Google Presentations

I recently used Google Docs (Google Presentations) for the first time. It is incredibly easy to use, and for the most part, it is comparable to Microsoft's PowerPoint software. Of course, there are some things that Microsoft has that Google Docs does not, but in the same way, there are benefits to using Google that Microsoft doesn't have.

Benefit #1: IT IS FREE! Microsoft Power Point can be an expense that many students cannot afford. Google Presentations comes free with your google account.

Benefit #2: Google Docs stores the PowerPoint to your account. Saving the document is not necessary. Your document will be there until you delete if from your account!

Benefit #3: It is super fast! Sometimes you can get bogged down in all the options and design features when using Microsoft's PowerPoint. The benefit of Google Docs is that it has great design feature, but it is less work to make the presentation presentable.

Benefit #4: The designs of Google Docs are really nice, clean layouts. I was able to create the example below in LESS THAN 30 MINUTES!

Benefit #5: Because Google is already a search engine, it is less of a hassle to incorporate images into the presentation.

BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT Google Presentations HERE!

CHECK OUT MY PRESENTATION BELOW!

 

AND... Project correlates with NETS·T standard #3 because it models and facilities effective use of current and emerging digital tools to evaluate learning!

 

Microsoft Movie Maker

 

This week, I created a "family & friends" themed movie using Microsoft Movie Maker's FREE download here! We used pictures to tell a story and had the option of including either words or narration to complete our picture story. Although I did not personally use the narration option (I opted to use words to tell my story), I actually preferred the narration option. I played around with this option, and ultimately chose not to use this option because it was more time consuming, created larger files, and a bit more complex to upload to the movie. However, I think that it was a much more personal option (especially if the movie was a gift for a student, friend, or family member).

 

It is user friendly and includes some really great features to enhance your videos.

This would be a great tool for teacher to use both in and out of the classroom, and it would even be great for teacher to create gifts for their students at the end of the school year (like a yearbook on DVD).

 

(Also, I posted my video to youtube with no converting errors, which is always convenient.)

Microsoft Movie Maker was really fun to work with, and I am glad I have had the chance to play around with it.

 

Try it out. It is a lot of fun!
AND... Project correlates with NETS·T standard #1 & 3 because it involves inspiring student creativity and demonstrates fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations!

Google Groups

Last week, I had the opportunity to work with a group on GOOGLE GROUPS.



https://sites.google.com/site/epicconsultantcorner/google-group



Google Groups is similar to a discussion board, except it is all in one place. It is super easy to work on because you can access it from anywhere as long as you have a google account (FREE) and Internet capabilities.

Another really neat feature is that you can see what someone else in your group is adding/typing from your computer. This feature makes it simple to see your group's progress (as it is being made).

My group consisted of 4 members, and our project was to write a short story about anything that we wanted in a minimum of 150 words each. So, we created our group and designated a "story starter". We watched on our own computer screens as the story progressed, so that when it became out turn to add to the story, there was need to waste time reading the previous material, we had been WATCHING AS IT WAS WRITTEN!

Here is the story that we created below:
(Hope you like it!)

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT GOOGLE GROUPS!

IT WORKS GREAT WITH GROUP WRITING PROJECTS!
AND... Project correlates with NETS·T standard #3 because it models and facilities effective use of current and emerging digital tools to evaluate learning!