Digital Storytelling: Storybird

Mi familia interesante by terinelson on StorybirdI created an example using specific, simple elements of language that the students have learned.  I took the visuals and focused on descriptions and body parts to create a story.  I actually had to do this two times- the first time I tried it I registered with a normal account- not a teacher's account.  I think that was the reason that after I had created with Storybird I wasn't able to publish it and had a really hard time navigating through the site and finding what I needed.  After I went in and re-registered as a teacher it was MUCH easier.  The first time through I was feeling like there was NO WAY I could use this in class- the students may focus more on what they CAN'T say than what they can say.  We are still at such a basic level, to create a story with the pictures already there may be too much to ask of them.....with that said, today as I created this example, I felt that as long as I really control the language and limit what they  can/should say in their stories, it would be a lot of fun.  I can see myself using this with 8th grade- not 6th at this point.  Overall, a fun tool to use.

I chose Glogster as my presentation tool. I chose this because as a review project with 6th and 7th graders we have them start out with an "All about me" project. The project is a review of all concepts reviewed at the beginning of the course and let's the students create a representation of themselves all in the language. When I saw that Glogster was a poster creator I had to try it out! It was pretty easy to use and I could see students using this tool and presenting in class. I will say that I need to check the age limit in the user agreement section but overall I really liked this tool!

Blog Bling

When I first started using Blogger, I wasn't that excited- I thought it was difficult to navigate through the site, I repeatedly got lost in in my blog and just felt frustrated.  I felt like there was no way I'd use it in my classroom! 

After embedding the video and looking at some other options, I became more intrigued.  I especially liked Weebly and Edmodo.  Both of these seemed to be more of what I think I could incorporate into the classroom.  Edmodo seemed to have more of what I'm after - the class calendar, the polls, the videos and the blogging... the wheels are turning!

This is a video that I have used with my classes to work with direct object pronouns.  Juanes is a Colombian singer/political activist and is one of the most well known Latin artists.  Music is such a  great way for students to see the language in a "real" way.  When we use it in class, students have most of the lyrics and follow along.  At times they fill in the missing words that I leave out and they also will discuss in groups what they think the song is about based on the video and the tone of the song for example. What is great about this song is that students can actually recognize vocabulary and grammatical concepts that we have studied in class and really for the first time they realize that they CAN understand something authentic!

   I was motivated to become one of the campers because I think there are so many great tools out there to use.  This spring I was able to incorporate Google Voice into a speaking component in my classes ( Spanish) and that sparked more of an interest to be able to use the different tools out there!

   I hope to learn about some new options that can easily be used to promote the four skill areas (listening,reading, speaking and writing) in my class.  I'd like to try and get the students creating and using the language in ways that are real to them and keep them engaged!

   This summer I plan on getting organized after our move!! That would be cool!!