The Neverending Story

Hello for the last time this year!

The end of the school year is approching so it is time to look back what I have done during this course on ICTs.

For that reason I have created a video in which is shown all the progress and material I have made. I did not know what to do to show the whole course in one artifact but while watching a YouTube video it hit me. In the video the author apperas in one small window at the rigth bottom corner and meanwhile he speaks we can see a screening video of his computer. 

I decided to do the same so do some research looking for a software that allow to do it. Eventually I found it. This software is called Bandicam. It has a free version in which yo can record a video that last maxium 10 minutes. After downloadin the free version one just have to click on screenrecording and to activate the option to have a small window where appears the webcam video recording. Fianlly you just have to click on the record button and star filming. 

Afterwards I edited the video and uploaded it to YouTube  and heres is the final result:

Block 1 - First things first.

Creating a blog. Create my blog with Blogger and my google account.

Create your own avatar. To create my avatar I used Voki. It is important to have a digital profile and having an avatar helps to build that.

Block 2 - Respect for authorship.

Image attribution for a CLIL lesson I have never used Creative Commons licences before, but I will always take it into account now. I was not used to respecting copyrights when using images and resources found on the Internet but it is how things should be done to respect authors.

The attribution of the image for a CLIL class. I carried out the activity directed to the learning of ecosystems through images found on Pixabay

Block 3 - Content Curation and disemmination

Content Curation. I’ve made a compilation of educational resources related to the human body that I think that are very interesting thanks to Pinterest. Afterwards and combinign two content curation tools I created a collection of resources with Pearltrees.

Twitter. Through this social network all my classmates and me created a Tiny Story (#tinystory_URJC), it was a very fun activity and inspiring. The same thing could be applied with primary education students.

Block 4 - Think, design and present.

Educational Slideshows. In this activity I used an incredible tool as it is Genial.ly. With this tool everyone can create their one presentations because it is as easy as PowerPoint, but much more attractive the the latter. With this tool I created an interactive image about our Solar System starting from a simple image.

Block 5 - Visualize and share.

Comics. The activity consisted in creating a comic in which feelings will be shown. To complete this task I used StoryboardThat. I was suprised and amused by the amount of different characters offered. I have enjoyed the process of editing the scenes in order to adapt the characters to what aI wanted to transmit: changing characters postures and gestures and adding details to each scene.

Mindmaps. Some time ago I had made mind maps with Microsoft Word but never before had done  it the applications I have discoverd during the course For this activity I first used Creately, This software allow to create several sorts of diagrams, mind maps and so on. I created what I thought  it was a good mind map to present a project to students. But actually it was not. Since I had to start over, I decided to start from scracth a change the software. In this second attempt I used a collaborative online mind mapping software called MindMeister.

Infographics. To create such material I used Piktochart. I knew this software and I had used before so I had no problems to create the final material. I have seen children using it so it has to be said that is one of the easiest and more attraive applications to create infographics for educational purposes from my point of view.

Block 6 - Podcast it!

Podcasting. For this activity, I had to first build up my project in Google Docs, then I recorded my podcast whith my cell phone and exported it to my computer where I upoloaded to my Soundcloud profile. Then I created a playlist with my podcast a some podcast I found in Soundcloud that fit the purposes of the projects. 

Block 7 - Flip it!

Group Work

Storyboard a video project. The task was to create a flipped classroom for our students. It was time consuming but so rewarding when I could see the final outcome. We did this project in small groups. My group was named Teacher Tubers, it was formed by Ramón, Beatriz, Alba and Jaime and every one of us had one job in this team. Mine was to be the Commnity Manager of the Group. Throughout this activity we use Pixton (storyboad), Google Docs, (script) and Twitter (share photos).

Record your video clip. The activity was done in INTEF where we had a chroma to record our video which was later was edited by Beatriz and uploaded to our Youtube channel.

Individual Work

#twima8. It stands for The World Is My Audience, an it is its 8th edition.It is a Flipgrid in which you can share your own or story with other teachers around the world and exchange with them your experiences. I shared my story of how I became an Englis teacher. The activity was great because I could see the experiences of classmates and know them a little more.

Webinar. It was an online seminar in which Mª Jesús explained different aspects and courses related to the digital competence for teachers that INTEF for free and with several possibilities depending of one's life circumstances.

Block 8 - Farewell

Artifact. Is the post you are reading right now. That is, a summary of all those activities that we have carried out, the materials we have creates and the tools we have learned to use.

Goodbye Forum. It is the last activity, in it we had to choose three tools that have made us improve our digital competence and create our own meme about the subject.

I believe the way children learn have changed over the years and it will keep changing in the future so that is why teacher should adapt themselves to this constantly changing society  so they do not become obsolete. For that reason I would like to thank Mª Jesús for her  huge effort to make teachers be trained and digitally competent since the tools she taught  us during the time this course lasted made us be a bit closer to be proper XXI Century teachers. I will keep on learning and adding more things to my trainig on ICTs because I believe the future is here and we have to be prepared.

It has been a pleasure!
See you!

Teacher Peter