Word Clouds

By Meredith via Wordle

When my Kindergarten students first begin using the SHIFT key, they practice typing their name during a Wordle assignment.  Each child is assigned a computer in the lab.  They each open Wordle from our Learning Links (direct link to Create, not the actual home page), then type their name three times so it will appear the largest in the word cloud.  Students begin rotating to each computer, typing their name in Title Case, until they have typed their name in everyone's Wordle page.  After they click Create, they choose their design.  We print these so the children can take home a class list of student names.  The possibilities with Wordle are endless--what about a Wordle highlighting the Tier II vocabulary in a book or action verbs?

*Double names (only in the South) can be tricky.  Some word cloud apps use ~ to connect the two names or quotes.

Common Core Phenomenon

When have all the states been in agreement on anything in education? Well, here is the beginning of a new era. The Common Core Standards are here. Gone are the days where students in Alabama learn completely different material than in Georgia or Arkansas.  Now educators are tied to a common language and common standards across the US.  We are finally uniting on what we want our students to know.  Only six states have not adopted the Common Core Standards.  Surprisingly, Texas is not on board yet; usually they are innovators in educational programs and initiatives.

Borrowed from Common Core

This Monday, teachers from our school system got together to discuss the new standards and deepen our understanding of how they were developed.  We will implement the new standards beginning next year. 

Dot Sub Translation Tool

Dot Sub is an online translation tool that lets users subtitle any movie in any language.  Users can work together to transcribe movie files, and privacy settings can share movies with friends or the world. Although the user must type the captions for different frames, Dot Sub will translate it.  I can use this with my student who speaks a very uncommon language, but I can see this being beneficial for Spanish teachers and other foreign language teachers.

Digital Storytelling with Little Bird Tales

Last week, I added to another grad student's wiki entry about the positive benefits of using digital storytelling with students learning English. The best thing about digital storytelling is that all students can learn through this form of writing.  You can check out my entry here at Web 4 All Learners.  Little Bird Tales is a site that offers a place for children to create stories and record their own narration (or add text, or both!).  Children can upload their own artwork or pictures.  One of my favorite highlights of this site is that it is free of advertising.