A few ideas for the classroom:
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com. |
Above I have provided what I believe to be two great options for use of technology in the classroom. The first example on the left is a Wordle and is a simple creation made by simply putting text into the website and it creates fun and different ways of arranging the words. The second example on the right is a slide show of pictures made by Animoto. I believe both are great tools for introducing material in the classroom. To read up on more of my thoughts on these two educational tools go to my Blog and see what else I had to say.
Need a safe way to provide online profiles for the students?
Having the students create Avatars of themselves is a safe way for them to be able to use the internet in a classroom setting and be able to use their real names with out the risk of someone outside the school environment being able to identify them. The use of Avatars also allows them to bring their creativity to life and express themselves. There are many websites that can be used to create avatars such as Voki, which created the talking canine on the homepage, and Build Your Wild Self which created the avatar to the left. As you can easily see that is no ordinary avatar. I decided to include elements of all of the things I like to hunt on my avatar because hunting and outdoors is something I am passionate about. The students can use that same creativity in building there own avatars. To get more ideas and see what else I think of Avatars in the classroom go to my Blog and see what else I had to say.
Using Voice Thread in the Classroom
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The two items above are presentations made in VoiceThread. Basically a Voice Thread just uses whatever picture or pictures you choose to put in and then you add a voice narration to each picture. You can make your Voice Thread public which allows other people to add a voice narration or comment to the picture you added and taught or talked about. This could be used as a collaborative teaching tool both in and out of the classroom. The one drawback I found was that I struggle with having to talk into a microphone so this type of tool might not be ideal for everyone but it is easy and something fun that could be used in the classroom. The VoiceThread on the left was one that me and Mr. Arnett, my fellow AgGuy made together over some of the things we like to hunt in Kansas. The VoiceThread on the right is a more informational one that I made that discusses the Salt Mine and Underground Museum in Hutchinson Ks, where I grew up.
Place-Based Story: Google Map and Lesson Plan
View A Tour of Kansas State Parks in a larger map |
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placebasedstorylessonplan.doc | |
File Size: | 24 kb |
File Type: | doc |
The two items above are part of the 3 part lesson idea I created for highlighting Eco Tourism in the state of Kansas. The item to the left is a Google Map I created that highlights each of the stops I will take on my trip through the State Parks of Kansas. Each stop has a picture or video and short description of the place that is highlighted. This is a great tool that could be used in all subjects in school. The second item that is on the right is what is called a Glogster. A Glogster is basically an interactive poster and I used mine to highlight some of the main attractions at each park. It is a great way to present information in a fun and out of the ordinary kind of way.
Prezi, the new PowerPointPrezi is an online resource that allows students or teachers to make presentations with a twist that PowerPoint can not provide. It provides ease of use and graphics that make the presentation more fun and also entertaining to the audience. Instead of slides just appearing and disappearing out of the presentation the presentation jumps from important point to important point or picture to picture and video to video. The transitions are fun and will keep the interest of all of the students throughout the presentation. This is a great resource available to everyone for free online and should be utilized as often as possible.
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