about that, because I’ve been wanting to model in a more engaging way for a while, rather than ending up with the classes just copying down what I’ve copied. I am hoping we might be able to put up an example from a pupil on the board, make changes to it, and save those changes so that all the pupils can then have a good example or something … Not sure how possible that is yet, but I’ll have fun trying!
My other research is similar … I’m investigating using AfL strategies to raise attainment in KS4 RS, so I’ve been using the mark scheme, modelling and marking with the class, and a few are coming in for revision next week, when I’ll run an “exam board” type marking session for them. I really hope it works, I’ve got so many that were Ds during the Year 10 exam that should have been on Cs, and I want to raise their grades.