Here is a screencast I created about how to make a banner in Microsoft Publisher:
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Thing 6 - Comic Creators
I believe the comic creators I explored including, ToonDoo, Kerpoof, and Five Card Nancy would all lend themselves to potential assignments/projects for my students. Although I used ToonDoos to create my comic, there is inappropriate content that students could run across, so utilizing the subscription ToonDooSpaces that ToonDoos created for educators and students might be the way to go. Kerpoof would require students being aware of the fair use info required.
Students in grades 4-6 would probably be most interested in creating comics. The cartoon I created is an example of an assignment I could give to my 5th graders. They would have to use the four types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory using correct capitalization and punctuation to create their comic. I can also see students creating comics to show chronological order of events (plot) in a piece of writing. Older students such as 7th grade could take a story with flashbacks and put the events in order using one of the comic creators. Students who recognize the flashback/s would be able to adapt their creation to show chronological order of the events.
What a fun way to engage students in creating stories as well as learning about story elements and sentences!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Thing 5 - VoiceThread
After browsing the many Voicethreads, I found this classroom poetry Voicethread. I am going to be having my fifth grade students create poetry after our spring break, and thought that this would be a great way to showcase their work.
Teachers and students both can use VoiceThread to share ideas and creations. Teachers could use it to "teach" lessons that could be posted to classroom websites or wikis for students to access at home. This would be especially useful to math teachers teaching math concepts. Not only can students watch and listen to the teacher, but they can comment back through text or audio. Students can also create their own Voicethreads for any subject being learned...science, social studies, and math. Another way I could use Voicethread is by having students create group stories. One group could write the beginning (setting and characters), a second group could write the plot (conflict and events), and a third group could write the ending (resolution). It could then be pulled together with Voicethread while having students record the story to go along with illustrations or other found images.
What a great tool that I have yet to use in my classroom and am looking forward to implementing!
Thing 4 - Skype
I really like Skype! Personally, I use it often to Skype family...my dad, who spends part of his retirement in Florida during the winter months and my brothers, who do not live locally. It is a great way for us (My kids love it too!) to stay in touch with them and feel connected. Professionally, I also have been using Skype at my school. All of the teachers have Skype accounts, and we often message each other with questions as well as video Skype between classrooms. Our students think it is the coolest thing!
I had one video conversation with a colleague (to complete this "Thing") discussing the possible uses of Skype in the classroom. Our connection was good with little to no audio/visual issues. We talked about having our partner classes Skype each other to share stories we have written. It would also be great to use if a student who is absent for an extended period of time (due to illness or being on vacation)and has access to Skype to touch base with his/her class during their absence. I would really like to set up a Skype call with an author that my class/es have been studying. I've never really known where to start, but now with some of the resources shared from this course, I want to begin that process sooner rather than later.
Possible problems with skyping in the classroom could be equipment failure or issues during the call or setting up a convenient time with the person or class being skyped with that works for both parties. Students would also have to know the rules to be followed during a Skype call as to not be disruptive.
Skype is one of the Web 2.0 tools that is a must for the classroom!
I had one video conversation with a colleague (to complete this "Thing") discussing the possible uses of Skype in the classroom. Our connection was good with little to no audio/visual issues. We talked about having our partner classes Skype each other to share stories we have written. It would also be great to use if a student who is absent for an extended period of time (due to illness or being on vacation)and has access to Skype to touch base with his/her class during their absence. I would really like to set up a Skype call with an author that my class/es have been studying. I've never really known where to start, but now with some of the resources shared from this course, I want to begin that process sooner rather than later.
Possible problems with skyping in the classroom could be equipment failure or issues during the call or setting up a convenient time with the person or class being skyped with that works for both parties. Students would also have to know the rules to be followed during a Skype call as to not be disruptive.
Skype is one of the Web 2.0 tools that is a must for the classroom!
Thing 2 - Twitter
So...this is the second time I've set up a Twitter account. I have one that I use to post messages to my classroom wiki and now a second one to use as my PLN! After reading all about Twitter, my first response is "Wow!" I didn't realize all that was or could be involved such as Tweetdeck, TinyUrl, and hashtags. I look forward to learning more about Twitter as I become more involved in it myself. As far as how I use Twitter and how I will use Twitter, there are many possibilities.
Personally:
I could see Twitter becoming a way to stay in touch with friends and family with quick tweets to let everyone know what I am up to. And, vice versa, staying in the loop with friends and family!
Professionally:
Creating a Twitter account to follow other educators is a great way to stay informed, share, and even collaborate with teachers, both locally and globally. Starting a PLN using Twitter is an easy yet effective way for me to continue my goal as a life-long learner. I can also see it being a great way to get tech support when needed.
Pedagogically:
There may be ways to implement Twitter into my classroom such as allowing students to reflect on any subject being taught as well as responding to their peers' reflections. Helping students to stay up to date on current and world events is another use that I will look into. The more I become comfortable with Twitter, the more I will be able to see the pontential of its use in my classroom!
Personally:
I could see Twitter becoming a way to stay in touch with friends and family with quick tweets to let everyone know what I am up to. And, vice versa, staying in the loop with friends and family!
Professionally:
Creating a Twitter account to follow other educators is a great way to stay informed, share, and even collaborate with teachers, both locally and globally. Starting a PLN using Twitter is an easy yet effective way for me to continue my goal as a life-long learner. I can also see it being a great way to get tech support when needed.
Pedagogically:
There may be ways to implement Twitter into my classroom such as allowing students to reflect on any subject being taught as well as responding to their peers' reflections. Helping students to stay up to date on current and world events is another use that I will look into. The more I become comfortable with Twitter, the more I will be able to see the pontential of its use in my classroom!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thing 22
The likelihood of me taking online professional development is certain. I love the idea of being able to take a class while at home and when it is convenient for me. Taking “PD in your PJ’s” is a definite plus, and not having to leave your home, saving on gas, or taking time away from family adds to the lure of online professional development. There is just more flexibility! Although taking classes online has its advantages, it does also have its disadvantages. If one is not comfortable with the technology, it could unnecessarily frustrate the person taking the class. Not having the face-to-face interaction with the instructor could also be a hindrance to the learning if that contact is needed to succeed with assignments and activities. It is also necessary to be self-motivated and have the self-discipline to complete the course.
Most of my experiences with online PD have been related to technology. After browsing some of the course offerings on Michigan Learnport, I found classes related to teaching reading comprehension. I will definitely be looking into taking those courses for future professional development. (I also like that I can receive SB-CEU’s for these courses and many of them are free!) It would be great to see the ISD also offering online PD geared toward subject specific content if that is possible.
My time spent on this particular online class has been well worth it. Some “things” were already familiar to me, but many “things” were also new. The online photo-sharing apps like Flickr, Dumpr, and BigHugeLabs are great additions to my repertoire of technologies to use in my classroom. I also have never really explored the available podcasts, especially from iTunes. The PBS widgets and activity packs were also new to me and I am sure I will try to implement some of these into my curriculum. In my case, taking a PD course like this “forces” me to explore new “things” that I may not have before. As a life-long learner, I know that there will always be new and improved technologies and web applications for me to explore and bring into my classroom. I’m hoping that the “13 Things” class will be offered again as I know it also will be beneficial to me.
Most of my experiences with online PD have been related to technology. After browsing some of the course offerings on Michigan Learnport, I found classes related to teaching reading comprehension. I will definitely be looking into taking those courses for future professional development. (I also like that I can receive SB-CEU’s for these courses and many of them are free!) It would be great to see the ISD also offering online PD geared toward subject specific content if that is possible.
My time spent on this particular online class has been well worth it. Some “things” were already familiar to me, but many “things” were also new. The online photo-sharing apps like Flickr, Dumpr, and BigHugeLabs are great additions to my repertoire of technologies to use in my classroom. I also have never really explored the available podcasts, especially from iTunes. The PBS widgets and activity packs were also new to me and I am sure I will try to implement some of these into my curriculum. In my case, taking a PD course like this “forces” me to explore new “things” that I may not have before. As a life-long learner, I know that there will always be new and improved technologies and web applications for me to explore and bring into my classroom. I’m hoping that the “13 Things” class will be offered again as I know it also will be beneficial to me.
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