Teaching Voki to Students

One of my favorite Web 2.0 tools is an avatar creator called Voki (www.voki.com) Click on the Voki below to learn more and check out the links to some screencasts that can be used to teach Voki to students!



Creating an Avatar in Voki
http://www.screenr.com/fU0s

Adding Sound to a Voki
http://www.screenr.com/QU0s

Backgrounds, Players and Sharing
http://www.screenr.com/yU0s

Adding a Voki to your Google Site
http://www.screenr.com/HS0s

Screencasting using Screenr

I have been working on a series of screencasts for a teacher who will be introducing Glogster to her students next week.  I used a tool called Screenr, which I love because it limits my recording to 5 minutes or less. 

(For those of you that know me, this will give you a chuckle as I am the most long winded person on the planet!)

Besides limiting me to only the most important words I want to say, the other great thing about the 5 minute limit is that it helps me to chunk my lessons so that I cover only a small amount of information at a time.  When I teach live, I try to chunk instruction also so that students get a blend of instruction and hands-on application so it works out very well for me.

Screencasts are awesome for use in the classroom also because it changes up your instruction and helps with engagement.  There are many tools for this type of instruction out there and many can be used for students to create screencasts or video presentations as well.

Want to see Screenr in action and learn somethings about Glogster?  Check these out!

Glogster for Kids Part 1 – Intro to Glogs, changing the Glog wall and page wall, adding graphics and text

http://www.screenr.com/e0Ks

Glogster for kids Part 2 - add an image, link and edit text

http://www.screenr.com/V0Ks

Glogster for Kids Part 3 – adding video, sound and saving/publishing

http://www.screenr.com/2rKs

Want to learn more?  Let me know!

Back to School Changes

Hi all!  It is that time again, time for a brand new year!  I am very excited to spend my second year helping teachers to integrate technology at "the Creeks!"

This year brings some technology changes to our district.  See below for information on what's new in CISD!

To make this presentation full screen (recommended), click on the square icon next to Slide 1/13 above.

Alternative Presentation Tools

Teachers are always asking me for tools that provide an alternative to the same old Power Point presentation. If you wonder this too, check out this post from the Blog "Stretch Your Digital Dollar"

Powerpoint Shmowerpoint: Teach kids to create really engaging presentations

Summer is a fantastic time to play and learn!  When you need a break from the heat, try some of these tools on for size!

Digital Storytelling

I love technology and I love writing stories.  For me, digital storytelling is super exciting because it melds the two together.  I will be teaching digital storytelling at the CISD Summer Conference and hope some of you will be attending.  I have been working with several new tools to prepare for the session.  One that I just had to share was www.storybird.com 

Storybird has a variety of  artwork in its art gallery that students choose from to illustrate their books. I think this is awesome because it acts as an artful resource so that the students can simply focus in on their writing and thinking.  I also just now learned that teachers can create accounts with sub-accounts for students...so easy!  Teachers can also create assignments for the students within Storybird!  Not only that, students can invite others to collaborate on their stories and purchase the completed stories in hard copy form!

Here's an example:

Season's Greetings on Storybird

I am looking for a class to test with...any takers????

Things I Love About My Job (A Non-Comprehensive List)

This year has been tough to say the least.  Beginning a new faction of a career is never easy, no matter how exciting that new thing is. (And for the record, my perfectionist nature makes me a terrible new person.) As I reflect on the end of the year though, I am awed at the incredible growth my campuses have experienced, the growth that I have experienced too.  And though we have further to go and more mountains to conquer, though I have way more to learn, let me tell you some of the things I have loved about this year...

1. Seeing a teacher's first tweets after seeing the beauty of a Twitter PLN
2. Hearing the chatter of students as they Glog for the first time
3. Experiencing chicks hatching live because of a well placed webcam and UStream
4. Answering Team C's question of the day while collaborating with the head of the team on any and every tech tool known to man
5. Spreading QR code love to some tech savvy and brave teachers when others just saw crazy black and white bar patterns
6. Taking Kindergarteners to the moon with Google Earth
7. Designing and training some awesome sessions with some super smart teammates, especially the one held in the Cottonwood Lounge...um, library.
8. Getting excited to learn again...can anyone say, Flubaroo?
9. Planning lessons that excite and challenge kids, teachers, and sometimes me.
10. Visiting many types of classrooms and being knocked out at the talent, commitment and teaching methods my teachers have.

That is not a comprehensive list, but it does contain some highlights...What have your highlights been?

WebDoc

My pal and fellow teammate Polly just shared with me a cool new website called WebDoc.  I am still playing with it, but check out what it can do!