Podcasting



March 10, 2010

Heat Wave Voice Thread

media type="custom" key="6240677"

National Geographic Evaluations

media type="custom" key="6240717" __Maryland Teacher Technology Standards__ V. Integrating Technology into the Curriculum and Instruction 4. Use appropriate instructional strategies for integrating technology into instruction. 5. Select and use appropriate technology to support content-specific student learning outcomes.

__Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students__ Standard 4.0 Technology for Communication and Expression B. Expression 1. Use and explain how technology can be used to express ideas a. Use multimedia and publishing tools to express original ideas

__Description__ Using VoiceThread, I posted the Power Words from the story in our reading textbooks, //Heat Wave//. I had the students use their computer center time to respond to the VoiceThread by recording or typing their own original sentences using the words. In the past, I have simply had the students respond to this prompt in writing, usually as a warm-up.

Also in reading, the students have been working on informational text using National Geographic Explorer Magazine. After reading, I had the students evaluate the text and comment on what they had learned. As with VoiceThread, the students were responding to Wallwisher during their computer center time. However, when I posted this, the students were unable to respond to the prompt. They were telling me that it would not save their posts onto the wall. I am still not sure what the problem was at the time, because later I was able to add stickies.

__Reflection__ I greatly enjoyed using VoiceThread with the students. Generally when they use their power words, the other students don't see or hear their work. In this way, the students were able to see how the others in the class had responded. This would also help them better understand the words if they were struggling with the meaning.

In using Wallwisher, the problems we encountered frustrated me. When the students were unable to post to the wall, I was in the middle of conducting reading groups. I simply told the students who were having difficulty not to worry about it and to go onto another activity. In the end, I was unable to figure out the problem and the students did not get to use Wallwisher. The problem that I had made me reluctant to use Wallwisher again.