The Polar Bear of Manitoba: Digital Story Telling

Here is a digital Story on the Polar Bear of Manitoba.  As I teach a Canada Unit, I try to find one aspect of each province that students can relate to.  This also crosses over to Science as it discusses the effects that global warming has had on the polar bear and its habitat.

Guidelines for You Tube

After reading Jess Skoog's blog on You Tube, I investigated what exactly the guidelines are for the site.  Open the following url address to read guidelines that are in place for you tube.  (These are monitored on a 24 hour basis)

http://www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines

PBSKids & Point of View

Had the chance to look at the website on PBS Kids and found it to be very good.  I originally thought it may gear towards a younger audience, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the teacher section of their website.  On it I found lesson plans on a wealth of subjects and POV film Clips.  I thought this was a great way to introduce Point of View to older students.  The clip below follows a blind man in NYC from his own point of view.  In another clip, a young mother was followed as she chose to put her baby up for adoption.  In  this clip, it also presented the adoptive parents point of view, so students were better able to get a "Full picture."   Other Film clips were presented in both cartoon & real Life images - but all with a message.  If you get a chance, check it out.  Again, although this part of the website is for an older audience, there were still other parts of the site dedicated to younger students.


Watch Video | Sound of Vision: Short Films | POV | PBS

Creating Books with Wikijunior

I spent some time exploring Wikijunior today and it seems a great way to motivate kids into exploring the world of non fiction by great books on topics that interest them.  I wasnt thrilled however, in the formatting of it.  For example, when viewing it as a PDF it was a tedious chore to scroll each page.  I did try other options, but I was wondering if there was one that I missed that actually read like a book.  For example, when Im on Amazon and want to preview a book, it shows me the first few pages, and actually shows the page turning.  Seems ridiculous I know, but I would enjoy more if it had the feel of a book as opposed to a slide show.  I do like that others can add to each book, however, the skeptic in my does worry about misleading or incorrect information could appear on a book that a student has put their own name on.  Is there a program that can be implemented that checks facts, or is this something the student would have to continually check themselves to verify information.

If anyone has used wikijunior to create a book - I'd love to hear how it worked out in your class.  I have several students working on independent projects right now and it seems like it would be fun to correlate this with their work.  

Soul Pancake - A Feel Good Video

A great clip to watch - kids always know the best things to say that come from the heart!!!

Diigo

In regards to how I am managing Diigo, I have to say that right now, I am using it minimally.  I do see the value of adding web pages that are useful to you and your students, as often, when I go to return to a sight (especially if it is posted by a school) either the web address has changed or site has been discontinued.  This frustrates me.  Hopefully as I continue to add bookmarks to Diigo, I will begin to rely more on it.  It is also nice to have everything in one place.  A few Questions:

Is it possible to group your book marks into categories and/or folders so it is even more accessible?

Is it possible to view other's diigo page to add sites that may be helpful to align with the units taught in your class?     or

Are others allowed to view your Diigo Acct and make suggestions?

This would also be extremely helpful.  If anyone know - please relay all info.  Thanks so much!

Digital Storytelling

When viewing examples of digital storytelling, what I enjoyed most was the examples of the moments in history clips. I thought it was a great way to entrench students in learning about where we, as Americans came from, and how it helps us to determine where we are going.  There were elements in each that I enjoyed, from hearing the voices of the past (Kennedy), music selected to coincide with the era, to seeing the atrocities of the holocaust in pictures.  Each of these elements invoked a sense of emotion within me.   What I did notice however, that in some clips in the Language Arts examples, the voice speaking, caused me to not view the entire clip, as it was dry, and did not have an ounce of enthusiasm to motivate the viewer to become involved with the piece.  Therefore, I learned a valuable lesson in how speech should be integrated with digital storytelling.   One other element I came across while surfing the net for examples, was interactive stories.  Although the subject theme was a bit mature for my class, I did find it interesting as it kept the viewer engaged, or as one with the piece.

Fun With Flickr

When it comes to technology, I am, well lets just say, challenged.  However, when reading chapter 7 in will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis and podcasts, I became really excited and eager to start using Flickr.  There was a number of great ideas that I can use in the classroom to involve not only the students in my class, but parents and others in the community.  Students are able showcase their work for others to view, whether it be a class present, a piece of poetry, or a tour of a school field trip.  It would be amazing for my students in my social studies classes to connect with other students from different parts of the world.  For example, I am currently teaching a unit on Canada.  It would be incredible if I could set up a folder for each province and get kids from each region to interact with my students, offer insight into the cultural differences, and discuss issues that affect both our countries.  Another activity that Im really pumped about is using it to teach geography, getting kids involved with google earth, and using the schools digital cameras for students to take and post pictures of the town and community.