Connecting with Comics

This semester I decided to try something new with my 5th grade Integrated Technology students.  Instead of producing a video about cyberbullying, I had them create comic strips using Bit Strips for Schools.  Their assignment was to depict a situation involving cyberbullying and share a positive way of dealing with the situation.  When searching for online comic creators, I had a difficult time finding the right fit.  I wanted to find a tool that was easy to use while at the same time allowing students control over the look and feel of their comic.  My exploration led me to Bit Strips for Schools.

Bit Strips for Schools has many advantages: teachers monitor and have control over student accounts, it allows for the creation of customizable characters, and gives students control over all elements of the comic.  Comics are vibrant and eye-catching, and they can be downloaded and saved to other spaces.  The downside of Bit Strips for Schools: it is not free.  I'm generally not one to advocate for purchasing online accounts with all of the free options out there, but this one may be worth it.  Bit Strips for Schools does offer a free 30-day trial, which may just be enough time to test its worth.  The other downside?  You have to purchase accounts for each class separately.  Each "class" only allows for the addition of 40 students.  That means that if you want multiple classes to work on the same project, you would need to pay for additional classes.

While I had great success with this project, you may find that the other free comic creators out there work for you.  Below lists some alternatives.  However, after showing students how to use Bit Strips for Schools, my students were beyond excited to create their own comics.  They were completely engaged in the process and loved playing around with some of the unique ways to add their own personalities.

Please enjoy my students' final projects in the slideshow posted below.



Alternative Comic Creators
Make Beliefs Comix
ToonDoo
Creaza
ReadWriteThink Comic Creator
Myths and Legends Story Creator
Garfield Comic Creator

Google: Going Beyond Searches and Docs

Every day I am amazed at the cool stuff created by Google. When time is taken to explore their vast resources, I could sit for hours just playing around with the new tools that I find. In March I was lucky to attend Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association's annual conference in Wisconsin Dells. Chad Kafka, Google Certified Teacher, presented a session entitled "Google-Palooza", highlighting fun ideas and tips using Google tools. While many new tricks were shared, below highlights some of my favorites:

1. It can be frustrating to find the right copyright-free image for students to use in multimedia projects.  This problem becomes easier using Google's Advanced Image Search.  At the bottom of the search screen, users can limit images to those "free to use or share."  The search results will limit students to images in the public domain.

  
2.  YouTube has a  YouTube for Teachers site that organizes educational YouTube videos by subject.  This is a nice way to search for YouTube's quality educational offerings.

3.  Google Maps has added new street views of some awesome world locations.  Browse Google's Street View Collections to visit the streets of Italy, Israel, the Amazon, and other amazing places.  Think instant virtual field trip!  You can also take a tour of the Swiss Alps and imagine yourself on the beaches of Hawaii.

4.  Finally, some Google fun.  Use Google's Font/Logo Generator to create headings in the Google style.  Visit DemoSlam to vote for your favorite video showing creative uses of Google tools.  Challenge your searching skills (and those of your kids) by going to A Google a Day to get a daily Google search assignment.

Great Guide for Learning to Use Google Apps

As we all know, next year the School District of New London will be moving to Google Apps for Education.  While Google Docs will look as familiar as Microsoft Word to most, Google Docs has the advantage of having its storage completely online and allowing for easy document sharing and collaboration.  You can even create quizzes using Google Forms and install a script called Flubaroo to automatically grade them. 

I know for some the whole idea of using Google Docs seems daunting and new.  Fortuantely Richard Byrne from Free Technology for Teachers has created an easy-to-follow guide for teachers new to Google Docs.  You'll learn not only how to create documents, but also how to design presentations and use forms to never grade another multiple choice quiz again!

Open publication - Free publishing - More google

You Can't Just Google It!

Those of you who know me well have heard how much I dislike when we teach students to research by sending them directly to Google.  Beginning with a Google search is not an effective research strategy nor does it always lead students to high quality academic resources.  Below is a fun video shared by a fellow educational blogger explaining why students should not be using Google as a primary research tool.

What should students use then?  They should begin with our high quality, reliable educational resources: academic databases, library print materials, and a search engine made especially for students, Sweet Search.  Using these resources will not only lead to the highest quality information, but it also teaches students how to conduct academic research in the appropriate manner.  This is a 21st century skill that students need for success in future jobs and education!

For a good laugh and a good lesson, here is a video created using the website xtranormal. 

You Can't Just Google It!
by: SweetSearch

Resources for Finding Web Tools

There are so many cool tools, but so little time!  How do we know which tools are the best out there to use in our classrooms?  There are many great sites out there that organize web tools by topic.   Here are a few of my favorites:

Teach Web 2.0-  http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/

Cool Tools for Schools-  http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/

 ICT Magic- http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ 

 

WebTools4u2use-http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/home

Web Resources for Schoolwork- http://learningtechno.weebly.com/index.html

Great Tools for the 21st Century Classroom

Below is my presentation from the School District of New London's April 4 teacher inservice. There are so many great tools to share; it was difficult to limit it to 21!

Classconnect: Share and store lessons, websites, and more

Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to store all of your lessons, videos, SMART Notebook files, and favorite websites all in one space? Wouldn't it be better if this space was also accessible to students, parents, and colleagues? Classconnect does all of this for you. By creating a free account, you now have a space to store all of your teaching resources. The other perk is the ability to search for others' lessons and files by various topics. Check out the video below to see how it works.