Journal 6: Software Review and iMovie

Journal 6

INSPIRATION SOFTWARE

1. For the Inspiration Assignment I used the Kidspiration software since I plan on working with the younger grades. I spent some time playing with the software, and then watched a couple tutorial videos I found on YouTube. I prefer to play around with the software to learn rather than watch the tutorials. I found the program to be very creative and easy to use. It was very interactive. I really thought the templates would be useful for children when using the software. There were outlines for geography where you can add pictures and words to a template to help you learn aspects of geography. It looked like it would be very useful. After playing with the software I began creating. I think students would like this program a lot because it gives them the opportunity to be creative while they learn. They can add colors, shapes, designs, etc to make their creation, their own.

2. This program could be incorporated into the classroom in so many different ways. I think the simple outlining that I used would be very useful to teach children because it would allow them to gather ideas, especially when writing. The idea of outlining on the computer might encourage students not to skip that step. Since there are so many different componants to this software it could be used in all different subject areas, math, social studies, language arts, etc. Also some of the activities available would be very useful in organizing important terms that deal with each subject. It would allow students to visually see what they are learning, and I think this is very important in school.

3. I really liked the Atomic learning tutorials. I did not use it much during this assignment because I felt it was more useful for me to play with the software on my own; however, the idea of using video as a means of instructional guidance is a great idea. There are so many different computer programs out there that are confusing and having videos to instruct you on how to use them is so helpful. For me learning how to use Microsoft Access for another class was near impossible. If I would have known about Atomic Learning, it may have been easier to learn.


iMOVIE

1. I had a lot of fun making the iMovie. I took a computer class last semester where I had to make a movie using microsoft movie maker. iMovie would have been a lot easier for me to use, if I were more comfortable with the apple computer. Once I got the hang of it by playing around I was finally able to finish the movie. I think students would enjoy working with this program because it allows them to create a movie that they can call their own. That in itself makes it very exciting. I do think they would need a lot of guidance in getting started.

2. This would make a great project for students once they reach about 4th grade. I would incorporate it into subject areas such as History, or Science. I remember doing the Mission project in school, this would be a different way of approaching this assignment. Instead of creating a mission, students can take pictures/videos of their favorite Mission and teach about it in their movie. It would be a fun and interactive way of learning. Once again, this software would have to be explained thouroughly, but once the students get the hang of it, they would have a lot of fun.

3. The video tutorial, Accidental Student would be very helpful for students to learn how to begin the iMovie assignment. It is very important for students to get all the guidance they can while beginning to use this software.