PE5_flash CS5

So I have attempted to create animation. I figured out how to use the time table and create tweens and keyframes to create animation for each layer and object. I wanted to have the leaves move back and forth then fall from the branches to the ground. I was unable to get my leaves my leaves to move. However, I did figure out how to make my text move. So "Happy Fall" drops to the ground. I want to figure out how to get my leaves to move, so on to attempt number 3.

Here is my video  on my flash animation. I am not real happy with the results. Flash has been difficult for me to learn as I am not very artistic and I feel that this is way beyond my skill set and the time frame in which I have to learn to master the skills. I have to keep repeating the steps, hitting the undo button and starting over. Ugh ~ even with the Lynda tutorials, I am still lost... HELP!!!

Well , here are screen shots of my video. My video wont upload. 

PE4_Flash CS5

I have continued my exploration of Flash from last week. I am still learning my way through Flash's interface and trying to figure out which layer I am working in and how to select tools and so forth. So this week, I have stepped it up a bit and have learned the new drawing tool, specifically the deco tool. I experimented with the tree brush and created a fall picture . I was able to change the color of the branches, leaves and berries. I tried to make the berries but didn't have much luck.. I still have to practice on that. I think I did pretty good for my first go round. Now, on to learn how to make the trees move and the leaves to fall. Wish me luck!!

Autumn in flash deco tool - tree brush

PE2_Flash CS5

Well, It seems that My attempt at flash is going a lot slower than expected. It is a program that has lots of bells and whistles, but is going to take some time.

Here is my attempt to create a banner ad.... its not moving just yet.. just drawing it, and figuring out all the layers, and tools took some time.. That will be my next post.. hopefully :).. enjoy.

BP12_OMMWeebly

Weebly~a student and educator friendly website. Check out how easy it is to use weebly in your classroom.

classroom.

BP11_comment to Rowdy

Please follow my link to Rowdy Granado's review of myebook.

Rowdy makes wikis seem so easy to use and user friendly. I am looking forward to trying wikis in my spare time.

Check out his wikispace for the FCA group at his school.

Rowdy's Wikispace for FCA.

BP10_Comment to Tim

Please follow my link to Tim Krusko's review of myebook.

He gives a very detailed and thorough review of what myebook has to offer for those who want to self publish. Don't forget to check out his video as well.

Tim's review of myebook

PE1_Flash CS5

This week I have watched the tutorials on Lynda.com on how to use Flash CS5. I have never used any of the CS5 tools before, so I am a little nervous.  I usually just dive in and play around with software, but I was unable to do this with flash. I started with the basic tutorials on what flash does and the file types and the working area.

I learned that most of the files people work with are .fla files and the working environment is stage and pace board and timeline, then learned about frames, panels and layers.

I am glad that I chose Flash because most banner ads and mobile apps are developed with Flash. This is going to work well with my action research project and hopefully I will be able to teach my students  how to create banner ads and mobile content.

My next post will be my attempt at creating a banner ad.

BP9_Weebly.com

This week I have found a new web 2.0 tool that is a web creation & hosting site at Weebly.com that is very educator friendly and perfect for students.

Last week I created a Google site for my courses and found it a bit difficult to learn to create navigation for the site. As a marketing teacher, I want my students to be able to create sites for class projects, but I think Google Sites is a bit difficult to manage.

This is where Weebly .com is going to be an excellent tool for my students. Not only can I have a teacher site for my courses, I can manage student sites as well. They can be public or private. The design options for page design are much more visually appealing compared to Google site design options.

I have created a new lesson designed to give my students the opportunity to learn about marketing, specifically, niche marketing, by creating their own websites for a niche market. Not only will they be able to develop their own interactive website and blog, they will be able to view other classmates sites and evaluate their sites as well. They will also have the option to have it published to the web and optimize their site for search engines. This also give them the opportunity to generate some income by adding affiliate products to their website or through Google Adsense.

This is a perfect tool for my marketing classroom. I am looking forward to how their sites turn out. The students have also taken the assignment a bit more seriously because they have a vested interest in the outcome.

I will keep everyone posted on how they turn out. If you are looking for a student friendly web creation site, try Weebly.

BP7_Comment to Cherie

Please follow my link to Cherie's review of Go animate.

Cherie's excellent example of Go Animate in use.

BP6_Comment to Jim

Please follow this link to my comments on Jim Miller's review of  the web 2.0 tool~Shwup.

 Jim has provided an entertaining and appealing review~enjoy.

Check out this review on Jim Miller's site. Follow the link above.

BP5_Google sites

The web 2.0 tool I chose to review this week was Google sites.  My high school in the past has required that teachers use blackboard to post lesson plans, a syllabus, contact information and class expectations as minimum requirements. Other features that I used were the discussion board, a links page and the quiz feature. However, I found that the discussion board was not easy to use and Blackboard in general, was extremely slow. 

This year, they have given us a choice on where we place our content. We could use Blackboard, Google sites, Wikis, or Schoolwires or another website of our choice. I used Schoolwires for the first six weeks and for the second six weeks I have been experimenting with Google sites. It does have a steep learning curve and it has taken me a bit longer than I had expected to set it up the way I want. It is a work in progress.

The first step I did when creating my Google site was to set up a Google account. Our school has adopted Google for education, so each teacher and student has their own Google sign in. I am a bit disappointed that I can’t create an iGoogle page for my home page though. That is not an option at the moment. 

My Google site home page

Once I logged went to create a new site. The most difficult task for me was to decide how I wanted my site map to look on my page, what pages needed to link to the home page and what pages need to link to a course page.  It took a couple of tries before it all came together. I have four preps this year and figuring out what would go on each page and what it would like to was the most difficult challenge. After I set up each class and added pages to them, adding the content was easy.

Choosing a theme was easy because you don’t have a lot of choices. I wish they had the themes that iGoogle has. I am a very visual person, so I feel my page is very ~blah. I am going to work on how to spice I up a bit as I learn about different features.

I have the main pages in place and will add a discussion board to each of my classes. I see this as a way for my students to collaborate with their peers in other classes and not just in their class. I am not sure how I will set that up yet. I want it to be closed only to my students and I didn’t see exactly how to do that. 

Course page with sub page

I want this site to be interactive for my students and will add RSS feeds and links to different trade publications that relate to our content and will enable to comments so they can comment. I am still working on that. I like the gadget feature and will be exploring what gadgets are appropriate for each course page. I did add the Advertising slogans gadget to my home page.

Google sites is much more user friendly once you set up your page and the options for gadgets and content are limitless. I think that creating a Google site for any teacher  is a great way to communicate with students, parents, and other peers. It also provides tools for collaboration with students as well as parents and colleagues.

I am looking forward to developing my Google site and watch it grow throughout the school year.

BP_Diigo Group

Here is a screen shot of my AR project Diigo group. I havent' used Diigo before and I have been busy learning & exploring all the features.

BP2_iGoogleScreenShots

Here are screen shots of my iGoogle Pages:

Here is my iGoogle Home page

 Here is my iGoogle FSO page

 Here is my iGoogle AR/CBL page

 Here is my iGoogle ETC page