Group items tagged

Great post on how Darren K plans and creates a classroom blog.

"Speaking and writing in the target language are two fundamental goals of the World Languages Department. To that end, our 5th grade Spanish students maintain a class blog (hosted by MICDS and powered by WordPress MU) where they can showcase their language skills. For their first exercise, each student posted a letter that included an audio recording created using Audacity. These posts will, over time, become a portfolio of the students' progression in Spanish."

"Get your students blogging. Create a virtual classroom and BlogPortal. Instant use, hosted, free."

From Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog. Doug provides a link to the new Generations Online in 2009 report from the Pew Internet project. The chart of Generational Differences In Online Activities is an eye opener. (Since I have geezer eyeballs, the title of this post really appeals to me!)

Each student based their blog topic on this quote by Gandhi, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world". Students chose topics such as recycling, Darfur, donating blood, AIDs, pollution, animal abuse, genocide, teen stress, depression … This is the first exposure to blogging so I directed their beginning posts. Here are the suggestions:

"The flipped classroom made a huge impact on my education - and life. Without the change in my class structure, I don't think I would be applying to colleges and thinking about continuing my education beyond high school. Not only did my grades and scores improve, but I began enjoying school and learning, and it taught me how to learn and think on my own. The flipped class turned me into a better student."

"The flipped classroom model inverts, or "flips" teaching methods by switching activities traditionally done at home with those done in class. Lectures, in the form of several short videos, happen at home where students watch prerecorded lessons online. Homework is done in class where teachers and students engage in a variety of active, and collaborative learning activities. Increased student access to technology, cheaper recording methods, and an increasing demand for open content have paved the way for Khan Academy and other online instructional repositories to move teaching out of the classroom and into the home."

| EPS411 ELearning Design and Production Just picked up on this concept. Use of audio in an online class can be very powerful and this might be an slick way to get the job done. One issue that always nags is the need for a transcript. To be accessible to the deaf, podcasts in courses should have a transcript. I've taken to writing a transcript before I record, even though I'm more comfortable with just winging it. I remain surprised that the voice to text technology remains so clunky (or expensive) that this isn't a build in feature with recording programs. If anyone know of a well priced product that produces audio files and a transcript at the same time... LET ME KNOW!

This is an example of how social media can change children's participation in class. A very well written teacher's reflection of a difficult student's engagement in her class as a result of using social media

Interesting ideas here, including use of a projector. I like the way the class is enjoying the work of other schools, and the way they collaborate in their responses.

This site encourages children to be creative and share ideas. It's a cross between a blog and a digital canvas and formatting is really simple. Users just drag and drop the images and text however they wish. There is also a teacher sign up option, which lets you quickly add a whole class or school. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

This tutorial is designed so that you can learn how to use the tools of web 2.0 for your classes or for fun. * Each topic takes about a week to complete. * Each week you will will be introduced to at least one website [or 'tool'].( You may also get information about an aspect of digital citizenship. * Next, you have an activity to complete using the website. * The last, and most important thing you need to do is to post about what you learned on your blog. Topics: Digital Citizenship; Blogging; Avatars; Photos, Images, & Giving Credit; Finding Photos and Images; Good Manners and Commenting; Creating your own images; Creating Animations and Videos; Creating Documents and Presentations; Fun with Books & reading; Evaluating informational websites; Online Sharing

Vocabulix provides numerous free tools for learning Spanish, German, or English. On Vocabulix can be used to create quizzes or take quizzes online. Vocabulix provides dozens of drills and activities designed to help students learn Spanish, German, or English. The verb conjugation chart can be used on the Vocabulix website. The verb conjugator code is freely available for use in third party blogs, wikis, or websites. As most new language learning websites do, Vocabulix has a social networking option that helps match native speakers with learners. Applications for Education Vocabulix is a great tool for independent study or practice of a foreign language. The activities are short and sweet and give students instant feedback. The pre-made Vocabulix exercises are flexible enough for use with a wide range of students from beginners to advanced language learners. Students can select the type of response, multiple choice or written response, the level of difficulty, and choice of having or not having visual clues. The verb conjugator widget is a nice tool to include on your class blog, wiki, or website to support student learning outside of the classroom.

"Class Blogmeister is one of several blogging engines that \nhave been developed specifically for classroom use. You are welcome to explore \nthe writings of teachers and students alike."

A great Tumblr widget to attach music tracks to your blog. Great for publishing class podcasts. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Music%2C+Sound+%26+Podcasts