HELP!....Video is not cooperating

I have been working on the content video for a while now and I am having trouble. I used my Canon Powershot digital camera because it records in HD. When I upload the files to my laptop they are in .mov format. I have a PC so I was planning on using Windows Movie Maker however it will not accept .mov files. So then, I found a free file converter (Prism Video Converter) online and used it to convert the .movs to .wmms, which worked...except it does not transfer the audio with it. Only the video. ARRRG! Anyone have advice or suggestions for a different file converter, etc?

All-time Favs!

Came across one of my favorite videos today. If you have not seen this, it is SO cute!



Now you and your students can create your own Google Search Story with the Google Search Stories Video Creator. In three easy steps: 1-Write the story, 2-Upload music, and 3-Preview and upload. iLearn Technology has a fantastic write up on how to integrate this new feature into your classroom.

Free Website Building/Hosting

At our last Saturday meeting I told some of you about a free website where you can actually create your own flash based site. It is called Wix. You can create high-quality flash based website for basically any purpose. It does not require any programming. All you have to do is drag and drop!


I actually used this website to create a digital resume. Check it out here.


Another site that I was recently informed of is Kafafa. It is also very simple to use and create based upon pre-existing templates. However, it is more of a flat website without as many animated features.

Classroom of the Future

I would love to describe my elaborate and detailed dream of a classroom of the future.

It would be stocked with tons of technology for the teachers and students to utilize. Every student would be issued a laptop to work on their assignments and to be able to collaborate with others. Since each student has this laptop, worksheets would be obsolete. Students can turn in assignments through programs like Blackboard or in other digital lockers. Their textbooks would be digital. This digital environment would consequently reduce the amount of paper being used and protect the world from deforestation. Also, since students would have access to their worksheets and textbooks via their laptops at home, it would motivate them to complete their homework every night!

Every classroom would have interactive whiteboards to engage students. This technology would allow students to participate and play a more active role in their education. In result, all students would begin to pay attention better in class and become more successful, eliminating the need for high stakes testing and monitoring.

Teachers would be provided technology that assisted in classroom management, such as the GradeCam seen here:

However, by this time the software will have advanced to grade all types of assignments including essay content submitted from the students' digital lockers. Teachers will no longer need to take home papers to grade and finally feel what it is like to come home to relax.

OK...that is enough of my sarcasm for one post. While this 'classroom of the future' would be absolutely fantastic, let's get serious and think about the reality of the education industry. MANY things need to happen before we can come close to achieving a technology infused classroom, but most importantly the following two issues.

1. Shift in mentality- The majority of teachers today are very apprehensive of new technology and do not understand the capabilities or benefits of using new technologies. School districts would need to implement a multi-year plan to train, educate, and assist teachers so that they are able to finally view the gloriousness that is technology.  :)
2. Change in Funding- While I do understand that the government allows a certain amount of money to provide technology for schools, it is VERY limited. Plus your school must qualify in numerous ways in order to benefit. Otherwise, you basically have to beg your PTA or write grants in order to obtain any sponsorship. This type of allocation is what leaves schools such as mine, which is middle of the road suburban, with only one desktop computer as 'technology' in each classroom. No interactive whiteboards, no cart of laptops, no student response systems, and one digital camera for the school to share. We do not qualify for additional government funding nor is our PTA able to 'gift' items to the school. Yet, the government continues to spend more money on other quite shocking things. Check out this statistic about government spending presented by Alliance for Excellent Education. (2006, August). Saving Futures, Saving Dollars: The Impact of Education on Crime Reduction and Earnings. Washington, DC.

Cyber-Safety for Kids

I am very passionate about teaching my students how to be cyber-smart. Since I have taught the students about so many great website and introduced them to blogging, I feel obligated to teach them so that they are protected. Many teachers skip over teaching the students how to be safe on the internet because the school district has a 'fantastic filter' that it used so that it never puts the children in harms way. However, what about when they go home and get onto the internet? Or what if the filter is down one day? Why not teach children from the beginning how to use it properly so that when they encounter something in the future (which they will!), they will know how to handle it. 

I recently heard some DJ's on the radio station talking one morning about these new bad things going on in middle schools. One lady was describing the meeting that she had attended the night before. It was a meeting hosted by parents of current middle school girls to inform parents who have children about to be in middle school. One thing they described was how the color of the lipstick or lip gloss a girl wears tells boys what she is willing to do. They went on to describe numerous scandalous 'things' that could happen to your daughter and the DJ who attended was saying how she was so freaked out to send her daughter. Then, the other DJ pointed out that there are a million situations that could be presented to your child at school and that it would be impossible to sit your child down and go through them one by one. However, if you have raised your child with firm values in place they should be able to handle any of those situations thrown at them. So, why am I blabbering on about middle school scandals? I believe that it relates so well to the topic of cyber safety. If we can teach our children the real 'values' with using the internet then they should be able to handle anything that encounters them. We all know how vast the internet is. There is no way that we will be able to visit each website to let children know what is and isn't appropriate. Let's teach them the 'values' to protect themselves!

OK...off my rant. When I first began my class blog with my students I required each of them to watch the following video that I created. It went through the key points that I believe children should know when blogging. I even posted this as my first blog entry and asked my students what other rules we should follow.

Another great website that I had my students play with is Internet Safety with Professor Garfield. This is an interactive ‘choose your own fate’ site that allows students to act out several situations that they might encounter online. There are lessons on online safety and cyberbullying. It is very kid-friendly and presents the information in a easy to understand way. 

Also, I really enjoyed the attachments that were in this module. I liked them so much that I sent shared several with the parents of my students, such as the Netiquitte Family Plan. I really hope that they take the time to create a family discussion on this topic.