4. VS.7 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues that divided our nation and led
to the Civil War by
a) identifying the events and differences between northern and southern states that divided
Virginians and led to secession, war, and the creation of West Virginia;
Statements taken from Wikipedia site
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War
http://www.voki.com/php/viewmessage/?chsm=750e7d790c946fd7de8ad2eb340a7aed&mId=1851631
9. Life Processes
and Living
Systems
SOL 3.4 - The student will
investigate and understand that
adaptations allow animals to
satisfy life needs and respond to
the environment. Key concepts
include
a) behavioral adaptations; and
b) physical adaptations.
SOL 3.5 - The student will
investigate and understand
relationships among organisms in
aquatic and terrestrial food
chains. Key concepts include
a) producer, consumer,
decomposer;
b) herbivore, carnivore,
omnivore; and
c) predator and prey.
15. Famous
Americans
SOL 2.11 - The student will
identify George Washington,
Abraham Lincoln, Susan B.
Anthony, Helen Keller, Jackie
Robinson, and Martin Luther
King, Jr., as Americans whose
contributions improved the
lives of other Americans.
Citation:
History Rewound (2009). George
Washington [photo].
http://www.flickr.com/photos/his
toryrewound/4116908055/
16. Citation: Oon, Henry (2007). Spider with lil’ spiders [photo].
http://www.flickr.com/photos/henry_oon/415981220/
17. Citation: Rath, Sourabh (2005). Harry Potter [photo].
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobloo17/72024097/
22. Hoot Book Trailer
Pappas, Alexandra (2010, April 21). Hoot Book Trailer. Retrieved August
1, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQBLcimw1sQ
If video does not play, click here.
23. The Hunger Games Book Trailer
Wh116 (2010, April 11). The Hunger Games Book Trailer. Retrieved
August 1, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTmMkILL72o
If video does not play, click here.
24. Iceland with Andrew and Kevin
Animoto (2011, July 13). Iceland with Andrew and Kevin. Retrieved August 1,
2013, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDxmDXG6wkQ&feature=player_embedd
ed
If video does not play, click here.
Editor's Notes
(0:00-0:30) Welcome! My name is JennTerrillion and I’m here today to give you some ideas about how to bring the products our students create into the 21st century. I will focus on 4 incredible tools that are out there and FREE!
(0:30-1:00) Here’s just a little bit about me so you have some background information: I’ve been teaching in Prince William County since 2001. Most of that time has been in 3rd grade, but I have also taught grades 2, 4, and 5. Teaching is a passion of mine and I’m constantly looking for ways to spice things up. I hate doing the same things over and over again. I am currently a student at Old Dominion University where I am pursuing a certification in Library Media. I’m also a full-time mom to 3 amazing kids. My oldest is 10 and is often the guinea pig for many of the cool tools I find. If he doesn’t like them, then I move on.
(1:00-2:00)The first tool I will introduce to you is called Voki. (click on link to go to site) This is an amazing resource that allows you to create an avatar and give that avatar something to say. The basics are free and you will have to create an account to use it. Not all the avatars are free, so if they say “Voki Classroom” on the banner, then you will not be able to publish it without signing up and paying for it. (point out banner on website) There is a free 15 day trial for Voki Classroom if you choose to do so, however, it’s $29.95 per year after the free trial ends. One benefit of paying for it is getting rid of the banner ads on the sides – they can be a bit distracting for students.
(2:00-3:00) Here’s an example of how students could use Voki to report on what they have learned. After writing a brief explanation of an historical event, students can create an avatar to explain it. Please note that there are multiple ways to get audio – I typed in what I wanted Lincoln to say, but I also could have recorded my voice reading the information. Let’s listen to what Lincoln has to say….
(3:00-4:00) For this guy, I wanted him to talk a little bit about Oobleck. I also thought it would be cool if he spoke with an accent, so since he was a wizard, I gave him a British accent. This is something I would have elementary students create as the culmination of a writing project. After reflecting on an activity they have done, they could write a brief conclusion about what happened and explain why.
(4:00-5:00) After reading a book, students are often asked to write a summary of the book in some way, shape, or form. What if they could do this using Voki? Do you think they’d be more excited about it if they could create an avatar and make it talk? Here’s Ramona to give us a quick plug for her book, Ramona Quimby, Age 8. One drawback to this site is the fact that all of the voices are adult voices, so although Ramona’s voice is computer-generated, I would have students record themselves in this situation instead.
(5:00-10:00) You will see different signs like this one here and there throughout my presentation. Although I won’t be going into detail about Image Chef, it is a great resource for making things a bit more interesting. It is not designed for large amounts of text, however, so it’s good for individual questions, a note about something, a quote, or other things that don’t have a whole lot of words. After each tool, I will stop so that we can discuss it. Does anyone have any questions about Voki? Or any ideas you’d like to share about how you might use Voki in your school? (answer questions and discuss options anyone may offer)
(10:00-10:30) Tagxedo is one that some of you may be familiar with – or maybe its counterpart, Wordle. Tagxedo is a great site for creating word clouds by using groups of words. Although Wordle does the same kind of thing, Tagxedo takes it a little further by allowing you to choose the shape of your word clouds. This can be really fun when you are creating a word cloud that fits a specific theme. An added bonus with this site, besides being free, is that you do not have to create an account to use it. Students can get on the site, click “start now” and they’re off! Let’s take a look at some examples.
(10:30-12:00) Here we have an image of a turtle. Since the words consist of vocabulary pulled from the Science SOL vocabulary list as they pertain to 3.4 and 3.5, I thought a turtle was appropriate because of both its physical adaptation of a hard shell and its behavioral adaptation of migrating. Using SOL content that is already being taught is a great way to get students started using Tagxedo. There are lots of different images that can be used as inspiration for your next word cloud, so you can look at the images as a way to brainstorm uses with the students. How about a map of the United States for 1st graders to use their words for American symbols? Or a big tree for conservation or Earth Day? A treble clef would be great for words they have learned in music class! Or add you own image from your computer.
(12:00-13:30) Okay, let’s play “Name That Shakespeare Play!” Can anyone guess which famous play this is based on the words you see? (take guesses from the audience) That’s right – it’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream!” One of my favorites! Can you see how this could be used as for review with the students? Or as a trivia type question? I could also see this as a “how are these all related” lesson starter – putting words in a word cloud that students will be learning about in a new unit and seeing if they can work together to find the overlying topic.
(13:30-15:00) Here’s an easy way to incorporate this as a brainstorming tool. These words are all “back to school” words that kids probably think of when they’re getting ready to go back to school – what they will bring, what they will do, etc. This could be used to brainstorm words and phrases on a topic that you are guiding students to write about. Let’s say you are writing about a topic like what they like to do on a snow day. Oftentimes, we will have students brainstorm words and phrases about a snow day and we record them somewhere – chart paper, a whiteboard, a SMART board, whatever. Then at the end of the day or class period, those words tend to go away whether students are finished writing or not, unless you save them in SMART. But what if you put them into a word cloud – maybe in the shape of a snowman or snowflake – and post it in the room for the week (or whenever you are finished with the writing activity)? Wouldn’t it be useful for the students to be able to see it there? You could also keep a collection of these word clouds for students to refer back to when they are doing free writing. Don’t know what you want to write about? Consult the word clouds!
(15:00-17:00) Although my title for this slide is meant to be a joke, there need to be some things that we do in our schools “just because,” that don’t have an SOL attached to them. For this one, I used our school’s name, Pattie Elementary, along with our school motto, “Where small hands make big impressions” to create this fun word cloud for our new teacher orientation information. I also received one of the most memorable teacher gifts ever from a parent who used this same shape on Tagxedo. She created a handprint just like this one that included all of the first names of the students in my class, framed it, and gave it to me as a gift on the last day of school. It was one of the coolest presents I ever received! Students could use this to create an “All About Me” word cloud by using words and phrases that are personal to them. The possibilities are endless!
(17:00-20:00) Does anyone have any questions about Tagxedo? Or any ideas you’d like to share about how you might use Tagxedo in your school? (answer questions and discuss options anyone may offer)
(20:00-21:00) Big Huge Labs has lots of different products that can be created. (click on the website and scroll down to the products) As you can see, there are several things here to explore. I’m going to highlight 4 different products that I was able to create by using Big Huge Labs.
(21:00-22:30) Here is an example of a trading card featuring George Washington, who is one of our famous Americans for SOL 2.11, as well as several other SOL objectives. I added information to his card that would be some of the most important for a student to remember. By creating different trading cards, students are reinforcing the information they have learned as well as sharing it with others. This would be a great culminating activity after completing the unit on Famous Americans or to have handy for studying before a quiz or test – especially an SOL. You could have students create trading cards for European Explorers, famous Virginians in fourth grade, or even characters in a book.
(22:30-24:00) Movie posters are great – I can’t help but stare at them when I’m in line at the movie theater! What if we had book posters? Book posters can advertise all kinds of books and they would be a great way for students to create their own based on their favorite book to inspire others to read it as well. Admittedly, mine is not great but you can tell that I love Charlotte’s Web and think others should read it too. In my perfect school, book posters are everywhere – covering library walls, in the hallways, on the backs of doors in the bathroom stalls, on classroom doors and walls – just everywhere! However, I’m sure the fire department would have a problem with that!
(24:00-25:00) ID badges are a fun way for students to identify and reflect on characteristics of a character in a book they have read. This could also be used for famous Americans, scientists, and mathematicians who have impacted our way of life. I created this one just as a fun way to showcase Harry Potter.
(25:00-26:00) Pop art is really just a way to advertise something. It makes you look at something you’ve probably seen before but in a way that makes you notice it and maybe see things in it that you hadn’t noticed before. I used this one because I’m addicted to the 39 Clues series and I just love the different places and adventures that the Cahill kids experience! Since my son hasn’t read this series yet, I thought it would be a fun way to advertise this to him and create some interest.
(26:00-30:00) Does anyone have any questions about Big Huge Labs? Or any ideas you’d like to share about how you might use it in your school? (answer questions and discuss options anyone may offer)
(30:00-31:00) Okay, so I’ve saved my favorite tool for last. This is Animoto. When you visit the site, you will notice that the page looks a little different and that’s because I scrolled down to take a screen shot of what I thought was a more important piece to show you. This is an amazing site that will use photos, videos, music, and some text to create an incredible video that you probably never thought was possible! When I used this for the first time to create a book trailer, I was blown away by the finished product and couldn’t wait to use it again and again. My friends and family are going to get so tired of Animoto videos featuring my kids! You do have to sign up for your free account in order to use it, but it’s definitely worth it!
(31:00-33:00 including video running time) I’m going to start by showing you my very first creation just to prove that this is something that anyone can do. In one of my graduate courses, I was introduced to this tool and we were tasked with creating a book trailer for one of the books we had selected for middle school students. I had no idea what I was doing, but I could see that other people were creating these beautiful book trailers for their own books. So, I finally sat down and started playing around with the program. I’d make changes and preview the video over and over to see how my changes affected my outcome. Some hours later, this was my result. I’m proud of what I accomplished and I know that I’m getting better and better at using this tool. Let’s take a look.
(33:00-35:00 including video running time) This is a book trailer for the book Hoot by Carl Hiaasen that was posted on YouTube and created using Animoto. Notice the difference in theme and music that changes the overall effect in this book trailer as opposed to Code Talker.
(35:00-37:00 including video running time) Here’s another look at theme and music choice using Animoto in a book trailer for The Hunger Games that I also found on YouTube.
(37:00-39:00 including video running time) Okay, so this one isn’t about a book and it’s not even really related to school. This one is about a couple of guys having fun on their trip to Iceland. Although it’s simply fun to watch, I was struck by the possibilities that exist with Animoto beyond book trailers. What if you used Animoto to create a video for a field trip that one of your classes took recently? Could you use it again next year to “preview” the field trip? There are so many wonderful things just waiting to be created with this tool.
(39:00-44:00) Does anyone have any questions about Animoto? Or any ideas you’d like to share about how you might use Animoto in your school? (answer questions and discuss options anyone may offer) How about questions or ideas that have come to mind about anything else we’ve talked about today? Do you feel like these tools will be valuable to you when you go back to your school?
(44:00-45:00) Thank you all so much for coming. I know you had a lot of choices for presentations this morning and I’m really glad you chose mine. I hope that you found at least one tool that you want to play around with and learn more about. Enjoy the rest of your day!
