ebook – Page 3 – iLearn Technology

Qwiki- transforming the search into a story

November 12, 2010Kelly Tenkely9 Comments5118 views

What it is: Have you seen Wall-E? Remember the scene when the captain finally starts taking charge and goes to his wall of computers to learn about Earth? He tells his computer to “define Earth” and a wall of images of Earth pop up complete with computer narration. In the definition of Earth he hears about the sea and interrupts the explanation so that he can have the sea defined. This concept of information presentation is a reality…or nearly a reality. There is a new way of information searching called Qwiki. Search using Qwiki and instead of coming up with a list of links to websites, images, and videos, a slide show of images and videos begins complete with computer voice narration. It is truly an incredible experience. Why are we still using textbooks again?

Qwiki is currently in Alpha which means that you have to request an invitation to get the full version of Qwiki, flaws and all. It is worth requesting an invitation; it is jaw dropping! Even without an invitation, you can head over to Qwiki and get an idea of what it does. There are a few preloaded Qwiki searches that you can check out. Qwiki believes that “just because data is stored by machines doesn’t mean it should be presented as a machine-readable list.” Qwiki has transformed the search into a story.

How to integrate Qwiki into your curriculum: Qwiki is limited in its search capabilities right now (in that it won’t necessarily come up with a result for EVERYTHING you want to search), but the current Alpha version of Qwiki gives you more than enough great material to start using it in your classrooms. I have searched everything from mitosis to the solar system to rational numbers to Romeo and Juliet to Shiba Inu to Google and World War 2. Each had fantastic content, images and information. Qwiki is going to revolutionize the way that we search and receive information. The way that it pares a search down into a story is brilliant.

Use Qwiki on classroom computers as part of a center activity, students can dig deeper into science, math, history, geography, or literature using Qwiki to search. Your students can learn more about any topic by searching related topics. Use Qwiki to introduce new concepts to your students using a projector connected computer or interactive whiteboard for whole class learning and discussion. Do you have reluctant or struggling readers? Allow them to read along with Qwiki on their favorite topic or subject. Teach older students? Involve them on conversation about the implications of making our searches “more human” while relying on a computer. What could this type of searching mean for Google? Does this type of searching change their views on learning? Does this type of search feel too much like entertainment without offering enough information? What would they change or add to Qwiki?

Tips: Qwiki is currently in Alpha, that means if you would like to access the full version, you will have to request an invite. I got my invite within 5 minutes of requesting. As you run across features that you wish Qwiki had (the ability to slow down the narration, the ability to change voices) be sure to let them know. If you run across glitches, report those. When a product is in Alpha, it gets better and better when people use it and comment on their experience.

What do you think? Are you as bowled over as I am? What implications do you see a tool like Qwiki having for education? How will you use it in your classroom? Leave a comment!

Study Jams!

November 3, 2010November 3, 2010Kelly Tenkely15 Comments7105 views

What it is: Scholastic Study Jams is a fantastic collection of over 200 learning resource collections. Study Jams are videos, slide shows, and step by step explanations for science and math that will have your students discovering everything from invertebrates to the water cycle and the rule of divisibility. Each Jam includes a teaching video/step-by-step/slide show, key vocabulary, and a test yourself section where they can practice what they have just learned. Each Jam also suggests related jams where students can expand their learning and dig deeper on a subject. To be honest, this is more like the textbook of the future that I envisioned. I love that each concept is introduced in the context of a story. Students learn the concept from fun Study Jam characters and can pause and rewind the learning as needed. In the test yourself section, students can check for understanding and receive immediate feedback on their learning.

How to integrate Study Jams into your curriculum: Study Jams is a truly incredible collection of learning opportunities for students. Use Jams to introduce your students to a new concept, or reinforce learning. In Math students can learn about numbers, multiplication and division, addition and subtraction, fractions, decimals and percents, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis, probability, and problem solving. Each topic has several sub-topics for students to explore. In science topics include: plants, animals, the human body, ecosystems, landforms, rocks and minerals, weather and climate, solar system, matter, force and motion, energy, light, and sound, and scientific inquiry. Again, each science topic has several sub-topics.

Study Jams can be used with your whole class as an anticipatory set for learning using an interactive whiteboard or projector connected computer. After viewing the step-by-step, video, or slide-show check for understanding by having your students complete the “test yourself” as a class. This can be done with personal whiteboards where students write down their answer and hold it up, a raise of hands, or student response systems (clickers). Use this as formative assessment to guide your lesson. Study Jams can also be used as a center activity in the math or science classroom. Students can visit the Study Jam as part of a larger group of related activities. In a center, students can visit individually or in small groups and self direct their learning. For those students who have already mastered the concept, they can view related Study Jams to extend their learning.

Study Jams is ideal for students in a 1 to 1 or lab setting. Here students can explore at their own pace, pausing and rewinding as necessary. They can also extend their learning based on their personal interests by choosing a related Study Jam.

Can’t find a Study Jam that fits what your students are learning? Ask students to create their own Study Jam video, slide show or step by step. Students can use tools like Animoto, Voice Thread, or Domo Animate to create their own. Students can create their own “test yourself” using a Google Form or survey tool.

Tips: I learned about Study Jams from someone in my blogging alliance (sorry I didn’t make note of who!) If you aren’t already following these amazing blogs, I highly recommend them (alliance #1, alliance #2). I learn SO much every day from each one of them. If I learned about Study Jams from your blog, leave me a comment so I can thank you here!

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Study Jams in your classroom!

Today’s Document: History through cartoons

October 1, 2010Kelly Tenkely3 Comments2839 views

What it is: Today’s Document is an awesome daily history site that I learned about from the Instructify blog written by Bill Ferris. Today’s Document is based on the RSS feed from the National Archives. Jon White takes these daily documents from history and turns them into cartoons that illustrate the history. Cartoons and drawings offer such an incredible and striking visual to accompany history. They help flesh out what was happening and give students a way to connect to and characterize history.

How to integrate Today’s Document into your curriculum: This is, simply stated, an AWESOME site. I have mentioned before that history was not my strength in school. I struggled with finding the story in history. For me it was a lot of facts, dates, names, and places that I couldn’t seem to get a handle on. A site like Today’s Document would have done wonders for my understanding of history. The visuals clearly connect the facts with a larger story. Even better, White publishes the story behind each cartoon along side it. Today’s Document makes an incredible e-textbook complete with daily updates, links to videos, articles, primary sources, and additional opportunities to learn more about each topic. Today’s Document would make a fantastic discussion starter in any classroom. It’s natural fit would be in the history or civics class but could really be used in many disciplines including literature, writing, and even science. Because Today’s Document uses cartoons to tell history, the site can be used with a wide range of age groups. Even young students can look at the cartoons and follow the story each day. Each drawing is linked to the original primary source document on National Archives with an invitation to dig deeper. Within the preamble describing the cartoon, White often includes links to outside videos and articles that reinforce the daily document.

Tips: I encourage you to take a look at White’s previous cartoons, you can do so by using the “previous” button or searching the archives by date. He started this project in January 2010.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Today’s Document in your classroom!

Friday Recap

August 27, 2010Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment19044 views

In case you missed what I was up to on my other blogs this week, here is a recap.

I wrote a new post today over at Dreams of Education called Teachers as Expendables

Over at iPad Curriculum I wrote a post about Kaplan Publishing offering 87 FREE ebooks (hurry this offer ends soon) and a post about turning any text into a spoken track.

New blogging educators are joining us every day at the Edublogger Alliance Wackwall, come join us!

I officially opened my iLearn Technology eStore this week where you can find lesson plans, ebooks, and Promethean Flipcharts. Right now there are two price points $.99 and free (I’m publishing my content iTunes style).

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, thanks for all of the comments, tweets, and support this week!

Digital Book Talk: Book Trailers for K-12

August 20, 2010Kelly Tenkely4 Comments4715 views

What it is: There is a new trend in reading: book trailers. It seems that lately book trailers are popping up on all of the video sharing sites. Digital Book Talk is a collaborative effort from the University of Central Florida where Dr. Robert Kennedy and Dr. Glenda Gunter have completed research on what motivates reluctant and striving readers to select, read, and complete books. “The student productions of DBT (Digital Book Talk) focus use the technological skills taught in the undergraduate Digital Media and graduate Educational Technology curricula that teach teachers how to create dynamic digital games, trailers, and Web sites. Many of these skills include research and writing, Flash animation, visual storytelling, video recording and editing, audio recording, graphic design, website development, programming, and database creation.” On the Digital Book Talk site, you will find high quality book trailers that will whet your students appetite for a good book. Students can search for books by content level, and interests.

How to integrate Digital Book Talk into your curriculum: The Digital Book Talk site is an excellent place for students to start their search for a book that will hold their interest. Just like a movie trailer, the book trailers give students just enough information to leave them wanting more. The Digital Book Talks will help your reluctant readers understand the adventures that await them in a good book. Find a book trailer to introduce a novel that the whole class will be reading or set up classroom computers with a link to Digital Book Talk where students can be inspired to find their next read. After students read, they can create their own Digital Book Talks using video cameras or tools like Xtranormal, ZimmerTwins, or Kerpoof movie.

A few years ago I had my students create bookcasts. These were the same ideas as a book trailer but instead of being video, they were audio podcasts only. I created a wiki where the students uploaded their bookcasts as they finished them. The wiki was a place where students could recommend books to their peers, demonstrate their understanding of a book, and find the next book to read based on a classmates recommendation.

Tips: Be sure to check out the student work tab to see book trailers created by k-12 students around the country.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Digital Book Talk: Book Trailers for k-12 in your classroom!

Storybook Web

August 2, 2010Kelly Tenkely3 Comments4016 views

What it is: Storybook Web is “based on popular children’s stories by authors Scoular Anderson, Debi Gliori, Mairi Hedderwick and Frank Rodgers.” There are a number of fun activities on this site including the ability to listen to the author’s reading excerpts from their stories and answering questions about how they came up with ideas for writing. Students can choose from one of eight stories, each story has a related game, word bank activity, and videos/audio for reading the story and interacting with the author.

How to integrate Storybook Web into your curriculum: Storybook Web is a fun way for students to interact with stories, making connections to the authors of the stories and the themes that they are reading about. This site helps students think like an author. It gives them an inside look at how authors think about writing. Use this site as an introduction to a writing activity. Students can watch the author videos and get an inside look at the process that a writer goes through. This can be done using a projector connected computer or interactive whiteboard. Storybook Web would also make a nice addition to a writing center on classroom computers. When I taught second grade, I set up an “editing and publishing” center on my classroom computers. Here I gave students access to an online dictionary, thesaurus, word processor/publishing program, and Read Write Think. Storybook Web would be an excellent addition to a writing center. Students can go to be inspired, encouraged in the writing process, and given a place to practice their own writing. I like the word bank on Storybook Web, word choice is hard for beginning writers. By interacting with the word bank activity on Storybook Web, students will begin to think about their own word choice. You may want students to go through their own writing and pick out words that they would add to their word bank. I have found that activities like this make students think about the words they are using. Often, students will self-edit and find richer vocabulary to use in their writing.

Tips: This is an easy website for emergent readers and writers to navigate. Students can choose to have the site narrated for them or they can turn the audio off and read on their own.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Storybook Web in your classroom!

MeeGenius

June 17, 2010Kelly Tenkely6 Comments3860 views

What it is: MeeGenius is an outstanding site I just learned about from @NMHS_Principal on Twitter. MeeGenius is an online library of picture books that kids can read independently or as a read along. Books can be personalized with students names, just answer a few quick questions and the book is rewritten for you. Each book comes with audio playback and word highlighting, perfect for beginning or struggling readers to read along.

How to integrate MeeGenius into the classroom: MeeGenius is a nice web library of picture books that can digitally expand your classroom library. Students will love the way they can personalize books using themselves and friends as characters in the book. Personalized books can be saved and shared with friends. Set up MeeGenius on classroom computers as a listening and reading center. Students can practice their reading, vocabulary, and fluency.

Begin the school year by making personalized books that contain your students names in them. Read them throughout the first week as a class on the interactive whiteboard or projector connected computer.

Older students can use MeeGenius, too! If you have students who are learning a foreign language, have them listen to or read a story and translate it into the language they are learning.

Tips: MeeGenius is also available as an app for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using MeeGenius in your classroom.

Mystery of the Poison Dart Frog

June 11, 2010Kelly Tenkely5 Comments16260 views

What it is: The Mystery of the Poison Dart Frog comes from the North Carolina Museum of Art. Students are introduced to three characters in an online picture book. Zoey and Zeke are visiting their cousin Camilla who works as a curator at an art museum in Costa Rica. Soon students are swept away in a mystery and adventure as they must use clues and match up the Costa Rica art pieces with the notecards that were written by the donors of the art. Along the way students learn to read for information, and learn about art, science, history, and culture of Costa Rica.

How to integrate the Mystery of the Poison Dart Frog into the classroom: The Mystery of the Poison Dart Frog is a fun way for students to practice reading for information and practicing the inferring reading strategy. As students work through the mystery, they will also be learning about art, science, history, and the culture of Costa Rica. This is a great activity for students to complete independently in a computer lab or 1-to-1 setting, it is a little long to be completed as a center activity. If you teach younger students, or students who may not be able to read the story independently, read the story as a class or small group using a projector connected computer or interactive whiteboard. Students can work together to solve the mystery using the available clues in the story. Before students begin reading the story, they can build background knowledge by using the built in research guide. Students can learn more about Costa Rica with an interactive map, learn about the works of art they will see in the story, and the different animals represented in the works of art.

The story can be read in either English or Spanish. For older students learning Spanish as a foreign language, the activity could be completed in Spanish. This would be a fun activity to test their skills of reading for understanding in the Spanish language.

Tips: For more great related links, click on the “more” drop down from the home page. Happy solving!

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Mystery of the Poison Dart Frog in your classroom.

National Geographic Young Explorer

March 4, 2010March 4, 2010Kelly Tenkely10 Comments4624 views

What it is: National Geographic has fantastic resources for the classroom. Their Young Explorer online content is not to be missed in the primary classroom. This is an online magazine specifically for kindergarten and first grade student (I think second grade students would also benefit). The site lets students listen and read the latest stories from National Geographic Young Explorer. The photographs are breath taking and the reading is very accessible to beginning readers and English language learners. Each portion of the text has a speaker next to it that allows students to listen to the text. Click on the “More Issues” button to access past issues. In the “For Teachers” section, you will find print versions of the teacher’s guides complete with lesson plans, discussion questions, accompanying worksheets, and more. There is a very helpful story planner that gives you upcoming themes. These may be helpful when planning upcoming lessons.

How to integrate National Geographic Young Explorer into the classroom: It can be hard to find quality, accessible informational reading for primary students. National Geographic has solved this problem with Young Explorer. I am amazed that National Geographic is offering these online for free! Struggling readers can listen to the text read to them and read along. English language learners receive support for their reading of the text. The photographs and images are nothing less than excellent. The teacher materials that are included will help you to utilize the magazines and stories effectively.

Read and discuss Young Explorer stories as a class using a projector or interactive whiteboard. Teach your students how to read informational text, and the comprehension strategies that will help them to understand what they are reading. Set up Young Explorer on the classroom computers as a reading center for students to visit during reading time. Take a look at the Young Explorer archives to see if any of the past issues will support the learning you are doing in the classroom.

Tips: In the “For Teachers” section, you will find a link to interactive whiteboard content. This is a link to National Geographic’s premium content that can be found on Promethean Planet. These flipcharts are fantastic and include a teachers guide, printable blackline masters, teaching notes, and offline materials.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using National Geographic Young Explorer in your classroom.

Science Storybooks

February 18, 2010Kelly Tenkely6 Comments4682 views

What it is: Science S torybooks is a great collection of online animated picture books that help teach science in a way that is fun and engaging. There are a lot of animated books to choose from with topics such as applied sciences (electrons, light, etc.), the Universe Cycle (planets, constellations, etc.), Plate Tectonic Cycle (lavas, earthquakes, etc.), Rock Cycle (gems, dinosaurs, etc.), Water Cycle (clouds, weather, etc.), and the Life Cycle (organisms, human biology, plants, the natural environment). The books don’t just tell about science, they take students on a science journey using story. This makes the reading more accessible and student friendly than your typical science book. There are also some very entertaining science songs. I particularly enjoyed the Electricity song…but then I get a kick out of things like this (I think the kids will, too!).

How to integrate Science Storybooks into the classroom: These animated Science Storybooks are the perfect way to introduce your students to new science concepts. They will give just enough information to leave your students wanting to explore some more. The books can be read as a whole class using a projector or interactive whiteboard, or set up as a center on your classroom computers.

I have a group of fifth graders this year who are convinced that they are the cast of High School Musical, they are constantly breaking out in song (it is really something, they all join in and know the words to any song). I have a feeling that my fifth graders would really get into the songs on Storybooks, singing along karaoke style. If it helps them to learn new science concepts, I can’t think of anything better!

Science Storybooks may inspire your students to come up with their own science storybooks. Students could create science storybooks as a slide show, in Animoto, Kerpoof, Shidonni, Storybird, and a host of other sites. As part of the science fair projects, students could create a story to accompany the project that would explain the science involved. And for my fifth grade musical cast, they just may want to come up with their own science song using Myna, Audacity, or Garageband.

Tips: There are some additional science lessons and worksheets for each topic of science, you can use these in conjunction with the stories as needed.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Science Storybooks in your classroom.