E-Portfolio #5 - Wallwisher

Wallwisher is an online application much like a notice board. A person can post announcements, keep notes; create to-do lists, and many other things. It acts much like Post-it notes, but online so you can access the board from anywhere that has Internet service. Wallwisher allows you to move posts and drop them as well, just like a real board. Each post can have up to 160 characters. Wallwisher decided to limit the number because longer texts were not being read. Post can also contain links to images, music, videos, and pages. This allows the author of the post to express more thoughts. Each post will have the authors name, the comment they wrote, and when it was posted.

            A good thing about Wallwisher is that users do not have to register or login to post something. They simply need the URL to the wall. Wallwisher will however, ask for a name and an e-mail address. It does not publically post the e-mail address, only the author’s name. If a person prefers to login without having to create an account, they can login through Google. Say a person does login and wants to update their profile. The only information on the profile is the e-mail address and the account password. Nowadays, online safety and privacy are a big concern, especially within the education system and students are involved.

            One downfall to Wallwisher is that it may be blocked through some school servers. I tried taking my students to the lab to add their own posts and the site was blocked with a tag stating it was considered a forum. I suppose in a distance education setting, students can be expected to be able to post from another server; however, the teacher will also have to do so.

            This is a good online application because students can build their own wall for class discussions and reflections. Users should try to avoid asking questions in which all students will have the same answers. In the educational setting, posts should reflect student learning and provide discussion opportunities.

If the above embed doesn’t work, please follow the link to my Wallwisher wall (http://wallwisher.com/wall/etelles)

E-Portfolio #4 - Prezi Presentations

The Periodic Table of Elements on Prezi

Prezi.com is a free online site that allows you to make presentations visually captivating for your audience. A person can upgrade their account in order to make it private and only have certain invited guests to view the Prezi presentations. If you are not upgraded, your prezis are public and can be copied by other people. However, if you are a teacher and your institution has a website, you can register as an educator and set your prezis to private. You even get more memory when you upgrade to being a teacher.

            Prezi can be a collaborative program. I would like to use this in an online setting and work with group members to create a presentation for the class. The option to have the prezi edited by numerous users is available, as well as the options to only allow you the ability to edit. The only downfall to prezi is that you cannot embed audio into the presentation. You can however, include images, previously created PowerPoint presentations, YouTube videos, drawings, and files. I originally created the prezi you see above as a PowerPoint presentation for my class. I uploaded it to prezi and organized it to enhance the attention of my audience. Although it took a lot of time, I believe it was worth it. I asked my students which presentation they preferred and all of them said the prezi presentation. I believe this is because the zooming affects helps keep the information organized and also captures the audience’s attention. I feel the more someone uses this program, the more they will enjoy the positive outcomes of it.

            Prezi can also be shared in a meeting type setting where everyone is in the same room, or through remote locations. There can be up to 10 people in the meeting. The prezi is printable and you have the option to view together, download, save a copy, and delete. The prezis can be shared directly to Facebook, Twitter, or e-mailed. Prezi-U is a professional community within the website in which you can view and use success stories, tips, tricks, and best practices, and also get material and advice for our own prezis. You can find articles, prezis in the library, and videos that will help you with your own prezi or even one to present to our class.

If the above embed doesn’t work, please follow the link to my Prezi profile (prezi.com/user/etelles/).