Tag: outline

Google Search Stories Video Creator

Kelly Tenkely11 Comments on Google Search Stories Video Creator10356 views

What it is: Do you remember Google’s advertisement at the 2010 Superbowl?  It was called Google Search Stories and showed a story of Parsian Love  through a series of Google searches. Brilliant.  Now you and your students can create your very own Google Search story with Google Search Stories Video Creator.  There are three steps to creating your own Google Story: 1. Write the story, 2. Add Music, 3. Preview and Upload.  As you write your story,  you can choose to search by web, blog, images, maps, news, product search, and books.  

How to integrate Google Search Stories Video Creator into the classroom: Google Search story is an innovative way for students to display understanding or tell a story.  This tool teaches students to get to the heart of the story and tell it in a new, creative way.  Students can demonstrate their understanding of history, current events, a book that they have read, or a math sequence.

First, students come up with 7 events to search, paying close attention to story structure.  They should consider mixing web, images, maps, and blogs.  This will make the story more interesting.  Next, students choose music to fit the theme of their story.  It can be comedic, dramatic, romantic, country, horror, family, or sci-fi.  Finally, students can preview their story and share it with the world.

Think about sharing the life of a historical figure, or the story of Romeo and Juliet, or the scientific method in an experiment, or the story of their digital footprint,  or a fictional story that the student created.  Instead of writing out a traditional outline for a story, why not turn it into a Google Story?  The possibilities of this tool are nearly endless!  If you are introducing new information or learning to your class, consider doing it through a Google Story.  Watch the story as a class and find out what your students already know, what they need to learn, and what they want to know.  You could also create a Google Story as a class after new learning.  As you teach, ask students to jot down thoughts about what they could add to their search story to sum up the learning.  This will keep students engaged and thinking critically about the new material.  After the video has been completed, students can access it from home as an outline of what they learned in class.

Tips: Check out the Tips offered for starting a story, these tips will give you, and your students, a great jumping off point.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Google Search Stories in your classroom.

Webspiration

Kelly Tenkely2 Comments on Webspiration2251 views

 

What it is: You have most likely heard about the popular visual thinking software called Inspiration (or Kidspiration).  Webspiration is a new online version of the visual thinking outlining and organizing.  Webspiration has many of the same features as Inspiration but is free to use and allows for collaborative visual thinking.  Webspiration is perfect for planning, organizing research, and completing projects successfully from beginning to end.  Brainstorming and outlining tools help students organize thoughts for papers and research projects.  Collaboration on Webspiration documents is simple and allows for same document contributing, posting, comments, and viewing changes.  Concept maps and diagrams are created easily with Webspiration.  Visual diagrams and graphic organizers, such as those created with Webspiration, help students retain information.  

 

How to integrate Webspiration into the classroom:    Webspiration is a great tool for the classroom.  Teach elementary age students how to visually organize information using concept maps, venn diagrams, and KWL charts.  Basic outlining skills can also be taught in the elementary classroom using Webspiration.  As students get older, Webspiration helps them take control of and organize their own learning.  Teachers can create concept maps and invite students to collaborate and help fill in information.  These online graphic organizers are wonderful for students, they contribute to filling it in and can access it from any Internet connected computer, iPod, or phone to study from later.

 

Tips:   Webspiration is currently in beta, if you notice any glitches or have ideas for additional features let Webspiration know!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Webspiration in your classroom.