BP10_Zoho, Twiducate, Arts.com and iSpeech

 

Check out a great blog post that incorporates the use of multiple Web 2.0 Tools.  Follow this link to my comments on Smitty's blog.

BP9_Mindomo

 

Follow this link to my comments on Dawn's blog

BP8_Final Project

 

Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenario

Brief Overview: The following Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenario will challenge students to create rich media, memory posters (Glogs) using the Web 2.0 tool Glogster.  The Glogs will be used to illustrate, describe and define English vocabulary words and their appropriate usage in the context of oral and written English language.

1. Target Audience- Adult English Language Learners; English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). 

2. Materials– Teacher and students will use the following resources:

·         Computer

·         LCD Projector

·         Broadband Internet Connection

·         Computer Lab with computer for each student

·         Glogster

·         RILS Rubric and Evaluation Forms

3. Objectives– By the end of this learning scenario the learner will be able to:

·         Interact with a group to design a multimedia poster.

·         Create memory posters for a list of English vocabulary words.

·         Present the newly created Glogster posters before a class audience.

·         Evaluate the effectiveness of the posters using a rubric and Google doc evaluation form.

·         Identify additional uses for Glogster within an ESOL class.

4. Procedure– The instructor will complete the following steps to implement the RILS:

a)       Prior to the presentation of the RILS assignment to the students, the instructor will sign up for a free Glogster account and add the student participants.

b)       Instructor will introduce students to Glogster and provide a brief tutorial to get the students started Glogging.

c)       Instructor will assign students to groups and assign vocabulary words to each group

d)       Instructor will introduce the assignment rubric and explain the assignment as follows:

a.        Students will work as a group to create a multimedia poster (Glog) for each of the vocabulary words assigned.

b.       Students are to work synergistically and divide the labor evenly and fairly.

c.        The students will use the resources provided by Glogster and any other appropriate multimedia internet resources to define and illustrate each vocabulary word in a creative way that provides examples, synonyms, antonyms, sample sentences or other methods of illuminating the proper usage of the vocabulary words. 

d.       Students will present their completed Glogs to the class orally, using the LCD projector.

e.       Students will use the project rubric as guidance through the project.

 f.       Students will evaluate the activity, the Glogs and the completed project by completing an individual evaluation form at the conclusion of the program.

5. Web 2.0 Tool– Glogster is a multimedia communication tool used to produce static or interactive posters.  The posters produced through the Glogster tool can be rich with graphics, photographs, embedded audio and video elements and interactive applications.  Check out Glogster here:  http://edu.glogster.com/ 

6. Social Participation/Social Learning– The students will work together in small groups, collaborating to graphically illustrate, describe, define and pronounce vocabulary words .  The group will choose multimedia elements that will be used to enhance the Glogster poster and stimulate the transfer of the vocabulary words into the long-term memory.  The students will further collaborate to determine the effectiveness of their product using a rubric.  With a full size class, this activity could be extended to include posting a series of Glogster memory posters to a blog.  The entire vocabulary list for the course could be divided up and distributed amongst several groups.  Each group would be responsible for creating Glogster memory posters for their words and posting the posters onto the class blog.  Students would be able to reference the posters at any time and continue to use them for individual or group study.

7. Making Connections– The students will connect on multiple levels by while working together on the project.  Deep learning will occur through the following activities within the overall project.

a)     The students will build upon previous knowledge through the graphics and multimedia elements that they choose to develop in their Glogster poster.  The synergy that takes place during the production of the poster will allow the students to connect on many levels as they share their ideas and experiences with each other.  Each poster produced will be unique and representative of the individual and combined experiences of the group members.   Further, through this activity, students will be able to identify word roots and affixes, and recognize word families.  They will be able to make connections by identifying synonyms, antonyms and idioms for each vocabulary word that they Glog.  Using this activity to teach vocabulary will extend vocabulary building to a new level and increase the students’ potential to incorporate new vocabulary exponentially.

b)    Vocabulary is the backbone of language learning.  In ESOL classes, students are always assigned the task of learning long lists of vocabulary words.  Generally, traditional memory methods are not multimedia and include only rote learning methods.   Incorporating the use of multimedia elements and group participation, will foster deep learning and assimilation of the vocabulary words at a faster pace.

c)     Sharing the results of a series of vocabulary Glogs can be a very valuable enterprise for local and global English language learners.  Essential vocabulary can be presented to a global community of English language learners connected through a language learning blog on the internet or through the Glogster platform.  Thereby, discussion and interaction amongst the group members can be promoted in a powerful multimedia way that enhances the vocabulary mastery opportunities within the local and global community.

8. Create/Produce – The students will create multimedia posters that will be shared with the class. 

9. Assessment – The Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenario will be assessed through the use of a rubric and an evaluation form.  The rubric is designed to determine how well the students have met the requirements of the assignment in producing their Glogs and the evaluation form will record valuable information about the student perception of the process and their ideas for improvement and extension of the plan:

Rubric:  Attached below

Google docs Evaluation Form: Click here to link to the document

10. Reflection – There is a reflection designed for the instructor and for the students as follows:

a.     The students will reflect on the process of completing the vocabulary building memory Glogs individually by filling out an evaluation form.  Students will be asked to reflect on the process in writing based on the criteria indicated on the rubric.  In addition, they will be asked to provide ideas for additional uses for Glogster in the ESOL classroom.

b.    The instructor will reflect on the process by creating a video presentation that documents the process and indicates ideas for improvement and extension of the plan for using Glogster in ESOL classes. 

 

Results –  The RILS plan had to be modified for an available group of students who were lower level ESOL students than those for whom the original plan was intended.  Therefore, the six student participants were divided into two groups according to their language level and introduced to the Glogster program.  The three students in the more advanced group proceeded through most of the original RILS plan and created their own Glogs.  However, the three students in the lower level group had limited English reading and writing skills and were given a modified task.  The modified task involved working through a previously created Glog to become familiar with the features of the program and to practice vocabulary skills.  Although, the plan had to be modified considerably for the lower level group, they remained on task throughout the class period and had fun working through the multimedia assignment in the form of a Glog.  The lower level group required ongoing monitoring, explanations, and assistance to complete their assignment.  However, after the higher level group was given instructions, they were able to work through their assignment with only encouragement and intermittent assistance.  Instead of having the students reflect in writing on the process, using the rubric, the reflection and the feedback were given orally in the form of a question and answer session.  The students were asked questions based on the rubric and evaluation form and they gave responses to each question.  Although the process did not go exactly as planned, all of the objectives were met.  The students’ ideas for additional Glogster uses in the ESOL classroom were limited by their level but, they responded nevertheless.   The most interesting idea given was that ESOL students could get their children to help them with their English language skills by having the children create Glogs that they could study from.  Overall, the experience of presenting the RILS was valuable.  By thinking on my feet, I made the necessary adjustments to the original RILS plan on the fly; and the results turned out better than expected under the circumstances. 

 

The copyright free photographs in the movie above were downloaded from http://www.morguefile.com/

PE5_Glogster

Well, I went back to Glogster again for more practical experience.  It seems that I just can't get enough of Glogster.  It is so much fun!  This time I made a vocabulary poster with links, movies and a quiz.  The sky is the limit with Glogster!  These posters can be as interactive as you want them to be.  Although, there are additional interactive features that are available with the paid upgrade, and there is a 30 day free trial offer on the premium version, the free version is very good.  So, I'm still using the free version.  I hope my students enjoy working with Glogster as much as I do. 

PE4_Glogster

I went back to Glogster to get some practical experience working with this Web 2.0 tool and I created this Glog.  It has a lot of links to different tools that teachers and students can use to enhance their study of vocabulary.  The practical experience I gained from working on this poster was awesome.  Glogster is a simple, user friendly application that has many interesting and exciting features that are so easy to access.  With such a simple program it is easy to get absorbed in just being creative and trying to produce the best layout, to convey the information in a fun way.  Being able to add links, video and audio to a poster is certainly more interesting than a static poster.  When you check out this poster, notice that I have added links to most of the graphics on the page.  Most of the links go to different places.  The links will take you to the pages that contain the specific tools that I have referenced.  While making this Glog, I also got some practice using some of the graphic editing tools available on Glogster.  That enabled me to add shadows behind some of the graphics to make them stand out more and to change the color of the text.  I hope you enjoy this Glog! I also hope it inspires you to get started on your own Glogs and Glogging with your students.   

BP7_More Words on Wordle

Simplify, clarify and beautify the message, while expressing your perspective.  It's easy to create great teaching and learning tools with Wordle. Check out my movie with lots of ideas on how to use Wordle in the classroom.  Also, here are some additional tips to help you with your Wordle projects: 

 1.  Once you have created a Wordle, you can right click on a word to remove it from the results.  Wordle will re-compute the results without that term.

2.  Use the ~ symbol between two words that you want to connect and the words will stay together in your Wordle results.

 Reference for the information posted here and in the movie is:  SlideShare

 

BP6_Go Animate

 

Steve reviewed a great Web 2.0 tool called Go Animate.  It has a lot of interesting features that will surely motivate today's technology native population.  Check out my comments on Steve's blog by clicking here. 

BP5_Wordle

I’ve posted these Wordle images to illustrate the comments that I made on Chonnie’s “Cuz it Do” blog, where she gave a great review of, the Web 2.0 tool, Wordle.  The graphics that I combined with the Wordles above are from iStockphoto.com and Microsoft Office Clip Art.  Check out my comments by clicking here.

BP4_Glogster

Glogster is a Web 2.0 tool that allows users to get creative producing graphical, multimedia posters.  Teachers can use Glogster to produce interactive, online lessons that include audio narration, graphics, and video.  Interactive elements can be uploaded onto the poster and it can easily be shared within the Glogster community or on social networking sites and blogs.  Actually, Glogs are similar to blogs.  However, they go beyond the scope of a blog because a variety of teaching and learning tools can be produced using Glogster.  Student assignments can be posted in the form of original teacher generated Glogster posters.  In addition, teachers can add interactive elements to the Glogs they produce for their students.   Teachers can also create assessment instruments, such as, quizzes, tests or surveys, in the form of Glogs.   Along with the many uses teachers can find for their Glogs, students can also use Glogster to produce media enhanced research reports, journals, projects, portfolios, and blogs.  Although, Glogster is free for the basic version, there are paid levels of participation for teachers and for schools.   The premium memberships have additional benefits that include classroom management and project management features.  Although, it is limited, the basic version allows a teacher to have up to 50 student participants with the free account.   Since, Glogster was created just for teachers and students, there is a lot of information produced by teachers who use Glogster in their classrooms.  These ideas can be found by putting the search term Glogster into  a search engine or at Youtube.com.  This will bring up many great ideas and tutorials on how to use Glogs in your classroom.   However, the tool is so user friendly and simple to use, anyone can get started producing fantastic Glogs right away by following the instructions on the site.  Just in case you need a little inspiration to get started Glogging, there is also a great section on the website that showcases and rates a variety of public Glogs, created by users.   Just go to http://www.glogster.com and sign up for a free account to get started.  Check out my first Glog above.         

PE3_iMovie

Yippee!!!  Check out my certificate above!  I did it!  I went through the training and I'm ready to put in some practical training hours.  In the Lynda.com tutorial, a lot more information was packed into the 3 hour and 28 minute time frame than I expected.  Not only do I now have all of the knowledge needed to smooth out the rough edges of my previous video productions but, I will also be able to produce more polished videos in the future.  Some of the things that interested me most in the tutorial were, the use of transitions, beat markers and the Ken Burns effect.  I had seen the panning and subtle movement that was done in other people's videos but, I did not know how to create it or that it was named for the man who made the effect popular through the documentaries that he created.  That was an interesting bit of trivia to discover.  Another intriguing feature provided by the iMovie interface is the collection of movie trailers.  I am looking forward to using the iMovie trailer templates to produce interesting short movies with professional looking effects.  So, right now, I'm ready to get busy creating some blockbuster movies.  Check out my first post tutorial movie below.

PE2_iMovie

I don’t expect to become an expert after just this one training course but, I have access now to a great springboard to work from in honing my skills.  The tutorial was an eye opening experience that covered topics such as the “Ken Burns effect”, transitions, text, picture in picture and side by side, as well as, green and blue screen effects.  I learned how to make color adjustments and how to work with audio.  I was shown how to add music and sound effects and background sounds.  In addition, the use of ducking of audio (reducing the sound of background audio or music to highlight the spoken or focus track) and beat markers were introduced and explained.  The pictures above, from the second third of the tutorial guide the student through the process of how to add text to the video and how to create smooth transitions.  I found the Lynda.com tutorial to be very comprehensive and well paced.  I particularly liked the instructor’s enthusiastic tone of voice and his pacing throughout the course.  The course was broken down into manageable segments and not a minute wasted. Be on the look out for my next video production.  I can hardly wait to put all of this into practice in my next video!

PE1_iMovie

My experience with iMovie up to now has been of the sink or swim variety.  To start using the program, I simply sat down in my director's chair, threw myself into the task and began thrashing around wildly making movies.  In my haste to get started without formal training, I gained some awareness of some of the features of iMove and an appreciation for the program.  However, I was not aware of the movie making power, and control I could have had if I had mastered the nuances of the program before starting.  

In this initial, awkward manner, I created several movies that were of the hit or miss variety . . . not too bad but certainly not polished and professional looking.  Now, after getting my feet wet with iMovie and producing some initial movies on my own, I have had the opportunity to attend a tutorial for iMovie beginners.  I completed the 3 hour and 28 minute Lynda.com tutorial for iMovie 11 Essentials.  It was an excellent, comprehensive introduction to iMovie that truly covered all of the essentials of the program to help improve the output for a newbie like me.  

The tutorial included an exercise file to practice what was being introduced on the screen by the instructor and topics included:  an overview of the program, how to organize clips, editing, special effects, audio and sharing of finished products.  In the first one third of the course the Welcome message and Introduction gave a great preview of the program and the first topic, provided an excellent basic introductory understanding of the iMovie interface.

BP3_Screenshots

 

These are my Screenshot.  They're a work in progress.

BP2_UJAM

I jam, you jam, we all can jam with UJAM.  UJAM is a great resource for teachers who want to incorporate music into their lessons or the media that they create for instruction.  It is a cloud-based application that allows even the most musically challenged person, like myself, to get busy producing fabulous musical scores.   To get started, simply go to http://www.ujam.com/, sign up on the site, listen to the intro and follow the tutorial to be on your way to becoming a recording artist.  Here is how I created my first song:  First, I signed up for the app through my Facebook account.  Then, on the main page, I chose sing a song.   

Next, I imagined I was in the shower to spark the creativity flowing and thought up some words for my song, just off the top of my head.  At the screen that came up next, I chose record and started singing.  I don’t think that I’m a great singer but with the help I got from this program . . . hmm, the results were . . . well, I’ll let you decide.  Check out my recording below: 

When I chose this application as the first Web2.0 tool to review, I had in mind the possibilities of creating custom music for my videos and presentations.  However, after thinking about it for a while, I realized it could be applied in many other ways as well.  My students could create songs by writing individually or collaboratively in groups.  Then, they could record their songs and share them with each other and the class.  The songs could be made to revolve around a theme, a lesson or an activity.  Original songs could be used as mnemonic devices for memorizing formulas, phrases, vocabulary, grammar or anything that needs to be anchored in the long-term memory.  Using music is a fantastic way to incorporate multiple intelligences and learning styles in teaching.  It is also a great way to motivate students.  I had a lot of fun with this activity and I know that I will use UJAM in my classroom.  I hope you will give a try also.  

BP1_Welcome to My Blog

Vector Graphic from http://www.istockphoto.com/

Welcome to my new blog, where I will post information on educational technology that I find and review including, helpful ideas and resources for educators.  This blog will be a place for me to share with all the educationalists/educationists/teachers/instructors/coaches/mentors/lecturers/professors/ etc. who share my love for helping others through teaching.  I invite you to join me on a fantastic adventure.  The latest and greatest twenty-first century tools for dynamic pedagogy are only a blog post away.