Writing territories allowed me to explore my history of and feelings about writing certain topics. It helped me realize all the variations of literature I have divulged in, and all the ones i have yet to. In all, the mini lesson was a great success. I reflected on myself, and learned all about how to use Google Docs, which is a huge step for me. However i definitely have my work cut out for me with this blog. I will need lots of help!
Nicenet
This new website we have chosen to use for our discussion posts looks promising. I was very confused about writing in a different site for each text we are exploring, but staying on one centralized site will cut down on the trouble. Before, I was finding myself forgetting about at least one of the discussion tasks because there was so much to remember that was scattered around. Now that I know everything is located on the Nicenet page, I should be much more successful at keeping up with the assignments.
Smilebox
While seeing the presentation on Smilebox, I was intrigued by the quality of the graphics that were available on the templates. That aside, I do not feel this application would be a useful classroom tool at all. To begin, the program needs to be downloaded to a computer, so it is not easily accessible to use as a lesson with an entire class. The different versions(teacher or student) have free trial periods, but after that they cost anywhere between $40 and $100. On top of this, your created presentations cannot be saved to your computer, only emailed. The way I see it, the appearance of presentations created on Smilebox are much more enjoyable than watching a Powerpoint slideshow. However, if you are willing to give up the pretty pictures, Powerpoint is a pre-installed program that is free to the user and is accessible to the entire class. Smilebox just does not seem to be practical for classroom use.
Wordle
Wordle seems to be a very useful technological application. It is free and need not be downloaded to use. You simply go to http://www.wordle.com/ and copy/paste your word document or website URL into the designated box. After that Wordle does the rest. It will select the words from the document and arrange them however you choose. This is useful when writing essays because you can direct the site to pick out your most used words, which will help you check and vary your language. Aaron also pointed out that this would be an excellent way to assist in the teaching of vocabulary to students. The only downfall to Wordle is that you cannot save or email the document you create. As of right now the only way to save it is y taking a screen shot then editing the photo after it is saved. Overall, Wordle is a tool I would implement into my classroom.
Podcasts
Originally titled webcasts, Podcasts are a way to publish live feed videos or sound clips on the web. They can be informational, tutorial or just for fun.
Meebo
Meebo is a website which is similar to that of an RSS feed, which I am teaching next week. This is a site which connects all social networks to one another to make connectivity convenient and simple. By uploading whatever sites you are connected to, you can create chat rooms with anyone. This is safe, because an access code is needed for entrance. The benefits of using a site like Meebo are:
- easy to connect to students
- post links during a chat discussion
- there is a built in place for videos on the discussion page
- instant messaging interaction
- interact with any amount of people in discussion forum
This website is similar to the previously learned Wordle application. It is mostly a visual learning tool in which you can select any text document and have all the words combined to form a certain shape. The shape can be one of the default settings or you may upload an image of your own to use. Once your tagxedo is created you can change the orientation, color, font, layout and use of certain words. This website also allows you to save and print each document you create, making it much more useful than wordle. In the classroom it could be used to teach concrete poetry, spelling, grammar, or review essays.
Voice Thread
This is a media site where one can upload pictures or videos that are available to the public. Anyone can comment on them and even doodle or change them. One application where this can be used is to publish power point slide shows and invite friends to view them. They can comment on this and even respond back and forth. We decided a teacher who teaches through power points could post their lectures on Voice Thread and invite students to view it. This could lead to further discussion on the topic, which would lead to greater understanding of material. Also, the slide show can be posted to facebook to share with even more followers.
Animoto
This is the acclaimed "end to power points." Basically, Animoto is a site where you can create slide show videos for anything you wish. It gives you the ability to upload photos, video clips and music. The music is a necessity. From what I have learned, Animoto appears to be more of a format in which to create a Youtube video. It is just photos compiled to a soundtrack. From a teacher's standpoint, this seems useless as a replacement for power points, however it does have its uses from the student perspective. This could be used in a fun project where each student chooses a book to read, then compiles a slide show video with music and photos that all relate to the themes of their book. I can also see it being used in a new classroom to let the students tell about themselves in an abstract, visual way.
Digital Story Telling
This is a common method of book talking which can bee seen on youtube. It is a compilation of photos pertaining to the topic of discussion, with your own voice coordinated to it. Digital story telling has become a very helpful tool in researching literature. Search youtube and you are almost guaranteed to find the book talk you are looking for. Some programs you would create your own digital story in are Adobe Audition, Paintshop Pro, and Microsoft Photostory 3. One nice feature is that as you are creating your video, every slide is laid out on a story board, and you are free to edit any of them. This would be an excellent tool to use in a classroom both to teach the use of technologies available with a computer and for students to gain an insightful understanding of the book they read. The only problem that arises with this method is the availability of technology. A microphone and possibly a web cam would be needed.
Survey Monkey
What a handy tool! This site provides such a simple template for creating your own professional looking survey. It is so easy to use that I understood it on the first run-through. The timing is perfect for this mini lesson, right as we are designing our research projects. Creating a survey and administering it via email is a simple way to collect data from peers or whoever you choose and be able to use it in your paper.
Publishing Students Work
A great way to motivate students to take pride in their work. Websites like Kidscom etc allow kids to publish their works online. These organizations are multinational and often feature the works of ESL students. Some sites are linked to magazines and contain joke, story, art work and photo sections. WriteSource offers students ideas and topics to base their creative writing on. Bullying.org is a site where children can seek help or just relate to the experiences of others. TeacherTap is a site for teachers who want to publish their student's work online. TeacherVision.com is a site that guides teachers to publishing thieir student's work in print, rather than online.
Skype
Calling and video chat. It is free from skype to skype but cost money to call to landlines.
Google Books
Easy search engine for most books. Some genres can be very vague or broad. Ex. Stargirl was in the travel section. lets you read a preview of the book, this helps me when i dont have a book for an assignment, or dont have the book with me where I am doing work. Can have your own "library". Add own books to the virtual shelves. Has a find tool so you can find stuff throughout the text without searching forever.
Promethean Planet
Used in classrooms to combine all technologies. It provides flip charts, lesson planning, whiteboard writing. Like an interactive power point.
READERS THEATER
Gives students a great opportunity to perform in front of the class while gaining a deep understanding of the selected topic.
