Thursday, February 5, 2009

Thing 21 and more



This is a video a a good friend sent to me today.
I would rather have any video saved on my computer to
use it in a class when I wanted and not have to depend on the web.
I included this one for a Thing 21 example.
I hope you enjoy it!

Thing 21

National Geographic Gorillas






I think Zamzar would be best for a Mac. Did it work? Well, I uploaded a .pdf to see if it could convert it to a .doc. It looks very promising!

I might use online video in a classroom if I have it already saved on my computer. At this time our bandwidth is "challenged" and although we can get YouTube videos, they slow the system down for others. We have been asked be careful of our use during the day.

Thing 20

Well, creating a podcast is pretty easy. I would say that it is easier to set up and create it than it is to talk clearly and professionally the first time through. I would recommend that a script be used and a couple of practices completed before a podcast is created. The next step is to add a video and digital pictures. OK, one thing at a time! This was painless...at least for the creator, now for the listener, that is another story.





Students would enjoy listening to podcasts of other students.
Students would enjoy CREATING podcasts especially if they were prepared aheaad of time. Kids are typicaly less intimidated than adults!
On what topics or for what units of instruction would I choose? Here are thoughts I attempted to include in my very first podcast!

IDEA #1
Children would enjoy creating a CHARACTER COUNTS Podcast to help young people understand the Six Pillars of character. A classroom of students could collaborate to create visual aids and posters related to the each of the character traits. A quick podcast each day could be shared with other classes also.

Trustworthiness
Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country

Respect
Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements

Responsibility
Do what you are supposed to do • Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your choices

Fairness
Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly

Caring
Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need

Citizenship
Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment


IDEA #2

When students prepare a science fair project, in addition to the board, a podcast could be saved and shared as instruction or an examples for future projects.
Part A. Talk about the Scientific Method
State the Purpose of your experiment - What are you trying to find out?
Tell what variable (something you will change/vary) will help you find your answer.
State your Hypothesis - your guess about what the answer will be.
Describe how you will change the variable you selected.
Describe how you will measure your results.

Part B Present Your Project
Turn your data into knowledge... then turn your knowledge into an outstanding display! Following are some important steps to consider for presenting your prodcast of your project.
1. Graphs and Charts - put the results in graphs and charts, take digital pictures and include these in your podcast.
2. Construct an Exhibit and talke pictures of all elements of the Display Make it fun, and show that you used the Scientific Method.
3. Podcast your Report - Tell the story of your project - tell what you did and exactly how you did it. Make sure to share where you gathered background information.


IDEA #3
Solve math problems; show how you can solve a problem in two or more different ways.


IDEA #4
Create individual little podcast book reviews with the goal of encouraging other students to read the book.


IDEA #5
Explain and demonstrate the steps required for any art project.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Thing 19

Book Wink - this offers video summaries of the books Endangered Animals and Quest for the Tree Kangaroo. Students would be quite motivated to read these books simply because of the very interesting introductions.

The WillowWeb had cute radio podcasts. I think students might enjoy creating these because so much learning and interaction is involved. I listened to some quality student experiences as students learned about science.

Poems on sonibyte are nice for those who would like to suscribe to the poem of the day. I did enjoy music links and especially the sixty Second Science. I think short and quick is the key to using these in the classroom. Having them downloaded and ready to go at the appropriate time is important; a number of links were no longer available.

Somewhere along the line I stumbled across the following website. I'm always going off in another direction. This is a good find to explore later! http://www.sitesforteachers.com/index.html

SanDiego Zoofari Chats provide very informational listening. These would be excellent resources for taking notes, researching a topic, and listening for details and practicing recall of information.These do not include a video but provide a depth of knowledge and information that is fascinating.

The storynory podcasts are cute read-a-longs. They are read by adults with great enthusiasm and expression making these very appealing. Listening with a visual component would be my choice.

Before you could makey our students aware of the many high quality podcasts, it will take a lot of previewing and planning on the part of any teacher. However, if you have a trusted group of Delicious colleagues who share an interest in podcasts for specific purposes, searching time can be cut considerably.

Thing 18 plus a little more

ClustrMaps http://clustrmap.com/admin/action.php



Thing 18

Here is my map! The door is open and the light is on! I'm waiting for visitors!

Locations of visitors to this page

Thing 17

I am enjoying creating projects on Wikispaces and find, once again, with each new Web 2.0 application, I become consumed in the experience.

How is a wiki different from a blog? I view a blog much like a personal and/or public diary with all of the visuals and links available to the reader. With a blog being linear, I would use it as a way to post thoughts to be shared with others. I tend to like developing projects using a wiki because I am more comfortable with a non=linear process. A wiki is easily developed as a website without the constraints of a blog.

The types of assignments that I envision a wiki being more appropriate than a blog would be when a small group of students contribute to a project, each having a set of responsibilities. A wiki would be a good opportunity for teamwork and sharing information on any subject. The wiki discussion tab will enable collaboration and communication.

Problems I can envision when planning a wiki developed by students would be in establishing who and to what extent each student has privileges to edit and make decisions about the structure and content of the wiki. Determining appropriate settings and privileges with the strengths and weaknesses of participating students in mind, would go a long way to build success into the construction of any collaborative project.