You.com Assignment

As I read over this week’s assignments, I was a little reluctant at first reading.  This activity has a narcissistic theme to it and I am more of a “fly under the wire” type of person.  After reviewing several suggested options for developing the portfolio, I chose to tackle developing a web site.   The topic for my Master’s Thesis in the early 2000’s was using web sites in the classroom.  I wanted to see what has changed in the past fifteen years in terms of developing a web site.  I was blown away at how easy the process was using Wix.com.  It was fun not having to deal with HTML code.  I felt that I could focus more on the design and content of the web site without worrying about broken links or incorrect code.  It was also extremely user friendly to go back in to the pages and make edits.  All I can say is wow!

I tried to break my portfolio up in different pages that made sense to me and break my digital life up into organized areas where information could be added in the future.  I also wanted to use more pictures and keep text to a minimum.  Anyway, this was my first experience with developing a web site in a long time but it certainly won’t be the last.  I could easily see developing a class web site.  This was a very rewarding activity and I believe one that will push me to incorporate more technology into my classroom.

This is the URL to my site:    http://jasonjames6.wix.com/jasons-life

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY WEB SITE

Hosting a Webinar

For this activity I chose to use Cisco’s WebEx hosting platform.  While I’ve attended a few webinars over the years, this was my first experience hosting a webinar.  The topic for this activity was using Adobe Bridge software in my Digital Photography classes.  There are four teachers who teach the same class so I felt this would be a good way for all of us to get together and collaborate about a possible curricular change to the course.

 In terms of getting familiar with WebEx, I started by signing up for a Basic account.  This allows for meetings up to six people without paying a fee.  I completed a few edits to my profile in WebEx so invitations from me would be viewed as legitimate. 

 The platform itself was fairly straightforward to use and set up meetings.  I liked the ease and ability to upload files for meetings.  I completed a few Practice sessions until I felt that I was competent enough to host my webinar.

I then set up the webinar for Friday, February 27th at 2 pm.  I invited my three colleagues to attend.

 The meeting began on time.  However, we had a few issues getting audio to everyone. I used sticky notes to write messages to the attendees with instructions on turning on their audio.  It turned out that they just needed to select the audio button twice to turn in on.  It took a few minutes to work out the audio problems but we were all finally connected with video and audio.  The meeting lasted about 15 minutes.  We discussed the use of Adobe Bridge and all agreed after viewing the uploaded PDF file that it would be a good addition to the Digital Photography course we all teach.  One issue I had was the files I uploaded for the meeting could only be viewed when I shared my screen.  For some reason none of the three attendees were able to open the files. I found it interesting that the three attendees to the webinar were also very interested in the WebEx platform and trying to use it in their courses.  So essentially the webinar covered both Adobe Bridge and WebEx.  

 I was able to record the webinar but had some difficulty downloading and re-formatting it into a Windows Media Audio/Video file(.wmv).  The meeting is recorded on the WebEx site as an Audio Rich Format file(.arf) which cannot be opened unless your are on the WebEx site.  I believe this process would become easier with more use of the site.

 Overall, I felt this was a great experience and one that I believe can been used in any classroom.  It would be a great tool to record lessons and then post them for absent students to stay caught up in class.  I also feel that it could be used in a class to teach a new concept on a computer.  The ability of the host to share his screen is a great asset.  Students could follow along visually and see how to complete a specific task.  This would be a great option in my Digital Photography classes showing students how to complete assignments in Adobe Photoshop.   

Click here to view my webinar

Attending a Webinar

I had the opportunity to attend a Simple K12 webinar titled “Integrate App Building Into Any K-12 Class or Subject”.  The webinar lasted around fifty minutes.  The webinar was hosted by a classroom teacher but overseen by a K-12 “moderator”.  The webinar discussed setting up and using the TouchDevelop web 2.0 site. 

I could see this type of webinar being used with students to show them how to develop their own apps. I believe the classroom teacher would best serve as the broadcaster to show students how to use the site and begin developing their own apps.  I’m not sure the students would be confident enough to broadcast their own knowledge of the site.

Strengths: The webinar was informative and the presenter was knowledgeable using the TouchDevelop site.  The site has lots of potential for use in an educational setting.

Weaknesses:  The “moderator” often interrupted the presenter to field questions form the audience.  I got the feeling that the presenter was not able to see everyone in the webinar.  I also felt that there was a ton of information to absorb in one webinar.  It might have been better to break the webinar into 2 sessions.