11.5 Thing #2

Well I've had too much fun going through and playing with all the assignments but I haven't kept up with my blogging. I'm spending the next few days to review everything I've done over the summer and blog about it all.


I used Wordle in my classroom this year so I worked on Wordshift. I can see how it can really help ME create a very technology interactive lesson. However, I think it is too much for my 1st graders to use. It give you so much information I believe it will be too overhelming for them. I do think that used in a whole group setting--shown on the active board for all to see can be very beneficial to them.


I think I will stick with the wordles for my first grade class. At the beginning of the year our 5th grade Learning Buddies came to the computer lab with us. The created wordles about themselves using their name and words that described themselves or things that they liked. The 5th graders helped with the typing, taught the 1st graders how to cut and paste from Word to Wordle, the save in Power Point after copying the screen and cropping. Yes!! 1st graders did all that!! :) In class we created wordles by my typing their responses and then I did the cutting and pasting. At the end of the year we had enough wordles that each student was able to take one home.


Here is our wordle after we completed our unit on Insects:


I liked Glogster a lot...again too much for my 1st graders. But I could see my first graders viewing the online posters that their 5th grade learning buddies made. Having the first graders view the posters on the classroom computers during station time on week would be great. Then they can discuss with their learning buddy what they learned from the poster!

I have used animoto in the classroom to make short videos of our field trips, events, and 1st grade play. The kids loved this and loved that I emailed the links home to their parents.
I really liked VoiceThread. This is something that I can see using this year. My kids can tell a story about a picture and then their learning buddy can comment back about the picture. The best thing is that it isn't just between the learning pair...but I can also comment, the student's parents, grandparents, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Booker is very easy for a young child to create a digital book. With some guidance from his/her learning buddy a student can make a book all of his/her own by using the pictures on flicker.