Yes, There’s an App For That!
Using Web 2.0 applications in the classroom Tech Tuesday’s With Smittie (For Parents of 21st Century Students) September 7 , 2010 6:30 p.m.
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Tech Tuesdays the parents chance to learn
Hello Smittie’s K.I.D.S. parents, I just wanted to make you aware that we are bringing Tech Tuesdays With Smittie this year as we once again venture into meeting our digital students where they are. I anticipate this to be an exciting year of technology as applications and tools have changed and
enhanced over the summer. It is vital that we stay on top of the wonderful Web 2.0 tools available in order to not only to take advantage the real-life application, but also, because it is “real-life” we as parents need to be aware of what are students are using so we can help educate them on the proper implications of each tool.
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Within this packet you will see the first set of applications we will teach. I will spend a little time on instructional information and then we will dive right in and explore; just like I approach the classroom. So, come on out each 1st Tuesday of the Six-Week period and help strengthen our 21st Century Campus.
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Young Directors
xtranormal.com A text-to-movie application that brings student writing in every subject to life. You will have to create an account for your classroom using your email. Students can use the class username and password to login. From here, the steps are simple. 1. Choose show pack and number of actors
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2. Choose the character(s) you want to use in your film. a
3. Choose a set background then click apply
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4. To see your choices on the big screen to the right click the Action button on the bottom right.
5. Begin typing your text in the text box
6. You can change the camera angles, make the characters gesture certain animations, changes facial expressions, have them look at different cameras while talking, point in different directions, pause while speaking and add sound effects by dragging and dropping on of these icons in your text box and choose from the options that pop up. Then to alternate between characters, press the plus sign at the bottom of the text box.
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7. When you have all your angles in place press IT’S A WRAP! and watch your movie come to life. Finished products can be shared via email, blog, YouTube or embedded on your wiki or website.
xtranormal.com brianromerosmithsr
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Our First Exploratory Apps School is one of the few times when students can get together with their frie nds and they use every unscheduled mome nt to socialize passing time, when the teache r's back is turned, lunch, bathroom bre aks, etc. They are desperately craving an opport unity to connect with their friends; not surpris ingly, their use of anything that enables soc ialization while at school is deeply desired. The refore, give them Voicethread found at voicethre ad.com
to publishing Storybird opens up another door of picture student written work in the form ly is still in beta, books. The site, which technical using is constructed around the idea of elling. The illustrations and artwork for storyt of beautiful and site has many, many collections use. Check out interesting pictures available for doing with what my friend Karen Ditzler is .com/) Storybird. (http://blog.storybird
Stage’d is a se riously fun crea tion tool, studen love directing ts are going to their own 3-d co mic plays. mak story telling to es a great digita ol. l Students can: • • • • • • • •
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Publish their ow n fiction (or no n-fiction) writin as a 3-d play g pieces Re-tell a story to demonstrate comprehension Illustrate voca bulary words Illustrate histor ical events Create mocum entaries “Interview” an important pers on of interest Create short pe rsuasive video commercials Illustrate story problems in m ath
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The Music Inside of You
GarageBandŠ, turns our classroom and your home into a recording studio without the expensive fees. However, because music is so universal, when considered as a language, it can be used as a powerful teaching and learning tool.
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One of the assignments in our classroom allows for students to write songs that demonstrate his/her mastery toward a certain subject matter. The students become the
producers to where he/ she will not only write the lyrics, but compose the music and record the song in Garageband to be exported to the class iTunes page, class media website and later used as a soundtrack to a video he/ she will produce to visually show the skills obtained in the lesson. This will later be published to the class YouTube channel. The great thing about it all is, no one has to be an expert and yet, students feel like professionals in the end. The other way we use GarageBand is for
another point of view. Podcasting can also be used as a communication device from me to the students and parents.
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podcasting. This year, we plan to take our podcasting to another level by going public. We love our school and our city, so we plan to tell the world about it and hopefully open the door to collaboration efforts across the globe. However, podcasting can also be used to interview the main character of a story, or retell and event from
So let’s get started...
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Basic GarageBand In getting started, Garageband will open to several options to choose from, depending on what project being attempted.
to start a podcast, highlight the icon and select choose. This will immediately prompt you to name your project and select a folder to save your work. Just remember where you chose to place your file.
Then press create. This will open up the sound board used to record vocal and instrument tracks to be used for your project. brianromerosmithsr
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To record your voice, first choose a vocal track then...
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press the record button and speak in your mic or into the computer’s built in
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microphone. To stop the recording, simply press the play button or the space bar on your keyboard. To hear what you recorded click the rewind button and press play or the keyboard once again.
To add music or sound effects, press the Loop browser icon and either select the musical button view or the podcast sound effects view and choose from a variety of instruments and sounds to enhance your project. Instruments range from percussion to bass guitars to strings to piano, brass and wind-winds included. So, let’s get our hands on the tool and really learn.
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