Cool Tool Review #1 Emaze

Be prepared to be “emazed”!

Today I will be reviewing my first cool tool for the pros and cons of its ability to be used in the classroom.  The cool tool I have chosen for this week is called Emaze.  The tool can be found online at this link.  Emaze is basically a presentation tool with a multitude of functions.  The creators of the tool provide well rounded templates that permit users to develop online content in a short amount of time.  On Emaze, users can create a presentation, website, blog, e-card, or even a photo album.

The tool even gives the option of uploading previously created content into their system which automatically begins the creation process for the user. 

The tool could be applied in the classroom in many ways.  With the tool I created a presentation on an 8^th grade American history lesson that I would use the day of the class.  Emaze allows users to stretch beyond the somewhat mundane nature of showing a Power Point presentation.  To begin you select a template that is appropriate for you use.  Each template has unique characteristics.  For example, one template is a newspaper and when content is added the content would be presented just as one reads the newspaper.  It slides and moves to each column and can even turn pages if the presentation has enough content.  It has all the capabilities that Microsoft products offer such as font, color, adding pictures, videos, and links.  As I stated before, I would use this tool to create a more interesting presentation for presenting a lesson. 

Students could use this tool for creating classroom presentations or even creating websites for a long-term project.  The tool is easy to use because it follows a similar creation method as the classic presentation tools such as Power Point.  If the students are able to use Power Point, then using Emaze will be a walk in the park.  If the student has no prior experience with presentation tools, Emaze is very teachable and the tool is accompanied with tutorial videos available right on the website.

 

The challenges for the students would be simply getting use to the interface of the software which occurs in most cases of using new technology.  Another challenge would be, Emaze is a free tool but with limited access to all the content, so the teacher would either have to invest in the tool or only use certain features. 

You can check my created content here: https://www.emaze.com/@AOLOQLZFC/the-road-to-revolution

All in all, give Emaze a shot and comment below on your experience! #staytuned

Week 5 Copright and Fair Use

Week five is already upon us and I am back with this week's new topic: Copyright and Fair Use.

                Copyright and Fair Use is a huge topic in our current age because of all the media and educational materials that have been streamlined with the use of the world wide web.  Before teachers can effectively teach the ins and outs of this topic, we must understand it ourselves.  First and foremost, we must understand that anything that is created uniquely from an individual immediately is protected by copyright laws.  For instance, if we wanted to use an image from a professional photographer for a class power point lecture, we must ask the author for permission to use this image.  On the other hand, if the author of this image has acquired a creative commons license for this picture then we may be able to use the image with no prior permission.  Understanding the individual permissions is the key to understanding what is completely copyrighted and what is not.  As shown in a video resource made available in my class, creative commons licenses can have specific permissions that will allow some to freely use it and some not at all without permission.  One example of a creative commons permission is to allow or not allow commercial use of the piece of media. 

                Once we as teachers understand the details of copyright we can then effectively teach our students.  Novella Bailey, a middle school teacher in New York City, created an educational video that explained a very effective way to teach students about these topics.  A few major keys that Ms. Bailey brought up were as students begin to develop an understanding of the topic, having them use “I agree” and “I disagree” statements with evidence to defend their choices allowed the students to challenge and extend their knowledge on forms of media that they use on a regular basis.  Many students had no idea that some of the practices they do with media could possibly fall into the copyright realm.  Teaching students how to cite material that they have used from an oustide source is another key in the process.  Summed up, we as teachers must explain what is copyrighted, how much of a certain material can be used under fair use, how much information can be used before proper citations are required, and after students have used creative commons material, how to ethically share their “remixed” content. 

                Downloading music and movies online is a big topic of late and even bigger for our students that have been born into this age of technology.  Some of the ethical issues around music and movie downloading are: is the content allowed to be downloaded for free, if it is purchased can one share it with those who have not purchased it, and if it is purchased can someone remix that material and share it for their own benefit.  These issues obviously play right into the topic of the day and should be addressed at some point if not be the main focus of the copyright lesson.  As Ms. Bailey did in her educational video, she used examples that her students might stumble upon in their own use of media and had them decide what violated copyright and what did not.  Showing examples and cases of what has been accused and charged with copyright infringement would also be beneficial for the students because it gives them some what of a baseline to begin at.

Until next week. #staytuned

Week 4 Open, Networked, and Participatory Communities

Week 4 has arrived and today I will be discussing my thoughts on Open, Networked, and Participatory Communities.

There is no doubt that open educational resources can have a massive positive effect on education but asking how we can capture the spirit of these communities in our learning environments is the right question.  OERs have the complete potential to increase the connection of students, increase the condition of education, and lessen the cost of education.  Part of this answer connects with what I spoke about last week: sharing.  Simply being proactive in distributing what you have learned in your own opinion or even forwarding content that has been provided to you, is the first step in effectively bringing OERs into our learning environments.  One aspect that is very important about this and that still connects with sharing is what to make open or what to share must always be asked before blasting the virtual community with any and all information. 

Open access can take many different forms in the classroom when talking about the positive effects it can bring and one perfect example that shows this is Open Education Matters: Why is it important to share content?, which is a video that was shown in my tech education course.  In the video, a teacher decides to make his class’ content available online.  This already has an effect on that specific class because now the students can take the classroom home with them.  Once this happens, there is a potential for a snowball effect to occur and by this I mean one student in the class shares the content with a friend in another state who is studying the same topic.  That friend may have connections across the globe and now you can see where the snowballing affect may take place.  This one class that before only was available to the students present now has the potential to reach, teach, and influence a number of students that before would have never been possible. 

Alec Couros, one of the veterans in the open learning experience, has a great interview that explains the possibilities of where open learning could be in the future. In my opinion, I believe that the possibilities are endless.  Providing education through open learning could very well be the new way to learn because it can reach those who before had no access.  For many of us, the in the classroom environment sprinkled with a variety of resources is the norm, but students that have not had this type experience could see open learning as the norm if educators, again are proactive, in not only sharing but also absorbing information.  I could also see many curricula adjust, develop, and advance.  The future could also bring new classes into education that are now much more important in this new age of technology and education. 

  Technology definitely has impacted the use of textbooks in the classroom simply by making the information that was in the textbook available online and free of charge.  If the information in that specific textbook isn’t available online, then through open learning similar information that could even be more beneficial could be found online through different communities.  I don’t think textbooks will be obsolete in our day and age because textbooks today are just the “snail mail” version of educational information provided online or in open learning communities.  The only way they would become obsolete is if educational communities stopped writing and creating material in the textbook version and opted to go completely online.  Unfortunately, down the road I could see books completely being replaced by computers and laptops.  Rather than bringing your books and laptop to class like we do today, one day it could just be, make sure you bring your laptop.  As long as educational communities reuse, redistribute, remix, and revise, open learning has a bright future. 

Until next week! #staytuned

Week 3 Reflection - Sharing!

We are back on week three with a very interesting topic: Sharing.

                Today, educators have the ability to share their work and thoughts on any subject with a huge audience with a click of a button.  Every year these technologies grow in number and popularity and deciding which platforms to use is the right question to ask.  As I discussed last week, social media has its place in education and for this week’s topic, it is a perfect fit.  Teachers can simply use Twitter to express ideas and simultaneously explore many other professional’s ideas.  I believe professionals should utilize PLNs not just to consume information but to share as well.  Your ideas through blogs, social media, video blogs, audio blogs such as podcasts, and even Skype can be easily accessed by those who choose to pursue a PLN path. 

                While using all of these gateways to share your ideas, deciding what and what not to share is another critical question.  I truly believe the answer to this depends on the purpose of the user.  For an education professional, simply put, what is shared should be educational and professional.  For a teenager using social media, what is shared can be anything from an opinion to a restaurant review.  Now for both cases and in reality, any case, everyone must be aware that once an idea is shared, it is out there forever.  Everyone has a footprint on the internet that can be traced so using good judgement and following a moral purpose should be aspects that should be followed before sharing.

                In my opinion, face to face sharing is more effective because you now have the opportunity to buy into the person and not just the person ideas.  As I have began my journey in the professional world I have noticed the importance of relationships and face to face connections and I truly believe that interpersonal communication trumps all other methods for effective and meaningful sharing.

            Going back to the question of what to share, I do not see much value in sharing “everything”.  I believe people can share too much and that only dilutes the pool of what is considered valuable sharing.  On the other hand, people that do share everything have a better chance of contributing to a wide variety of topics or answering a variety of questions in one specific topic, but overall I truly believe that there should always be a purpose for what is shared. 

                As far as community engagement, again I believe face to face communication is the most effective.  Parent teacher conferences are definitely an important aspect of this.  I think simply presenting yourself as approachable and friendly goes a very long way in education.  I also believe first impressions play a big part as well, so open house nights are another way I would engage and connect with my community.  These things also play a big part in creating a culture that encourages transparency.  If I can create a connection with my students, their parents, the community, and my co-workers then there is a greater chance for comfortable, trustworthy, and transparent communication.    

            Sharing should have a purpose and those who share in an informal manner, I consider that as social media sharing.  I agree that public writing and media should be formal when used for a professional purpose. That's all for this week! #staytuned

               

Week 2 Reflection & My Initial Thoughts

Hello readers!

I somewhat jumped the gun last week with my first post and I didn’t even get to introduce myself to my audience.  My name is Mike Kagafas and I am twenty-six years old.  I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.  My major was public relations/communication and I have a minor in psychology.  I have been an athlete all my life and just recently I made the transition from playing to coaching.  I truly found my passion once I began coaching.  Teaching and coaching, in my opinion, go hand in hand.  No matter the subject the goal of both “channels” is to advance knowledge and ability and that is why I have begun the path to become an educator. 

Social media has taken the world by storm in the past decade and sure enough it has made its way into education.  Personally, I only use two types of social media Facebook and Snapchat.  Facebook is a great tool for me because I have travelled and lived many places since I graduated high school and Facebook allows me to connect with everyone that I have met along my journey.  I use Snapchat for social connection for the “now” or present.  I like to see what my peers are up to in a daily perspective and Snapchat allows me to do that. 

I read an article called My Favorite Teachers Use Social Media: A Student Perspective and although it was written in 2015 and I graduated high school in 2010, much of what was written was very similar to my experience.  The author spoke about a specific piece of tech called the Smart Board and explained how many teachers never really used them.  It was the same for me when I was in high school.  I definitely agree that teachers must be willing to adapt to the changing world of technology and even their profession and adapt doesn’t just mean use it once.  To reach the full potential of using technology, teachers must know the technology inside and out.  They should know the pros and cons and when to apply the technology.  For example, Smart Boards for math classes I think are a fantastic piece of tech, for a history class, not so much. 

If I had to give a name or a tag of how I represent myself on social media I would say, up until now, I represented myself as an athlete.  Now looking at a different perspective of how I represent myself, I would describe myself as a “vacuum”.  I am a listener and observer.  I listen to understand not to respond.  Now that doesn’t mean I don’t share, but I share when I truly think it is beneficial.  After reading some articles I think social media does have a place in education but only to an extent.  Social media is social and there isn’t always a point to it, in education there is.  Education always has a purpose and there are major goals to be met along the way.  Education should be fun and exciting, but it isn’t a party or hanging out with friends type of fun.  That’s why I believe social media should be used but used sparingly.  Thanks for reading! #staytuned