obrienk

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Playing with Prezi

36 comments:

  1. This was very well put together. I liked how you ended the Prezi with a video. I was interested throughout the whole Prezi. I also liked the chart. I enjoy reading other people's posts and comments.

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  2. That video is insane! How does he come out alive? Is he alive? I'm excited to see how Edmodo will work in the classroom. I also thought that the diagram was really useful when comparing the dirfferent ways of being assessed and tested in the classroom. The juxtaposition between the traditional way of learning and the virtual classroom is really interesting.

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  3. Can writing actually be considered a solitary process? We are influenced by so many outside sources that they find their way into our writing whether we realize it or not. In our writing we constantly quote people and do research that draw from others' ideas. In a way these blogs make writing less and less solitary because of the easy access to others' thoughts.

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  4. With using technology in the classroom, learning is faster, competitive, colorful, and less tedious. It gives students more opportunity to individualize and diversify. Personal spaces and group spaces allow for faster and better communication of ideas. 'Surfing' the web together in the class room or apart at home, the class can still stay interconnected in their learning. As children of the technological revolution, it's only fitting that we familiarize ourselves with it, really become immersed so that we are capable consumers in the modern age.

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  6. The Film at the end of the Prezi is quite fascinating. I love how he literally goes with the flow and yet he survives this GIANT wave.
    Other than the Clip, prezi is a very useful tool and i find it more entertaining and educational than powerpoint.
    The multiple scenes of the surfers can represent how one can do so much even if alone. Yet you can share that wave with another surfer.

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  7. Innovative way to managage an english class. This introduction of technology will make student be more engaged in learning. Diverging from the traditional method of teaching, which may be found boring to some students. As the world keeps evolving with technologies, it is only natural to bring in the benefits from these into class. I really like the idea of having these organized interfaces to present our work and having a gradebook in Edmodo.

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  8. I really like the idea that we will have our syllibi, grades and class discussions on our own social network. Edmodo is going to change the way we look at our homework, and by seeing our classmates discussions,and we will understand our literary texts better. Blogging is going to create amazing discussions that will be even better than classroom discussions because everyone will be forced to express their opinion. With all of our thoughts now being published on the internet, it allows us to think carefully about our submissions and hopefully we will be recognized. Our world is revolving more and more around technology and I'm glad we are utilizing these oppurtunities in our English class.

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  9. The prezi is pretty cool! I always thought blogs to be something personal. What I don't like about blogs is sharing my work with other people and I'm still trying to understand how it all works. What I do like is the easy access to the assignments. I think blogs are a good why of sharing thoughts and ideas.

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  10. First, I'm grateful for the image that explains the new additions to the class and how we will use them. The rest of the Prezi was also inspirational, especially the video at the end. It was amazing. Just when it seems the surfer is about to be consumed by the wave, he accelerates and escapes the crash of white. When it seems as if you are completely overwhelmed, you can always speed out of the stress and succeed. You may need a little help to start up (the jet-skier), but at one point you'll be alone, and then you can shine. The entire Prezi, filled with images of the sea and surfers, also expresses the message of the video.

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  11. This work is a really creative work of ingenuity. It combines everything we have learned from the videos from two nights ago to the prezi we learned before the breaks on a blog that we also learned to make. The unique element about this is that technology is flying and while most English classes stay back and use the centuries old black board we move on with technology. All these programs that we have learned, help us become a class in differents ways such as Edmodo is our online classroom or that blog is our homework sheet. Overall we are way ahead of other English classes in a way that we are more advanced through technology and keeping up with the fast moving world.

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  12. The blogs of individuals help themselves and others to share the ideas or thoughts, and some interesting new facts. One can tinker and think while browsing others' blogs, and such reflective and creative process of thinking will be beneficial. Apart from the traditional studying in the classroom, online sharing of thoughts, like Edmodo and blogs, can help us stretch our mind and comment courageously online. What impresses me from the last video is the creativity and courage in the surfing. The same spirits should apply to our studying process as well.

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  13. I think that blogs are a great way to share information to everyone around the world. At first they are frustrating, espically for me, but the more you tinker the better you become. They are also a great way to express yourself and ideas to others. Blogs can also be a resource to others who are looking for advice or examples for whatever problems they are dealing with. This is how I think blogs are influencial to the blogger and others.

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  14. I was not aware that you could add a prezi and imput it into a blog like this. It opens up so much when you can do that, and it is just another way that you can communicate an idea with others. It is nice that we have the class blog to look at each other's idea and then your blog so we can see how versitile and how much you can share in a blog. It is a little frightening to me how public this all is.

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  17. I agree that writing at times should be a solitary process, but i have qualms with any generalization that it is always so. I feel like there are some situations where collaborative writing can actually make a written work better. I believe that this also translates to the classroom: there are times for collaborative work and times for solitary work. This leads me to pose the question: though these tools are definitely a good way to combine old and new styles of teaching(as the diagram demonstrated), is it truly better? I feel as if there can be a loss of the collaboration that an actual classroom setting in the case of a "virtual classroom". Just something to think about.

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  18. As I am typing this comment, I am still trying to figure out the symbolism of the waves and surfers (if there is any)....does anyone have any ideas? In any case the Prezi was very cool, I still like Prezi the best I think out of all the new accounts we have signed up for. My favorite part of the Prezi was the circle diagram; it looked kind of like a blackboard written in chalk, which made me think of the most basic form of learning...but I'm still trying to figure out the surfers...

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  19. Change inspires newer and more innovative ways of learning. Yes, the conventional way of learning (sitting in class, reading books, individually making brief comments every so often) is still prominent, but, as a school, we are slowly starting to depend on technology to accomplish tasks. Using Blogger and edmodo are giving us new ways to communicate and learn collectively from each other. Prezi is just another tool that makes learning and understanding that much easier for us. This particular Prezi helped me understand where exactly the goals of this class lie and how we are leaning on technology as just another tool to help us learn rather then the technology completely dominating our curriculum. I am excited to see the new opportunites that are unveiled by using such programs as Prezi and Blogger and edmodo.

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  21. It amazes me how quickly the class is able to put together a volume of information in an easy to use format using blogs. The list of posts makes it much easier to see student work than in google docs and I am really beginning to prefer the blog format. I also like that we are able to comment on assignments and other posts. Edmodo does not seem quite as interesting, but it could be that I simply do not know the full extent of its abilities. The week has seemed very productive, and I feel like I have caught up a bit in the world of technology.

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  22. For now, this is a huge adjustment, I have really enjoyed meeting here in the library every day for class and blogging, chatting, looking at prezis, seeing other peoples'Ekphrasis research, etc. It's such a revolution and I can't believe I'm part of it. Although I'm sometimes reluctant to share my poems and things to the world, I love readind and seeing what other people have to say and show. Bloggin allows for this to happen. It will really help with exploring different ideas and aspects that everyone shares.

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  23. I really like how you put together all this information and this presentation on new technology by using prezi, which we learned to use just before we left for break. There are many possibilities as to what we can achieve with using edmodo, todaysmeet, and blogs, just like there were with prezi. The video at the end ties everything together. Did the surfer make it, or did he wipe out? We are in a similar situation; will this technology help us or hinder us? We will never know unless we try.

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  24. I really liked the way the prezi was put together. It made things a lot more interesting than a power point or a lecture. I think using prezi, edmodo, and blogs will make the class a lot more fun. The only problem is actually getting started because, personally, I'm not good with these types of programs. When I'm on the computer I get distracted easily which turns into procrastination. In the future, after tinkering with all these new programs, I think they'll make excellent resources.

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  25. I think prezi was a great summary of what we have been experiencing this week. Blogs and online ways to express your understanding and collaborate with your classmates even outside of the classrom are vastly important to learning in the 21st century. We live in a world now that you can have massive amounts of imformation at the click of a mouse, so why can't we have our learning, dicussions and our general representation of how we see our education in the same fashion. I think it is an important step in revolutionizing the way we approach and experience the classroom. I think this will turn out for the better.

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  26. Surfing the huge wave resembled surfing today's internet, where tremendous amount of information floats around to be comprehended by us, the viewers. This also means that it is easy to get overwhelmed with the abundant source of information just like how the surfer can get engulfed by the wave. Using technology as a method of education certainly has potential; however, it also has risks. It is not hard to get carried away with trivial things, for example. It is of my best concern that this new plan for English class turns out well and hopefully for other subjects, too.

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  27. Rob,
    I like the question you asked, because I do think in a way it poses a problem. There are two cases, and two kinds of students.
    1.) You might be the kind that doesn't absorb that much and class, or really listen to what people say, but if it is written, you might be able to comprehend what they were trying to say by being able to read it over multiple times.

    2.) There are the kinds of people that enjoy seeing other people face to face; hearing their voice; immediately reacting to their responses. It is hard to tell someone's tone and emotion on a computer screen, which plays a big factor in the English language.

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  28. I enjoy that we have incorporated technology into our class. Although it does take away from the in class conversations though. instead of talking aloud and addressing the class you have your face burried in a computer, typing furiously. That is not to say that it is a bad thing, for instance Prezi is a very interesting presentation idea; it allows you to take the viewer on a journey through your thoughts of the topic.

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  29. Audrey- i feel like it would have been more relevant if we had watched the video again, but i'm pretty sure it also is connected with the story of the surfers that the man gave in the video - Rob

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  30. I agree with the problem about using such great technologies and channels through knowlegde that Hannah had brought up. These technologies really blow our mind when we take numerous information and ideas into our brain! In my opinion, I think this will handicapped our creativity as we keep relying on the gigantic answers from the internet. Just like doing math problems, there is often multiple approaches of a same problem; however, as only the best answer got to be taught and passed down, we will lost other, relatively innovative, methods. So basically what I was saying is that technology does help us to find the best solutions and really effectively and efficiently indeed - but sometimes finding the best solution is not the best way of learning...

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  31. I enjoyed the metaphor of writing and surfing. They are both ways of expressing, not only your skill, but who you are as a person. All the things that make you. These acts show solidarity within themselves. But they are influenced by other people.

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  32. I never thought that I would ever blog. I've always viewed blogging as an individuals diary placed in cyber space for anyone to view. I've now come to a realization that blogging is not just for personal use, but it can be used as a useful teaching and learning tool. I learn something new every time I tinker with blogging. It's exciting, interesting, and fun to explore the wed in ways that I never thought I would. Can't wait to see what I'm going to learn next with using these new learning tools!

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  33. I realized that the way blogging works is not very different from the traditional way of learning in classroom. Everyone has an opportunity to express their interests and ideas in the public just like students express their opinions in classroom. Then the peers can instantly comment on their writings, which resembles a classroom discussion and a peer editing process. The world is changing very fast as we all agree in above comments. And since we live in 21st century world where the use of internet and constant interaction with other people is inevitable, it is great that we have an opportunity to move beyond the traditional way of education, and begin adjusting to the new era.

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  34. A.W., I agree with your view that one will never know whether this works or not unless he/she stands up and puts it into trial. It sort of resembles NIKE's promo: Just do it.

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  35. As I was reading through everyone's comments, Hannah's was the one that caught my attention. She disagreed with the fact that writing is a solitary act due to iffluences from the outside word. I agree that our Frame of Reference comes out in our writing whether we know it or not. I also think that real writers right their own opinions. It is a solitary act to write exactly what you think on a topic. You need other bias and facts to form orginal thoughts, other wise you would have no reason to write.

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  36. Oh thanks Rob! I had totally forgotten about the surfers!!! It makes a lot more sense now.

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