Florencia's+Curricular+Connections

__**June 29th 2009
 * HOME || EDU 607 || Florencia's Curricular Connections || Florencia's Reflections || Class Collaboration || Resources ||

** __**Ning: I find this we ** **bsite more useful than iGoogle. It could be very useful to create a class network in which students and teachers could: **
 * **upload assignments**
 * **e **dit each others assignments
 * comment on each other assignments
 * perhaps it would also be interesting for a teacher to assign pair or group discussions to be done on the web. In this way the teacher could have access to not only their product, but also the process of elaboration of that project. May be, a blog could be **more appropriate for that.**
 * **teachers could also conference via mail or the network with student bout their assignments. **

__** June 26th 2009 ** __ I find this software more student friendly than Movie Maker. Teachers could use it to:**
 * I also think that establishing a network for a class could help creating stronger ties among classmates and create a more comfortable environment. **
 * Photo Story:
 * **Introduce a unit ( just like we did)**
 * **Show students the steps in a procedure in science, eg, the water cycle.**
 * **Show students the steps in a math problem.**
 * **Emphasize beginning, middle and end by using one picture for each ( k-1)**
 * **Use images as writing prompts.**

__**<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">June 25th 2009 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> **__
 * Students could use it to:**
 * **Create and narrate their own stories.**
 * **Show their understanding of the steps involved in a certain procedure, eg. a chemistry experiment.**
 * Power Point: All the creative tools in PP really provide teachers and students with a very useful tool.These are some of my ideas:**
 * A teacher could use a PP presentation to:**
 * **Practice spelling :first, students would listen to the word and then check the word. Instructions could also be in the presentation as an audio file.**
 * **To enforce the idea of :** **beginning, middle and end in early elementary grades. The teacher could present different illustrations of a story in three different slides while telling the story. Or, students could** **be in charge of telling the story the pictures are showing.**
 * **To make a revision of key concepts or voca****bulary words with a Jeopardy game in PP.**

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
 * Students could use PP to :**
 * **Create a project as a final assignment for unit that would gather the most important information on the topic which can include visual and auditive files as well as text.**
 * **For younger students that are not a****ble to write, can narrate their stories and add them as an audio file. This can also** **be a modification for students with writing disa****bilities.**

__**<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">June 24th 2009 **__

**It could be a very interesting tool for students to work on:**

 * =====**Representation of a text.**=====
 * =====**Creation of a story.**=====
 * =====**Compilation of video clips to present on a topic **=====
 * =====**Presenting their opinion/reflection on a topic**=====
 * The fact that students can produce their own videos I think also rings into the classroom the idea of an authentic audience for their work, making it a somewhat " more real" assignment that is not going to just stay in paper,** **b****ut that will actually** **b****e seen and heard y real people.**

__**<span style="color: rgb(15, 117, 15);">June23rd 2009 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> **__**<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Copyright and Fair **<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> **<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Use : I think the most important issue regarding copyright and fair use is the fact that teachers have to be role models for students and raise their awareness of and respect to the laws that rule it. I think the objective should e to make students aware of the fact that intellectual property is protected y law, and its use is limited and regulated and therefore they should abide by those regulations. **

__**<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> June 22th 2009 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> **__ In higher grades I think a class iGoogle could be used as an organizational tool for students since they could use the calendar to keep up with homework and deadlines for assignments. In high school I even think it would be interesting to use a news RSS feed to discuss some pieces of news or newspaper articles.**
 * iGoogle: I would use it as mainly a teacher centered tool. Since I have a Smart board in my classroom I would start the day in the class with iGoolgle in the board to, for example, calendar with the students. I think it would give calendar activities ( identification of day of the week, month, holidays, description of weather) a good twist and boost student's motivation. I would also use the iGoogle and RSS feeds to keep all the wesites I frequently use in one window ( eg United Streaming, Starfall, Google Earth,etc). This would allow a more direct access to the webpages without having to open a new window in the browser.

__**<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">June 19th 2009<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> **__
 * Inspiration and Kidspiration: I think both can be a great tool to allow students to create their own thinking maps and graphic organizers for different purposes:**
 * **as a pre writing activity to organize their ideas**
 * **as a reading comprehension activity to extract information from a text**
 * **to show steps in a math or science procedure**
 * **to make presentation on a topic to a class**
 * They also provide a wide variety of images that can enhance our visual support in class and allow interaction and manipulation on the part of students.**

__**<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">June 18th 2009 **__
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Voicethread ****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> could ****b****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">e used for__/to__ **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
 * **Collages as literature response. Students could create a series of images to express their opinion on a given piece of literature.**
 * **Illustrate a story or text.**
 * **Create an oral text and illustrate it.**
 * **In all of the above students would also have the opportunity to comment on other students' work in the Voicethread website.**
 * **In science it could** **be used to explain experiments or processes step y step with its oral explanation.**
 * **In history and/or social studies, students or teachers, could use it to show pictures of the topic discussed and accompany with an oral explanation.**
 * **In math, it could** **be used to show problem resolution step by step by teachers or students.**
 * **Teachers could also use it as planning for substitute teachers.**


 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Audacity could ****b****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">e used for/to: **
 * **Create an alternative assignment for writing. Students would narrate their work instead of writing it.**
 * **Create an oral version of a written assigment.**
 * **Encourage and practice fluency in reading.**
 * **To deliver directions for students individually and on their demand.**
 * **To upoload a message/newsletter for parents in a class we<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;"> ****bsite.**

__**<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">June 17th 2009 **__
 * MSPulisher could**<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> **be used for:**
 * **Creating posters for presentations or responses to a picture.**
 * **Creating advertisements or** **b****rochures for a product as and example of persuasive writing.**
 * **Covers for** **books written** **b****y students.**
 * **Writing and designing newspapers and magazine articles.**

<span style="color: rgb(15, 117, 15);">__**June 16th 2009**__
 * Blogs: could be used for**
 * **Collective writing. Given certain pictures, students can take turns to write sentences to create a story. ( comments)**
 * **Writing- teacher will upload the prompt and students can turn in their assignments as comments.**
 * **Sharing strategies with parents to help children at home.**
 * Wikis:**
 * **uploading book reviews into the class web page.**
 * **writing- given a prompt, each students can work on his/her assignment in their own pages. Teachers and classmates can comment and even edit and proof.**