It's always easy to get inspired after going to a conference. I'm full of big ideas I'd like to implement next school year, but I know that once classes begin, I'll get bogged down in day-to-day operations. So for my last post, I want to point out three easy resources I know I definitely will come back to throughout the year.
As a tech team member, I plan to access i-SAFE, a site that offers free training and tips for making the Internet safer for students worldwide, over and over again as we deal with students using their online resources inappropriately, especially as the laptop program expands.
As an English teacher, I often use Web sites in the classroom, but it becomes cumbersome to recite long URL addresses for students to pull up on their own computers, so I plan to use TinyURL to create shorter and more easily copied addresses.
As a media teacher, I plan to experiment with the trick of simply changing the extension of a file to make it compatible with a program that doesn't want to recognize it; for example, sometimes you can just change the .mov from a QuickTime file to .wmv so it will open in Windows MovieMaker.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Top Reasons to Use Games
I think most of us know that kids love games, but at least if you're me, it's so hard to incorporate them into the classroom, because they require so much preparation. Even with the Internet, where templates abound, it's hard to track down what you are looking for. But Cheryl Temple, assistive technology services specialist for FCPS, has done the legwork for us. She compiled a bunch of templates on the JOSTI CD I have (which, once again, will be available to check out from the library), but here is a sneak peek.
Basically, Temple identified three types of games that can be modified for educational purposes: traditional games such as Connect 4, Tic Tac Toe, Cootie Catchers, and Bingo; video games such as Sim City, America's Army, and Revolution for social studies, River City, Quest Atlantis, and Food Force for science, and Skill Builders and Whyville for elementary; and game shows such as Chain Reaction, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and The Price is Right.
There are plenty of collections online to find templates for all three types of games: Try Jefferson County Schools, Internet4Classrooms, and EducationWorld. If you're feeling more adventurous, you can make board games from scratch. The drawing tools in Microsoft Word are usually enough to make a game board, and the Avery Wizard download for Word is good for creating game cards.
I've used the traditional game Charades and the game show $10,000 Pyramid for review in my AP Language class. And I use lots of video games from News University for instruction in my journalism class. The students' enjoyment is enough of a payoff for my hard work. But if you want to take the pressure off yourself, don't forget that you can have students design games themselves. After all, most of us learn best by teaching others, even when fun and games are involved.
Basically, Temple identified three types of games that can be modified for educational purposes: traditional games such as Connect 4, Tic Tac Toe, Cootie Catchers, and Bingo; video games such as Sim City, America's Army, and Revolution for social studies, River City, Quest Atlantis, and Food Force for science, and Skill Builders and Whyville for elementary; and game shows such as Chain Reaction, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and The Price is Right.
There are plenty of collections online to find templates for all three types of games: Try Jefferson County Schools, Internet4Classrooms, and EducationWorld. If you're feeling more adventurous, you can make board games from scratch. The drawing tools in Microsoft Word are usually enough to make a game board, and the Avery Wizard download for Word is good for creating game cards.
I've used the traditional game Charades and the game show $10,000 Pyramid for review in my AP Language class. And I use lots of video games from News University for instruction in my journalism class. The students' enjoyment is enough of a payoff for my hard work. But if you want to take the pressure off yourself, don't forget that you can have students design games themselves. After all, most of us learn best by teaching others, even when fun and games are involved.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Freedom of Speech Vocabulary 2.0
I'm a teacher of the verbal, but really, I'm a visual learner. Even though I love words, I learn them by seeing pictures in my head (just ask how I remember some Hebrew letter sounds). Amy Crowley-Gonsoulin, Kurt Kohls, and Aron Sterling, all technology specialists for FCPS who will present "Freedom of Speech" throughout the summer, know that many students are visual learners too, which is why vocabulary instruction is so challenging. Vocabulary also is also one of the main reasons for the achievement gap in schools, according to curriculum consultant Robert Marzano. And to increase vocabulary, he says, one must increase background knowledge. Pair this with educational consultant Lynell Burmark's belief that visuals are the fastest way to instill background knowledge, and you have a recipe for Vocabulary 2.0, the idea that reading and writing images is becoming just as important and effective if not more important and effective than reading and writing words. Marzano plus Burnell equals making vocabulary instruction interactive and visual, just like the Web. Every step, from direct instruction to independent practice should include images and sharing.
So when teachers introduce new words, they should always be connected to visuals, through word art in Microsoft Word (see Word and PowerPoint Tricks posting), clip art in PowerPoints (see Word and PowerPoint Tricks posting), or photos (from a copyright-free site) in PhotoShory (see Digital Storytelling posting).
Then, during guided practice, students should put definitions of vocabulary into their own words, which they can share with visual tools online, such as Blabberize and Gizmoz, both of which are serious fun for adults, so you can imagine how students would react, especially when they know the world can see their work. (A quick tip for using Audacity with these sites: You can use a two-prong audio cable to plug the headphone into the microphone to play pre-recorded files straight into the online recorder.)
For independent practice, students should associate words with images, through comic strips, photos, or videos. All of these site are interactive, because they allow students to share their work with classmates and Web users worldwide; Voicethread, in particular, is basically a photo blog, where others can even comment on your postings.
I think the biggest realization from this session, though, is that the visual learners are taking over the world. In fact, we're revamping the 12th-grade English curriculum to focus on "media literacy," which focuses on reading other media besides words, such as art, film, advertisement, and even multimedia Web sites. Indeed, our whole idea of what reading material is will continue to change, so vocabulary instruction must continue to adapt.
So when teachers introduce new words, they should always be connected to visuals, through word art in Microsoft Word (see Word and PowerPoint Tricks posting), clip art in PowerPoints (see Word and PowerPoint Tricks posting), or photos (from a copyright-free site) in PhotoShory (see Digital Storytelling posting).
Then, during guided practice, students should put definitions of vocabulary into their own words, which they can share with visual tools online, such as Blabberize and Gizmoz, both of which are serious fun for adults, so you can imagine how students would react, especially when they know the world can see their work. (A quick tip for using Audacity with these sites: You can use a two-prong audio cable to plug the headphone into the microphone to play pre-recorded files straight into the online recorder.)
For independent practice, students should associate words with images, through comic strips, photos, or videos. All of these site are interactive, because they allow students to share their work with classmates and Web users worldwide; Voicethread, in particular, is basically a photo blog, where others can even comment on your postings.
I think the biggest realization from this session, though, is that the visual learners are taking over the world. In fact, we're revamping the 12th-grade English curriculum to focus on "media literacy," which focuses on reading other media besides words, such as art, film, advertisement, and even multimedia Web sites. Indeed, our whole idea of what reading material is will continue to change, so vocabulary instruction must continue to adapt.
Google Tools in the Classroom
Just about any time I am on the computer, I use Google for something. And after hearing from Jeff Sisk, assistive technology services specialist for FCPS, I might use it even more, for searching, researching, calculating, and communicating.
Searching
Knowing the Boolean system upon which Google is based, I thought I was pretty efficient in my searching. But Jeff shared some helpful searches I didn't know about. First, you can search by file type. So for example, if you're searching for an animation to illustrate a process, you would be well served to use the Advanced Search page to look for Shockwave Flash (.swf) files. Ever been frustrated that the WBAIS Web page doesn't have a search function (don't worry, that is fixed in the new site)? Well, Google comes to the rescue: You can use the Advanced Search page to look within a specific Web site.
Researching
I finally have taught my students how to search for a phrase instead of a word so they get better research results. But with Advanced Search, you can search for these phrases in the title or URL of a page, which means the results are more likely to focus on the keywords. But we all know the credibility problems with Web sites, so that's why there is Google Books and Google Scholar (Schoogle). The former can be searched by full-text only to ensure useable results, and the latter can be search for scholarly journal articles for more informative results (Just beware that Schoogle also searches ERIC, whose citations will come up as "full text").
Calculating
That simple little text box on the Google page is more than a search engine; it's like an accessories package all rolled into one. Did you know that with some simple commands it can be used as a calculator, a dictionary, a spell checker, a weatherman, or a unit or currency converter? Check out this page to see all the features Google offers with just a few keystrokes.
Communicating
Google Labs is always introducing useful products for users, such Picasa, Gmail, and even this site Blogger. Some other great tools include Google Notebook, which allows your bookmarks to be portable much like with del.icio.us, and Google Sites, which allows you create Web sites that can act as wikis similar to Wikispaces and Wetpaint.
Google says its focus is on "rapid and continuous innovation," which can make it a one-stop surfing site for users. If you aren't ready to go traveling throughout the World Wide Web just yet, Google is by far the best place to visit for your first whirlwind tour.
Searching
Knowing the Boolean system upon which Google is based, I thought I was pretty efficient in my searching. But Jeff shared some helpful searches I didn't know about. First, you can search by file type. So for example, if you're searching for an animation to illustrate a process, you would be well served to use the Advanced Search page to look for Shockwave Flash (.swf) files. Ever been frustrated that the WBAIS Web page doesn't have a search function (don't worry, that is fixed in the new site)? Well, Google comes to the rescue: You can use the Advanced Search page to look within a specific Web site.
Researching
I finally have taught my students how to search for a phrase instead of a word so they get better research results. But with Advanced Search, you can search for these phrases in the title or URL of a page, which means the results are more likely to focus on the keywords. But we all know the credibility problems with Web sites, so that's why there is Google Books and Google Scholar (Schoogle). The former can be searched by full-text only to ensure useable results, and the latter can be search for scholarly journal articles for more informative results (Just beware that Schoogle also searches ERIC, whose citations will come up as "full text").
Calculating
That simple little text box on the Google page is more than a search engine; it's like an accessories package all rolled into one. Did you know that with some simple commands it can be used as a calculator, a dictionary, a spell checker, a weatherman, or a unit or currency converter? Check out this page to see all the features Google offers with just a few keystrokes.
Communicating
Google Labs is always introducing useful products for users, such Picasa, Gmail, and even this site Blogger. Some other great tools include Google Notebook, which allows your bookmarks to be portable much like with del.icio.us, and Google Sites, which allows you create Web sites that can act as wikis similar to Wikispaces and Wetpaint.
Google says its focus is on "rapid and continuous innovation," which can make it a one-stop surfing site for users. If you aren't ready to go traveling throughout the World Wide Web just yet, Google is by far the best place to visit for your first whirlwind tour.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Digital Storytelling
I'm sure it's clear by now that technology has provided us with many digital opportunities to tell stories, but Dianne Caron and Meaghan Tracy, assistive technology services specialists for FCPS, focused on one of the most accessible tools for all ages: PhotoStory, which is available as a free download for Windows users. The basic process of creating a story in the program is to import and sequence a group of photos, add text to any or all photos, record narration that accompanies a single photo or the entire series, then pick motion to transition from photo to photo.
Caron and Tracy also offered some tips for each stage to make a basic PhotoStory more compelling.
Photos: The size of a photo will not only affect the quality of the picture but also the added text, so when searching in Google images, go to advanced search to select the size of picture to search for, then make sure to click and save the full-size picture, not the thumbnail.
Text: If you need to place more text in areas not allowed by PhotoStory, you can add the text in PhotoShop before importing the photo. If you don't have PhotoShop, you can do the same thing with with a PowerPoint slide saved as a JPG.
Narration: If you want to use clips of music instead of a whole song, you can create them in MovieMaker and save them as WMAs to string together in PhotoStory. If you need even more complicated cuts in narration, you can import the entire PhotoStory into MovieMaker, where you can also add video.
Motion: In order to scan a single photo, you must copy the image multiple times in the photo sequence. On scan for the first photo, specify start and end and uncheck the transition box. On consecutive photos, specify the start point to be the end point of the previous photo.
The application of this program for language arts is clear: You can have students create their own stories or continue where other narratives leave off. But we also brainstormed ideas for other content areas. In science, students could document the stages of the scientific process with photos. In math, students could document the stages of solving a word problem, substituting photos for text. In social studies, students could present primary source documents about a historical event. As someone suggested, PhotoStory has become the new PowerPoint, adding just a little bit more flair to the typical Parents' Night and Welcome Back presentations as well. The good news is, you can import your PowerPoints into PhotoStory and find ways to make them even more engaging by adding photos, narration and motion. Better yet, why not have students do this for you after you present a PowerPoint? In technology, a better product always comes along, but at least with PhotoStory, the transition to better tools is relatively simple.
Caron and Tracy also offered some tips for each stage to make a basic PhotoStory more compelling.
Photos: The size of a photo will not only affect the quality of the picture but also the added text, so when searching in Google images, go to advanced search to select the size of picture to search for, then make sure to click and save the full-size picture, not the thumbnail.
Text: If you need to place more text in areas not allowed by PhotoStory, you can add the text in PhotoShop before importing the photo. If you don't have PhotoShop, you can do the same thing with with a PowerPoint slide saved as a JPG.
Narration: If you want to use clips of music instead of a whole song, you can create them in MovieMaker and save them as WMAs to string together in PhotoStory. If you need even more complicated cuts in narration, you can import the entire PhotoStory into MovieMaker, where you can also add video.
Motion: In order to scan a single photo, you must copy the image multiple times in the photo sequence. On scan for the first photo, specify start and end and uncheck the transition box. On consecutive photos, specify the start point to be the end point of the previous photo.
The application of this program for language arts is clear: You can have students create their own stories or continue where other narratives leave off. But we also brainstormed ideas for other content areas. In science, students could document the stages of the scientific process with photos. In math, students could document the stages of solving a word problem, substituting photos for text. In social studies, students could present primary source documents about a historical event. As someone suggested, PhotoStory has become the new PowerPoint, adding just a little bit more flair to the typical Parents' Night and Welcome Back presentations as well. The good news is, you can import your PowerPoints into PhotoStory and find ways to make them even more engaging by adding photos, narration and motion. Better yet, why not have students do this for you after you present a PowerPoint? In technology, a better product always comes along, but at least with PhotoStory, the transition to better tools is relatively simple.
Word and PowerPoint Tricks
I've been using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint since I began teaching, and I thought I was making ultimate use of them. I was wrong. Even these most basic programs can be utilized better to create more interactive activities for students, according to Sandra Morrissette, assistive technology services specialist for FCPS. There are so many unsung options of Word and PowerPoint that I can't list them all here (I have a disk with all the ideas from JOSTI, which I will copy, so it can be checked out from the library), but here are a few that I found particularly intriguing:
Word
Use forms to create digital quizzes (yea paperless!): By going to View, then Toolbar, then Forms, you will get a menu bar that lets you insert check boxes, for multiple-choice questions; drop-down menus, for true-false questions; and text fields, for short-answer questions. You get the same feedback, but students feel like they are filling out an online survey instead of an assessment. (In terms of preventing cheating, I would suggest having students give their answers to you by USB disk instead of by G drive.)
Convert documents to Web pages to give hints: If you put the hints in white-colored text in a Word document, when you save the file as a Web page and post for students, they will be able to triple-click on hidden text, which highlights it and therefore makes it "appear." This especially works for younger students who like looking for the hints. Unlike the above suggestion, this would probably be used for independent or group practice, not assessment.
Use word art to make vocabulary look like what it means: By going to View, then Toolbar, then Drawing, you will get a menu bar that allows you to Insert Word Art. Once you insert a word, you will get a new menu bar that allows you to put a picture within the word: Go to Format, then Color and Lines tab, then Fill Effect, then Picture tab, then Select Picture; here, you can choose a photo or clip art from your files to reflect the word. Picture the word "summer" with suns inside, for example. You could even have students create their own word art, then compile all their submissions into a set of flash cards for partner drilling.
Word to PowerPoint
Use the presentation outline in Word to create a guide for PowerPoint: By going to View, then Toolbar, then Outline, you can create a traditional outline with as many levels (I, A, 1, a) as necessary. You could fill in some blanks for students or have them start from scratch. Once the outline is completed, use Send to PowerPoint under File, so the outline is converted to PowerPoint slides. Students like to present, but they don't always think about organization as much as when they write; this allows them to pay attention to order without making extra work.
PowerPoint
Use typeable text boxes to make presentations more interactive: By going to View, then Toolbars, then Control Toolbox, you will get a menu that allows you to Draw Text Box. You will not be able to insert any text during editing, but once you go to Slideshow mode, the typeable text boxes will appear. By showing the PowerPoint on a SmartBoard, you could have students fill in the blanks as you go through the presentation, which turns it into a group activity instead of an individual presentation.
Word
Use forms to create digital quizzes (yea paperless!): By going to View, then Toolbar, then Forms, you will get a menu bar that lets you insert check boxes, for multiple-choice questions; drop-down menus, for true-false questions; and text fields, for short-answer questions. You get the same feedback, but students feel like they are filling out an online survey instead of an assessment. (In terms of preventing cheating, I would suggest having students give their answers to you by USB disk instead of by G drive.)
Convert documents to Web pages to give hints: If you put the hints in white-colored text in a Word document, when you save the file as a Web page and post for students, they will be able to triple-click on hidden text, which highlights it and therefore makes it "appear." This especially works for younger students who like looking for the hints. Unlike the above suggestion, this would probably be used for independent or group practice, not assessment.
Use word art to make vocabulary look like what it means: By going to View, then Toolbar, then Drawing, you will get a menu bar that allows you to Insert Word Art. Once you insert a word, you will get a new menu bar that allows you to put a picture within the word: Go to Format, then Color and Lines tab, then Fill Effect, then Picture tab, then Select Picture; here, you can choose a photo or clip art from your files to reflect the word. Picture the word "summer" with suns inside, for example. You could even have students create their own word art, then compile all their submissions into a set of flash cards for partner drilling.
Word to PowerPoint
Use the presentation outline in Word to create a guide for PowerPoint: By going to View, then Toolbar, then Outline, you can create a traditional outline with as many levels (I, A, 1, a) as necessary. You could fill in some blanks for students or have them start from scratch. Once the outline is completed, use Send to PowerPoint under File, so the outline is converted to PowerPoint slides. Students like to present, but they don't always think about organization as much as when they write; this allows them to pay attention to order without making extra work.
PowerPoint
Use typeable text boxes to make presentations more interactive: By going to View, then Toolbars, then Control Toolbox, you will get a menu that allows you to Draw Text Box. You will not be able to insert any text during editing, but once you go to Slideshow mode, the typeable text boxes will appear. By showing the PowerPoint on a SmartBoard, you could have students fill in the blanks as you go through the presentation, which turns it into a group activity instead of an individual presentation.
Lights, Camera, Education!
All right, all right, I'll admit that going to this session was purely self-indulgence. I had no delusions that I would be able to apply this video class to anything other than English. Indeed, Dave Watnee and Anita Musser, technology specialists for FCPS, explained film in terms of narrative: a shot equals a paragraph, a scene equals a chapter, and a movie equals a book.
And the American Film Institute program they explained included elements of the writing process. As a class, we actually did an activity that students could do. First, we freewrote to brainstorm: We had only 10 minutes to shoot a short film about a mysterious noise behind a door. Then after learning more about film shots, the equivalent of writing devices, we prewrote: We outlined the film in storyboard format. As we planned, we revised our initial brainstorming: We added more effective shots, especially to convey suspense or, in my group's case, comedy (let's just say our story was literally toilet humor). Next, we peer-revised: We traded storyboards and shot another group's film. Last, we published our work: We showed our films to the class for critique. The only step missing was time for the original group to redo the film after seeing the results of the peer shoot. And we did this all in three hours, roughly two blocks.
How, you ask, did we manage to complete such a tech-intensive activity in such a short amount of time? We went old school: The entire film had to be created shot for shot in real time, without the aid of editing software, then we simply hooked up each camera to the projector to show our films. At least for most typical assessments I can think of, outside of film class, this technique would work perfectly. Instead of students taking a test or quiz, they could have so much time to plan and make a film about a concept being taught. Maybe they document a scientific experiment. Maybe they create an educational film for children about angles. Maybe they recreate a scene from history. And having to plan and rationalize their shot choices increases the depth of their understanding.
But, of course, you could take any such activity to the next level, by allowing students to perfect their films through editing. Perhaps an "educational video" category could be added Festivid, Fred? And if that doesn't work, Dave Navis, of Hong Kong International School, would be happy to see more entries for his school's Virtual Film Festival. Much like with podcasting, film allows for an assessment format that goes beyond the teacher's eyes and therefore toward the student's interest.
And the American Film Institute program they explained included elements of the writing process. As a class, we actually did an activity that students could do. First, we freewrote to brainstorm: We had only 10 minutes to shoot a short film about a mysterious noise behind a door. Then after learning more about film shots, the equivalent of writing devices, we prewrote: We outlined the film in storyboard format. As we planned, we revised our initial brainstorming: We added more effective shots, especially to convey suspense or, in my group's case, comedy (let's just say our story was literally toilet humor). Next, we peer-revised: We traded storyboards and shot another group's film. Last, we published our work: We showed our films to the class for critique. The only step missing was time for the original group to redo the film after seeing the results of the peer shoot. And we did this all in three hours, roughly two blocks.
How, you ask, did we manage to complete such a tech-intensive activity in such a short amount of time? We went old school: The entire film had to be created shot for shot in real time, without the aid of editing software, then we simply hooked up each camera to the projector to show our films. At least for most typical assessments I can think of, outside of film class, this technique would work perfectly. Instead of students taking a test or quiz, they could have so much time to plan and make a film about a concept being taught. Maybe they document a scientific experiment. Maybe they create an educational film for children about angles. Maybe they recreate a scene from history. And having to plan and rationalize their shot choices increases the depth of their understanding.
But, of course, you could take any such activity to the next level, by allowing students to perfect their films through editing. Perhaps an "educational video" category could be added Festivid, Fred? And if that doesn't work, Dave Navis, of Hong Kong International School, would be happy to see more entries for his school's Virtual Film Festival. Much like with podcasting, film allows for an assessment format that goes beyond the teacher's eyes and therefore toward the student's interest.
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