Web Album

I created my web album with Picasa pretty much because I didn't really know where I wanted to create one and I saw that Erinn Rosier did hers on Picasa. I had never heard of it, and I like to try new things. I thought it would be fun (for me) to just upload a bunch of my wedding photos, but then I thought it would look like I was obsessed with my wedding. And no one wants to see a bunch of pictures of my friends and me, so I just put random ones in the album that were taken somewhere in West Virginia.

It was pretty simple to use Picasa, and I may just use that program to view all my pictures from now on. The program could obviously be used in the classroom. It would be really nice to make it private so that students could include pictures of what they've been doing in the classroom. Parents could then view the album and see how much fun their child is having in school! Or it could be used to show the progression of a particular project students may be working on.

My Web Album

Photoshop Express

Photoshop Express was pretty simple to use as opposed to Adobe which is what I use on my computer. (I have a LONG way to go before I learn all the tricks of the trade.) So it was relieving being able to edit my photos in Photoshop Express. I uploaded several pictures and played around with the different features. I really liked the "color pop" but I was unable to make it pop the exact colors I wanted for certain photos. So I included a picture in this post on which I applied the "sketch" feature. This "sketch" looks cartoony, and I had fun playing around with it. The picture is of me and my husband during our engagment. It was one of the many engagement photos we had taken this past summer.

My Edited Picture

My Online Album

The directions said to include a link where the picture can be viewed in my online album. I hope the link works. I was somewhat confused by it. I hope it takes you to the online album and doesn't ask you to sign in.

Online Graphics - Crappy Graphs

It was very simple to use the Crappy Graph website. It's a great way to create an appealing Venn diagram or line graph. I chose to make a Venn diagram to show similarities and differences between tall tales and fables. This would be great for elementary students when they begin learning about these different genres. It doesn't go into much detail but just gives brief descriptions of the characteristics of each genre. Students could even use this site as long as they stay on the right page where they create the graphic. Of course, they wouldn't have free reign of the website to view the other graphics created.

My Crappy Graphic

Kids' Zone Graphs

I enjoyed making these graphs, and it was so simple! I've found other graph-making websites before and have been amazed at the simplicity. I don't know why I don't remember these handy tools when I actually have to create a graph. I only think to use the graph feature in Excel, and honestly, I think it's easier to use the Kids' Zone graphs. It was so easy to just plug in the numbers and other data that was needed.

View my graph document!

Image Capture

I created an image to show students how to use and understand a website about the moon phases. The website is a great tool for students to use, but it may need to be explained how to use it. However, since the image on the website is animated, it cannot be copied and pasted. This is when the Print Screen key comes in handy. I first used the Print Screen key to capture the image of my computer screen. Then I pasted the image into Word so I could crop it accordingly. I then copied and pasted it into Paint so that I could add descriptions. Circles and lines have been added to point to special features, and I typed descriptions that explained the function of each feature.

By the way, to view the website where I obtained this image click here.

Desktop Graphic

I created my graphic to demonstrate where work for this class is created and stored. I wish I would have made this graphic the first week of class, and I should probably even print it out and hang it up. At the beginning of this class I was overwhelmed with all the different tools we use to conduct our work. I am definitely a visual person, and visual representations are good for me.

I just used Word to create my graphic. I contemplated using other programs, but I'm more experienced with Word. Besides, Word worked out perfectly for me and my graphic, and I am pleased. You can view my document by clicking the following link:

Desktop Graphic

Dale's Cone of Experience

I thought the article was somewhat interesting. I remember learning about those percentages in 5th grade. My teacher actually did a lesson on it. And since then, I've heard several teachers refer to the well-known percentages to discuss learning and retention. Therefore, I was surprised to read that this is actually not accurate at all. Read my opinion of it.

Web Publishing

I just tried the web publishing. I already had a resume (as mentioned in my last post), so I uploaded that. Because I used some crazy template, the format was messed up in Google docs. I tried to fix it so the dates went with the appropriate jobs, but I think it still looks very bad and it's not very easy to read. It was extremely difficult to use that template even in Word. Believe me, if I were to hand someone my resume, it would not look the way it does in Google docs. But how cool is that? Being able to use a word processor online. I've literally been learning something new every day in this class.

My Resume

Experiences With FTP

I was introduced to FTP in Instructional Technology over three years ago. I had been excited to discover that I could use my FTP site to save my files and they could be opened from any computer with the Internet. I began using my FTP site quite a bit to save my files. It was more convenient than carrying around a jump drive. However, I stopped using it and actually forgot it existed. I signed into my FTP site today and was surprised to see just how many files were still on it.

In Instructional Technology we also learned how to use FTP to create a website. I was able to view my old website. I hadn’t been able to view it for awhile because I had forgotten how. The site tells about my sophomore year in college, so it’s definitely out-of-date. It needs updated badly. I would like to continue using it, so I’m actually very excited about being reminded how to use FTP.

I just saved a new file on my FTP site. It’s my updated resume. The following link will take you there . . . I hope. It worked for me.

www2.fairmontstate.edu/users/kmcmillan/newresume.doc

Silly Me . . .

It's probably too late to worry about it now. I posted the link for my Photo Story video the day after I finished it. I sent an e-mail with the link as soon as it was completed but forgot to post it on my blog! This class is going to be tricky for me . . . at least in the beginning. It's hard for me to remember all the different components of it (blog, Blackboard, g-mail, course web page, Skype, etc.). Ugh!