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Integrating Technology into the Language
Arts and Reading Curriculum |
Integrating Technology into the Language Arts and
Links:
Students can get involved
with collaborative language arts projects with other classes around the world. iEARN has a directory listing language
arts projects that are currently active.
Bartleby.com keeps an index
of thousands of works in verse, fiction, non-fiction and reference that are
free for teachers and students to use.
Creating a simple hotlist
using a tool like Filamentality can make a big
difference to help structure a study of different elements of a piece of
literature.
The Internet Public Library has done an excellent job of organizing existing literary criticism resources into author, title and time period categories. This is a good place for students to begin searching for studies of authors and texts.
Online discussion boards are another tool that can get students excited about writing. There are several free, secure options in which to get a class setup, most notably Tapped In.
Students can also Brainpop to view animated movies that reinforce and reteach grammatical concepts.
Many teachers have developed language arts WebQuests
and Cyberguides to easily allow students to create projects
that use the web as a source for information.
Noodle
Tools has a bibliography generator that correctly formats citations for
students. It also structures the citation so students know exactly what parts
are needed for a bibliography.
Blue Web'n is the perfect tool for locating resources to be
used by students in the language arts classroom.
Both ISTE and NCTE offer web sites that offer model lesson plans and units that teachers can use to begin using technology more effectively in the classroom.
Rubistar is a free site that lets teachers create
custom rubric for many different types of projects and activities.
http://www.sitesforteachers.com/resources_sharp/language_arts/languagearts.html
Centre for Learning &
Performance Technologies
Directory of Learning Tools
http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/ebook.html
8 Ideas for Language Arts
Teachers
Your teachers can use these simple activities to strengthen the language arts skills of students in various grades:
1. Students can do "invisible writing" with a computer. As a prewriting activity, ask students to use their word processors for one to three minutes with the computer monitor turned off so they can't see their evolving text. Then have them turn on the screen. After a little practice, students in grades four through 12 have reported that this procedure develops fluency, frees them from compulsively fixing typos (which often results in their losing their train of thought), generates increased interest in seeing what they had to say, and generates more thoughtful text.
2. Use familiar storybooks and children's literature on CD-ROMs. Check the school media center or library for catalogues from specific publishers and software distributors, then look for programs that read aloud to students. (Many are available in a choice of languages.) These programs encourage students to read along, allow students to get definitions and illustrations of words, remember words the students didn't know, and let students interact with the text and illustrations. Students can prepare written and oral reports based on their explorations of a story-on-disk, describing what they discovered, what they liked, what puzzled them, what they wished there had been more of, and so on.
3. Students who are trading e-mail with other classes can be introduced to the fine points of writing the "subject" line--that is, the e-mail line announcing the topic of the message that follows. Teach students to distinguish when subject lines should be like titles to papers, when they should give directions, what words should go first, whether "teaser" lines are more likely to entice or annoy recipients, and the like.
4. Using "utility" software programs (sometimes called teacher productivity tools), teachers can create their own crossword or word-search puzzles based on what students are studying. They can also create maps and timelines related to assigned books. Older students can use these programs to generate enrichment materials for younger students and to challenge students in related classes.
5. Have students videotape short (one- to three-minute) documentaries of their work with computers in their class. These videos can be used on parent nights and as instructional videos for other students to demonstrate how a task is done and how technology adds value to learning. (Voice-overs can be very handy here.) The script should receive the same attention as any other writing assignment.
6. Students can develop vocabulary lists that will help them judge web pages, interactive CD-ROM materials, television and radio shows, and software programs. For example, students can establish three-point scales (good/better/best, low/medium/high, bad/fair/good, yech/acceptable/way cool), then develop written descriptions for each rank that could be used to assess a work created with a particular technology. They can try out their scoring guidelines on each other and on other students to see how workable they are. They can then revise and refine their guidelines.
7. Teachers can develop students' media literacy; that is, help them become more savvy in understanding how various media are constructed to have effects on them. Groups of students write about a technology-related "product" from the point of view of the writer, artist, actor, manufacturer, advertiser, or store owner. In these roles, students then write out a plan or strategy for accomplishing their particular goals of selling their product. In class discussions, students compare their points of view.
8.
Working individually or in small groups, students can make a one-minute video
"poem" or take a poetic photograph. Other students write poems that
might be used as the audio track to that video or provide the "thousand
words" that the picture is worth. Or, starting from the other end,
students write poems and make short videos or take photos that "illustrate"
the poems. In class discussions, students compare and contrast their
experiences.--S.M.
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Digital
Storytelling: It’s More Than Just Software By
Jon Orech from Educators' eZine "We've been working here for an hour. Am I in the right room? I signed up for Digital Storytelling…but we still haven't turned on the computer…" Whenever I conduct a DST — Digital Storytelling — workshop, I usually get this reaction from participants. Digital Storytelling is one of the most powerful, yet misunderstood applications for the classroom. If your district is deciding how to develop staff to take the plunge into the "movie" world, you need to begin by clarifying one point: Digital Editing is not Digital Storytelling. We use Pinnacle Studio in our district, and I often am asked, "Could you teach me that Digital storytelling program?" Now, I know what they mean, and I'm happy to teach them the ins and outs of the program; however to say Studio (or iMovie, or Photo Story 3) is "Digital Storytelling" is like saying Word is a "research paper" program. Now don't get me wrong, digital editing software is a powerful tool for students (and adults) to create professional grade hi-light films, visual scrapbooks, film-making endeavors, and numerous other projects. However digital storytelling is a process that culminates in digital editing. If you decide to explore staff development for Digital Storytelling, congratulations! You won't regret it! Staff training Interested
staff members will serve as a pilot group to learn the process. In the pilot
group, several departments should be represented, including teachers,
administrators, librarians, and tech specialists. Usually, a three- to four-day
workshop with someone trained in digital storytelling is enough for educators
to get the hang of the process, create their own story, and brainstorm
possible classroom applications. Most workshops consist of five phases:
"Finding your story," "Drafting and revising,"
"Collecting and preparing images," "Storyboarding," and
"Digital editing." Also, it's a good idea to view many examples
from a wide variety of subjects. The Center for Digital Storytelling is the Software/ peripherals First,
the editing software you select is determined by a variety of factors:
format, price, and student (don't forget teacher!) ability level. For Mac
users, the popular choice is iMovie. For PC users,
bigger is not necessarily better. Adobe Premier is the standard for
professional editing but is costly and very complicated, although (ed. note)
Adobe Premier Elements 3.0 is reasonably priced and works quite well.
Pinnacle Studio 9+ offers a good mid-priced product that is relatively
user-friendly, but still very powerful. Make sure to download all the
patches. Note: I recommend staying away from Version 10 until the kinks get
worked out. Moviemaker comes loaded on XP machines and is easy to use but it
has one major weakness—only one audio track is available. You get music OR
narration. A relatively new addition, Photo Story 3 is a free download
from Microsoft that is also intuitive, and powerful enough for most DST
applications. Although some have reported problems using it with the new Logistical concerns When DST gets "unleashed," a school usually goes through some growing pains. The two major issues are time and space. Teachers could easily spend weeks working on a single project. But with computer time as precious as it is, this is impossible. Much of the drafting, revising, and storyboarding can be done before even coming into the lab. With regards to storage space, depending on the software and the method of saving, these files can be deceptively BIG. In Studio 9, for example the finished, three-minute product file may be only 150 k. However, when that file is rendered to a Windows Media file, it balloons to nearly 10 Mb. The reason is that, while the original file consists of just links to images and audio files, the final product contains the actual images and sounds. This need for space can cause your network person incredible stress. Saving rendered projects to flash drives, teacher web pages, or CD's can alleviate some of the storage issues. Follow-up training During the expansion of the process to students, it is imperative that the original "pilot group" meet regularly to support each other and share victories, concerns, and possible solutions. At the end of the first year be ready to document a summation of the successes and problems. At that point, the pilot group can serve as trainers to the rest of the staff who want to get on board. Remember: Digital Storytelling can be rewarding for both you and your students. And adequate staff training helps ensure that outcome. Here are a few other resources: Center For Digital Storytelling Email: Jon Orech |
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Making Book Trailers with Photo Story 3
By Mark Geary from Educators' eZine Here's a handy tutorial for using Microsoft's free Photo Story 3 to create
"Book Trailers" – and other projects using photos to tell a story,
with. Photos are a great tool for teaching in the classroom, but with moving
pictures, narration and music, they are even better! Photo Story 3 is a free download from Microsoft that lets you easily
create narrated "mini-movies" using photographs. It also has a
built in music generator that allows you to put your story to music,
copyright free! Think of Ken Burns's many wonderful
documentaries. This program will allow anyone with a computer running Windows
XP to do something similar. The program gives students the ability to make their own 'Book Trailers'
to help other students get interested in books they have read. Students can scan,
draw or take pictures related to the book, import the pictures into Photo
Story 3, arrange the pictures, add narration to the pictures, and choose the
type of music used when the trailer plays. Photo Story 3 then generates a
stand-alone movie based on all of the above. One of the ways I have used Photo Story 3 is with my "Integrating
Technology into the Classroom" course at Dakota State University is by
inviting a local fifth-grade class to visit our lab, then helping students
build their own book trailer. Over the course of the hour, we help students
scan or take digital pictures, import their pictures to Photo Story 3, add narration, motion and music. They take their movies
back to show on morning announcements, to their friends, and to their parents. For example, one student, Brian, made a Photo Story of Sammy
the Seal. It shows enough information to get other students interested in
the book, but not so much that the ending is given away. Another example is "Zack's
Alligator goes to School", a story of the (mis)adventures
of a pet alligator named Bridgett. Making a Book Trailer is fairly simple. Just follow these steps: Quick Start Guide
(Best practice – Before you start, create a folder for all your pictures,
plus the project file and the movie file. Place the photos in this folder
before you do anything else.)
Photo Story 3 can be a great literacy tool to enhance your student's
engagement in reading! If you would like to share your students' Book Trailers
on the web, please send them to me at the address below. Editor's Note: Before posting student work online, be sure to have
permission and keep their identities private. Email: Mark
Geary |
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Video
Contest Promotes Student Learning By
Jeff Doles from Educators' eZine This year's Great Minds topic is "A Day in the Life of {someone/somewhere/something else}." I believe the topic is important because it encourages adolescents to look beyond their own personal perspective and life experiences. This helps them to grow as people and create a positive impact on our culture. Since I am a video production teacher, I found the Great Minds Video Contest to be a natural fit for my students and a great way to work together with other teachers, utilizing visual communication as a way of conveying a message. The contest parameters allow me to shift the classroom focus from teacher-centered to student-centered. The students become knowledge experts creating commercials for an intended audience of their peers to inform them of important social topics. Once the target audience of students view the videos, they become part of the group discussion by actively participating in the classroom learning community and interacting with the classroom knowledge experts. Student-centered instruction has developed and flourished because it allows the teacher to act as a facilitator and learn along with the students – empowering students to no longer view the teacher as the sole source of all knowledge. Students become self-directed and take on greater responsibility for their own knowledge acquisition through authentic learning experiences (Lave and Wenger, 1991). The learning community provides opportunities for multiple perspectives and input on the topics being explored. Students are actively involved in making observations, collecting and analyzing information, synthesizing information, and drawing conclusions as they develop useful problem-solving skills. At first my students had a hard time with the topic because of its unusual and outside-the-box qualities. Being adolescents, they don't realize that Great Minds founder Elias was on to something big. Even I did not grasp the full implication until I took a few moments to reminisce back to when I was a teenager myself. In the process of reminiscing, I came to the realization that adolescents seem to be engulfed in their own little world of school, sports, and social activities. They often don't take the time to think about how the rest of society outside of their immediate realm of friends and family operates on a daily basis. This contest provides an opportunity to explore unfamiliar perspectives and a forum to present their discoveries about what life is like for someone else. To create the "truth" commercials, my students and I worked with many other departments, such as health, science, and fine arts, as well as with people in the community. The other classroom teachers would have their students write the scripts for the commercials while my students would edit and create the final product along with creating their own original commercials. The main challenge for the students was to take the written text and create a visual representation of the story. They had to visually organize filmed footage for the commercials and take the clips and make a final project that made sense. They created storyboards to illustrate key concepts and used many of the techniques discussed in our Visual Literacy course, including camera angles, tracking, transitions and good picture composition. The video challenge was beyond the routine of everyday classroom activities, allowing my students to work with the community and possibly have an effect on society as a whole. Students and I sought out local police officers to provide information and statistics on various topics and the police officers also starred in several commercials. The Great Minds project branched out into various local activities and charities. Parents and family members also helped film, shared ideas and starred in the commercials. One
profound example of the breadth of student exposure to other people's
perspectives is a video made by Nicholas Gerger and
George Streicher about Participating in the Great Minds project had a major impact on my students' self image. They learned that one individual could create something that will impact the larger group. This type of cross-curriculum project allows me to work with my colleagues, utilizing visual communication as the means of transferring a message, while offering multiple perspectives to my students during the learning process. Some
of the student examples can be found at: You
can view this year's top videos at: Email: Jeff Doles |
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