Digital Storytelling

One digital storytelling tool that I don't think I have talked about enough is Animoto. It is an online and mobile video creation service that makes it easy and fun for students to create and share amazing videos using their own images, words and music. You can sign up and create dynamic presentations for free or there are a couple of paid options with more options. As always, I use the free version.

After choosing a theme (this will determine the look and feel of the video), simply upload images and to the video editor. Next, you personalise your movie with text and music— Once you’re satisfied with the layout, click the produce button to be amazed.

Animoto can be integrated across the curriculum so it is the perfect digital storytelling tool for the classroom. For example, biographies, field trips, book report projects, movie trailers and more can all be created quickly and easily. A great feature is the ability to sign up for a teacher account and add up to 50 students. This way you get Plus for free for 6 months and the ability to save the finished product to the camera roll. Or you can just share the link on your class blog.

What a great way to inspire creativity in your students by giving them the opportunity to showcase their knowledge in a fun, innovative and educational way!

I created a quick video to give you an idea. This one is very basic and took my 2 minutes to create.

Digital Creations by KPS Students

Kim's Random Thought for the Day

There is no question that, in education, there is huge emphasis on stardardised testing and data collection. If the only reason you are using the iPad in your classroom is to improve test scores not only are you not using the iPad to its full potential but you are probably not going to see a huge improvement. We all know you cannot find out everything you need to know about students through 'tests'. We also know that the best way for a student to fully understand a concept is to teach someone else. If you are already a great maths teacher, using the iPad so students can practise the skills is not really going to help them, or you. Using the iPad for a student to demonstrate their thinking or create resources to teach others will allow for learning and assessment at the same time. Improving the, in part, surface learning that is needed to complete a written test is not using the iPad for its potential. You only have to glance at the Australian Curriculum to see the broad and deep knowledge embedded into the learning areas, general capabilities and cross curricular priorities. This is where the potential of the iPad comes into its own.

Virtual Green Screen

Some of us have been having a great time with green screens at KPS recently, using the app Green Screen by Do Ink. We purchased a kingsize green sheet and hung it on a wall. Students had a fantastic time using the green screen to add an authentic background to their research project presentations. They were able to transport themselves anywhere they wanted to add effects to their presentation. While it took me a few attempts to work out the app, the students, as usual, amazed me with their skills.

What is really exciting is the discovery we made today. It was actually another teacher at the school, Krystal, who thought of it first. She asked if she typed text on a green background could she then use the app to put a video behind the writing. After some discussion we decided there was no reason why it wouldn't work and, if it did, it would open up so many possibilities.

We went home and Krystal tried the text option and I was keen to see if the same concept would work in PuppetPals. I'm pleased to say both ideas worked. We both used Keynote to create our 'virtual green screen' on because, by inserting a shape on the page and turning it green, we could then turn the page into an image with a simple screenshot.

There are so many possibilities. I'm excited!

The Power of Using Book Creator with EALD Learners

Book Creator in an amazing app that has very few limitations when you start getting creative and thinking outside the box.

Here are just a few ideas of ways Book Creator can support you to support EALD learners in your classroom. These ideas can also be used for lower ability students.

Create ‘talking’ books in Book Creator that EALD students could use to reinforce learning while other students are working on more difficult tasks. Include word, picture and audio where possible. These books can be sent to iBooks so that they are safe from accidental editing. Some ideas for the types of books that might be helpful are:

Books that focus on classroom vocabulary-

Books with photos of other students – showing class seating plan.

Books that reinforce maths concepts with pictures of manipulatives, money, clocks etc.

Books that focus on the text types you are exploring in your classroom.

Alphabet books as you teach letters and sounds – these could be added to each time you cover a sound with this student.

If you want the book to be more interactive you can start to add some questions and answers with interactive links so that students receive immediate feedback.

You can have the student read the book in Book Creator and create matching activities where students need to match words to pictures.

When students are ready to begin ‘creating’ for themselves they could draw pictures to display their understanding, they could illustrate sentences in a book you have already created, they could type the text to match a photo with a spoken sentence. They could record themselves reading a sentence that has been written on each page. They could create an entire book working alone or with another student.

There are so many other ways Book Creator can be used with EALD learners - hopefully these few will start you off.

The TPACK Framework

At KPS we use the SAMR model by Dr Ruben Puentedura to ensure technology is integrated successfully into teaching programs. This Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition Model looks at one method of exploring the impact of technology on education. It shows a progression that adopters of educational technology often follow as they progress through teaching and learning with technology.

http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2011/10/28/SAMR_TPCK_In_Action.pdf

Another framework that identifies the knowledge teachers need to teach effectively with technology is Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge (TPACK). This framework takes a broader look at the integration of technology by showing the equal importance of pedagogy, content and technology.

http://tpack.org

Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge is meaningful, skilled teaching with technology (or without if that is the better option). It is different to the three concepts alone because a deep understanding of all three is required to combine them and produce pedagogically and technologically sound learning based on strong knowledge of content.

Digital Portfolios for Self Reflection

I have blogged a few times about digital portfolios, particularly in the early years. The reasons for portfolios that we have explored are to replace paper portfolios, assessment for reporting, evidence for parent meetings, to monitor improvement etc. One reason we are yet to explore is for students to engage in self assessment and reflection. Older students could definitely be given the responsibility of maintaining their own digital portfolios.

This is something you would need to have a play with in your own class to discover the method that would suit you best. As we have, generally, one iPad per three students at KPS I would envision three students having a portfolio in Book Creator on each iPad. Obviously there would need to be strict rules about not going into other people's portfolios. To help students organise their information effectively and to ensure that reflection takes place, a template should be developed. This template should give students guidance but still allow them to reveal their own creativity and personality. In portfolios students can include digital work samples from the camera roll, photos of non digital work, videos of activities such as listening and speaking activities, in app drawings, audio or text reflections, screen shots of task descriptions and/or rubrics.

At the end of each term or the end of the year the portfolios can be kept by the student in the form of an ePub.

Sharing with YouTube

Recently at KPS we have been talking about the importance of using iPads to create rather than consume and about students using them to demonstrate their learning, collaborate with others and share their creations. Having been using iPads at our school for over two years it is important that we continue to evolve. Those teachers who have been at the school for our entire iPad journey really need to be exploring g new and exciting ways of using iPads that they can share with others.

One excellent way to share digital creations is via YouTube. I would recommend creating a YouTube channel for your class and sharing it with parents as well as making it public on the web. It is a fantastic way for students to receive feedback on their work. Privacy does not need to be a problem because, generally, students's faces would not be in projects they are creating to demonstrate their learning and there is no need to include their full name.

Creating a YouTube channel is very easy but I will add photos below to show the steps.

Build Your Own Adventure Stories

Something I have been playing with lately is using the interactive links in Keynote and BookCreator to make build your own adventure stories. In both of these apps you can create links from text and/or pictures to other pages in the same document. (This also work in PowerPoint on a PC). They are heaps of fun to make but, of course, the real value is in having students create them. They could easily be linked to History or Geography topics and can be as complex or as simple as you choose. With younger students, this would be a fun whole class activity.