Thing 8

Are the research tools mentioned in the class post available as apps on the district iPads?  I do not see them on the iPad I have.  I'm also wondering about other district databases, such as PebbleGo.  I don't see any of them as separate apps.  Or are we accessing these tools through the link to our campus library web page?

I think that the advantage of using all these research tools is the ability to customize and focus research for the project, class, or student as needed.  Students don't spend as much time wading through useless or distracting results when using these tools.  I have used Diigo and custom Google searches to create targeted searches for students for projects in the past, and want to show teachers how to do these.  The Diigo article indicates that teachers can set up individual student accounts within a class, so we can then teach students to set up their own targeted searches and save them.  I want to incorporate this into lessons about choosing and evaluating Internet research sources.  Teachers could even use the lists students create here as the product where one of the objectives is identifying relevant and reliable sources (ELA TEKS).

Thing 7

I was not able to view the video about using Garage Band, but the app seems like it will be fun to explore.  I think students may enjoy trying to create their own music to use in their projects.  I also see teachers using it to work on fluency with students, recording their oral reading.  You could also record students' oral presentations and then link them to the visual displays they create (using a QR code or something like Aurasma) so that viewers can access the students' words while viewing their display.  I tried exporting files to iMovie and it looks like you can also put them in Edmodo or Google Drive.  I think this way of recording audio seems more flexible than the audio available in iMovie, so that's something I want to explore more.

Thing 6 Activity 1

I found some student made podcasts on Educreations that I want to use as part of a research unit with first grade classes.  The students research polar animals in groups and produce a multimedia report about their findings.  I want to use these podcasts as examples for the teachers when we are planning the unit, to show them another way for their students to demonstrate their learning. I also want to work with the teachers to develop rubrics for grading the student products, so we can use the podcasts as examples when we decide the criteria to use. 

First example:


Second example:

Thing 5

I want to use digital storytelling with my 3rd and 4th graders to create book trailers for the Bluebonnet  books.  Students could work in pairs or trios and select a title they have read.  Students would decide on elements of the story to retell and identify the story's theme.  They can choose photos from Creative Commons, take their own pictures, and add their voices retelling story elements.  I think when the students have to choose visuals to represent the theme and events in the story, they have to make more of an emotional connection to the text, and this deepens their understanding.  I would love to be able to post these trailers on my library web page to "advertise" for these books.

Thing 3

Objective: First grade students will use Pages to create simple procedural texts

The class will be divided into small groups and each will be assigned an iPad.  Students will take turns using the iPad to take pictures of group members participating in a class activity, for example planting seeds in Holmquist's garden. Following the planting activity, groups will use the visual report template in Pages to create their text.  They will choose pictures to represent steps in the process to place in the template.  Then students will collaborate to create text that tells the steps in the process to accompany their pictures.  Using the camera and word processing app on the iPad makes it simple to bring the words and pictures together.

I'm a little bit less clear on getting the content off the iPad at the elementary level.  Even when logged in to my eChalk account on the iPad, the only options given when I try to upload a file is taking a picture and uploading an existing picture.  I'm not sure how to attach files from the iWork apps.  I seem to have the same problem with Blogger and Kidblog.  I was not able to log in to my school Google Drive account on the iPad.  Maybe Edmodo will work for this, but my account hasn't been set up yet, so I'm not sure.

2nd Thing

At this point I still need to do some more investigating before I decide which option is best for getting student work off our iPads.  I am already using the free version of Kidblog with students, and have been very happy with it for posting and replying.  I find it easy to use and the students are enthusiastic about it.  I have already used the iPads with some of my students and our Kidblog classes.   I'm not sure about attaching student work created elsewhere to the blog posts. I was noticing on the Kidblog site that you have to upgrade to a paid account to be able to connect Kidblog to GoogleDocs or Evernote.   Is it going to be necessary for individual campuses to purchase these accounts?

In the past, I have applied for eChalk accounts and used them with students, but found them to be not very elementary friendly and not simple for the students to use.  I know we have made several changes to the eChalk accounts since then, so perhaps I will try them again.  We will need to decide which students to request accounts for, and wait until the school year starts to get those going.  Last time I remember it took several weeks to get the accounts set up. 

I signed up for an Edmodo account, but haven't started using this yet.  My own children go to school in HISD and have used Edmodo for several years, so I think I would be interested in trying it out.  The site told me that I need to get a particular code to link my account to the Alief one.