Study Skills - Quizlet

This is the link to my Quizlet:

 https://quizlet.com/128215555/flashcards

The opening page to my Quizlet.

Quizlet is an app that has been around for some time, but one I had not used until this class.  It is an obvious choice for learning vocabulary in English or say French. It can also be used for social studies to learn dates and events.

I experimented with Scatter, Speller, Test, and Gravity. Scatter is a matching game of sorts. You drag the answer over the question. Speller uses sound. Test is like a traditional test multiple choice and all.  Gravity was the hardest. It was like an arcade game where you had to type the answer before the asteroid fell.

Gravity

Speller

A traditional test.

My flash cards as a set.

A flash card answer.

A flash card question. 

#2 Augmented Reality

Quiver Coloring 

 I went to the Quiver AR website and printed out the picture of the plane. I colored it with pencils and used the app to turn it into a 3D moving aircraft. The propeller spun around and it flew. Very cool.

Could I use this in my class?  Maybe as part of a children's story. The art teacher at school could use it, I bet.  I would like to be able to draw pictures to use this way, but I don't think it works like that.

This is TamAR. It gives a 3-D look at the Tamar Estuary in Australia.The coolest look was when I went underwater. Plants waved in the current and fish swam into view.

I tried to use the app from JPL. I printed the picture, but I couldn't get it to work. It would be a good app for science, though. One I did try for science is Anatomy 4D.  It would be great for biology or anatomy class, as it shows the systems of the body one by one and in total. 

#1 QR Codes

Willard Library Web Site

Willard Library Web Site

Google Map -Willard Library

Willard Map

Willard Library Phone Number

Willard Library Phone

QR Codes on te Internet

I haven't had much experience with QR codes. They seemed like a gimmick. to me.  However, I had fun making them. I chose QR codes related to Willard Library.  As a media specialist and English teacher, libraries have a special place in my life. I chose to make QR codes to show the map of where Willard Library is located, its web page, and its phone number.

I have seen QR codes used in the classroom.  Our theology teacher uses them to do impromptu quizzes and surveys. He has cards that students hold up and he scans them, as I understand.  I could have my students create QR codes. I found some ideas online. One is to create scavenger hunts with them. I have my students do this as a way to use organizational skills.  I like the idea of adding them to books or book reviews. They could link to author biographies.  Maps have always fascinated me. QR codes are a cool way to link to maps.  I could have students make maps and then make QR codes to link to them.

The only roadblock to using QR codes in the classroom seems to be separating the idea of QR codes from advertising.  Parents might need a bit educating, but I really don't see that as a problem.

#2 Movie Making - Stop-Motion

I have long since been fascinated with stop-motion films. The first one I ever made was when I was in a high school art class. Then, we used a real film camera.  Today, we use digital cameras on portable devices and get instant feedback and the ability to start over as many times as is necessary.

When I taught Digital Media, I made a stop-motion film of a toy koala doing aerobics.  I posted it on YouTube to learn how to do that.  If you want to see it, here is the link:  https://youtu.be/3SOpxv1olXI.

Making stop-motion films is fun, but it is time-consuming.  It is also hard to do with an iPad unless you have a holder for it.  Trying to hold it still and move the pieces in a film makes for shaky video. It also takes a great deal of planning. Having a script is essential. Otherwise, your film can go "off the rails," so to speak.

In addition to having my students learn how to make stop-motion films in Digital Media, I have my freshmen make them in English 9.  We read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  I have my students create a stop-motion scene from the book. They import the film into iMovie and add narration. The example I show them is above and one I made.

The video below was made with Lego Movie.  The other films were made with Snap!

#1 Movie Making - Trailer

It is so easy to use PowerPoint or Keynote to make presentations. It is also boring. I have tried to use iMovie to make presentations with a twist.  A trailer or short film could be used to introduce a new unit. An example could be an introduction to the stories of Edgar A. Poe.

I have used movie trailers with my students.  When we read "The Old Man of the Temple," which is a ghost story, I have them make ghost story trailers.  I could also have them make a trailer that advertises a novel they have read.  Finally, they could make trailers to explain terms like simile and metaphor.

#3 Post Creative Expression - GarageBand

My efforts for this post were directed toward getting students to want to read Close to Shore. To that end, I reenacted a shark sighting using music, sound effects, and my recorded voice.  The link that follows is to my that recording in my Google Drive.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3jDfl8SqjTzMDNOdUhxRW91Rk0/view?usp=sharing

I use GarageBand with my students to create podcasts.  When we read Close to Shore, they create radio plays about shark attacks that are recorded in GarageBand. It used to be that we used cassette tapes and tape recorders. That works, but digital recordings are so much easier to copy and share. It is an assignment I enjoy giving and receiving.

#2 Post Creative Expresson - ChatterPix

I used ChatterPix to creative a video related to my unit on the novel Close to Shore.  I tried using a picture of a shark, but the "mouth" didn't match its real mouth and it didn't work well. I chose the water, because it doesn't have a mouth to confuse things.  My message was an introduction of sorts to the unit.  It was to get them intrigued and ready to read.

I like the idea of being able to use your own picture to animate.  It isn't as smooth as the avatars you are given in other programs, but they don't often fit what I want to say. With its faults, this is more fun. I get to control things more.

 A talking face could be used to tell a story.  With 30 seconds, there isn't much story to tell, so I wonder if I could make it a group project where several students take their 30 seconds and put them together.  A talking face could ask a question. My students could respond to it. It is more interesting than a written prompt.  I have already used a talking object, but my students could use one to discuss point of view.  Now does your car feel about your making it go on sub-zero mornings might be a way to go.