WEEK #8: Picasa

WHAT:

Because we didn't have an actual lesson on Picasa we were supposed to play around on it and get a feel for it. I think the reason we are supposed to get to know Picasa is because it can be a one stop spot for all of our digital picture needs.

SO WHAT:

Picasa is something that I am very excited about. I love taking pictures. So learning the cools Picasa offers and how they can affect my pictures is really neat. I like how there is the "I'm feeling lucky" button for quick fixes, but then you also have the option of going in and editing bits and pieces of detail. It will be helpful and fun to continue playing with.

I can also use Picasa when doing presentations as a student or slide shows as a teacher. Not only does it let you edit pictures, but you can also set up on-line albums and slide shows. Basically I think we are learning it to make our digital lives easier.

NOW WHAT:

I feel like I have only touched the surface of Picasa. I'm sure there are endless things I can learn and find on it. What I need to do is continue to play with it. I should switch to using it as my editing photographs program. That way I will obtain first hand experience with it and be able to teach it to others, like my future students.

I had a lot of fun last week when we were learning about using digital cameras in the classroom. That idea was very appealing to me and I think I could come up with some fun lesson plans using it. As I go through the education program and have to write these lesson plans I will make sure I have the students use Picasa to edit the pictures. I feel like Picasa is a safe and fairly simple program to use, so I think it would be great the use in the classroom.

VIDEO RESPONSE:

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=6102&title=How_NOT_To_Use_PowerPoint

I loved this video! I love when people teach but having fun. Not only was the video fun and funny to watch it made great points. There are things I found that I need to work on. I am one of those people who like to have everything I am going to say on the powerpoint. It makes sense how that could be very boring and could make for a long powerpoint. This is something that I really need to improve on before becoming a teacher. If my powerpoints are word for word what my slides say it will be very dry and the students wont learn anything. I need to remember to use powerpoints a a way to show the dry skeleton of what I want to teach, and use that skeleton as a guide to add detail and elaborate.