1st grade Voicethread

I created this project with a 1st grade class. Their teacher let them choose an animal and research facts about it for homework. I helped each of them find a picture of their animal on google images and they each constructed sentences about their image/animal. We then went into voicethread, uploaded their pictures and recorded their sentences with their picture. This is the final result! Enjoy!

Wallwisher.com

Wallwisher is a site where people can post questions and anybody can answer what you are asking. This could be a good resource for teachers all over to share resources or ideas with eachother. You could maybe even use this in your class. Your students could make individual accounts, and ask questions to their classmates. Their classmates can post their ideas on comments about their question. You may want students to research the question, and then give an answer on the wall.

Here is an example of a wall I made:

Voice Thread

While at my last visit, I had the opportunity to work with the tool called voicethread. It is similar to a Photostory, but a lot more can be done with it. There is a first grade class that is doing an animal report using voice thread. They each will find a photo of an animal of their choice, and along with that photo, will record facts about the animal with their voice. After all the children have done this, each student's video will become part of one collaborated project.

On Monday of last week, I helped all the children find pictures of their animals using google images and we saved them to the teacher's zip drive. Hopefully this Monday, I will get to help the children read their written facts as we record them with the program Voicethread.

This tool is free online. All you have to do is create an account. With the free version, you can only record three voicethread projects. So, this collaborated animal report will count as one voicethread.

Check it out!
http://voicethread.com/

PODCASTING!!

I used a tool called podcasting today! It is a very neat tool! I got to experiment with it during the time I was with my second grade class. I chose a couple students from the poetry center during center time. Below is an example of a student using podcasting. I had them read it through while being recorded (Student Reading-1. You can tell she was a little shaky during this reading. I played back the recording for them and had them critique their own reading with my help (were they reading too fast/slow, did they read with expression, how was their fluency?). After we analyzed the first recording, I had them read it a second time while being recorded. We listened to that one too. And each student sounded better the second time.

Below is an example of one student reading her poem called "Nature's Creatures."

You could also use podcasting to read a story or a poem how you would want it read and share it with your class. You could also create a seperate center where the children could create their own podcast presentation. As you can see, podacsting could be a very useful tool.

Glog Poster

This is the poster I created on the online tool Glogster Edu. You may add students to your account on glogster and they may create posters like this one.

Glogster

Star of the Week!

This is the Star of the Week.  Almost every week there will be a different Star of the Week. They create a poster of things they would like to share with the class. They may include places they have been, things that interest them, family, friends, etc. When they are the Star of the Week, they get a certificate, a picture of themselves, and first selection for a seat at SSR.  This picture is also posted on the class blog so parents can see all of the children as Star of the Week. It is a very neat activity!

Flipcam

Today's new tool was the flipcam. A Flipcam is like mini video camera that has an attached USB port. That way you may download the videos onto your computer and attch them to your blog so parents can see what is going on in the classroom. For example, today I videotaped the class's morning work on the smartboard. A little bit later today I will upload that to my computer.(I need to learn how first) You could also video tape a reader's theatre. This way children can here the inflection in their voice and also see their facial expressions. You could videotape group work to show the students how they work together. There are many things that the flipcam could be used for in the classroom.

Glogster

Today, I explored www.glogster.com/edu.  It is a site that helps you and your students create glogs.  Glogs are online multimedia posters.  Though this website, students can create posters that have text, photos, videos, graphics, and sounds.  I think this site could give students a look into a new window of creativity, rather than just doing an assignment with pen and paper.

Glogster could be used for many things.  Students can create many glogs on a variety of subjects. I am going to focus in on some subjects for second grade.  Students could create a simple autobiography poster.  For science, students could construct a poster about what animals (and people) need in order to survive or what type of animals live in the rain forest.  In language arts, students could create a poster about their favorite book and why it is their favorite.

There are many other ways glogster can be used.  These were just a couple ideas I had thought of on my own.  Hopefully, I can use this tool in the classroom sometime soon and post some of the students glogs on my blog.

The Journey Begins!

This is my first entry on blogger.  I am new to the blog so you may have to bare with me as I share my progress with you over the course of twelve weeks.

I met with Michelle today.  She will be teaching me a lot about technology and how to incorporate it into the classroom.  A lot was thrown at me today, but I am up for the challenge.  She mentioned a few things such as Glogster, Photostory 3, and Podcasting. I am not familiar with any of these, but I am here to learn so I will be doing a little bit of exploring before August 30. 

I felt a little worried going into today's meeting, but after meeting Michelle and others, my mind was put at ease.  Everybody was so welcoming and it seems like a very positive environment to work in.  I am ready to begin this task and I hope to show how much I have learned over time.