Colon- Journal Post 5

Before I begin, I would like to apologize for my absence from the previous two journal posts. I began by falling behind on my classroom planning and then I had to get a surgery done that left me incapacitated for over a week. I'm here now though and excited to contribute to the class. 

    One new digital literacy that I recently learned is a program called OBS Studio. This is a free recording software that can quickly be downloaded on a computer. OBS allows users to create a wide variety of digital media with minimal hassle. Anything on a computer can be screen recorded and saved as a video. Accessories such as cameras and microphones can be added as well and all edited together. Perhaps it is not the most advanced of its type, but I found it easily to set up, easy to use, and again is free. 

    Such a program has many practical uses in and out of the classroom. Focusing on its potential for classes, this is a tool that can be used to record high-quality presentations that can be shared with a class. Whether it's a fully recorded lesson or brief instructions to be posted online, an engaging and informative video can be made near-effortlessly. A student who wants to record a presentation for a grade can do so as well. I have even used OBS to help make movies by recording the lines of my voice actors, a consideration for anyone taking a film class.

    Even as I write this, there is still a lot of digital literacy for me to learn with OBS Studio. Honestly, I still learn as I utilize it more and more. I would like to find more ways for me to personally integrate it into my Social Studies classes, perhaps by using it as a way to provide commentary on videos of historic events. When ever day I scramble to make new lessons for five separate courses (this is my first year teaching), it's difficult to remember all the tools at my disposal and then give myself enough time to utilize them properly.