Fun with Javascript
I haven't decided if Javascript is simpler than HTML or not. All coding has been pure trial and error, but I entertain hopes of getting better eventually.
The assigned Java rollover activity should prove especially helpful to my drama website as I can incorporate before/afters for make-up and other special effects.. It took me a a whole lot longer than it should have to come up with code for this simple effect as I never could get the Quicktime demo to play.
More than the rollovers, I'm interested in incorporating slideshows into my site. Currently I do make a lot of slideshows, but I edit them in Pinnacle, post to YouTube and incorporate the link. This will be more direct for examples where narration is not required.The slideshow for this assignment is on the homepage of my website. http://theblesseddamozel.wix.com/desperatedramateach .
Finally after reading about a lot of different Java script applications, I chose to put a simple date box on this blog.
Professional Development
As far as RSS/ Social Media and podcasting in regards to my professional development, I have developed a few favorites.
I've been following "MindShift" for a while now initially because I was looking for assistance with "flipping my classroom". Mindshift posts related articles from a variety of sources on my Facebook thereby working as an RSS/Social media combination. Over the five day period that I monitored the site I learned about electronic textbooks that can data mine student's study habits. (Nothing like your Chemistry book tattling to your teacher that you didn't read Chapter Six, right?), how schools are meeting the technology costs necessary to implement the new Core Curriculum, why daydreaming is necessary, using technology to manage our increasingly larger classes. (I could have used this info last year when I had thirty-eight seventh graders in my first class of the day.) and how to learn a language in a couple of days.( The jury is out on that last one, but the App called MemRise is phenomenal. I use it every day now to help me keep my foreign language skills up. I understand you can modify the app to incorporate any lesson where you need kids to memorize information. I know memorization is a skill that has fallen out of favor, but theater people still rely on it and I don't know how anyone picks up another language without memorizing a lot of vocabulary.
Because I went so many years without a television (Ten years. It's a long story.)I was an early adopter of podcasts. I still don't watch much television, but I love radio and I've always looked at podcasts as TIVO for Radio. Some podcasts that I like download are http://www.radiolab.org/, a very entertaining show on science. Last week's show was on Memory and Forgetting. (http://www.radiolab.org/2007/jun/07/?utm_source=local&utm_media=treatment&utm_campaign=daMost&utm_content=damostviewed)
Another great podcast is from This American Life. Last week's show was a repeat of a back -to-school episode on the inner life and perceptions of middle schoolers. Very insightful. Sometimes it's hard to put ourselves into our student's shoes and hearing these middle-schoolers honestly commenting on their experiences reminds me as a teacher of how difficult this time of life really is for my students.(http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/449/middle-school)
For more main stream educational podcasts, I find the education channel of podcasts.com has a mixed bag of resources though they do offer "Grammar Girl"
No comments:
Post a Comment