Module 5

The highlight of this module for me was learning how to use Glogster as I it is a tool which I think the  children will love. It gives so much scope for creativity and for students to be able to express their learning in fun and interactive ways. It's great how different media can be embedded in the glogs created and there is so much scope for individulity. I have just finished a unit on transport with some of my year 2 students and can see potential for embedding this tool into the teaching learning activities where students could create a glogster on transport to reflect their learning. I would like to see students working in pairs too so that there is communication involved in the design.

I can see potential too for bubbl.us too in the classroom as I often use brainstorming as a strategy for gathering and organising information. It is more time-consuming than the pen and paper brainstorming method, however so I would be selective when I chose to use it. The main benefit I think is that it allows for the mind map to be shared electronically and students could work collaboratively on their mind maps.

Thanks for a great module.

Module 4

Digital storytelling is great for both teachers and students. I have found this tool particularly useful as an ESL teacher to assess children in their oral language communication skills. With kinder and year 1 students, I chose stories that the children were familiar with, scanned the pictures and then uploaded them into Photostory 2. The students then were able to record themselves retelling the story using a microphone. They loved recording themselves and listening to their voices. As well as being a great assessment sample for me it provided students with an opportunity for self evaluation.

I will continue to do this for assessment purposes and Module 4 has given me lots of other ideas for digital story telling. I would like to have a go at videoing the children using puppets and toys to create a story that can be viewed by their peers and other students in the school. I think digital story telling provides students with a great purpose to create  stories and a captive audience which makes the process much more motivating. This tool has potential is so many different KLAs too so that students can consolidate their skills.

I would also like to use storytelling strategies in guided reading for assessment and to give students a chance to self evaluate. The students will get so much enjoyment from listening to themselves and each other.Story Nory was another site that I explored which could provide another way to introduce a story and possibly use in reading groups.

It was interesting in this module to see so many sites like Teacher Tube and Teachers TV where teachers can share ideas and strategies with each other. I look forward to exploring these sites further and trying out some new ideas.