Web 2.0 Tool #7: Speaking Photos with Fotobabble

Link: http://www.fotobabble.com/

Link to this example: http://www.fotobabble.com/m/VmFpN2lRbGJEcEE9

Description: Fotobabble is easy to use and flexible in its application. The tool has the potential to enhance classroom instruction by introducing digital story telling as an instructional method. The app allows students to select a photo and then add a narrative to the photo for digital story telling. Students can select an existing photo, use the in-app camera to take a new photo or load a link to a photo on the web. The app has a wide range of photo editing tools which let students add effects, themes, frames, stickers, text to images, crop, fix redeye and modify the image’s brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness. Recording the narrative can be challenging at first. The user needs to avoid going into the “red” on the app’s VU meter which may be a challenge in a crowded classroom. Once the photo is edited Fotobabble will allow the student to record 30 seconds to 5 minutes of audio creating a talking photo. Creations can be shared through Facebook, Twitter, email, and text message. There are video tutorials and helpful FAQs located at the app’s settings button.

Creating opportunities for ESOL students to practice their formal academic speaking is always a challenge. In this example, I took a picture of a rubber plantation here in Liberia and explained how this natural resource is one of the main exports for this small country. After showing this example to the class, I would either assign them a photo or ask them to find a photo based on a specific topic. The recording allows me to evaluate their speaking skills as well as their knowledge of the content. Also, a student can create a portfolio of their speaking for their own review and reflection. This method could also benefit students who struggle with their writing. It provides an alternate method of assessment for content knowledge which appeals to different learning styles. 

Web 2.0 Tool #6: PicLit Poetry

Link: http://www.piclits.com/compose_dragdrop.aspx

Link to this example: http://www.piclits.com/viewpoem.aspx?PoemId=287308

Description: Pic-Lits lets students select a picture from a selection and then “drag-and-drop” words onto the image. The image can be saved and it can be shared through a link posted or embedded. The words are organized into parts of speech and when you place them on the photo, it allows the students to see all the different verb conjugations and change them to the appropriate tense. The student can write a haiku or describe to the picture. Also, the user can place the words anywhere on the picture to give the work an extra artistic flourish. The program is very easy to use and free but you do have to register if you want to be able to publish the final product. The “View the Gallery” allows the user to see already created PicLits which could provided some added inspiration.

As an instructional tool, this program offers a very creative method for teaching parts of speech. Using my PicLit as an example, I would ask students to create their own PicLit making sure that they include adjectives and adverbs within their work. Also, the pictures could be used to start a story which is expanded upon and completed using Word or Google Docs. Once published, all student work will be public and others outside the class will be able to comment on the content.

Web 2.0 Tool #5: Creating a bubblr comic strip

Link: http://www.pimpampum.net/bubblr/index.php

Link to this example: (I had trouble with this link so pictures are attached)
http://www.pimpampum.net%2Fbubblr%2F%3Fid%3Dundefined&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHcnx4Q_uL6naldTX2TdKC-M4HJfQ

Description: Teachers and students can easily create free comic strips from flickr pictures. The user can search by tags or flickr users to find photos and then add words using speech bubbles, thought bubbles and banners. Unfortunately, you can only use pictures from flickr which means that creating a class flickr account is a necessity since basic tag searches can bring up thousands of pictures. Also, I tried to embed video links in the text bubbles but this didn’t seem to work. The program doesn’t require a tutorial and would be perfect for students with little to no experience with technology. Sharing the comic strips among students and teachers can be done by emailing a link or using an embed code to include within a website or a blog. When using this site teachers need to remember that all projects are public so school policy should be reviewed and finding anonymous ways to enter names to track student progress should be considered.

When I worked with this product, a number of different instructional applications came to mind. Students could create a story with pictures uploaded to a class flickr account. Foreign language and ESOL class can create dialog strips using target language to demonstrate mastery. Also, students could label photos and create a study guide which could be published on the class website. The strip I created relates to a science experiment. It would be interesting to have a student document a science experiment by taking photos and then labeling the process using this site. All the components could be typed into the strip then used for an assessment.

Web 2.0 Tool #4: Picturing Szoter

Link: http://www.szoter.com/

Link to this example: http://i.szoter.com/d1a0afb8318cd36d

Description: Szoter is an incredibly easy to use online tool for annotating images. The user has the choice of loading saved photos, taking them from the web, making a screen shot or capturing an image with the computer’s camera. The program can be used online or it can be downloaded with Adobe Air and used offline. There isn’t a tutorial but it is very easy to use and seems like it would be accessible even for students with very little computer experience. Once the image has been annotated it can be saved to the computer or published to the web and shared with the class. Students could use it to label maps, the parts of a plant or create a story board. A teacher history teacher could open a new unit with a photo and then ask students to label the image based on their predictions about what the photo represents.

When I started playing with this program, it made me think of my lowest level ESOL students. Many of them come to school with very little background in terms of their use of technology and need to build both their social and academic vocabulary. This tool allows the students to create an amazing visual dictionary using their own photos and images from the web. Students could create a collection of photos labeled with vocabulary words and then share them easily on the web. Also, teachers can use it a quick assessment tool by sending an image to the class and then asking them to label it appropriately. It is so easy to use that very little instructional time will be lost to learning how to manipulate the different tools.

Web 2.0 Tool #3: Creating with ThingLink

Link: www.thinglink.com

Link to this example: https://www.thinglink.com/scene/799600291237330946

Description: This wonderful tool provides a number of tutorials and webinars to get you started. However, it takes a significant amount of time to become comfortable with the tools and the creation process. I did not find it as intuitive as Prezi of Animoto but once a user becomes more comfortable with the software, I can see how it will benefit the learning process. It allows users to combine almost any type of media to create presentations, interactive lesson plans, video tutorials,   study guides and student projects. Also, it comes with iOS and Android apps so students could use it on their phones and tablets. There is an educational version of the software designed specifically for teacher and students. It allows teachers to create channels for each class so that projects are only accessible to specific groups of students. What I enjoy most about the site is its emphasis on images rather than text. I can help students with a variety of learning styles to build background knowledge on a subject and demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

When I first started playing with this technology, I immediately thought of my U.S. History class for ESOL students. In my district, lower level ESOL students are provided sheltered content classes including U.S. History. The biggest challenge of the class is building background knowledge since the students have been educated outside of the US school system for the majority of their academic career. The project I created focuses on the Bill of Rights. I included two links to get the students started. Once they view the video and complete the web quest, I would ask them to search the web for another source of information on the Bill of Rights. The source could be in their own language or English but they would have to be able to give a brief explanation of the source when they link it to the image. This Web Tool allows the class to collaborate and add links on the same canvas in order to quickly build background knowledge on a topic.

Web 2.0 Tool #2: Fun with Animoto

Link: https://animoto.com

Link to this example: https://animoto.com/play/M5EXgwoyWLRalsI0x21A0Q

Description: Animoto is an amazing way to put videos and photos together. Using the tutorials and help sections it is easy to learn how to merge photos and videos and then choose a sound track that embodies the theme of the presentation. The wide variety of templates allows the user to select a background that fits the purpose of the presentation; however, the free version does limit the length of the presentation and you have the Animoto watermark throughout the presentation. I didn’t try it with this presentation but I have read that you can also import phots from Flickr, SmugMug and other sources.

The program offers a number of different options for use in my ESOL classroom. Although it could be used to put together a study guide or summarize a novel, I would use it initially as a way to have my students describe their journey to our classroom. I my demo version I describe my family’s trip to Liberia and try to communicate my first impressions of the country.  The students could complete the same task and then post comments about their peer’s presentations after they have been shared on the web. This would allow me to do a quick evaluation of their computer and writing skills.

Web 2.0 Tool #1: Presenting with Prezi

Link: https://prezi.com

Link to example: http://prezi.com/efcr5jd2aupk/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Description: Prezi is a web-based presentation unlike Power Point. It allows users to spread their information over a vast canvas and then zoom in on each component of the presentation in a predetermined sequence. The different components can include text, picture, videos and audio clips. At any time the presenter can zoom back out so the audience can see where they in terms of the "big picture." I really enjoy using Power Point but I can't see how it can present information in the same way as Prezi.

As a first time user of the product, I was extremely pleased with how quickly you are able to put together your first presentation. The tutorial shows a user all the essential tools and within 10 to 15 minutes I was creating my presentation. The ability to continually bring the audience back to a "Big Picture" overview is really helpful. Recently, I facilitated a workshop where we examined the process used to create an environmental education curriculum. I wish I had used Prezi instead of Power Point so that after discussing each component, we could have come back to the process as a whole.  The free version of the software offers a variety of ways to present your information; however, if you do not have an internet connection you will not have access to your presentations. In order to work offline with the presentations, you have to purchase one of the upgraded versions.

I am not a fan of stand-alone grammar lessons but sometimes in an ESOL classroom you have to take the time to explicitly teach certain grammatical structures. I could use this lesson to introduce conditionals and how they are formed. This is a constructivist lesson in the sense that I am asking the students to examine the examples and non-examples with the expectation that they will be able to make certain rules about conditional sentences based on punctuation and verb tense. The Prezi would have to be accompanied with a handout that guides their note taking based on the ESOL level. Once they had attempted to make their own rules based on the examples in the presentation, I would provide them with some online grammar resources and ask them to research conditionals to see if their rules were correct. After completing a comparison of their rules and those discovered on the web, each group could present their findings to the class.