Week Twelve- WebQuests

WebQuests are a great tool to engage your students in an interactive online experience that usually tagets a real life question or situation that allows students to connect to the activity on a level that is deeper than merely solving a problem.

This week we explored some online resources for creating your very first WebQuest:
http://questgarden.com/
http://webquest.org/

We also took a virtual look through some previously created WebQuests, such as this one, " Modern Museum of Romanticism."

Dr. Lux created a template using Google Sites for you to use in developing your WebQuest.

Login  to your Google Account.
Select "Sites" and "Create" to begin creating your new Google Site.

Next, select "Browse the gallery for more" and search for "MSU EDU370". Make sure you type it exactly as it is in this post.

Once you have the template selected, follow the on screen prompts to continue to create your new webquest Google Site.

Once you have successfully created your site, follow and replace the information in the the template with your content. Upon completion of your WebQuest, please email the link to both your lecture and lab instructors as well as composing a new post in your blog describing the project and providing the link.

Here is a link to tutorials on editing a Google Site:
http://www.google.com/support/sites/?hl=en

Your WebQuests are due at the end of lab during week 13- Dec. 1.

Good Luck!

Week Eleven

This week we tried our hands at podcasting using two of three tools. We explored Vocaroo, Podomatic, and ipadio as simple, yet unique podcasting tools that are available free to teachers.

Vocaroo is a very simple tool that does not require an account to use. Simply push the record button, allow the program to access your computer, and begin your podcast. When finished, click the stop button. You can preview your podcast before you save it. You can also copy and paste the embed code into a blog or website to easily share your podcast.

Podomatic is another good resource for easily creating podcasts. To use podomatic, you will need to create an account. Podomatic allows you to create a simple podcast or upload files to create the podcast. It comes with a pretty robust online editor as well.

iPadio is the third podcasting tool that we will be exploring today. iPadio allows users who have signed up for an account to create a podcast feed where new podcasts are added to the users feed automatically. Users can, like Podomatic, upload files to create podcasts, and unique to iPadio, users can also create a new podcast simply by calling a designated phone number on their phones and recording the podcast via phone. A great feature that adds a great deal of flexibility.

Your task this week is to record a one minute podcast simulating a classroom scenario. Use two of the three tools and embed the final products from both podcasts into your blog...

Happy podcasting!

Week Nine

Classroom Assessment: Minute by Minute, Day by Day
http://goo.gl/lhr1P


This week we had a classroom discussion on the importance of assessment and began to explore some tools that could be used in the classroom environment to assist with gathering data.


Resources:


http://4teachers.org/
Rubistar- online rubric maker, Quistar, PBL Checklist


http://sites.google.com
Electronic Portfolios using Google Sites


http://docs.google.com
Google Docs and Forms created for assessment and data collection/analysis
(don't forget about Flubaroo in the script gallery!)


Mobile Assessment/Learning Tools:


http://www.polleverywhere.com/

http://classparrot.com/

https://studyboost.com/

http://www.mobiode.com/

http://textthemob.com/

http://www.scvngr.com/

Week Eight

Presentation of your Digital Stories...

Week Seven

This week was spend perfecting your digital story.

A few resources that we used this week:

http://zamzar.com/
A great resource for converting files and downloading YouTube videos.

http://saveyoutube.com/
Another method of saving a YouTube video to the desktop of your computer. Type the word "kick" in front of the YouTube URL. This will take you directly to the download options.

http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
Download Jing onto your computer for an easy to use tool that allows you to capture and record directly from your desktop.

Week Six

This week you will be working on your digital stories, submitting your paper story board, and developing your conceptual analysis.


Here are a few resources to help you along your way:
iMovie Tutorials:

Get Started

• iMovie '11: Import video
• iMovie '11: Start a new project
• iMovie '11: Add video to your project
• iMovie '11: Enhance your project
• iMovie '11: Create a trailer
• iMovie '11: Share your movie
• iMovie '11: Organize your video

Other resources that may help you on your way:

http://www.storycenter.org

1. Point of View            

• What is the main point of the story and what is the perspective of the author?

2. A Dramatic Question  

• A key question that keeps the viewer's attention and will be answered by the end of the story.

3. Emotional Content            

• Serious issues that come alive in a personal and powerful way and connects the story to the audience.

4.  Your Voice            

• A way to personalize the story to help the audience understand the context.

5. The Power Music           

• Music or other sounds that support and embellish the storyline.

6. Economy            

• Using just enough content to tell the story without overloading the viewer.

7. Pacing            

• The rhythm of the story and how slowly or quickly it progresses.

Find Media

• Pictures/Images

• Google Image Search
• Picsearch Image Search
• Alta Vista Image Search
• Flikr Creative Commons Photos
• Morgue File Images (not what you think!)
• Wikimedia Commons Images
• Behold
• PicLits
• 4FreePhotos
• Veezzle
• Ookaboo

• Audio

• PodSafeAudio
• FreeMusicArchives
• Sound Bible
• The Free Sound Project
• Royalty Free Music
• Jamendo

Have fun!