Digital Storytelling Preparations

As I view teachers digital stories that are used or will be used in the classroom, I think the most important point I am taking away is how important it is to speak clearly and slowly. I know I can talk very fast. I need to keep in mind that I need to talk in what may seem too slow to keep my story successful.

Any other suggestions that you have come across for a successful digital story to be used in the elementary classrom?

Diigo Account

Link to my diigo account is below. (Click the diigo icon!)



As I continue to add to the website, I am liking the tool more and more. Professionally, it is helpful to have everything in one place. I was definitely started to get overwhelmed with all the websites and where to find them all. I was searching through my blog looking for old posts trying to find websites I posted.

Personally, I AM LOVING IT! :) With my wedding only 85 days away I have many websites with contacts and pictures of my reception location, photographer, flowers, bakery, wedding and bridal shower invitations, gift registries, shoes, bride's maid dresses, accessories, and even my wedding dress! I kept carrying my laptop back and forth to my mom's house to share the websites with her. Now all I have to do it log into my diigo account. Thank you!

Community Vocab. Animoto

Every year in second grade we teach a social studies unit where students learn about the different types of communities and community helpers. As we learned in our Content Area course, front loading vocabulary is very important. Using this animoto I will be front loading vocabulary with actual photographs, realia, while also hooking their attention and motivating them for the learning that is soon to come. Enjoy!




NETS for Teachers 1, 2, and 3
(Follow link for standards' specifics NETS for Teachers)

Empowering Students with Technology - Ch. 1-3

Alan November's book, Empowering Students with Technology, provides educators with the fact that technology motivates students! I think we have all heard it and maybe even defended the point ourselves, but Alan November books begins to show us how. November also puts students in control. He believes students should be in charge of their own learning. Another point he makes, which I am very drawn to, is that introducing the use of technology can not be just something else to add to pile. Technology needs to be integrated and thinking about teaching and learning need to change to make that possible.

November discussing the important of teaching students how to be critical and evaluate the material they find on the Internet. We need to teach students how to MAP.

• M - Meta-web information: evaluate the structure of the information on the web. This begins with being able to understand the information within the web address itself. (I never knew could get so much information from the web address!)
• A - Author: evaluate who the author is of the website. Ask yourself does this person have the credentials to understand and deliver the facts or could this information be his/her opinion?
• P- Purpose: evaluate the web site's purpose. Is the site trying to sell a product? Persuade with ideas? Share information? or Entertain an audience?

As November points out, blocking students' access to the Internet is only a short term victory. We need to educate students far beyond turning a computer on and off. It is our responsibility to teach them how to be critical thinking when it comes to information found on the world wide web.

November also stresses the need for teaching students to have global communication skills.

• One way to do this is through the use of Skype. Students can with students in other schools within the town, state, country, or even the world. Using Skype is a great way to replace the traditional pen pal. Students would get instant feedback and responses from their "pal". November warns though; the technology is easy, students need to be prepared for different cultural backgrounds and understanding when communicating with someone of different cultures.
• Parents can also use Skype or another videoconferencing device to be part of the classroom community. This always busy working parents to "drop by" to see what is going on in the classroom or be part of their students' learning.
• Posting students' work online is another way to establish communication outside the classroom. As we saw in some teachers' online blogs, we can have children's work posted for families and friends to comment on. Family and friends across the country would never have this opportunity to communicate in this way without the web.

November gives new meaning to the term life-long learner... He reminds use that our students might have more experience with web-based tools than we do. Giving students the ability to teach the teacher would be a new concept in many classrooms but image the motivation!

According to November (2010) teachers can empower students by teaching them how to seek answers to their own questions. As teachers our role shifts from providing all the learning to helping students identify what it is they want to learn and help them locate resources to find their answers.

My questions to you...

(as they are the ones bouncing around my mind as I read)

• This is an overwhelming change in thinking, how do you begin? Where do you start?
• How do you feel about this overall change of student control?
• How would your administrators view this overall change of student control?
• How would parents view this overall change of student control?
• How would students view this overall change of student control?
• How would this align with new Common Core State Standards? (CCSS are driving my district's current curriculum overhaul, which was just completely rewritten in the summer of 2010, not even two years ago...)

Digital Story Telling 4 Kids

This blog provided many tools that would inspire children. I liked how this blog was focused on displaying tools specific to the type that students would want to work with. Below are three that I liked the most: (Click names of tools to view their sites)


Goanimate is exactly that, animated story telling. To sign up is free but to create "school videos", which are are created in a private school friendly environment, there is a fee of $8 a month.


Makebeliefscomix allow you to create your own comic strips. It is very simple. First you choose your character, your scene, and add thought or talking bubbles. There is a teachers resource page with many ways to use comic strips such as introducing vocab and teaching social skills.
Check out my comic strip... http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/?comix_id=29181960C685298


Glogster is an electronic poster where students can "pin" or "post" images, words, quotes to show their learning or share something about themselves. Instead of making posters like we used to as a visual for, say book reports as an example, students can create a glogster.


*Using any of these website students would be meeting Standards 1, 2, and 4 for NETS.
(Follow link for standards' specifics http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-S_Standards.sflb.ashx )

There really are "50+ Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story"

After exploring Alan Levine's blog, "50+ Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story" I have decided I personally like presentation tools best to create a digital story. My favorite tool was Slideshare. Because I still get overwhelmed by the information that can be displayed in more "professional" blogs I loved how Alan created a page with the tools listed by the type of tool. This gave me a clue as to what kind of digital story I would be viewing, ie comic, mapping, audio, etc. I also liked how he used the same story about his dog Dominoe to create each digital story. This allowed me to see how each type of tool was different. I did not have to create my own in each to simply see a finished product.


(Thank you Alan, anything that saves me some time is a blessing!)


To view the 50+ tools organized by tool type follow the link below.
http://50ways.wikispaces.com/StoryTools

Blabberize!

While exploring possible digit story tools I found Blabberize.com. Kids will love it! Using an image you are able to insert a talking mouth and record a message. You can make any image come to life! (My favorite was the polar bear signing "Ice, Ice Baby".)


Check out my educational blabberize below.





If you want to make your own, check out blabberize.com


*As a teacher I would be meeting Standards 1, 2, and 3 for NETS.
(Follow link for standards' specifics http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-T_Standards.sflb.ashx )