Screencast

This week I worked on a PowerPoint for one of my classes and although I thought I was an expert in that program I was glad to realize I had much to learn. Our professor provided us different articles and websites that gave us a clear description of what PowerPoint presentations should and should not look like. I used to include transitions and animations for the sake of aesthetics; however I learn those are not always needed if they become a distraction. I also learned about "Kanso", which is the concept of beauty, visual elegance, and grace are acquired through simplicity. many times less is more! It is impossible to cram every bit of information into a slide otherwise it will become so clogged that one's audience may get confused and lose interest in what one has to say.

The second part of the project was to create and record presentation on a tool, skill or tip we learned about during class we believe will most help others to be a digital-age leader. Through our presentation we had to teach the main points of that specific tool to our classmates and professor and sell them on its importance and usefulness. I believe the most difficult part of the project was putting it all together. I had to record myself over and over again because on the first try I barely made three minutes, yet one of the requirements was to have between four and five minutes. The second time around I was good on time but kept mispronouncing words so I decided to start all over and really practice before submitting a final recording. Although screencast was fairly simple to use, I personally prefer screencast-o-matic because it was more user friendly. I did like the way one could simply upload the presentation into Jing and be able to share with anyone.

If I were to have to use it in the future, I would use it to teach teachers about Web2.0 tools since I know many teachers do not have the time or energy to attend professional development sessions after school. A simple 5-minute video can be viewed at home before a meeting and be discussed later on at a PLC. I would also use it to help students who have trouble following written instructions... if a visual would help, then this would be the best tool.

I can honestly say that this has been one of my favorite semesters, although definitely not the easiest. I have had to really learn about time management because I have had to turn in assignments using tools and skills I had never learned about!