Literacy Project- Character Traits!

For my literacy project I decided to do a digital story on character traits. We are focusing on this concept in the third grade classroom that I co-teach in. The kids were very motivated to participate in this project. They had to define character traits, tell how they are demonstrated in a story, use character traits in a Biographical Poem, and create a digital story. The kids loved this unit! They are going to use their digital story to teach character traits to the 5 other third grade classrooms. They are also using this to teach and to communicate with their parents the concept of character traits. The kids really loved this WeVideo and can't wait to make another.  I liked using WeVideo.  Have you used it?

               

 Bio Poem

Marissa

Energetic, Independent, Intelligent, Talented, Artistic

                Lover of sweets and my grandmother

                Who is able to listen and follow directions

             Who feels blissful, energetic, and joyful when about  to                                         play soccer

                    Who wonders how the world was made

                          Who fears scary movies

                  Who would like to learn about other cultures

             Who dreams about being a famous sports player

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Tool 2.0- Voki!

The first night I walked into Education 584 I thought I was ready to quit.  I am terrible at technology!!  I had no idea what a Wiki, a Weebly, a WeVideo, a Blog, a Voki, or any of it was.  It sounded like a completely different language!  One thing I did know, is that I was completely against putting any assignment my students had done on the internet.  I'm not even on Facebook.  I started doing the Cassidy readings, going to class, started the blog.  Little by little I started to change my mind.  I saw how Cassidy's first graders successfully used many forms of technology to communicate and learn.  I started to enjoy blogging and making animotos.  I had fun creating a digital story.  But what I realized most of all, was that my students absolutely loved it!  They loved making the Animoto!  They learned idioms with Jen's students by making a digital story.  My whole third grade class made a digital story to teach their parents and peers about character traits in stories!  The kids were hooked!  They wanted to do more with technology.  In the last 8 weeks my attitude has completely changed towards technology in the classroom.  I see how motivating it is for my students to learn using all sorts of technology.  I see how they enjoy connecting with others outside their classroom.  I see how they want to teach others using digital stories and how the use of an authentic audience encourages them on to create.  My third grade co-teacher and I are turning my weebly into our 3rd grade website and we will next add a blog!  I have learned that technology is not something to fear.  Instead, it is a creative tool that allows us to reach a global audience.  It motivates the kids and it allows me to teach them with a tool that they are used to communicating with and enjoy!

Overall, I have used Animoto, WeVideo, IMovie, StoryBird, Weebly, Twitter, Google Docs, Google Hangouts with Kathy Cassidy and Will Richardson, Voki, Blogging with Iowa students, Blogging with classmates and Judy, Blogging in general...Which of these have you used? Which is your favorite?

Wordle!!

We have been using Wordle this week as we work on character traits. We had students come up with 3-5 character traits about themselves and then create a wordle to show these traits.  My students got really creative and had a great time using this!

Click on this to see a great blog that gives 20 great ideas how to use Wordle.

What do you think of Wordle?  How have you used it in your classroom?

Digital Story- Idioms!

 

The students had a great time making this digital story for Idioms!  They each thought of their own idiom and came up with their illustrations independently.  Students were very motivated to teach their peers about idioms through the digital story.  I actually had extra students volunteering to join the project!

 

 

 

Take a quick survey.

 

 

IMovie or WeVideo??

I asked the question several blogs ago which was better to use?  Which was easier?  Well I have to say after spend a ton of time working on IMovie with Jen, I did not find it to be as user friendly as everyone had suggested.  I found it easier to navigate WeVideo.  In WeVideo there were easy ways to get to text, pictures, and movies.  IMovie took a lot more time.  Has anyone else had this experience?  Or have you found other programs that are easier?  When I do my literacy project, I will go back to WeVideo!

Digital Story-Idioms

Jen and I created this video for students to learn more about idioms.  We want these students to use figurative language in their writing and understand it in their reading.  We had students learn what an idiom is, define the idiom, and then use the idiom in a sentence.  They had a great time illustrating the literal meaning, defining the real meaning, and using it in a sentence.  Check out our rough draft and tell us what you think.

Brain Gym- Check out these great activities that will keep your students going!

Brain Gym is a program that that you can do with your students to help them with reading comprehension, writing, spelling, and listening by coordinating the left and right sides of the brain.  Check out these great activities that will have your students ready for learning!  We do these activities before testing, writing, and reading.  It helps to get our students ready to learn. 

 

Brain Gym

Once you have started using it, do you see a difference in student performance?

IMovie or WeVideo

While thinking about making my Digital Story, I am considering WeVideo and IMovie.  I have gone through a number of different tools to create my digital story and have narrowed it down to these two.

My questions are:

Which is more user friendly?
If I make my digital story on the IPad is there a way to transfer it to the PC so I can let kids view it on my Smart board?
Is there a different program you are using that you feel is better?

Open House Animoto

My third grade team is using this Animoto for our Open House as a means to explain and show parents our third grade curriculum. We used power point in the past but felt that this was a more creative way to show parents what we teach. What have you used at Open House to show parents what you teach?

More info on kids blogging!

For those of you who are still nervous to get your class up and blogging the following is a must read!

   Online Collaborative Inquiry
Classroom Blogging Ventures and Multiple Literacies

There is great information and some very informative links.

For those of you who are still skeptical about blogging
check these out!


A great way to get you started!

Paper Blogs!


Online safety.

Blogging Promotes Literacy!

5 ways blogging promotes literacy!

How does blogging promote literacy in our students?

To begin, blogging is a very powerful tool! For students the potential audience is an incredibly motivating feature of the blog. They can have a global audience!  Students have greater purpose and a real audience to whom they can write. 

Secondly, the blog allows students to connect and collaborate with others outside the classroom.  They can work with students in different states on projects that they find motivating.

 Third, the blog helps to archive information which promotes greater reflection. This is a critical piece in learning!

 Fourth, blogging allows students with different learning styles to have a voice and perhaps increase participation in projects. Students with different strengths and weakness can excel using this forum.

Fifth, the blog promotes greater knowledge in the area they are blogging about.  Students become an expert in the area. 

And finally, blogs promote the learning of newer functional literacies within society. 

What are other benefits you have found in using blogging to promote literacy? 

Author Alan November in Empowering Students with Technology states “A lot of the information on the web never really dies.  For example, what a student posts now in high school could be the information that will keep him from getting his dream job in the future…

See Alan November.




We need to make our young students understand these critical issues.
Is anyone using a particular internet safety curriculum with your students?

More Great Resources!

Another great blog - Sharing Technology

I found some great activities on this blog on spelling, cyber safety, google books,  and creating Avatars!

Check it out!

The Avatars allow our students to post animated pictures of themselves for their own safety-Absolutely love it!

Has anyone used anything else so that students don't use their pictures?

Great Resource!!!

Check out this blog for great books!  This blog gives you great information, summaries on stories, and common core connections! Great source!

Great Kids Books

Animoto!

In our third grade co-taught class we have found using visual imagery as a strategy to learn and retain vocabulary is a very successful.  This is especially helpful for the special education students in the class.  In the past we have not utilized Animoto as a source for this visual imagery.  Animoto is incredibly easy to use and the finished product is very motivating for the kids! Our students are working hard to complete work accurately so that we can capture it in a picture and put it into an Animoto presentation!  Animoto is a great source to link vocabulary words to pictures to create visual imagery for your students!

Check it out!

What types of technology do you use for visual imagery?

Is it worth having an educator's account or should I upgrade?

Perseverance!

 

This is a must watch!  We watched this in our opening meeting and there was not a dry eye in the house.

I Believe...Do You?

           Watch this amazing, motivating, young speaker!

 

He will truly inspire you!

Technology

Some programs we will be exploring are:

www.storybird.com

www.animoto.com

What have you found to be useful to spur on your students' creativity?

 

School Starts!!

Back to School!!


We are off to a great start in third grade!  In addition to this Blog, my co-teacher and I will be beginning a third grade Blog!