PowToon

Check out the PowToon video I created to teach fourth graders how to add fractions with like denominators.  How many times have you had to remind students to "keep the bottoms the same?"  For me, it was too many.  I made this with the hope that the visualization could help them remember.

Reflection:

PowToon is a great 2.0 resource that anyone can use to create a presentation.  It definitely has its pros and cons though.  For one, I was a little intimidated to use a web video creator, since I have no experience making videos.  So...this is good news for anyone with a similar lack of experience.  Because, I did it!  So it became fairly easy to figure out.  The main hurdle was figuring out the timing of the slides, and intros and exits of the images and words.  When I started the process, I was using a template, but because the template already had the timing established, it was difficult for me to make it individual for my needs.  So, I began to make a video with a blank template.  This was easier for me to start from scratch.  

I feel like the purpose of a PowToon is different than that of a Prezi or PowerPoint presentation.  With a Prezi or PowerPoint, the presenter can manually control when the images/slides/text appear and have the ability to speak in front of the audience simultaneously.  With PowToon, I feel like it's more of a "Press play and go for it" type of presentation.  It's easier to watch as a complete presentation.  I believe that there's a way to insert your own voice recording so that would be a good way to present your own thoughts, but it would be different than a live presentation.  So, it would depend on what you want and what it expected from the presentation.  

I found that the way in which I used PowToon would be a successful tool in the classroom.  For a short tutorial, or reminder, or fact presenter, PowToon would be sufficient, and an exciting element to add to your normal routine.  I think that adding videos to a lesson is enticing to a child audience. Often, students are more likely to pay attention to a video than to a teacher saying this information without a visual.  For that reason, I created this math reminder video.

AUDIENCE: This tool is equally useful for a teacher, as it is to the student creating a presentation.  However, I think the age range is higher for this tool - probably more middle school/high school usability.
PURPOSE: Create video presentations with iconic graphics and streamlined visuals.
USABILITY:  Takes practice, but eventually it will come together.  Like I said before, age usability is probably higher, depending on the experience of the individual with video editing technology. 

  

Gliffy Diagram Creator

Venn Diagram text from the book Strategies for Differentiating Instruction by Julia L. Roberts, Ed.D. (page 91) Digital Venn Diagram created by myself on www.gliffy.com

Gliffy is a really handy tool to use in any classroom - for both the teacher and the student.  I choose to create a Venn Diagram as an example of what a student could create as an in-class or homework assignment.  I think students would have greater motivation and engagement while creating a diagram online, rather than filling in a boring worksheet handed out by their teacher.  Another way to use this diagram creator would be to create your own worksheet - if you decide to do the "boring" paper and pencil method after all.  You could also create a diagram as a class.  You could lead/scaffold the creation of a Venn Diagram with your students.  

There are several great image tools to drag onto the document, allowing you to create any type of diagram you please.  You can also use your own images that you can upload if you'd like.  It is easy to add text, change the font size, change the size of the images, etc.  It is a very user friendly interface.

AUDIENCE:  Teachers and students.  Students could create independently by fourth grade.

PURPOSE:  Create diagrams for educational or informative purpose.

USABILITY:  Takes some practice, but with trial and error is very user-friendly.

Teaching Portfolio

Click here to check out my digital teaching portfolio I created using Google Sites.

Sweet Search

Sweet Search is the perfect tool for students to use when searching the Internet.  It's so great to give students the opportunity to do their own research for school assignments, but often their searches result in inappropriate and unreliable sources.  With Sweet Search, students are directed to the types of websites that are worth exploring, especially for their age level.  

When I was student teaching in a 4th grade class, I taught a unit on Inventions.  My students used the Internet a lot when they were learning about cool inventions and researching information for their Inventor Biographies.  I did a quick search on Sweet Search for "inventions" and there were wonderful, informative, and reliable websites that I could explore. 

I did some more exploring on the Sweet Search homepage and found great resources for teaching social studies.  I could specify what type of subject I wanted to read about, so to test it out, I chose "The 50 States."  There were plenty of resources available for multiple grade levels.  There is also a Sweet Search page on Biographies, which could have been extra helpful during my biography writing unit.  Students can filter their searches for different type of people and find well written biographies that they could use for research.  

There is also a Daily web round-up page called SweetSearch2Day in which several fun links are posted daily, which include facts about the day, birthdays, then links like comics or articles.  This would be a great tool to direct students to when they "don't know what to do."  It could be like an anchor activity, in which students find a website to write a reflection on. 

TARGET: All ages, any grade level.

PURPOSE:  Provide a safe and reliable search engine for students to find websites that are learner friendly.

USABILITY:  Very!  The colorful interface makes the webpage inviting, and the links are very self-explanatory.  This will be a great go-to for student research and lesson planning for myself.

   

How to Embed Code for Jing Videos

Jing for Video Tutorials

Jing is a Web 2.0 tool that allows you to create and save screen shots and create video tutorials for online tasks.  I've seen step by step tutorials from a computer before, I had never thought of creating one myself.  It is definitely a great classroom tool to use when technology is an important component in your school and classroom.  With my student teaching experience, the school I'm working at is very gifted in the technology department.  All students at the elementary school have access to laptops, and in 4th grade, they all get Gmail accounts, and they use technology every day.

So for my Jing experiment, I made a video tutorial of how to create a Google Doc and share it.  My students would share documents almost everyday, so this would be a great way to introduce the "how-to" nature of the task using a tech medium.  Of course, I could verbalize these steps, but from what I've learned in telling students what to do on a computer, all students are never listening at the same time.  When they are watching a video, all eyes are on the screen and all attention is focused.  So I could show this video at the beginning of the year, and in around a minute, the students would understand what to do.  

So... the PURPOSE of JING:  Create and share screen shots and video web tutorials using a simplified and user friendly tool.  

IDEAL TARGET AUDIENCE:  All ages and grade levels!  Teachers could create Jing files/videos to share with any age student who has access to computers.  Students, with the help of teacher support for downloading, can use Jing to save images found on the web, and create video tutorials.  

USABILITY:  One glitch of Jing is that you have to download the application to your computer.  School computers might not allow this, so keep that in mind.  The application tool box that appears at the top or corner of your screen is easy to use and very clearly labeled.  It takes some tinkering to figure out where exactly the video goes and how to share it... but check out my next post to see how to embed a Jing video!  

Wordle

In class today, Dr. B pointed out that two of us used Wordles on our new websites.  I knew what he was talking about, but didn't know it had a name!  I didn't make the Web 2.0 "Wordle" that I used in the last post, but was interested in making my own.  He also discussed that many teachers use Wordle as an educational tool and a great form of Web 2.0 technology in the classroom.    

So I began to investigate.  I searched "education uses for Wordle" and came across several interesting online posts.  I was really surprised to learn that there are so many ways to use this website in everyday learning.  Read 108 Ways to Use Word Clouds in the Classroom for an extensive list of subject area ideas and strategies for all ages.  Check out the Top 20 Uses for Wordle for an additional list, in addition to examples.  

I messed around with the site and came up with an idea that I could have incorporated into my Inventor Biography workshop I did with the 4th graders last term.  Above, is a Wordle I made using one of my student's biographies they wrote in the spring.  She had emailed her writing to me, so I had it in digital form.  I copied and pasted the contents into Wordle, and out popped a word cloud!  I edited the colors and layout, and then found that I could delete words that I didn't want in the cloud.  I deleted words such as "say, like, the" etc.  I could have used this activity as a way to present their writing around the classroom, for students to see which words they use the most, or as a way to turn their biographies into spelling lists.

This application is usable for students of all ages.  I believe children as young as 2nd or 3rd grade would be able to generate their own word clouds with modeled instruction.  And for the younger elementary level, they could be used as a printable visual for spelling words, poems, or a way to search and find certain words.  Read the links above for great ideas for different purposes of Wordle as well as clickable examples.  

  

  

First Day of Class

Hello!

Welcome to my blog.  This is where I will upload all assignments for my Instruction and Technology course this summer.  This class is designed to teach new teachers about the increased use of technology in today's elementary and secondary level classrooms.  We will learn how to apply several interesting and effective forms of technology in our classrooms to keep students engaged and learning.  Our first assignment is to write reflections about ten Web 2.0 applications, so look out for those soon!