Monday, July 23, 2012

Ten Tips for Creating a Blog


  1. Choose a good background.  You don't want it to be distracting, but you don't want it to be boring.
  2. Choose a theme that reflects you, but that also reflects what you want to project.
  3. Don't use a crazy font or font color.  You want people to be able to read your blog!
  4. Remember who your audience is.  Write things that are appropriate and interesting for them.
  5. Post regularly.  Otherwise, people won't read what you've written.
  6. Keep your information current.  If posting a calendar or homework assignments, alter them as soon as possible online after changing the assignment in class.
  7. Add different kinds of media.  Videos, pictures, gifs, all of these will enhance your blog.
  8. Address only a few topics per post.  Too much information, and it all will get lost.
  9. Don't overwhelm students with assignments or assignment changes via blog.  They'll have too many questions, and shut down if it hasn't already been talked about.
  10. Communicate!  This is your ideal format for talking after school with parents and students.  So keep the lines of communication open!

Ten Tips for Making a Video


  1. Don't wear certain items of clothing when videoing; like plaid.  Or stripes.
  2. Wear a color, like blue, that evens out redness.
  3. Add music to make something boring, interesting.
  4. Give yourself plenty of time to record.  And rerecord.
  5. Plan your moves!  Don't just pan aimlessly.
  6. Save, save, save.  Even when cropping video, make sure you always have the original.
  7. Add still images to spice up your video.
  8. Using too many animations and transitions is as bad as using none.  Don't overdo it!
  9. Use the tutorials.  They may teach you things you didn't know were possible!
  10. Don't be afraid to be goofy.  Just because it's on camera, doesn't mean it needs to be serious!

Ten Tips When Making a Webquest for Students


  1. Start with something interesting on the web.  Don't make a webquest "just because".  Make one because you found something online that is so fun to do, you want to share it!
  2. Tell exactly which sections to go to in each link.
  3. Also, tell where the links are on the page.
  4. Always check and double check your links.  There's nothing more frustrating than hearing about something that seems interesting, and then not being able to find it.
  5. Keep the links in a logical order.  Don't have students jumping all over different topics.
  6. Have an introduction!  Let students know what they will be doing, and why.
  7. Have an end goal!  Make it more than just a quest online.  Give information and skills that then must be used in another project.
  8. Be creative.  Many things that may not work when teaching a lesson will work well in a webquest.
  9. Make students check in with an adult occasionally; it keeps them from rushing or dragging their feet.
  10. Have fun!  The internet is a great resource for games and animations.

Ten Tips When Creating a Prezi

  1. Before you begin, get an approximate idea of how many sections you have.
  2. Begin from a template.  Once again, it is much easier to alter than to build from new.
  3. Look for a template that has your approximate number of sections.  It doesn't need to be exact, but it's a lot easier to go from three sections to four, than three to fourteen!
  4. Don't import a lot of images at once.  It will crash your prezi.
  5. If you must import a large amount of images, do it on a desktop.  This will have more processing power than a laptop.
  6. Use frames!  They let you emphasize what aspects you want, while still seeing all necessary information.
  7. Use an overall shot when you begin a section.  It lets the audience see what's coming.  Then, zoom in on your frames that you've placed to emphasize something.
  8. Don't write everything you're going to say.
  9. DO have a script of what you're going to say!
  10. Stay aware of your paths!  Make sure to go through the presentation a final time before presenting it.  Paths have a way of moving around when you thought you had them set.

Ten Tips When Creating a Narrated PowerPoint Show

  1.  As with any PowerPoint, use the same font face and sizes on all slides.
  2. Use more images than text, especially with a narrated PowerPoint.  All the information should come from your voice!
  3. Use images that help further the story or lesson you are trying to teach.
  4. Don't use to many animations or graphics; this can be distracting.
  5. After you've created your PowerPoint, go through it once and say what you want to say in your head. Go through it once more, and say it in your head.
  6. Practice going through several times until you know your slides and what you want to say, and know it well.
  7. After that, write down your script!  Have this in front of you as you record.
  8. When recording, make sure to enunciate, but you also want to keep your regular speech patterns.
  9. Don't speak too quickly!!
  10. Try not to speak during a transition; it can get cut off.

Ten Tips When Creating a Webpage in Dreamweaver

  1. Build from a template.  Much easier than building from scratch!
  2. Put things into tables.
  3. Resize your pictures to a manageable size BEFORE importing.
  4. Make sure to pick a good font size from the beginning, so you don't have to keep resizing things.
  5. Select background and font colors that contrast well.  
  6. Use your right click!  All sorts of good, easy, tools are "hidden" there.
  7. Add a search bar if there is a lot of information.
  8. Organize things in an intuitive manner.  People like to be able to find things easily!
  9. Always credit your sources.
  10. Have fun!  If you had fun creating the website, that will shine through and make it fun for others.

Friday, July 6, 2012