About Me

I'm from a small town in the Florida panhandle, Blountstown (the midpoint between Tallahassee and Panama City). While in this town, I taught mathematics and science at our local high school. I also enjoyed serving as JV volleyball coach and directing 3 musicals during my years at BHS. Basking in the serenity of small town life, I obtained my MS in Educational Leadership and my National Board Certification in Mathematics/Adolescence and Young Adulthood while raising my two little ones and supporting my husband while he was overseas in Iraq. My husband has been temporarily medically retired from the USMC. So, we packed up and moved to Orlando so that he could take classes at UTI. I am pursuing this degree to open new doors and discover new ways to bring education to today's youth.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

BP9_Animoto

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.


Animoto is an online quick movie generator. Users may choose from the images and videos from Animoto's library, or upload images from their own computer or from other websites such as Flickr or istockphoto.com or gettyimages.com. Students today often have a short attention span, so the 30-second videos are perfect for getting out a quick message in a more engaging an entertaining way. I have begun using Animoto videos as a motivational tool sent through email. I also use it to give a quick intro to the concepts that they will be learning in each chapter (though, I've only made one of these so far - Conic Sections). For any of you math teachers out there, I will be glad to share it. :)

Another way that I intend to use Animoto is to break down some of the barriers between my students and myself. I would like to have my students create a short video bio that includes at least one personal photo so that I can get a better idea of who my students are. Of course, this would be strictly voluntary. I am open to suggestions on how to encourage my students to create these for me. Then, I may post the videos to a Wiki or other site that I hope to create as a resource for my students. (I will need to check for privacy issues before continuing on this path.) Then, they will also be able to connect a name to a face and, perhaps, feel a larger sense of belonging rather than the feeling of isolation and anonymity that virtual/online learning seems to foster. This may also be helpful with the collaboration project that students must complete each semester.


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1 comment:

  1. jcoffeltOctober 15, 2010 at 8:15 PM

    Amanda,
    Animoto seems like a very interesting tool! I like what you said about using Animoto to connect with your students. As an elementary teacher, I often did a "star of the week" so that the class could learn about each student. Using Animoto as part of this would be neat and I think the students would love being able to make a short video about themselves to share with the class! Animoto seems like a wonderful tool for the classroom and I can't wait to try it out!

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