....but on to Jing Graphic

When I first took a look at Jing I got confused: Jing, Snagit, Screencast, TechWorld...which was what, where's the heirarchy?  I thought I was going to use a new tool and got several things to review that took a while to figure out what was what. I used a page from a recent gourd chapter newsletter to try the Jing capturing capacity, then the Snagit comment box, text, arrow, and color capabilities before realizing I needed to download another tool, the ScreenCast component (then promptly forgot the password and had a midnight trial to get back in). As you can see in this image, the balloons call out the main points if leveling a gourd. This is much improved over the Snipping Tool ragged arrow tool, not only making the lectures and presentations to Master Gardener groups appear much simpler but more professional.Check it out here.

My rational brain recognizes this collection of tools as a powerful way to teach different levels of student abilities at the same time. Since I work with 6-, 7-, and 8th grade gifted thinkers doing self-paced individual projects, having prepared information pointing out and commenting on details without having to physically hover is freeing....for me and for the student. I can prepare an explanation and have it ready for viewing while I'm doing one-on-one with another student. In fact, a series of these could be lined up to correspond to many pieces of information that I have to repeat ad nausea (gifted thinkers will tune out information they believe they already know only to find out later they didn't).  Demonstrating information with pointing arrows and boxes of text puts the knowledge in context.

Of course, it is the wild-eyed crazy brain that screeches HolY smOKes!!, there's too much! Even though I am more competent now than when I started reviewing for this lesson, I am more than certain there is a long learning curve ahead of me. Yet, in spite of that, these skills tap into the Virginia Technology Standard G: ...plan and implement lessons that integrate technology to meet diverse learning needs. Meeting diverse needs is teaching a class of students moving at individual speeds. Hopefully the school system will catch up with equipment to allow add ons to our browsers. At school we use Internet Explorer, and perhaps Chrome (one some of the laptops). Add ons are blocked. At home I have a better shot at doing our assignments since I will add on tools to supplement Chrome or Explorer.