Blog & Digital Storytelling

A Reflection on Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 03:53:00 +0000

Thank you everybody for visiting, sharing ideas and commenting on my blog posting

Actually I heard about blog for many years. I used to think, Blog is just for teenager to write thier story of life like diary on web but I already changed my mind since I have to create and maintain my Blog in this course. I think Blog is one of wonderful learning tool and I can say it is very easy to create one, students in Grade 3 can create it and make a good job with their blog in my project - Assignment 3.

I have learned many thing from Blogging, the process of creating and maintaining a web log(BLOG). I have learned a lot about social networking and I had opportunities to learn about various technological learning tools through my classmates' blog postings. I think there are wonderful blog and provided good information.

What did I learn from this experience? I got a lot of knowledge and it improve writing skills,with a lot of writing and it also stimulate our creative ideas to surface.It is really good that we can share and express many ideas in ourmind, discussion and give comments on the articles inside the blog. This following mind map, I created it to summarize what I learned form Blogging.

My Blog on Blog and Digital Storytelling!

I have chosen “Blog and Digital Storytelling” to be a topic for my Blog. I think ' A good Blog' Blogger should consider about style of presenting content, make Blog more attrative and provided good function if you can such as RSS subscribe. Therefore, I tired to provide many tips that might be helpful and useful for my classmates.

My BLOG topics and Tips
What is Blog? - Video Presentataion
Definition of Blog
How to install a Blogger Template -Tips
2010 Blog Services Review Comparisons
How to add gadget to your blog ? - Tips
Why Use Blogs In Education?
How do I add a poll to my blog? - Tips
How to Add the Facebook Like Button Below every Po... -Tips
What is Blogging? and Why Blogging is so popular t...
Why we should use blog with students?
How to add recent comments in your blog? - Tips
Two-sided coin
Making a Podcast with Blogger and FeedBurner
Use a real domain name instead of blogger’s defaul... - Tips
Making a Podcast with Blogger and FeedBurner
Add 'Email subscribe form' in your blog - Tips
Learning without Limits with BLOG

My Digital Storytelling topics
What is Digital Storytelling?
How to upload a Video in blog? - Tips
A picture is worth a thousand words
How powerful of Digital Storytelling in Education?...
Making your own digital storytelling book
7 Easy Steps to make a wonderful Digital Storytell...
Movie Maker or iMovie

To sum up, what we learned about Blog and Digital Storytelling
Blog and Digital Storytelling - powerful learning ...

Blogs can be important tools for sharing useful information and tips among co-workers, dispersing information to students, or keeping in contact with parents. (Blogs in Education).

Blog and Digital Storytelling - powerful learning tools

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 14:01:00 +0000

Time flies..We are coming to the end of this course. Last 3 months, I never think how effective of Blog and Digital Storytelling but after I have created and maintained my blog, I realize that they are wonderful learning tools. I learned a lot and it engage me to think more and research more.

Blog : How powerful of Blog! As everyone know we are use Blog as a learning tool in this course and we learned a lots by read ,share idea and give comments to others' blog. Moreover, I used blog in assignment3 and students really enjoy using Blog as a tools and it increase student's creativity and learn more from Blog.

Digital Storytelling : When students are using technology they are in an active role. Students are making choice about how to Generate, Obtain, Manipulate, or Display information. Digital Storytelling helps develop visual and multimedia literacy and provides students with a competitive and compelling voice. Moreover, it helps students write more effectively and allows students to learn and present in their individual learning style

I would like to thank you everyone for all comments and shared ideas in this "Blog and Digital Storytelling" Blog.

This video below provided what students think about blog?

Movie Maker or iMovie

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:45:00 +0000

Now I think everyone feel like to create your own Digital Storytelling. There are many programs that for creating Digital Storytelling by insert pictures,audio and video but for this week I would recommend you to use Moviemaker program which is bundled in Microsoft XP Operating Systems or use iMovie which is bundled in Mac OS X

Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker 2 makes it easy for just about anyone to make movies on their computer. Just build your storyboard, edit your clips, add music, and you'll have your first movie ready to go!
This video below is the tutorial of Window Movie Maker :

iMovie

iMovie makes viewing and working with video as intuitive as enjoying your photos. A built-in library automatically organizes your video, so all the clips you've captured and movies you've created are just a click away. With its revolutionary interface, iMovie makes it quick and easy to browse your library and create new movies.
This video below is the tutorial of iMovie.

Ref: http://electronicportfolios.com/digistory/tools.html

7 Easy Steps to make a wonderful Digital Storytelling

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 07:51:00 +0000

Step 1: Decide on the Story You Want to Tell - Begin thinking of the purpose of your story. Are you trying to inform, convince, provoke, question?

Step 2: Gather Your Materials - Select the images resources for your story, including: pictures, drawings, photographs, maps, charts and audio you would like to use for your digital story.

Step 3: Begin Writing Your Script - Write a script that will be used as narration in your digital story AND provides the purpose and point of view you have chosen.

Step 4 : Create a Storyboard - A storyboard will help you visualize how the content chunks relate to each other and will help to shape the direction of your efforts as you create your project

Step 5: Prepare Your Equipment - A desktop computer or laptop. A scanner, if you want to include traditional photos in your story Additionally, if you plan to record interviews, you'll need A recording device such as microphone and video recorder.

Step 6: CreateYour Digital Storytelling - Decide on software and start putting all resources you got together. Combine the sound and the images together in a video editing program. Then add Background Music, Titles, Transitions, and Effects.

Step 7: Share Your Story- share with your classmates, friends and family. Moreover, you can publish them on the Internet such asYoutube.

Ref : http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/techplan/page5897.cfm

Making your own digital storytelling book

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:57:00 +0000

Would you like to create one Digital storytelling book? I found 'My Story Maker' in carnegielibrary website. It let's you to create charecters ,objects and also write sentences for you. But you still have to edit and create any type of story you like.

First, choose main character. Second, choose your main character's goal. For example, If you choose Travel then you have to select the location. After that you just write the story and add objects you like.

Ready to get students excited about writing? Ask students to create story that focus on character (who the story is about), plot (what happens in the story), and setting (where or when the story happens).

Once you are done with your story, you can print it out. Moreover, You can share your story with your friends by telling them your magic number of your story.

Ref: http://www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/storymaker/storymaker.swf

How powerful of Digital Storytelling in Education?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:41:00 +0000

Why is Digital Storytelling significant? As everyone commented on my blog that we learn and know many thing. Therefore, I think it would be beneficial for students if teachers use Digital Storytelling as a learning tool. Let's share your idea what do you think about using Digital Storytelling in Education. What is the benefit?

Digital storytelling has many benefits, many of which my students experienced while completing their digital stories.

Helps develop visual and multimedia literacy.
Provides students with a competitive and compelling voice.
Helps students write more effectively.
Encourages self-directed, self-motivated learning experiences.
Teaches technology, information, and visual literacy.
Allows students to learn and present in their individual learning style
Learning taking place at the upper level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Addresses Texas Technology Application TEKS, specifically under the communication strand.
Encourages cross-curricular learning.

Ref: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7021.pdf

A picture is worth a thousand words

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 04:12:00 +0000

A picture is worth a thousand words

Do you agree with this Adage? Let's see this following video that my school used to present new Assumption Collge Rama II Campus". This will give you the idea on what I would like you to know about Digital Storytelling and share your idea.

How to upload a Video in blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 09:28:00 +0000

If you already have a Video on your computer, you can upload it to your blog as follows:

Click the video slate icon on the post editor toolbar.

2. In the popup window, click "Browse" to find the video on your computer.

3. Click "Upload Video."

That's it! Is it easy? So you know now how to insert video in your Blog. Any tips about blog if you want to know,please feel free to ask. I am happy and really enjoy making blog, especially providing good tips for everyone. ^.^

What is Digital Storytelling?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 02:56:00 +0000

Digital Storytelling is a modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling. It is the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including image, sound and video, to create a short movie.

Use NEW digital tools to help ordinary people tell their own 'True Stories' in a compelling and emotionally engaging form.

You know? Why I should this topic 'Digital Storytelling' because I think Digital Storytelling can make your blog more meaningful , interest and motivation. What do you think?

Time for Digital Storytelling

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 16:12:00 +0000

Think! What do you know about Digital Storytelling ,Why we should use it in education? and How it work? Let's find the answer in this blog.

Learning without Limits with BLOG

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:58:00 +0000

For this week, Our topic in discussion board is about Assisstive technology. When I tried to search information about AT, I found many blogs about learning disabilities. So I realize more how beneficial of using Blog. Especially for share your experience or useful information to others.

If use effectively, blogs can create a learning environment that extend beyond the schoolyard.

There are many resources available on the internet to help students, parents, and people who work with learners with disabilities. From professional advice to personal experiences, this list of blogs will help anyone interested in discovering more about learning disabilities.

The Top 3 Blogs about Learning Disabilities

ADHD & LD Resource Blog is an excellent blog for people looking for more information about not only ADHD, but other learning disabilities as well.
Dyslexia Blog provides information for parents of children with dyslexia. The wide-ranging articles and information are an excellent source for parents who want to help their children succeed.
Dyslexia My Life is a comprehensive blog about one person’s experience with dyslexia, as well as resources and information about the disability.

Ref: http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/tips-and-tools/learning-disabilities-blogs

Add 'Email subscribe form' in your blog

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:20:00 +0000

Let's see how to add a "Email Subscription form" at Feedburner in your blog:

In order to set up an email subscription link or form at Feedburner you first need to have your feed burned by Feedburner. If you are not sure how to do this please read my step by step article on burning a Blogger RSS Feed at Feedburner or follow these brief instructions

1. If you are using your Google Account click on the My Account link and choose Feedburner from the list. Alternatively go to Feedburner and sign in. If you aren't registered you can quickly create a free account using your Google Account.

2. After logging in you will be taken to the My Feeds Page. If you already have your feed burned skip to Step 3 otherwise follow these instructions to burn your feed.

If you need to burn your feed first enter the URL of your Blogger blog into the Burn a Feed Right This Instant box and click Next.

You will need to enter the title of your new feed. I suggest you use your blog title as your title. You will also be asked to choose a feed so choose the RSS Feed. You will then be taken to a success page and a message something like Congrats! Your FeedBurner feed is now live. After clicking Next you will now be prompted to customize your options. Read how to do this in my article about burning a Blogger RSS Feed at Feedburner. Once you have finished customizing your options click Next to proceed to the My Feeds Page.

3. Once you have your feed click on the link to it from the My Feeds Page. This will direct you to the Feedburner dashboard.

4. Now select the Publicize tab.

5. From the left sidebar click Email Subscriptions

6. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Activate button. If you are not sure what email address you are using for your account you can check this first.

7. You will now be taken to the Subscription Management Page.

8. Choose your language. The default is English

9. From the dropdown menu Use a Widget in select Blogger. The default is Typepad. The orange Blogger favicon will now show up.

Insert the Subscribe By Email Widget into Blogger

Copy the code and navigate to the Layout > Page Elements screen in Blogger.
Select Add a Gadget in the area you wish the subscribe by email widget to appear (in most cases this will be the sidebar).
Choose HTML/Javascript widget
Paste the widget code into the content box
Click on the Save Button
Reposition the widget if necessary. A good place is at the top of the right sidebar and Save.
Click on View Blog to see your new email form in your blog

Making a Podcast with Blogger and FeedBurner

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:35:00 +0000

Have anyone wondered how can you know that your peers have updated thier blog without sign in to your blog account. Podcasting is the answer! If you are a new blogger,you may have seen an email subscrtiption form like the below one in other blogs while browsing.

It is delevered by FeedBurner.When people subscribe,they will recieve a email with your blog posts whenever your blog is updated.It is a very easy thing and make your visitors come back again and again to your blog.

Receiving updates by email is just one of several options that you can offer your visitors to turn them from a one time visitor into a regular follower. It is really useful, isn't it? I already created one on my blog so if you like to recieve a email when i have updated my blog,enter your email now. :) and I will show you how to create one in next issue.

Ref: http://www.podcastingnews.com/articles/Make_Podcast_Blogger.html

Use a real domain name instead of blogger’s default naming conventions

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:01:00 +0000

In the beginning before we knew any better we though using a free service like Blogger meant being locked into certain things like the sub-domain name off of Blogspot. Google lets you “Brand” your blog and link up a real domain name to forward to your Blogspot address. But they did one better and redirect their address’s to yours.

Two-sided coin

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 03:11:00 +0000

Every coin has two sides. This compares to everything that has both advantage and disadvantage. In the same way as Blog has. For education, I think Blog is more advantage than disadvantage because it gives more opportunities for students from different places to discuss topics or any ideas to each other. However,it can be disadvantage if people can't manage their time or schedule effectively, Blog will distract your life more or less. Therefore, I decide to bring up this issue for this week to discuss. As everyone is interested in using technology in Education, we should know all the technology in two sides, shouldn't we?.

Advantage of using Blog

1. Blog sites can be developed with the help of simple procedures.

2. A blog post goes public, in other words, it can be accessed and read by almost everyone who have an access to internet.

3. The usage of blogs are very convenient, hence people tend to use them more frequently.

Disadvantage of using Blog

1. Blogs are easy to start but hard to maintain. It involves a lot of time to update and post an entry on the blog site.

2. Writing coherently is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks.

3. It is not suited for issues requiring immediate solution.

Ref : http://aboutawebmaster.com/articles/blog-vs-article-3.php

How to add recent comments in your blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 08:09:00 +0000

These Recent Posts and Recent Comments are very easy to install: simply follow the links for the gadget you would like to add, and choose how many posts/comments you would like to display.

Step 1 : Select >> Design
Step 2 : Add gadget - Recent comments
Step 3 : Make changes according to your needs
Step 4 : Click Save

When you press "Update" you will be presented with an example of how the gadget will appear in your blog, and can then proceed to save your gadget.

Why we should use blog with students?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 01:56:00 +0000

Many reasons why teachers should use blog with students. I think Blogging can change the way of learning and engaging student to think critically while they creating blog, write some new post and comment to each other blog. Especially, Students will really enjoy while they creating blog and when their freinds comment on their post or say " I like your blog"

There are reasons 'Why we should use blog with students?'

1. Increased motivation for writing – all students are happy to write and complete aspects of the post topic. Many will add to it in their own time.

2. Increased motivation for reading – my students will happily spend a lot of time browsing through fellow student posts and their global counterparts. Many have linked their friends onto their blogroll for quick access.

3. Students set the topics for posts – leads to deeper thinking activities.

Actually there are many many reasons but I just gave you three reason that I think Blog will help with my primary students. Let's share your idea 'Why we should use blog with students?'

What is Blogging? and Why Blogging is so popular today?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:01:00 +0000

What is Blogging ?

Blogging is the act of posting content on a blog (a Web log or online journal) or posting comments on someone else's blog.

Why Blogging is so Popular?

Blogging is very popular today because it allows people to interact with each other. Blogging has also become a popular search engine optimization (SEO) tool because search engines like Google and Yahoo know that a blog is frequently updated with content or visitor comments, so their spiders visit blogs frequently looking for new content to include in their index.

Additionally, blog content can be delivered automatically via electronic RSS (Really Simple Syndication) data feeds. Visitors subscribe to a blog's feeds in order to stay up to date with content that's being posted on subjects that interest them. Blog feeds are then read by what's known as blog feed reader software, widely available for free, so users can scan for recent blog posts of interest on the blogs to which they subscribe.

Finally, blogging doesn't require that writers and contributors know a lot about HTML (Web page code). If a blogger or visitor can fill in an online form, they can blog and post comments on other blogs.

Here! There are very popular blogs.
1. The Official Google Blog - The central place we tell you about most of these is through the official Google Blog Network, where you’ll find more than 100 blogs covering all kinds of products, policy issues, technical projects and much more.
2. Making Teachers Nerdy – Subtitled as “Tech Integration Tips and Web Links to Increase Your Teacher Nerdiness Levels,” this unique blog is full of insightful tips for teachers on how to integrate technology into classrooms and/or how to improve their teaching methods.

How to Add the Facebook Like Button Below every Post

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:09:00 +0000

1. Login to your Blogger Account and go to Design > Edit HTML

and click on the check box which says “Expand Widget Templates”

2. Look for <data:post.body/> and immediately after that place the following code.

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>

</b:if>

This code will show the Like Button on Post pages only. If you want to display it everywhere, then remove the two lines of code in red.

3. Save the template and you should see the Like Button Below each of your posts.

src: http://www.bloggerplugins.org/2010/04/facebook-like-button-for-blogger.html

How do I add a poll to my blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 11:49:00 +0000

Do you ever wonder about your visitors' opinions? Maybe you'd like to find out what your readers think about controversial subjects, or perhaps you just want a vote on whether your should change your blog's font to Verdana. Either way, it's simple to do by adding a poll to your blog.

You'll start by going to the Layout | Page Elements tab for your blog:

Click the "Add a Page Element" link that appears in the sidebar for your layout. You'll get a popup window with all the different types of page elements you can add to your blog. Look for the one called "Poll" and click on "Add to Blog."

The poll settings let you enter the question you want to ask, and the possible answers you want to allow. You can enter as few or as many possible answers as you like; if you need more than are shown, just click the "add another answer" link.

By default, polls are set to run for a week before they stop accepting new votes, but you can change this time frame by entering a new date in the settings. You can also check the option to allow people to vote for multiple answers, if appropriate.

Once you've saved your poll, it will appear on your blog. The "Vote" button will cast a vote for whatever option is selected, and will display the current tally of all votes. You can also click "Show Results" to see what votes have already been cast without making a vote of your own.

Why Use Blogs In Education?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 09:48:00 +0000

Blogs are widely popular in education, as evidenced by more than 500 thousand educational blogs hosted by edublogs. Teachers have been using them to support teaching and learning about 7 years ago. Through years of practice, a common understanding has formed around the benefits of the use of blogs in education.

Blogs can be use in classroom environment for diary entry; it also can be a useful tool to link communication between study groups within a class or other classes or even schools. If use effectively, blogs can create a learning environment that extend beyond the schoolyard.

Ad Additionally, blogs give students ownership over their own learning. You can have your students create their own Blog to… write comments, opinions, or questions on daily news items or issues of interest discuss activities they did in class and tell what they think about them

Blogs can be used as a
- Personal journal or diary.

               - Share information on topics that interest you.
      - Engage in discussion.
      - Share opinion and comment with other users.
      - Class project page.

How to add gadget to your blog ?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:24:00 +0000

For many reasons we need to add gadgets to the blog. Here you will get step by step process to add gadgets. There is also a video tutorial below. Many of may think what Gadget is. So I will shortly describe it here.

What is a Gadget

A gadget is a small technological object (such as device or an appliance) that has a particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty. Gadgets are invariably considered to be more unusually or cleverly designed than normal technological objects at the time of their invention. -------by en.wikipedia.org

So gadget is a small application that is used to make your work more easy.

How to Add Gadget

Step 1: Login to Blogger and go to Layout Tab.
Step 2: Click on Add Gadgets or Add page element Tab.

Step 3: Search for HTML/Javascript . Then click on it.

Step 4: Now paste your code there. Then save it.

You are done !! : )

2010 Blog Services Review Comparisons

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 08:07:00 +0000

These are 2010 Blog Services Review Comparison for helping you to choose a blog service that best suits your need.

Today, most bloggers use either Google’s popular WordPress , TypePad , Myspace or Blogger service. These services allow users to create new blogs and blog posts by means of simple online forms; the writer does not need to know any programming or formatting.

Ref: http://blog-services-review.toptenreviews.com/

How to install a Blogger Template

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:38:00 +0000

1. Click in Download button and save file in PC [hard drive].

2. File that you have downloaded is .ZIP file so need to be extracted. Extract / Unzip it.

3. Log in Blogger dashboard

4. Click Design link in dashboard panel.

5. Now click in Edit HTML link in tab bar.

6. Click Browse button and look for folder that is created after extracted file that you have downloaded.

7. Folder has a XML file and TXT file or Internet shortcut, you select only XML file.

8. Click Upload button.

9. Confirm and Save.

Definition of Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamas) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 05:42:00 +0000

What is a Blog?

A Blog – a shorthand term that mean “Web log” is an online, a web application which contains chronological collection of personal commentary and links. Easy to create and use from anywhere with an Internet connection.

There are many group blogs such as family blogs, community blogs, and corporate blogs , LibLogs (library blogs), and EduBlogs (targeting education).

In educational settings, University and School are using blogs to express their opinions,to promote dialogue in the discipline, and as an instructional tool, and students are increasingly using blogs both as personal commentaries and as a required part of certain courses.