Thing 6: Digital Storytelling

I tried using StoryBird and wrote a story. I liked that you could easily type in the program but I felt limited by the illustrations. I was also unable to download my story at the end, as the program said I didn't have enough credits to download it. I like that you can pay to have your book printed if you like. I think students would enjoy having this option were they to create their story at home. However, I think that younger children enjoy drawing illustrations to go along with their story, so they may not care for this program for that reason. It takes away from their creativity.

I tried creating a video with Animoto that you can check out here.  I like that you can easily upload photos and they put them together for you into a video format very easily. I also liked that the music feature was so easy to add, too. However, working with special needs students, I don't see these as tools that would be as beneficial to me as some of the others I've tried so far.

I also tried using Make Beliefs Comixs, Sharalike, Animoto, and Exposure. I left feeling like digital storytelling is not an avenue that will give me the most bang for my buck with the students I currently service. While I do see the motivation factor, I don't see this as a tool that will create a lot of anxiety for my students. As second graders, they are pretty quick with iPads. However, utilizing chrome books and laptops in this way is a skill set that they are just diving into. I would have some major reservations about utilizing digital storytelling at this time.

Thing 5: Audio Tools

I tried out several of the tools presented in this lesson and found ChatterPix and GoogleDocs Voice Typing to be my favorites. I think that ChatterPix would be a great program to use with my students! They could write a story and draw an illustration for their story. Then they could read the story using ChatterPix and one of their illustrations. Students could also take a photo of an illustration from  the story they're reading and respond to a provided prompt using the picture they selected. My young students would be highly motivated by this! I will definitely be using GoogleDoc Voice Talking with my students, too. I have several students who struggle greatly with letter/sound correspondence. This will be a great tool to help them get their ideas down on paper! I will be using this as we start our next writing and research unit. I also LOVE the pop up pods and can think of several purposes for that in the classroom!

Thing 4: Twitter, Facebook & Personal Learning Networks

In exploring this topic I realized I am somewhere between Option 2 and Option 3. Because I've had a Twitter page for education for several years now I decided to start with Option 3. However, I rarely use my Twitter page. I explored the Paper.li but found it to be confusing. I liked the 93 Free Twitter Tools and Apps article and  like the idea of data visualization provided by Riffle and SocialBro, but I don't feel like I use Twitter enough to benefit from these tools. Because of this, I went back to Option 2. I really liked the information I was able to find just by searching #edchat and #iteachsecond. While there were many hashtags I looked into, I found these to be the most relevant. One piece of interesting information leads right into another! I followed other teachers with similar interests. I particularly liked #iteachsecond because I liked seeing the way teachers had their students engage with content. Moving forward I will be including these hashtags in my tweets and using them to see what other educators are doing in their classrooms and communities.

Follow me! @MrsKemmerer1

Thing 3 : Photo Fun

I explored a few different services for this session. I started by joining Snapchat. I think this is a very funny program that students would get a kick out of! One way you could use Snapchat with students is by posing a question that they could respond orally to. They could select their filter of choice and then record themselves answering the question. I'm sure they would love the different images and voices! Or, they could use the photo option and simply take a photo of themselves or something and type or write on the screen. Maybe they would answer a question, label something, or provide information. I hadn't thought of using Snapchat in this way, but I think it would be very motivating for students! I also looked at some of the different photo options for sourcing images. I really liked EveryPixel, since it collects images from 20 different sites at once. There were a lot of options! In addition, I checked out some of the Photo Fun options, and I think these would be great resources for kids, too! I would love to use some of the collage options for student projects in the future! 

Thing 2: Student Blogging & Writing

During this lesson I explored a variety of articles and videos on the topic of student blogging. I also explored the kids blog options and looked at some examples of second grade student blogs. I do see the value of using blogging with my students. Some of the big takeaways include improved reading and writing skills, enhanced 21st century learning, and an increase in confidence and creativity. You could use blogging to enhance a writing project in a few ways. Knowing your page will be "live" and allowing students to comment on one another's work gives increased meaning to student work.  As stated in several articles, they will want it (their work) to be good! Students would also be motivated to showcase their work and share their work with their families upon completion of an assignment. As a teacher of special education students, I believe that blogging would give my kids an extra boost of confidence. I think they would be so proud to see their work displayed in this way!

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Thing 1: Getting Started

Hello! My name is Aerin Kemmerer and I am a second grade special education teacher at McNamara Elementary School in the Baldwinsville Central School District. I am taking part in this course to learn more about technology and programs that I can use with my students in the classroom.