Storybird

This past week in class, me and my partner, Michelle, presented a Web 2.0 tool called Storybird. Michelle and I really enjoyed researching this tool and discovering ways that it could be used in the classroom. Storybird was much easier to set up and maneuver than I expected. The introduction video seen above also helped us to become more comfortable with how to use it. After setting up our own accounts, Michelle and I collaborated online to create our own Storybird about the Thanksgiving season. You can read our story by clicking on the link below:

http://storybird.com/books/what-are-you-thankful-for-2/?token=6293f3

Here are some practical ways that Storybird can be used in the classroom:
1. For teacher-student, student-student, teacher-parent, student-parent collaboration, discussion, and participation.
2. For engaging students in reading and catering to their particular reading level.
3. For foreign language classes to practice translating and/or writing stories in that language.
4. For in class creative writing assignments and class discussions on a variety topics.

Next time when using Storybird in my classroom, I will make sure to set up a classroom account so that students can collaborate with each other and see each other's work. Michelle and I created individual accounts as well as a classroom site and it got a little confusing of which account to use. Also, you cannot be on more than one account at the same time so this can be a bit of a hassle. The least account names the better!

My Journey to Southeast Asia

This Digital Storytelling project has been my favorite assignment all semester. I am not sure which I enjoyed more- learning to use iMovie or reminiscing on all my memories from my trip this past summer to S.E. Asia. Either way, this project allowed me to become more comfortable with making Digital Stories as well as gave me a greater appreciation for people who make them on a weekly basis. I am thankful that I had my boyfriend to help me with this project because he is very well versed in iMovie. The hardest part was learning to use the various settings and tools but once I got the hang of it, the process became much more enjoyable. I am so grateful that I had organized the video before hand through a PowerPoint because it saved me so much time. Regardless, there were still many changes I had to make as I created the video and saw what worked and did not work. One of the most challenging parts for me was using songs that corresponded with the message that I wanted to convey in the movie.

I can see Digital Stories being very useful in the classroom. Teachers can create Digital stories to introduce themselves the first day of class, share a special experience that happened in their life, or as as a supplemental tool for teaching a particular lesson. There are numerous digital stories that can be found on sites such as YouTube or TeacherTube.

Next time I make a Digital Story, I think I will make sure to have all the video footage that I need beforehand. There was a specific clip that I wanted to use in my video but was unable to because I had to wait for it to be sent to me. I think video footage makes the viewer feel like they can experience Asia with me which was a huge reason why I created the video in the first place.

Interactive Spreadsheet

This is my Interactive Spreadsheet! This activity is designed to serve as a form of assessment for students. Teachers can create a spreadsheet to assess students' prior knowledge before a lesson or use as a summative quiz after a lesson. The spreadsheet I created is designed for testing students' knowledge after a lesson on Cell Organelles.

My experience with using Excel is very limited and I had no idea how to create a spreadsheet when I began this project. However, I followed a list of directions that my teacher provided which helped me to become a lot more comfortable with using the various commands and equations. Excel can be difficult because one minuscule error will prevent the spreadsheet from working correctly. There were a few times that I mistyped a particular equation and the column I was working on did not work correctly. Good for me, trial and error is sometimes the best way to learn.

If I were to use a spreadsheet again, I would make sure to have all the assessment questions typed out in another document as well as any pictures that I wanted to include. The more organized you are with this before time, the less time it will take to create the spreadsheet. Also, I would make sure to have your spreadsheet saved with the answers and without the answers so you can save in your records.

DNA Graphic Organizer

Creating Graphic Organizers through programs like Inspiration are a great tools to display information for a specific lesson or to assess students' understanding of the subject material in an in class project or homework assignment. Visual aids and graphic organizers are tools that help students learn and remember information because they help students organize information in a meaningful way. Teachers can ask students to replicate a diagram on a test or quiz or create blanks for them to fill in.

When I was creating my own Graphic organizer, the hardest part was organizing the information on DNA that I needed to be able to create it. However, once I organized the DNA ladder into 3 different sections, it was much easier for me to remember that DNA is made of a sugar-phosphate backbone and base-pairs in a double helical shape. I even was able to use this graphic organizer for lesson plan that I wrote the following week on DNA.

If I were to create another graphic organizer, I would definitely utilize the Inspiration program if my school had purchased the software. I love that you can organize the information in multiple ways from bubble trees to outlines. Being able to change between data formats allows the teacher to use the information in multiple ways. Furthermore, I would create more "notes" that students could access if they needed more information about a particular part of the diagram. No matter how you choose to create a graphic organizer, I enjoy that you can make a diagram simple or complex depending on the needs of the students in your classroom.

We're going on a picture hunt!

Last week, I ventured on a Picture Scavenger Hunt with 2 of my classmates. Our goal was to find pictures that represented "opposites." On our journey around campus, we found many opposite objects and had a lot of fun! We had to be creative, but with 3 UDL minds (we are all special education majors), we got the job done in no time. We utilized Hannah's iPhone to take pictures. I was hesitant about the quality of these pictures at first, but it ended up working really well. In fact, I think having an iPhone worked better for this project because we did not have to worry about resizing the pictures once they were downloaded on to our desktop.

I think this type of Scavenger Hunt activity would be so fun to do with students! You could divide students up in groups, have them collect pictures using an array of topics, and then have them incorporate their pictures into a PowerPoint presentation. More advanced students could supplement their pictures with information that they had researched. Specifically, this activity could be very useful for an elementary or middle school science classroom when students are studying leaves, trees, flowers, or other aspects of nature that could be easily captured with a camera.

Next time I do this activity, I would love to have my own iPhone to be able to take such great pictures :) I was worried about the resolution of the pictures, but I was surprised at the quality of them in the presentation. If possible, I would make sure that each group member had a camera so that they could capture their own pictures as well.

Slideshow

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Get your own

Here is a Slideshow made on Picasa showing the pictures that my group took during our Scavenger Hunt. This would be another great way for students to organize their photos during a technology-based activity!

Inquiry Based Activity- The Exploration of the Heart

Of all our activities thus far in TPTE, I really can see myself using this IBA (Inquiry Based Activity).  It was very good practice for me to design a lesson based on National Education Standards, and I was very impressed with how well the activity went.  After looking at the high school Anatomy and Physiology standards, it was not difficult for me to decide on a topic and find websites that creatively and resourcefully provided students with ways to learn the information.  I decided to create a worksheet based on the chambers and blood flow of the heart.  I can see myself using this worksheet if I were ever asked to teach an Anatomy class. There are so many structures and functions to be memorized and understood that it would be very important as an Anatomy teacher to utilize many different technological tools.  This activity shows that there are even creative ways to design technology based worksheets.  Next time, I would definitely utilize classroom textbooks again. It was so beneficial for me to view structures and information pertaining to the heart based on what students would be reading and learning from the text. Plus, it helped to refresh my memory as well. :)

Websites used in this IBA activity:
http://texasheart.org/HIC/Anatomy/Anatomy.cfm
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/heart-article/