Week
Four
**PowerPoints**
Considering that I have
grown up in the world of technology, I am all too familiar with PowerPoint
presentations. In fact, sometimes I think it is easy to use them as a crutch
when presenting new information to my students or co-workers. I love PowerPoint
presentations, as I am comfortable with them and can easily navigate the
software to enhance the learning of my students. I have viewed many
presentations throughout my own life as a student, and have created several
throughout my career as an educator!
One presentation that I
have created for use in my classroom is my beginning of the year presentation.
I decided it would be best to create a nice visual for my students to see while
I am going over the rules and procedures for my classroom.
As mentioned above, the
presentation is about classroom rules and procedures and is targets towards a 2nd
grade through 6th grade audience with the most likely audience being
4th-5th grade students. It is meant to be presented on the
first day of school each school year, but I also think it is wise to represent the
PowerPoint periodically throughout the year, to refresh the students’ minds.
Especially after long breaks during the school year or when the students appear
to magically have “forgotten” the rules and procedures and need reminding!
I am most proud of the
background on which I utilized the presentation as this was the first time that
I ever included a background other than a solid color. I am also very proud of
the visuals “kid Friendly” layout of the presentation.
When presenting this
presentation again in the future, I would like to add in some slides that
required engagement and active listening. Perhaps I could add in a small break
where we practice a procedure, or a quick interactive quiz on the classroom
rules. This way they aren’t simply sitting and listening but they are actually engaged.
What better way to learn the rules than to actually practice them?!
The students responded
well to this presentation. Actually, better this time because it was their second
time seeing it and they could fully understand the rules and procedures as they
were being presented!
I look forward to
making a few changes to my PowerPoint presentation and incorporating new
features that I have learned from this class into it! I hope to find more exciting and interesting features to add to this PowerPoint as well as others technology advances to enhance the learning of my students.
**TED**
On
another note, I also visited the TED website, which is a website where one can
watch “talks” or videos that other people have recorded and placed onto the
internet for public viewing. The Talks can be viewed by category and the
website is completely free of charge! I really enjoyed the few videos that I watched
as they were both inspirational, and educational! In fact, one of the videos
actually opened my eyes a little further and made me have a tiny epiphany!
One video was presented
by a veteran teacher who explained that forming relationships was vital between
teachers and students in a classroom. She explained that even if you don’t like
a student, you need to put a smile on your face, and make sure that student
NEVER knows it! This video made me flashback to my own education, especially my
younger years such as elementary. When I think about my favorite teachers, and
the ones that had the most influence on me, it was the ones in which I knew
cared! The ones that were nice to me, and let me help around the classroom, and
gave me responsibility. I cannot remember specifically what I learned, but I
can remember the way the teacher treated me and the same goes for the poor
teachers that I had to endure as well! I vow as an educator to take the time to
form relationships with my students and to let them know that they are
important and that they WILL make a difference!
**ComicLife
& iSpeech**
What I’ve learned:
ComicLife
ComicLife is a website that allows you to create comic characters and
give them a life by creating a story. ComicLife is an app that allows you to
upload photos and words to create a quick story.
ComicLife has several amazing features that can be utilized including
but not limited to, numerous pre-loaded templates, a script editor, speech
bubbles and captions, and easy share options. All of these features can help
you create an amazing, real life or completely fictional comic that will amaze
you!
There are specific requirements for your computer that must be met
before you can download and use the product such as Windows 7 or higher. There
are several products including the original comic 1, comic 2 and the updated
comic 3. Furthermore, there is also an app available for your Iphone or Ipad to
allow for quick, simple navigation.
iSpeech
iSpeech is a high quality text-to-speech and speech recognition program.
You can utilize iSpeech on the web or your mobile device through applications.
There are numerous advantages and features included in ISpeech products. There
are far more mobile apps than web apps and some of those mobile apps include
but are not limited to, Drivesafe.ly, CallerIDReader, iSpeech translator, and
iSpeech dictation. The Drivesafe.ly app allows your mobile device to read aloud
text and emails so that your attention can focus on the road. The
CallerIDReader lets you know who is calling you. iSpeech dictation, allows you
to speak and it dictates your speech into text format, which would be great for
replying back through text hands free.
iSpeech has several different pricing options which differ for web and
mobile device use. The program can be used in the worlds of business,
education, blogs/web, and personal use.
How the resource can be utilized in the classroom:
ComicLife
There is not a doubt in my mind that ComicLife can be utilized in a
school setting! It is a phenomenal resource that allows for creativity and
imagination! In fact there is a section on the website specifically designated
to education and it provides ideas, and examples of ways this resource can be
utilized in a school setting.
Personally, I think it would be neat, to have the students create a
comic of their life, or a personal event in their life. This could go along
with writing memoirs or personal narratives in Language Arts. Technically you
could pick any topic desired and create a comic on it. I think it would be
interesting to assign the topics to the students and give the free range of
creativity, with a rubric and outlining guidelines of course, and see how they
flourish!
iSpeech
iSpeech can be utilized in the world of education without a doubt! In
fact their website claims that iSpeech began by creating a way for educators,
and students to communicate course material through the web. This program could
be useful for college students, high school students, middle school students,
elementary students, or more simply put; students of all ages! The program can
be of assistance to ELL students who have difficulty understand the English as
a secondary language and tend to find it difficult to interpret slang and
dialect of native English speaking citizens. It can help students who want or
need to present a speech who suffer from shyness or anxiety. Furthermore, this
program could allow for students with speech difficulties to communicate with
others more effectively!
My recommendations:
ComicLife
I
would definitely recommend this resource to other educators! In fact, I am
going to download the app for my mobile device to give it a test try and create
some examples to show my future students. The website is fairly easy to
navigate. I like the blog and the way it keeps us updated on how users are
utilizing ComicLife, but I think the website could use a bit more organization.
Every time I clicked on a different tab, it would take me straight to the blog.
Not sure what that was about. Other than that the website was pretty simple to
use.
Although this is a great resource, you will have to have some dough to
obtain it! Each license is $20.00 and that is for one person to use. There is
an option to purchase a school wide license for $1750.00 which is pretty
expensive for a small title 1 school district such as the one I am currently
working in!
I do
think it would be worth it to purchase the app for a mobile device or
Ipad/Ipod, and explore it, in addition to the license for the computer for
$20.00 and see if there is much difference. Many schools have access to Ipads
and Ipods so perhaps this would still allow for the students to use the product
and at an affordable rate!
iSpeech
First off, I
will begin by stating that I really like the idea of the program and all that
it has to offer. The program has the ability to allow people to communicate
freely and effectively with others. In addition, the program can allow for
safety when driving and using a mobile device.
While the programs associated with iSpeech appear to be wonderful, I had
difficulty navigating the website and figuring out heads from tails! The
hardest part for me to figure out was the pricing! Yes, I found the page that
presented the pricing information but it was confusing and took me quite a bit
of time to figure out exactly how it worked! This is concerning to me and is
something I feel should be addressed. There is an educators tab that explains
why the program is great for education but it has little information and no
pricing available on site, you must contact them for more information!
I do
like this program, and think it could certainly be beneficial in the classroom,
therefore, I will recommend it to other educators, but I would suggest that the
website be remodeled to meet the needs of all of the customers in the world!
**VoiceThread
& VoiceThread 4 Education Wiki**
What I’ve learned:
VoiceThread
VoiceThread
allows you to communicate your ideas by using multiple senses to connect with
an audience in an authentic way. Voice
threading allows you to communicate in a way other than by text alone, as this
is impersonal and as humans we strive for human connections. VoiceThread can be
utilized on a computer or mobile device. There are high quality webinars
available to watch in order to learn more about VoiceThread and all it has to
offer.
The
website also offers a page that offers a digital library database of articles
about VoiceThread projects that were a success. You can access the different
articles by specific categories of your choosing! It provides great, detailed
examples of VoiceThread projects completed in multiple grade levels and
subjects! They were quite impressive and gave me several ideas to take with me
into my own classroom!
VoiceThread
4 Education Wiki
After first reading and exploring the
VoiceThread product and website I was thrilled to explore the VoiceThread 4
education wiki! The VoiceThread 4 education wiki is an extension of the
VoiceThread product. The wiki is a collection of VoiceThreads created by
students and teachers as examples of how VoiceThreads are being utilized in the
classroom!
The
VoiceThreads are organized by different categories that link to different pages
to ensure for organization and efficiency. The wiki also allows for the option
to collaborate with other classrooms through the classroom partners’ page. In
addition, the wiki provides an organized area for educators to communicate with
each other and share experiences and ideas to utilize in the classroom!
How the resource can be utilized in the classroom:
VoiceThread
VoiceThread can in fact be incorporated into the classroom as it appears
that its primary purpose is to be utilized in education settings. The program
is designed for use in the classroom which makes it simpler for students of all
ages to learn and use it!
You
could utilize this program in many ways in the classroom. During my undergraduate
courses, one class talked about allowing your students to create “Where I am
From” poems. When I was searching through the successful products this appeared
in the library on the website! I was thrilled with the idea of having the
students create their own self portrait, which they could do in Art class to
make this a multiple content area project. Then having the students create
their poems and read them with their portraits as the background!
There are many ideas that comes to mind when using VoiceThread in the
classroom. In the fourth grade English Language Arts class, students are
required to compose a personal narrative or a memoir. I think it would be
interesting for them to develop their writing piece then attach personal
pictures or pictures that represent their writings and read their writing over
the pictures! It would be a great use of VoiceThread!
VoiceThread
4 Education Wiki
This
website can definitely be useful in a classroom setting! In fact, that is
exactly what its intended use is! The wiki was created for educators and
students to share VoiceThreads and communicate ideas.
I
looked at three different VoiceThreads from different areas; second grade, 6th
grade, and special education. Each of those VoiceThreads were amazing and I
will use them as an example to incorporate VoiceThreads into my own classroom.
Furthermore, I am thrilled at the prospect to collaborate with other
classrooms around the world; I think it would provide for a great experience to
both classrooms and enrich the content by engaging the students! It will be
invigorating to watch the students become engaged in their learning, and
establish a solid foundation in the world of technology!
My recommendations:
VoiceThread
I will
recommend VoiceThread to my co-workers and other educators that I know! It
appears to be an excellent resource and I am very excited to utilize it in my
future classrooms! The website was extremely easy to navigate as everything was
organized and labeled efficiently!
The
pricing is clearly marked for all to see. You can purchase accounts for k-12
schools or for higher education schools. You can purchase them in three
different manners; individual, school, or district. The K-12 prices are as follows;
individual account is $79.00/year for one teacher account and 50 student
accounts. The School account varies depending on how many students you want to
set up accounts for. The district/state account can be purchased by contacting
the producers of the program. The higher education accounts are set up in much
the same manner with slight price increases!
I am
excited about the prospect of using VoiceThread in my own classroom and
encouraging my students to communicate with their classmates through the use of
technology!
VoiceThread
4 Education Wiki
Oh,
you can bet I am going to be utilizing this wiki AND recommending it to others!
I absolutely love when real educators and students offer examples and ideas,
because those are always the best! I am thrilled to incorporate this resource
into my future classrooms, and I plan to view several more of the VoiceThreads
on the wiki to gather more ideas for my classroom!
The
wiki is also great because… yes, you guessed it, FREE of charge! It is
extremely organized and easy to navigate as everything is broken up into
appropriate categories. There are even directions on how to upload VoiceThreads
to the wiki at the bottom of the homepage! Enjoy this one folks; it is
brilliant!
**Storybird
& Scribblar **
What I’ve learned:
Storybird
Storybird is a website that was developed to allow for a community of
storytellers. The website has collected artwork from around the world, and
users can add stories to that artwork to create short, art inspired stories.
Users have the ability to create stories, share stories, create and share art,
and much more. The website is organized in a very simplistic way with four main
tabs at the top of the page; about, teachers, parents, and artists.
When
exploring the webpage, you can browse stories by categories, popularity or
other specific features. There are numerous books in several different genres that
can be read on the website without signing up for an account. You can simply
search until you find a story that you would like to read!
You
can also create a story be using pre-designed art clips and pictures and adding
your own words. You can create a story without establishing an account;
however, you must create an account in order to save that story. Therefore it
would simply be best to create an account before beginning a project. Signing
up for an account is very simple s the website provides step-by-step
instructions.
Scribblar
Scibblar is a platform that allows you to collaborate with others live
through an interactive whiteboard, with real-time audio, document upload, chat
and more.
There are several different options for accounts and depending on which
account you get you can have several different rooms and members in each room.
You can utilize Scribblar for many different
things including but not limited to, online tutoring, brainstorming, uploading
and editing artwork! If you upgrade to ScibblarPro you can integrate the entire
platform into your website and establish your own logos and layouts.
The website
offers basic information about the program as well as pricing facts and
information. In addition, there are several videos that can be viewed as
examples of how the program works and what you can use the program for.
Furthermore, there are numerous testimonials given by educators around the
world on how Scribblar has been of benefit for them!
How the resource can be utilized in the classroom:
Storybird
Storybird can indeed be utilized in a classroom setting. All grade
levels can use this website as it would provide different benefits for each!
You can view grade specific content or you can view the stories by category. One
of the main four tabs at the top of the website is titled “Teachers”, therefore
this source is actually set up to be utilized efficiently in a classroom
setting.
I
have a few different ideas running through my head, depending on which grade
level is in my near future. If I am placed in grades 3-5, I think it would be
neat, to provide the students with pictures and have them create a short story
that would go along with the pictures. I would have them share and view each
other’s writings then edit and revise their stories.
If I
was placed in a higher grade level, I would like to assign the students to
search and explore the art and choose several. Once they have selected their
own pictures, I would like them to create a story to accompany those pictures.
Again, I would have them share their stories so that their peers and myself
could assist them in editing, and then revise the edits that were suggested.
Both
of the above listed ideas could be altered to meet specific grade levels by
adding and removing different requirements for the assignment. In addition, I
would like to try a collaborative group story which could be completed in any
grade level, by having the students each pick a picture and create their own
page in the story. Again, this activity can be more of a challenge by
increasing the requirements and expectations!
Scribblar
Scribblar is certainly a highly advanced program that is easy to
utilize! Many educators already use this program to enhance their students
education, and have provided testimonials on how they have done so on the
website.
Considering that I am completing my masters degree to gain certification
in grades 5-12 English Language-Arts, I can certainly see myself using this
resource once I begin my career in the upper grade levels. I could see using
this resource in the lower levels now, but I feel it would be more beneficial
in upper grade levels as they simply have more experience in the world of
technology!
I am
going to give a brief example of how this resource could be utilized in a high
school English classroom! When working in an English classroom, it is expected
that students will be writing several pieces at the High School grade level. I
would like to have the program embedded into my website, to allow for quick
access from my students. I would have the students upload their writing to the
program and I would assign them to edit and revise their peer’s writings. I
would encourage them to provide positive, constructive criticism to their
peers, and I would do so as well. This would allow me the ability to have
mobile access to grade their papers, and they would all be in one place.
Furthermore, I would like to create chat rooms that discussed topics
such as vocabulary, grammar, and other critical elements of writing. In
addition, to rooms that could allow for conversation and practice on reading
skills such as making an inference, comprehension and other important reading
elements. This would allow struggling students
a place to turn to when they need help without the feeling of embarrassment. In
fact I will encourage all of my students to visit; perhaps I will even present
small assignments on there so that they are required to visit!
My recommendations:
Storybird
I will recommend
Storybird to other educators as to allow them the opportunity to utilize the
resource in their classroom! The website is super easy to use! In fact, I
quickly created my own simple story using artwork that was readily available.
Creating an account is just as simple as the website offers step-by-step
instructions and very few steps!
Are
you ready for the best part of this resource?! It is… wait for it… FREE!!! Yes,
you can sign up for a simple account that allows you access to all of the
stories shared by others in addition to the ability to create stories! For teachers
the first 35 student accounts is FREE of cost! You can purchase 100 accounts
and upgrade for a total fee of around 70 dollars to the pro account. There is
also the option to purchase accounts as a school or a district!
Very
beneficial resource that could allow for some creative thinking and production!
I look forward to using this resource in my own classroom to share in the
creativity of my own students!
Scribblar
Scribblar is most definitely a program that I am going to recommend to
other educators and try out myself in a classroom setting! The website is
organized in an efficient manner that allows for optimal browsing and exploring
of the resource.
As
for pricing of the resource, the most basic option is free, however, you can only
have one room and two users. This is not really ideal for a classroom setting.
The number of rooms and users increases as the price per month increases. They
also offer the option of creating less rooms and allowing more users per room.
You can contact them and they will work with you on creating a customized plan
that works best for you!
**Kidblog**
What I’ve learned:
Kidblog
Kidblog was designed by teacher for
teachers who want to provide their students with individual blogs. Students can
communicate about their blogs in a secure classroom blogging community.
Teachers have complete control over all of the blogs and can monitor and edit
them if necessary! Kidblog is great for schools as well because several
teachers in a school building that have the same students can collaborate
through the student’s blogs.
Kidblog allows the students to go completely digital and ditch the paper
and pencils as it is accessible on the computer, in the classroom, the
technology room, at home, on a Smartphone, or Ipad. The teacher controls the
sites and when they can be published so no safety concerns there. By allowing
your students (with the permission of parents) to publish their work to real
live audiences it gives them a purpose to write.
How the resource can be utilized in the classroom:
Kidblog
Considering that Kidblog was created by teachers, for teachers, it can
certainly be utilized in a classroom setting. Setting up an account is
extremely simple and I can tell you this first hand as I have personally
created one.
In
my past blog posts, about wiki’s, I have mentioned a website that had the idea
of allowing the students to create wikis. I loved the idea, and I plan to
utilize it in my future classroom. However, using the classroom blogs is
amazing. I would like to use it as a type of journaling system where the
students can post about what they learned and communicate with their peers as a
form of digital collaboration. In addition, this would be a good site to assign
small assignments and have the students blog about them, then comment on their
peer’s blogs. I think the students certainly need to learn how to blog, as it
is something that we will see now, well into the future!
I am
excited at the prospect of allowing my students to create their own blogs, and
blog posts and I cannot think of a better website to use the Kidblog as it is
simple, efficient and well worth it!
My recommendations:
Kidblog
Without a doubt, you will find me using this resource in my classroom as
well as recommending it to every educator that I know! Technology is our world
now, and it is important to start incorporating it into our classrooms! I
cannot wait until I get my own classroom (with older students) to begin
utilizing this resource to its full potential!
The best thing about this website is that
it is… wait for it… FREE! Yes, we have scored another amazing, FREE website
resource to use in our classrooms. Hey, this is an important aspect when
considering a teacher’s salary! All of the basic options are free and the basic
account is more than enough to gain benefit from the resource. You do have the
affordable option to upgrade to the Classroom Pro account for a mere 25 dollars
per year!
The website is organized and established in
a manner that provides for easy navigation and is easy to comprehend. Setup of
the classroom blog, and individual blogs couldn’t get any easier. The classroom
teacher has the option to view all blogs, edit them or delete them if need be.
It is truly an amazing resource that allows for enhancement of student
learning.
Resources I’ve Utilized:
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