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Vlog: TEACHERTUBE | Whiteboard: EDUCREATION | |
TYPE OF COMPUTER USING? | iMAC | iMAC |
BROWSER USING? | FIREFOX | SAFARI |
HAVE YOU USE TOOL BEFORE? | No | No | WAS SET-UP EASY? | Not really. The uploading took hours. Even before then I experienced issues with the registration process, it took me three tries before the site finally accepted my password. I also got kicked off of the site twice. It was very frustrating and would not recommend setting the site up if you are in a rush. | The set up for Educreation was very easy. The step-by-step registration process took only 2 minutes to create and the best part was someone from customer service contacted me to ask if I needed assistance. | WAS THERE A COST ASSOCIATED? | No cost. | No cost. | WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM USING THIS TOOL AND WHY? | I think both students and teachers could benefit from this site because the message gets across very well. It does take lots of time and effort for the instructor to create a vlog but it helps the instructor learn the product. | Both students and teachers could benefit from using Educreation. My only concern as addressed in my reflection is whether Educreation could be used on other subjects aside from math, statistics, and science. |
TYPES OF INTERACTION/HIGHER ORDER OF THINKING/CREATIVITY DOES TOOL PROMOTE? | Vlogs are definitely a one-way form of communication. Essentially, teachers record and upload their lectures and students watch. Although there was a tool labeled, "Classroom," I could not get it to work. I assume teachers can create virtual classrooms and control content and communication through this tab but I was never able to figure that out. As far as creativity goes, there definitely has to be some degree of it. Although one could do a straight talk like I did, I do not believe having a straight talk vlog will always be fun. I am also interested in learning how to attach music and do some editing. | Like Teachertube, Educreation is a one-way form of communication tool. The voice lecture is uploaded and drawings can be done at the same time voice is being recorded but there is no way to facilitate interaction. Creativity is definitely important. Imagine the possibilities if more time was devoted to creating a complete lecture on the site. My only concern (as addressed in my reflection paper) is how long the recordings are allowed to be. |
WAS THE TOOL EASY TO USE? WHY OR WHY NOT? | There were some difficulties associated with learning to use the tool. I found myself frustrated at times with the platform because some tabs worked while others did not. As stated in my reflection, it took me multiple tries to upload the vlog. I also had to teach myself about the product and its capabilities. The worst part of my experience using the vlog was after the recording and uploading, I learned that Teachertube had to review the video before completely uploading on their site. On the one hand, I understand their policy is a measure to protect but I do wish they could have informed me of this policy before I decided to use Teachertube to host my vlog. | Educreation was so easy to use. I really enjoyed myself. It did not bother me that it took me three recordings to get it right. The best part of my whole experience was being contacted by Megan Streeter from the customer service support team. Even though I did not need help, it felt great knowing they contacted me immediately and offered assistance. I call that A+ customer service which may come in hand when people are new to the product. | ADVANTAGES OR DISADVANTAGES OF USING TOOL? | One advantage is the vlog looks great and captures a lecture to a "T." It looked almost effortless on my part but that was not really the case. The downside to using Teachertube was it caused so much frustration. It was not an easy tool to use and required a high degree of technological understanding. Another negative was the time and effort to upload the vlog, deciding on the content of the vlog and the fact that there was no assistance from the site. | One advantage to using Educreation was the ease of using such a sophisticated tool (at least in my mind that is what I think of the product). I felt like I did not need much experience or knowledge for creating a whiteboard demonstration. Uploading and sharing was so easy. |
HOW DOES THE TOOL CONTRIBUTE TO INTERACTION AND ALLOW DISCUSSION OF CONTENT IN AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING? | Teachertube does have a tab labeled, "Classrooms" but I was not able to enter it. From what I could tell, teachers could upload their lectures, students watch their videos (and can rewatch) but could not leave comments on the page that the video was uploaded to. | The tool simply records and is a one-way form of communicating. Students cannot leave messages or comments. It is not like YouTube. |
HOW DOES THE TOOL PERMIT THE SHARING AND CREATION OF CONTENT BY TEACHERS? | One of things I noticed on Teachertube was the amount of sharing that goes on between teachers. There were thousands of vlogs that were recorded and uploaded to the site. I found vlogs on various subjects on math, art, literature, and much more. Teachers can also share audio, photos, documents, and be part of groups. | There are certainly a number of Educreation lectures available. I was curios to see how long one could record and found a few that were 30 minutes long but did not find anything longer than that. I also found some lectures that help explain statistic equations. |
HOW DOES THE TOOL PERMIT THE SHARING AND CREATION OF CONTENT BY STUDENTS? | As far as I could see, Teachertube is only for teachers. I do not believe that students can upload documents, create blogs or upload vlogs. I played around only with the vlog and did not test the other features so I feel I cannot comment on this section very much. | This tool is available for download and students can also download the app. My son tested this by downloading, drawing a skateboard and saving it. There were no problems to report so I think this tool does allow for students to create and share their work. |
ANY POSITIVE FEATURES TO NOTE? | The documents tab on Teachertube was definitely a positive feature. The documents are in PDF so downloading was easy. The searching within the platform was a hit or miss. I tried a few general searches and hundreds of information was returned all at once. There were no filters that helped me hone down my search. | It was easy to use. I think anyone can create a tutorial on whiteboard. Music can be added (although I did not do that) but the tool certainly encourages creativity. |
LEVEL OF TECHINESS? (LOW=ANYONE CAN DO IT; MEDIUM=HAD SOME UNDERSTANDING OF TOOL BUT NEEDED HELP; HIGH=HAD TO READ A MANUAL AND WATCH TUTORIAL BEFORE ATTEMPTING) | HIGH!!! I uploaded my first vlog and lost it. I had to upload a few more times and go through the "Help" menu to see what I was doing wrong. There was no guidance offered on how to start a vlogs or how to upload them. All I know is somewhere out there my video is floating around and I cannot seem to find it. | LOW!!! The tool was so easy to use I tested it out with my neighbor who is 6-years-old. She drew a flower and we recorded her step-by-step directions on how to draw the flower. When she was done she told me she enjoyed it. I had asked her if she ever did that before and she said no. When she was done we emailed it to her mother. |
HELPFUL SITES? | I used about.com to learn a bit more about vlogs and found a tutorial that was quite helpful. I think the site is http://video.about.com/desktopvideo/How-to-Make-a-vlog--Test-vid-.htm | I did not go to any outside sites. When I downloaded the App I read the reviews and that was all. I did not have to research how to use the site or find additional sites to assist in creating a tutorial for Educreation. The tool was so easy to use there was not need to venture to other sites. |