I really like using Google Forms to make quizzes and surveys. It’s quick and easy (as I blogged about in an earlier post). However, there are no options to add media to your questions. Wouldn’t it be perfect to be able to have students watch a video clip built right into a quiz? Sort of like BrainPop except you make it yourself (and no Moby). Or how about having students use a picture embedded in a quiz to answer a question? So it’s been my quest to find an online, interactive quiz maker that can handle these features… what I found: MyStudiyo.

Here is a quiz I made at MyStudiyo. Please take a moment and test your knowledge about the continents (a typical U.S. primary/elementary school unit):

Here is what linked quiz looks like.

Making this quiz was almost painless. (I admit- I did refer to the FAQ a few times.) I had to sign up for a free account. Then, the site walked me through the steps and allowed me to preview along the way. For the perfectionists 🙂 there are different designs to make things aesthetically pleasing. I really like that you are able to tailor feedback and responses in the quiz. As you saw, I made a multiple choice quiz, and there is the option to make a more open ended quiz called an “How X Are You?” However, I was a little disappointed with the size of the graphics when the quiz runs. The small size does makes it challenging for a student to use, for example, a map to answer a question. As far as collecting data on a particular student’s performance, the site does collect statistics the number of people who have taken your quiz, what questions have been answered correctly and incorrectly; however, unless someone is a registered user or submits their name, there is no identifier. I also question privacy and the ability to turn off the other quizzes and ads that appear at the end. I think further exploration or suggestion from users of MyStudiyo are needed. Anyway, I’m tossing this out there as a possible tool for those who are looking to create interactive quizzes.

As always, your comments are welcome!

Looking to increase students’ vocabularies? Or make learning about parts of speech more engaging? PicLits is a web site that lives up to its slogan: ‘Inspired Picture Writing’.

You choose a photograph from the site’s gallery. Based on the picture selected, the site supplies a word bank  of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs and a category called universal that incorporates pronouns as well as punctuation . Then you simply drag-n-drop the words onto the picture to make lists, phrases, sentences, etc. (The site’s creator says he was inspired by the refrigerator magnetic poetry that was popular a few years ago.) There also is the option to freestyle instead of using the word bank. You simply type in what you want. Have a little writer’s block? To the right of the freestyle section, a few ideas or keywords are provided to get you going.

I discovered this site from reading Ann Carnevale’s blog post. She had a great suggestion of taking screen shots of the completed pictures, so that the images with the words could be inserted into other work and projects. This suggestion is a good one especially if you would like to use the site without creating an account. The benefits of having an account are that you can save your work, make future edits and get code for embedding. You have to decide if those features are necessary for you and your students.

When I first visited PicLits, I immediately thought it would be great for ELL students or any student who needs vocabulary work. Furthermore, the word bank and suggestions are scaffolds that many students need. I especially like how the site uses interactive pop-ups to suggest adding capital letters or different forms of the word.

The pictures are perfect backdrops for poetry writing. See my example below.

Overall, PicLits looks good for instilling good, old fashioned, creativity!

On Tuesday mornings, there have been a small group of girls in the hallway next to the computer lab. I haven’t been sure what they are doing, but they seem to be very engaged in their activity. One day on my way to a meeting, I decided to be nosey and ask them. They showed me that they had scripts and were planning a Readers’ Theatre for their class. I asked them if they only did live performances and would they consider making a movie for the class? Immediately, the twinkle of excitement could be seen in their eyes. Recently, their classroom teacher had recorded each student’s weather forecasts with a digital camcorder, and I had assisted in turning them into QuickTime videos to be inserted into their weather PowerPoints. This was a great science presentation experience; however, this time I wanted to put the tools in their hands directly. I suggested that they use Photo Booth, a built-in piece of software on our Macs.

Photo Booth can take snap shots, but if your machine is running OS 10.5 or higher, it has video recording capabilities. All someone has to do is select video in the program, push the record button and perform. It’s that easy. (If editing is desired, the footage can go to iMovie. If a sound track or sound effects are wanted, put the footage in GarageBand.) This version of Photo Booth also has the ability to drag and drop backgrounds to set the scene.

So I’m acting as consultant to the Readers’ Theatre group. I have suggested that they divide their play into scenes or acts. Next, choose an image or design a background (in a program like KidPix to be screenshoted) that represents each scene or act and drag/drop each image/design to the background slots of Photo Booth. They then will record each scene/act separately. When they are done with that, they either can show them to their class via a projector by running each separate file (They will play as QuickTime movies.), or I will teach them how to to pull the clips into iMovie and add transitions before they show it to their class. It all depends on them, and the time they have. I am always willing to make something into a multimedia extravaganza, but then at this age level, I tend to need to take over, and it can become more about the tool versus the content that the girls were trying to share with their peers.

What I like about Photo Booth is its simplicity and ease of use by students. And that’s the key.

Next month, I also am going to be working with some 4th graders using Photo Booth. They are going to make animal masks, add a habitat background in Photo Booth and record themselves in character giving a top ten list about why they are the best animal based on what they have researched. An interesting way to do the traditional animal report!

The source of my inspiration for using Photo Booth? Suzanne’s blog from my blogging alliance! Check out the super, simple video on her post. My PLN rocks! 🙂

Sample added 4/28/10… technically not a Tuesday! But this is what this post got in motion! 3rd graders will pretend to interview a president. I used Keynote to make the background in Photo Booth. Thanks again, Suzanne!

Movie 4

This month, I’m very excited to start working with VoiceThread with students. VoiceThread (VT) is a medium that works like an interactive scrapbook. A creator uploads pictures and can add written, verbal or video comments. A VT can be shared with others who also may leave comments. Moreover, there is a doodle tool that lets a commenter draw directly on the image in the VT. This feature is superb for highlighting and accenting key points. You know how most sites have made instructional videos? The makers of VT do a wonderful job of using their own tool to explain and demonstrate how to do things in VT. Check out how to make one here… it’s very fast!

Previously, I have used it in a professional development course that I co-taught. Essentially, I snapped lots of candids of the class learning how to podcast using GarageBand. I then uploaded the pictures as a VoiceThread. Next, we asked the teachers to visit our VT and leave comments reflecting on their experience. It was a great summarizer of podcasting as well as an authentic use of VoiceThread.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had a classroom collaborator until now. A third grade teacher and I co-wrote a MassCUE Initiative 2010 Grant that will allow her social studies students to act as detectives. They will analyze primary source documents, specifically portraits, from the American Revolution. Students also will create their own document (using a drawing program, such as KidPix) to challenge others to analyze the picture clues. We have chosen to use VoiceThread as our tool because of its easy to use voice recording and doodle tool features. These components will allow students of all abilities in this inclusion classroom to share their knowledge. The grant has allotted us the opportunity of purchasing a one year subscription so that her students may have individual accounts in an educational setting of VoiceThread as well as give us additional storage space for all of our images.

However, this is not a tool that a teacher needs to spend money to use. A teacher can sign up for a free account and use the “identity” feature. The teacher can make enough identities for an entire class. This is ideal if the teacher logs into the account and wants to have students interact with a VT as a class, but wants each student’s contribution identifiable. The drawback is that the students are logged into the teacher’s account, making all work created by the teacher accessible with the potential of being deleted accidentally. Another option is for students to have their own accounts since an email only is required to sign up. This option probably is best for older, more independent students since the teacher will not be able to manage and monitor the student’s work. VT does a nice job of discussing pros and cons with its education manuals. (BTW- Just like Glogster, there is a non-educational setting as well.)

There are tons of resources at the site as well. There is a VoiceThread ning. Also, this slideshare presentation has some great examples. A member of my professional development course and math resource facilitator at my school has given me permission to share her Finding Equal Groups VT. (Thanks, Katie!)

What inspirational work have you done or would like to do with VoiceThread?

Over a week ago, I had the pleasure of being able to spend a day and half of professional development time with four other instructional technology specialists and a dozen teachers (grades K-5) exploring Glogster. This time gave way for much needed “play” and discussion about how to integrate this tool into the curriculum. By the end of the second day, we had examples and resources to share as well as a new contact, Jim Dachos, Glogster’s Education Manager. (I originally started following Jim on Twitter and set up a Skype session with him during the second day. He is a tremendous resource!)

In a nutshell, Glogster is a service that allows a user to make glogs or graphic blogs. Glogster’s slogan describes its service well: “Poster Yourself”. This medium is very appealing to all kinds of learners because of the ability to express yourself not only through text, but with pictures, videos and sounds- all on a web page (glog) that is like an artist’s canvas. It’s also very simple to use.

I recently read on Sean Banville’s blog that he used a glog as a way to introduce himself to his students. Sounds like a great alternative to a PowerPoint! I also have used a glog where my normal inclination would have been to present with a slideshow. I used a glog as a backdrop for a Web 2.0 presentation that I gave to parents this school year. That was a different experience, but one that was very interactive and visual for participants. It really showed the parents a Web 2.0 tool in action. The first glog page is embedded below. (If I were to do it again, I definitely would embed some video!)

*Here are links to a few ideas/examples that we created on our PD day:

Biography

What If? Biography

Animal Report

Kindergarten Author Study

Once you get started, the integration possibilities are endless as you will see by visiting the site. Jim Dachos stressed the importance of a teacher signing up for an education account at Glogster Edu. There are many resources available to teachers there. Check out that home page! And don’t forget to scroll to see what’s been added. There are links to tons of student examples, step by step directions, the Educator Resource Library and even tips for Mac users. 🙂 With the education account, a teacher can receive 200 student accounts (very nice!). All can be managed by the teacher from a dashboard. Also, glogs can be made private and shared only to certain individuals via a link or they may be embedded on a web page, wiki or blog. The standard service is free, and you do get a lot for that price tag! To upgrade to premium, it’s about $100 per year.

Glogs are great a vehicle to deliver instruction to students as well as have students synthesize their own meaning on a topic.

What do you think about glogs?

————

Want to learn more? Here are two great Glogster resources:

Traci Blazosky’s Wiki

Karen Ogen’s (@teacherkab) Glogster Handout

*Thanks to Andrea Gardner, Joy Courcy, Margorie Nardini, Ruth Freeman, Sarah Rivard, Karen Burke and Liz Colantuonio for letting me share their terrific work!