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Technology to make the heart pound!
- 1. Technology to Make the Heart Pound! Get Pumped About New Technology Amy Sinnett- ODU Graduate Student
- 9. animoto.com
Editor's Notes
- Hi, my name is Amy Sinnett. I teach 6th grade reading at Independence Middle School in Grayson County, VA. I am also a graduate student at Old Dominion University studying to become a school librarian. Today I want to introduce you to some excellent technology tools that you can use in the library or classroom to enhance your lessons. Students love technology and we need to give them every opportunity to share their ideas in creative ways. I hope to make your heart pound with excitement as you get pumped to use these tools! ( 30 seconds )
- Do you ever have to give yourself a pep talk? I sure do…… especially when it comes to trying new technology tools! I get nervous and think I can’t do it, I’ll tear something up, or I don’t have time to research it, etc. The list goes on and on. We all have excuses! Well, no need for excuses with these tech tools. They are simple, easy to use tools that your students will LOVE! So let’s get pumped! ( 30 seconds )
- The first tool I want to share with you is Powtoon. Powtoon is a website that allows you to create animated videos. You can add characters, text, props, etc. There are templates to use or you can start from scratch. I think when beginning with this site you may want to use a template until you feel confident and then create a video from scratch. You will have to gage your students. Some will be able to create from scratch the first time while others need the security of a template. When creating your powtoon, you can adjust the timing/ transition for your video and also add music from their free audio tracks. The drag and drop along with the cartoon style make these videos fun and easy to make. Students will have fun creating and watching these videos. They won’t even realize they are learning along the way! A huge plus is that Powtoon is free for teachers and students. It can also be shared easily to Youtube or embedded into a website or blog. One drawback is that each user does have to set up an account with an email address. Another is that you would want to use this with your more tech advanced students, because it is multi step and you have to pay attention to detail and timing. For these reasons, I would recommend Powtoon for middle and high school students. ( 2 minutes )
- So how would you use Powtoon? One way could be for library or classroom procedures. It would really capture student’s attention in the fun cartoon video. Then you could revisit the video as needed. I created one about a book club for a class I took this summer. (Pause to watch my powtoon video) http://www.powtoon.com/p/bh95SR9EQuL/#/ Students could use Powtoon to create presentations about a story or book they have read. In their presentation they could demonstrate knowledge of setting, plot, characters, conflict, theme, etc. Students would enjoy an activity like this and not even realize they are providing you with evidence of their learning. Now tell me….would a student prefer to create a Powtoon about a story or take a test?! This activity supports SOL 6.5, but could easily support other SOL’s as well. SOL 6.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry. a) Identify the elements of narrative structure, including setting, character, plot, conflict, and theme. English teachers could ask students to create a Powtoon after studying any of the parts of speech. 6th grade students learn about double negatives. (6.8e) How much fun would it be to create a Powtoon using double negatives and then rewording it correctly! Students would have a blast! ( 3 minutes )
- Students could also use Powtoon to create book trailers. Have you ever had a student to say “I can’t find anything to read” or “ There aren’t any good books”……. Have students create a Powtoon after finishing a book. It not only helps them demonstrate understanding and comprehension of the book, but also will help their peers the next time they “can’t find a good book!” ( 1 minute )
- How many of you feel like you will try Powtoons? Are there any questions or comments about Powtoon? (Give time for people to think about it. Dr. Kimmel says it may take a minute for someone to speak up.) ( 3 minutes )
- The next tool I want to share with you is Animoto. Animoto is another video making site that you can use for presentations. Librarians and teachers could use animoto to teach a lesson or students could create a video to show understanding. Animoto can be used for business, education or personal photographs. You can upload pictures or video clips to create your video then add music. A huge plus is that it is free to educators. Another is that it can easily be synced to music and shared. It looks professional and clean. A couple of drawbacks are limited editing and it can be slow when downloading. You can pay for it and have more options available to you. I would recommend this tool for middle and high school students. ( 1 minute)
- As I stated Animoto is free to educators! Yes, free! So why not give it a try…….. Math teachers could use this when teaching something like geometry. Students could work with partners to create geometric shapes or find geometric shapes throughout the school (4.12b.) Students could take a picture or a short video clip and then place those in a template for a presentation to show the class. Science teachers could use it while groups are doing experiments. It would be a good documentation of what was happening during the experiment. Students could take pictures or use video clips in their presentation. For example, this summer I went to ODU for the Summer Institute and my group used Animoto to document our Makerspace activity. Just a heads up….our project is for adults only…… LOL ( Show our video here. ) http://animoto.com/play/GD6wmqMSG1Ji9UdU0mn0Gg ( 3 Minutes )
- Just like in our video from the summer institute, a librarian could have students document while using the Makerspace in the library. Teachers could make a video to introduce a lesson. A social studies teacher might use this when introducing WWI or The Great Depression. Pictures from the time period and short video clips could be added in with the text to capture a students attention and prepare them for the upcoming lesson. ( 30 seconds )
- How many of you feel like you will try Animoto? Are there any questions or comments about Animoto? ( Give time for people to think about it. Dr. Kimmel says it may take a minute for someone to speak up.) ( 3 minutes )
- The next tool I want to share is Narrable. Narrable is a storytelling tool. Use pictures already on your computer or from Facebook and add narration. This is a fairly straightforward process, but it does have some drawbacks. One being if the pictures aren’t already on the computer then your first step would be to take some or find some online. This tool was developed with educators in mind so you can sign up for free and also have secure student log-ins with no email address required. You can change the setting from private to public, however you will need the link to view the public narrable. Students can also set up their own account if they want to, but are limited to 5 narrables which is another drawback. If using Narrable in class you would want to set up a class under your sign in so that students wouldn’t be limited. A plus, in addition to it being free, is that there are lesson plans available and also blank templates to use. I would recommend this tool for middle and high school students. ( 2 minutes )
- Here is an example of the Narrable Storyboard Guide. Students could use this to help them organize their thoughts and ideas. For example, if a student had written a personal narrative in English class, then they could bring it to life by taking pictures or finding them online and reading their story. (6.2, 6.7) Some students get very nervous about having to give an oral presentation in front of the class. Narrable could allow them to record their oral presentation in advance so they won’t have to feel overwhelmed. (1 minute )
- Here is a Narrable I created in about 10 minutes. The only reason it took that long is because I hate the sound of my own voice! I rerecorded a couple of times but it didn’t get any better! LOL ( Pause to show my narrable ) https://narrable.com/app#narrables/8t0ewl Think about how you could use this in the library or classroom…….You could introduce a lesson. Maybe you could have a list of new award winning books or an introduction to a poetry unit. The options are limited only by your imagination. Given the opportunity, students would really excel at using this tool. ( 2 minutes )
- How many of you feel like you might try Narrable? Are there any questions or comments about Narrable? ( Give time for people to think about it. Dr. Kimmel says it may take a minute for someone to speak up. ) ( 3 minutes )
- The next tool I want to share is Weebly. Have you ever thought about starting a library or class website? Weebly makes it very easy with this user friendly site. Weebly is basically free unless you want some of the more advanced tools. You can easily build, update, and keep a very nice website without having to purchase anything. You have to sign up and provide an email address and password. Then you choose a template and follow the guide on the side to build your pages within the site. You can embed images, videos, etc. ( 30 seconds )
- Here is an example of my project webpage created for my class through ODU. I hope to change this site to my class webpage after the class is over. You can see that I chose a mountain theme for my background and tried to play that theme all the way through my site. On the left you will see how to edit the website. I think a class website could help to keep parents informed about class and deadlines. Students couldn’t say they didn’t know, because it will be in their planner as well as on the class website. ( Go to my website ) You can embed video as you see I have a Jerry Spinelli clip about Stargirl. ( Click on About ) I created the avatar using pick a face. It was very easy to create. ( Click on Books) You will notice that the Powtoon we viewed earlier is embedded here. ( Click on For Students ) You will see different links to other sites. Also notice the checkmark. This was made using tagxedo.com. Tagxedo is a site where you can make a word cloud in different shapes and colors. It is a fun way to represent information. You might give it a try. ( Click on For Teachers ) The How Can I Help survey might help a librarian with the teachers needs. When changing this for my class webpage I will probably change this heading. ( Click on For Parents) Here I have linked to some sites that I thought parents might find interesting. It will be important to keep this area full of information about class and upcoming projects, tests, and assignments. ( Click on Contact ) This page allows you to contact me with comments, questions, or concerns. Again this site is very user friendly, with great templates, and drag and drop features. ( 5 minutes )
- Do any of you have a library or class website? Do you use Weebly? Do you think you might try Weebly? Any questions or comments about Weebly? ( 3 minutes )
- The last tool I want to share with you today is Recite This! It is on the AASL Best Websites List for 2014. This site is really cool, because you can take quotes and make posters, bulletin boards, or presentations. The cite has templates across the bottom and also has quotes to choose from on the right if you don’t have your own. You simply pick a quote and pick the template you like it on the best. You can also click create in the middle and type in your own quote, then you pick the template you like it in the best. ( 30 Seconds )
- I created this quickly and easily. I wanted to show you how you can share your creation. I downloaded the image and attached it as the next slide. ( 30 seconds )
- Created using Recite This! Do you think this might be something you could use in your library or classroom? ( 1 minute )
- Any final questions or comments……….. ( 5 minutes ) Thank you for your time today. I hope you are taking something new away from our Technology to Make your Heart Pound! Please feel free to take a hand out of the web tools shared today.