Thing #2


Playing with all these things is like getting into the sandbox and throwing it all around. Are we really working? This is how the students hopefully view it as well. Wordle appears "gimmicky" at first until you dig into it and consider the possibilities of its educational value:

1. Reinforcing sight words (did we used to refer to this as whole language?)
2. Personal word walls
3. Map of emotions for a student having a bad day

When I think Animoto or Voki, I think projects with excitement and flair. When a class receives an assignment for a project, the common reaction might be here we go again. When a class receives an assignment to be completed in Animoto or Bookr, the reaction starts with excitment. Look what we get to do! These image generators allow the student to be in control, encourages lots of creativity, is hands-on, and appeals not only to the visual learners, but to all learners.

I first encountered Voki last year and ran back to campus and sprang it on the PGP children. We had the time of our lives using the Barack Obama voki and e-mailing President Obama to our principals and teachers with a message. My only first grader e-mailed one of our assistant principals with the request that she come to work for the new President as his secretary. He would pay her $100!! Eduardo thought he was uptown.