Sherree Spargo's Weblog

Animations & WordPress

Sherree Spargo — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:19:49 +0000

While writing my reflections on the authoring and multimedia workshop, I came across animated graphics when ‘google-ing’. I thought that they were pretty cool and wished that it was possible to upload them onto wordpress to provide an example of an animation for that page. To my surprise the animations save as .gif files. WordPress allows .gif files to be uploaded onto the site, therefore I was able to post these on my authoring and multimedia page. As you can see, they are pretty cool and engaging. However, wordpress does seem to lower the resolution, making the images pixelated. It’s surprising what you can do when you take a couple of minutes to sit down and figure it out! I guess that process underpins my whole experience of wordpress-success is dependent on a lot of time and patience. I hope you all have had some success in working your way through wordpress- what I like to call, The Maze!

Free Website Hosting

Sherree Spargo — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:59:32 +0000

Once again, my ICT workshop assessment has introduced me to another useful piece of software, iWeb (Mac OS). By using iWeb, we have been able to create a visually appealing, user friendly website to be uploaded to our Uni server for use in the workshop. The website also acts as a future teaching tool for students, as it provides for students and parents an interactive way of participating in ICT tasks using the school server.

iWeb provides many effects, including pre-made templates for step-by-step website authoring. Compared to NVU and SeaMonkey, I have found iWeb to be more user friendly and less time consuming. Problems do arise however if you do not have access to a Mac OS as iWeb operates on the Macintosh system. Although iWeb is easier to use, there are free downloads available for website authoring tools, such as Homestead. Earlier in the year my sister-in-law and I were searching for a website design tool and how to upload the finished product onto the internet. After surfing Google, we came across Homestead which is available free at the base level, requiring payment if you wish to increase the capabilities such as download limit and Paypal.

Homestead

Using Homestead my sister-in-law was able to work her way, sometimes a very long and tedious task, through to create a captivating website that tells the story of their brave little daughter, Milliarn (AKA Milly- my precious God Daughter) and their family’s struggle to keep Milly healthy.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MILLIY’S WEBSITE

The website is a beneficial asset for the family as it educates the wider community about the existence of rare genetic disorders and seeks to access support for Milly. The website not only includes information about the disorder, but also provides images, a movie of Milly, Media articles and a summary of her additional medical problems. For me, the website is an inspiration proving just how strong and precious our little Milly really is. I have also added a link to Milly’s website on my blogroll, feel free to have a look.

I felt it necessary to share this experience as not everyone is aware of the uses of websites nor the free software available to create websites, therefore using programs like Homestead allows you to create websites and upload to the internet within the one program. I do suggest however, if ever possible to play around with iWeb to see just how easy it really is. Stay posted for images of my ICT presentation website.

Working Together With ICT

Sherree Spargo — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 02:09:55 +0000

Yesterday my ICT presentation group (Kyra, Ingrid & Myself) met to finish off the end product of our Digital Story workshop. Surprisingly it was a day full of laughter, mostly at ourselves may I add. Not only were we able to complete our sample digital story, but we were able to have fun along the way. Through the use of iMovie (Apple Mac) we created a digital story (the topic to be revealed week 11), one which I intend on keeping for many years to come (Stay posted for the chance to view the Digital Story). Creating the Digital Story also created many bloopers, as it took several takes to get the video exactly how we wanted it. I found it extremely beneficial to be able to experiment with PhotoBooth, utilising various effects and features embedded in the program. Photobooth makes media manipulation so easy, it truly is just a touch of a button.

Throughout the day, I particularly valued being able to work with my colleagues. I found that working together was an effective use of our time, as it allowed each of us to bring to the project our own skills and understandings – much like the ants in the picture on th left! Our difference in skill and understanding introduced me to new ways of doing and understanding. I have felt the need to blog about my experiences, as I feel they represent the experiences that I believe should take place in the teaching and learning environment. Working together with others allows us to share our knowledge and practice effective communication skills. More specifically, working together with ICT allows each person in the teaching team to experience new ideas and ways of teaching and engaging students in the classroom. Each person in the profession has differing levels of ICT ability, therefore I look forward to joining a school community to impart my ICT knowledge and improve the teaching and learning environment. I am also excited to meet new people and their skills with the hope of continually improving my abilities and teaching in ICT.

Animoto.com

Sherree Spargo — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:00:33 +0000

My first Animoto creation: My Nephews Christening

Upon reading a post by Daniel Rodger, I was intrigued as to what this ‘Animoto‘ is that I keep hearing about! Daniel posed some good ideas about its use in the classroom, so I thought it important to check it out. My findings were positive, Animoto is an online video authoring tool. Animoto allows you to upload images, arrange them, add audio and much more. The end product is your own short video – in my first experiences a video of my nephew Liam at his Christening (Shown Above).

Animoto appears to be a great resource, with far more capabilities then I have experienced so far. I believe that Animoto can bring a lot to the classroom, allowing students to produce their own video and acquire the corresponding skills. Thanks again Daniel, I look forward to having the opportunity to use Animoto in my future classroom.

Flickr keeps on giving!

Sherree Spargo — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:12:35 +0000

I was delighted today whilst roaming through Flickr.com, not only did I find some cute and useful images, I also found that Flickr is not just a image database as I had previously thought! Apart from advertisements and bringing peope together, it also seeks to educate us. Thats right, educate us and our linguistic capabilities. Upon logging in and refreshing the home page, Flickr provides a hello greeting. However, this greeting is not necessarily written in English, you may be greeted for example in Hungarian-SZIE, Spanish-HOLA, Australian-ALLO, or even Korean-BANG WOYO. I found this element of Flickr to be a positive added extra, showing that Flickr really does just keep on giving. I believe that it is through spontaneous learning experience such as these, that can really add flavor and knowledge to our lives. Who knows, someone may discover a language they wish to learn, opening their eyes to the world unknown!

iMovie & Windows Movie Maker

Sherree Spargo — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:57:17 +0000

As previously mentioned I have had several experiences using Windows Movie Maker (Windows OS) to create movies, however until participating in ICT at Uni this semester I have had very little experience with Mac OS and its programs.

iMovie Windows Movie Maker

My ICT assessment involves working together with two other people to present a workshop on Digital Storytelling (Stay posted for up dates about Digital Storytelling). As the Uni uses Mac OS, I was thrown into iMovie, the Mac equivalent to Windows Movie Maker (WMM). After spending some time figuring out how iMovie works, I was rather impressed with what iMovie has to offer. iMovie has many different effects that work well with PhotoBooth (image manipulation software). I found that iMovie did not freeze, unlike WMM. However, WMM appeared more user friendly with the general layout of the screen. I feel that WMM allows you to add and manipulate music files more easily than iMovie, although iMovie lets you record audio more easily. After now experiencing both, I believe that both programs have their positives and negatives for operational purposes. For the classroom, I believe that iMovie would be overall the better software to use, as it works simultaneously with other beneficial programs such as Photobooth, YouTube etc.

ICT & The Work Place

Sherree Spargo — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 01:06:10 +0000

When thinking about my experiences of ICT my mind was drawn to my experiences surrounding the workplaces in which I have worked – the branches of my technological experiences. I doubt that my current level of IT proficiency would be where it is without having used trial and error to overcome IT problems at work. Although I was provided with the use of IT at home whilst growing up, it was only when I entered the workforce that my knowledge and skills were truely challenged, ultimately increasing my level of proficiency. As they say ‘we learn from our mistakes’. Working in retail, there was never a dull shift where the computers and operating systems were concerned. Whether the computers chose to freeze, disconnect from the network, hold the cash draw ransom or refuse to print the receipt there was never a solution that didnt involve trial and error. All these problems, although minor they may seem, did at the time create customers who were understandably not very pleased. I am pleased to report that on the majority of occasions the solution was reached, although proved quiet difficult without a mouse. In the end it was usually the printer who just didnt want to play very nicely with the computer! Since my days in retail, I have also had different experiences of IT, relating to order and docket systems in a restaurant I work for over a period of six months. Although this piece of IT was not a ‘typical’ PC computer, it did have a mind of its own – it was pretty much its way or the highway, meaning it liked to take things one step at a time. This experience of IT pretty much tested my patience more so then my IT skills. More recently my knowledge and skills have been pushed further with the need to possess a higher proficiency in Microsoft Office programs. Working as a program assistant has allowed me to teach myself new components such as creating an online referral and waiting list for a team of Community Service Programs using Microsoft Excel; fighting it out with databases such as Microsoft Access; learning the delights of being part of an online network; and even simply increasing my use and understanding of Microsoft Outlook and its capabilities. Also of importance is what I have learnt as a result of my collegues need for IT assistance. In my workplace I am often told by others that they do not have a deep understanding of IT and therefore shine away from using past the bare minimum. As a result of commencing work, I was soon approached to show people various ways of doing things on the Windows operating system such as creating shortcuts on the desktop, creating distribution lists on Outlook (a skill which I first needed to obtain) and coverting documents from public to non-public access drives. These experiences bring me finally to what I have learn’t in the classroom so far. My practicums and casual teaching days have introduced me to using powerpoint and a projector with the entire class (a scarey thought at first, but an activity that was surprisingly simple once all equipment is ready to go) and also beginners atempts at using an Interactive Whiteboard – a skill which I will need a lot of practice and I will hopefully one day attend a training workshop. Without these experiences I would, most likely, not possess the level of proficiency and understanding that I currently do. Therefore I believe that one’s level of IT proficiency is dependent on the challenges they face, their trial and error attempts and their willingness to step out of their comfort zone. For all you bloggers out there, what have some of your IT experiences been in the workplace so far? When you look back, were they positive or negative learning experiences? and What new pieces of IT equipment have you come across in your travels?

Windows Movie Maker & YouTube

Sherree Spargo — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:32:00 +0000

Upon visiting Kyra D’Mello’s Weblog, I became intrigued as to how I too could publish my Windows Movie Maker (WMM) creations on YouTube. Having prior experience using photographs and audio on WMM made adding video all that more simpler. It was as simple as select & drop! I do however feel that my movie is not all that wonderous, and would have been better had the video footage been taken on a better camera. We do however use the resource available to us at the time! After making a movie of the wonder that is Kiama’s natural blowhole, I attempted to upload it onto YouTube inorder to link it to my weblog. Firstly, I had to become a member of YouTube, which I must say was also quiet simple. After doing so I followed the links to uploading video and uploaded my movie of The Kiama Blowhole. Afterdoing so I simply added the link to the video uplink on wordpress & here you have it:

Flickr Benefits

Sherree Spargo — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:31:20 +0000

Throughout the past four weeks of my ICT course, I have grown an awareness of - an online image ‘database’. Prior to the unit, I had not heard of flickr, my online image world pretty much consisted of searching google and google images. Since the workshops, I have encouraged myself to explore the flickr site and even become a member. Since then I have uploaded some of my own photographs to flickr and pasted a flickr link on my widget bar so you too can enjoymy favourite images. I have really benifitted for the scope of flickr as it allows me to search a range of topics and provides more useful images. I was not aware that some images on google are copyright and sometimes lacking the author etc, therefore flickr is more friendly in this way, as its mainly people who have uploaded their own work. I believe this is a great site to let students explore and at the same time teaching them some valuable skills in technology, e.g. saving images, copyright. Keep posted as my favourite flickr images appear.

Exciting new experiences!

Sherree Spargo — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:39:12 +0000

For those who have not yet experienced the world of Hairmixer, I invite you to have a go! As you can see its a simple one-two-three and you could be the new face of WOOHOO magazine! However I cannot take full credit for this discovery, as it was Karina Settineri’s suggestion – so thanks heaps Karina! As Karina mentioned on her weblog, these kinds of photo maniplative programs are a fun way to introduce various photo and IT skills to the students. It not only allows students to have a go at uploading photos, but also requires students to access specific websites, cutting and pasting and saving pictures in JPG format.