Visualizing with Technologies

The second chapter I selected from the textbook is Chapter 9 Visualizing with Technologies. This chapter describes how we as educators can take advantage of visualization tools to engage our students and make them have a better understanding of all the concepts while implementing hand on activities with these kind of tools. Visualization tools are devices that allow us to share images with other people and can help us comprehend different concepts easily. Next I am going to mention some of these visualization tools.

·      Draw/Paint Programs – this type of software allows us to make our own drawings or sketches, they also allow us to change or fix pictures. These programs are very helpful in math, biology, science, and geography.

·      Digital Cameras and Mobile Phones – these devices allows us to take high-resolution pictures, we can use download those onto a computer to use them in any document. Also with mobile phones we can easily share the pictures we take with other people.

·      Video – There are many programs that allow us to create and record our own videos. Students are going to acquire many skills producing their own videos.

·      Digital Storytelling – By designing activities in which students are able to produce their own movie, they are going to be more engaged and interested on the topic. In digital storytelling, students can use a combination of video, pictures, photos, text and music to create their own movie. 

·      Video modeling and Feedback – With the use of videos students can learn a specific behavior. Also students can record themselves doing a specific activity and then be evaluated about their performance; this activity helps students evaluate themselves as well.   

With all these visualization tools available we can help our students develop many different skills. They are going to be able to work in a collaborative manner, they will enhance public relations, increase their creativity, and they will develop planning, producing and communication skills. So this is a very fun and innovative way in which we, as educators, can take advantage of technology and at the same time help our students learn in a better and original manner.

The visualization tools that I would like to explore are iMovie, Movie Maker and Google Earth.  iMovie is a Mac software that allows you to create your own movie and makes it easier for you to share it. iMovie can be installed in any apple product, such as laptops, computers, iPads and iPhones. By using this software you can create your own movie with the use of videos, pictures, text, transitions, slides, music and voiceover. The second tool is Movie Maker, that allows you to do the same thing that iMovie, but Movie Maker is used for Windows. The third tool is Google Earth, as mentioned in one of my posts, is a software that will allow students to see very detailed photos or satellite images of any place around the world, so it makes it easy and fun for anyone to navigate the Earth.