Audacity Tutorials

It has been a long time since I used Audacity in the classroom with my students but I wanted to use it again this year with a new group of students. I came across these Audacity step-by-step tutorials that will help me and my students understand how to use Audacity to the fullest!

I also created a Wallwisher for my students to use as we start the new year. Our building theme is "Fill a Bucket" and the students will write a sticky to say how they will fill buckets this year.

Week 9, #21

I have been looking for and listening to podcasts for a couple of years now.  Some that I listen to regularly are: Cranky Geeks, Geek Brief TV, and Jumping Monkeys (I also like TWIT but have been focusing on Jumping Monkeys because it is more relevant to elementary aged children).  I also like Tekzilla.  David Warlick has a podcast but he does not produce shows on a regular basis.  His last episode was #103 and was posted in mid  December.  My new favorite podcast to recommend to teachers is CultureGrams Training.  Our district purchased CultureGrams but there has been limited training.  The podcast helps learn to use the program and offers curriculum guides.  Booktalks Quick and Simple is Nancy Keane’s daily booktalk for books for grades K-12.  I listen to podcast through iTunes but sometimes I like to go directly to the websites because often there are show notes with clickable links.  I have blogged about  Jumping Monkeys before when they did a show on the Baby Name Wizard.

I Twitter…

I Twitter. Twitter is one social network that has caught me up in its clutches. If you are reading this blog you can check out what I have been twittering on the right hand side. I like Twitter. On Twitter I can catch up on friends who are traveling, what technology my librarian friends are playing with, and update the world in as few words as possible. Notice I did not say keep up with my family. The rest of my family uses Pownce. I joined Pownce because of my son. He says Leo LaPorte likes Pownce better but Leo so told his audience that he likes Jaiku better! In fact, Leo mirrors his Jaiku posts to Twitter. In fact, on his Jaiku Leo wonders outloud what will happen to Jaiku now that it is a closed system. But will he then go back to Pownce... nope, in one of his Jaiku posts he says he's headding back to Twitter! He says many of his friends are on Twitter and he misses them. And there it is from Leo's mouth... he's going where his friends are. That is what happens with social networking, we go where are friends are... or in my case where my family is... so if I want to keep up with my family and talk to them I have to go over to Pownce. But I am not getting rid of Twitter. That's where my friends are. So, I can use Twitter for my professional posts, and keeping up with my library friends, and use Powence for family stuff. Works for me.

Grandma Helen Likes to Fish... again

Ok, so I took a lot of flack because the last video did not have pictures of Grandma Helen actually fishing... I did not have the fishing pictures downloaded or with me in my podcasting class. So, here is my next humble offering... with fishing pictures included. If I can do this on my own, maybe I will be able to use the program with students this year... :-)

Click To Play

Learning to Podcast

Please don't laugh... this is my first attempt at making a podcast. It is my hope that I will be able to do Reader's Theatre with my students and make this podcast the first of many. I found the Alphabet Rap Reader's Theatre online. I thought it was very cute and recorded myself. It is not perfect but it is my hope that my elementary students listening will be able to create audio better than their school librarian... here is my first humble effort... now to download it to my iPod! BTW... the picture is of a class pet... Munchy.
:-)

Click To Play

MCIU Wiki

Have I mentioned how much I love the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU)?
Today I am at the IU learning about Podcasting. We are making a Wiki. Check out my page... https://mciupodcasting.wikispaces.com/Janice.

Will Richardson visits the IU! IU 23 that is...

So, how great is it that the author of my text book for next semester is doing a workshop at my Intermediate Unit and I got to be here thanks to a wonderful principal?

Will Richardson the author of "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other powerful Web Tools for Classrooms" is here in Montgomery County today and all is well!!

How will I explain to my principal what I learned today? Simple, I will send him the link to my blog!!!