In searching through the Web 2.0 Tools that could be used for my class I selected Storify http://www.go2web20.net/site/?a=Storify . I like the tool for its drag and drop features, for its connection with the author and connection to like articles and media.
We use a district approved http://www.news-2-you.com/ newspaper to keep our intellectually disability students current with news events and news in the world. On October 5, 2010 we studied mentorship using the Pop Star, Justin Beiber whose mentors are Usher and Taylor Swift. Please see the following link: http://www.viddler.com/explore/ckeeton/videos/7/ I do have parent video permissions for student's receiving awards like the one we received from the Governor April 1, 2010 but we were barred from going. That's truly another story but we may follow events, even recently through Storify.
I really wanted to allow my students to create their own local, hometown stories in their own newspapers using links they may find online that they could drag and drop with pictures to show how they used research and technology in reading and writing. I also wanted to find a way around our district's block of Facebook and Twitter. I suppose I will have to save suggested links in still captures, pdf files or use www.diigo.com using proper references.
Unfortunately, in using these practices, the live element and heavily supervised experience with social networking is lost using an interactive Web 2.0 technology like it is a Web 1.0 Technology since many school systems have a fear of technology and do not want the liability if students use accounts they set up at school at home. I have gone to my school tech person and asked him to please unblock the freezes on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or other social networking links and sites even when they are presented on such mediums as my http://www.blogger.com/ site, wikis, http://www.photobucket.com/ or my http://www.slide.com/ account. It seems all of the Web 2.0 technology tools I ask him to unblock end up getting blocked.
I know we may use Comic Life but I keep vowing to open up a TeacherTube account to prevent all the blocks. I am going to try to produce a http://www.storify.com/ project using links to http://www.aol.com/ on figures in the news that my students are following such as Rap Artist T.I. and his wife Tiny using articles from http://www.aol.com/ and others found for good decision-making examples and non-examples. We have a Students Against Destructive Decisions-SADD Organization at school that supports such activities as No Place For Hate (Anti-Bullying, Anti-Bad Decision-Making, etc.) and The Governor's Red Ribbon Campaign Anti-Drugs and Healthy Lifestyle promotions. Perhaps the best I may do is to put their photos on participation in these events in http://www.photostory.com/ and allow them to publish personal classroom videos. We cannot video our students according to district policy but this is not an actual video it is photo stills used and audio, transitions and music may be added to yield the personal video presentations my students love to watch and share.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
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