DQ#6 Kick start your blogging – Embedding media
A very important part of this teacher challenge has been sharing ideas as well as extending our knowledge of web2.0 tools to use on blogs. Some platforms allow more embedding code than others.
How has your platform eg edublogs, wordpress, blogspot been with embedding? What was the hardest thing to learn about embedding?
List five interesting tools you have found out about for embedding in blogs.
Are there any hints you would give students when they start embedding?
dskalski, 
msz1011, 
Paula Michalak and 11 others are discussing. 
MrSimpson07 10:16 pm on January 26, 2011 Permalink |
I’ve found embedding Media to be incredibly easy! I use edublogs and it has been my only exposure the the blogging platforms (as yet, I’ve needed to use nothing else). Once I worked out the difference between the html (HyperText Markup Language) viewer and the Visual viewer – I was able to play around with embedding media.
I found YouTube videos to be the easiest to start with! They offer the ability to select the size of the video, the colour of any border that you may want, also if you have ‘referrals’ that come up after the video.
My only stumbling with blogging and inputting media has actually been a lesson I learnt whilst writing this reply – you can’t input media or images into comment replies! Considering the spam that (unfortunately) sometimes happens, that is probably a good thing..
My biggest hint to students when they start with embedding media is – have a go! Try! See what happens! Sometimes, we learnt best when we have no idea of the ‘right’ or the ‘wrong’ way. In fact, this is often how I find new, more efficient ways of doing things!!
David Simpson
http://davidsimpson.edublogs.org/
undefined 2:03 am on January 27, 2011 Permalink |
I, too, am surprised how easy it was to embed media into my post. I’ve been postponing trying to figure it out, assuming it would be difficult and time consuming and hoping the Teacher Challenge could simplify it for me with Activity 6. Thank you again.
I posted my own videos in this post This challenge gave me the kick in the butt to compress the videos and post to youtube so I could embed them in this post: http://undefined.edublogs.org/2011/01/26/videos-and-blogging/
QuickTime Pro was very helpful for compressing videos to post to youtube.
Youtube makes it very simple to get the embed code with the embed button below the video.
I haven’t tried other tools yet, but am eager to hear about more.
My advice to my students will be to start with a youtube video because it is so simple.
Can we get clarification on copyright and youtube videos? I think I read something in a previous post about embedding videos being acceptable without breaking copyright. Is that true?
Laurie Fowler 3:23 pm on January 27, 2011 Permalink |
5 Interesting Tools to Embed
1. ToonDoo–creating a comic is a project coming up in my class
2. Answer Garden–saw it last semester but forgot about it
3. Google Forms for collecting data
4. PollDaddy
5. Animoto is a favorite, too!
I use these tools in class, but now I think I will also have them embed some examples of their work into their blogs. Yay for a new idea!
Jenny Gilbert 9:43 pm on January 28, 2011 Permalink |
How has your platform eg edublogs, wordpress, blogspot been with embedding? What was the hardest thing to learn about embedding? – edublogs, and the instructions has been very easy. I think the hint to publish before moving out of HTML was significant. I only use this platform at present – but had fun doing lots of embedding from different places. I also can (and do) embed into my Wiki.
List five interesting tools you have found out about for embedding in blogs. I wrote a whole post about the tools mentioned in the instructions of this challenge. It is here http://nenifoofer.edublogs.org/ I personally – for video making at least – found Jing a useful tool and I suspect I will do more with this as I have staff asking about how to do things. Time is the biggest factor against me using most of these things with any kind of regularity. I will however edeavour to introduce some of them to students along with some form of class blog all yet to be decided. It could well be at edublogs.
Are there any hints you would give students when they start embedding? I think just getting them to be unafraid of the HTML tab, and take their time to ensure they copy the embed code well is enough. I really apreciate the way many sites now have a copy button so you can’t really miss anything with the mouse.
This activity was fun – and i did discover a few tools I was unaware of so that was a bonus.
lhowlin 1:01 am on January 29, 2011 Permalink |
As I mentioned in my blog I was very nervous about this challenge and felt very out of my depth. I gained great imspiration (though not confidence) by reading the comments of others.
I really enjoyed looking at the tools like .AnswerGarden and .Wallwishers and can see a use for them in my library. I think bitstrips would be excellent to use, especially with some of our boys who are a little difficult to engage at times.
I have used Googledocs before with my 20+ yr old son and found it a great tool for editing and sharing documents together…especially when we are skyping at the same time.
I embedded a YouTube video into my blog . It was incredably easy to do using the Edublogs platform. (What was I so nervous about?) It did end up in the wrong place in the post and it is a bit big so I need some more learning here, but I feel happier to give it another try now.
Just a couple of questions. My header has disappeared. The photo I had for my header is no longer there and the font is different. Without the header there are no tabs to link to my other pages. Is it something I have done? Hoping to get an answer on this one please. My blog is at http://cosycorner.edublogs.org
Miss W. 2:45 am on January 29, 2011 Permalink |
Lyn,
I think you might have changed themes. Not every theme has the customised header and not all themes have pages in tabs across the top.
If you want the pages to appear you need to go to your dashboard > appearance> widgets and drag the ‘pages’ widget across to the sidebar area. (You might need to click on the arrow at the sidebar area)
lhowlin 6:11 am on January 29, 2011 Permalink |
Thanks Heaps. Pleased I haven’t lost the pages. Now I’ll delete the post re Embedding media and try for a better result tomorrow.
lhowlin 1:07 am on January 30, 2011 Permalink |
I redid the YouTube embedding. Much better this time I think. I was inspired by karlaolmos
http://dramateachersnetwork.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/in-bed-with-media/
to try to use Wallwisher and I’m happy with the results. Much easier to use than I had expected.
So much to learn and I know as time goes on I will want to refer back to the wonderful notes being provided. They are so helpful and informative.There is only so much I can do first time around.
Ms. Catherine 11:34 am on January 30, 2011 Permalink |
I found embedding the media was fairly easy, however, my frustrations have been with the limitations of my “free” Edublog, specifically how the posts appear on my blog. I can’t seem to adjust the layout of the post and dislike seeing the advertising banner. I don’t seem to have a HTML and Visual Viewer when I create a post. That is annoying. Perhaps if I upgrade to Edublog pro I will have more flexibility and I won’t have these issues.
Regardless, I have enjoyed discovering the fun new tools, such as AnswerGarden and PollDaddy. I would have liked to use some of the others, but didn’t want to initiate a trial version when ultimately paying for them would be an issue.
Hints that I would give is to simply take it one step at a time. Usually any mistakes that occur happen because instructions aren’t followed!
Miss W. 4:03 pm on January 30, 2011 Permalink |
Ms Catherine,
When you are writing your posts, are you using the advanced mode – this can be changed by a tab in far top right of dashboard?
Ellen 2:45 pm on January 30, 2011 Permalink |
It is just now dawning on me the value of the wording of the aims of each of our Teacher Challenges. I especially love the sixth challenge’s first aim:
“In this sixth activity you will:
Be introduced to a list of useful tools for adding interactive elements to your blog posts
Learn how to add embedded media like slides, videos, comic strips, quizzes, polls to your posts
Write a post that includes embed media
Visit the Discussion question for activity six
Complete the extension activity (if you have time)”
Sue Waters, Jan27, 2011 http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/01/27/kick-start-activity-6-%e2%80%93-beginner-%e2%80%93-enhancing-posts-by-embedding-media/
Obviously I am still processing the embedding process but not ignoring plagiarism concerns… The words that keep coming back to hound me are “be introduced” and “learn.” As I worked my way down the sixth beginner’s challenge, I became fascinated by the world of opportunities to design, create, adjust, invite, interact and keep everybody posting. Truly, this is a mere introductory course, with so much else to learn and apply. I feel I am at that cliched door to a wider world.
I hope to use AnswerGarden, slideshare, voice Threads, pollster, and of course youtube in the very near future. I loved Professor Eric Faden’s Disney Parody video so much that I have started with youtube and embedded it into my Advanced Writing class blog, at http://writingcu.wordpress.com/ and my teacher trainee course, where students love to copy from the Internet on their assignments http://teachingknowledge.wordpress.com/.
I still don’t know if I am going about setting up my bogs for my 135 students the right way, with 3 blogs, one for teacher trainees, one for writing students and one for me. I hope I can keep up with myself as I continue to learn from the CHallenges when the 30 days is over…..
I can do this….Ellen
kshay 11:12 pm on January 30, 2011 Permalink |
Trying to again to comment. Wow, this has taken all weekend.This has been a bigger challenge than my video. I am thankful for Miss W. I haven’t played with enough tools but I am enjoying the recommendations. It will be fun seeing some of the blogs using the variety of media tools. This challenge is great for a person like me. I did successful get an image embedded even after i had it disappear when I was editing some text.
For my students, I think there are few that are already doing so already. The “blind” posting before you know what it will look like and then going in for the editing of the video is different. The Activity #6 being opened for me in a tab and being able to “flip” back and forth was helpful.
Dorene Bates 7:53 am on January 31, 2011 Permalink |
I have used AnswerGarden, Glogster, videos (that I have created using Jing), and widgets on my blog. They are all pretty easy to embed, the hardest thing is to make sure I have the size correct and the placement correct. Thanks for another great challenge.
Shawn Urban 1:14 am on February 4, 2011 Permalink |
WordPress.com (not to be mixed up with WordPress.org) hosts my blogs. It is very strict on embedding active content, including videos, comics and plugins. However, VodPod shields this active content from WordPress and enables successful embedding. For those of you who use WordPress.com and can not post active content, I would recommend trying VodPod to see if it will work.
Good luck and fun blogging,
Shawn
Paula Michalak 7:49 pm on February 25, 2011 Permalink |
How has your platform eg edublogs, wordpress, blogspot been with embedding? What was the hardest thing to learn about embedding?
I used Scribd, and that was fairly simple. I did, however, have a hard time trying to figure out how to actually embed the image in blogger. It wasn’t straight forward at all. I finally realized that I couldn’t select “preview” to view my embedded image first. I had to publish it, and then if I didn’t like it, make my edits. But, once I figured that out, it was fine (i.e., I still have at least half a head of hair on my head that I haven’t yanked out yet).
I liked Voki, but I knew about Voki from last year. The kids love it. I also like the cartoon strips and word bubbles. I thought wallwisher was cute, and I plan on embedding that to my blog too. The kids would get a kick out of leaving sticky notes (and it gets moderated). I definitely plan on using Prezi. I have actually seen it in action a few times in presentations and it was captivating. But, it feels a bit overwhelming for me right now, so I’ll probably wait until I have a week off from work to toy around with it.
Mrs. Michalak
msz1011 11:23 am on March 11, 2011 Permalink |
Edublogs hosts my blogs. I was not able to embed because I have the free version. Other than that I did have a nice link that allowed access to my wall wisher.
I do love the wall wisher site though. I think it would a great tool for educators and students.
dskalski 12:40 pm on March 13, 2011 Permalink |
The most aggravating thing to blogging and all the tools needed to complete these blogging assignments are all the passwords and accounts that I have to create and write down. While interesting… I hardly doubt, as a special education teacher, I’d honestly use this and integrate it into my teaching. Voki, Bitstripes, wordle (when it works), wordpress, and Polldaddy are pretty cool and I’d probably use these. The big however is having the consistenty throughout the year to implement them.