Anita Foster

Photo Story 3

Photo Story 3 is now installed on most of the computers in the county. If it is not installed, you can put a workorder in to have it installed. This is a free download for others that would like to download it on their home computers.

You can get images or photos to use from various sites. For this training we will be using FreeFoto because it is FREE.

Photo Story 3 can be used for various projects. The file exports as a Windows Movie file, so it can be viewed using Windows Media Player.

This program is so easy to use. You can make a video using pictures in just a few minutes!

1. Import the images.
2. Add text to the images.
3. Add audio to the slideshow.
4. Export!

If you need some tutorials visit Atomic Learning.

If you would like for me to come and work with your team, this is a great time of year to create an end of the year project.

For step by step instructions you may Download photo_story_3.pdf

You may also see an example (You must have Windows Media Player to view).  Download BrushYourTeeth.wmv

SMARTBoard Class Session 4

We will have the next two weeks as our self-study in order to finish the last week in a face to face class (April 2). So, there is a lot of "homework" but it can be completed in two weeks.

Atomic Learning still has a lot of tutorials we have not touched on... http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/smartboard95_pc

Under Section D-G watch at least 4 tutorials from each section. On our last time in class I would like to see a notebook that you have created using the various techniques and tips you have learned during this 10 week period.

Post a comment in this blog to discuss any ideas, thoughts or issues you are having with the SmartBoard.

del.icio.us Training

del.icio.us is a great tool that anyone can use. It is absolutely FREE (a teacher's favorite word)!! It allows you to save your bookmarks from any computer on the Internet. Share with your students, colleagues and friends. You can even have people in your "Network" that you can share websites with. Let's say your friend in California also teaches the same grade and subject you teach. You can collaborate on websites and share among several teachers so the work of many can be used instead of the work of one!

Another great reason to use del.icio.us is to save time when you find a great resource while you are instructing. Instead of having the students type in a URL that seems five miles long, you can tag it in del.icio.us and they will then go to your account and click on the link.

I have been training at most of my schools on del.icio.us - Every teacher that has the training has said what a time saver this tool will be for their instruction and planning!! I am thrilled that they have enjoyed the training and can take what they have learned and begin implementing it immediately in their classroom. I have attached the handouts for you to use on your own in case you have missed the training. Lauralyn, another TIS, created these handouts for our use!

Download del.icio.us  for pc.pdf
Download del.icio.us tips for pc.pdf
Download del.icio.us for Mac.pdf
Download del.icio.us Tips for Mac.pdf

And in case you are wondering, my del.icio.us account is del.icio.us/alfoster68 

SMARTBoard Class Session 3

This week I would like for you to visit the SMART Board section on Atomic Learning http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/smartboard95_pc and view 5 video tutorials from Section C - Editing Notebook Objects. Post a comment in here to let us know what you learned.

Also, I was sent a great resource for SMARTBoard Notebooks for teachers. These have great Notebook activities  and gallery items for your use. http://www1.center.k12.mo.us/Edtech/SB/collections.htm If you find something and use it in your classroom, please share with the group in the comments section. Also, if you come across other great resources, please share with the group!

SMARTBoard Class Session 2

This week we will take what we have learned to create a notebook to use in our class. It does not need to be extravagant. Remember it will take time to implement all of the aspects of a SMARTBoard in your classroom.

Visit http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities/default.htm to see what type of lesson activities SMART Technology has to offer. Please post a comment in this blog to list some of the favorites you would like to suggest to others.

Visit http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter/tutorials.asp and view the following tutorials.

- Power Point
- The Notebook Software Gallery
- Post a comment on this blog telling something you learned.
- Create a Power Point and use it in a Notebook for your class. This will be shared at our next class.

SMARTBoard Class Session 1

The staff at Smitha have just recieved several SMARTBoards. This blog post is designed for them to use, however anyone that has a SMARTBoard will be able to use this blog as a guide.

Visit the following link to watch a tutorial

http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter/tutorials.asp
-Watch the Touch, Write and Save tutorial
-Watch the Ink Aware tutorial
- Write a comment in this post telling what you learned
-  Create a Notebook using some of the tools you learned about and prepare to share at our next training.

Use the following link to view tutorials on SMARTBoards. http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/smartboard

- Watch 4 videos from the Getting Started section
- Watch 5 videos from the Notebook Tools section
- Write a comment in this post telling what you learned
-  Create a Notebook using some of the tools you learned about and prepare to share at our next training.

August News

I am going to send out a newsletter once a month to my schools to keep them informed to what is happening in technology and in Cobb County. Attached you will find my first newsletter. Please feel free to read and distribute to your staff. I am going to keep it short and  sweet and to the point! So, you will be able to read the whole thing quickly.

Download TIS_Newsletter_081707.pdf

Busy Summer...Learned A LOT!!

I have been very busy this summer training and I have been blogging...just not on THIS blog! Several colleagues and I have been training on iNtegrating iLife and eXtending iLife iNto Web 2.0 courses. These back to back training sessions and NECC (held this year in Atlanta) has really kept me busy!

I have enjoyed training and working with my colleagues tremendously, and I have learned A LOT!!!!! I can't wait to start posting some of the cool things we learned and taught this summer! Trust me, when I tell you I learned so much from this group of individuals and class participants...it was truly collaboration at its best!!

So, look for more posts to come! Meanwhile, here are the links to the courses I collaborated with...there are really great resources here!! And a big THANK YOU to Herman, Mike and Mo that let me tag along for the ride!! Hopefully we will be able to do it again next summer!!

http://tiscobb.typepad.com/imamac/

http://www.cobbk12.org/instructionaltechnology/mac/

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I will be working with a group of students and their teacher this week on creating a Power Point for their final project in class. Another TIS created one of the Power Points below to show how a bad Power Point looks.  I took her presentation and tweaked it at bit to create a good example. I know that a lot of people, myself included, like to use transitions and animations, we also like to use graphics and background to enhance. One of the things I would like for the students to learn is that too much of a good thing can ruin a great presentation. You don't want the audience looking at the cool things you can do in a Power Point, you want them to learn from your content.

Things to avoid:

• Offensive colors - Bright yellows, reds, oranges and such can hurt a person's eyes if viewed for too long.
• Transitions on top of Transitions - Too many transitions can cause a persons eyes and attention to jump from one thing to another. Keep transitions to a minimum to enhance not distract.
• Animation Overload - Having a lot of different animations on the same page keeps they eyes moving, but not always a good thing. Make sure your transitions are well placed and grouped to keep the eye moving to the correct content.
• Typos and Spelling Errors - I am a pretty bad speller...I spell check just about everything. Make sure a presentation is spell checked before sharing.
• Information Overload - Do not overwhelm your audience with too much information on one page. Consider splitting your content to different pages. This also goes for pictures!! Too much of a good thing isn't always a good idea.

Please view both of these videos and tell me if you can tell which one is the good...which one is the bad and why you think you are correct.

Download georgia_powerpoint1.ppt

Download georgia_powerpoint_2.ppt