CE14 ~ Digital Storytelling

Students love to share their stories. As they enter the classrooms on Monday morning, they are eager to share with their classmates and teachers what happened over the weekend.

Storytelling does not have to only occur in a verbal fashion.  That is where technology comes in!  Digital Storytelling is telling a story with a digital tool.  It can be a simple as recording your voice or a little more in-depth, like making a stop motion movie.

Here are some great digital resources your students (and you) can use to create digital stories.

Web 2.0

Animoto is a resource you can find online as well as on iOS devices.  Animoto allows the user to create videos by adding images, video, sound, and text. They do have pricing options, but free is good!  Free allows the students to create a 30 second movie.  Here is an example of an Animoto movie. Animoto is a great way to allow students to showcase information gathered from a mini research session.

Little Bird Tales and StoryBird are two web resources students can use to create digital books.  Little Bird Tales allows the students to add their own voice to the story as well as their own art work using the drawing pad. This is great for younger students who may not have strong keyboarding skills. Little Bird Tales has a free and premium teacher account. StoryBird is another great digital book creation website. This site has the most amazing artwork the students can select from to create their story. StoryBird also offers a free class account. This is a great resource students can use to create a variety of stories just any topic/subject.


iPad/iPhone
There are some great apps out there that allow you to create digital stories.  You have to find the one that meets the needs of your students, but enjoy exploring while you do!

ScreenChomp is one of those apps that can go into the hands of Kindergarten and older!  ScreenChomp is a free app created by TechSmith Labs. ScreenChomp allows you to record your voice while working in the white space area. Here is a recent blog about ScreenChomp and how it connected to ISTE*S and CCSS.

Sock Puppets is another one of the those, any age can use apps.  Sock Puppets does have a free, but does contain in-app purchases.  The free version gives you the ability to record a 30 second movie. Don't think of this as a limitation. Think of it as a planning tool.  Students must plan a 30 second something in order to use this app. This is great for mini student generated lessons and presenting shorter research topics. The movies can be shared via Facebook and YouTube.  The best part is listening to the movie -- the voices sound hilarious and will get the attention of your students.


 Here is a previous blog post about how students (and teachers) can record what they are doing.

These are not the only digital storytelling options.  Below are two more great resources you can use to learn more about the topic!

Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - Digital Storytelling
National Writing Project - Digital Storytelling with Teacher Consultants

CE14 ~ Web 2.0

Web 2.0 resources are the tools we use to do more than just read information on the Internet. Web 2.0 tools allow us highlight, evaluate, collaborate, modify, generate -- web 2.0 tools allow us to interact with and manipulate the information.

Web 2.0 tools are popping up everyday and that can become quite overwhelming. Over time, certain tools will become your favorite and you will gravitate to those, but don't let that stop you from exploring the new ones too!

You can access my previous blog post about Web 2.0 tools here.

Here are some great resources to check out to learn more about Web 2.0 tools:

~ Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - Online Tools and Web 2.0 Applications
~ Discovery Education Web 2.0 Tools
~ 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools

Some of my favorite Web 2.0 tools (at the moment) include:

~ Popplet
~ Evernote
~ Twitter

www.popplet.com

Popplet is a tool that I enjoy showing K-6 teachers. Popplet can be accessed on the web and on the iPad. They offer both free and paid versions.  Students are given a blank slate to create a graphic organizer/thinking map/bubble map -- whatever you call it. These maps can include text, images, YouTube videos, and drawings. The bubbles or Popples can be moved, outline color adjusted, and connected to other Popples.

What makes this resource even better is the ability to share the Popplet with someone else and collaborate on the same Popplet.

Here is my recent blog post about Popplet and digital writing.

www.evernote.com

I am becoming more and more of a fan of Evernote. I do use Google Apps, alot, and so I need to find my balance between the two programs.

Evernote provides a free and premium service. I am currently using free and it works great for me.  Evernote allows you to store just about anything in virtual notebooks. You can store typed notes, photos, web articles you have clipped, and then be able to search through all of it!

I can't do Evernote justice, but if you check out these sites you can learn (and fall in love) with Evernote.

~ Free Tech 4 Teachers - A Free Complete Guide to Evernote
~ The Ultimate Simplified Guide to the Use of Evernote in Education

You can also find some other Evernote resources here on one of my blog posts last year.

www.twitter.com

Oh Twitter, how awesome you are!  Twitter is just one of those tools that can make the world and all of its experts more in reach. Twitter has allowed me to connect with some many great edtech leaders and share what I have learned with others.

Enough about Twitter for right now though.. we will save that for another blog post!

What is your favorite Web 2.0 tool?

CE14 ~ Day 1

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Although I haven't personally heard it in a while, I think "You are only as strong as your weakest link" is a phrase that administrators and educators can relate to. The ASCD theme for October 1-10, Educator Observations, fits in with this phrase.  When conducting classroom observations, administrators can see the strengths and weaknesses of their faculty and staff. This information is vital for improving student and school performance. Several states are implementing teacher observation procedures and evaluation forms, but this shouldn't stop you from conducting evaluations and observations your school and staff need to grow. In my district, for example, administrators use a short observation forms when they conduct classroom checks through out the day.  These short observation forms were created using a Google Form. This allows the administrator to keep a live, running document of the observations conducted.

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Are you a connected educator? Better yet, how do you know if you are a connected educator? Connected educators are connected to the world around them. Connected educators use social media to connect with others, collaborate on projects and learning opportunities, and construct new connections within their current teaching tools and resources. Connected educators share their knowledge with others. Connected educators blog, tweet, pin, and present what they know and learn so that others can do the same.

The Connected Educators website provides a list of books that will spark your excitement about being a connected educator.

resources:
http://www.ascd.org/news-media/Press-Room/News-Releases/2014-connected-educator-month.aspx
http://connectededucators.org/

Connected Educators Month

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So, I am challenging myself to become a more connected educator this month. I also want to help other educators become more connected with the world around them.

Since I am blessed with the opportunity to work with teachers and administrators, I plan to use ASCD and Connected Educators resources as my guide through out this month. My goal is to use take the time this month to share resources, thoughts, and ideas for teachers and administrators. I also want to grow professionally during this month, learning from and connecting with other edtech leaders around the world.

I hope you will join me on my journey to becoming a more connected educator!