Our final project this semester is a 45 minute slide presentation on some of the tools we've been learning about, and how they can connect to the curriculum. Here's a link to my presentation:
Here is another link to the script for the presentation:
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Best Websites for Teachers and Librarians
This week I've been exploring a number of Websites. Here are three that I really like:
Booktrack Classroom https://www.booktrackclassroom.com/content/intro
Booktrack classroom allows users to add soundtracks to books. The site has a small existing library of books like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Cinderella that users choose to read. While reading online, users listen to an accompanying soundtrack, chosen specifically for their book. A small arrow at the side of the text moves from line to line. Users can adjust the reading speed to match their own.
Booktrack also allows users to create their own booktracks in two different ways.
First, they can choose books from booktrack's existing library and add their own soundtrack. Once they are finished, their booktrack can be saved and shared. The second option is a really great one for classroom use. Students can use their own stories or text, add sound and music, and create booktracks for their own work. This would be great for short stories and poetry that students have written. After booktracks are created, it is time to publish them. A copyright is chosen for each booktrack, and it can be shared with an unlisted option, or shared to a bookshelf or text library.
Booktrack allows teacher to create booktrack classrooms. Teachers can have multiple classrooms, each having their own booktrack library of books. Booktrack is a great option for making reading and creative writing fun and engaging in the classroom or library. Booktrack does not work well with internet explorer. It did well with Firefox for me.
Knowmania http://www.knowmia.com/
Knowmania is another great website, for teachers, librarians, and students. It is basically a video lesson library with over 30,000 lessons to choose from. I like this site, because I'm always on the lookout for additional materials and unique perspectives to supplement my lessons. Our district used to have a subscription to Discovery Education, which was great for videos, but that was cancelled, and I miss it dearly, so this is a great find! The videos are short. The few that I viewed were between 3 and 11 minutes long. I did a search on a couple of topics for elementary grades. "Adding fractions" resulted in 15 video lessons. Another search for "writing a topic sentence" resulted in two videos to choose from.
I also did a search for some of the topics I teach. "Writing a resume" only resulted in one video, and a search for "advertising" led me to a short TED talk.
Teachers can have students independently view brief videos through this site, as part of their lesson. They can also upload their own great lessons to the site, to share with others.
Flipquiz http://flipquiz.me/
If you've ever used a Jeopardy style review game in the classroom, you know how much work it is to get your game board ready. Flipquiz offers a great, free solution for all of your game board creation frustration.
Flipquiz allows you to create a review game with different categories, where points can be earned for correct answers. Each question can have several answer choices, and even show the answer, if desired. Actual quizzes can be created with Flipquiz as well. You can choose to use existing games, created by other users, or start from scratch and create your own. When you save your Flipquiz, it will be available for years to come.
Teachers can purchase a Pro account, if desired, that allows ten teams to play the game at the same time, and keeps score for each team. Flipquiz is great for lesson and test review, and for quizzes on any topic. Students can also use Flipquiz to create their own quizzes, for a grade.
Booktrack Classroom https://www.booktrackclassroom.com/content/intro
Booktrack classroom allows users to add soundtracks to books. The site has a small existing library of books like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Cinderella that users choose to read. While reading online, users listen to an accompanying soundtrack, chosen specifically for their book. A small arrow at the side of the text moves from line to line. Users can adjust the reading speed to match their own.
Booktrack also allows users to create their own booktracks in two different ways.
First, they can choose books from booktrack's existing library and add their own soundtrack. Once they are finished, their booktrack can be saved and shared. The second option is a really great one for classroom use. Students can use their own stories or text, add sound and music, and create booktracks for their own work. This would be great for short stories and poetry that students have written. After booktracks are created, it is time to publish them. A copyright is chosen for each booktrack, and it can be shared with an unlisted option, or shared to a bookshelf or text library.
Booktrack allows teacher to create booktrack classrooms. Teachers can have multiple classrooms, each having their own booktrack library of books. Booktrack is a great option for making reading and creative writing fun and engaging in the classroom or library. Booktrack does not work well with internet explorer. It did well with Firefox for me.
Knowmania http://www.knowmia.com/
Knowmania is another great website, for teachers, librarians, and students. It is basically a video lesson library with over 30,000 lessons to choose from. I like this site, because I'm always on the lookout for additional materials and unique perspectives to supplement my lessons. Our district used to have a subscription to Discovery Education, which was great for videos, but that was cancelled, and I miss it dearly, so this is a great find! The videos are short. The few that I viewed were between 3 and 11 minutes long. I did a search on a couple of topics for elementary grades. "Adding fractions" resulted in 15 video lessons. Another search for "writing a topic sentence" resulted in two videos to choose from.
I also did a search for some of the topics I teach. "Writing a resume" only resulted in one video, and a search for "advertising" led me to a short TED talk.
Teachers can have students independently view brief videos through this site, as part of their lesson. They can also upload their own great lessons to the site, to share with others.
Flipquiz http://flipquiz.me/
If you've ever used a Jeopardy style review game in the classroom, you know how much work it is to get your game board ready. Flipquiz offers a great, free solution for all of your game board creation frustration.
Flipquiz allows you to create a review game with different categories, where points can be earned for correct answers. Each question can have several answer choices, and even show the answer, if desired. Actual quizzes can be created with Flipquiz as well. You can choose to use existing games, created by other users, or start from scratch and create your own. When you save your Flipquiz, it will be available for years to come.
Teachers can purchase a Pro account, if desired, that allows ten teams to play the game at the same time, and keeps score for each team. Flipquiz is great for lesson and test review, and for quizzes on any topic. Students can also use Flipquiz to create their own quizzes, for a grade.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Who Should I Follow?
As a library science student, I am finding that information abounds, on just about any topic. I want to keep up with the latest in technology and best practices, and learn how the best teacher-librarians are impacting student learning within their spheres of influence. I want to follow in the footsteps of the best teacher librarians out there, and I have certainly found one. I am most impressed with teacher librarian, Shannon McClintock Miller, and her popular blog, The Library Voice. You can find her blog at this link:
http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/
In addition to being a teacher-librarian, Shannon is also a technology integration specialist. She does presentations all around the nation, promoting best practices for incorporating technology into the curriculum and the classroom, for increased student learning. The Library Voice is full of links to and information about a wide variety of tech tools. Shannon even shares some of her presentation slides for her readers. I'm extremely happy to have found this blog, and to have such a good teacher-librarian role model to follow.
http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/
In addition to being a teacher-librarian, Shannon is also a technology integration specialist. She does presentations all around the nation, promoting best practices for incorporating technology into the curriculum and the classroom, for increased student learning. The Library Voice is full of links to and information about a wide variety of tech tools. Shannon even shares some of her presentation slides for her readers. I'm extremely happy to have found this blog, and to have such a good teacher-librarian role model to follow.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Presentation Tools
Move over PowerPoint! There are some new players on the presentation field.
This week I had the opportunity to check out some web based presentation tools, and I have a couple of favorites to share with you.
Emaze https://www.emaze.com/ is a new type of presentation tool that incorporates 3D effects. It combines your standard display slide with amazing templates that can zoom (like Prezi) into various parts of a gallery, or a building. One template even has a set of hands that flip your slides as they are presented. The templates make building a presentation easy. Simply find one that fits your style and needs, and plug in your information. The fact that it is web based means that you can store your presentation in the cloud. Of course it also means that you have to have internet access to present. All in all I was quite impressed with Emaze. It can really make your presentation stand out in the PowerPoint dominated world.
How have I been a teacher for 4 years, and never known about Blendspace? https://www.blendspace.com/ This is an awesome tool! I'm so used to getting my computer ready for a lesson by opening 4 or five internet tabs, and a couple of documents, so I can switch back and forth between them as I teach. Blendspace eliminates the need for all of that prep on a daily basis. I can simply create a Blendspace presentation that incorporates all of the components I would normally use, like Youtube videos, websites, documents and slides with notes. This one presentation can take care of my entire lesson. It's a brilliant concept. The only drawback I can see is the necessary internet access. My current classroom has good days and bad days for internet access, and with Blendspace, I would be out of luck if I couldn't go online. I definitely plan to try out Blendspace in the classroom, but I won't delete my PowerPoint backups just yet!
This week I had the opportunity to check out some web based presentation tools, and I have a couple of favorites to share with you.
Emaze https://www.emaze.com/ is a new type of presentation tool that incorporates 3D effects. It combines your standard display slide with amazing templates that can zoom (like Prezi) into various parts of a gallery, or a building. One template even has a set of hands that flip your slides as they are presented. The templates make building a presentation easy. Simply find one that fits your style and needs, and plug in your information. The fact that it is web based means that you can store your presentation in the cloud. Of course it also means that you have to have internet access to present. All in all I was quite impressed with Emaze. It can really make your presentation stand out in the PowerPoint dominated world.
How have I been a teacher for 4 years, and never known about Blendspace? https://www.blendspace.com/ This is an awesome tool! I'm so used to getting my computer ready for a lesson by opening 4 or five internet tabs, and a couple of documents, so I can switch back and forth between them as I teach. Blendspace eliminates the need for all of that prep on a daily basis. I can simply create a Blendspace presentation that incorporates all of the components I would normally use, like Youtube videos, websites, documents and slides with notes. This one presentation can take care of my entire lesson. It's a brilliant concept. The only drawback I can see is the necessary internet access. My current classroom has good days and bad days for internet access, and with Blendspace, I would be out of luck if I couldn't go online. I definitely plan to try out Blendspace in the classroom, but I won't delete my PowerPoint backups just yet!
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Robots,Coding, and 3D Printing
This week we are exploring several technologies, and looking at how they can potentially be used in the classroom and in the library.
Robots
I have always enjoyed seeing robots in the movies, like R2D2 and Wall-e. I have also seen automobile production lines and warehouse picking operations powered with robotics. Robots in the classroom or the library is a new concept for me. I don't have any hands on experience with anything comparable to a robot, so it is a stretch for me to come up with ideas for their use.
I was impressed with the robot videos we viewed. Musio seems to be promising, but is apparently still being developed. Musio seems like it would be great for those who want to learn a new language, but do so privately. It would be useful in foreign language classes, or with ESL students. I like that it is called a "conversation partner" that can interact with kids, as well as allowing them to gain programming skills. I also like the fact that Musio can be programmed with jokes and a sense of humor. A robot that farts is definitely an ice breaker. I can see learning connections with special needs children. Students who are not comfortable interacting with others, could safely interact with Musio, and learn in the process.
Cheery, the robot that helps distract kids during painful moments, is awesome. I love that this robot has movement as well as voice, and can even high five. I can see having robots for teaching robotics, in connection with a library makerspace or special program. I can also see a robot, perhaps named Dewey, who resides at the circulation desk. This robot can help answer questions that students may have. If a student comes up to the circulation desk with a question that Dewey has the answer for, the library staff can say "just ask Dewey!"
Coding
I haven't had very much experience with coding. Back in the olden days, I remember learning DOS, and having to write some simple commands and programs just to perform necessary computer functions. HTML, however, is a new language to me. I've noticed it when embedding objects into this blog, or into my website. In this blog space, I would switch back and forth from compose to html, and would edit the size of the embedded object within the code.
I do like the idea of involving children in simple coding at an early age. Not all children will grow up to be computer programmers, but all children need to learn decision making and problem solving skills. Coding and debugging will give them an opportunity to do both. Coding events are a good way to expose children to fun STEM applications.
I had no idea that there were so many coding related games, toys, and apps available, even starting at the preschool age. Daisy the Dinosaur, Scratch, Jr., and Kodable are all apps that can be loaded onto I-pads in the classroom or in the library, to help children learn to code. Kids are always wanting to play video games. Why not let them, with coding related videos at Code.org. This site seems to have a lot of fun tutorials on coding. One even involves Anna and Elsa, from Frozen.
Another way to bring coding into the library is to plan an Hour of Code event. Your event will help celebrate computer science education week, which is December 7-13. Every child that participates will spend an hour learning to code with fun, stimulating tutorials. Coding is empowering, and it is our job to help empower students. I definitely plan to host this event in my future library.
3-D Printing
I enjoyed playing with Tinkercad during this past week, and designing my own 3D object. Learning to use the online CAD program was challenging, but also rewarding, when my object was complete. I believe that students would enjoy learning this technology, especially when they know that their object can be printed on a 3D printer, when they are complete. Beyond high school, most students will not work with 3 dimensional coordinate systems, or even 3 dimensional measurements, but some will. All students should have the opportunity to be exposed to these technologies.
This week's readings highlighted the fact that before you get a 3-D printer for your library, you need to do plenty of research, and have a plan in place. You need to prepare for your 3D printer before it arrives. Here are some take-a-ways from the readings:
Robots
I have always enjoyed seeing robots in the movies, like R2D2 and Wall-e. I have also seen automobile production lines and warehouse picking operations powered with robotics. Robots in the classroom or the library is a new concept for me. I don't have any hands on experience with anything comparable to a robot, so it is a stretch for me to come up with ideas for their use.
I was impressed with the robot videos we viewed. Musio seems to be promising, but is apparently still being developed. Musio seems like it would be great for those who want to learn a new language, but do so privately. It would be useful in foreign language classes, or with ESL students. I like that it is called a "conversation partner" that can interact with kids, as well as allowing them to gain programming skills. I also like the fact that Musio can be programmed with jokes and a sense of humor. A robot that farts is definitely an ice breaker. I can see learning connections with special needs children. Students who are not comfortable interacting with others, could safely interact with Musio, and learn in the process.
Cheery, the robot that helps distract kids during painful moments, is awesome. I love that this robot has movement as well as voice, and can even high five. I can see having robots for teaching robotics, in connection with a library makerspace or special program. I can also see a robot, perhaps named Dewey, who resides at the circulation desk. This robot can help answer questions that students may have. If a student comes up to the circulation desk with a question that Dewey has the answer for, the library staff can say "just ask Dewey!"
Coding
I haven't had very much experience with coding. Back in the olden days, I remember learning DOS, and having to write some simple commands and programs just to perform necessary computer functions. HTML, however, is a new language to me. I've noticed it when embedding objects into this blog, or into my website. In this blog space, I would switch back and forth from compose to html, and would edit the size of the embedded object within the code.
I do like the idea of involving children in simple coding at an early age. Not all children will grow up to be computer programmers, but all children need to learn decision making and problem solving skills. Coding and debugging will give them an opportunity to do both. Coding events are a good way to expose children to fun STEM applications.
I had no idea that there were so many coding related games, toys, and apps available, even starting at the preschool age. Daisy the Dinosaur, Scratch, Jr., and Kodable are all apps that can be loaded onto I-pads in the classroom or in the library, to help children learn to code. Kids are always wanting to play video games. Why not let them, with coding related videos at Code.org. This site seems to have a lot of fun tutorials on coding. One even involves Anna and Elsa, from Frozen.
Another way to bring coding into the library is to plan an Hour of Code event. Your event will help celebrate computer science education week, which is December 7-13. Every child that participates will spend an hour learning to code with fun, stimulating tutorials. Coding is empowering, and it is our job to help empower students. I definitely plan to host this event in my future library.
3-D Printing
I enjoyed playing with Tinkercad during this past week, and designing my own 3D object. Learning to use the online CAD program was challenging, but also rewarding, when my object was complete. I believe that students would enjoy learning this technology, especially when they know that their object can be printed on a 3D printer, when they are complete. Beyond high school, most students will not work with 3 dimensional coordinate systems, or even 3 dimensional measurements, but some will. All students should have the opportunity to be exposed to these technologies.
This week's readings highlighted the fact that before you get a 3-D printer for your library, you need to do plenty of research, and have a plan in place. You need to prepare for your 3D printer before it arrives. Here are some take-a-ways from the readings:
- Decide what the purpose is for getting a 3D printer. What are you going to produce, and who will be producing it? Choose your 3D printer based on your production needs and ease of use. Make sure that the machine you get will be able to bring your designs to life. Obviously, you need to consider your budget as well, but don't let that be your only determinant.
- Once you choose a machine, research the specifications and quirks of that machine. Make sure that you have people in place that can maintain, support, and upgrade the printer, as needed. If not, you may have to choose a different printer. Also, stock up on supplies that you will need for the printer, before it arrives. Don't let your printer be like a new toy on Christmas morning that comes with no batteries, and you can't play with it.
- Introduce the technology before the printer arrives. All of the library staff and other "first users" as well as students, need to get familiar with the cad programs, and how they work. Once you know what you are doing, consider offering Tinkercad classes for students.
- Check out Thingiverse for some ready made designs to use when the machine first arrives.
- Involve students every step of the way. Let them (the tech-savvy students)be the ones to set the printer up and print the first design.
- Put the 3-D printer in a highly visible location. This printer is a novelty, and will attract the most interest where it can be seen by the most students.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Tinkercad and 3D Printing
Our latest project involved making a small 3D cad file online, using Tinkercad. It took a little playing around, but I was able to make a couple of objects and save them. The first was a little keychain. After completing it, I realized that it was a little bit too much like the example, so I tried to get a little more creative. The second file is a gold "all star reader" button. I think this would be a great award for students who exceed their reading goals. I put a hanger on it, so you can put a large ribbon through it, for hanging the award around someone's neck, like you see in the Olympics. Here are my two created objects. I've also included an audio file to introduce the one that I am turning in.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
PixiClip Attempt
PixiClip is the video tool I am most disappointed with. It is touted as being a good alternative to having an interactive whiteboard. You combine images you create or upload, with pencil and marker drawing, text, and sound or video. I did not upload an image. Instead, I chose the pencil tool, and drew a very sad depiction of "over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go". I don't draw well, to start with, but trying to draw with a mouse and PixiClip made me feel like I was in kindergarten. I was not able to add my voice to the image, for some reason. The tool was very frustrating. A search of google images showed it being used successfully with uploaded problem images, that kids would then solve, using PixiClip tools. That seems like a much better use than actually trying to draw an image with the tools! I guess this could be good for Pictionary using vocabulary words, etc. Here is my very sad attempt.
Powtoon Video
I experimented with Powtoon this morning. I chose to use one of their templates, and just edited it to suit my needs. I think Powtoon would be great for creating library announcement videos, like the one I made for my book club. Animoto seems to be a great choice for featuring multiple pictures of library events, or students at work, or student art work. It could also showcase a project, from start to completion.
Check out my powtoon video. It's also on the book club page of my web site.
Check out my powtoon video. It's also on the book club page of my web site.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Animoto Video
The first video tool I tried out this week was Animoto. It was pretty easy to use. I uploaded a number of photos from my computer, added text, used one of their styles for the background, and selected music from the site. I did have to create an account to make the video, and I' m on a free trial for 14 days, with no credit card info needed. I didn't see an option for a free 30 second video. I saw an animoto video on one of the library websites I looked at last week, and think that this is a tool I will definitely use in the future. Check it out at http://animoto.com.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Cool Website Tools
During the past week, I have been exposed to some pretty cool website tools. I have already used a slideshow, which allowed me to have rotating book covers with links. Here are some other ideas that I've gotten from other sites that I found and those that were shared by others.
- Symbaloo, http://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13eOcK1fiV, allows you to make a grouping of icons linking to your favorite websites, and display them attractively on your website, or other location. I hope to be able to use this on my tech tools page, so patrons can link to all of the amazing gadgets that are available.
- Shelfari, http://www.shelfari.com/, is a "virtual bookshelf" made possible by Amazon, for the purpose of selling books. It makes an attractive display of book covers for a website, and allows you to connect to information about each book featured. It also has a social feature, so I'm not sure if my personal shelfari could safely be added to my page, but I plan on looking into it.
- Wonderopolis, http://wonderopolis.org/home, allows you to add a nice widget to your page, so kids can connect to the site, and find the answers to things that wonder about, like "why do dogs bark during thunderstorms?" This is wonderful, random trivia!
- One website, http://halekulalibrary.weebly.com/, allowed students to participate in several activities interactively. Students were asked to record a reading of their poem through flipgrip, http://flipgrid.com/info/. This too might be worth exploring. This site also asked students to participate in an answer garden, and displayed the results. Finally, it connected to a blog page within the site, which allowed students and others to comment on posts. I hope to add at least one interactive element to my page.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Weebly Library Websites
This week, we were tasked with finding good examples of library websites. I found two great websites, both hosted through Weebly.com.
http://firstcoloniallibrary.weebly.com/ The website of First Colonial High School Media Center in Virginia Beach has a lot to offer. I was immediately attracted to its' clean, uncluttered look, and 3D, wood-grain background. The home page is largely dedicated to promoting books. It has several sections, including "coming soon in the movies", "hot new titles", and "trending titles and authors". Each features rotating book covers very effectively. One of the drop down menu titles is technology tips. It provides an extensive listing of presentation tools with links, and some have pdf direction files available too.
http://www.chhsmediacenter.com/ Collins Hill High School Media Center, located in Georgia, is another great high school library website. The home page is filled with staff and student book favorites, along with attractive book covers and descriptions. One of the menu titles, tech tools, has a ton of humorous, creative photos of students, staff and student groups caught in the act of reading, with the text, "read" overlaying the photos. Students are reading on the sports field, while doing handstands, etc.
This site even provided a link to a slidedoc that they put together on making a Weebly website. http://www.slideshare.net/hfrilot/easy-website-creation-with-weebly. Hopefully it's as easy as they make it sound. I'm heading in that direction now!
http://firstcoloniallibrary.weebly.com/ The website of First Colonial High School Media Center in Virginia Beach has a lot to offer. I was immediately attracted to its' clean, uncluttered look, and 3D, wood-grain background. The home page is largely dedicated to promoting books. It has several sections, including "coming soon in the movies", "hot new titles", and "trending titles and authors". Each features rotating book covers very effectively. One of the drop down menu titles is technology tips. It provides an extensive listing of presentation tools with links, and some have pdf direction files available too.
http://www.chhsmediacenter.com/ Collins Hill High School Media Center, located in Georgia, is another great high school library website. The home page is filled with staff and student book favorites, along with attractive book covers and descriptions. One of the menu titles, tech tools, has a ton of humorous, creative photos of students, staff and student groups caught in the act of reading, with the text, "read" overlaying the photos. Students are reading on the sports field, while doing handstands, etc.
This site even provided a link to a slidedoc that they put together on making a Weebly website. http://www.slideshare.net/hfrilot/easy-website-creation-with-weebly. Hopefully it's as easy as they make it sound. I'm heading in that direction now!
Monday, June 15, 2015
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Podcasting
I currently teach FACS, which stands for family and consumer sciences. Our curriculum focuses on teaching workplace readiness and life skills. I found a number of very useful podcasts that directly relate to my curriculum at the following site:
http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/resources/podcast.php
This site is full of podcasts that teach money skills. If you want to learn about taxes, retirement, debit, credit, or spending money wisely, this site has a podcast for you.
All of the podcasts are short, and would easily hold a high school student's attention. There are several podcasts that will help teach students about how to responsibly use debit cards and the importance of establishing good credit. I often have students visit assigned websites and gather information as part of their lesson. These podcasts will be a great resource to enhance personal finance lessons. I think the students will enjoy listening the experts talk for a little while.
I believe it would also be advantageous for students to learn to create podcasts themselves. One of the best ways for students to learn is to have them teach lessons from time to time. Students in my class could collaborate on group podcast projects, teaching themselves and their classmates about important aspects of personal finance.
http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/resources/podcast.php
This site is full of podcasts that teach money skills. If you want to learn about taxes, retirement, debit, credit, or spending money wisely, this site has a podcast for you.
All of the podcasts are short, and would easily hold a high school student's attention. There are several podcasts that will help teach students about how to responsibly use debit cards and the importance of establishing good credit. I often have students visit assigned websites and gather information as part of their lesson. These podcasts will be a great resource to enhance personal finance lessons. I think the students will enjoy listening the experts talk for a little while.
I believe it would also be advantageous for students to learn to create podcasts themselves. One of the best ways for students to learn is to have them teach lessons from time to time. Students in my class could collaborate on group podcast projects, teaching themselves and their classmates about important aspects of personal finance.
Using Audio Tools in the Library and Classroom
This past week, we were introduced to a number of different tools for creating audio recordings. Some of the simpler tools are Vocaroo and Audiopal. Both of these sites can be used for short recordings, where accompanying animated characters are not necessary. Voki, another tool, is unique, in that it allows students and teachers to create talking avatars. Blabberize allows students to add talking mouths to animals or people in photographs that they upload. I tried Blabberize, but got a little frustrated trying to get the animal's mouth to open correctly. I will have to play with the audio animation options later.
Students can use all of these tools to add recorded book reviews to the library website. I use Edmodo in my classroom, and love it. I can see students uploading audio files to their Edmodo discussion posts, or perhaps audio book reports, or current event reports to share with the class. They may choose to use their own voices, or take on an alter ego.
Audio Test #2 - Audiopal
I used Audiopal for my second audio attempt. I loved that it had the option of text to speech. I was able to type in what I wanted to say, and have my recording be in the voice of Simon from the UK!
Audio Test #1 - Vocaroo
For my first attempt at adding audio to my blog, I decided to use Vocaroo. Vocaroo allows you to record audio, right from your computer microphone. If you're not happy with your first attempt, just try again. Once you're done, Vocaroo will generate an embed code. I tried to use the embed code to add the file, but was unsuccessful, so I have added the link instead. You can also download your new audio file, if you like. Vocaroo is very straight forward and user friendly, with the exception of the embedding difficulties. You can make your own audio recording at http://vocaroo.com/.
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0K4nVMs4XPZ
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0K4nVMs4XPZ
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Canva Infographic
Here is my latest experiment! I made an infographic using http://www.canva.com. Canva has a great selection of templates, and I chose an infographic template to work with. You can also make posters, cards, presentations, and posts for social media. Did you ever wonder where all of those images with quotations on Facebook came from? Canva is definitely one source. Now you can make your own!
I like the tools that Canva offers, but it has its' limitations, or perhaps I have my limitations. I could only find a limited number of text sizes to choose from, and did not see a way to use italics. Additionally, there are a ton of wonderful images to choose from, but the majority of them that you would actually want to use cost $1.00 each. I was able to find a few free images through Canva for use in this infographic, but my choices were severely limited. It is possible to upload your own images, as well.
Canva is another great tool from the sandbox!
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Big Huge Labs
I had fun exploring Big Huge Labs. There were many editing tools available, but I chose to make a trading card from a photograph I had taken at the zoo a few years ago. Trading cards can help children learn animals, presidents, states, historical figures, you name it! They can be used as trading cards, as collectibles, or as flash cards. Students can even create trading cards to go along with biographical reports.
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| Whitley, R., (2012) Friendly Giraffe, edited at Big Huge Labs, (CC BY-NC-ND). |
Image Chef Test
Here is an template that I played around with in ImageChef. I'm reading Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech right now in LIBS 642. Some of the poetry in that book is displayed in the shape of the subject of the poem. I think it is a great visual tool. Students can write short poems, and use ImageChef to create poetic art!
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| Whitley, R., (2015) Moonlight Poetry, created at Image Chef, (CC BY-NC-ND). |
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Modified Image for Week 2
I started with an old photo of our dog, Wilbur. He was named for the pig in Charlotte's Web, because he acted like a pig when he was a puppy. He would push all of the other puppies away from the food bowl, and hog it for himself. Here is the original photo:
I edited the photo using PicMonkey. The two PicMonkey editing tools I used for this image were "poster effect" and "comic bubble". I really like the fact that the background was blurred out, and Wilbur's image was enhanced, using the poster effect. It seems to make his eyes show more emotion. I can certainly see this tool being used for creating posters and captions to accompany book characters, in connection with classroom lessons. Wilbur is certainly poster worthy, don't you think?
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| Whitley, R. (2012). Wilbur the Dog. (CC BY-NC-ND). |
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| Whitley, R. (2012). Wilbur the Dog, edited. (CC BY-NC-ND). |
Creative Commons Image
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Monday, May 18, 2015
Tagxedo Test
Here's a new tagxedo that was made from the ALA.org website.
http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html?url=ala.org&shape=Star&orientation=Any
http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html?url=ala.org&shape=Star&orientation=Any
Welcome to the Lab
Greetings library science comrades and all others who may stumble upon this blog!
This blog will be a test lab for me, as I journey through our library science course, and experiment in a controlled environment. I am new to blogs, so I will definitely be taking it one step at a time here.
I chose this particular background template for my blog, because of its' simplicity and my inexperience in this forum. As I learn more, I may experiment with more customization. For the time being, this template is providing the form in which I can exercise freedom (Reynolds, 2014, p. 19).
The initial font I chose to use is Helvetica. It is a sans serif font, should be easily viewed on computer monitors, and is "neutral without being boring, simple, (and) contemporary (Reynolds, 2014, p. 19).
Thanks for joining me in the test lab!
References
Reynolds, G. (2014). Presentation Zen Design. Unites States of America: New Riders.
This blog will be a test lab for me, as I journey through our library science course, and experiment in a controlled environment. I am new to blogs, so I will definitely be taking it one step at a time here.
I chose this particular background template for my blog, because of its' simplicity and my inexperience in this forum. As I learn more, I may experiment with more customization. For the time being, this template is providing the form in which I can exercise freedom (Reynolds, 2014, p. 19).
The initial font I chose to use is Helvetica. It is a sans serif font, should be easily viewed on computer monitors, and is "neutral without being boring, simple, (and) contemporary (Reynolds, 2014, p. 19).
Thanks for joining me in the test lab!
References
Reynolds, G. (2014). Presentation Zen Design. Unites States of America: New Riders.
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