Usie Piktochart to create an interactive graphic syllabus.
Laura Sexton has wonderful ideas, is a genius with Tech, and is a super, enthusiastic NC teacher. I recommend her website and blogs - PBL in the TL.
Thanks for the reference! This is really cool--not sure if our syllabus policy would allow it, but it really looks like fun and is much more attention-grabbing. I imagine, though, that it takes a while to get to the level of organization she has attained with the images and layout.
I've been looking for another comic-maker that will let you upload your own photos - this one does! It also has a pretty large gallery of characters, backgrounds, etc. You have a choice to make a comic book, comic strip/e-card, presentation, manga, or a graphic novel.
This is a great site for elementary kids for a lot of different areas, but the comic creator is for grades 3-12.
This is really cool - not sure what I'd use it for in teaching - maps of a country? link to a graphic on the web and you can zoom in and move around in it.
This site contains hundreds of visual aids (illustrations) that can be used to support instructional tasks such as describing objects and people (i.e., teaching vocabulary) or describing entire events and situations (i.e., teaching grammar).
What I find useful from using illustrations on this page is that they are in clipboard design and are free of words in English or any other language. Each illustration allows for a variety of activities raging from reviewing vocabulary, grammar, being creative using different skills: writing, speaking; individual or small group work.
Plickers might be interesting for quick multiple choice responses.
giving them opportunities to contribute to a class blog or something where their classmates will get to see their hearts and minds in this other forum. I think that really opens things up.
But Cain particularly feels for one group of introverts: the quiet kids in a classroom.
Our most important institutions, like schools and workplaces, are designed for extroverts,
why is it that kids who prefer to go off by themselves or to work alone are seen as outliers?
How about the very definition of “class participation?”
how best to cultivate the talent of those students.
a student who has one or two or three friends, and prefers to go deep with their friendships instead of being one of a big gang, there’s nothing wrong with that at all, in terms of it being a predictor for adulthood.
If the kid is perfectly happy the way they are, they need to get the message that the way they are is cool.
make sure to build quiet time into the school day, especially when kids are younger. Have 15 minutes set aside every day where the students just read.
maximize choice.
less group work in general.
do more work in pairs, which is a way that both introverts and extroverts can thrive.
challenge teachers to rethink what they mean by class participation and start thinking of it as classroom engagement instead.
account the research of Anders Ericsson, who invented the concept of “deliberate practice.”
tools that allow students to participate through their electronic devices as opposed to raising their hand.
Apps that allow students to contribute to class discussions, sometimes anonymously and sometimes not.
I agree this statement of "Number one would be to make sure to build quiet time into the school day, especially when kids are younger. Have 15 minutes set aside every day where the students just read."
Question: As a classroom teacher, I am with my students 42 minutes per day, how can I take almost half of this time for reading? Shouldn't this issue be addressed as a whole school wide??
I agree with you Diane - that would be way too much time for reading in just your class. In some classes, I do a 5 - 10 minute "free-writing" exercise that is individual. It seems like you'd need to scale the time so that it's appropriate for your class.
A lot of students who might be reticent at first will feel emboldened by having first discussed it with a partner.
Wow, just imagine how much calmer the world could be if classrooms were set up to allow for multiple temperaments as well as learning styles?!
Also, the think-pair-share concept is fantastic; I've been using the "alone-paired-large group" sequence for language learners in groups since I got my CELTA certification and it's been hugely successful. Nobody wants to be wrong in public, and when learners have a chance to discuss it with a partner first, they are more likely to share their ideas.
Facebook is blocked at my school, and an educator there (not me, thank heavens) just had their (sorry about this pronoun) FB page hacked w/a very graphic sex video seen by all the kids and parents who were person's friend, but nonetheless there are reasons to use it with students.
Thanks for sharing this article, Laura. I've been investigating and working with this app for the last week and, though it has its challenges, I'm enjoying where it can take a project!
I like this idea - I'd like to try this with my Level 1 students. We have a children's version of Don Quijote that might lend itself to this. Something else to plan!
The potentials for dropping in html objects such as quizzes that enable interaction can make static data much more dynamic.
The ability to drop in multimedia and particularly video can lend more significance and impact to the information in the graphic.
I have not tried this tool, but it sounds like a great combination of things--embedded videos, plus the ability to add quizzes. I am imagining being able to create something like a google-docs quiz or EdPuzzle, and embed within the context of a larger discussion of a topic. This might help to show how one activities fits into a broader unit.
I love using infographics, especially with beginning levels of language learners. There are so many visual aids to help increase comprehension that most students feel a sense of accomplishment when reading the infographics. This site has a ton of them in Spanish. #carltech17GroupA
Hi Anne! I also like to use infographics with my students even for me. I learn much better when I see images and graphics. I guess I am a visual learner and I always present content through images and charts of information.
There are a lot of teachers out there who, like me, are not tech savvy, so Canva is the perfect fit for us because it takes all of the guesswork out of designing a highly engaging, aesthetically pleasing visual!
My students create a graphic novel/comic using "Storyboard That" as part of their final exam/program. I love seeing their creative side while practicing their language skills!