FINAL PROJECT

Here are the links to my screencasts for my final project.

Miss Jones' First Grade Class Wiki and Blog

**Please excuse the quality of the screencasts. I used Screencast-o-Matic because I no longer had access to Camtasia and I noticed a big difference in quality. Some of the audio is hard to hear and understand.**

CLASS WIKI: http://ljscils598f08.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Click here to view the screencast for my FINAL PROJECT PART 1- Miss Jones' First Grade Wiki http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cjlo3NnAF

CLASS BLOG: http://ljscils598f08final.blogspot.com/

Click here to view the screencast for my FINAL PROJECT PART 2- Miss Jones' First Grade Blog
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cjlo0ZnAY

Everything Bad Is Good For You--Part 2

If everything "bad" is indeed good for you, what does this mean for the world of Libraries and/or Educational organizations?

Johnson states that popular culture (games, TV, film) has become more challenging and more complex over the years "enhancing our cognitive faculties, not dumbing them down". He claims that "popular culture has been growing increasingly complex over the past few decades, exercising our minds in powerful new ways." If this is true, which he provides a pretty good argument for, librarians and educators may need to start changing! Many librarians and educators believe that pop culture is not what Johnson believes it to be. They do not see the complexity of it, as I did not, until I read his book. They have to accept change and change with the times.

It amazes me how children can pick up video games or some new concept on the computer so quickly, yet teaching them other things just bores them. Teachers can learn a few things from this. There are many games that can be used for educational purposes, yet the kids don't know they are learning. Movies can also be a good source of information, while still fun to watch. These things that were once considered "bad" can actually be "good" for the learning environment...we just have to teach old dogs new tricks! However, I do believe that there can be too much of a good thing and that there has to be a balance between the old ways and the new ways.

Librarians also have to start to change with the times. Some librarians may need to realize, just like the educators, that pop culture is becoming more complex. This is why libraries are starting to have gaming tournaments. They know what the kids like and what they want to do...and...if that gets them into the library, so be it. They might actually pick up a book while they are there and check it out!

What Would I Change

I don't believe that there is much, if anything, that I would change about this class. I enjoyed all of the topics that we covered and learned a great deal. There is so much that can be done that I had no idea about before this class.

I think that my personal favorite was the screencasting. I really enjoyed learning how to do that. I also liked the week we spent on Flickr and learning how to edit photos.

If I'm being honest, the one thing that was difficult was the work load at times. I found the homework to be very time consuming, maybe moreso due to the fact that I was not a computer whiz! Also, I enjoyed commenting on other people's blogs, but felt pressured to have my blog posting done early enough so that others would not have to wait for me to do my work in order for them to finish theirs...and I didn't particularly like having to wait until the last minute to finish my homework because I was waiting on someone else, either!

Overall, I can see myself using MANY of the things that we learned in this class...and I'm NOT just saying that to get a good grade! LOL

MMO- Club Penguin

Since my computer would not support Second Life, I became part of CLUB PENGUIN. Since I have played Second Life in the past, along with other MMOs such as SIMS, I already had an idea of what they were like, so it was good to try something different. Club Penguin is a Disney MMO with many of the features of the adult MMOs only geared towards younger children. First thing that I noticed as I was trying to join was a great deal of privacy/safety features which I think is great, especially for a site that is geared towards children. As I wandered the towns I noticed some great features. Each place not only had different things to interact with, but they also had games and activities. These were fun, and, believe it or not, some of them were relatively difficult. Below is a screenshot of one of the villages I visited. Notice the different buildings you can go into.

The second screenshot is of me surfing! You can earn money by doing different tricks and stunts which you can use later to buy things.

In this final screenshot you will see me playing a game in which you are tubing in the water and have to navigate around obstacles in order to stay on your tube. Another great game to play.

Screencast of the Game DOTS

One of my favorite games since I was little is now on the computer. The game of DOTS is a very simple one in which the objective is to box in more of the board than your opponent does. The board is split into a grid pattern. Each player takes a turn drawing a line between two adjacent grid points, or dots. As players enclose an area, it changes to the color of the player that boxed in the selected area. At the end of the game, whoever has filled in the largest amount of the board is the winner.

This game is a little long and at times the video is slow due to the age of my computer, but just click below to watch and enjoy the simplicity of DOTS!


Click to play

Or if you click on this link http://blip.tv/file/1544392 it will take you directly to the video on bliptv.com!

Screencasting--Best Practices

Although I cannot say that I am a pro at screencasting, it has become easier over the weeks we have used it. I have found that the best practices include some of the following:

• Review the subject before you attempt to create a screencast
• Create a summary/"script" of your narration
• Begin recording knowing this will probably not be your final copy
• Watch your first recording, learn from your mistakes, and fix them the next time around
• Save your screencast in the correct format and name it appropriately

These are just a few of the basics that I thought should be included. I've also learned when to have multiple windows open so that I could switch to a different window because if I "clicked" on a link it would take too long to open due to the age of my computer! I also learned that certain programs work better for certain computers (due to the age of my computer, it could not support Jing)! Lastly, be sure to take the dog out before you begin screencasting...or her incessant barking will ruin the whole thing!

How to Choose a Gaming System

If I was in charge of choosing a gaming system for my library I would first evaluate "who my patrons are," who would be using the gaming system and how they would use it. Then I would begin my research by looking at other libraries and what they are using. This would give me valuable insight into what works and what doesn't...and why it doesn't work. (No need to re-invent the wheel!) I would also read blogs, talk to other librarians, and read technical reviews on the various systems. This would help me to match up my patron's needs to the various aspects that each gaming system has to offer.

After my research, I have decided to purchase the Wii for my library. Although I will be a children's librarian, the Wii could be used by any age group. Not only have I worked at a library that purchased the Wii and used it for all ages, but in looking through the programming that other libraries have had, they have used it for all ages, including seniors. Another factor that influenced my decision is the fact that the Wii can be used not only for gaming, but also for physical activity, which is a plus. The range and number of games/activities that it offers is incredible. The price, the ease of use, and the versatility of the Wii also influenced my decision, along with the fact that Wii is THE hot item to have!