Sick of powerpoint?

I think I can speak for everyone when I say seeing the same old powerpoint presentations can get old very fast. Growing up in a time when all we knew were powerpoint presentations, made it seem like their weren't any options, however in todays more modern and tech savvy times things have surely changed. Today there are tons of different programs and tools being used for a more interesting and easy way to share your ideas. One of them being an amazingly free site called Goanimate.com. The site allows you to tell your story in a fun and animated way! The site is such a hit because you don't need any artistic abilities and has a huge variety of characters, backgrounds, languages, sounds, props, etc to choose from. Teachers can use this to truly engage their students in education and can be used for a handful of scenarios that I have listed below. Personally, I found the site to be very easy and useful and even managed to use it for class presentations a few times as well, one specifically a stockton commercial.

Classroom Uses:

• Foreign Languages
• Student to student tutorials
• Creative writing
• Communication and special needs
• Behavioral training (Bullying awareness)
• And tons more

There is also another great platform that is becoming very popular called Animoto. Animoto allows you to combine text, images, and clips and turn them into awesome videos. This site is very simple to use, and is cloud based so students or really anyone can access it from anywhere! The site is perfect for educators and students,  and it can truly make a presentation come alive in the classroom. Everything can be accessed too with the free light version, however if you want more HD videos, or longer multi song videos there will be additional fees. 

This site is perfect for teachers and students in and out of the classroom to connect what they are learning and turning it into a visual masterpiece.  Once you are finished share with your friends and show them what you created, and I'm guaranteed you will be happy with the results. The set up to making a great video is simple and I will list the steps below...

• Choose a style for your video (Tons to choose from)
• Add music ( Upload music or some that students created in something like garage band)
• Add photos and videos
• Add text slides, and tell your story

I hope some of these useful ways of digital storytelling helped, and next time there is a presentation to be done you steer away from powerpoint!

Astronaut Abby

This week I had the privilege of meeting an inspiring 18 year old Abigail Harrison, with dreams of venturing out to Mars. It was very interesting learning about her growing up and truly dedicating her time to setting goals to a bright future. Abigail otherwise known as Astronaut Abby, has a very impressive story about working hard and meeting with some of the best in the space exploration field from engineers, to various astronauts. My favorite part of the discussion was her talking about social media and how she reaches out to her followers and supporters. She discusses the different social media platforms for which age group is focused on, for example she uses Instagram for a younger age group. Also, Abby stated that "Adding personal content humanizes the aspect of the situation." I liked that, because its very true! She shows pictures of space, but also he personal life which shows she's just like everybody else. One other crucial piece of information I really thought was important was when we discussed the 24 hour rule. This means that in networking you should contact business associates that you meet within 24 hours of having met them, whether it be Twitter, email, or LinkedIn you have to be reaching out and reinforcing connections! I can't wait to see what is in store for her future, and I believe she will make it to Mars.