Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping

Assignment:  Use Inspiration or other Mind Mapping tool.
 

Uses in the Classroom: Mind Mapping is a wonderful tool to use in the classroom to help the students visualize how information is connected or related to the unit being studied. 

I would have the students use Inspiration or other Mind Mapping tools in Social Studies.  Social Studies can sometimes be very difficult for students to connect people or places to events or other people or places.  By creating a Mind Map students can see how the different topics in a chapter are related and be able to analyze the events of history better.
 

Issues to Consider: Not all schools have Inspiration and therefore it is important to have a back up free program available.  It is also important to find out the school policy on downloading free software.
 

Copyright: The information I used to build the Mind Map about Harriet Tubman I got from PBS-Harriet Tubman.  The pictures I used were built into the Inspiration program.

 

 

 

Photo Editing

Photo Editing

Assignment:  Using Photo Editing Software to Edit Photos

Uses in the Classroom: Photo editing can make a mundane project become extraordinary!  In my classroom I would have the students create a Science book about their local ecosystem.  The students would be broken up into groups.  Each group would be giving a category to find such as, plants, animals, bugs, fungus, etc.  Each group would take photos of the examples that they find for their category.  After the pictures are taken, I would have the students use a photo editing program such as Photo Shop Elements to alter their photos to make them more pleasing. It is important that the students learn to capture and highlight the example and cut out the extra unneeded items from the picture.  This will help the students to create an extraordinary project.
By having the students learn how to edit their photos, they are being taught how to put personal touches onto their project. They will analyze each photo for what is important for their project and what is unneeded.  This type of project will also give the students a chance to be creative with their project.
 

Issues to Consider:  Not all schools have digital cameras or photo editing software.  It is important to work closely with the technology department to make sure all the items are available. 

Copyright:  The photo I edited was found on Flickr.  Pink Flower  The Author of the photo is Kumaravel Thangaraj.  The Creative Commons license on the photo is CC BY 2.0.


 

Infographs

Assignment:  Making an Infograph
 

Uses in the Classroom: An infograph can be used in the classroom as a visual reminder of information that has been learned.  It can also be used as a visual introduction to new material.  Infographs are a great way to organize information in a way that is visual and easy to understand at a quick glance. 

The infograph  I created I would use in the lower elementary grades.  I would probably use it in 1st-4th grades.  In these grades, students are learning about the different parts of speech; nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.  The infograph is just a quick explanation on the different parts of speech and gives them a visual reminder what each term means. 
 

Issues to Consider:  It is important to make sure that all graphics used to make an infograph are legally allowed to be used under their copyright. 

Another issue to consider is that some fonts and colors are difficult to read and see.  It is important to use fonts and colors that are visually pleasing and also easy to read and see.

Copyright:  Everything that I used for my infograph was provided by the program Easl.ly.com . 

 

Instructional Video

Assignment:   Instructional Video on The Revolutionary War
 

Uses in the Classroom: Instructional Videos are a good way to introduce topics to students.  They are also a good way to show students how to do something. 

The video I created I would use in a 5th grade classroom at the beginning of the Social Studies unit on the Revolutionary War.  After the video I would discuss the events with the students.  After discussing the material, I would break the students up into groups, pick one of the events of the Revolutionary War, and have them reenact it or create an informational video on the event.

Issues to Consider: Many classrooms do not have their own set of computers to use.  If classroom computers are not available, a computer lab will need to be reserved for several days.  It is also important to make sure the school has software and equipment that the students can use to make their video.

Copyright: The students need to be reminded to abide by copyright laws. The program I used for my video was Microsoft PowerPoint.  I also used the Creative Commons website to search for material I could legally use for my video.

 

Screencasting Assignment

Assignment:   Screencasting Assignment
 

Uses in the Classroom: Screencasting is a great way to give students step by step instructions on how to complete a task.  I could use this tool to show students how to create a Word Document or a PowerPoint presentation.  I could also use the tool to show them how to use different software such as Kidspiration or Inspiration.
 

Issues to Consider: When doing a ScreenCast it is important to speak slowly and clearly.  Some students may otherwise have a hard time following along.  It also would be beneficial to stop the Screencast at different points and discuss the instructions.

Copyright: The students need to be reminded to abide by copyright laws.  The programs  I used for my project were Screencast-O-Matic and Microsoft PowerPoint.

 

Digital Storytelling Assignment

Assignment:   Digital Storytelling
 

Uses in the Classroom: This assignment could be used for so many different subject areas in the classroom.  I would use it for a Social Studies project.  I would have the students choose an important historical figure for whatever time period that was being studied.  The students would research the historical figure and tell a story about the life and contributions of this person.
 

Issues to Consider: Students will need to have access to a microphone with a headset. They will also need to have access to movie making software such at Windows MovieMaker. The students will also need to be reminded to abide by copyright laws.  A lesson on how to use Creative Commons to find pictures, videos, and music that they are legally allowed to use.
 

Copyright:  For my video "Adventures of a Small Town Girl" there is a Copyright page at the end of the video to cite the works I used that belonged to others.  Most of the pictures I used were pictures that I took or my family took.

 

Talking Photograph

Talking Photograph

Assignment:   Talking Photo of Winter

Uses in the Classroom: The students will use an iPad or digital camera to take a photo of a Winter landscape.  If these items are not available they may use a copyright friendly photo.  The students will create a short story about Winter.  The students will use Fotobabble to create their photo and voice recording. 

Issues to Consider: Students will need to have access to a microphone with a headset. It is important that the short story is only a few paragraphs long due to the limited amount of recording time available on Fotobabble.   

 

Copyright:  The students need to be reminded to abide by copyright laws.  The photo I used for my example does not have a copyright.  It was taken by my husband on a trip to Germany.