Reflection for November 3, 2009

I have been looking around lately to get a video camera. I have just wanted one to have so I can document events in my life. This week in class I learned a whole new way to use a video camera. The flip camera is really cool. Just seeing how easy it is to use makes me want to buy it. I have been looking on KSL.com everyday to try and get a great deal on one. I also learned how easy it is to use an iPod to record pod casts. I wonder if they have anything like that for a Zune.
I want to expand my knowledge with podcasts now. Know that I how many there are millions of different podcasts I can download them and listen to them on the hour long bus to school. Usually I just listen to music, but now I can learn so many new things.
Podcasts and Vidcasts can be used in the classroom is so many different ways. I think it would be fun to use them to help kids read. If they recorded their own voices reading and then listened to what they read, it would improve their reading skills. It would be fun make a list of songs that we used to learn throughout the year on a cd and had the kids listen to it in the summer to remember what they learned. For example, the math songs that a child learns to help them remember.

Reflection for October 27, 2009

Since I was little, I always wondered what school was like in another country. I remember in elementary, my friends told me that in China, students go to school 6 days a week, and only have a few weeks off a year. I am not sure how true that is, but it got my mind thinking. There are so many tools that could be used to see what it is like in another school in a whole different part of the world. The one I am choosing to research is Skype.
Skype is a great tool to use when trying to communicate with people. It started in 2004 and by 2005 there were about 40 million active users. It has features of a telephone, and also some of a messenger. The user can call the computer from a land line and reach the person. There are features with video conferences, and just plain old messenger. You can add little smiley faces or emoticons, and also transfer files.
I could easily use this tool to chat with other classes in other parts of the world. There could be many benefits to using this. I like that it was made to be able to talk to people in other countries. The cons of skype is that there is no way of contacting customer support. If we had a set time to talk with a class and something went wrong. There also is the problem of computers not working.