Link to our PREZI

Check out our Prezi!

https://prezi.com/secure/cd916a2c4e5503c488eacac05c80a89fca42c6ca/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=shareprezi&utm_medium=email

Presentation Blog: Prezi/Animoto

At first I thought it was going to be difficult to communicate with everyone in the group. However, it was quite the opposite, everyone was giving feedback on the project. Animoto was a great selection to use four our assignment, we all had used it before.

Animoto provides a multimedia experience. It is very easy to use and also to explain how to use it. In no more than five steps, one can create videos and even transfer them to YouTube. Also if one has pictures in places like Facebook, Flicker, Photobucket, Smugmug and Picasa, they can easily be transfer to Animoto and create different projects. The projects can range from biographies, field trips, digital storytelling, science projects and more.

A group of my ACE students used Prezi last year to show a project presentation for their CPD-Career Counseling Development class. It was just amazing it was related to water. At that time I had never heard of this Web 2.0 tool. All the students in the audience were just amazed just as I was. I think this tool opens the door to everyone, to be creative and pursue new things.

We welcome the non-linear teaching approach to presentations. This is probably not the end of PowerPoint, but simply another option. Prezi feels like is more realistic than PowerPoint, it feels like a more easily way to showcase examples and text references.

Great Job Team!!!

Prezi and Animoto

I was very impressed with the teamwork and collaboration for this weeks project. It is an honor to work with Lisa, Rachel, Daniel and Eldon.

I found this simple exercise in Prezi to be challenging, and very interesting. The emails, and notes in Prezi provided the collaboration and help that was needed during the project. I enjoyed watching the Animoto and SlideShare videos that my teammates created and shared in the Prezi demonstration. Your classrooms must be exciting places to learn for your students.

I believe that innovative teachers can find many ways to use programs like Animoto to create projects that promote critical think skills as my teammates have demonstrated in our Prezi project. I read in the edutecher.net website that we must look beyond the Web 2.0 which lived 1999-2010 according to Adam S. Bellow, to whatever follows which will incorporate the use of mobile devices, the cloud and more. We must keep our eyes to the horizon looking for tools that will stimulate critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Animoto and Prezi are but two ways to accomplish this.

Dennis

Prezi Link

Here's the link to our Prezi presentation, great job everyone!! http://prezi.com/frvuts8rja7u/creating-an-engaging-classroom-with-web-2-0/

Mind Tools are Mind Boggling

Since I am pretty new to most Web 2.0 tools and especially Prezi, I am totally envious of all you techies out there! Every time I try to add, delete, or move something on Prezi, I end up editing the wrong thing...and don't even get me started on the pathways! These tools provide spectacular multimedia capabilities that stimulate learners, but the time it takes me to complete the set up is mind boggling.

Like my fabulous group members have mentioned, I too am glad we choose Animoto as our primary tool of focus. It is very easy to use. I even thought I was doing something wrong since it was so easy! I added just a quick little section on Slidesix since I use it quite frequently for professional development. Basically, it is Powerpoint on steroids!

Thanks group for being so great! I forgot what it is like to not have to push people to get there work completed. I am lucky to be part of a group of self starters!

Animoto and Prezi

Like Rachel posted, I'm also glad that we did Animoto as the 2.0 tool for our Prezi presentation.  After creating a sample presentation, I was once again reminded about how easy it was to use Animto.  More than that, I was reintroduced to the plethora of activities that it could be used for in the classroom.  My class is currently focusing on the American Revolution, in social studies.  Animoto could be used for quick presentation on the major players, causes of, results, and many other topics that I am looking to discuss in class.  Cause and effect, plot, and other reading materials can always be used in a presentation or lesson.  As shown in the Prezi presentation, science principles can be easily put together and presented to the class in a nonverbal, creative manner.  I'm looking forward to using Animoto in the classroom, as soon as I get it approved with parents and the tech people at school.

Prezi was an exciting tool as well!  I watched an amazing example in which words and pictures zoomed in and out, with ease and clarity.  I was overwhelmed and went into "Just do it and hope for the best" mode.  However, once the presentation started to come along, I found Prezi really easy to use.  I love the concept, moving from one idea to another in an easy, distinct manner.  This could be used to plan writing, storyboard concepts, present group ideas (connecting concepts), showing cause and effect, reinterpreting stories, and so much more.  I was impressed with all the avenues of presentation that Prezi provides.

The only issue I had with Prezi, that might not have been a problem for the rest of you, was the horrible ordeal of moving one item at a time.  I wanted to highlight an entire section and move it at once, but was not able to.  This was the one, frustrating detail in Prezi.

For our instructor's benefit, and to reiterate how much I appreciate this team, we put together a terrific presentation.  Through email and the blog, our teamwork was outstanding.  At the beginning, I was worried that we wouldn't be able to collaborate without getting together or constantly calling each other.  That was not the case.  We communicated our ideas and thoughts, worked together to brainstorm and edit ideas, and continuously verified the project, as individuals and a group.  If we did this, on one project, wouldn't our kids do the same?  What an amazing opportunity.

Finally, I wanted to agree with Daniel!  I would love to see this blog used for more than just the assignments.  If we have an interesting experience at school or in class, blog it!  If there is a problem that you can't solve, blog it!  This blog is a great tool for communicating and I look forward to learning more about your unique experiences.

Thanks everyone!

My Thoughts on Animoto

Animoto is the tool our team chose for analysis of a Web 2.0 tool. I'm glad we chose this tool. I think it's a great tool for the classroom. It's easy to use and a great way to display information and content for the teacher and the student. Some ways to use it are for storytelling and introducing different cultures. I think it would be a great way to make social studies content and science come alive for students. It's a wonderful way to engage students and make them interested in the content. It can also be a great tool for a collaborative group project in older grades. For example, students could do a research project on a person, a culture, or a country, and create an Animoto presentation showing what they learned. Also, like Eldon stated on the Prezi, Animoto can be used as a cross-curricular tool. It can be used in any area, even math.