BP16_2009104_Final Media Asset

BP15_2009103_Reflective Media Asset #2

Voice Thread

BP14_2009103_Web 2.0 Tools

http://voicethread.com/#home

VoiceThread is changing the face of collaboration tools. This site is a lot like Google Doc’s Presentation tool, but it allows real-time collaboration on a project. I liked this tool because it allows users to draw on the presentation to illustrate what they are talking about and could include text or voice comments. Presentations can also be shared and other users can visit the presentation and add their own comments. I would use this tool to help students collaborate on projects outside of school. I would also encourage collaboration with students outside of the district, or country even for more real-world experiences. This is my favorite pick for the week! Check out my commercial for this tool in the post above!

BP13_2009103_Web 2.0 Tools

http://www.postalz.com/home.jsp?user=guest

I chose Postalz because it is SIMPLE and FUN! This site allows users to create online postcards and send them via e-mail or social networking/sharing sites like Flickr. I would use this tool with students of any ages for a multitude of subjects. Students can make a postcard pretending that it’s being sent by a historical figure including details about the person. I would also use it for concept reviews, where students would write about a math process or science process. Pictures can be uploaded from your computer or off of Flickr to be used in the postcard. Another great thing to use it for would be to send thank you cards to parent volunteers and places who hosted a field trip. This site is easy to use, and would be good for computer times that are limited for a quick project idea.

BP12_2009103_Web 2.0 Tools

http://museumbox.e2bn.org/

I found Museum Box a couple of months ago and was instantly intrigued. Museum Box is a tool that allows students of all ages to create projects. This site helps projects be focused. Each project has a main topic. Within each topic, the students can choose several subtopics, which is shown as a box. For each subtopic box, the students then have 6 sides to put information in. The boxes are 3-dimensional, which increases student motivation through its fun graphics. Projects can easily be modified depending on the students’ needs. Lowering functioning students can upload pictures and audio files, while the advanced student can upload video and word processing documents to fill the sides of the boxes. I would also use this site to create portfolios of students’ work for parent-teacher conferences. The best part is that the projects can be saved within the site for easy viewing.

BP11_2009103_Response to KMalpass's Blog

The first Web 2.0 tool that is an interest to me to use in my classroom is http://www.xtranormal.com/users.php?mode=profile&uid=1081111&op=3. This is a website where you can create movies using different characters. All you have to do is choose your character, setting, voice, and then type in your text. You can create motions and expressions for your character while they are talking. I teach first graders and sometimes when you are always teaching in the front of the room it can get too routine. The students can loose interest in what you are saying and they start to tune you out. There are also times when the students are having a difficult time learning new information. You try and try again and they just can?t understand what you are trying to say. These are two examples of how great it would be if there was another way to present the information in a more fun and interactive way. Creating a video of a character that can teach just like you would only it?s visual and different. It is a great way to present information to engage the students.

Michelle Remien said...

Hi Kara,
Is XtraNormal the site that you used last month to make the introductions on your team's module? I hadn't gotten a chance to check it out until now and it's pretty neat! I agree that I would probably use it more myself to create things for the classroom if I was working with younger kids. It's a little confusing at first how the platform works. I think that older students would have fun using it though for projects. I did have a little bit of trouble getting certain characters to load, but that may have been just a fluke. The only thing that I didn't like, is that it seemed to take a long time to load and process one line of dialogue. Other than that, it is a fun, useful tool. Thanks for sharing!

OCTOBER 18, 2009 7:37AM

BP10_2009103_Flickr Lesson Plan

I needed to find a lesson plan using the Website Flickr for an assignment. At first, I had difficulty finding a unique lesson plan that caught my attention. Then, I was pleasantly surprised to find a special education lesson plan for students in high school with moderate to severe disabilities. Not only did it catch my attention because I am a special education teacher at heart, but the student target audience for the lesson is my most favorite to work with. I found this lesson at this link:

http://www.wikiteach.org/index.php/wikiteach/action/lessonplan/?WTSESSID=ab19e16469e1dc47d4ee0bccc9ca5a11&/1/iVar/245

This lesson is on the WikiTeach website, so the contents can be changed by any registered user. Each time the page is viewed, it may be a little different. So I recommend copying and pasting the contents in a Word document to save it if you like what you see.

The main topic of the lesson is Edmark Fast Food/ Restaurant sight word recognition. There are many activities described to practice the words on the page. One of the activities has students searching for pictures on Flickr using the sight words as tags, and saving them or printing them out. This requires the students to transfer the sight words from paper into the search box by typing. Identifying the words within picture titles or descriptions while scrolling through the search list provides more practice. The saved and printed pictures can be used at a later date for extra practice and review.

Another activity was designed for a community trip. The teacher gives the students a clipboard with a list of the sight words. The class would then take a trip to the grocery store or a department store and look for those words. When the students find a word, they would take a picture of it. Then, when the students come back to school, the pictures get uploaded into their Flickr account to be used for practice. The students could also take pictures of just the objects and then when the pictures are uploaded into Flickr, the students need to pick the right sight word off the list to tag each photo.

I would definitely use this with students if I had my own classroom. The great thing about this lesson plan is that it can be used for any age level or abilities with little modification. If leaving the school isn't an option, it can also be completed just walking around school grounds using different categories of sight words.