Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate for Schools.
Go Animate is a great site where students can create their own animations. It is a paid site, but worth the money if you are going to do more than one project with a group of students. There is a free, more limited site, Domo Animate, that you can try out to get a feel for the program. Here is an example from a 6th grade student showing his understanding of Greek Gods on Domo Animate. On the paid version of Go Animate, there are tons of characters and settings to help students animate. Plus, each character can be programmed to have appropriate expressions and/or actions in every scene. In addition, students can record and add their own sound. I found it to be a great writing activity. The students spend a lot of time adding the details of facial expressions and actions to each scene. Then, they are able to go back into their own writing and include those details. Here is a 5th grade example project where students were to include double digit multiplication to show their understanding of that concept at well: Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate for Schools. I am just beginning to learn about this tool, and try it out with students. How have you used Go Animate with your students? Share in the comments below!
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I'm starting to think about engaging lessons to begin the school year, and I was doing a little reminiscing. Last year, I was fortunate enough to recruit Evan Liab, the music teacher in my building, to write a song about the acceptable use policy. We discussed the important parts of the policy for students, and he took those concepts and created lyrics and music! What a talented fellow! I taught the nuts and bolts of the policy, and he taught the students the song during his music classes. To culminate our learning, the students created their own music video. Each grade choreographed their own dance and I tried to put it all together (disclaimer: my video editing skills need work). Here was our final product. How do you teach about the acceptable use policy? Share your ideas in the comments below!
This week, I was in a class lead by Kelly Rexine, and I was reminded about the power of virtual field trips. In the past, I've had great experiences with National Parks virtual trips. All National Parks (to my knowledge) will Skype with your class. You just contact them on the NPS website to set up a time. I've had great experiences with Yosemite in the past (our 4th graders read a story about Yosemite). The rangers are able to show my Midwestern students what a mountain looks like, giant pine cones, and trees taller than anything they have seen. Once, the ranger was talking to the kids outside and a herd of deer passed right by the camera! I learned about Google lead field trips via Connected Classrooms and how to utilize street view to virtually take students outside the four wall of their classrooms. After the class, I was motivated to search for other great virtual field trips and live webcams that I could use with students this year. I create this Symbaloo webmix to get me started. I was impressed by the number of continents, countries, and famous landmarks we could visit. How do you use virtual trips in your classroom/library? What are your favorite places to visit? Please leave your ideas in the comments below!
One of my favorite new activities was inspired by a treasure found in the back library office. A box of old book jackets. I'm not sure what they were used for, but my mind starting buzzing with center possibilities for them! Since I was working on lessons for fiction/non-fiction, I decided they would be perfect for a fishing game. I like using the book jackets because the students could read the back and inside blurbs about the book to help them decide if it was fiction or non-fiction. First, I laminated the book covers for durability, and hot glued strong magnets to the inside of the book jacket (holding the two covers together). Then, I bought some wooden dowels and drilled a small hole in one end. Next, I used fishing line and tied it through the hole on the dowel and attached a super strong magnet (a 9+ strength magnet) to the other end. Lastly, we made a "pond" with the book jackets on the floor and started fishing! When the students "catch" a book, they determine if it is fiction or non-fiction. If they get it right, they keep it. If they get it wrong, they throw it back. It was a super engaging way to practice this skill! I did it with both kindergarten and 1st grade classes. What would you do with an old box of book jackets? Share your ideas in the comments below!
I feel very fortunate that I have a district subscription to VoiceThread. It is a great tool for digital storytelling, collaboration, blogging, and providing student feedback. You can upload images, videos, pdf, document, presentations, and audio files, making it really versatile for many different projects. Then, you can share your VoceThread and student can comment or provide feedback using voice or text! It is great for younger kids because the typing doesn't hinder them, and it is motivating to all kids because they ALL have a voice.
Here is an example of a class VoiceThread. 3rd grade students each created their own instrument on the New York Philharmonic Kids' website, then wrote/recorded about how sound was being created (a social studies standard).
Here is an example from a 2nd grade class. Students created animals on Switch Zoo, and then wrote about the adaptations using their science knowledge:
Here is a VoiceThread example from a 4th grade class. This video was produced by a group of students showing their understanding of Native American clothes then and now:
This is a kindergarten example. The students each wrote a book about how they changed. We scanned it in as a pdf, and they recorded their voice to make a digital book.
This is a 3rd grade example of a video that was shared using VoiceThread. Students produced videos in groups to show what they had learned about different continents, then shared them with classmates.
This is another example of how you can use VoiceThread. These 4th graders used VoiceThread to explain how they solved this math problem. It was great way for me to assess their understanding of different strategies.
VoiceThread can be used in many ways with many different grade levels. It is not a free tool, however, I believe worth the money. How have you used VoiceThread in your classroom/library?
Little Bird Tales is a great tool for digital storytelling! Students can add voice and text to images to create their very own story. The images can be uploaded from your computer, or illustrated right on the site. Then, you can easily share your story via a link or embed code. Below is a intro video about this tool. I have used this tool as a way to publish student writing. In this second grade class, students created personal narratives with their classroom teachers during their writing instruction. Then, I helped them use Little Bird Tales to illustrate and publish their work online. Here are a couple of examples: Little Bird Tales let you create a free account, but it has limited storage. I recommend the free version for families that want to create at home. I purchased the premium teacher account for $24.99 a year. You do have to set up each students' account (or you can do it in a batch), but it is really easy for the students to use once it was all set up. It is a great tool for the classroom! How can you use Little Bird Tales in your classroom/library?
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AuthorMisti Werle is the newly hired Library Media Systems Innovator in Bismarck, North Dakota. Archives
June 2015
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