Sunday, August 29, 2010
WK 4 Practical Experience: FLASH (post #3)
I've just completed the lynda.com tutorial "Flash CS4 Professional Getting Started" and while I learned a lot I've realized it truly is just what it says, "Getting Started." I feel like its given me a basic understanding of the principals of Flash animations and how they can be integrated into the web but if I was to attempt one on my own I would be lost. I am going to be using my free time over the next few days to dive deeper into the other tutorials so I can explore all of the possibilities of this cool software. I think my next step will be "Flash CS4 Essential Training." Off I go!
WK 4 Practical Experience: FLASH (post #2.75/more notes)
I really do not feel like I fully understood the Adding Interactivity segment. I followed everything that the instructor was saying - but I did not understand why I was doing it. My exercise file worked as it was supposed to upon my completion and I get the basic idea of what I did. I have a VERY basic understanding of writing code so some of that part makes sense, its just the putting it all together. There was a promise that the code part would be explained in more detail later but this is what I am up against now:
 |
| adding interactivity |
WK 4 Practical Experience: FLASH (post #2.5/notes)
some notes (otherwise I will forget)
How to stop a Flash movie when it reaches the end of the timeline.
1. add action layer
2. open action's window (option + F9)
3. type in "stop ();" (as shown above)
 |
| action script code |
How to stop a Flash movie when it reaches the end of the timeline.
1. add action layer
2. open action's window (option + F9)
3. type in "stop ();" (as shown above)
WK 4 Practical Experience: FLASH (post #2)
BONES...
I am eager to use Flash to create my own animations because in learning how to create bone system using the lynda.com exercises I dislocated this hula girl's arm several times in trying to create the animation trying to make her wave. The instructor kept saying, "this is extremely easy from this point..." which was a bad sign for me. I was trying to create the hinging effect, but I kept removing her arm. It turned out that at first I was not deselecting the bone tool by selecting the selection tool and then I was not pressing F5 at the appropriate frame. I think I've got it now, but I can say for sure that I will definitely need to revisit the earlier tutorials on merge and object drawing when starting with my own images.
I am eager to use Flash to create my own animations because in learning how to create bone system using the lynda.com exercises I dislocated this hula girl's arm several times in trying to create the animation trying to make her wave. The instructor kept saying, "this is extremely easy from this point..." which was a bad sign for me. I was trying to create the hinging effect, but I kept removing her arm. It turned out that at first I was not deselecting the bone tool by selecting the selection tool and then I was not pressing F5 at the appropriate frame. I think I've got it now, but I can say for sure that I will definitely need to revisit the earlier tutorials on merge and object drawing when starting with my own images.
 |
| being careful not to dislocate the poor hula girl's arm |
WK 4 Practical Experience: FLASH
I spent a lot of time on lynda.com yesterday viewing their tremendously helpful tutorial "Flash CS4 Professional Getting Started." I am really glad to have this helpful website to refer to because Flash is a lot more complicated than I had imagined. I found it really helpful to used my iPad to watch the video tutorials and that way I had the full screen of my MacBook Pro to work on the exercise files provided by lynda.com in Adobe Flash. Even still I found myself having to watch most of the lessons more than once to make sure I did not miss any details. The learning curve for Flash is steep and I was quickly faced with creating tweens, which concerned me because I did not want any part of contributing to the Justin Bieber phenomena. I soon learned that these were another type of tween entirely and can be referred to as shape or motion tweens getting their name because they are what happen "in between" frames in Flash animation. Wish me luck, I am off to learn about more about crating animations, adding interactivity, and publishing and exporting my work. I will report back with my progress.
 |
| some of my work using the lynda.com exercise file for creating motion tweens |
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Edmodo Creating Student Accounts Tutorial
After creating a group on your Edmodo account, this tutorial will show you how to associate new student accounts with that group.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
BP10_Comment to Mark
On his blog, Mark Coppin provides and excellent review of Tagxedo. Check out my comments here.
 |
| Mark Coppin's Tagxedo Review |
BP9_Comment to Noelia
On her blog "ETC blog of Noelia Badillo," Noelia Badillo reviews a great Web2.0 tool called "GoAnimate" read my comments here.
 |
| Noelia Badillo's Blog |
BP8_Glogster
Glogster is a media sharing site that allows users to create online posters or "glogs."
After registering for a free account, users can modify the default page by changing the background wallpaper for each glog or the background for their entire glogster account. Everything on each glog can be manipulated and modified; users can upload photos, sounds, videos, text boxes, or graphics or choose from Glogster's expansive library to each new glog they create.
There are many reasons that teachers would want to sign up for a Glogster account. Glogster provides a few suggestions on its website:
Here is an example of a glog that was used to celebrate the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration:
With the limitless possibilities to create posters for all academic subject areas, it is no surprise that Glogster EDU is recommended as the number one site for media sharing by the American Association of School Librarians as well as numerous other recommendations and affiliations.
After registering for a free account, users can modify the default page by changing the background wallpaper for each glog or the background for their entire glogster account. Everything on each glog can be manipulated and modified; users can upload photos, sounds, videos, text boxes, or graphics or choose from Glogster's expansive library to each new glog they create.
 |
| modify backgrounds |
 |
| upload or link sound, video, or images |
 |
| choose graphics from Glogster's expansive library |
 |
| add text and text boxes |
Glogster also provides an educational site called Glogster EDU.
Educators can sign up for accounts that will automatically have student accounts linked to them (teachers are able to have up to 200 student accounts linked to their Glogster EDU account.
There are many reasons that teachers would want to sign up for a Glogster account. Glogster provides a few suggestions on its website:
In addition to these suggestions, Glogster EDU also provides a complete educator resource library (available for download) of lesson plans and suggestions of ways that it may be used in the classroom.
Here is an example of a glog that was used to celebrate the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration:
With the limitless possibilities to create posters for all academic subject areas, it is no surprise that Glogster EDU is recommended as the number one site for media sharing by the American Association of School Librarians as well as numerous other recommendations and affiliations.
Give Glogster EDU a try and I am sure you will discover a lot of incredible ways you can use it in your classroom!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
BP3_Edmodo
Edmodo launched in September of 2008 and is a free microblogging site for teachers to organize a virtual classroom. It currently has just over 100,000 users.
After signing up for a free account:
teachers can modify their profiles and send provide students with a user code that will link them to that teacher.
Students are not required to have an email which is tremendously beneficial because in our local school district students are not allowed to access email at school and any platform that requires email for authorization always brings frustration because registration must be completed at home and not all students are permitted to have their own email accounts. This consideration was the first big benefit I discovered when researching the possibilities with Edmodo.
The site allows teachers to share files, create assignments, manage grades, post notifications, hyperlinks, videos, create polls, or communicate with various classes and colleagues. In essence, Edmodo is a social-networking site for the classroom.
After joining the teacher's group, students can communicate in a variety of public and private means such as also posting links, videos, or comments.
I am eager to use Edmodo in my AR research and share it with colleagues from my former school. For my AR project I am going to have students video record themselves using Apple's Photo Booth software as they read. After each video they complete, I will have them privately send the video to me with their comments on the video. I am excited to have found Edmodo as I think it will be a great way for me to manage the numerous amounts of video that I will accumulate moving forward with my project. An additional feature that Edmodo provides to teachers is an online library to store files for use year after year. These files could be more traditional assignments, such as worksheets, that could then simply be populated by uploading it to the new class at the given time in the course of each semester.
I think that utilizing the full potential of Edmodo will reveal it to be a really great collaborative tool!
After signing up for a free account:
Students are not required to have an email which is tremendously beneficial because in our local school district students are not allowed to access email at school and any platform that requires email for authorization always brings frustration because registration must be completed at home and not all students are permitted to have their own email accounts. This consideration was the first big benefit I discovered when researching the possibilities with Edmodo.
The site allows teachers to share files, create assignments, manage grades, post notifications, hyperlinks, videos, create polls, or communicate with various classes and colleagues. In essence, Edmodo is a social-networking site for the classroom.
After joining the teacher's group, students can communicate in a variety of public and private means such as also posting links, videos, or comments.
I am eager to use Edmodo in my AR research and share it with colleagues from my former school. For my AR project I am going to have students video record themselves using Apple's Photo Booth software as they read. After each video they complete, I will have them privately send the video to me with their comments on the video. I am excited to have found Edmodo as I think it will be a great way for me to manage the numerous amounts of video that I will accumulate moving forward with my project. An additional feature that Edmodo provides to teachers is an online library to store files for use year after year. These files could be more traditional assignments, such as worksheets, that could then simply be populated by uploading it to the new class at the given time in the course of each semester.
I think that utilizing the full potential of Edmodo will reveal it to be a really great collaborative tool!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
BP1_Google Reader
These are some of the first RSS feeds that I picked to follow using my Google Reader account.
The Department of Education RSS feed provides detailed, up-to-date information on federal education policy. It is a great source for information on education reform and trends.
Download Squad provides suggestions on Web 2.0 tools as well as information on trends in technology.
Edutopia is an incredible source that brings a creative eye to problem solving in education. I got the idea for my AR project in reading Milton Chen's Edutopia blog, so following the RSS feed for Edutopia was a natural choice as it will be an easy way to keep up with the latest info from Edutopia.
In searching for RSS feeds, I entered "education technology" and this feed came up as one of the results. I selected it among the rest because it had the largest number of subscribers. That seemed to be a good indication of its reliability.
Classroom 2.0 is a great forum for educators, administrators, and other education professionals to share ideas for implementing technology in the classroom. In addition, if provides opportunities for people to provide feedback of how the ideas worked once implemented.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)