Rev... your Search Engines and Race into Research!

If its on the internet then its true right??? 
Unit Six Technology Implementation:

    Within this Technology Implementation assignment we were to focus upon search engines that support my academic research efforts. We were provided various links that gave links to various search engines. As I looked into them I decided to include five that I will use as a graduate student and within my classroom. I have bookmarked the various links and copied them onto a word document in order to refer to them later. The following are resources that I found useful and my analysis of them:

1. From: 100 Search Engines for Academic Research:
http://www.teachthought.com/technology/100-search-engines-for-academic-research/

·         Within this webpage I found Microsoft Academic Search: http://academic.research.microsoft.com/?SearchDomain=22&SubDomain=5&entitytype=2. I really link this search engine because it breaks down the subjects into categories and then further breaks them down into subcategories such as Social Studies and then Geography. I plan to create items that I can use with my students as I go through grad school and then integrate these tools in my lessons for students to use. This one is helpful because it provides comprehensive information for specific continents, maps, and real-time data.  

2. 12 Fabulous Academic Search Engines
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/02/12-fabulous-academic-search-engines.html

·         Within this webpage I liked Infotopia: http://www.infotopia.info/. I typed a search for technology apps and was given a list of “top ten” apps and other great links I also really liked that there links within the home page for other user freindl sites such as:

o   Teachertopia: http://www.teachertopia.info/. Where lesson plan, ideas, and other resources are shared and,

o   Kidtopia: http://www.kidtopia.info/. This find was my favorite overall. It has safe games and information zones categorized into subjects as well.

3. 15 Educational Search Engines for Research
http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/15-educational-search-engines/

·         From this page I discovered Yippy: http://yippy.com/. What is really interesting and useful about this search tool is that it cuts clutter and organizes searches into clouds, sources, sites, and time. This will cut down searching through pages and pages of links and can help students create projects and products based on the recommendations.

4. 6 Best Search Engines for Academic Research
http://www.teachercast.net/6-best-search-engines-academic-research/

·         This page is really useful to me as a student. The one that got my attention the most based on its description is Refseek: http://www.refseek.com/. It provides the same search results as google scholar but without the advertisements and sponsored links that might sell products and have advertisements. I liked this most of all because it is safe for my students and a search engine I would encourage them to use.

• 5. Scholarly Search Engines
  http://library.richmond.edu/information/scholarly-search-engines.html

·         This page had many of the resources I currently use but had a link for this one I had never seen before: Digital Collections Registry: http://old.diglib.org/about.htm. What I really liked is that these are digital collections of scholarly articles. Although I love going to the library at times it is difficult to get there and check out all the books needed to complete a project. Having access to these collections make research enjoyable or at least “do-able”.

Final Reflection:

            Research and “googling” can at times seem daunting and very difficult to complete and navigate effectively. Sifting pages, links, advertisements and knowing whether or not source is reliable is equally daunting. This technological application helped me realize that much of the work has already be done. I have found some of my favorites are included on these list such as INFOME, ERIC, and Google Scholar are included. Along with this some gems were also described and intuitively accessed. As I will be creating more flipped and blended lessons I want my students to learn how to search correctly and evaluate internet information. This Unit has given me many more tools for my toolbox as a teacher and grad student. I plan to share these findings in my Geography Focus meeting being held this week and add it to the teacher playlist for my co-workers to review. 

Digital Image Manipulation

Development of Technological Product:

            For my technology product I decided to use PicMonkey. As I mentioned earlier it is user friendly and does not require a software download. One of the features I really liked is that you can upload pictures and images from your picture folder and organize them into premade templates or create your own. The editing part of this environment is very easy to use as well. I don’t have time to go in and learn each step but the nature of PicMonkey is very intuitive. It is set up like the photo editing apps that are available for cell phones and I know students will be able to easily use the tools. Since I will have all the English language learners the use of images and text is also very important. I plan to use this to make quick connections with terms, places, and definitions in world geography so that they can understand and be part of the lessons. I will also use it as a scaffolding tool to little by little have them use more text and less images when presenting review information. This tool can also be integrated as a graded portion of a class discussion, project and even exit ticket in which students can find images that answer questions and then use a text box to make the connections.  This is the image that I created:

Reflection:

            As I am going through this course I am enjoying the use of new technology tools and the ability to look at each one as a teacher and as a teacher. Everything I have made so far is done in an extension of what I will be presenting to my students in the coming weeks. I used this as a method to introduce rules to my class. I did not want a lot of rules to be rambling selections of, ”thou shat nots.” Instead I am trying to build a positive environment in which the students can do and be their best. I talked at length my campus coordinator about this and she agrees and encouraged my trajectory in this matter. For this reason I created a (hopefully) fun and engaging pictures that I will put up on the projector. Many rules will be in the ABC format that will include: A- Attentive listening. I will explain what that looks like and model for my students. Then will discuss what talking and communication looks like and when it is and isn’t appropriate. B will be on time. This means they will have to be seated at their desk on time, turn in work on time, etc. We will then discuss the school wide tardy rules as well. Finally the letter C will stand for be prepared. This means having all supplies including their tablets and charges. Again we will model what this looks like and I will talk to them about my pencil renting policy that will give them a chance to borrow a pencil for 25 cents. We will also discuss cell phone use at this time and list the consequences for not following the class plan.  Overall I think that positive reinforcement is always more effective and modeling paired with discussion clears up any confusion. I will print this out and hang it on the class board and refer to it as much as needed until it is integrated in our daily routines.

Analysis of Technological Development Environment

            Within this Technology Implementation assignment, the focus is upon digital image design, development and manipulation. I decided to look at these environment in a different manner because I already use some of these environments and wanted to look into some that were student friendly. The following is a short listing of each of the environments provided for this unit:

Actively Use and thus decided not to use them at this time:

      AdobePhotoshop Express: http://www.photoshop.com/products/photoshopexpress

·         paint.net: http://www.getpaint.net/index.html

·         PaintTool SAI:http://painttool-sai.en.softonic.com/
http://painttool-sai.en.softonic.com/download

·         CorelDRAW Graphics Suite free trial: http://www.coreldraw.com/us/free-trials/
http://coreldraw-graphics-suite.en.softonic.com/

·         - I really like Photoshop and the other environments on this list but they require memory space and downloads. This would not be something I would use for my students since they are limited on their tablets and they generally don’t have permission to download software.

       Will not use in the future:

      GIMP:http://www.gimp.org/

·         Pixia: http://pixia.en.softonic.com/

·         Seashore
http://seashore.sourceforge.net/The_Seashore_Project/About.html

·         PhotoPlus: http://www.serif.com/free-photo-editing-software/

·         -These environments looked very easy to use but I decided against them because they have to be downloaded. Again, this is not beneficial since my students are not allowed to use them on their tablets. I want to practice and use tools that they can also implement in class.

      

      Will be using these in the future:

      Ribbett: http://www.ribbet.com/photo-editor-like-picnik

·         -I really liked this platform. It does not require a download and students can upload pictures/images directly from their tablets without registering for the product. After they complete their collages and other work they can save it as a jpeg and share it on social media and email. They have some fun features and choices as well.

·        Technology Environment Used: I decided to use PicMonkey: http://www.picmonkey.com/ because it was very user friendly and didn’t require any downloads or any extra links and software.  The only down side is that it has advertisements on the page. I hope that since the student network does not allow for adds they most likely be blocked.

Unit Four: Audio Publishing Environments

Introduction: 

     Ever since I received my first Ipod Touch I really enjoyed the world of Podcasts. I liked listening to podcasts such as How Stuff Works to others that dealt with student ministries and ideas. Podcasts seemed to fade away for a bit but they seem to be making a come back. I plan to use them in my classroom in combination with simply Audio uploads. This will allow me to share longer audio bytes and make a "play list" for students to go back to if needed. As an audio learner I much more prefer someone telling or giving me instructions rather than reading it. Using podcasts will benefit ELL learners, audio learners, and those with low reading ability and comprehension.

     Please listen to my Podcast below in which I retell the history of Pasadena High School and explain the quirky history from being a 20 student one teacher school house known as the chicken coop to the huge campus it is today. Link:  http://missmorenos.podomatic.com

  

Analysis of Technology Development Environment

     For the Technology Implementation section of this unit we were to focus on digital audio publishing opportunities. I found this assignment to be fairly easy since I have worked with Podcasts and Audacity before. I decided to make a Podcast that I will actually use during the first week of my class in order to introduce the school to my freshmen. For my first week I will try to establish a personal and professional connection with the students and try to set them at ease in this new phase of my ninth grade students lives. I used PodOMatic because it allowed me to add images, tags, and some personal touches. One thing that I could see being a difficulty is having previous knowledge of software such as Audacity and plug-ins in order to play, save, and export the files. Yet once this is accomplished making the finished product itself is very straightforward. Below is my analysis of the various environments: 

• Poderator- http://www.poderator.com/ : This was a very simple and easy environment to use but I could not dig into it and see what the final product would look like and how much personalization could be added. Like other sites its only requirement was an upload of a previous audio file saved in mp3 format. I decided to not use this site because of the lack of information on their homepage.
• PodBean-http://www.podbean.com/ : This environment looks very polished and easy to use. I like the fact that it is optimized for mobile devices and uses the popular App Stores. Yet it only has a free trial and afterwards it requires payment. I want to keep and integrate podcasting and decided not to use this. Also, for my students to be able to download the apps, even though they are free, they will at least need a credit-debit card that is stored to their account. I don’t think this is digitally safe or parent friendly. Because of this I decided not to use it
• Podcast Generator -http://podcastgen.sourceforge.net/ : I really liked this environment. It had a demo tutorial and is compatible with both Android and Apple (iOS) systems. It does have a free version available as well and is customizable. I would have used this if it didn’t have to be downloaded. My laptop space is limited and downloading software is making it work slowly.
• PodOmatic-https://www.podomatic.com/login: This is the platform I chose to use because it can be personalized, is free, and does not require a download. The only thing it does require is previous use or knowledge of audio editing software such as Audacity. Yet that was explained as well. The set-up is self-explanatory and has fairly easy steps to follow to get the podcasts published. I like the fact that it gives both a link and a player embed frame available as well. This will allow me to add the podcast player to the side of my webpage or simply add the link to my LMS system, Schoology.
• Blog Talk Radio -http://www.blogtalkradio.com/: This environment seems very nicely set-up and does have a free version. It includes a live podcast capability as well. Since I will be using this with students I do not like the “openness” of this platform. I can see my students clicking other forums that are not moderated and listening to questionable material. Although I would not use this in the classroom I can using this at the professional and collegial level.