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Tagul.com

Below is an example from tagul.com.  It is similar to wordle and tagxedo.  Of all three applications, I prefer tagxedo because you have more control over the final product.  This particular word cloud was made from a copy and paste of Grateful Dead songs.  I found that there were too few shapes and options with this tool.  Once my students finish their tagxedos, I will upload so that you can see the difference.

Tagul.com

Lingro

Lingro.com is a really cool site.  If you are assigning a difficult or high level reading online, have the students go to lingro.com, then type in the website.  Lingro will transform the website into a live dictionary.  Every word can be clicked on for dictionary.  Lingro would also work for foreign language teachers as it can be used in multiple languages. Lingro

Lingro Jing

Tagxedo, Wordle

Ok, I found a great article on using wordle or tagxedo effectively in a classroom.  Which site is better?  Tagxedo has more bells and whistles, but it requires some installation.  In our school, only an administrator can download onto the computers.  Therefore, I either need some help, or I can use wordle.  Either one is a site for creating word clouds.  Basically, you import text, choose a shape, and presto!  You have a visual representation of your text, with the most frequent text appearing as both the largest and the darkest words. How can we use these sites to their fullest advantage?  Blogger Ben Rimes highlights three ways to go beyond a simple representation in his article.

1.  Math:  Use the word cloud to input data about frequency and probability.  Instead of the same old boring bar chart, have students put the data right into wordle or tagxedo, and see visually what word occurs most frequently.

2. English:  Have students copy and paste writing into wordle.  By using this, they can see what words they are using too often.  After seeing the frequency of words in their essay, they can substitute more colorful words in their stead.

3.  History:  Rimes used wordle to create a visual representation of United States elections.  He pasted inaugural speeches from various presidents to see what issues were affecting society at the time.

These are just a few ideas Rimes created to get beyond the "fluff" uses for web 2.0 tools.  If anyone has any more ideas, feel free to post them here!

glogster.com

Hey!  Check out the glog!  I love this site.  There are all kinds of things you can do with a glog.  Teachers can get an educational account for free, and you can add up to 50 students.  I think this could be used for a variety of assignments.  It would be a neat way to present researched information, analyze character,  introduce oneself, or show a symbolic representation of almost anything.  Unlike some other sites, glogster has an easy interface.  Check out my jing: Glogster Jing.  Enjoy!

Glogster

imovie

I am sure that at this point, most of us are pretty well versed in imovie.  However, for those of us who aren't, I thought I would give some helpful hints.  In imovie, it is all about the wheel.  Basically, you click on file, and new project.  At this point, a drop down menu will appear asking you to choose a theme.   You may choose one, or you may go themeless.  Now you add your visual media.  You will be unable to use the microphone unless you put the photos in first.  You can also add film, or you can film yourself.  It is easier for me to show you than it is for me to tell you, so I will create a few jings for you.  If you choose a theme, imovie will add transitions and text boxes for you.  Let's get back to the wheel:  on each piece of media (sound, text, picture) there is a wheel (must hover to find it).  The wheel controls the media.  Click it, and you can adjust the time, clip, sound etc.  Creating an imovie takes a bit of time.  I would recommend at least three blocks for a project.  I don't know how to save our imovies to the school number.  I know it can be done, and hopefully one of you will help me out with this one.
Getting Started
Editing
Saving

Jing.com

Ok, so Jing is this really great website that I will be using often.  You know those great little movies you see, the ones  which show what someone is doing on their computer?  That is a jing.  If you go to jing, you can download the software, and be on your way to easily and quickly clarifying any computer problems your students may have.  You can't access jing by going to jing.com, you have to search it and then click on the link.  It also won't allow me to add a link for you.  Just search it, download the little sun, and you can capture anything you want.  I just discovered jing last week, but I plan to capture whatever I want the students to do when we have the computers, and put the link on my school web page.

Edmodo

Edmodo.com functions as an educational facebook.  The layout is quite nice, and the students seemed to enjoy it.  My Seniors did fairly well with the assignment.  I used it to post questions, and the students had to answer them, but also respond to what others had written.  If you would like to view how I used it, click here: Edmodo jing.  My Sophomores had a bit more difficulty in using this.  They tend to repeat the same answer rather than responding to the question in addition to the previous posts.  This is fairly typical for my Sophomore class.  Nothing really works with my Sophomore class.  If anyone can think of anything that works with Sophomores, please let me know.

Epals

My name is Danielle.  I am an epals addict.  The first step to recovery is admitting your addiction, right?  I admit it, I am addicted.  I started using epals last year.  By far, it is the most fun I have had in a classroom.  I am currently working with students and teachers from Uruguay, Denmark, Ghana, Romania, Ukraine, France, Britain, Spain, China, and Thailand.  We do a variety of projects, depending on grade level.  With my Juniors, we did the epals project, The Way We Are.  It is an exploration of culture and lifestyles between countries.  The students end with an imovie exploring the similarities and differences between the cultures.  My Seniors are exploring personal philosophies and belief systems this semester.  We have been learning existential philosophies, as well as Buddhism and Ancient Greek ideologies.  Their goal has been to learn how culture has shaped their epal's identity.   My Sophomores are learning about education in their epal's countries, including the different courses and curriculums.  Last semester, we also worked with a class from a rural town in Wisconsin.  We read common short stories, and then we used edmodo.com and todaysmeet.com to discuss our readings.   I  have some of our letters from our epals highlighted on my school website, .  Overall, I would say epals has been overwhelmingly popular for my students.  The are eager to correspond, and they check their accounts frequently outside of class time.  It is a safe venue because the teacher needs to approve both incoming and outgoing emails.  There is a considerable amount of work initially, mostly in setting up student accounts and finding cooperating classrooms. I think you will find that, like me, epals is as addicting as potato chips.  When I see all of the possibilities for working with global partners, I can't seem to stop.  I created a jing to help those of you who would like more information about the site.  Click here: epals jing.  

Rationale

Hello fellow teachers!

I am starting this blog to share information from my graduate classes in instructional technology.  I thought it might be a good way to share what I have learned and used in class, and also a place where others can comment on their experiences integrating technology into classroom curriculum.  I realize that a wiki would probably be a better venue, but as I have just begun my graduate studies, I am not proficient as of yet.  Please feel free to comment or add to any information here.   I hope this helps.

Danielle