I have been playing with wordle with my students several times this year. The possibilites of usage are limitless:
review of a character
biolgraphy tool
visual vocab
springboard for discussion
sharing multiple ideas at one time
My students did some as an introduction to themselves as a prelim to writing biographies. It lead to discussions in class on similarities and differences between students. When they included their interests and their values it lead to a bonding excercise between students in a class that necessitates such relationships (mass media)
My English students did one to exemplify their ideas about Tim Burton and then we did all together so that the words many of them used stood out as the bold words and were most important to "knowing him". Similar would be the character study.
The advanced wordle options are fun for students, but defeats some of the tools that can be found in wordle when done in the collaboration form discussed earlier.
The sample wordle I posted was over ideas surrounding urban reform.
Limitations and problems to wordle are mainly about school filtering, often they cannot be printed, or in cvolor, because of pop up and filter blocks. I have had success in having students e-mail them to me and then re-open, but often they cannot print from school log ons. This week I taught a after school workshop where we did one together and found IPS had blocked the create and gallery tabs. (Sometime within a day as I used in class the week before) We are working to have them reversed, but make sure you test from your school site before assigning.
Additionally, they are an incredible conversation piece. When limited to one word at at time a student has to be definite and succinct, conversely, it is difficult sometimes to keep those ideas to one word. When this happens I have had students use underscore/dash etc to keep word together in display.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Emerging Technology Post 2
Amimoto.
Animoto.com is a source for making simple slide shows and video programs with legal images and songs. The bulk of the editing is done within the program without input from users (on the free version I experiemented with)
My students were demonstrating their basic knowledge of PhotoBooth and editing tools within the program and beginning PhotoShop knowledge while using animoto as a way to share. (examples in blogger)
There are multiple way in which animoto could be used in a classroom. Demonstration of skills, understanding of a concept, sharing emotional imaging, descriptive language, visual vocabulary, etc.
It can also hold short video clips that are easily shared with blogger, myspace, youtube etc.
My class was interested in making a FaceBook page that could be accessible to students; this page would include their work and studies as well as things that would interest students like sport updates etc.
This brings me to the issues: Facebook randomly seems to blog their animotos as including offensive content. (There was none). It will let me (and them) post their animotos to their profile, but will not allow us to post to our "group" page. We are now troubleshooting around that by making a fan page, but IPS blocks from school.
We are going to make a blog page that posts the videos and link to our facebook page and ultimately examine other ways of embedding film. The other instance seems to be that animoto will randomly delete files without warning or reasoning.
My husband, (fourth grade teacher) is going to use animoto with his students in excercises in sensory images and figurative language.
Animoto.com is a source for making simple slide shows and video programs with legal images and songs. The bulk of the editing is done within the program without input from users (on the free version I experiemented with)
My students were demonstrating their basic knowledge of PhotoBooth and editing tools within the program and beginning PhotoShop knowledge while using animoto as a way to share. (examples in blogger)
There are multiple way in which animoto could be used in a classroom. Demonstration of skills, understanding of a concept, sharing emotional imaging, descriptive language, visual vocabulary, etc.
It can also hold short video clips that are easily shared with blogger, myspace, youtube etc.
My class was interested in making a FaceBook page that could be accessible to students; this page would include their work and studies as well as things that would interest students like sport updates etc.
This brings me to the issues: Facebook randomly seems to blog their animotos as including offensive content. (There was none). It will let me (and them) post their animotos to their profile, but will not allow us to post to our "group" page. We are now troubleshooting around that by making a fan page, but IPS blocks from school.
We are going to make a blog page that posts the videos and link to our facebook page and ultimately examine other ways of embedding film. The other instance seems to be that animoto will randomly delete files without warning or reasoning.
My husband, (fourth grade teacher) is going to use animoto with his students in excercises in sensory images and figurative language.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Emerging Tech One: Teacher Tube
TeacherTube is very similar in nature to YouTube. The major aid that it has for the education field is that the school filter will likely let you access it unlike YouTube which most generally blocked.
Teacher Tube features a myriad of resources that range in views that can be used :
For virtual field trips and exploration
For the opportunity to hear words spoken by an author
For the chance to view a politicians speech to evaluate after many years
For professional development in a skill they need work in
And many , many more.
Teachers and presenters can easily access these video clips from multiple locations.
I have used in the classroom and for work with my teachers in my TechArt team.
It is important that these videos, like all others are not used for the sake of taking up time or for playing with and LCD projector, but rather to add engagement to a lesson or adding validity to an argument. As with all technology you will experience issues, it is important to check the TeacherTube site frequently for changed and lost footage.
I am attaching two Teacher Tubes that I am currently in the process of using. One is a 60 Minutes video I am loading to a HotChalk group I am running as part of the InSAI work being done in my building. We are using this video to have an online discussion about our own school reform and areas of concern and how they align with this school. It was removed from TeacherTube put is still on YouTube (It's two parts)
The second is a presentation that you likely have seen that shows the importance of using technology in your classroom effectively. It is being used a starting place for discussions about student engagement and where we are as digital implementers.
PAY ATTENTION: Used for technology group
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=448&title=Pay_Attention
Dr. Monroe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA2Oo_2gpQc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC77oMoaWZE
Teacher Tube features a myriad of resources that range in views that can be used :
For virtual field trips and exploration
For the opportunity to hear words spoken by an author
For the chance to view a politicians speech to evaluate after many years
For professional development in a skill they need work in
And many , many more.
Teachers and presenters can easily access these video clips from multiple locations.
I have used in the classroom and for work with my teachers in my TechArt team.
It is important that these videos, like all others are not used for the sake of taking up time or for playing with and LCD projector, but rather to add engagement to a lesson or adding validity to an argument. As with all technology you will experience issues, it is important to check the TeacherTube site frequently for changed and lost footage.
I am attaching two Teacher Tubes that I am currently in the process of using. One is a 60 Minutes video I am loading to a HotChalk group I am running as part of the InSAI work being done in my building. We are using this video to have an online discussion about our own school reform and areas of concern and how they align with this school. It was removed from TeacherTube put is still on YouTube (It's two parts)
The second is a presentation that you likely have seen that shows the importance of using technology in your classroom effectively. It is being used a starting place for discussions about student engagement and where we are as digital implementers.
PAY ATTENTION: Used for technology group
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=448&title=Pay_Attention
Dr. Monroe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA2Oo_2gpQc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC77oMoaWZE
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