iF Poems is new poetry app for the iPad, described as 'a poetry app for school-age children and for adults of any age'. It's the first great poetry app I've seen for the iPad - apologies for the spoiler but I needed to mention that right off the bat.
"Isn't it great when students write and read because they love to? Or, when a child or young adult values his or her library card as much as the latest electronic game? At Pine Tree Poetry, we believe fine writing nourishes everyone's soul. It exercises brains with creative thinking and adds a palette of words and colors to life.
We've created Pine Tree Poetry to interlace students, their peers, parents, teachers and school librarians in a quest for poetry writing excellence. Rarely do students earn kudos or trophies for their writing, but at Pine Tree Poetry, we are dedicated to rewarding the fine writing achievements of students who are 5 - 18."
Sean Wilkinson's digital storytelling video demonstrates a wide range of talents:
His interpretation of a poem
A blend of technology skills, including filming, editing, planning, etc.
How learning can be applied to students' lives, and more.
"Last week, I began to sketch out the current poetry unit I am teaching in the seventh grade. I am still not ready to share the "paper work." You now the objectives, essential questions, assessments, and criteria. I have it all planned out, but I don't feel the need to document that part of the story on my blog just yet. I want the story of this unit to be like the work with my students; we are still trying to pry ourselves away from the literal. English is not their first language you see, so they are having a difficult time allowing language to set them free. They still cling to what they know and write exactly what they see. They cannot see that poetry is the key that will free them from the shackles of language acquisition"
Some very interesting ideas from a language teacher
After writing a few reflections on the units I covered last term, I realized that summative reflection could become a tedious chore that doesn't serve much of purpose. This term I would like to work on writing shorter more formative reflections to help me stay connected with my units, and that will hopefully illicit some useful feedback from you, dear reader.
Knovio might end up being one of the best Web 2.0 applications of the year. You upload a PowerPoint presentation, record a presentation with your microphone and webcam, and then it's done! It's free, and it is not open to the public yet, but I received an invitation about five seconds after I requested it.
http://l.aunch.it/tblq use this link to sign up people!
First come first severed, fingers feet and toes.....If you can tell me the poem there is a prize!