This blog is to share information with educators. Specifically, about technology and the classroom. Having the opportunity to open a dialogue about technology with educators will provide an opportunity for everyone to get new ideas, and receive support from others.
Vee shared her lesson plan introducing EdMoto in her classroom. It is a video tutorial sharing useful tips for implementing this Web 2.0 tool in your classroom. CHECK-IT-OUT.
Another great video to watch is Tessa's. She used Animoto, and her student in this picture spoke eloquently about the issue of Biomass. She is going to make a video explaining Biomass. It is a must see video for all educators.
So now all you need to do is follow this link and watch the video for yourself. Be sure to read my comments.
Smilebox.Com Will Put
A Smile On Your Face Just Try It!
Melinda
Lyle-Javier
Overview:
Smilebox is an awesome Web 2.0 Tool that every teacher
should try at least once. When you need to think of an activity that will
demonstrate to parents what is happening in the classroom Smilebox would be the
perfect choice. A personalized greeting with a photo of a student sent home
would bring a smile to the face of a proud parent. Then realizing that their
child created the card would just be icing on the cake.
1.Target
Audience:
I will be teaching the Web 2.0 tool Smilebox to 7th
& 8th grade students.
2. Materials:
oSmilebox.com
is a Web 2.0 tool. Teachers can choose to use a 14-day free trial
or purchase a membership for $5.99 a month.
oWhen
using Smilebox there are options to send invitations, cards, photo collages, calendars,
and e-cards. So you need a computer and Internet access.
oSmilebox
products maybe printed or sent via email, Facebook or linked to a blog.
oPhoto
paper
oA
printer with color printing features.
oEnvelopes
for the photo cards.
oA
variety of paper sizes for calendars and collages.
oPaper
cutter
3. Objectives:
oThe
students will analyze the Web 2.0 tool Smilebox.
oThe
students will be able to use creative skills to design and create a card.
oThe
students will be able to collaborate with each other to decide what products
will be used as a fundraiser.
oThe
students will be able to collaborate within a group to determine the profitability
of the fundraiser.
oThe
students will be able to use critical thinking skills to collaborate to create
a sales plan for the fundraiser.
oStudents
will further master their ability to organize their creative work into a
finished product.
4. Procedures:
oUsing a search engine on the Internet
go to Smilebox.com.
oSign-up for the free 14 day trial to
use Smilebox.
oTake the time to carefully look at all
the options on the website.
oBe sure to have photos already loaded
on your computer, this will make it easier to make the various products.
oAfter choosing a particular product,
such as a birthday invitation, choose the design you want to use.
oAdd your photo or photos.
oPersonalize card using your own words.
oSave your work.
oSpell check and then verify the
information on the card.
oPrint the card on photo paper.
oCut the cards using a good paper
cutter.
oOther options include sending the
completed card to Smilebox and the printing will be done for you. AT AN
ADDITIONAL COST.
5. Emerging Technology: Web 2.0 Tool SMILEBOX
a.
Smilebox.com
b. Personalized photos cards and invitations
6. Social Participation/Social Learning:
The students will be working in groups,
3 students in each group. During a class discussion as a group we made the
decision to use Smilebox as a method for fundraising. It was also decided that
we would sell personalized Christmas Cards. This required that we have a group
to research the cost of materials to create Christmas cards. A group was needed
to develop our marking plan. A group was created to work on designs, and one more
group to organize the actual production of the cards.
Collaboration
and critical thinking skills will be needed from the beginning to the end of
the project. Observing and helping as needed will be my responsibility. I have filmed
our work up to this point and I hope to keep filming so we can look back and
enjoy the collaborative work we will have done together.
The
opportunities with this program are endless. For my class the motivation was
there to try to do something that will develop into a wonderful learning
opportunity. We will also be raising funds for our class trip to Washington
D.C.
Teachers could choose to use Smilebox in a variety of ways;
each student could create one photo card, or a photo collage of the class could
be created with everyone choosing one picture for the collage. Smilebox has multiple
uses and can be used to enhance any classroom.
7. Making Connections:
i.
The students have used iPhoto and other programs to edit
photos and create slideshows. They will be able to use that knowledge along
with the new experience of learning Smilebox and create a finished product that
is much more complex.
ii. The
project we are doing with Smilebox is relevant to the students because their
interest in technology and the use of their creative talents are going to be linked
to fundraising. They will feel proud of the success we all achieve together
while working on this project.
iii.
The connection the students will have with the other families at our
school will reinforce their previous experiences of customer service. We operate a store and bakery every Thursday
morning, and the students bake, serve the food and do the bookkeeping for the
store. We will be meeting the needs
of our school families by offering the Christmas cards for them to buy.
1.Create/Produce:
oThe
final product will be a Christmas card. We will have a variety of cards to use
as samples for our customers.
2.
Assessment:
Rubric-Smilebox
Project
3. Reflection:
One type of
reflection that I will use is a rubric. Each student and I will use the rubric
to assess the completed work. The students will use their Writing Journal to
write a reflection entry describing the experience of using Smilebox for this
project. As a group we will also reflect on the experience. I have found that group
discussions can be a powerful method for students to share with each other. Teachers may want to have each group work together to write a
reflection. Filming and editing a movie about the project is another wonderful
way to reflect.
After
completing this assignment, which begins with introducing Smilebox to my class,
and weaves all the way through to reading student reflections I would analyze
what aspects of the lesson worked well and what did not work well. Using the
rubrics and the written reflections along with the completed Christmas cards I
would be able to understand to what level each student succeeded with the
assignment. These indicators would show me what areas I needed to improve the
lesson and the implementation of the plan.
MORE ON SMILEBOX.COM !IT IS AN AWESOME PROGRAM TRY IT!
SMILEBOX also has e-cards, which are really fun to send and to receive. The students in my class made a "Happy Thanksgiving" card. They emailed it to their families.
Please watch this short video of my students doing research for our fundraiser using SMILEBOX. Some of them are using EXCEL spreadsheets to determine our projected profits & losses to produce the Christmas cards. Other students are researching the cost of the products that we will be using. They are also locating the various vendors for the products we will need.
The interest generated in my classroom with SMILEBOX as been really awesome. The students are collaborating, and having discussions about how to coordinate the fundraising. It is important for them to experience working together for a common goal. Our class will be traveling to Washington D.C. next Fall. If they can coordinate a profitable fundraiser this will help with the enormous cost we incur traveling from Hawai'i to Washington D.C. One last message CHECK-OUT SMILEBOX!
SMILEBOX ! The students in my class guided
my decision to do more work with the Web 2.0 Tool SMILEBOX.
When I first introduced them to SMILEBOX I
showed them how to create a collage. Then I showed them the other options available
in the program. The holiday cards, calendars and e-cards really intrigued them.
During a class discussion everyone agreed that we should use SMILEBOX as a fundraiser. Everyone was motivated
and wanted to get right into working with the program. It was wonderful to see all the students so
excited. It was obvious that SMILEBOX has
much more to offer so I spent sometime looking at the other possibilities. This is a great Web 2.0 Tool. If you have not checked it out you definitely should.
The first screen at
SMILEBOX.COM has a design catalog full of
options. If took quite a while just to look through the catalog. You can use a
14 DAY FREE-TRIAL, or purchase a monthly membership @ $5.99 a month.
Making holiday
cards is fun because you need to take the time to look through photos and
choose the best ones for a card. The Koa Class design group reminisced as they
looked through our photos. It does take time to choose the best photos, however
it is time well spent.
We are hosting a
Thanksgiving luncheon in our classroom. This is the invitation we made using SMILEBOX. The step-by-step directions are clear
and easy to follow.
This is an example
of a SMILEBOX Christmas card. There are so many options for Christmas cards; we decided
to choose 5 templates for our fundraiser. This would give people a variety of
styles, and at the same time simplify our work.
O.K. if you have not been to Jessica's blog you are just missing out. You're In Jessica's World Now.. is informative and very appealing. The design of the blog just draws you into the information. I tell you you must click on the link and see what my comments about her iMovie were, just don't want to miss this one.
You really have to check out what blog Karen chose to link to. There is an extraordinary picture on her blog. You did not want to miss this one. While on Karen's blog you can also read my comment! So just click on this link and in seconds you will be there.
I choose Smilebox as my
next Web2.0 Tool.With the awesome Web2.0 Tool, Smilebox, I was able to create a collage for my class. I
used photos that were taken on our recent field trips. After printing the collage we decided to frame it, and it
now hangs on our classroom wall. Next week one of our class
assignments will be to create a collage using Smilebox.
Smileboxenables the user to make cards, invitations,
calendars and collages. You choose what you want to make and then add your
personal photos along with the sentiment you want to share, and in a short time
your product is complete.
Smileboxis a well constructed program. The directions
are easy to follow, and the products are beautiful. After opening up the
program you choose the format you want to use with your photos. When I created
the class collage I chose 15 different pictures, decided on a title and the
program did the rest. After you see an
example of your product, you have the ability to edit both photos and whatever
writing you have added.
The students in my class have decided to use Smilebox as a fundraiser. They are going to
offer Christmas cards and 2012 calendars. A student committee is researching
the actual cost for us to create the cards and the calendar. The school office
has offered the use of the Xerox machine, which will cut down our production
costs.After the research is completed a
decision will be made regarding the pricing of each item. The next step would
be to create an order form and begin selling.
I would recommend Smilebox
to everyone. Teachers can use it to create personalized items for their
classroom, and possibly have a fundraiser.
I finally completed the Lynda.com tutorial for iMovie’11. Here is my certificate.
Until I watched the Lynda.com iMovie ’11 tutorial I did not have any idea that the movie trailer option was available in iMovie. So I decided to try to create my own movie trailer. The tutorial gave step-by-step instructions, and they were easy to follow.
*After opening iMovie, under file you chose new project
*Then you scroll down and choose a template for the movie trailer
*The next step is deciding a name for your movie studio
*The name of the movie
*How your name will be listed in the credits
*Next you find clips from your media library
*It is as simple as finding a clip and clicking on it
*Then you drag it to the template
*This process is repeated until you have filled the entire template
The next step is watching the movie!
You don’t even need to decide on what music to use, the music is already in the movie. They students in my class enjoyed watching my newest iMovie creation. Now they are ready to make their own movie trailers.
Back to Lynda.com. Garrick is really a great instructor. My next interest leads me to creating movie trailers. That particular option sounds really fun to me. Especially because I know that this is something my students would enjoy doing.
The option has an outline, storyboard and shot list template. Using those options makes it very simple to drag clips you already have into this new project. From beginning to end this program is really eye catching. The opening shot has templates that resemble a real movie studios opening branding shot. When using movie trailer all you have to do is put your name in place of 20th Century Fox or whichever template you choose. Then you are one your way to creating an awesome project.
When using movie trailer there are pre-set shots set up for 1-6 people. All that you need to do is drag a clip and drop it. The directions were very clear, and I really want to try out this project .
The credit clip at the end of the movie is very impressive. It is also a template; all you have to do is fill in the needed information. The finished project is very impressive.
Yesterday I showed my class the movie trailer tutorial. Two 8th grade boys are going
to watch the entire iMove’11 tutorial. They decided they would watch it during their lunchtime next week.Both of them have previously used iMovie.I am sure that after they complete the tutorial they will be able to improve their iMovie skills, and I am looking forward to see what they create.
As opened the iMovie’11 tutorial on the Lynda.com website I was excited and at the same time overwhelmed. This was a long tutorial. The feeling of being overwhelmed quickly vanished. As I began to watch I remembered why I love using iMovie, and why it is such a great program for my students.
The information about the importing of videos was really enlightening. I began watching with the attitude, well I know all this, to arriving at the Aha moment that I really did not know all of this. It was quite humbling. I knew this experience was going to take my iMovie skills to a new level and I could not wait to watch another video tutorial.
Newly acquired knowledge is inspiring. Now I know that when I use iMovie the video footage or still photos that I previously shot can be imported into my current project. I did not have any idea that if someone emails me video footage that it can also be imported into iMovie. These new found skills will improve the quality of my videos, and I am excited to get filming.
Another video tutorial that was so awesome was the one about rating clips. Anyone who has shot video has experienced the problem of useless footage. Now I know that I can rate the clips that are good and that I will use in a project as favorites. The other unwanted clips, in Garrick’s words are the reject clips, and can be deleted. This ability saves time when you are creating a video, and also helps keep the hard drive free from unwanted material.
This has been a good use of my time. I am taking a break and then its back to Lynda to learn more exciting ways to use iMovie. I might take a few moments to actually do some editing before I get back to Lynda. I can't resist the temptation to just try a few newly found skills.
This post refers back to Bp_2 and the recommendation of littlebirdtales.com.
The littlebirdtales website is fairly simple and has good directions. YouTube had tutorials for littlebirdtales, and there were also some great examples of completed projects. I think the simplicity of this Web2.0 tool is what makes it great. Introducing it to my students really was the impetus for a great discussion about stories. Then as everyone began to write stories there was a lot of sharing of ideas. Both about the written work and how to illustrate the story. As I observed the students the collaboration was awesome!
I had heard of other teachers using littlebirdtales, and although I stayed away from this Web2.0 tool thinking it was “too juvenile” for my adolescent students I finally decided to just do it. I created my own tale about a field trip we took. Then I showed it to the class. We went though the program noting the recording capabilities, the drawing section and all the other great features of littlebirdtales. We also read other “public tales”. There was a wide variety, one was about boyfriends.
Then the fun began. The first part of the assignment was to write a short story. We reviewed what made a story a great story. Everyone was involved in brainstorming so we created a mind-map so everyone would have a visual to refer to as they began to write.
As a teacher I am always amazed at what works in the classroom. There are times that I have spent many hours developing a lesson plan. Then when I share it in class the outcome was not what I planned. Sometimes that is just fine. We go in another direction.
This is really wonderful learning to jump in and explore Web2.0. Now thanks to Pete and his recommendation to try Schoology I am going to that site and plan a lesson for next week.
