“Interdependence
is a higher value than independence” (Covey, 2004, p.3). At least that is what
Dr. Stephen R. Covey thinks. The evidence speaks for itself. It is found in
mankind’s greatest achievements; its monuments, movements, and miracles.
However, these processes all started with individual idea’s. Our first idea as
team #3—get rid of the name team #3 [sarcasm implied]. Instead, we have found
our identity as team Walkamole, protector of the Guacamolian race. Our mission
for project #1: to identify the tools we have been given to present and
collaborate our ideas in an effort to destroy the Tortillian Chip Empire. Recent
intel shows a massive attack on our race scheduled for February 7th—code
name: Super Bowl. Here is what we discovered in our research for online
presentation and collaboration tools.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Operation A: Bitstrips
In
order for us to succeed in our efforts, presentation tools are critical to our
success moving forward. Our research efforts start with Bitstripsforschools.com
(2012). This interactive web-site provides an engaging educational software
that uses comics as a way to help students learn different types of materials. Both students and teachers can create
and edit avatars (virtual representation of something), and then put those
avatars in comics and specific scenarios. Going through these different
scenarios helps students learn many things such as social skills, reading &
writing, critical thinking, emotion recognition, and internet safety. The first
thing to do when signing up is create an avatar, allowing the user to create
different characters. Users can create anybody: friends, family, famous people,
or even imaginary people. It is completely up to the person creating them. Once
you have created the avatar and characters, then the user can create the
bitstrip (comic). This is a great way to capture the attention of students, and
shortens the time used to create lesson plans. As long as it is used wisely, it
can be a great tool for the classroom. It is a paid service, but anybody can
get a free 30-day trial to see if it would work for them. This will surely come
in handy for the Walkamolian cause.
Operation B: Powtoon
The
next presentation tool we received intel on is called Powtoon.com (n.d.).
Powtoon.com explains that it can “bring awesomeness to [our] presentation”
(mission statement). It is an extremely fun presentation tool that allows
anybody to produce a cartoon animation from scratch. The web-site is fun to
play with and makes the user feel as though they themselves are an actual
cartoon producer. The web-site also includes an easy to understand tutorial
which gives the user a basic understanding of how to begin and end a project.
To start, the user can select characters, backgrounds, props, and animations
from the tool box on the right hand side. Once placed, the user can then edit
the timing, transitions, and effects of each piece using the time-line tool at
the bottom of the page. With a little bit of time and effort, anybody can
develop an interesting, unique, and even funny animation that will surely grab
the audience’s attention.
Operation C: Prezi
The
final presentation tool we collected information on was Prezi.com (2016). It is
an online cloud-based tool, that allows a user to create unique eye catching
presentations. The tool uses a non-linear approach when flowing the
presentation. Prezi is 3D and employs a zooming user interface (ZUI) in which
the user can zoom in and out of their presentation media for a, “truly spatial
journey” (Zoom into prezi: Presentations, para. 2). These features are what sets Prezi
apart from other presentation tools such as power point. This resource
re-invents how individuals share and present information, and the limitless
virtual canvas provides the ability to “reinvent how people share knowledge,
tell stories, and inspire their audiences too act” (Making presenters great: Presentations evolved, para 1).
Operation D: SecondLife
In
order for the Walkamolians to defend the Guacamolians with these mind blowing
presentation tools, we also need to review our methods of collaboration. The
first collaboration research we conducted is on a web
tool called Second life. According to Wikipedia.org (last modified on 12,
January 2016), Secondlife.com is an online virtual 3-D world, where an
individual can been seen as a real person through a virtual representation of
themselves—known as an avatar. These Avatars can travel through traditional
means or through teleportation. Every part of this virtual application is created by Second life users, for Second Life users. The 3-D tool is for exploring
and discovery since users can travel to many destinations. Individuals from
around the world can interact and chat with one another using voice or text. Although this is a free resource, users of Second
Life have an internal and external economy in which things can be purchased
using the Linden dollar (L$). The Linden dollar can also be exchanged for US
currency. This tool has been used to host meetings and even training sessions
in the business world. It is also used in education, where prototypes of
archeological building can be created. According to Secondlife.com (2016), it
is “the largest-ever 3D virtual world created entirely by its users” (mission
statement).
Operation E: Doodle
Secondlife.com
will be a good collaboration tool to help us defeat the Tortillian Chip Empire,
however, it is important for us to schedule our tasks effectively and
efficiently. Doddle.com (2016) offers many features for online planning, most of which can be used at no cost. It is user friendly, with the main purpose
of coordinating events between colleagues, friends and families. It explains,
“Doodle offers a wide selection of online solutions that radically simplify the
process of scheduling appointments, ranging from the group event “poll” that
doesn’t require registration to the professional appearance with own branding”
(Product and features, para. 1). It
includes free access to a new account; a mobile app that connects to your
calendar; the group event polls; and a contact center known as MeetMe that shares
availability between partners.
Operation F: Join.Me
To
ensure that everyone is on the same page, Join.me (Logmein, Inc 2016) will be our most vital
resource. Join.me is an online communication device that allows 50+ countries
to communicate via conference call or video imaging. Users show up on each
other’s screen as either audio only, or video bubbles where they can physically
see the other contact. The tool was designed to make "instant meetings made easy" and for users to “love meetings
again" (Mission Statement). This application allows up to 10 participants for free and 250 in the upgraded version. The
convenience of this tool is currently available in both an online format
and mobile. Businesses and students alike will find this helpful as they can
easily communicate with multiple participants without the user limitations of
current video imaging tools. For the Guacamolians, this tool will be vital in
our effort to destroy the Tortillian Chip Empire as we all need to be aware of
current missions and plans.
The Battle Begins
As
Walkamolians, this information will prove to be invaluable to our team effort.
By combining our talents and strengths, recognizing our weaknesses and
shortcomings, we should have the utmost advantage in our pursuit too victory.
Through tactical collaboration and effective presenting of our ideas and
challenges, the fate our race, our grades, and our semester are clearly laid
out. We do not just strive to complete projects, but instead strive to be proud
of our projects. The independence of the Guacamolians, is solely dependent on
the interdependence of us—the all mighty and powerful; Walkamolians.
References:
Bitsripsforschools.com
(2012). Unlock the educational power of
comics [web-site]. Retrieved on
January
28th, 2016 from http://www.bitstripsforschools.com/
Covey,
S.R. (2004, p.3). The 7 habits of highly
effective people: Powerful lessons in
personal change.
New York, NY: Free Press
Doodle.com
(2016). Products and features (para. 1)
[web-site]. Retrieved on January 28th,
2016 from
https://doodle.com/features
Join.me (2016). Free Screen Sharing, Online Meetings & Web Conferencing.
(n.d.). [web-site],
Retrieved
January 29, 2016, from https://www.join.me/.
LogMeIn Inc.
Powtoon.com
(n.d.). Create animated videos and
presentatins [web-site]. Retrieved on January
28th,
2016 from http://www.powtoon.com/
Prezi.com
(2016). Making presenters great:
Presentations evolved, (para. 2) [wet-site].
Retrieved
on January 26th,2016 from https://prezi.com/about/
Prezi.com
(2016). Zoom into prezi: Presentations
(para. 1) [web-site] Retrieved on January 26th,
2016
from https://prezi.com/the-basics/
Secondlife.com (2016). [web-site]
Retrieved on January 26th, 2016 from http://secondlife.com/
Wikipedia.org:
Second Life (last modified on 12, January 2016). Retrieved on January 26th,
2016 from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life
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