Journal 2: Software Evaluation (iMovie & Kidspiration)

I really enjoyed using Kidspiration. I thought that it was easy to use, self-explanatory, and helpful. I think students will enjoy using this tool, because it is interactive, visual, colorful, fun, and it speaks commands to you as well. This would also be an excellent tool for English Learners, so they can learn pictorially and hear the correct pronunciations of words. Among the many functions of Kidspiration, kids can learn how to brain storm, organize, and associate words and objects.

I would like to incorporate Kidspiration into my future kindergarten classroom. I liked the grouping tool, where students can group items together according to similarities. I liked the examples given in class, like having students determine monetary values by placing appropriate amounts on top of the items according to price, or putting certain food groups into a shopping basket. I made an example where students have to sort fruits and veggies out of an assortment of food, and place them into a shopping cart. This teaches students what fruits and veggies are, how to identify them in a group, and how to group items. I also think it's great to associate items in an organized chart. I made an organizational chart of a dog's day. This will help students organize similarities and relationships.

This was the first time that I have learned with Atomic learning, or via tutorials. I usually just utilize help manuals and use keywords for the issues I am trying to solve, but I am visual learned. Therefore, this method was effective for me. Additionally, I learned more than I would have if I had just skimmed a large quantity for information for the one sentence needed. It also helps to see where and how functions are performed, so that you do not have to spend your time figuring out what the manual is talking about. I can't wait to use Kidspiration in my kindergarten classroom!

I really liked using iMovie. I thought it was very easy to use, even for those who have not worked with editing before! The great thing about iMovie is that it also comes with a great help tool, so if there are any questions, they can be addressed easily and promptly. I think students will also like to use iMovie. It is very awesome to see your own clips put to use! It allows for creativity as well, with the varying transitions and effects. IMovie teaches dedication and persistence, as editing can be long and tedious, depending on the length and complexity of the project. There is also a sense of pride for all when finished. I think I will use iMovie in my classroom!

Students could use this program in many ways in the classroom! Students who struggle with public speaking can give a perfect presentation via video. For example, my personality gets dulled down into a monotone and mundane personality when I am nervous, but when I am in front of the camera I let my true colors shine, and I can deliver a much better message. Students can also create projects using movie clips, sound clips, and tutorials. Utilizing iMovie really expands the boundaries of the classroom to include all learning styles and teaching styles!

I personally have had a lot of experience with video editing. My favorite program is Final Cut Pro. I also like iMovie, however, and started out on it when I was just beginning. Therefore, I cannot truly address how I liked learning via tutorials, but I thought Jeff did a great job explaining things and it’s always great to have tutorials to reference!!!

See my video:

http://webct6.csusm.edu/webct/RelativeResourceManager/sfsid/158078871001