A Classrooms Without Walls
As I continue to explore in this Library2Play2, I am starting to see the walls of my classroom peeling open even more. I am surely getting a better grasp of what people mean when they say we are in an era where classrooms are "without walls". Connecting to the world is getting easier and easier as we learn more about the capabilities of the Internet.
The SchoolTube Site is impressive. The promotional videos give true accounts from students that prove that educators must meet them at their technological "zone of proximity". I will continue to comb through that site for videos to integrate and upload some of my own.
These sites provide a wide variety of voices and levels for delivering a topic. Short clips could be used as a way to get the students into a topic. I think a readers theatre archive would be cool. Kids can put together rehearsed reader's theatre presentations and upload them. The uploads could also be used to show students how to do reader's theatre and serve as a great way for kids to listen to good models of oral reading.
6/30/09
6/17/09
Thing 3: Skyper
Skype (sounds like an 80's hair band) or one of the other internet conference calling hosts is going to be a stand in for video conferencing for me. My students and I participated in a statewide video conference called Texas History Mystery and enjoyed the whole experience from researching our topic to deciding on the methods of delivering our ideas about our topic and then rehearsing for the conference. Our greatest learning came from our reflections on the whole process and deciding ways to make it better. So, I look forward to doing a lot more of this type of learning experience in my classroom. Video conferencing with services like Skype could be used for cross-classroom reader's theatre, book clubs, author sharing, book reviews... so many more uses come to mind.
The thing that interested me the most on this thing's links are the screen sharing applications: TalkandWrite and Teamviewer. As a 4th grade writing teacher, I know that good writers need good creative partners to help them through the writing process. This would be a great tool to go beyond the walls of the classroom and partner with kids in other classrooms. With such different types of learners in each classroom, this is one way to connect kids with like interests.
The thing that interested me the most on this thing's links are the screen sharing applications: TalkandWrite and Teamviewer. As a 4th grade writing teacher, I know that good writers need good creative partners to help them through the writing process. This would be a great tool to go beyond the walls of the classroom and partner with kids in other classrooms. With such different types of learners in each classroom, this is one way to connect kids with like interests.
When I work more with each of these applications, I will get a clearer picture on which works best for my classroom purposes. Obviously the most user friendly would be the best.
The link below is another point of view on these types of applications.
6/10/09
Thing 2: Generation Image generators
Wordle an Wordsift. Since playing with words is what writers do (and by nature of the relationship, readers do this too), These two applications are a multipurpose tool for writers and readers . Kinda like that Leatherman gadget my husband can't live without. Need a word? Wordsift it. Want to know more about that word? Wordsift it. Need to find the main idea? Wordle it. Need to find common ideas between two texts? Wordle them together. These would be great tools for word study portfolios.
That is my grandmother and my nephew. She is our eldest family member, and he is our youngest. She collected black and white photos in a paper book. How will he collect photos? She wrote letters to friends and family with a pen and paper, sent them using a stamp, and waited for days and weeks to receive a reply. How will he "write" to friends and family?
A story from my Grandma's life: Tropical Storm Allison flooded her home to the roof. Most of her pics and videos drowned, and letters turned to mush.
With the web 2.o tools in this Thing, this kind of loss is preventable. Also, these tools apply to the classroom seamlessly.
With Voicethread, we can share our photos, comment using authentic voice, and even use a drawing tool to highlight parts of the photo. The way I will apply this tool? Students could scan in work that they have done, upload it to Voice thread, and have others comment on what they see. I could post content related photos and ESL students can hear my comments as well as others' comments on photos that they see. The pen can "talk" them through images in the photo.
With glogster, students can publish pieces of writing with graphics and photos. They can insert an "about the author". Then this can be a place to share and comment but mostly to get positive feedback. This differs from a handcrafted publishing poster in that students from other communities can see it, AND students are working with the parameters set by the application. Handcrafted posters, of course, allow for more creativity. I found it hard to find just what I was looking for. The categories could use some expansion. I see why this would be popular with preteens and middle-schoolers as a social playground.
Animoto brings life to still photography. At the SBISD Convocation, Animoto was used to show pics of SBISD goings on. The choreographed slide show set to upbeat music evoked an energy never found with a powerpoint. Kids can create content Animotos. Pics of Texas regions set to some classic country, snapshots of classmates during a lab coupled with some popular tunes. Fun ways to share learning on a blog!
Finally, there's Bookr. This screams self-made ESL books. Content pics with simple text. I can also see many ways to apply this to writing publication. I wish there was a better way to colorize the cover and create borders and backgrounds, but the flipping pages is fun!
So back to my grandma and nephew. How will her memories be stored? In our hearts and on the few photos left behind. How will his? As of today, the possibilities prove to be countless..I can't imagine what the possibilities will be for him when he is an adult!
That is my grandmother and my nephew. She is our eldest family member, and he is our youngest. She collected black and white photos in a paper book. How will he collect photos? She wrote letters to friends and family with a pen and paper, sent them using a stamp, and waited for days and weeks to receive a reply. How will he "write" to friends and family?A story from my Grandma's life: Tropical Storm Allison flooded her home to the roof. Most of her pics and videos drowned, and letters turned to mush.
With the web 2.o tools in this Thing, this kind of loss is preventable. Also, these tools apply to the classroom seamlessly.
With Voicethread, we can share our photos, comment using authentic voice, and even use a drawing tool to highlight parts of the photo. The way I will apply this tool? Students could scan in work that they have done, upload it to Voice thread, and have others comment on what they see. I could post content related photos and ESL students can hear my comments as well as others' comments on photos that they see. The pen can "talk" them through images in the photo.
With glogster, students can publish pieces of writing with graphics and photos. They can insert an "about the author". Then this can be a place to share and comment but mostly to get positive feedback. This differs from a handcrafted publishing poster in that students from other communities can see it, AND students are working with the parameters set by the application. Handcrafted posters, of course, allow for more creativity. I found it hard to find just what I was looking for. The categories could use some expansion. I see why this would be popular with preteens and middle-schoolers as a social playground.
Animoto brings life to still photography. At the SBISD Convocation, Animoto was used to show pics of SBISD goings on. The choreographed slide show set to upbeat music evoked an energy never found with a powerpoint. Kids can create content Animotos. Pics of Texas regions set to some classic country, snapshots of classmates during a lab coupled with some popular tunes. Fun ways to share learning on a blog!
Finally, there's Bookr. This screams self-made ESL books. Content pics with simple text. I can also see many ways to apply this to writing publication. I wish there was a better way to colorize the cover and create borders and backgrounds, but the flipping pages is fun!
So back to my grandma and nephew. How will her memories be stored? In our hearts and on the few photos left behind. How will his? As of today, the possibilities prove to be countless..I can't imagine what the possibilities will be for him when he is an adult!
6/7/09
Thing 1: Connectivism
The wired student has power. This students knows his/her limits within the learning space but focuses on the infinite connections at his/her fingertips. Learning is a guided quest. Guided by teachers, librarians, classmates, and cyber learners with like interests, this connected researcher accesses sources as varied and diverse as the people with whom he/she can share his/her learning. At least that is what this video seems to depict. What a concept!
I only hope to become that teacher. I know I will need help from my librarian and other teachers on my campus. Like the video suggests, though, help isn't confined to the campus. I can enlist the brains of those who share their experiences online!
I only hope to become that teacher. I know I will need help from my librarian and other teachers on my campus. Like the video suggests, though, help isn't confined to the campus. I can enlist the brains of those who share their experiences online!
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