Google Documents Survey

Here is my google documents survey.

Youtube

I have noticed that most school systems block youtube from school computers because of the content contained on the website. While much of the content is inappropriate, there are educational resources on these websites like youtube that would be beneficial for the class. The question becomes how do you get these resources into the classroom when the content is blocked? I went to google and typed in that question. I found a video here that discussed downloading youtube videos. I followed the directions on the video, but I could not get the website savevid.com to work. After that failed, I watched another video here that sent me to a website called media-convert.com. I could not get this website to work as well. I found a third video discussing downloading youtube videos here. This video sent me to realplayercafe.com. I followed the instructions and downloaded the free version of realplayer. I went back to youtube and this time it worked! I downloaded the video entitled "The Machine is Us/ing Us (Final Version)" and uploaded it onto my ftp site here. I can download any video on youtube and can play it as long as the student has the free version of real player.

Portable Applications

Find my opinions about portable applications here.

NING Social Network

I think the NING social network can be used in an academic setting to allow students to be able to work on group projects without having to meet with each other in person. It would allow the entire class to work together and add to the conversation. This would be a great way for teachers to have discussions about their classrooms and get some advice from other educators. Young teachers could post their problems/questions into the blog section so more experienced teachers could give them advice. Educators could use the social network to communicate to students and parents about upcoming projects and assignments. The parents would be able to stay on top of the class assignments. Parents and students would need to fill out acceptable use agreements that would shield the school from liability if something inappropriate were to be posted on the network. Find out how to set up a NING social network by clicking here.

Updated Skype Manual

Here is my final version of the Skype Manual.

My Skype Manual

Here is my manual for downloading and using Skype.

This Week

This week I learned how to use photo story 3. I uploaded my photo story to the ftp website at this location. I think it is a good application for creating a slideshow. I like how you can add narration for each individual picture. I have made slideshows before, but I had always used Windows Movie Maker. Movie Maker just streams the audio and you have to be careful to make sure that you are speaking about the correct picture. Photo Story 3 makes it nice that you do not worry about and know that the narration will match the picture. I do find it a little constrictive because you can't spread a narration over several pictures. You can't read a sentence and had three different images associated with it. This was the first time I had ever used a microphone. A couple times I may gotten a little close to the microphone during narration. It will take some practice to get used to how to best utilize a microphone.

FTP

I believe that this is my second time that I have used file transfer protocol. The first time is when I used it to upload files onto my electronic portfolio website at wvu. I think this is great because I can allow potential employers to review my work without having to try to send massive e-mails to many people. All I have to do is give them the web address and that is all it takes. The only downside is that you cannot who can see it so you have to be careful not to put anything too personal on the Internet. My ftp document upload can be found here.

What I learned this week

I learned about google pages. I like the ability to access your files on any computer without worrying about keeping track of external storage devices. The only problem I had with the program is that its commands are different than the Microsoft Word program that I am used to using. For example, you have to go to edit then document styles to double-space a document which is different from every application I have ever used. I also learned about different personalities during the personality test I took online. My test results suggest that I am an intraverted, sensing, thinking, and judging person. I would agree with this assessment and think that it shows my strengths and weaknesses as a person. I would like to become more extraverted because teachers need to be able to interact daily with children and this quality would help me with this.

Resume

This is my resume. I wrote it during my last semester of college at West Virginia University in Spring 2007. I recently updated it after the previous school year to include my experience as a substitute teacher in Harrison County and my job coaching the 2007 edition of Washington Irving Middle School girls soccer team. The resume begins with my contact information. I listed my post-secondary degrees which includes a bachelors degree in multidisciplinary studies and a masters degree in elementary education. My bachelors degree and masters degree were obtained from West Virginia University. Intertwined with my degrees is my current teacher certifications in elementary education grades K-6 and mathematics grades 5-9. After describing my post-graduate work experience, I gave the details of my clinical teaching experience while enrolled at West Virginia University. The next section discusses my school activities and awards in college. Finally, I described my technology skills that I bring as an educator. The resume can be found here. I learned how to upload a document onto google documents. The original document was saved in Microsoft Works Word Processor, but I learned that you cannot upload these documents onto google. It turns out you need to save it as a "rich text format" before you can upload the document. I also learned that google documents has trouble with bullets. My original document had bullets, but after I uploaded the document onto google all the bullets turned into ones. I had to go through the document and correct it to make it aesthetically pleasing.

Cover Page

This is the cover page for my inquiry into the third grade teaching position at Bradley Elementary School located in Raleigh County, WV. The cover page includes a list of my current teaching certifications, my reasons for becoming a teacher, my greatest attribute as an educator, and my philosophy of education. You can find my document here. This activity made me aware of google documents. I never knew that this was an option before enrolling in this course. My newest computer does not have Microsoft Word. I now have Microsoft Works Word Processor, but I preferred working with Word. I may use this application to publish more documents. I also learned how to double-space a document in Google Docs. I had trouble figuring it out until I went into the edit tab and found line spacing under the "Document Styles..." button. The most useful part of this application for teaching is the ability to access it from any computer. Students would no longer have to worry about whether they can access their documents because if they can find a computer with Internet access they can access their documents.

My First Post

Hi, my name is Steven Kennedy. I am a student in EDUC 2225: Computer Education course this semester. I originally graduated from West Virginia University with a masters degree in elementary education in May 2007. I am currently employed as a substitute teacher in Harrison County, WV. I decided to enroll at Fairmont State to take courses to become certified as a computer science teacher for grades pre k-12. I have always been fascinated by computers. I am taking this course to figure out whether I would enjoy working as a computer teacher. This course will also give me valuable knowledge about teaching with computers that I will be able to use in my classroom. Technology integration is an essential competency of the modern educator. I look foward to learning about different technologies that I will be able to use as a teacher.