BP12_2010043_One_Minute_Message#2_classtools.net

My One Minute Message is on classtools.net. This site allows teachers and students to create games and interactive content for class and is so much fun to use too!

BP11_2010043_LinkToComment_SOkacha'sBlog

Screen shot of Sanaa's comic.

Link to my comment on Sanaa Okacha's Blog:

http://sanaaokacha.blogspot.com/2010/04/bp92010043web20tools.html

BP10_2010043_LinkToComment_ASheridan'sBlog

Screen shot of Allison's Dimdim meeting

http://asheridan08.blogspot.com/2010/04/bp92010041web20tool3dingding.html

BP9_2010043_Web2.0Tool3: classtools.net

Create Flash Games- Easily and For Free

Classtools.net is a game creation website that is easy to use and free. In fact, your don't even need to sign up to use it- just go, create and have fun!

According to WideOpenDoors.net (2007), gaming allows students to fail safely in order to succeed in the subject matter. Games infuse fun and engagement into learning, thereby helping students to learn even more.

I found classtools.net to be similar to Smartboard game templates, but I personally found classtools.net easier- and great for those of us without a Smartboard. It was very easy to navigate and create games and has samples and instructional videos to help get started. There are 19 templates

you can use. I have loosely divided them into the following categories, but can certainly be used in other ways:

Class Managers:

• Random Name Picker
• Countdown timer

Games/Quizzes

• Arcade games
• Dustbin
• Diamond 9
• Post it
• Jigsaw diagram
• Lights out

Writing/Organizing:

• Telescopic Topic
• Living Graph
• Timeline
• Fishbone
• Learning cycle
• Target
• Venn Diagram
• Hamburger
• Animated Book
• Priority Chart
• System Analyzer

Your games can be saved on their server, downloaded or even embedded in your webpage as HTML file or as a widget. Teachers can set up quiz games on their own website, blog or wiki, or use as a whole class activity to review, brainstorm, collaborate. Students can also use it to organize and analyze

writing or events. They can even create games that can be posted on the teacher’s wiki or website. As students become creators of the media, they are learning invaluable skills and becoming comfortable with even more technology that is an ever increasing part of our world.

WideOpenDoors (2007). Gaming in education. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from Web site: http://www.wideopendoors.net/educational_technology/gaming.html

BP8_2010042_One_Minute_Message_#1_xtranormal.com

My one minute message created in and about xtranormal.com:

BP7_2010042_Link_to_blog_comment_T.AltBlog

Link to my comment on Tracy Alt's blog about Tikatok:

http://tjones035.blogspot.com/2010/04/bp52010042discoveringweb20tools.html

BP6_2010042_Link_to_blog_comment_J.ScioscioBlog

Link to my comment on Jen Scioscio's Wordle blog:

Screen shot of Jen's de.licio.us Wordle

http://jscioscio.blogspot.com/2010/04/bp52010042web20tool2wordle.html

BP5_2010042_Web2.0Tool2: xtranormal.com

I’ve become an animator using xtranormal.com! This web application is a movie creation site that is very easy to learn and use. It offers high quality animations in a text-to-movie format that is as easy as their slogan- “If you can type, you can make movies.” There are many different backgrounds to choose from, as well as “actors,” including Lego-like characters. It is such a fun application- and the final output is pretty cool to watch, which makes the work gratifying. The hardest part was creating the script. Once I created that, I typed it in and the movie was made. Add animation actions, gestures, and camera views for final touches.

The power of this tool is in its ease of use, allowing the user to focus on the script. As a classroom tool, it is a creative way to integrate writing into any subject. This can be used as a way to have students “write to learn” across the curriculum by having them create movies explaining any concept in any subject area. They can create dialogs and interviews, become President Obama or Albert Einstein as well as practice foreign language skills. J Picardo’s website, www.boxoftricks.net (2009), describes how he used this tool in his foreign language class. He projected an example for the students and they were instantly engaged. They took about a class and a half writing the script, with creating the movie as homework. The finished movies were emailed. This was a tremendous and engaging way to work on vocabulary, dialogue and sentence structure along with critical thinking in creating the movie.

There are several drawbacks to consider. Some of the historical characters and places are only available if you download the free “State” product for pc’s. Mac users or those that do not want to download the program can use the online version, but it is somewhat limited in some choices. There is also one animation that is mild, but inappropriate as well as some of the character clothing. This must be considered when introducing it to students. (It is mild, but definitely something to be aware of.) This site is also for ages 13 and up, therefore student use would be at the high school level. For teachers of younger students, this is a fun way to create unique lesson introductions, to highlight certain topics, or to give instructions for an activity.

See my “1 Minute Message” for an example of the finished product.

Resources:
Picardo, J. (2009, Nov. 1). Xtranormal in the classroom. Web log posted to Technology and Education Box of Tricks: www.boxoftricks.net/?p=1381

BP3_2010041_Google_Reader_Blogs

Google Reader Blogs I am following:

Kathy Schrock’s Kaffeeklatsch

Feed URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/KATHYSCHROCK

Kathy is a teacher and writer for DiscoverySchool technology website. She is immersed in technology and an educator’s expert in this field and have already learned some fascinating ideas from her.

Free Technology for Teachers

Feed URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/freetech4teachers/cGEY

One of my goals is to teach in the college and I would particularly like to help with technology integration. This blog is all about its name- it focuses on free technology for teachers, which I can implement and recommend without concern for cost. This site also has a Twitter feed that I also have subscribed to.

Classroom 2.0

Feed URL: http://www.classroom20.com/activity/log/list?fmt=rss

This is a blog by teachers and for teachers dedicated to helping us integrate Web 2.0 tools in our classrooms. There are many ideas and practical ways to use Web 2.0 discussed by teachers actually using them. Another great aspect of this site is posting your own questions about these tools- and having other educators answer with what they actually do.

Presentation Zen

Feed URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PresentationZen

I chose this blog because I really want to learn more about design and presentations. I loved this book and his presentation perspective- and just want more of it!

TED Blog

Feed URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/tedblog

TED.com is an amazing site that I get totally lost in when I visit. It is full of great ideas- things that I could not even imagine people are doing. I chose this site to stay in the loop with these incredible ideas.

BP4_2010041_Web2.0_Tools: Flickr

When we were assigned to set up our PLE for this course, I absolutely loved the whole concept of a PLE and immediately found most of what we had to do useful. However, including Flickr on our ETC tab was not as clear to me. I mean, isn’t this just a site to share cute photos of my family with grandparents 2000 miles away?

The answer is a definitive “NO!” C. Brogan (2006), in quoting Dave Gary’s Flickr account, describes Flickr as a platform, not a photo sharing tool. She continues with several business uses for Flickr:

· Upload product designs for review with a privacy filter, then get feedback and revisions from associates through the comments feature

· Create office or class culture by uploading positive candid pictures

· Create engaging status reports with screenshots or pictorials, and add notes with the comments feature

· Use photos to review, update, and strategize about your store

· Catch the spirit of a meeting or conference presentation by including photos of the event

· Create a customer image base

· Share and expand product branding

The only caveat is that you cannot sell anything, which is against the Flickr agreement and may result in Flickr closing the account.

As an educational tool, Flickr can be used powerfully in several ways. E. Ruiz (2006) discusses one use that can be used in almost any course and with students of other languages: Tell a Story in Five Frames. This activity has two parts- create and tell the story with only the title to guide its meaning, and a response by the group through Flickr comments or other written means.

The SlideShare presentation below shows other educational uses including using Flickr’s World map to explore or go on virtual field trips, using tags to explore topics and current events, and create diagrams and vocabulary guides among other activities. It also shows you how to do these activities and set up your Flickr account.

There are also many tools to use with Flickr. Here are just some of the 100+ tools as listed on the Mashable Social Media Guide (2010) site:

Flickr is a fascinating tool that can create many different kinds of activities, allowing for much differentiation. I get it- and I plan to use it in my classroom.

Resources:

Brogan, C. (17 May, 2006). Flickr as a business tool. Stepcase Lifehack. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/flickr-as-a-business-tool.html

Educational uses of Flickr. (2009). Slideshare. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from

http://www.slideshare.net/shaunna/educational-uses-of-flickr

Flickr toolbox: 100+ tools for Flickr addicts. (2010). Mashable: the Social Media Guide. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://mashable.com/2007/08/04/flickr-toolbox/

Ruiz, E. (2006, April). Educational use of Flickr: visual storytelling, visual cues. Message posted to efl 2.0 blog, retrieved April 3, 2010: http://efl20.com/index.php/2007/06/educational-use-of-flickr-visual-storytelling-visual-cues/

BP2_2010041_Educational_uses_of_blogs

Blogging In the Classroom

As a science teacher, I was drawn to resources describing the educational uses of blogs in science courses, however, the uses described are so universal that they could be incorporated into any classroom. Allison Sawmiller (2010), a junior and senior high school science teacher points out the importance of writing in an inquiry-based science classroom and states that often, “the most difficult part of learning is being able to explain what is known.” She further describes the ability to communicate as “indispensible” in society today. Having a worldwide audience increases both student motivation and the quality of writing because students spend more time editing- allowing for increased self-reflections and critical thinking of their writing choices (Sawmiller, 2010). She describes other benefits of incorporating blogs, including having differentiated instruction because of the variety of prompt responses students can use, the silent students can have a voice and often open up online, and that blogs expand the classroom walls beyond the school building.

Staycle Duplichan (2009) gave even more specific examples of ways to use blogs in the science classroom, but, again, can be used in any classroom. Students can study and comment on current events, write and respond to an “ask a classmate” post in which students ask a question that is answered by other classmates, have book club reflections, give a report on a subject, respond to creative writing prompts or “what if” scenarios, debate ethical questions, respond to online reading assignments, post digital pictures or drawings as visual aids, write lab reports, and share study habits. In my first blog prompt for my AP Biology class, I am asking students to describe their organization and study plans for the upcoming AP exam.

I am also interested in technology issues in higher education. In a study by Kerawalla, Minocha, Kirkup, and Conole (2009), some of the problems between intentions and actually incorporating blogging into a Master’s level class are discussed including haphazard contributions, minimal communication, poor reflections, particularly if the students’ prior exposure to blogging is limited. The authors conclude that if students understanding how blogging can be used to meet their own personal learning needs, and are given guidance and the chance to implement and practice, students can become less reliant on prescribed activities and maintained enthusiasm and momentum to continue blogging for their own uses.

Finally, Julie Sturgeon (2008) gives five “don’ts” to starting blogging in a classroom:
• Don’t just dive in- have expectations and guidelines for the students
• Don’t confuse blogging with social networking- have a specific purpose to your blog
• Don’t leap at the freebies- often, they have ads that are not controllable by the classroom teacher
• Don’t force a sequential style- instead, organize by topics so that posts are easier to locate later
• Don’t leave the blogging to the students- blog by example!
If we keep the don’ts and practical downfalls in mind and, blogging is a tremendous interactive writing, multisensory activity with powerful benefits. I personally am so excited to begin using it in my class this week!


References:
Duplichan, S. (2009, September). Using web logs in the science classroom. ScienceScope, 33-37. Retrieved from Ebscohost March 11 2010.

Kerawalla, L., Minocha, S., Kirkup, G. and Conole, G. (2009). An empirically grounded framework to guide blogging in higher education. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25, 31-42, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2729.2008.00286.x

Sawmiller, A. (2010). Classroom blogging: what is the role in science learning? The Clearing House, 83, 44-48, Retrieved April 3, 2010. DOI: 10.1080/00098650903505456

Sturgeon, J. (2008). Five don’ts of classroom blogging. T H E Journal, 35(2), 26-30. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from Academic Search Premier database.


Clipart image from microsoft.com, http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx

BP1_2010041_iGoogleScreenShots

My iGoogle PLE (Personal Learning Environment) with screen shots of:

WGO (What's Going On- Home)

FSO (Full Sail Online)

AR/CBL (Action Research Project)

ETC (Emerging Technologies in Collaborative Culture Course)