Here’s my Eyejot video version of the written reflections below:

I learned a lot from what we read in this week’s book. The authors provided us with many ressources, such as finding pictures. I personally really like Flickr and PicFindr. So far I haven’t needed to edit images (except for cropping) but the book gives us multiple suggestions such as Adobe Photoshop, GIMP and Paint.Net. (Note: Picnik closed April 19th, 2012).

We also analyzed various ways that audio can enhance our online class, such as:

1. Introducing ourselves to the class in a personalized manner. I recently (just for the fun) created a video doing just that. You can watch it below:
2. Using audio for feedback on assignments. I use the Wimba tool in Blackboard (already now) to guide students in pronunciation when I grade their online Quizzes. It’s been an effective tool in my on-campus class so I can only imagine how it could benefit an online class.
3. Recording lectures in a natural manner.
4. Allowing students to create presentations that include audio. I have thought of a project (Mid-Term Project/Presentation) where students could do just that. I think it would be a fun assignment for them.
5. Using audio to bring interviews and guest speakers in our class. I that considered doing that. In my on-campus class, I already have guest speakers come in my class to be interviewed. My students love it. When thinking of developing an online class, I’ve thought of video taping guest speakers.

Personally I’ve had some “technological” problems such as volume / microphone issues. I might have to purchase a different microphone to make my recordings more professional. It was nice having recommendations. I have already toyed around with Audacity. Did you know you can also convert (old school) cassette tapes into MP3s by using Audacity? I was able to upload a bunch of old music tapes I had from the 90s (why does that seem so long ago?) using Audacity. Great tool!

Another recommendation for including audio content into our online class, was the use of Skype. I use Skype frequently to communicate with my friends around the worlds (especially my childhood friends in France). I have used Skype on one occasion to conduct a student’s verbal Quiz since he was out-of-state on the day the Quiz was given. It worked great! I also like Viber – but it only has the text messaging and phone options–not the video. Both Skype and Viber have Apps by the way!

We were also encouraged to check out different Podcasting Services such as Podomatic or Posterous (Note: I didn’t find Gabcast or Gcast online). I have not had much experience with these yet, so look forward to trying them out and deciding what I think of each.

I have tried multiple times to record a Power Presentation – Video using Present.me but have had problems with the site… Power Point allows you to record audio which makes it pretty simple. I personally like the freebies so popular hosting sites such as Slideshare are of interest to me. I like VoiceThread.

I used SoundCloud and SlideShare to create the Audio Power Presentation below (note: it took me MANY hours to work on this):

The book also described the “how” and “why” of video and how it can help students feel personally connected with us. I have been making cooking videos for several years now and am getting familiar with making short, informative videos. I’ve used YouTube to record videos. Other sites such as Vimeo or Viddler format and share videos. I’ve used Screencast-o-Matic to make screen captures. Other tools such as Jing or ScreenToaster also are available. I really like Screencast-o-Matic because it’s so simple, easy to use and it takes pretty good quality videos.

Here’s an example of a Screenshot I took:

Finally, thanks to Norm Wright’s Blog, I was able to discover how to create a 3-D rotating cube. Check it out: