Hi ,this sums up my mantra. I’m Kim Baker, a high school English teacher at Salem H.S. in Virginia Beach. I’m currently teaching 10th grade. I’ve previously taught middle school. I’m an ODU graduate, and currently in the M.L.S. program. Obviously, my favorite thing is to go to the beach. I encompass everything about the beach which includes, reading, biking, strolling, and shelling. I’m not just an avid reader, and love all things that deal with books, but I’m a true beachcomber. Also, I am now a 50 year old!
However, my most rewarding career is being a mom to my ten year old son, Taylor, who loves soccer, surfing, and all things related to Minecraft and Pokemon. His brother from another mothe is our 4 pound Toy Yorkie, Gogo...
One of my favorite quotes is by Isak Dinesen, who is author to Out of Africa. ( also my favorite movie) Many of us 20th century learners and teachers are somewhat intimidated by technology. I am a firm believer, that technology is a tool, and unless it is purposeful, then we probably don’t need it for that lesson. Therefore, all lessons should have purpose, so my objective is to give you just a few things that you could use for your own objectives to enhance your lessons.
I had a cartoon years ago in my middle school room that said, “Perfect practice makes perfect” with Peppermint Patty from the Peanuts. Much like any sport, we only get good at things by practicing. Your first year of teaching is nothing like this past year. We have growth, and a different mindset because we have been getting better over time. Technology is the same. We have to practice period. Like the ocean, the web is deep and can be dark, but we need to take the plunge.
First reaction, NO!!!!! I don’t want to do it! Surfing the Web… what do I use, why am I using it? What is my objective? I can write curriculum!!! I have the tools , but what am I going to do with them? Be mindful of our objectives. Look at several before we choose the right one. Regardless, making this decision is probably going to make us SWEAT!.
Whenever we do anything it takes a little bit of sweat equity. Surfing as a sport is not easy, and neither is surfing the web. There are a lot of websites, and many of us are already perspiring the minute we turn on the computer.
To begin, we are going to look at an audio tool. If I asked most of you, you would know how to download the voices of your favorite music to your phone or computer since the “disc” is no longer of use. Your students are naturals at this, and they love to hear their own voices recorded.
Vocaroo is a simple voice recording tool that can be embedded into any document. It’s really that simple.
Vocaroo.com lets you record or if you don’t like it then you can delete it and start over as many times as you like.
After recording, click to listen, and if you like it then save your voice.
Highlight the embedded file, copy, and paste in the document. When you hover over the link it will play. At the bottom you will notice the delete button
Here is an example: I’m going to click on the link and try it.
Let’s insert our vocaroo here.
Some of the ways that it can be used are with digital portfolios and incorporating these with all objectives in writing which is in all curriculum. It can also be used when students want to create their own documents with their voice for poetry or research to narrate. Can you think of any other effective ways to use this in your discipline? Examples… voice to your own lessons for students
Congratulations! You are sweating , but you are on your way up!
Another tool that can be easily adapted to your classroom is the QR code. Many of you have seen them, but aren’t really sure what they do.
Using a smart phone one can take a picture of it and get all kinds of information. These are moving quickly from the East to the West , for it is huge in marketing. Doubtful that many people don’t have a cell phone these days, and students are using their phones in high school during classes
Using your smart phone download the app i-nigma
Create bar code is to the left - Enter web address, give a title and it automatically gives you a code, right click to save it your computer or right click to copy and paste
Hold your phone up to it and snap. It will start playing … QR codes are great for information for your parents, with projects, and for your students information.
Can you think of any other ways to use these effectively? Lesson plans for students, absent students scavenger hunts, project information, product information,
With tears of joy, your tongue is hanging out, and you are now up and surfing the web with another possibility to enhance your lessons! Ride the wave of your success!
One of the most creative things to do is to put a story to photos. All kids are familiar with Instagram, Facebook ( for us old people) snap chat, or just using our phones as a glorified cameral. The “selfie” is now commonplace, so there is no room for being coy or naive
What is creative about this site is that you can add your own pics or upload pictures from your various albums or the net. It is FREE with an e-mail address and easy. Music is added, but you can add the music of your choice. They also have an account to Spotify that will link to your album.
Album, create an album, upload photos and choose style, time intervals, and music
Here are some of my examples. These are students that I taught in 7th grade, and they just graduated. I was lucky enough to have two of them again in high school. Nila and Kelsey attended the VPAA academy where I teach. I find this a really easy way for kids to create a story. They can create their own or use one that already exists. Choosing the right photos and music is part of the process. It is great for students to use with plot and theme which deals with the language arts objectives. There are many digital storytelling devices, I just happened to find this one really easy to follow.
Any other suggestions that you may have on how to bring this to your classroom? Now you are feeling confident and ready to surf some more!
Lastly, Foldplay.com is a great site to create a plethora of ideas. For all subjects, this site makes you think, create, and gives you lots of ways to design. Again, it is a free site and some of the options include
Creating orgami, kaleidocycles, fold books, paper models, links and stuff, and about a blog. Choose your option and create!
Choose your option from the Foldplay acronym and the possibilities are endless with science, social studies, math, or
English
Here is an example of a Kaleidocycle I created
You are now officially a surfer!
Any observations or questions on how you can use these in your classroom? I am a very visual person; therefore, I tend to gravitate sites that are visual in nature.
I created this for my productions class, and there are many other types of tools that you can use. This was not the hardest for me, for I found creating a blog easier than a website.
I think the best thing that you can do is to just play around with tools until you feel comfortable with using them. It takes practice, practice, and more practice, but eventually you will feel like a pro!
This was my first attempt at website, and it is not real. All of it is based again on my love of all things related to the ocean. If you have spare time because all teachers have this right? Check mine out, for I have used some of these tools.
