Innovative Ways to Use Technology
This section is reserved for users as a place to store any ideas on how to more effectively integrate technology into the classrooms. Whether this be through the use of Web 2.0 programs, or through the use of physical technologies such as cell phones.
Running Time-Line:
- The Running Time-Line utilizes a site called Xtimeline. It is an online time-line that students put together using important dates and events from their text book. The Running Time-Line allows students be active, collaborative, and creative.
- Xtimeline allows people to paste text as well as video and pictures, which allows students to make their spot on the Running Time-Line as creative as they wish.
- Because the timeline is online, it can be used as a study tool for future tests, exams, or future classes.
- I have a video in the Relevent Videos section that explains how to set up an account and how to add events.
Famous Profile: (Needs reworking since ning has decided to start charging for its service)
- This webquest requires the teacher to learn how you use Ning to create a social networking site
-The teacher then assigns each student a famous person to research and then the students make a profile for that person on the teacher's Ning site
- Students should also in their about me, or somewhere else that is visible, have a list of sources they used.
- Here is my example of this webquest
- Here is the lesson plan to go with it
- Here is my reflection on it
Podcast Library:
-Have students find or create useful and relevent podcasts dealing with the time-period/lesson and have them add them to a class weblog, podcasts can then be downloaded and put on mp3 players, ipods, phones and listened to on the go. Anytime, anywhere learning.
Comments (6)
Patti McCurdy said
at 4:45 pm on Nov 1, 2009
Love the Xtimeline.com site except for the sometimes inappropriate advertising which might make my administrators nervous for grades 7 and 8 student safety issue. Facebook is not permitted at school but again I LOVE the idea of creating a page for a celebrity. We have a cross curricular project (French and History departments only) called Personnage Celebre and this would tie in nicely with that. Perhaps just creating a timeline, a webpage in the voice of that person might do the trick. Your ideas are stimulating. Keep them coming.
Patti
Matt Markwald said
at 5:21 pm on Nov 1, 2009
Thank you very much, that means a lot
Matt Markwald said
at 6:16 pm on Nov 3, 2009
I thought about the problem with facebook being blocked, which made me think this might be a problem I run into later, and I think i came up with a good solution: I don't know if you have heard of Ning, but it's a site where users can create there own social networking sight similar to what myspace or facebook is. For the facebook webquest a teacher could make a ning for her class and have all the students make profiles for the celebrities or historical people and the people would still be in one place for the teacher to grade. The only downside is that the profiles cannot be shared with a lot of people like they could if they were on facebook, but if you find the assignment still worth while this could be a good way to still do the assignment
kevin thomas said
at 11:17 am on Nov 11, 2009
Matt,
Have you thought about setting up a Ning instead of facebook?
Patti McCurdy said
at 11:45 am on Nov 11, 2009
I am not familiar with Ning. Why is it better? Is it safe and secure? Are the kids there already?
Matt Markwald said
at 1:38 pm on Nov 11, 2009
Kids are not using it yet, Ning allows the administrator to make their own social networking site. It would be like creating your own facebook/myspace but it would have a specific purpose. here is an example of one historyacrossamerica.ning.com
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