Summary of Learning

Our class is coming to a wrap but the learning has just begun. I am definitely leaving this course feeling like there is so much to learn and wanting more!

Here is a sketch of how I generally felt about technology and social media prior to taking this class. I am hoping you are able to view it a little more clearly here then in my poster presentation.

Representing my conflicting feelings about social media and technology!

I chose to summarize my learning in EC&I 831 using glogster. This is basically a digital poster that allows you to include audio and video. It turned out to be not very user friendly with tons of hiccups in terms of when it would accept audio and video. On the plus side, I learned a few things about converting videos this week!

I also could not embed the glog here so I am definitely not recommending this tool. I am sharing a screenshot with the link! Fingers crossed that you are able to access it and all it’s parts without a hitch!

P.S. Be patient with it as it loads!

Check out my Glog here!

Thank you in advance for taking the time to view and listen! I have appreciated all of you that have taken the time to read my thoughts over the last few months!

9 thoughts on “Summary of Learning

  1. Wow! This looks great. I love how you used something so different than a video. I also like how you used voiceovers to explain your thoughts along the path. Very neat idea indeed. Like you, before taking the class I was very apprehensive about social media and adding to my workload or my family time. With balance and everything in moderation, I think I have learned some good tips and tricks to incorporate it into my classroom, teaching, and planning to get students engaged and thinking in a different way. Thanks for sharing your ideas over the course of the semester. I always appreciated learning from you!

    1. Same goes to you Kelly! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all your posts and found that your blog instantly made me want to make mine something that I could continue to utilize! Well done on your summary of learning as well! I hope to come across more work from Cricut Kelly in the future! 🙂

  2. Gillian,

    This is a great summary of learning. I think that overall it turned out really well and is a great way to branch off from the typical video/visual presentation. It is too bad that the website isn’t very user friendly as something like this would be great for in class presentations!

    I have enjoyed following your learning project this semester and wish you all the best with your continued puppy training!

    1. Thank you Brittany! I did add some more specific feedback below about how I have used it with students and what I found difficult in creating my summary. It really is a good tool to use in the classroom if they are not trying to make it too ‘multimedia’ as it is advertised.

      Thanks for following along and sharing tips on my puppy training journey! I have appreciated all your feedback and ideas. 🙂

  3. Ok I really love this. The visual is appealing and I love the options of clicking! Very creative. I have never used Glogster and I may have to check it out. Do you have any valuable tips and tricks to share? Did it take a long time to navigate?
    Thanks Gillian!

  4. Thanks guys! I actually started using Gloster in my classroom as an optional presentation tool in Fall of 2019 and then was able to expand this into home learning. The Educator version of this is only $5 a month and gives you the ability to add students so you can see and access all their projects, as well as the ability to add various media. Honestly, I never tried out all it’s capabilities. My students were able to figure it out on their own and it wasn’t too bad. At the grade 5 level they were mostly adding images found online and text. When displayed on the big screen, it made for very visually appealing posters. I also found the ability to link photos and collect citations neatly in one place to be a great feature.

    For my project, I struggled with a few pieces I had never seen my students struggle with. For example:
    – Images I had taken myself using my phone. The challenge: the program is very picky about the image size.
    – Audio: I tried using the grab tool and no matter what I did, it would not work. I then recorded myself in voice memos and was going to upload. I got the idea to try Microsoft Edge (as I’d been working in Chrome) and found that the ‘grab audio’ tool worked there.
    – Video: This was my biggest hurdle. I made a video in imovie, downloaded it to my computer from the cloud then tried uploading it to my glog. It was too large though. I then tried uploading it to Google Drive and adding an open link, but this would not work. I created a YouTube account and added it there but it would neither accept the link or embed it. I checked to see if it would accept TikTok – but nope! I also tried Microsoft Edge to see if that little change would make it happen and again, nothing. I tried googling troubleshooting tips particular to Glogster and found many ran into the same problem. I was definitely frustrated when it would not accept from YouTube as this is typically so easy!

    I then looked into converting the video to a smaller format. I did this using VLC player and a quick tutorial I found on line. It was quite simple, except that the first two conversions were STILL not accepted. After neither of the recommended settings worked I actually took a guess and tried one that is meant for phones. When uploading this one it was taking longer to process so I sat there manifesting alllll the positive and voila!! I finally had an embedded video!

    Glogster is a nice option for something beyond Slides as there is a much wider array of templates and tools. It is surprisingly old, but not one I often hear people mention.

    1. Thanks for the overview, Gillian. I was going to ask some of these questions as I looked at your Glog… the tool looks really cool, but sounds like the issues and “hiccups” aren’t worth the struggle – especially as a paid resource vs. sites like Adobe Spark, Canva, or other presentation tools that are included in some school divisions or have a free teacher option. Good summary of the class though! Worth trying out new tools even if they don’t work the way we hoped!

  5. Gillian,

    Although Glogster gave you a lot of headaches while trying to put your summary together, it turned out great! I loved that you began your reflection by creating a mind map… I should have gotten you to do my writing for my whiteboard Summary of Learning! It looks beautiful! Throughout the semester, I appreciated your insight from the teacher perspective, but also from the parent perspective. It was evident you thought critically about social media by asking thoughtful questions and reflecting on your experiences with your own children. Your summary was well organized and showed that you took a significant amount of care in its creation!

    I’ve enjoyed working alongside you this semester and hopefully our paths cross again! 🙂

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