Since I have yet to get my stinkin' webcam to function with my computer, I did look into how it will eventually help in an online couse setting. (Might be spending several hours with it before my conference on Monday night!) At first (and through our discussion on Tuesday night), I thought that they would work for guest speakers and not much else. After doing some research on other ways to use webcams in the classroom, I am feeling much better about using them with students. Some ideas included displaying student work (w/o names, of course - FERPA!) as far as what's great and what's not so much as well as test question discussions after a test, lab set-ups, quick time videos, and showing the view through a microscope. One of the uses really hit home (as it drives me nuts when students don't try the calculations in class!) - to show how to do certain calculations on a calculator. (Most students don't still have the manual, so it helps to have someone show them - in this way, by following the example rather than requiring direct instruction from the teacher - especially if more than one student has the same calculator.) Skyping also has great uses in the classroom, as does linking in to webcams in zoos or in areas of the world that are making news right now. (Some awesome science connections!)
I am very excited about the online storage capabilities for schools. I tried Dropbox and love it. It's fairly easy to use and it is perfect for what I would need. I don't have a fancy phone and my organizational skills are pretty decent, so I don't really have a need (yet) for notes or lists to go to an electronic device (maybe I am a tad old-school). After reading an interesting article about online storage at a school in Oklahoma, I am sure that it would work in any district. That particular school upped the amount of storage (from 10MB to 100MB for students and up to 1GB for staff and administrators) for a very small price. They managed to maintain the amount of security and are looking at upgrading in the near future to add even more security options, as well as collaborative options between students and teachers. We currently use an online storage system for grades (Infinite Campus), but I think that an online storage system for files would be perfect. I would love it if my files were accessible from anywhere, so I didn't have to remember where I saved particular files to (or had lost a flash drive!). Our district is moving "to the cloud" this next year, so it will be interesting to see how we make the shift and how teachers and students adapt to it!
Catherine-
ReplyDeleteI agree that web-cams have many applications in education. I like how you touched on live web cams from around the world because I have used these often in my classroom. We watch an eagle cam and an African cam all the time while we are working on chemistry. It is a great way to bring some ecology into my chemistry room. This would be a great way for biology teachers to show ecological concepts without having to leave the classroom.
I too tried the online storage thing but was a bit unimpressed on the ease of use. I still am unable to transfer my files from my “my documents”. Maybe it’s an easy fix but I have spent a fair amount of time trying to figure it out. I’m hoping the conversion for the district is much easier.
Katie - I like the idea of using a web cam to record a video explaining how to use their calculators. Fortunately, most of my students have the same calculator, but it still is a struggle to teach them how to use certain features since some students are more familiar with it than others. Also, using a program like Skype would make helping students or tutoring them very simple.
ReplyDeleteJust like you, I thought Dropbox is a great site to use. Currently, I use an external hard drive to back up all my files (documents, pictures, music, videos) but a site like Dropbox makes it easier plus I can access those files on any computer. I am looking forward to moving to the cloud and the benefits it will have for teachers and students.
I like your uses for webcams in your classroom. I think that there are many uses and we should use our imagination and pragmatism to find the best uses. I also think that cloud applications are great for access and sharing. Group work is greatly aided too. Using these tools is the best way to put them to use and teach others, teachers and students.
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