Week 8, Thing 19

I love Google Earth... and who would have thought that I already knew how to use it before this class?
I have not, however, used it in my classroom before and currently we are learning about our communities geography. What better than Google Earth to explore the terrain virtually?

Week 8, Thing 18

I really liked Slide Share, and had never heard of it before. I have found that short videos and Power Points really grab my students attention and so I use them frequently in my instruction. An upcoming assignment in class is creating our own PowerPoint about a biome. I found some great slide shows, that were both informative, and great models for the students to follow. Here is one on the Tundra:

Tundra biome

View more presentations from tiagocardoso.

Week 7, Thing 17

Before this excercise, I thought that Podcasts were only for i-PODS. To bring your listening centers into the 21st Century, you could forfeit the 20 year old cassette tape, and instead have students listen to a Podcast instead. You could also have students record a Podcast, perhaps as a way to present learning, especially for those kids who hate writing. As I get more familiar with the other technologies I am learning about, perhaps I will begin trying to incorporate Podcasts into my classroom.

Week 7, Thing 16

You Tube is about the only thing I was already familiar with before I began this class. I use You Tube in class frequently. When I teach Colorado Springs History, they have some great vintage promotional videos that show how the Springs looked in the early 50's, 60's and 70's. It is a neat "then and now" comparison for the kids. You Tube also has my favotite math videos "Math Mansion" which completely engage the students, are entertaining,and teach needed math skills.
The clip I chose to embed was just a cute little clip that a parent sent to me. Hope you enjoy.

Week 6, Thing 15

I absolutely love my new FLIP camera. I had several ideas about what to make for my video, and decided to do a video recording of my grandfather. My grandfather's grandmother lived with him until her dead when he was 11 years. The remarkable thing about her was that she was a slave, and she remembered when Abraham Lincoln freed abolished slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation. For Black History month, I have had my grandfather come in to my class and recount her stories, but I thought it would be even better to record them, so that they can be told even after he is gone.

Week 6, Thing 14

VoiceThread was really neat, and I look forward to using it in my classroom. Earlier in class I had come across a blog of a teacher who uses it to encourage writing. I think it would be an incentive for students to illustrate and then narrate a written piece of work. In third grade we also introduce and practice summarization of text all year long. I teach it summaries with a chant I created and graphics to help them remember all the needed elements. I'm thinking of putting in the graphics, and then having the students record what the graphic represents. Then, I can also have them record a summary of a selection with VoiceThread. I just think adding the technology and the opportunity for them to speak into a microphone and hear themselves would be a huge motivation.
I, however, was not a fan of hearing myself after I recorded, nor would I use this for personal use.
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