Hi, my name is Leigh Isley and I’m from the southern most part of Virginia. I’m here today to let you know that technology is not just for the high school student anymore. In today’s elementary classrooms technology can make the world of difference in how a student interacts, learns, and processes information. I hope you will use each of the tools I introduce to you today in someway to make learning more interesting and fun within your classroom or library.
I’m going to introduce you to 4 great internet resources useful in a K-3rd grade classroom. Voki, Piktochart, AudioPal, and last Tagexdo. You are going to find these website easy and simple to use. So let’s get started!
This first tool is a voice-thread tool. It is simple to use by just providing an email and password. Voki can be used in a numerous ways to introduce an SOL, vocabulary, or you as a teacher to your K-3rd classroom. You can use your own voice by telephone, using your keyboard, or microphone. There is one advantage to Voki.com they have a “Voki Classroom” which costs $2.50 a month which allows much more classroom resources such as create undividual classroom accounts and teacher/librarian can manage student’s work.
Here is an example of a way to use a Voki. There are many characters, voices, and themes to choose from. Some great instructional uses would be with introducing yourself –have the students make their own Voki of choice to describe themselves, vocabulary or reading fluency – students love to here themselves read as well as their friends, Oral Presentations as well if they are presenting an project or assignment, and also a tool to use with the SOL 2.7c 2nd grade using antonyms and synonyms. Oh and don’t worry if you mess up recording your Voki when using the phone, it allows you to listen and re-record as many times as you would like. But please don’t think this tool is limited to K-3rd, just that K-3rd could effectively use this tool. 4th, 5th and middle school ages would enjoy using Voki as well. It is just a fun and truly user friendly website.
AudioPal is a simple and easy website to use. Like Voki you can use a phone, keyboard, computer microphone, or audio file already downloaded on your computer. Unlike Voki you do not need to register with an email or password to use this site. You only need to enter your email for them to deliever your AudioPal recording. The only downfall is there is not a way to save your recordings to their website but you can upload to a blog, website, or Facebook/Twitter account. You can also choose to just keep it saved on your email account. To create your AudioPal you need to follow 3 easy steps. 1. Choose how you want to record your message via phone, keyboard, mic, or uploaded file. 2. Preview it. 3. Enter Email address.
AudioPal can be used in multiple ways in K-3rd classrooms. You can have students in K-2nd grades use sight-word cards and then the students say words while recording their voice. They will be delighted to hear their voices say the words correctly or even if the teacher corrects them they are able to keep this in mind next time when reciting the words. Another great resource for reading fluency especially poetry. The only difference when using Voki, Voki has characters/avatars and AudioPal is simply a voice recording. Now first graders are always needing to identify rhyming words. This will continue all through their elementary years. So with 1st grade SOL 1.4 a the student can say a word and then a word that rhymes with it and after listening to it they can pick out the exact part of the words that rhyme. This is a hard SOL for some 1st and even 2nd graders so hearing the specific sounds are very helpful to keep them on track. AudioPal is user friendly and very helping in those auditory learners. Also AudioPal will record up to 600 characters.
A play on words Tagxedo is a simple way to introduce new vocabulary, review vocabulary, and tell us a little about ourselves/personalities. I myself have used Tagxedo in the classroom to review vocabulary words and the 2nd grade students loved picking these words out of the word clouds. This tool could also be used in the library to introduce or describe a character from a story. A site that is easy to use and a attractive way to use words. Just like AudioPal you do not have to register with a email and password to make your Tagxedo word-cloud. There are so many themes you can pick out and use. Those of you that have a Smartboard or Whiteboard will really enjoy this tool. Putting your word-cloud on your Smartboard/Whiteboard makes a great visual. You can also upload your created Tagxedo to Facebook, blogs, Twitter, websites, and presentations.
This is an Abe Lincoln Tagxedo word-cloud I made myself and uploaded it to my computer. You can also upload it to Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Websites, and share with a friend threw email. In my Tagxedo I put all the important vocabulary words that go along with 2nd grade Civics SOL 2.11 Famous Americans. This is a great way to use the silhouette of the Famous Americans and then introduce the vocabulary they must know in order to relate to that specific SOL. Great way for auditory (reading the words) and Visually learners. Those teachers/librarians again with Interactive White Boards are going to LOVE these word-clouds. Also this is a great source to list good citizenship rules, this is taught from K-3rd grades. Word hunt is another option like find all the words with the short i in them or the long i. This would make teaching phonics more involved with eye and brain coordination and locating and matching antonyms. Such a fun and interactive way to get the students involved in locating the correct answers or words.
I saved my favorite for last! This would be Piktochart a wonderful way to make an infographic. Some of you are saying to yourselves, “What in the world is an infographic?” Well let me tell you in 6 words. It is a visual representation of your data. So who is going to get more out of an infographic? YES! Those visual learners and believe you me they work because I myself learned visually when I was in school. You do have to log in with an email and password or you can sign in using your Facebook or Google account. Lots of themes to pick from and so much fun to do and use.
Infographics can be as simple as a graphic using pencil visuals to show average Elementary Class size from 2006 – 2010 to…
using cute images that show ways kids use and save money. Piktochart allows the user to pick a theme add pictures and helps you with charts and clip-art. I do admit this would be more of a tool for 3rd, 4th, or 5th graders. Infographics do take practice to make and as you make them you will get more in dept and will become braver with your theme choice. Piktochart and using infographics in the classroom range from using images and visuals to help understand the material in a more efficient way, using bar-graphs and charts to break down a range of information rather with a Science experiement or Math, Infographics are a great way to retell a story or to tell a story, and can be a great resource when teaching SOL 3.17 collect and interpret data within graphs and charts. All of these tools I have shown you today are an easy and great resource to use in your lower elementary classroom K-3rd graders. I hope if a seek a peek in your classroom one day I will find you using one of these internet tools.
We have a few minutes left, please let me know if you have any questions about the tools I have introduced to you today.
