Week 4 Reflections
Engagement Activity 1- Image Resizing
Resizing an image- Here is my original full size image at 108kb:
Now here is the resized image (using Moba Photo) which has been shrunk down to 34kb. Click on the images to see the difference in dimensions.
Image source: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440161a&prodId=prod1620083a
So this was just a fun little activity to test out resizing images. I chose one of my favourite orky Warhammer 40k miniatures Boss Snikrot to cut down to size. In the past when I've had a picture that was too large in data size it generally meant it wasn't saved as a JPEG so I would just save as and select JPEG and that was usually problem solved. Similarly if I wanted to resize the actual dimensions of a picture I would resize it in photoshop. Using Mobaphoto was a quicker, more reliable and less dodgey way of achieving the same results. I found it very easy to use, simply a couple of clicks and selecting dimensions, then boom.
I think this is a great tool for students because it prevents students from trying to upload massive digital camera photos and the like by dropping the file size down to something more reasonable. I chose an image of something that interested me because it made me think that kids would be enthused about being able to better use images of things that they are interested in (providing they give proper attribution and seek permission where stated).
Engagement Activity 4 - Digital Audio Recordings
So I chose to use Voki for my digital audio recording having never tried/heard of it before. Basically Voki allows you to record your voice or type a message and have it spoken all out of the mouth of a little animated character. I was really pleased with the ease of use, the fun characters and the range of options in regards to whether you'd like to hear your own voice, use text-to-voice and play around with how it all sounded.
As far as classroom application I can see it being really effective with kids who don't like to speak in front of others or who don't like the sound of their voice recorded. Generally I can see it taking the pressure of kids by putting a different face to their words and allowing them to save it and post it. Also handy if you want to post children talking but not show what their identity to the world online. I did notice that it only gave me 60 seconds of recording time though so that's very limiting but as I say I didn't investigate it too deeply so there might be away around that.
Engagement Activity 6: Podcasting (AT2 Group 2 Tools Blog post)
The tool i have chosen to reflect on in depth from the group 2 tools is podcasting using Podomatic. Podcasting is simply a way to record your voice and then make it available on the internet or download the file onto your computer. In addition to creating your own recordings, the site that i used to create my podcast (Podomatic) also hosts all users posts that are publically accessible and allows you to search these podcasts. My podcast discusses the pros and cons of podcasting and discusses the applications for teaching with the aid of a PMI chart. I have included a text copy of the PMI below but it is discussed in more depth in the podcast which is available here.
Plus
- Very easy to use
- Free to sign up
- Decent online storage space of 500mb
- Long recording time of 1 hour
- Able to be accessed online
- Able to search for other podcasts
Minus
- Danger of unknown content in other users uploads
- Doesn't record video
- Students may say things that are not safe/suitable
Interesting
- Great potential for recording speeches/interviews
- Useful for conveying information in a different format than text
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