Posted by David Wetzel
Have you ever wanted to create short “how to” video for your students to use for homework, remembering facts, and solving math problems.
How often have your students stated, “I could not complete the homework assignment, because I could not remember the steps and no one could help me.”
Well the answer is to create a screencast or video for posting on your class wiki or blog for students to view at home or anywhere else they have web access.
An Online Tool: Screencasting Made Easy
Jing is an alluringly addictive little piece of freeware that allows you to make screencasts (as well as screenshots) of whatever is appearing on your computer screen.
It is an excellent Web 2.0 tool for teaching using short five-minute-or-less “how to” videos in science or math. It is also compatible with PC and Macs.
To watch a screencast, you or your students only need a viewer capable of showing the appropriate file format. This normally means using Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or Flash.
Screencasts can be streamed over the Internet or downloaded and watched later.
Another option is to save screencasts on a digital portable device with video capability, such as a video capable iPod, MP3 Player, or smart phone (often referred to a videocasts).
Science and Math: Ideas for Use
Using Jing to create screencasts which can be used in science or math to:
- present a standalone lesson or class orientations.
- clarify complex concepts using images, videos, and audio.
- capture brainstorming ideas of entire class or groups.
- post lecture notes, concept maps, or math procedural steps on class wiki or blog.
- support rote learning of facts or “skill and drill” applications.
- create a video clip of you, or a guest speaker, talking while displaying PowerPoint slides or other visuals.
- create a how-to video for math project, science project, or laboratory investigation.
- create a lab safety video.
Educational Value: Teaching Strategies and Techniques
This educational technology tool is useful for teaching:
- content in a more engaging manner for students, rather than reading written instructions and viewing photos or illustrations.
- due to ease in sharing information in an intuitive and effective way.
- by easily publishing and distributing information via blogs, wikis, and social media services which opens the door to greater collaboration among students.
- difficult concepts which cannot be explained easily through words alone.
- different learning styles.
Creating a Screencast
Launch the program, whose icon (the Jing “sun”) will then lurk at the edge of your screen until you are ready for Jing action.
Hover over the sun and select the crosshairs, so you can set your screen capture dimensions.
Select the video icon in the toolbar that appears under your capture zone.
After the 3-second countdown, now you’re recording! Move your cursor, type, click, etc. Your video can be up to 5 minutes long.
To stop the recording, click the rectangular stop button on the toolbar.
Once you are done, you can view your video. You can save a copy (it’s in Flash) or better yet, “share it” to Screencast.com (it’s free) so you can send a link for viewing. You can determine who can and cannot view your screencasts.
Your video can also be embedded or a link provided within a wiki or blog.
Other Considerations
Other points to think about when creating a screen cast:
- You have the option to record audio along with your video.
- You can upload images from Flickr or other sources for integration in a video.
- You can also upload PowerPoint slides for conversion into a video.
Other Free Online Screencasting Tool Options
- CamStudio – an open source PC program for capturing your on-screen video and audio as AVI files.
- Copernicus – is for Macs and focuses heavily on making quick and speedy films. Program does not offer audio support.
- ScreenToaster – is compatible with PCs and Macs and used for capturing videos of onscreen action, tutorials, how-to’s, lectures and more.
A screencast will bring a new dynamic process to your science or math class. Students are more engaged in the learning process and they have access to information presented in class 24 hours a day.
No longer will students be able to complain they could not remember the steps or procedures, because they are posted on the class wiki or blog. They can also download these videos to their iPods, MP3 Players, or smart phone.
Posted by David Wetzel
How many times have you prepared an updated or new dynamic math or science PowerPoint or Keynote presentation for class and it would not open in school?
Also, how many times has it happened to your students when it’s time to give a class presentation? Now you need to postpone their presentation to another day, disrupting even the best planning.
You or your students do everything right – use compatible software, save it on a jump or flash drive, and it still would not open!
You think, well I will just open an older version of the presentation using Google Docs! You prepare to give your lesson – Bam! Google Docs is acting up or someone made a mistake and now your school is blocking Google Docs today!
When it rains it pours!
Solution: SlideShare
Now there is an alternative to the problems experienced above. How to overcome these problems is by using SlideShare – which is free!
This Web 2.0 tool allows you to upload presentations from PowerPoint, Keynote, OpenOffice, and Google Docs Presentation.
You can also embed these presentations in a class blog or wiki. This offers the ability to open your presentation on the class wiki or blog and give your lesson.
A good feature is the ability to embed appropriate YouTube or Teacher Tube videos within a presentation. This feature is a way of circumventing your school’s website blocking software.
You can even add audio to your presentations, to spice up a presentation and help hold your students’ interest.
You can even upload documents for creating slide presentations. SlideShare accepts documents from MS Word, iWork, Google Docs, PDF, and OpenOffice.
SlideShare also offers a new video feature which allows you to upload and share videos. They strictly enforce video copyright laws.
This Web 2.0 tool is also useful for professional development classes and workshops. You can share your presentations and student work without worrying about software compatibility issues.
Implementation: Strategies for Use in Science or Math Classes
Besides supporting teachers, SlideShare offers the ability for an individual or group of students to open their own account.
After creating a presentation for class, they can upload it to their own blog or class wiki. If these two options are not available, they can e-mail the link to their presentation to themselves or write down the link.
When students are absent, they can view a your presentations on the class blog or wiki. You also have the option to e-mail the link to absent student(s).
In classrooms using the one-to-one computer programs, students can access the SlideShare presentation on their computers and teachers free to roam the classroom ensuring students and following the presentation slides.
Students can use the presentations embedded on blogs or wikis as study guides when preparing for tests.
Uploading: Transferring Files
Several options are offered for uploading presentation or documents files. Examples include:
Firefox Universal FireUploader – offers a free Firefox plug-in for uploading files from your computer using a simple drag & drop interface. You can also edit the file details, set privacy, etc.
SlideShare Ribbon for Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 – is a free plugin for PowerPoint 2007. It lets you use most features of SlideShare from within PowerPoint. You can download and upload files.
This Web 2.0 tool offers the ability to overcome common problems both teachers and students have when giving presentations in class. This tool also provides the ability to eliminate the often used phrase - fear of using technology in the classroom. After spending time preparing a dynamic presentation providing a another level for overcoming technical difficulties are worth the effort.
Also, students are giving another way to prepare their class presentations. Eliminating often heard excuses of forgetting their jump drive at home, they lost their jump drive, or the dog ate it.
Additional Resources
PowerPoint Presentations Beyond Note Taking
Why Use Web 2.0 Tools When Teaching Science and Math?
Posted by David Wetzel
The following is a common question heard around teacher workrooms, teacher lunchrooms, faculty meetings, and science or math conferences.
“Why use web 2.0 tools when teaching science or math?”
The answer is both simple and complex at the same time. The answer to this question is:
Online tools facilitate input and interaction by students as they use the four skills of the language (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
For example Wikis, Forums, Twitter, and Blogs provide opportunities for reading and writing. While podcasts, online videos, video blogs, Skype, webcasts, and screencasts give access to spoken language.
Also the use of web 2.0 tools makes it easier to address individual student learning styles.
Advantages for Teachers: Answers Part of the Question - Why?
The advantages are tremendous for using Web 2.0 tools for teaching science and math. The following are a few advantages for teachers and include:
- only needing a computer and no special software programs or skills, because software is hosted on somebody else’s server.
- most online tools are free for educational purposes.
- user-friendly tools, along with many offering video tutorials; eliminating or reducing the need to seek help from an IT person.
- access to these tools only requires a computer and access to the Internet anytime and anywhere.
- the ability to update, edit, or delete information during a lesson, if needed.
- ease of integration of web 2.0 tools into other tools. For example embedding a TeacherTube, Animoto Videos into a Wiki, Blog, or Glogster poster.
- autonomous learning for students as the become more involved in the process of learning science or math, especially helpful during project based learning and problem solving activities.
Learning Online: Another Answer for the Question - Why?
Once a teacher has developed a lesson or set of lessons using web 2.0 tools, the lesson or lessons are easily saved from class to class or next year.
Both teachers and students learn:
- how to use these online tools for learning and also the ability to transfer this knowledge to their personal lives and careers.
- up-to-date information regarding science and math. (i.e., Digg, Delicious)
- how to use RSS feeds to focus information gathering and research. (i.e., Digg, Delicious)
- by using podcasts and video podcasts for studying, reviewing, and tutoring outside the classroom. (i.e., Wikis, Blogs, Flickr)
- to collaborate with colleagues and follow students on projects both in and out of a classroom setting. (i.e., Google Docs, VoiceThread, SlideShare, Glogster)
Collaboration: A Final Answer for the Question - Why?
Ease of collaboration has always been an issue in K-12 science and math education. Lowering classroom walls using web 2.0 tools fosters learning autonomy for students as they have greater opportunities to collaborate with classmates and other students around the world.
Also these collaborative efforts are further realized as students can collaborate with each other from anywhere they have access to the Internet. Examples include students:
- collaborating on project reports, presentations, database management, and conducting online surveys. (i.e., Google Docs, OpenOffice, Zoho)
- creating group presentations. (i.e., SlideShare, Glogster, VoiceThread, Animoto, Vimeo, Wallwisher, Flickr)
- collaborating with students fro other schools around the world for collecting science or math data and research. (i.e., Skype, Twitter)
These examples answer the question - Why should web 2.0 tools be used to teach science and math?
Online tools promote authentic communication and collaboration between teaches to students, students to students, and students to teachers.
Also, web 2.0 tools provide authentic inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, and problem solving situations.
