ETC_Final Project

New Word Acquisition Assignment:

1. Target Audience –Adult Students attending College level Diction Class, class has a combination of native and English language learners in attendance.
2. Materials – Students will find and submit thirty words of their choice. Preferably words they have difficulty pronouncing or are new to them. Using on Campus Speech Lab or home Computer with Internet access to Wordia.com and Dictionary.com, Software to write or copy past information, i.e. Word, Open Office, Printer to transmit results, Recording Equipment. Audio and Video. Assistance will be provided in Speech Lab during regularly scheduled hours.
3. Objectives – Student will demonstrate learning of new English vocabulary words through writing and speech.
4. Procedure – Choose 30 words for this Assignment – words will be relevant to each individual student and chosen by that student. May use Top 100 mispronounced words as a guideline if needed.

1.     Write each word

2.     Give the syllables of the word

3.     Give the pronunciation

4.     Part of speech, i.e. vt-verb transitive

5.     Other forms of the word.

6.     Etymology-word origin

7.     Definition 1

8.     Definition 2

9.     A synonym

10. Use the word in a sentence of your own. Can use any form of the word.

11. Record yourself saying the Word 2 times out loud and provide to instructor.

12. Record a two short videos like the ones on Wordia discussing word of your choice

13. View two other students’ videos and write a response

14.  Ten minutes of each of the classes proceeding due date will be devoted to sharing your status with a partner and exchanging ideas.

5. Web 2.0 Tool – wordia.com, dictionary.com.
6. Social Participation/Social Learning – Students will share and critique each others work
7. Making Connections – Choose new words that are relevant to your life or the works you will be using for the course. Each student will be different depending on their needs.
8. Create/Produce – Produce a written description and recording of 30 separate words. Create a voice recording of pronouncing each word twice. Produce a video recording or do a performance describing two of the words you chose both denotation and connotation of the word.
9. Reflection- Student will write a reflection of their experience acquiring new vocabulary words, using wordia.com and using dictionary.com.
10. Assessment – Checklist

            a)The list of words with definitions, synonyms, etc. will be worth 10 points each. One point for each item on list.

1.     Wrote each word

2.     Gave the syllables of the word

3.     Gave the pronunciation

4.     Gave the part of speech

5.     Gave another form of the word or wrote n/a if appropriated.

6.     Gave etymology-word origin

7.     Gave Definition 1

8.     Gave Definition 2

9.     Gave A synonym

10. Used the word in a sentence of their own, using any form of the word.

b) The spoken words will be worth 5 points for each word properly pronounced.  

c) The videos or performance will be worth 20 points for each produced. 10 for content interesting/relevant, 5 for connotation, 5 for denotation explained.

d) The video assessments will be worth 10 points each, offered appropriated constructive feedback to other student.

e) The reflection will be worth 15 points. Student reflected on assignment as a whole, the usefulness of acquiring new words and the likelihood of using acquired words in the future or repeating a similar process.

Reflection on New Word Acquisition Assignment:

I used this process to complete thirty words for a diction class assignment.  The process made the words concrete and I will be able to add them to my vocabulary and use them well.  Unfortunately, after numerous tries both through my efforts and the efforts of my teammate working in a school environment, I was unable to access the sites full school capabilities. I do, however, still like the concept of having students define words in a way that has meaning to them. I, also, appreciate the ability to be exposed to new word in a somewhat random format by using the words of the day or the most popular videos. I understand the school version of the site has security for uploading student videos and words that are recorded and categorized according to subject matter. Engaging words in multiple ways is important to form the connections needed to incorporate the new words into our vocabularies.

PE6 Wordia

As you could see in my last post, Wordia can be embedded into any website.  Imagine the possibilities for introducing new vocabulary specific to a lesson.  Here I am looking for terms related to speech.

Here’s cliché. You can click on it and go to Wordia. Or you could embed the entire video on your website.

 

What you find out when looking further is the site is specially designed for educators.

Wordia for Educators Closed Sign-up

wodia educator tour

You can take a tour then create a school account. You can create lessons using vocabulary specifically related to your subject. There are many videos already created.

wordia use video of famous people and your own students to create content.

wordia cross-curricula vocabulary acquisiton environment.

Wordia offers security for schools. If you decide to have your students videotape themselves defining words, the videos are not public. And Wordia uses many famous people to define words. Here Craig Newmark of Craigslist defining Community:

Here is a Member of Parliament discussing the word Democracy after an election:

PE5 Wordia

Increasing your vocabulary and learning to pronounce new vocabulary words has become easier. For both my diction and broadcasting classes there has been an emphasis on having the ability to pronounce and use words properly. As a part of diction, increasing vocabulary is very important. I chose to take these two additional classes in order to improve my podcasting and voiceover messages used in my multimedia projects.  Here I am combining Wordia with Dictionary.com to really learn new words. Here is an a example of a word defined in Wordia:

 

Here is my dictionary assignment format:

1.     Write the Word

2.     Give the syllables of the word

3.     Give the pronunciation

4.     Part of speech, i.e. vt-verb transitive

5.     Other forms of the word.

6.     Etymology-word origin

7.     Definition 1

8.     Definition 2

9.     A synonym

10. Use the word in a sentence of your own. Can use any form of the word.

This was added as an image because Blogger did not support the symbols.

BP7_Go!Animate_Cute but Psycho!

 
Try Go!Animate! It’s fun!

This little film was made using Go!Animate!, ScreenFlow, iMovie, and GarageBand.

BP6_Link to My Comments Pamela's Animoto Discussion

Image from kingdomofpossibilities.blogspot.com video.

Follow this link to my comments on Pamela King's blog about Animoto!

BP5_ Link to Melissa Klaus : AZIMUTH 359˚59'59"

Image from Melissa Klaus : AZIMUTH 359˚59'59" blog

Follow this link to my comments on  Melissa Klaus’ blog.

PE_3 iMovie ’09 Training

Here is an example of some of the new things I tried using iMovie.  It was nice finding new tools available by going through the iMovie tutorial from beginning to end. As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention” so I know I always learn the most by doing and the doing makes it sticks. Now, I will have a reference point to know what is possible and how I might find ways to create new effects using iMovie. It was a bit frustrating having to rewind videos to see where the instructor’s cursor was and follow along with the steps and I am glad I made it through.

I highly recommend creating a PDF with from the following URL for the Keyboard Shortcuts for iMovie:

http://www.apple.com/support/imovie/shortcuts/


MacMost site: http://macmost.com/

And the Certificate:

PE_2 iMovie ’09 Training

While the discussions of the somewhat clerical functions of  marking favorites, using keywords, and organizing events is useful - it is not what I am most interested in. Generally, for my purposes each project is unique and that categorizing has no real use since I am not chronically family movies or ongoing events at this time. I am sure I will find it useful in the future.

This is the instruction that I use the most and has made the most difference when working with iMovie. 

iMovie > Preferences and select Show Advanced Tools

  

This gives you all of the options to create picture in a picture, speed up or slow down video, and many other tools that are necessary when trying to create you own personal look.

iMovie Picture in Picture Results from Previous Work

I paid special attention to the advice to stay away from too many transition. I know when I see a lot of "special effects" in projects I find them distracting. iMovie offers a lot of special effects but it is more professional looking not to  use them.

Partial View of iMovie's many transition options.

I liked the discussion of using the Histograms and setting the White Point. I know this will come in very handy when I use photographs or video I have created myself.

PE_1 iMovie ’09 Training

I am working my way through the iMovie tutorial. Lynda.com videos can be very good or not. I am having a hard time with this video because having gone through the Screen Flow tutorials,

Lynda.com iMovie Tutorial "Hard to See Cursor"

I know he could have made it possible for me to see where his cursor is pointing without continuously having to rewind.

Lynda.com Tutorial Showing How to Make Cursor Visible

I put this off because I have used the tutorials for iMovie sporadically when I have needed to learn something for past projects. I found that the MacMost.com site has much more friendly and fast videos to learn what you need when you need it.  Also, I am feeling it is a shame we did not receive our iLife ’11 upgrade option yet so I could have spent my time learning the new program instead.

On a positive note, I am looking forward to learning about using green screen. The information on organizing images is useful.

BP4_Read The Words.com

Logo property of ReadTheWords.com

Link to Website: http://www.readthewords.com/

One of the problems I encountered with this tool was the embedded code did not work properly. You are given three options for embedded code that is supposed to be specifically designed for use with Blogger, WordPress, or Other Web Sites. The code for Blogger did not work. I had to change the coded height to get more than the top of the head to appear in the above examples. If you have no experience writing programming code you will find this task frustrating if not impossible to resolve. (Also note, to use embedded code on your blog you must click the "Edit HTML" version of your post and paste the code.)

In addition, after I tested the third free sample, I was no longer able to go back and edit. This is why the second avatar above has the wrong voice and still cannot properly pronounce the word "blog". The fact that the program cannot say the word without correction leaves me to believe the programming is outdated. My universal text to speech function on my Mac had no difficulty pronouncing the words I had typed.

The "idea" is a good one. It would be nice to be able to create a talking head that gave direction and could be placed wherever you wanted it. I like the way the avatars' eyes follow your cursor. Unfortunately, my experience of this tool was not positive enough to make me want to spend money using it. 

One thing I found very suspect was the following testimonial. The woman portrayed is free Clip Art from Microsoft that I recognize because I used it in a previous project. 

Screen Shot of ReadTheWords.com taken February 10, 2011 (http://www.readthewords.com/TestTeachers.aspx)

Personally, I will not be subscribing to this tool as I believe other tools such as Go!Animate can do the job for a lower cost with less frustration. If you have had a different experience with this tool, I would love to hear about it.

BP2_Go!Animate Web 2.0 Tool

Go!Animate Logo

Go!Animate is a website where you can create animated videos easily and quickly. This is useful for creating media content for you to use in the classroom. However, Common Sense Media (http://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/goanimate), a website that gives parental guidance for media, rates this as suitable for ages 13 years and up, if students are using the site.  Animated videos posted may contain content not suited for younger students.  This is not a problem if you are creating your own content for students to consume.

Common Sense Media Site

You can open a free Go!Animate account which allows you to create one cartoon character and gives you two other to use.  

Go!AnimateCharacters

You can use a unique URL to link to the content or an embedded code.

Go!Animate URL or EMBED

Go!Animate Screen Shot

You add scenes, emotions, voices, and objects by merely clicking or typing onto an easily navigated screen. In addition, you can add special video effects, character expressions, movement, and music to your animations. Basically, you direct your animation and control every aspect with easy to use tools.

Go!Animate Editing Screen

 
If you wish to have further creative control, you can pay low fees to download the animation or create other characters.

Example of Go!Animate Characters Combined with ComicLi

I co-opted different characters using similar backgrounds to create cartoon characters for a group film we created for a previous course without having to pay. Each member created a character with a matching background. We then used ComicLife to created comic pages.  If you create your film using the Go!Animate website, you may choose to use your own voice or the electronically created voices that will say what you type in the fields. It is much like the Xtranormal commercials Geico has been airing lately. However, Go!Animate videos have a different look to them.

Example using Go!Animate and ComicLife  

I highly recommend Go!Animate for creating animated video quickly and easily. It is an easy way to create an entertaining medium to express your chosen content. Trying it is free so please take a look. It is one more tool you can add to your tool box.

BP3_iGoogleScreenShots

Clip Art from Dover Publications

"Personal Learning Environments are systems that help learners take control of and manage their own learning. This includes providing support for learners to * set their own learning goals * manage their learning; managing both content and process * communicate with others in the process of learning”
Reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_learning_environments

Since the Internet began, I have been in love with the ability get information “on demand”. Now, it is easier than ever.  High-speed access to the mass of information available means I no longer have to call the reference desk at the library when I need to know something.  I can get information 24 hours a day at will.  This has been a wonderful development for me. 

However, access does not replace desire and intent.  It is still important to want to learn and have the desire to become more knowledgeable.  I still know people who are steadfast against “change”.  They are unwilling to develop those aspects of the personality that result in true growth and insight.  This is very hard for me to relate to.  If there is something I do not know or cannot do, then that is my challenge.  What is there to gain by doing only what we are already good at?

After I had acquired a high level of skill in academic tasks, I chose to major in fine arts.  In graduate school, I studied psychology.  Now, it’s multimedia and design.  Doing what is challenging is what creates those new connections in the brain and provides new insight into what it means to be human.  This desire does not need a formal education to develop when it is readily available electronically. 

Daniel Pink, in his book A Whole New Mind, recommends visiting random websites on a regular basis to develop your intuitive right brain.  By exposing yourself to diverse information you can gain insights and develop connection between disparate ideas.  These insights and ability to make connections, according to Pink, are what will drive future innovation and the new workforce.

Here is a link to a website that allows you to surf the net randomly discovering things you would not otherwise be exposed to:

http://www.brettbits.com/Features/RandomWebsite/

For this week’s assignment, I set up iGoogle pages to more easily manage my self-learning and access to sites I need for my university program.  The screen shots follow.  In addition to the required gadgets,  I added others that I enjoy. Two of my favorites are Artist A Day, and the Hamster pet that happily moves around on my page. 

iGoogle Home Page

iGoogle FSO Tab

iGoogle CBR Tab

iGoogle ETC Tab

BP1_Welcome to my blog

Image - Adolphe-William Bourguereau, The Proposal; 1872 by Dover Clipart

This blog is intended for the journey through concepts in Multimedia and Education. I hope I will be able to share interesting and insightful information with you over time.  I look forward to getting to know you and letting you know me. It is fortuitous that I begin this month, since I was born in February it is the true beginning of a New Year for me. 

Let’s get started!

Speaking in February

I just began local classes on diction and broadcasting in order to improve my multimedia projects.  It has made me acutely aware of my speech. I wonder if I speak in a way that can be easily understood, is interesting, and pleasing to the ear. In broadcasting class, we are lectured about the attributes of voice actors and radio personalities.

Some of the advice I received was the ABC’s by James Alburger.

A = Audience: Define the “person” you are talking to. You are always talking to that one person, it will make you sound more natural and make a better connection.

B = Backstory:  What happened right before your story begins?  If you don’t know the backstory- make one up!  This will add more authenticity when you know the character's motivations, attitude, and purpose for speaking.

C = Character:  Who are you as the speaker? What is your role? The more you “know” about your character the better.  I take this to extend to being ourselves since we wear many roles in life and are different for different people.

Now M.O.V.E. (Movement Orchestrates Vocal Expression)

When you stand you breathe better and sound better. Moving you body expressively when you speak improves the quality of your vocal expression.

First- Warm Up

It will help you relax and have a soothing voice. Just like singers or athletes, warming up improves the performance and sound of your voice. Take a look at vocal exercises and use them to prepare.

iMovie and Apple Help

I would also like to share a favorite website with you:

http://macmost.com/