Because It's Fluffy!

This morning I was scanning my Twitter feed and came across this tweet from @eol (Encyclopedia of Life):

I checked out the website http://www.flickr.com/groups/encyclopedia_of_life/discuss/72157630109103478/ in order to find out what it was about. The Encyclopedia of Life has a contest for people to send in pictures of fluffy things. This got me to thinking about how this would be a fun activity to do in the classroom!

Here are some ideas that I thought of:

• The idea above for something fluffy, something furry, something smooth, something sharp would reinforce those words with images.  
• Have students take pictures of things that look like the alphabet, shapes, numbers, specific colors, etc.
   
• Take several images to reinforce the concept of beginning, middle, end; for example, taking a picture of a piece of wrapped candy as the beginning, starting to unwrap the candy as the middle, the unwrapped candy as the end.


• Taking pictures and then showing to the class and have students write what they think happened right before the image was taken or what happened next.


• Take pictures of angles or other math concepts.

What are some ideas that you come up with?

I must admit the first thing that came to my mind about a fluffy contest was a line from one of my favorite movies, "Despicable Me". Do you remember it?

http://youtu.be/SNLJDR-XbVY 
From Despicable Me: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1323594/

Making Stories Talk

Have you been testing this week? It's a pretty straight-forward format - teachers read directions, students are quiet, read the questions silently and mark their responses. When they are finished for the day, both teachers and students are looking for exciting ways to express their ideas and things they are learning and have learned throughout the year. So why not put some sound in the mix and make your stories talk!

Below are a few of the tools I like to help the teachers incorporate into their lessons and students request them as a favorite and fun way to share their ideas (and even do a homework assignment).

Blabberize is a fun way to take a photo and make it look like it's talking. Your creation can be done in just a few minutes by uploading a photo, mark the moving points for the "mouth", and record your voice/message. It can then be shared on a blog or website.

Voki allows you to add your voice to a talking avatar that you've created or use one provided. It is a great way to present an idea and can be shared on a website or blog. The Voki website has free lesson plans for all grade levels and subject areas.

Voicethread is a easy way to create an audio presentation and allow others to comment through phone, text, microphone, webcam, or upload a file. You can even draw on the page while recording your comment.

Here are some of the ideas we used for our "talking stories."

• "All About Me" story
• Events from a field trip
• Book Talk
• Movie Trailer
• Demonstrate a Concept, Rule, etc.
• Explain a topic (Cyberbullying)
• Present an "Oral Test"
• Recreate an historical event

Whenever you get ready to have the students create a story, demonstrate a mathematical process, review for a test (and the list could go on forever), maybe one of these tools will bring a little "vocalization" into your classroom. Feel free to share your ideas for a talking story. I'll help spread the word.

Create a Comic Strip or a Comic Book

Comic strips are a good activity for students. They allow teachers to see if students understand the concepts taught in class. They also allow the students to show their creative side while having fun at the same time. The sites allow you to drag and drop characters, backgrounds, dialog boxes and add your text. They are very easy to manipulate. Here are 4 comic strip sites that are free and school friendly.

http://superherosquad.marvel.com/create_your_own_comic

http://www.pikikids.com/

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/

http://www.pixton.com/

Superherosquad.marvel.com allows you to drag and drop super heroes (as the site name implies). This site also gives you the option to create a comic book. Pikikids.com gives you the option to upload your own photographs. The students could use their phones to take the pictures. The photography teacher in me advises you to teach your students about composition and lighting before you send your students out on their photo excursion. Makebeliefscomix.com allows the user to write the comic strip in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Latin. Pixton.com has a link for schools.

No matter what subject you teach, these comic strip sites give you the opportunity to assign a fun activity to your students.

Spark Creativity with Kerpoof!

After attending Simple K12's webinar, Spark Creativity and Innovation from @timeoutdad, I became a big fan of Kerpoof. Kerpoof is a free webtool that is kid friendly and allows students to create original works of art in a safe environment. Students can create pictures, animated movies, stories and more! Teachers can showcase student work by downloading their art as a JPEG file and embedding it into their website. Teacher accounts are free and anyone who is interested can sign up here. Teachers who register can arrange their students into classes and create class discussion boards (moderated by the teacher). There is a chat feature available that can be activated/deactivated by the teacher. Also, students can collaborate on a project in real-time from different computers.

Why do teachers love Kerpoof?

• It inspires creativity

• Students are in control of their own learning

• Various activities and creative tools enables students to produce a quality work product

• "A happy child = a happy learner" - @timeoutdad

What can students create?

Spell a Picture (K-3): Students can spell out objects to make them appear in their picture. If they wish to animate their objects/characters, spell out verbs like "jump" and students can watch as their objects come to life!

Make a Picture (K-3): Students choose a background, select images/characters or create their own with the drawing tool.

Make a Drawing (K-8): Students start with a blank slate and use the drawing tools to create their own masterpiece from scratch.

Make a Movie (K-8): Students can select a scene and drag objects/characters into their movie. Characters and objects can be animated or carry on a dialogue with a mouse click.

Not sure where to start? Kerpoof offers teachers a list of ideas for using Kerpoof in the classroom and a variety of downloadable lesson plans .For more information on using Kerpoof in the classroom, check out Kerpoof Scholastics.

Using Digital Video to Engage Students

Digital media are buzz words you often hear in education today. Thankfully, research is showing us that using digital media to create digital videos is paying off in the classroom. I recently read an article in the Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) journal about three beginning English Language Arts (ELA) teachers and how they used digital videos to engage their students.

The teachers wanted to find a way to get students to look beyond the literal meaning of a piece of text and believed digital video was the right strategy for helping students to achieve this objective. Students were to explore a piece of literature, poem, etc. and capture the human experience from it in a digital video. The teachers were thrilled with the profound ways the students were able to share their opinions, thoughts, and feelings through images, sound, and minimal print text. All three teachers shared a common opinion; a traditional teaching tool (writing a paper) would not have produced the same creative result.

What was the result? By having students create digital videos, their literacy skills (storytelling, plot development, personal voice, etc.) and writing skills (researching, storyboarding, drafting, revising, and adding/deleting content) had improved. Students were challenged because they really had to think about what they saw before they could start the project. Considering most students engage regularly with a variety of digital media outside of school, we should build on that exposure in the classroom. Giving students the right tools for creative expression will engage students and promote higher thinking skills.

Image from: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=659

Ever "Wonder" about Digitial Storytelling?

This past week the Department of Instructional Technology provided a series of summer workshops on a variety of great topics ranging from Edmodo to Thinkfinity to digital storytelling. Digital storytelling has always been an area of interest for me so I decided to seek out some resources and ideas on how teachers can use it in their classrooms. Thanks to the great team of people I work with at DIT, I came across Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano's "How to Guide: Digital Storytelling Tools for Educators." Silvia's guide offered many great tools for integrating digital storytelling in the classroom. Silvia's guide provides teachers with step by step instructions and visuals on how to use tools like Audacity, VoiceThread, and many others.

After reading Silvia's guide I was inspired to make a presentation for our summer workshop, "Tell Me a Story." Below is the presentation Melissa and I shared with teachers at our workshop:

As a former classroom teacher, I know sometimes generating a idea, or finding a starting point for a project can be the most difficult part. After last weeks workshop I decided to look for even more ways teachers could use digital stories in the classroom and I came across Wonderopolis. I've heard my colleagues talk about it so I was curious to see if this was something that would go hand in hand with digital storytelling. Needless to say, I was very excited by the possibilities!

Each day Wonderopolis offers a new "Wonder of the Day" by posing different questions about the world around us. In their 60+ list of categories, you can find a Wonder that fits your content area (Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, Technology, Science, etc.) or suits an area of interest. Regardless of what content or grade level you teach, there is a Wonder that would feed a students curiosity and yours! Ever wonder what causes freckles? (I actually had a student ask me this while on a field trip.) Do you know how perennials and annuals are different? What's so special about Broadway? These are all great questions! You can find answers to over 260 questions like these at Wonderopolis on their Wonders page.

What does any of this have to do with digital storytelling? Well...why not have your students illustrate and narrate a story on VoiceThread that explains how a species becomes endangered?
If you are planning a unit on explorers, students could create a timeline (timetoast is a great timeline maker) highlighting what the Lewis and Clark expedition is about. Why not have students create a public service announcement stressing the importance of why we need to wash our hands? As students create their projects, don't forget to remind them to cite their sources. Growing your students creativity and imagination just got easier thanks to Wonderopolis!

Need more information about Wonderopolis? Check out our blog posts!

For more ideas and information on digital storytelling, check out our LiveBinder:

Tell Me a Story

image from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2125

Storytelling and Writing

How do you get students to write? If you settle for paper and pencil, it might be a bit of a struggle. Why not try using some storytelling tools that you can find online? I follow a blog by Ozge Karaoglue (she is @ozge on Twitter) and her June 13th blog was about "Telling Your Stories Through Writing". Her blog had some web sites listed that I had not heard of before and I wanted to share them with you here. Be sure to visit Ozge's blog to find more web tools to use for writing.

The first web site that I would like to share with you is Myths and Legends Story Creator. This web site looks really interesting. First, teachers would need to register their school (which is free), and then students can create their own login information and find their school to join. Teachers can leave messages for students to view about their stories. There is a wide variety of backgrounds for students to select from, a lot of different pictures, text bubbles, etc. to choose from. Students can upload their own images and record sound effects for a particular frame of the story. As the web site name indicates, there are images with castles, knights, dragons, and other mythical items to choose from. This was quick and easy to get started with. I would suggest giving students time to view the images before actually starting their stories. When students are finished, they can submit their story to their teacher. 

Another web site that I liked from Ozge's blog was "What-if questions for stories". A lot of time students don't know what to write about. By going to this web site, students can click on the Genie to find a story starter that might get the ideas flowing for students. If the student doesn't like one story starter, they just click for another. I was clicking through and saw this one: "What if a bandit captured a vampire?". I believe that students would really have a lot to write about with this story starter.

Here is my Diigo list of other websites for digital storytelling: http://www.diigo.com/user/dorenebates/digitalstorytelling.

Another great site for student interactives that have to do with digital stories is ReadWriteThink (a partner site of Thinkfinity): http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/.

Come on, let's write!

Put on your thinking cap!

Have you ever been told to put on your thinking cap?

Have you ever said that to someone?

I remember saying that to my 4th grade students, but I am not really sure what that even means. I found this great Storybird Creation which provides a brief explanation of de Bono's six thinking hats. Each color represents a different level and/or kind of thinking.

The Thinking Hats by janeh271 on Storybird

This is another lovely creation from janeh271 (I have written about her creations before ). I found this one after seeing a message about a resource wiki (inquiry, creativity, and thinking) on twitter from @surreallyno. This is an example of a great digital storytelling that can be done using Storybird.

Using Movie Maker with Your Students

How often do you use Movie Maker with your students? There are some great ways to use Movie Maker as part of a lesson presentation or as projects for your students. Here is a list of ideas taken from the Digital Learning Environments News - May 2010 edition:
http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/professional_development/how_make_lessons_memorable_movie

Six Ways to Use Movies

1. Create a timeline that moves
• Present a succession of historical events in a photo slide show with music from that period.
2. Make your movie morph
• For science class, present the stages of development in the life of a butterfly. Create a photo slide show with images you grab from bing.com.
3. Demonstrate things you can’t bring to class
• Videotape feeding time for lions or gorillas at the zoo. Or capture the physics at play in a local skate park with still photos or video.
4. Share the classics in a fresher way
• Shoot video of various students reciting a phrase or two from a Shakespearean sonnet. String them together in a movie, and suddenly all eyes are on the screen. The whole class hangs on every famous word.
5. Try a different angle for math
• For math class, share all the ways that angles appear in everyday life, from a city skyscraper to the painted lines in the school parking lot to the countless angles at play on a pool table.
6. Start a lively debate
• Frame a debate topic by sharing the pros and cons of an issue with photos.

Here are some other great ideas for including Movie Maker in lessons and projects for your students:
Movie Maker Lessons & Movie Maker Worksheets by Lesson Planet
http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=movie+maker&rating=3

Techno Kids – Camp Technology Project
http://www.technokids.com/computer-curriculum/camp/movie-maker-lesson-plans-technoproducer.aspx

Scholastic.com
http://www.scholastic.com/dreamincolor/digitalstorytelling/pdfs/Target_DS_Lesson4.pdf

The Learning Power of Digital Storytelling

I recently downloaded a copy of Tell a Story, Become a Lifelong Learner from Microsoft Education. Within this guide it states that there are many educational benefits for teachers to use digital storytelling learning projects with their students. Teachers who have used digital storytelling note that student grades improve and students are more likely to do homework and engage in classwork. Digital storytelling also helps students develop technology skills and can inspire them to be lifelong learners. When students are given the opportunity to create digital stories students are inspired to dig deeper into the subject and communicate what they learn in a creative way.

Here is a list of the educational benefits that prepare students for success in the 21st century:

1. Encourage research
2. Fosters critical thinking skills
3. Encourage students to write and to work at becoming better writers
4. Gives students a voice
5. Tells a personal narrative
6. Helps students retain knowledge longer
7. Enhances learning by encouraging students to communicate effectively
8. Helps students make a connection between the classroom and the outside world
9. Encourages creativity
10. Works well with portfolio assessments
11. Promotes digital literacy

Another benefit of digital storytelling is that all six 2007 National Education Technology Standards (NETS) are addressed:

1. Creativity and innovation
2. Communication and collaboration
3. Research and information fluency
4. Critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making
5. Digital citizenship
6. Technology operations and concepts

The guide shares examples of digital stories created by students, a suggested outline of how to create a great digital story and a list of resources for teachers. The guide also helps teachers decide which tools are best suited for their students by outlining how Powerpoint, PhotoStory and Movie Makes could be used to help students research, create and share digital stories.

To download a copy of Tell a Story, Become a Lifelong Learner from Microsoft Education please click on the link below.
http://www.microsoft.com/education/teachers/guides/digital_storytelling.aspx

Image from the Tell a Story, Become a Lifelong Learner - Microsoft Education page 3.

Increasing Achievement with Comic Books

Why should teachers spend time letting students create comic books when they could draw and create comic books at home? We’ve all had the student who could draw that would spend hours creating a comic book in the back of a composition notebook instead of completing a reading assignment, or completing a math assignment or learning about the solar system. So why should teachers take valuable time away from the curriculum to allow students time to create comic books in class?

One example is Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel called Maus: A Survivor’s Tale about his father’s struggle to survive the Holocaust as a Polish Jew bringing to life his father’s recollections of the experience. In 1992 the graphic novel won a Pulitzer Prize Special Award. Maus: A Survivor's Tale has been used in the study of modern English Literature and Jewish culture. One example is Random House for High School Teachers: http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780394747231&view=tg

Many teachers search for ways to bring the outside world into their classrooms and to motivate their students to read. Comic books are one way to get students to enjoy reading. Comic books engage the students; the drawings bring the story to life for them and improve their literacy skills. Never mind that students think its fun to read comic books.

When students are actively engaged they learn more and having students create comic books provides opportunities for students to learn. Instead of just studying the solar system can you imagine how students would create a means of travel to each planet and find life forms based on each planet’s composition creating a livelihood and an economy then illustrating what they’ve learned through a comic book? Students would practice sequencing, summarizing, analyzing, writing skills, story boards, art composition, linear perspectives, linguistic and non-linguistic representations requiring the students to organize and elaborate on information.

If students draw each panel of the comic book they will need to decide which points are most significant to their story while maintaining the scope and sequence of the story because of the small size of each panel. Teachers would be able to assess the depth of knowledge and understanding based on the ideas and content of the comic books created by the students.

You may read the entire article to learn more about the characteristics and composition of a comic book at http://www.thecreativeeducator.com/ from The Creative Educator spring 2009 edition.


Now let’s think about how students could create that same comic book using technology.

• Audacity to create the audio and background music
• PhotoStory to sequence images and to import an mp3 file from Audacity
• Flip video camera to create short videos or take still photos of images created by the student
• Movie Maker to sequence images and short videos importing an mp3 file
• Voice Thread to sequence a story and allow other students to submit comments about the story and/or images
• PowerPoint could be used to present the comic book with the student narrating the story and importing background music to the slides
• Word processing software to type the entire story, working thru the sequence and scope of the story before making a story board.

What other technologies could students use in your school to create comic books of knowledge?
Image from The Creative Educator: http://www.thecreativeeducator.com/

Advanced Thinking in Digital Storytelling

The Creative Educator Spring 2009
http://thecreativeeducator.com

The foundation of any digital story begins with a good story, one with a point of view, a dramatic question, and emotional content. Bringing the story to life for the reader through the words of the story should be more important that all the transitions, visual and audio effects, background music and text styles that the students can add to the digital story. As an example of visual effect, instead of writing “He was walking down the street,” the student may choose verbs and adjectives to describe how a character was walking down the street, “With his head slightly cocked to the side and held high, teeth clenched, and shoulders back he strutted down the street like he owned the town” draws the reader into the story allowing the reader to be a more active participant.

Once a story is mapped out on a storyboard the students will be able to decide which technology tool will best add the effects, transitions and sounds to bring their stories to life. If the students are using still images to illustrate their stories, panning and zooming can add a certain impact and dynamic feel to the story. But transitions can be a problem. Help students understand there should be a reason for using transitions to tell the story, not distract from the story. A great story could be lost to the viewer because the students crammed all the effects they could into the finished product. Just because the students knew how to add all those effects doesn’t mean that those effects added anything to the story. Students need to learn that "less is more."

So what about the background music? Does the story need music to give a dramatic impact to the story? The background music should set the tone, add to the pacing of the story and augment the emotional content of the story, not distract from the story. Let the students’ own voice personalize the story. Teachers can help students decide what sounds, soundtracks, or sound effects can best enhance their stories.

The main focus in digital storytelling should be the writing experience with the technology as the tool to enhance and bring the story to life. There are many tools that students can use:

• Audacity for podcasting the story
• PhotoStory 3 to enhance the story with images and music
• Movie Maker to add images, video and music to the story
• Voice Thread to allow other students to add their comments to the story and the images
• PowerPoint presentations
  

To read the entire article please goes to http://thecreativeeducator.com Spring 2009 edition of the magazine.

Have an actor read to your students!

Mary Naber at Piney Grove Elementary School shared a wonderful website. Storyline Online (http://storylineonline.net/) offers 21 videos of well known actors reading popular children's books. Activity guides provide information about the book, information about the reader, and suggestions for engaging students in follow-up discussions and projects.