Week 5 - Different online activities

Week 5 - Different online activities

Today's workshop, being our last one for this course, is filled with many fun and educational online activities for both teachers and students to appreciate!

We start off with the Zimmertwins website: www.zimmertwins.com

This is an awesome website to introduce or practise the art of creating a short animation. Even though this particular website is not a tutorial-based movie maker, it allows the user to select each frame and can then add in text and control the speed of the animation. It's a neat website, especially for the younger students. The following image is a sample picture from my movie.

How to create your own movie (from scratch):
- Select frames and insert text in text boxes
- Change characters/locations if desired
- Have fun and share
* incorporate literacy curriculum by having the students write the stories out before or after they create their own short animated films: focus on plot, climax, proper spelling and sequence.


Animals is a common theme throughout different grades. A very cool website that I know students will enjoy is http://buildyourwildself.com. It allows students to create their own 'wild self' using an assorted selection of body parts and designs. Here is an example of my wild self.

These pictures can be used as writing seeds for students to truly feel engaged with their stories. In addition to the picture, the website provides some background information on each creation!


Research, research, research? FOUND! Teachers often have to spend hours 'googling' different fun and engaging activities for students. The ABC Kids website RollerMache http://www.abc.net.au/rollercoaster/rollermache/about.htm offers a wide range of fun hands-on activities that students can create! This website is separated into four different sections: Inspire, Plan, Create, and Gallery. This process is similar to what goes on in the classroom - from engagement to sharing! We looked at Shaun the Sheep and Jane the Dragon as examples from the website. It is extremely important for children to understand what happens behind the scenes of movies, not just the main content. Take a look at this website and see what you can find for your classroom!



Cool concept but risky content!?!
As a class, we are introduced to Sketchswap.com. It is a simple draw and swap website with a cool concept but because you do not know what content or type of image will be returned, it is a risky choice to implement in the classroom. However, I believe the concept can be implemented in the classroom/school to encourage creativity and acceptance of differences. The following is an image that I drew on the website.


and the following image is what I received after swapping.



Do you know what message the drawing is conveying?!?

Teachers: Take a look, have a draw and see what you get in return!




Reasonably Clever

This website offers users to make their own Lego characters. We can choose different heads, body designs, bottoms, even shoes for our mini Lego characters. The only real issue is make sure that they kids DO NOT buy stuff.
Here is an image of my Lego version of a Ninja Turtle.



Nowadays, many of the younger students love computer games and characters. This gaming character creation can act as a process of engagement and the students can reflect on it in writing or presentation of some form.


ODE TO SPELLCHECKER!

The good old spellchecker! Where would we be today without it? Perhaps many of us would be better at spelling?! Without a doubt, the function of spellcheck is important but how does it affect the younger generations? If they become too dependent on spellcheck, imagine what their actual writing is like without the word processor?

In this workshop, we had to type out a few lines of text in Microsoft Word with our monitors off. This blind-typing activity gives us another perspective on what it is like to type without the instant recognition of grammatical or spelling errors (represented by red or green underlines). In addition, the use of homonyms is more common than we think.

Greg said that ten minutes of daily dictation would immensely improve the students' level of literacy - let's give that a try, shall we?!


Ziptales - www.ziptales.com.au (it's Australian!)

Ziptales is a great program for students of all ages and levels. Activities include puppet plays, stories, jokes, make and do, rhyme time, skill builder, etc. However, a subscription is necessary in order to access the activities. My placement school has an annual subscription to ziptales and students use it frequently. As an earned privilege, students can access the Make and Do part of ziptales and create their own mini projects. They range from paper planes to puppets - simple and fun!




On the same note, a great activity that can be implemented in the classroom is 'Connect the Story'. Have every student come up with a title and starting paragraph of their own stories, then have them switch seats to continue on another student's story. Have each student use a different coloured pencil or font (if on the computer); as this can be used for assessment as well.
Before wrapping this up, have each student return to their original seats and finish their stories. Just imagine how much thinking and engagement is involved; as well as a high level of creativity!



Last but not least... making our own animated clip online with mature subject matters!

www.dfilm.com/live/home.html

This website is very simple for everyone to use. There are different themes and images ready for us to choose from, to make our own short animated film. This is definitely not suitable for children and should only be a reference to how short animated clips are made. Once completed, the video can then be shared by using the embedded code. Check out my short clip:

Week 4 - DustEchoes and Microsoft Excel

Week 4 DustEchoes

DustEchoes: Retelling a story using images and text

www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/dustechoesflash.htm

In this week's workshop, we are looking at Aboriginal stories online. They are in the form of cartoons, to easily engage younger students. In addition, this helps to minimize the effects of violence in the stories. The following is a simple procedure of today's workshop activity.

Select a story from the website

Download study guides (for teachers)

Choose an activity for students

Literacy: Retell the story by using snapshots and text using Inspiration (previous ICT lesson). By using the "Print Screen' function, students can copy snapshots of the story, crop the desired images (using Paint) and paste it into Inspiration.
This activity covers English/Literacy and computer skills.

*Teachers should screen material first, as some stories may contain inappropriate images for younger students!

Have a look at the example above!

Microsoft Excel - Maths

The second part of today's workshop focuses on a Maths' activity. The best part about it is the materials used - M&Ms! Before any food or fragrances are used for any purpose in the classroom, make sure that students are clear of any allergies - this could cause many issues!

We all know that M&Ms come in different colours and a great simple Maths activity is for the students to work with collecting data (colour) and graphing. A common program that can be found on most computers is Microsoft Excel - it offers a range of table formats and graphs for different purposes. The following image are some sample graphs from Microsoft Excel.

Another suggestion is to allow the students to explore legitimate homepages of companies, such as M&Ms'. Due to their children-friendly nature, their homepage caters to the younger population with games and interesting facts about their products. Often, students can learn some interesting new facts - nutritional information, colour charts, how their products are made, history of their products, etc. In addition, awesome pictures can be found for their own resources as well.

One thing to keep in mind when using any type of computer programs is that students may need a review of the basic knowledge and skills - such as highlighting, multiple selection, saving their work, etc. Ensure that students are familiar with those essential basics; therefore, their activities will seem less tedious and more fun!

Week 3 - Design briefs & Online games

Week 3 - Design briefs

In today's workshop, we are exploring Design Briefs. The updated set is Investigate/Design, Produce, Analyse/Evaluate. Despite the common belief, ICT is not always about using computers. Technology design process, for example, is used in our schools everyday; however, it may not be reflected as such.

Jumping Frog Activity:

In today's workshop, we have been instructed to, in partners, design and create our own version of a jumping frog, using a given set of materials. We are given a piece of paper with a frog on it, a piece of cardboard, a rubber band, sticky tape and scissors. All materials must be used for our final product. No other instructions are given -> to promote creativity and freestyle thinking! My partner and I decided to implement a "spring-like" mechanism to allow the frog to jump. The following are some pictures of our final product.



YES! Our final product works without a hitch! The only issue is that we could not find a better way of incorporating the rubber band to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Regardless, our process (from designing to evaluating) was a great experience and incorporating that in the classroom will be a fun experience for all!

An important aspect of any design/experiment/competition nature, is that failure is HEALTHY! 'Perspective' is very important and teaching students to learn how to see things from different perspectives could make a positive difference in their future.

Another important aspect for this project is the sharing part. Similar to students sharing their writing pieces, the gathering and sharing of different ideas promote healthy learning - learning together, from one another. The act of sharing ideas (whether they are successful or not) promotes cohesion and explores the notion that everyone is different; from how they think to how they learn.



Online Games

With the help of technology and the worldwide web, games in the classroom are no longer limited to what is available in the classrooms. There are countless fun and educational games that are accessible for every student, at every level. In this week's workshop, we are introduced to an online quiz website, where we are able to create and share our own quizzes.
www.quia.com\web

This is a great resource for students to create their own quizzes (applying their own knowledge) and challenge themselves with others' quizzes. This fun and interactive process not only caters to students of every level, but is especially effective for those who prefer to learn independently.

Week 2 - Microsoft Publisher

Week 2 - Using Microsoft Publisher

I remember when I was in Primary school, to make any type of brochure or poster, it was all done by hand. Nowadays, it can be done using programs such as Microsoft Publisher. Not only does it save time and concrete resources (like paper - a huge environmental issue!), but the different features offered by this program are fantastic. Microsoft Publisher offers a variety of selection for users to choose from: flyers, greeting cards, brochures, newsletters, etc. Students can explore different formats and designs to suit their needs. Another key element is that most computers have access to many Microsoft products and often, this program is included in the list. The following images are samples of my brochure for The Big Bang Theory (one of my favourite television shows).

In the classroom:

When a student decides on the topic of his own brochure, for example, s/he may use a week's time to complete the project. There are many aspects that can be explored with this project - design, size, fonts, quality of pictures, picture selection, purpose of a brochure, marketing, advertising, etc. Depending on the age and topic, this could be very engaging for the students!


A great tool for creating an E-Portfolio:

Microsoft Publisher is another handy software for our e-portfolios. As pre-service teachers, we are constantly learning new theories and teaching skills; a common issue is to present our knowledge and experience in an acceptable yet exceptional manner. Microsoft Publisher offers a wide range of layouts for us to choose from. I highly recommend the use of this program in and out of classrooms, as both the students and teachers can truly benefit from it.

Week 1 - Blogging and Inspiration

Welcome to my blog page. Every week, this blog will provide you with some awesome suggestions to implement in your classroom!

Week 1 - Introduction to Blogging online

Nowadays, in our progressive society, the use of pen and paper is drastically decreasing; while the use of technology as a replacement is inevitable - especially in the classrooms! The use of computers as a writing substitution is no longer viewed in the negative light (except maybe in the eyes of the 'old school' teachers). Online blogging is a fun and simple way of incorporating a mix of creativity (i.e. design) and literacy skills (i.e. wide selection of text types) to be expressed for the chosen audience to see. Moreover, blogging to the world could potentially build on presentation and communication skills! As this is my first attempt at an online blog, I will experience first-hand all the pros and cons it has to offer.

This image is an example of the online blogging process, using Blogger.com.






Introduction to Inspiration (Concept mapping)

One of the essential strategies that children are learning in the classroom is brainstorming; this process enables the children to truly engage in the process of exploring an idea or topic, while simultaneously reflecting on their work progress. In addition, the completed concept map (or mind map) provides guidance in report writing or presentation. The Inspiration program is simple and easy to use. The images on the left are samples of what the students can create to explore an idea or topic.

During my teaching rounds, I was amazed at how much the preps and grade ones know about technology (computer use).

Every week they have ICT sessions where they learn how to use different software and explore educational websites. Unfortunately, Inspiration was not one of the programs they were familiar with, but they had previously learned how to create a simple mind map using Microsoft Word.

I believe that this Inspiration program is easy enough for young students to use, however, for those perfectionists (like myself), most of their time may be spent on the layout design and perhaps how straight the arrows are. I would recommend teachers to set a strict time limit and perhaps explain what the main focus is with this program. Great to use in the classroom!