Oh Bearded One

It wasn't that long ago...I found out I was going to be an extra in a LDS church production. My heart filled with joy and I smiled inwardly. Yes! It was finally mine. Perhaps the most coveted pass at BYU. The "beard card!" Only a few months later would I realized the dreadful prospect of having a beard on a beardless campus. The eyes watch you as you cross Brigham Square. Brother Brigham's eyes gaze down from his statue, approvingly, for the man himself had a beard, but others seem in disbelief that someone would allow the natural man to remain so untamed. "So what's with the beard?" The most common question directed to me the past few months. I decided after a recent party I attended with friends from the Jerusalem Center that I might as well record myself repeating the same conversation over and over again. The secret is, however unlikely it may seem, there is more to me than this patch of hair spread across my face.

Now don't get me wrong, there re benefits. Like today, for example. Someone I didn't know passed me and said, "Cool beard man." I replied in the acceptable fashion "Thanks dude." My heart was touched. I also don't pass too many of my friends unknowingly anymore. Whereas before we might have missed each other while walking on campus, they now exclaim "Donny!" It's hard to miss the guy with the carpet on his face. Learning to eat, drink, really anything that involves the mouth, has been quite the experience. I think I use double the shampoo I used to.

When it all comes down to it though, it's been a fun experience. I'll still be excited to shave this bad boy off in order to avoid all that unwanted attention. "Does it get hot?" "No, not really" I reply. Still, I wish people knew that there is more to me than my beard.

Blog Post #6

this course overall was very helpful in getting me more comfortable with using technology. Besides my YouTube miniproject, I felt like it was reasonably easy to pick up the new skills. Probably the best thing that I learned was that you can become your own computer expert simply by doing Google searches for information. I think it would have been a little more helpful if we would have spent more time watching you show us how to do things while we worked on the same projects on our own computers. Though it is great to learn on your own, we may have been given too little guidance.

In the future I definitely plan on using the moviemaker (just because it's fun) Prezi Presentations, and blogger. I think that these are effective tools for a classroom and I plan on incorporating their use. I don't want to say what I won't use because there's always the possibility that I will pick up new technologies in the future.

Youtube video embed

As a disclaimer, I got it to work on PowerPoint, but it won't upload onto my blog...sorry.
I'm going to be honest when I say that this was the most frustrating project of the class. And it shouldn't even be a hard one! I've been working with powerpoint 2007. I finally got the video to work but then I had to upload it to a googlepresentation doc and now it will not work on my blog.

As far as copyright implications for this project, I felt crippled about what I could and couldn't use. I knew that I couldn't use things from sources that may have uploaded bootlegged or pirated content, but how in the world am I supposed to know if they pirated it or not? Is there something that clearly outlines what we can and cant use? I know that I can use a certain percentage for educational purposes and fair use, but even then I'm fearful of what that constitutes.

As far as potential problems, like with what happened with me, I finally figured out how to put the video onto powerpoint, but then I couldn't upload it to my blog. Another potential problem is that even though you embed the vid, sometimes it will not play for you. You have to check beforehand to make sure it works.

Here's my prezi mini project!

I learned that Prezi allows you to embed your presentations onto a blog! Didn't know that before. I also learned that it's relatively easy to create a Prezi in just a couple of minutes (not as time consuming as I thought).
Prezi would definitely be a good switch from the same old PowerPoint presentations that so many people use. It can help the student stay engaged. I could see potential problems if one were to do too much with the Prezi. It could distract from the lesson material.
I could use Prezi for:
1) General instruction such as historical context of the literature we are reading
2) Administration of quizzes or tests (could also use it for reviews)
3) I could assign students to prepare oral presentations using this device. To ensure that student's who don't have computers can still use the program, the assignment would be worked on at the school computer lab

Run, Dance, Clap Your Hands on Prezi

Blog Post #5-Movie Reflection

I learned a TON with this assignment. Because this was the first time that I've created a movie, I learned everything creation transitions between sequences to narration.
The easiest aspect of this assignment was (surprisingly) gathering footage. I already had a lot of footage from a recent trip abroad so this assignment allowed me an opportunity to bring it together.
The hardest part was adding music, narration, and making the film flow.
I think that videos can enhance learning because most students love watching films (I think if you create your own, they might be even more interested to view it). Effects and music also keep students attention well. Be careful not to over do it, however, because too much music or effects can be distracting.
I think I will make videos for my classes in the future. They are fun to make and switch things up from the norm.

Peace!

An Example of a Student Created Video

The assignment is as follows: Students will create a "moving biography" aka a documentary highlighting something about themselves. Students may be creative with this assignment and are encouraged to add music, effects, transitions, and narrations to make their moving biography interesting to the viewer. Begin by brainstorming what you want to say. Consider sharing your interests, hobbies, skills, and what makes you unique.
There is no wrong way to do this task. Your video should not be longer than 4 minutes. Go and have fun with this!

My Storyboard! Yeah!

Here is a picture of my storyboard!