Google Docs Intergration #1

Throughout the year in first grade, we spend time learning about different word families. I decided to make word family photo album that my students can help to manipulate throughout the year. I would call students to the computer to give me a word that belongs in the word family that we are studying. I would then add the word and a picture to the photo album. My hope would be that midway through the year the some students would be able to add the words and pictures on their own.

Podcast

I recently finished reading the book Junie B. Jones First Grader Cheater Pants to my first grade class. In the story, Junie B.and her friends write a cinquain poem. I decided to tie my pod casting project to this story. First, we will go over the format for writing a cinquain. Then each student will write a cinquain poem about themselves. I wanted to include a picture so I decided that each students will draw a self portrait.Once students write their poem they will read their poem aloud to be recorded for a podcast. In my sample I wrote a poem about Rhino. Rhino is our class pet. I used Windows Movie Maker and found it very easy to use.

Screen Cast

 In this project the students would develop a screen cast teaching their parents how to use spelling city. Every Friday, my first graders have been going to the computer lab to practice going to the website and finding our class list to practice their words at home. Completing a screen cast is their chance to be the experts and teach someone else. Due to the fact that my class is so young I would gather as a whole class and list the steps together on chart paper. I would then type the steps out for each student to refer to. They would have to show me that they can successfully get to the our class list before they record their screen cast.  For my example, I recorded a screen cast teaching my students how to get to my Moodle page. I first tried to record my screen cast using screen castle. The website was easy to use but it took a very long time complete the project. I decided to then try to record the same screen cast using screencast-o-matic.I thought that this site was easier to use than screen castle and would have my students use this site.

Online Quiz

I used the website QuizStar to make my online quiz. I am currently teaching my first graders about their 5 senses and different tools that scientists use. I made a short 8 question quiz to review what we have learned so far. I found QuizStar easy to use. I liked that you can use a variety of options for student responses. I also like that the teacher can receive the results and assign user names and logins for each child. I wish that the site would allow users to upload photos to the online quiz. This would be especially helpful for younger students.

Click Here to take my Introduction to Science Quiz

User name: Edu514
Password: 1234

Web 2.0 Tools

I decided to experiment using glogster. On this website students can create their own posters on the internet. I often have my first graders create posters on paper using crayons and markers. This is a great tool and exposes students to being creative on the computer. I made a sample poster to show different community workers that we learned about and what their jobs are. I thought that this website was easy to use, kid friendly, and fun! Younger students will probably need practice with adding images and text prior to using. I loved this site and will reccomend it to other teachers!

Online Photo Album and Slideshow Project

My idea for an online photo album and slideshow project would be used in a science unit. My first graders are expected to know the difference between living and non-living things. After teaching them the characteristics of living things, I would allow them to take pictures using a digital camera. They would have to take 5 pictures of living thing and 5 pictures of non-living things. We would then upload the pictures to an online photo album and then make a slideshow with the pictures that they took.

Click here to view the online photo album

Click Here to see the sample slideshow