Using Animoto to compile audio, video and images

Animoto is a great tool to use to compile audio, video and images created with students.

I have used it to compile some of the pictures and videos I took whilst the students were working on their Waste Product Challenge.  I downloaded the app onto my phone and used the app to simply select the pictures and videos that I wanted to use.  This was followed by selecting one of the templates and after approximately 1 minute, my video was compiled.  To share it with the group I have put the link onto their google community.  

Again I have not included the link because of learners identities but here is a picture.  

Using Google communities to distribute images captured on a mobile device

This year, I started teaching a new level 3 unit called 'The Innovative Entrepreneur. As part of this unit we had to explore the subject of creativity. Learners had to use 3 methods of creativity and explain the theory behind it.  I started off this topic by setting them two creativity challenges. The first was a newspaper challenge (group work) and the other was what I called the 'Waste product challenge'.  As students worked on their challenges I took photos and posted them on a Google community that I created for each group.

The learners from each group, joined the communities and uploaded their pictures too. 

As part of their own evaluation on how they used the creativity theories they had to create their own blogs including pictures. 

I have not added the links here as the learners did not want their pictures posted publically.

I used Prezi!

In this example Prezi has been used to create a resource which looks at branding.  It has links to an online quiz on branding and an article referring to Kotler (Market guru) on brands and branding.

Prezi is an interesting tool to use,  it does get a little getting used to.  I couldn't for example work out how to embed the quiz into Prezi and so I just added the link.  Also, it would seem that the way to use Prezi is different from the way PowerPoint is used.  Information is perhaps better if it is organised in groups in Prezi.  The back and forth motion of the program may be a bit uncomfortable for some students, so this would have to be taken into consideration too.

I used Screenr!

Although I have viewed a number of Screenr recordings I have never used it before.  Following the online tutorial was simple and after some mistakes I create one recording (not mistake free though) that I will add to my learners SOWs and blogs.

The recording is below

Share multi-media content using an accessible online medium, taking account of issues of inclusivity

Content can be shared on a number of multi-media platforms. I used audioboo to demonstrate that information could be recorded for students. An audioboo can be linked to a blog, SOW, website or sent directly to students. This type of resource can encourage participation both in and outside of the classroom and thus students can engage with the learning material 24 hrs per day, 7 days a week if they wish. This resource can support students with visual impairment, language development (such as ESOL students) and/or those students who need information repeatedly explained to them. This resource would also benefit learners in terms of inclusion whose learning style favours 'audio' methods. Some of the negative aspects of using this type of resource are: 1) some students need a combination of both audio and visual clues for their learning. This resource, therefore may disadvantage some students. 2) Students would need the appropriate equipment to access the audio recording, despite what we may believe, there are still a number of students who do not own smart phones due to economic circumstances. Access may also be via the internet but there are some learners whose families do not have internet access at home, or whose internet access is tightly controlled due to cost. 3) Some students language is still developing eg ESOL students and thus they may struggle to understand the audio recording, particularly where there are no visual clues to help them.

Using Twitter in teaching and learning, does it have potential?

Founded in 2006, Twitter is a social media/networking tool that can be used not only in the social environment but to aid teaching and learning. However, how much can really be said or done in just 140 characters? Twitter enables students to collaborate, not only with each other but with their teacher. It also provides the opportunity for students who are absent from class to also engage in what is happening in the classroom either in real time or after the class (discussion) has taken place. This collaboration can be extended to include people from all over the world - enabling collaboration with other learning institutions, businesses and organisations. Twitter can also act as a depositary for resources such as links to online resources, recommended books, up to date information on real life subjects (eg comments from government officials could be followed for business students) etc It can also be used as a direct teaching & learning tool. It provides the opportunity for students to practice their writing skills eg how to consolidate what they want to say without the need to revert to 'txt spk'! Students can also use it to practice their use of different tenses, language development etc. It can be used as a formative feedback tool from teacher/assessor to student and for students to post questions if they need help with their work. Twitter is used by some teachers for the plenary either at the end of the lesson or at the end of the day to remind students what was covered and/or inform parents and guardians of what had been covered. Students can be asked to use Twitter to create tweets on behalf of characters that they are studying eg The chancellor or Prime Minister etc. Using Twitter with Business students Twitter could work well with my students as many of them use social media to communicate with their peers. However, one area that would need to be monitored is to ensure that they refrain from using 'text speak'. In addition, as a medium, (from feedback), my students prefer other social media tools such as Facebook, instagram (for pictures and videos)and snapchat. They tend to feel that Twitter is slightly more sophisticated and appealing to a more adult audience. However, in terms of developing employability skills for business, Twitter would be the most appropriate for disciplines such as accounting & finance, PR, economics, HR etc. Whilst the other social media mentioned such as Facebook, instagram and snapchat would suit the more creative disciplines within business such as marketing, promotion, sales, design etc. The limit of 140 characters will possibly also result in high quality submissions as students will also think about what they are writing. Business students are likely to use Twitter to post feedback and commentary on live events such as guest speaker talks, presentations, lectures etc. They could also use it quite well to communicate when working on joint projects for their group tasks. Barriers and issues There are a few barriers and/or issues that may be posed by using Twitter ie: 1) Students may not want to engage with this tool as it does not suit their personal preference 2) The limitation of 140 characters may be insufficient to tackle some tasks ie submitting a number of shorter tweets would not be appropriate eg Twitter could not be used for students to present their CVs (ie without a link to an actual document) 3) Some students may not have the language skills necessary to post appropriate tweets online.