I cant believe the semester comes to its end. I have learned so many new things in this class! The one most powerful thing I have experienced from CI 556, was the motivation factor (When I was tired to read other school materials, I was happy to work on our ABC book assignment, and read and learn information from the web; I was so excited to do our digital story assignment, that I have made the narration when I woke up at 4 am (crazy?), and was so happy that it all came out at one time, one narration!). I am glad we got the chance to experience the different assignments, since now I know how my students would feel when I will share my knowledge with them: they will be motivated to do those assignments and without noticing - they will improve their literacy skills while having fun!
If before taking this course I thought that all technology is very complicated, may be almost impossible to apply, now I have the feeling that everything is possible and I am not afraid to try!
The Inventory counting title above referees to the list I have just made to count which new software, hardware, applications and resources I have learned in class this past semester. I am not sure I got everything in this list, but I tried to include most of it.
So here it is:
Blogging
Inspiration
Comic Life (& http://www.eusd4kids.org/edtech/xapps/xapps_comic.html)
Photo Booth
Kids Pix
Book flix
SubEthaEdit
Keyboard teaching techniques
social networking
Handhelds/PiCoMap/sketchi
podcasting
ipods/mp3players
GarageBand
wikispaces
google maps
open office
Moviemaker / Digital storytelling
PowerPoint (inserting sounds and hidden buttons)
Makebeliefscomix
iPhoto
Living Books
Webquest.org
Web 2.0 / second life / virtual reality
www.storylineonline.net
Rubistar
HotPotatoes
Visuwords
bubbl.us
wordle.net
What a list, ha?!
I hope I will be able to successfully apply technology with my future students and I wish you all to be able to do the same and enjoy it!
Thank you Dr. Schmidt!
Happy end of semester everyone!
Anat
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
playlist!
I have created a playlist using iLike. I hope you enjoy it while reading my posts. There are some Israeli performers' songs at the end of the list (in Hebrew) if you have ever wondered how this language sounds like in a song. I enjoyed making it! So have fun listening! Just click on the "play" botton next to the first tune.
A Wiki for Classroom Writing/ Brian Morgan, Richard D. Smith. The Reading Teacher, 62 (1), pp. 80-82.
After reading Sara's post about Wikis I realized all I know about it is that there is a Wikipedia, which can be edited by its readers. I didn't think it is possible to use it as a classroom literacy tool. In this article, the authors explain what is a Wiki and how to use it in classrooms. They also provide some links to existing wikis to check.
In the lines below I will follow the article's chapters but instead of providing a review, I will write about what I found interesting and share my thoughts about wikis' use in the classroom.
What is a Wiki?...
"Wikis are designed to be created by more than one student … Wikis and blogs share much in common, but blog visitors simply add comments to the original content, whereas wikis allow visitors to change the content" –
Wikis can be used as a collaborative work of the entire classroom. The difference here between a blog and a wiki, to my opinion, is that a blog is more personal and a wiki is more public. You can change a wiki – it is meant to be changed, whereas blog postings aren’t.
I would have used a wiki for research pieces. For example – a literature wiki where the students explore a story’s/book’s characters, or its author / animator and publish their findings and so forth. It would be much more fun than just writing a book report. Each student (or in pairs) can focus on different aspect of the book to write about and to have links leading to each others’ topics.
"Wikis created at these sites are very easy to set up and allow teachers a great degree of control over who is able to read or edit the documents" –
Easiness and control are very important! If it is easy, it is more likely to be used. Control is essential to know that only the students who have the password can enter and edit the pages. You can also assure that only who you want can read it. I wondered how it is done… so I entered the www.wikispaces.com trying to register and found out that :
1. You can have it totally private where “Only wiki members can view and edit pages” but it costs 5$ per month (first month free), or
2. Protected (free) , where “Everyone can view pages, only wiki members can edit them” or lastly,
3. “Public” (free), where “Everyone can view and edit your pages”.
Setting up the project...
"The students then read and commented on their classmates’ work … Comments are created by inserting simple code into the text of the writing… Track changes feature of the wiki made the writing process more visible to the students and teacher…" -
It reminds me a little of the SubEthaEdit’s “ubiquitousness” idea, where students can comment and help revising with track changes, and probably do it from wherever there is a web access.
"Easy access to the wiki allowed students to participate more frequently and freely… brainstormed ideas or preplanning…drafts…Ultimately when using the wiki as collaborative writing community the students are more engaged with the writing process" –
Motivation is the key! I think these features help to motivate students to work!
Table 1 – Types of wikis useful for the elementary grades –
1. Classroom wikis - mrlindsay.pbwiki.com (See my December 8th posting).
2. Report wikis - arrrpirates.wikisaces.com – this one looks more like the familiar Wikipedia. It is a Pirate’s encyclopedia, with terms, names, photos etc.
3. School wiki sites – sfxschool.pbwiki.com – it looks just like a school’s website/homepage. They have here links to each grade level as well as blog for every grade level. I was curious to enter the 1st grade blog, but was disappointed to find out that it was the teacher who writes there, probably to share with the students’ parents.
Some helpful hints...
"Wikis are nearly bulletproof. Any mistake can be fixed" -
This idea, I think, constructs both the advantages and disadvantages of the wiki. Where many mistakes can be made by the students, they can be also fixed. The teachers’ role here is essential in leading the students to a positive and accurate learning experience.
In the lines below I will follow the article's chapters but instead of providing a review, I will write about what I found interesting and share my thoughts about wikis' use in the classroom.
What is a Wiki?...
"Wikis are designed to be created by more than one student … Wikis and blogs share much in common, but blog visitors simply add comments to the original content, whereas wikis allow visitors to change the content" –
Wikis can be used as a collaborative work of the entire classroom. The difference here between a blog and a wiki, to my opinion, is that a blog is more personal and a wiki is more public. You can change a wiki – it is meant to be changed, whereas blog postings aren’t.
I would have used a wiki for research pieces. For example – a literature wiki where the students explore a story’s/book’s characters, or its author / animator and publish their findings and so forth. It would be much more fun than just writing a book report. Each student (or in pairs) can focus on different aspect of the book to write about and to have links leading to each others’ topics.
"Wikis created at these sites are very easy to set up and allow teachers a great degree of control over who is able to read or edit the documents" –
Easiness and control are very important! If it is easy, it is more likely to be used. Control is essential to know that only the students who have the password can enter and edit the pages. You can also assure that only who you want can read it. I wondered how it is done… so I entered the www.wikispaces.com trying to register and found out that :
1. You can have it totally private where “Only wiki members can view and edit pages” but it costs 5$ per month (first month free), or
2. Protected (free) , where “Everyone can view pages, only wiki members can edit them” or lastly,
3. “Public” (free), where “Everyone can view and edit your pages”.
Setting up the project...
"The students then read and commented on their classmates’ work … Comments are created by inserting simple code into the text of the writing… Track changes feature of the wiki made the writing process more visible to the students and teacher…" -
It reminds me a little of the SubEthaEdit’s “ubiquitousness” idea, where students can comment and help revising with track changes, and probably do it from wherever there is a web access.
"Easy access to the wiki allowed students to participate more frequently and freely… brainstormed ideas or preplanning…drafts…Ultimately when using the wiki as collaborative writing community the students are more engaged with the writing process" –
Motivation is the key! I think these features help to motivate students to work!
Table 1 – Types of wikis useful for the elementary grades –
1. Classroom wikis - mrlindsay.pbwiki.com (See my December 8th posting).
2. Report wikis - arrrpirates.wikisaces.com – this one looks more like the familiar Wikipedia. It is a Pirate’s encyclopedia, with terms, names, photos etc.
3. School wiki sites – sfxschool.pbwiki.com – it looks just like a school’s website/homepage. They have here links to each grade level as well as blog for every grade level. I was curious to enter the 1st grade blog, but was disappointed to find out that it was the teacher who writes there, probably to share with the students’ parents.
Some helpful hints...
"Wikis are nearly bulletproof. Any mistake can be fixed" -
This idea, I think, constructs both the advantages and disadvantages of the wiki. Where many mistakes can be made by the students, they can be also fixed. The teachers’ role here is essential in leading the students to a positive and accurate learning experience.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Wikis
After reading Sara's Blog about Wikis, I found the (same ?!) article she was talking about (and which I am going to read through and write about tonight or tomorrow).
While exploring this topic, which I too, have a limited knowledge about, I followed one of the links in it and found this one - http://community.saugususd.org/dlindsay/page/
I have explored it for a while - and found it VERY COOL! It is supposed to be a Wiki which is created by an Elementary teacher and includes his students' Blogs, his own Blog, information about himself, homework for the students, news and events, curriculum, and "other stuff". I really liked the use he made of his students' Blog (I recommend going there and see for yourselves) - where he let them draw Idioms and explain them. I do not know what software they used to draw - but here he is engaging so many types of technologies in one activity. I liked it and thought to share with you all :-) What do you think?
While exploring this topic, which I too, have a limited knowledge about, I followed one of the links in it and found this one - http://community.saugususd.org/dlindsay/page/
I have explored it for a while - and found it VERY COOL! It is supposed to be a Wiki which is created by an Elementary teacher and includes his students' Blogs, his own Blog, information about himself, homework for the students, news and events, curriculum, and "other stuff". I really liked the use he made of his students' Blog (I recommend going there and see for yourselves) - where he let them draw Idioms and explain them. I do not know what software they used to draw - but here he is engaging so many types of technologies in one activity. I liked it and thought to share with you all :-) What do you think?
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Factors contributing to teachers’ successful implementation of IT / Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning (2002) 18, 480 – 488. C.A. Granger, M.L. Mor
This article deals with 4 different schools and their educators’ perspectives about teaching technology in their classrooms.
Although this article has been published a few years ago, and deals with Canadian schools, it seems that not much has been changes over time regarding teachers’ feelings and thoughts about this subject, and that those feelings and thoughts are universal. By providing some examples I will clarify what I mean.
In the following lines I will relate to teachers’ experiences and attitudes towards teaching technology in their classrooms as indicated in this article.
First interesting point is related to one of the schools’ principals who found she was learning from her own students when it relates to technology. This is something we talked about in class in the beginning of the semester – that since technology is constantly changing and being innovated, young students are many times much more informed and involved than their “old” teachers. Hence, they can contribute from their personal knowledge. This is something I am “taking” home with me from studying technology and reading this article – let my students help me if needed and be comfortable with that.
A second interesting matter in this article is concerning teachers’ ICT experiences and skills. The interviewees were very heterogenic with regard to their teaching experience (in years) and fields of teaching. Also, they all had at least Bachelor degrees. However, almost all were lack in ICT specialization. I think it is very beneficial for a teacher (and eventually to her/his students) to have an ICT professional experience, especially nowadays where so much is going on the www. I think today computers and the internet are becoming an integral part of our lives and it is important to educate students about how to use it right. It reminds me of what we studied regarding a proper use of the keyboard as well as social networking. If we, the teachers, will be educated about it, we will be able to teach our students to do a positive and constructive use and to benefit from technology.
Third, the teachers that were interviewed in this research ranged in their views regarding the goals of using technology in their classrooms. On one end were those who saw it merely in the playing level while others acknowledged its importance for students with learning difficulties. One of the teachers said it can be isolating and even detrimental “because it is missing the human component of relationship”. I am happy I have learned it is possible to incorporate technology to benefit students with some learning disabilities; I have also learned that even by something that seems like “merely playing”, a student can learn! I do believe, however, that we should not entirely rely on computers while teaching in the sense that a human interaction is very important.
Another excerpt: “teachers wanted to justify or to be assured that the time they were injecting into technology was not taking away from the language arts…or the math they had to cover”. Sounds familiar? :-) Right now I am not teaching, but when I will, I will do my best to incorporate technology in my classroom as a tool to achieve curriculum objectives and not only as an end. From what I heard in our Tech course this semester, it is very much possible.
A further point that was raised is regarding technical problems in schools where many of the computers do not work properly. What does a teacher supposed to do when suddenly some of the computers do not work? It is very frustrating. Teachers showed concerns of shortage of technical support when those problems occurred.
Last interesting point for me was that many teachers found that “just in time” and informal learning is the most useful for them to learn technology skills they need. Is it really so? I wonder about it. Is it possible to learn so much this way? I think that if you need to solve a problem it might indeed help, but to get more comprehensive knowledge about teaching technology may require a more thorough training.
Although this article has been published a few years ago, and deals with Canadian schools, it seems that not much has been changes over time regarding teachers’ feelings and thoughts about this subject, and that those feelings and thoughts are universal. By providing some examples I will clarify what I mean.
In the following lines I will relate to teachers’ experiences and attitudes towards teaching technology in their classrooms as indicated in this article.
First interesting point is related to one of the schools’ principals who found she was learning from her own students when it relates to technology. This is something we talked about in class in the beginning of the semester – that since technology is constantly changing and being innovated, young students are many times much more informed and involved than their “old” teachers. Hence, they can contribute from their personal knowledge. This is something I am “taking” home with me from studying technology and reading this article – let my students help me if needed and be comfortable with that.
A second interesting matter in this article is concerning teachers’ ICT experiences and skills. The interviewees were very heterogenic with regard to their teaching experience (in years) and fields of teaching. Also, they all had at least Bachelor degrees. However, almost all were lack in ICT specialization. I think it is very beneficial for a teacher (and eventually to her/his students) to have an ICT professional experience, especially nowadays where so much is going on the www. I think today computers and the internet are becoming an integral part of our lives and it is important to educate students about how to use it right. It reminds me of what we studied regarding a proper use of the keyboard as well as social networking. If we, the teachers, will be educated about it, we will be able to teach our students to do a positive and constructive use and to benefit from technology.
Third, the teachers that were interviewed in this research ranged in their views regarding the goals of using technology in their classrooms. On one end were those who saw it merely in the playing level while others acknowledged its importance for students with learning difficulties. One of the teachers said it can be isolating and even detrimental “because it is missing the human component of relationship”. I am happy I have learned it is possible to incorporate technology to benefit students with some learning disabilities; I have also learned that even by something that seems like “merely playing”, a student can learn! I do believe, however, that we should not entirely rely on computers while teaching in the sense that a human interaction is very important.
Another excerpt: “teachers wanted to justify or to be assured that the time they were injecting into technology was not taking away from the language arts…or the math they had to cover”. Sounds familiar? :-) Right now I am not teaching, but when I will, I will do my best to incorporate technology in my classroom as a tool to achieve curriculum objectives and not only as an end. From what I heard in our Tech course this semester, it is very much possible.
A further point that was raised is regarding technical problems in schools where many of the computers do not work properly. What does a teacher supposed to do when suddenly some of the computers do not work? It is very frustrating. Teachers showed concerns of shortage of technical support when those problems occurred.
Last interesting point for me was that many teachers found that “just in time” and informal learning is the most useful for them to learn technology skills they need. Is it really so? I wonder about it. Is it possible to learn so much this way? I think that if you need to solve a problem it might indeed help, but to get more comprehensive knowledge about teaching technology may require a more thorough training.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
How to use Blog in my classroom
The idea of using a blog for my (former) Sunday School classroom sounds to me like a great way to motivate the students to show interest in what is going on in class and maybe even to like it... I wish I have thought about this when I had this class a couple of years ago. It could have been a great experience. It is something that I am definitely going to try in the future, especially since the Sunday School classrooms consist on a small number of students, and I think this may not only serve as a learning tool but also something that will bring them closer together as a group, a way of interaction during the weekdays (since they do not meet every day).
OK, so after this long introduction, my idea is to create a Sunday school level ____ blog (usually there are 5 levels in school). This blog will be managed by the students and will include their reflections about different topics learned in the classroom. They will be able to share their thoughts about the last lesson, to ask questions if something was unclear and to raise questions or write reflections about different topics.
The teacher will give them a specific topic for a discussion for the week to come. When they are back the next time, they will report shortly what was going on in the blog during the past week and lead a short discussion about it. This will be done in turns (each student in his turn will have the responsibility to report about the past week's blog). This discussion will serve as the opening for the lesson, a sort of the start part of the lesson and preparation for the next topic.
The topics will consist of stories we read in class, which will be leading to philosophical questions and discussion-like correspondence. I will try first to let students participate on their own will, without urging them to make entries. If it doesn't work, I will instruct them to make one entry per week and a minimum of one comment to their friends. I was thinking of making one communal blog for all students. In other words, instead of one blog for each student there is going to be one blog for each class level. If they will like the idea, we will later expand it to personal blogs.
Another way to use it with the Sunday school children is to have the students share their blog with other students overseas! I have always wanted to have my students here correspond via e-mails with students from Israel about things they learn and experience in class in particular and life in general. However, I think a blog could be a good place to have this connection. It is always there, available, and maybe less personal, and in this way, less intimidating as a space to express thoughts. The blog could be a “place” to "meet" and "talk" about things we learn and experience, and it will contribute to students’ literacy since they will be engaged in writing and reading, as well as discussing literature and other written scripts.
Needless to say, the teacher will be always supervising the blogs, and prior to initiating the experience a discussion will take place dealing with proper blog behavior.
OK, so after this long introduction, my idea is to create a Sunday school level ____ blog (usually there are 5 levels in school). This blog will be managed by the students and will include their reflections about different topics learned in the classroom. They will be able to share their thoughts about the last lesson, to ask questions if something was unclear and to raise questions or write reflections about different topics.
The teacher will give them a specific topic for a discussion for the week to come. When they are back the next time, they will report shortly what was going on in the blog during the past week and lead a short discussion about it. This will be done in turns (each student in his turn will have the responsibility to report about the past week's blog). This discussion will serve as the opening for the lesson, a sort of the start part of the lesson and preparation for the next topic.
The topics will consist of stories we read in class, which will be leading to philosophical questions and discussion-like correspondence. I will try first to let students participate on their own will, without urging them to make entries. If it doesn't work, I will instruct them to make one entry per week and a minimum of one comment to their friends. I was thinking of making one communal blog for all students. In other words, instead of one blog for each student there is going to be one blog for each class level. If they will like the idea, we will later expand it to personal blogs.
Another way to use it with the Sunday school children is to have the students share their blog with other students overseas! I have always wanted to have my students here correspond via e-mails with students from Israel about things they learn and experience in class in particular and life in general. However, I think a blog could be a good place to have this connection. It is always there, available, and maybe less personal, and in this way, less intimidating as a space to express thoughts. The blog could be a “place” to "meet" and "talk" about things we learn and experience, and it will contribute to students’ literacy since they will be engaged in writing and reading, as well as discussing literature and other written scripts.
Needless to say, the teacher will be always supervising the blogs, and prior to initiating the experience a discussion will take place dealing with proper blog behavior.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
ABC election glossary
Look what I found - in case you are still looking for the ABC assignment ideas.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/election/glossary.shtml
Anat
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/election/glossary.shtml
Anat
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Digital Storytellong 2
After finishing my project, I feel great. I am happy to be able to find a story in my life to share. After finishing my project, suddenly I realized that I have many stories to tell and that they do not have to be big! Even small pieces of my life can be a basis for a Digital Storytelling!
Creating the story was time consuming. I was surprised how every time I was sure it is going to end, I had more things to edit or more additions to put in it (music, effects, etc.).
I am happy we had this experience and I am happy I have done the whole thing by myself - from finding and downloading the Movie Maker to the final product!
When corpora ting it in my classroom in the future, I think it is very important to have a strict plan and very clear steps. Otherwise, it will take forever! Especially for very young students, I think there should be a frame to which the story is to be inserted. I mean, some type of pattern that have certain structure or specific wording where the children can insert their personal narratives into.
I am curious to hear stories of teachers from our classroom who tried it with their children, or are going to try it!
Creating the story was time consuming. I was surprised how every time I was sure it is going to end, I had more things to edit or more additions to put in it (music, effects, etc.).
I am happy we had this experience and I am happy I have done the whole thing by myself - from finding and downloading the Movie Maker to the final product!
When corpora ting it in my classroom in the future, I think it is very important to have a strict plan and very clear steps. Otherwise, it will take forever! Especially for very young students, I think there should be a frame to which the story is to be inserted. I mean, some type of pattern that have certain structure or specific wording where the children can insert their personal narratives into.
I am curious to hear stories of teachers from our classroom who tried it with their children, or are going to try it!
Last week reflection
Last week, as always, we had some interesting resources and ideas of how to use technology in our classroom. The "Living Books" were fun. I liked the simplicity of applying it in class, having children creating a poem of their own!
The Web quest - it is great to have ready-made resources, but when I was looking for a language web quest, I only found a few, maybe 4 options to choose from. Most of the quests were in Spanish and one in French. I tried to take a look at the French one and didn't have much success in solving the question I tried... :-( However, I think their idea was pretty exciting: You are chosen to open a famous French restaurant, and have to construct the menu and some of the dishes. I think it is an original way of teaching basic language skills like foods. When I taught Hebrew, foods were one of the first vocabularies. I made a paper menu and the students and I pretended to be in a restaurant and play costumers and waiters. It was fun, but when I saw seeing the Web quest I thought to myself that this type of task can be very engaging and motivating, and at the end - you have your own 5 stars restaurant! It would be nice to learn how to plan such a web quest which will fit specific curriculum needs.
The web 2.0 second life - this is new to me and I have never tried it until we had the Club Penguin experience in class. I think it is amazing that you can create a whole 2nd virtual life...I started thinking how I will be able to incorporate it in the Literacy classroom, and I do not remember if it something I read in the article 2 weeks ago, or my own thoughts (or a mix of both) but it would be neat to create a world based on a book. Just for example - if the students read Harry Potter, it would be great to create a world of Hogwarts where the students become Hogwarts-students. In this world they would learn about different occurrences from the narrative, places and characters while spending time in this world.
Lastly, the Storyline online - I truly enjoyed it. It is so great to have actors read stories to kids. I remember myself sitting fascinated every Friday after school, when we had a TV show with an actor reading stories. With the stories being available for free online, children who do not have the patience to read a book, or have reading disabilities, can "read" a story or be exposed to literature. It is a wonderful website. I love it! I wish I had more time to explore it!
The Web quest - it is great to have ready-made resources, but when I was looking for a language web quest, I only found a few, maybe 4 options to choose from. Most of the quests were in Spanish and one in French. I tried to take a look at the French one and didn't have much success in solving the question I tried... :-( However, I think their idea was pretty exciting: You are chosen to open a famous French restaurant, and have to construct the menu and some of the dishes. I think it is an original way of teaching basic language skills like foods. When I taught Hebrew, foods were one of the first vocabularies. I made a paper menu and the students and I pretended to be in a restaurant and play costumers and waiters. It was fun, but when I saw seeing the Web quest I thought to myself that this type of task can be very engaging and motivating, and at the end - you have your own 5 stars restaurant! It would be nice to learn how to plan such a web quest which will fit specific curriculum needs.
The web 2.0 second life - this is new to me and I have never tried it until we had the Club Penguin experience in class. I think it is amazing that you can create a whole 2nd virtual life...I started thinking how I will be able to incorporate it in the Literacy classroom, and I do not remember if it something I read in the article 2 weeks ago, or my own thoughts (or a mix of both) but it would be neat to create a world based on a book. Just for example - if the students read Harry Potter, it would be great to create a world of Hogwarts where the students become Hogwarts-students. In this world they would learn about different occurrences from the narrative, places and characters while spending time in this world.
Lastly, the Storyline online - I truly enjoyed it. It is so great to have actors read stories to kids. I remember myself sitting fascinated every Friday after school, when we had a TV show with an actor reading stories. With the stories being available for free online, children who do not have the patience to read a book, or have reading disabilities, can "read" a story or be exposed to literature. It is a wonderful website. I love it! I wish I had more time to explore it!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
digital storytellong
I think I finally got something. It was so much more difficult than I thought it would be. I have read the instructions over and over again, starred at the story boards, visited CDS (http://www.storycenter.org/resources.html) and watched many other people's stories there (which finally got me depressed so I stopped. I have to add here that in spite of not seeing any humorous stories there, I recommend visiting this web site and watch some stories since they are performed so beautifully. "In my shoes" was my favorite). I looked at all the picture albums I have at home; thought of pictures I do not have with me here. I thought of events in my life. Nothing seemed to be interesting enough for other people to hear.
I think my story would be about a hot topic at our home those days. I realized that if it interests me - I may be able to make it interesting for my audience.
I think my story would be about a hot topic at our home those days. I realized that if it interests me - I may be able to make it interesting for my audience.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Main points on digital storytelling from readings
I put this post mainly for myself. I thought it would be nice to have an online access to main ideas of our readings regarding storytelling, and that my blog would be a convenient place for me to have it.
So here it is. Just a few excerpts:
G. Bull and S. Kajder (2004). Digital Storytelling in the language arts classroom. Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 32 Number 4.
A digital story consists of a series of
still images combined with a narrated
soundtrack to tell a story
The digital story reveals the
writer, as opposed to offering facts
about a distanced topic.
An effective digital story works
to pursue, discover, and communicate
new understanding that is rooted in
who we are as humans.
The process of digital storytelling
allows students to record themselves
narrating their own scripts.
There is no substitute for using your
own voice to tell your story.
It is important to address copyright
when music is employed. Some
sites such as the Creative Commons
offer music that can be legally downloaded
and used for educational applications.
the following sequence of steps works well:
1. Write an initial script.
2. Plan an accompanying storyboard.
3. Discuss and revise the script.
4. Sequence the images in the
video editor.
5. Add the narrative track.
6. Add special effects and transitions.
7. Add a soundtrack if time permits.
It can provide a voice to struggling readers and writers
who might not otherwise find
an authentic means of expression.
So here it is. Just a few excerpts:
G. Bull and S. Kajder (2004). Digital Storytelling in the language arts classroom. Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 32 Number 4.
A digital story consists of a series of
still images combined with a narrated
soundtrack to tell a story
The digital story reveals the
writer, as opposed to offering facts
about a distanced topic.
An effective digital story works
to pursue, discover, and communicate
new understanding that is rooted in
who we are as humans.
The process of digital storytelling
allows students to record themselves
narrating their own scripts.
There is no substitute for using your
own voice to tell your story.
It is important to address copyright
when music is employed. Some
sites such as the Creative Commons
offer music that can be legally downloaded
and used for educational applications.
the following sequence of steps works well:
1. Write an initial script.
2. Plan an accompanying storyboard.
3. Discuss and revise the script.
4. Sequence the images in the
video editor.
5. Add the narrative track.
6. Add special effects and transitions.
7. Add a soundtrack if time permits.
It can provide a voice to struggling readers and writers
who might not otherwise find
an authentic means of expression.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A few comments about articles
I would like to comment about 2 last week's readings.
It very interesting to read about the original ways teachers incorporated technology and literacy, and got me thinking about future teaching ideas of my own.
The first article - See Jane Read - See Johnny Write - a wonderful idea which involves developing older students tech and writing skills while presenting fun reading to the young ones. I believe that not only 10Th and 11Th graders can produce children stories by using Power Point, but younger students can do it as well (as we seen from Dr. Schmidt's elementary school children's books).
The second article is Writing the Book on Online Literature Circles. It is a great idea to have someone outside the classroom (preservice teachers) to mentor students with reading difficulties. I can certainly understand the pleasure and motivation of the students when having someone other than their group and teacher to tutor them! Like one of the students said - it feels like receiving a letter - it is exciting.
In another class I am taking those days we were discussing Where is today's students motivation? If we teachers provide opportunities for increased learning motivation among our students - we are doing a great work.
It very interesting to read about the original ways teachers incorporated technology and literacy, and got me thinking about future teaching ideas of my own.
The first article - See Jane Read - See Johnny Write - a wonderful idea which involves developing older students tech and writing skills while presenting fun reading to the young ones. I believe that not only 10Th and 11Th graders can produce children stories by using Power Point, but younger students can do it as well (as we seen from Dr. Schmidt's elementary school children's books).
The second article is Writing the Book on Online Literature Circles. It is a great idea to have someone outside the classroom (preservice teachers) to mentor students with reading difficulties. I can certainly understand the pleasure and motivation of the students when having someone other than their group and teacher to tutor them! Like one of the students said - it feels like receiving a letter - it is exciting.
In another class I am taking those days we were discussing Where is today's students motivation? If we teachers provide opportunities for increased learning motivation among our students - we are doing a great work.
Monday, October 20, 2008
podcasting idea
After catching up a little bit from last week, and watching a few podcasts for kids, I had an idea of one way to use podcasting for a particular project. This project is done in Israel every year for long time by 6th graders. I have done it myself when in the 6th grade and recently I saw my cousin's project. His project looked much more professional, typed and printed by computer whereas mine was hand written. However, both projects were wrapped in a binder, the same old fashioned way of handing a paper.
This big project is called "Roots" and its purpose is to research the family history. Through this research the students, many times, discover many interesting facts about themselves, their family members and the historical period in which they lived in.
Since this research involves a lot of family members interviewing and pictures, I think it can be a great candidate for podcasting. A student could post some audios or videos of his family members' interviews along with their pictures, as well as reading what he learned about them. Since podcasts are portable, the child's family members can watch and listen to it, and have a wonderful souvenir about their family history for years to come.
This big project is called "Roots" and its purpose is to research the family history. Through this research the students, many times, discover many interesting facts about themselves, their family members and the historical period in which they lived in.
Since this research involves a lot of family members interviewing and pictures, I think it can be a great candidate for podcasting. A student could post some audios or videos of his family members' interviews along with their pictures, as well as reading what he learned about them. Since podcasts are portable, the child's family members can watch and listen to it, and have a wonderful souvenir about their family history for years to come.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Learning in Hand lesson plan: Aesop’s Fables for 3rd grade
I like reading Fables and I chose this lesson plan since it directly involves reading. This is a lesson plan that is targeted for 3rd graders. In this lesson, after the teacher beams the fables to the child's palm, students have to choose one fable, read it to a partner, then, to work in pairs to compare the two fables via Ven diagrams. After that, they use PiCoMap individually/in pairs to make a traits diagram for the fables and then as a class, make a fable traits diagram and display in their room. Lastly (and my most favorite part) - students perform a reader’s theater for their kindergarten reading buddies.
To conclude, in this lesson students discover the characteristics of a fable, compare and contrast two fables, recognize the moral of the fable read, and perform fables in a reader’s theater.
It is not written how much time this lesson plan should take but I imagine that it consists of at least two lessons.
I liked many things about this lesson plan. First, working in pairs is important since students are able to teach and learn from each other. Second, this lesson addresses many Intelligences, thus truly engaging as many students as possible. In addition,the idea of hosting a theater play for their kindergarten buddies is a great way to take an active part in a story they read and make this experience significant, fun and memorable. But most important for our purpose - teaching children that they can use technology for reading a book is unbelievably simple yet remarkable! I think that the idea of reading e-books teaches children that they can read everywhere and any time and that reading is easy and enjoyable. They learn that even if they do not want to go to the library, they can still read books.
The more I think about it the more I like it. I think e-books are great especially for Iowan kids who experience those cold-cold winters. In addition to watching TV and playing computer games while getting lazy to bundle up to get outside, there is a great option of using technology for literacy purposes - READING!
I went "out" to the www to search some children's e-books and found that there are many websites which offer free e-books. I even found an international website with books from all over the world (take a look: http://www.icdlbooks.org/icdl/SearchWorld)!
Now, after getting so excited about it, I only have to learn how to download the e-books to the Palms :-)
To conclude, in this lesson students discover the characteristics of a fable, compare and contrast two fables, recognize the moral of the fable read, and perform fables in a reader’s theater.
It is not written how much time this lesson plan should take but I imagine that it consists of at least two lessons.
I liked many things about this lesson plan. First, working in pairs is important since students are able to teach and learn from each other. Second, this lesson addresses many Intelligences, thus truly engaging as many students as possible. In addition,the idea of hosting a theater play for their kindergarten buddies is a great way to take an active part in a story they read and make this experience significant, fun and memorable. But most important for our purpose - teaching children that they can use technology for reading a book is unbelievably simple yet remarkable! I think that the idea of reading e-books teaches children that they can read everywhere and any time and that reading is easy and enjoyable. They learn that even if they do not want to go to the library, they can still read books.
The more I think about it the more I like it. I think e-books are great especially for Iowan kids who experience those cold-cold winters. In addition to watching TV and playing computer games while getting lazy to bundle up to get outside, there is a great option of using technology for literacy purposes - READING!
I went "out" to the www to search some children's e-books and found that there are many websites which offer free e-books. I even found an international website with books from all over the world (take a look: http://www.icdlbooks.org/icdl/SearchWorld)!
Now, after getting so excited about it, I only have to learn how to download the e-books to the Palms :-)
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Palm OS
I have to write about the experience with the OS palm - it was fun and useful and time - saving!!!
I was so happy to be able to do my assignment right after class, on my way to the bus and until I got home. This is a huge advantage of the handheld device!
I was so happy to be able to do my assignment right after class, on my way to the bus and until I got home. This is a huge advantage of the handheld device!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Ambiguous Ubiquitous computing and gadgets
After reading the articles for tonight I feel very much behind in terms of familiarity with various gadgets as well as with few technological terms.
The terms Web 2.0 and Handhelds where new to me and I know I am behind with operating Palm OS, Pocket PC (how do I create electron cal work sheets?), i pods, and the new generation cellular phones with regard to what is written in the Learning while Mobile article.
Realizing that, showed me how many teachers maybe behind with relation to new technologies and in order for them to integrate technology into their curriculum - there is a big gap to overcome.
I am not THAT old and already have so much to learn about it... I think Digital Boom (Kettere, 2006) is just the right term here and although not being a practicing teacher right now, I can totally understand that these are demanding times for schools and the added strain that new media literacy place on education is not making life any easier (Van't Hooft, 2008).
I am very happy to have the opportunity to learn about new technologies and learn the tools for the purpose of integrating it into my future classroom curriculum. I hope we will have the chance to learn a bit how to operate Pocket PC'S, since the article about Personal Literacy Assistants (Baumbach, Christopher, Fasimpaur and Oliver, 2004), got me curious.
Regarding the article Learning while mobile - I think the option to take our studies outside the classroom walls is very exciting. As a studend in Israel we used to go out to Museums and other field trips, then talk about it in the classroom. However, the option of creating Web-based galleries to share with others sounds exciting to me. In Israel almost everyone has a mobile phone. Many times there are more than one phone per person, including children who have phones of their own. As much as I personally resist using mobile phones for talking because of health issues, (especially for kids), taking photos with it is less harmful. Moreover, it can be a fun experience and contribute to the students' desire to learn more in depth in order to be able to create a good, sharable web-based art gallery. This idea turns the Museum visit from a passive visual experience into an active, hands on, engaging practice.
The terms Web 2.0 and Handhelds where new to me and I know I am behind with operating Palm OS, Pocket PC (how do I create electron cal work sheets?), i pods, and the new generation cellular phones with regard to what is written in the Learning while Mobile article.
Realizing that, showed me how many teachers maybe behind with relation to new technologies and in order for them to integrate technology into their curriculum - there is a big gap to overcome.
I am not THAT old and already have so much to learn about it... I think Digital Boom (Kettere, 2006) is just the right term here and although not being a practicing teacher right now, I can totally understand that these are demanding times for schools and the added strain that new media literacy place on education is not making life any easier (Van't Hooft, 2008).
I am very happy to have the opportunity to learn about new technologies and learn the tools for the purpose of integrating it into my future classroom curriculum. I hope we will have the chance to learn a bit how to operate Pocket PC'S, since the article about Personal Literacy Assistants (Baumbach, Christopher, Fasimpaur and Oliver, 2004), got me curious.
Regarding the article Learning while mobile - I think the option to take our studies outside the classroom walls is very exciting. As a studend in Israel we used to go out to Museums and other field trips, then talk about it in the classroom. However, the option of creating Web-based galleries to share with others sounds exciting to me. In Israel almost everyone has a mobile phone. Many times there are more than one phone per person, including children who have phones of their own. As much as I personally resist using mobile phones for talking because of health issues, (especially for kids), taking photos with it is less harmful. Moreover, it can be a fun experience and contribute to the students' desire to learn more in depth in order to be able to create a good, sharable web-based art gallery. This idea turns the Museum visit from a passive visual experience into an active, hands on, engaging practice.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
short readings-related reflection
Hi All,
I would like to write a little about my reflections and thought which are related to the readings we had.
First, Creating and Connecting - As I saw the words social networking, I immediately thought about the risks involved in letting kids use those services. How to prevent them from being those few that meet strangers? How do you protect your child from seeing and being exposed to harmful contents? How do we limit students from doing improper use of blogging in the classroom? Those are very important issues to think about when dealing with social networking as a teacher, parent or school policy member.
"The vast majority of students, then, seem to be living by the online safety behaviors they learn at home and at school" (p. 6).
It is reassuring to read that if you teach safety measures, most of your student would follow it, but still, we have to be aware of the minority students.
In addition, I was surprised to read that the majority of the students who use social networking talk specifically about schoolwork, hence, I agree that social networking can be directed towards educational and school work purposes!
In Learning Connections article, I enjoyed to find out about new technologies!
I especially liked the ReadPlease 2003. I think it can be a helpful tool not only for vision impaired students but also for students who are learning to read, or as it is written; "students can listen to their written products for word and punctuation omissions...and content of the sentences".
Lastly regarding this article - the Quality Images for the Classroom - I was surprised to think that I might have not been always aware of the copy rights unless it was right in front of my eyes! Reading about it definitely increased my awareness.
To Keyboard or not to Keyboard -
Here I was yet again surprised :-)
I haven't given the thought I would have to teach children to use the keyboard. Rather I thought - oh, it is something every child knows how to do this days... :-)
I liked the methods described here, and especially the opportunity to teach kids additional subjects such as Left and Right. I also liked the idea of having floor keyboard that the students can walk on. I always think that activities that involve the whole body and not only the mind, are very beneficial for young learners.
Have a good weekend, and see you Wednesday,
Anat
I would like to write a little about my reflections and thought which are related to the readings we had.
First, Creating and Connecting - As I saw the words social networking, I immediately thought about the risks involved in letting kids use those services. How to prevent them from being those few that meet strangers? How do you protect your child from seeing and being exposed to harmful contents? How do we limit students from doing improper use of blogging in the classroom? Those are very important issues to think about when dealing with social networking as a teacher, parent or school policy member.
"The vast majority of students, then, seem to be living by the online safety behaviors they learn at home and at school" (p. 6).
It is reassuring to read that if you teach safety measures, most of your student would follow it, but still, we have to be aware of the minority students.
In addition, I was surprised to read that the majority of the students who use social networking talk specifically about schoolwork, hence, I agree that social networking can be directed towards educational and school work purposes!
In Learning Connections article, I enjoyed to find out about new technologies!
I especially liked the ReadPlease 2003. I think it can be a helpful tool not only for vision impaired students but also for students who are learning to read, or as it is written; "students can listen to their written products for word and punctuation omissions...and content of the sentences".
Lastly regarding this article - the Quality Images for the Classroom - I was surprised to think that I might have not been always aware of the copy rights unless it was right in front of my eyes! Reading about it definitely increased my awareness.
To Keyboard or not to Keyboard -
Here I was yet again surprised :-)
I haven't given the thought I would have to teach children to use the keyboard. Rather I thought - oh, it is something every child knows how to do this days... :-)
I liked the methods described here, and especially the opportunity to teach kids additional subjects such as Left and Right. I also liked the idea of having floor keyboard that the students can walk on. I always think that activities that involve the whole body and not only the mind, are very beneficial for young learners.
Have a good weekend, and see you Wednesday,
Anat
Sunday, September 14, 2008
ISTE
...TO BE CONTINUE - STUDENTS STANDARDS
1a. "Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes."
Knowledge students earned in class studying prepositions watching Rosie’s Walk, was used towards generating a new product – Students’ Walk presentation, through a process of engagement in physical activity and peer interaction.
2a. "Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media."
Same can be said here: in I Spy and Student’s Walk, students were interacting and collaborating with their peers.
Usually when I think of working with technology the image I see is of an individual work. Hence, it is great to realize that use of technology can be not only a one-person engagement but a fun way of face to face interaction.
c. "Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures."
Although there were students from different cultures who worked together in our class, I do not think a development of cultural understanding and global awareness can be achieved only by engaging with learners of other cultures. Rather, I believe this objective can be achieved if this matter is directly inquired or targeted as a separate project.
In many ways, the activities took place in class last Wednesday did not relate to cultural understanding or global awareness. I feel that only one-sided understanding was achieved, in which the foreigner (me) became aware of the local culture and history (getting familiar with American literature). We did not discuss any cultural or global issues while working together but were more tasks oriented.
Please let me know if you have different thoughts on this one, or if you learned differently in your groups.
d."Contribute to project teams to produce original works."
In both projects - Student’s Walk and I spy - students had to collaborate in order to produce original work, therefore, all team members contributed to the project.
4. b. "plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project."
I do not have much to comment or reflect on this one. Students managed their activities and worked towards completing their projects.
5. a. "advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity."
Again, I do think there is much to add here…
6. a. "understand and use technology systems.
b. select and use applications effectively and productively
d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies."
All the above three objectives were achieved. Students definitely understood technology systems and used applications effectively, for this was the only way to complete their tasks. The students also transferred their current knowledge of technology to learning of new technologies. I can reflect here from my personal experience: since there are many similarities between, for example, Kids Pix and Word management, I was able to apply my current knowledge of Word software to Kids Pix.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
ISTE
I have to write that I really liked all the activities we had in class last Wednesday! I had some thoughts and reflections while doing them, but now when I have the ISTE in front of me, I will just go over the standards one by one, and share what I think about it with connection to the activities.
Standards for teachers:
1. "Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity...
a. Promote, support and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness".
I think this standard (1a) applies for all activities. Spilt Milk activity encouraged using students' imagination and creativeness by thinking of a new image that would fit in the story. In Rosie's walk students had to be creative by thinking about new examples for prepositions they learned from the story. I Spy is the most challenging of all in terms of encouraging student's innovative thinking and inventiveness skills, as it required students to take random objects and create a short poem which connects all of them together.
2. "Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning....
a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
b. develop tech-enriched learning environments that tenable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in their own...."
c. ...diverse learning styles..strategies..abilities.."
d. ... resulting data to inform learning and teaching."
2a - Teacher created digital opportunity for learning: In all 3 activities - Spilt Milk, Rosie's Walk and I spy, the teacher encouraged not only learning of target terms and learning material but also learning of new digital softwares and tools through self exploration. The teacher let children paint and write using Kids Pix software; take photos using digital camera and present study outcomes using Power Point presentation tool.
2b - My comment here relates specifically to the Power Point management in Rosie's Walk and I Spy. Both activities were done in groups of three and when it came to sitting in front of the Power Point, uploading pictures to the computer and manage the presentation, not all three students got equal opportunity to work and operate the technology. Here, in my opinion, the teacher has to explicitly ask that each student will make at least one Power Point slide in order for all of the group members to learn the technology.
2c - All three activities incorporated digital tools that enabled children to use their visual skills (e.g. drawing), linguistic skills (e.g. typing) and diverse learning styles. It had integrated multiple intelligences such as * individual work versus group work (Spilt milk versus Rosie's Walk and I Spy) * kynesthetic activity (Rosie's Walk) and * musical intelligence (the option to include music into a Power Point / Kids Pix softwares).
2d - All activities enabled the teacher to get good assessments of student's learning. The outcomes students presented represent in a great way whether a learning process accured or not. For example - if the student took a picture of his friends UNDER an object and wrote it on the top of the slide, the teacher can very clearly know if the student understood the term UNDER. However, in the Spilt Milk activity it might be a little difficult to know for sure, since sometimes students' painting skills, especially with a mouse, may be somewhat misleading (it requires a good fine motor skills to paint with a mouse). Hence, it can not always indicate on student's comprehension.
3.” Model digital-Age network and learning
a. Teachers…transfer current knowledge to new technologies and situations. “
This standard (3a) applies for all three activities, and I will give an example of one of them: In Rosie’s Walk, the knowledge gained was prepositions. The teacher transferred this knowledge to new technologies (e.g. digital camera, power point presentation) and situations (the student went for a walk instead of Rosie who went for a walk).
4. “Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.”
All students had equitable access to computers in Spilt Milk, but, as I mentioned before, in other two activities, there is a possibility that work is not distributed equally among students. Only one student was the one who downloads files From camera to computer and created the slide show. If the teacher wants to achieve equitable access to resources and tools, she would have to explicitly and clearly ask students to do so.
5. “…engage in professional growth and leadership
d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self – renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community.”
I think that engaging students’ learning with innovative digital resources contributes greatly to vitality and renewal of the school community. It enables school to use not only traditional learning tools such as books and work sheets but new digital technology trough which learning objectives can be sometimes achieved more effectively.
TO BE CONTINUE... (students' standards)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Finally
Finally after almost two weeks I get to publish my first Blog post. I had some technical difficulties but I assume they are solved. I never had a blog or an idea of how it is done and I am very excited to learn about it. I have always felt behind with technology, and I think CI 556 is going to be a wonderful and fun experience for me.
I feel that a blog might be a central tool in a classroom nowadays, (as well as in other educational settings) and I hope to find a way to incorporate it in my creative component this year and in the future, to use it with my students.
I feel that a blog might be a central tool in a classroom nowadays, (as well as in other educational settings) and I hope to find a way to incorporate it in my creative component this year and in the future, to use it with my students.
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