Digital Storytelling

Currently in class we are working on creating a digital story via iMovie.  This tool is really convenient and easy to use.  Simply upload a set of pictures and create captions.  The user friendliness of this product makes iMovie a joy to use.  Finding the correct pictures for each scene was a bit trickier.  Since we had to make sure the images were not copyrighted, we had to be very careful where we got our images from.  Since my projects is about the first 16 presidents, that was less of a problem for me as it was for others, but still I had to be careful.

Using digital storytelling in the classroom by creating movies would be a fantastic way to introduce or review a lesson.  For example, for my project I am presenting all of the key moments of early United States history and matching those events to the president in which these events occurred.  This would be useful towards the end of the year when the students are reviewing what they learned in class throughout the year.  Also this movie would be helpful for putting a name, face, and time period with the various events that they are required to know.  This movie could even be used as an interesting introduction to what the students will learn about for the year.  Overall, this versatile tool can be very useful for the social sciences and has a multitude of applications.

Digital Diagrams

This week we created digital diagrams using software called Inspiration.  The logo for this neat software is the picture posted above of a person with colors shooting out of his head.  It is relatively easy to create a digital diagram and the results look great.  I liked how much freedom the program gave the user, allowing me to be able to create whatever it is I need without many impediments.  One thing I did not like so much about Inspiration, however, was that note pages had to be attached to a concept box.  I would rather have had my notes standing on their own since often times they applied to the entire project instead of just one particular area.

Digital Diagrams would definitely be useful in the classroom.  These diagrams could give clarity during a particularly complicated lesson or simplify a concept a student is struggling with.  Since creating digital diagrams with Inspiration is so easy, I could even let my students create their own.  If we were studying the Civil War, each student could be assigned a different aspect of the war to work with.  This would give students a unique way in which to interact with history and technology, and hopefully increase their understanding of the subject.  With so many uses, digital diagrams is sure to be in my repertoire of tools to use in the classroom.

Storybird

This week the Web 2.0 tool we studied was Storybird.  This tool allows users to create their own stories.  Storybird can be accessed by students or teachers, depending on the grade level and what type of lesson Storybird is being incorporated into.  Just by playing around with this tool for a few minutes it became obvious that creating stories on Storybird was fun and engaging.  You can even add art from a multitude of different artists.  All it takes is a little creativity and your book is finished.  There are options to purchase the book so that students can easily access a physical copy of it.

There are a couple of issues, however.  With a regular account, Storybird restricts you to only using art from one artist.  PowerPoint, while more difficult to make into an actual physical book, actually essentially does the same thing as Storybird but lets you pull art from anywhere on the web you find it.  This tool might not be too useful at the high school level, since students might feel as if Storybird is too "kiddy".  At the middle school level, however, there may be some uses.  Students in a history class could create a story based around what it would be like to live during the middle ages in order to really connect to the time period.  Storybird, while a bit restrictive, can still be used as a fun, instructive tool in the classroom.

Google Forms

I really like and think the Web 2.0 tool Google Forms has a lot of potential in the classroom.  It could be really useful for getting to know your students, emergency contact forms, or even for low stress assessments to check for understanding.  In fact I think this is my favorite part about Google Forms.  From my experience in the classroom as a student and as a teacher, doing an assignment online usually creates a more relaxed atmosphere.  If I was to give out an assessment using paper and pencil and the same assessment using Google Forms, I think the mood of class would vary greatly between the two ways despite it being the same assessment.  Google Forms are really easy to create and distribute to students.  These reasons all have me very excited to begin using this awesome tool in the classroom.