Week 4- Using Video to Convey Information

This video "Seasons Song Video" is one I have used in my classroom for the past two years. At the beginning of first grade our science unit focuses on the seasons of the year and different attributes to those seasons. Before beginning the unit I ask my students what they already know about each of the different seasons as a pre-assessment. I then introduce the educational video to my students. I have had a lot of positive feedback from both students and my administration in regards to this video. My students love the catchy song as well as the graphics provided in the video, and my administrator enjoyed that I was incorporating a fun video into our lesson. I typically show this video 3-4 times a week at various times and allow students to sing along to better their understanding of the seasons.

When selecting a video to evaluate I considered all 10 factors and design principles of multimedia. I found a video that was: 1-appropriate for the lesson. 2-Enhanced my students understandinf of the seasons by using words, a tune and visuals. 3-Is in an acceptable manner for first graders (cartoon, kid-friendly terms). 4-Shows the seasons in a way that coincides to the science unit in my classroom. 5-This video contains a catchy tune that will stay stuck with students and adults even after the video is done playing. 6-This video can be shown on iPads/chromebooks as well as on the projector for students to view. It also comes in a downloadable file on iTunes for $.99 ( it was a great purchase for my classroom as well as some of the other songs produced by this company!). 8- I have found this video to be a great additional resource for my students. While we are lucky to experience all seasons during the school year (some lasting longer than others), it proves a great refresher for students to recall what summer is when it is the middle of the winter.

There are many different ways I could incorporate this video. Just as the video I evaluated, I could show this quick animation multiple times a week. I could use it as an introduction to the whole weather watchers unit, I could show it after learning about each season. I also could show it as a refresher throughout the week on what we have learned and are going to learn. Once completing the video, students will be able to clearly state one characteristic of each season as well as identify one holiday during that season. When designing the video I kept a couple principles of multimedia learning in mind. The first principle I focused on was the multimedia principle. I focused on having each slide contain words as well as images representing those words. I also focused on the spatial contiguity principle. Rather than having students read the words and then see the images at a distance, I kept all images close together in accordance with the vocabulary being presented. I believe having students see a handmade video will allow them to realize that they too can be creative when learning about the seasons and allow that creativity to blossom. I really enjoyed working on the project this week. I at first was very concerned and extremely nervous I would not get everything completed. Once I realized I didn't need to find the perfect video to evaluate and that my first animation wasn't going to be perfect everything really seemed to come together. I very much enjoyed working within Powtoon.

Week 3- Digital Images

This collage would be something I could show to a 4th grade classroom as an introduction picture to our state government.

I would use this meme as a fun photo to hang in the teachers lounge of my school, as well as a fun newsletter photo to parents during cold/flu season.

A GIF I created that I could use in my first grade classroom after introducing all of the 3D shapes we learn in our math unit.

The infographic I decided to make followed our "An Animal's Life" unit in science. This trimester we are learning about butterflies and their life cycle.

Use in the classroom or learning environment: This week I decided to focus my digital images on different areas of education. I first started out with manipulating an image of the capitol building in Lansing. This image would be a great introduction photo for a 4th grade classroom when introducing the different levels of government. Next I decided to use my meme as a fun photo to post in a staff lounge or as a fun little remark for parents to see during the cold/flu season. When it came time to design my GIF, I chose to go back to curriculum found in first grade where we discuss 3-Dimensional shapes. This GIF would be used at the beginning of my morning meeting powerpoint as a quick review for students to see what shapes we have discussed. For my infographic I chose to align the information with my current unit in science. For this students would be able to accurately describe the four stages of a Painted Lady's life and estimate how long each stage lasts.

Application: For my GIF as well as my infographic I focused on a variety of design principles. The first design principle I focused on was the segmenting principal. For my infographic I focused on keeping phrases short under each stage of the life cycle. This format would allow students to grasp the information rather than giving lengthy descriptions of each stage. For my infographic I also focused on the pre-training principle. The idea behind my infographic was to create a visual for students to recall the life cycle of a butterfly in a quick organized way that was easy to read at a first grade level. I also focused on the temporal contiguity principal when creating my GIF. By having the words and pictures flash on screen at the same time, students are able to recall the shape name rather than having to see two different slides.

Reflection: I really enjoyed this weeks activities. I believe if I were in a higher grade I could utilize this type of information and activity to allow students to show their more creative side. There are so many different forms of social media out there right now that involve different filters for photos I think students at older grades would understand this concept and be able to bring it into their work much easier. What I really enjoyed most was creating my own infographic. With being a first grade teacher, visuals are something I often look for most when teaching my students new material. I liked that I could create a visual review for my lesson that was neat and organized and easy for younger students to read. As this course has progressed I have enjoyed finding out about new and interesting ways to create multimedia pieces and how I could incorporate them into my classroom.

Week 2-Padlet

Use in the Classroom or Educational Setting

IDEA- During first grade, students have a Life Science united titled "An Animal's Life." This unit covers an animals habitat, the life cycle of a butterfly, as well as comparing different animals found in the school yard. I will use this Padlet to help parents at home further investigate the unit and enhance a student's learning. I will also use this Padlet while in class to introduce the students to the documents contained on the Padlet so students will have an idea of what is on there when working with parents at home. While I won't necessarily teach the information from this Padlet in the classroom, it will be a good resource for the at-home connection.

Copyright- While my students are only in first grade, I will begin to introduce them to copyright in the classroom. We will start up by working on classroom artwork and then introduce copyright on the internet. I will show them where to find copyright information and when is a good time to give credit to someone. 

Application

Looking back on week one there are many principles that align with my lesson. Students will be given background knowledge within the classroom and have a basic understanding of the material when they go home to work with their parents. The principles align because it will allow parents and students to see printed vocabulary as well as watch movie and see images to go with that vocabulary. Students will become more successful in the classroom when they have the opportunities to work with their parents at home. Students who work with the padlet will use the segmenting principle. This principle will allow the students to advance at their own pace as well as read and re-read material as much as needed. 

Reflection

Before working on this project I had known little about copyright. I truthfully often pick a video offline and show to my students without thinking of copyright. After completing this project I have discovered that some of my resources I use in my classroom that may have specific copyrights. I will make a conscious effort to show my students material that is not copyrighted when working on various subjects. One thing I found most interesting from the project this week is learning about all the different copyrights. I never realized all the various types of copyrights and what you can and cannot do with those copyrights. One tension I noticed between using the Padlet and design principles was this type of multimedia does not allow for the Personalization Principle to take place. When parents are working with students they may not always realize to put the information into terms the students better understand as well as students aren't getting the opportunity to discuss the new information with other students in the classroom. I really enjoyed this project. One of my focuses for next school year is creating a classroom/1st grade website and I believe this would be an awesome resource to include on the website for parents to gain easy access to new types of information or to even share information with other parents. It was a bit tricky to figure out at first, but once I got everything figured out it was quite simple and easy to navigate. From this project I was also able to gain a better understanding of the basics of copyright and how to share the information appropriately. I know have a better awareness of when something is copyrighted and when something may be allowed to share.