This week we were tasked with trying out 2 new tools that could be used in a flipped classroom setting. I tried out Adobe Spark, I remember seeing some really nice presentations some of my cohort members made with the tool in the past, but I hadn’t realized that this was a web based tool with a free version. I thought it was something that required software, downloads, or a paid subscription. I was excited to try it out, and immediately was able to download and import slides from a presentation I’m working on in my other class. What I appreciate about Adobe Spark is how visually appealing the videos it creates are, and how you can add narration to the individual slides. One major problem I’ve been having with screencasting is that I tend to misread or misspeak mid presentation and it’s extremely difficult to edit the sound without starting all over. Since the current presentation has a 10 minute limit, I’ve been concerned about getting to minute 8 or 9 and then having an issue. It’s nice that they have stock background music and images you can plug in to make your presentation more pleasant.
The next tool I tried was Edpuzzle, I like how it is connected with google classroom and I can import my students from there. I am currently almost in shock about the fact that I’ve never heard of Edpuzzle. It’s such an interesting tool with a lot of possibilities for use. This seems like it might be the best tool for a flipped classroom because you can easily pull in resources that were already created and add or subtract content from them to meet your learner’s needs. I am now hoping to use this tool for an upcoming animal unit with my second graders. It’s really pretty advanced and impressive, and user friendly enough for most tech savvy teachers to use. I could see this being a bit of a time consuming task to stitch together videos and add voice, but at the same time extremely useful for certain units I teach that could be saved for the following years. It’s also so nice to be able to collaborate in a sense with teachers from around the world by borrowing their content and creating and sharing their own. That saves on time since you don’t have to recreate your own videos! Vocaroo was the final tool I tested out this week. It is a super simple voice recording website where you can record audio and save it. It’s all online and they give you many share/download options. I could see this being used to insert audio into presentations, google forms, etc.It seems like the most simplistic and user friendly tool out of the bunch, but it isn’t extremely versatile. You can just record and share audio, plus it’s hosted on their website for you. It’s nice that there is a free and easy tool to do this, as finding one can sometimes be an issue! It does say an improved version of vocaroo is coming out, so I wonder what new capabilities that might have, as I could see a login being useful so that users could log in to view and share their past recordings. I have really enjoyed having the opportunity to try out new tech tools this semester. I have integrated a lot of them into my classroom routine and I am excited about that. My second and third grade students really seem to appreciate using these new tools, and have been working on Google Classroom, Google Forms, Google Slides with Slides Carnival, and more lately. I appreciate the task of testing out new things that I can actually use in my classroom that make learning more engaging, make it easier for me to teach or to share info with other teachers, or allow my students to share their work with a broader audience.
5 Comments
Rian
4/23/2018 06:54:01 pm
It seems like you are doing new and innovative things with your student learning! I am excited to hear that you liked edpuzzle, it's a personal fave too! I am glad that I am not the only one who was concerned about mis-speaking during a 10 minute audio and needing to restart.
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Marisabel Olguin
4/23/2018 09:26:50 pm
I also liked edpuzzle but I was not successful in putting a video together. I decided to try educreations that was more my speed right now. I too liked the already available videos and resources and with more time to play with it I may give it another try. I still struggle with introducing new tools to my class because there is just to much that i don't know. Do you ever find yourself having snags due to troubleshooting in front of your students? Should we just be ok with not being an expert yet?
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Scott Marsden
4/24/2018 05:35:54 pm
Kayla,
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Heather
4/24/2018 09:01:15 pm
I would love to try and see if these tools work with Google Classroom! I had a hard time with Adobe Sparks on Chromebooks in my classroom. Oh good, I wasn't the only one that learned about Ed Puzzle for the first time :) I love these knew flipped ideas, it's been so easy to give students school work when they are missing school days.
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Kayla, I always thought that it was just me that misread or messed up during the recordings? Yes, it was very hard having to always start again after making a mistake each time. I have to continue playing with Adobe spark because it does make videos come out so vibrant and appealing. I agree with you on Edpuzzle, I can't believe we had not heard about this great resource before, its great!
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AuthorKayla Bryant is an elementary school teacher in Napa, CA. This year she teaches a 2/3 combo class. She keeps a journal with funny quotes from her students, and enjoys learning and laughing alongside them. Some of her main educational interests are related to goal setting, growth mindset, and creativity. Archives
July 2018
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