Thursday, September 30, 2010

WR1_Reading

BP1_Google Reader



I began using Google Reader a few years ago to keep up with the new babies coming into my family. I soon realized it could be used for more by subscribing to Smashing Magazine Tutorials. I now have many subscription feeds that are keeping me in touch with my family, as well as feeding me bushels of valuable information for my career and dreams.

            I am a new Mac user, so this feed is a great help to me by showing new download available for the Mac as well as updates and new programs coming out. Even though I do not download many of the programs offered, I do learn a great deal about possible applications I could use and project ideas. I also subscribe to Mac News which gives even more news and information concerning the Mac. I have learned a great deal from both of these sites.

            I subscribed to these two sites using the search terms, “Instructional Design or Associate Instructor”. One of the main reasons I am pursuing the EMDT degree, is because my goal is to teach aspiring educators classroom media design at a college or university level. These two sites give me great insight into possible future employers, classes being taught as well as the most important, the requirement needed to apply. I enjoy watching the faculty positions arise and learning about new colleges and universities with education programs.

            I have been a member of MENC since 2002 and attend annual conferences. I receive wonderful information from the conferences once or twice a year, but now that I subscribed to the feed, I receive the same caliber of information on a daily basis. It has been very helpful to have the new and articles come straight to me with out having to search the site!

            I create many playbills, posters and advertisements for my school, usually promoting the arts programs and our monthly productions. I find these tutorials from Smashing Magazine very helpful and user friendly. They have beautiful text effects which I use mostly. There are also tutorials for all sorts of digital art skills that my husband finds very useful as well being a web designer and computer animator.

            This is a new site I have stumbled upon, and I am glad that I did! This site is a combination of my three passions: music, education and technology. I have enjoyed reading the articles about how technology is moving more and more into the music classroom and how other teachers are using it.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010