I would have to say there are two I am very interested in using and would love to implement, given the proper time and circumstances. They are both interactive, digital story-telling programs where students are encouraged to be expressive and creative. In both programs, students design online profiles of themselves to interact in a read/write (Web 2.0) type environment where they share ideas and grow as learners. Here are the descriptions from my Diigo Bookmarks:
Scratch (http://www.scratch.mit.edu) is a Web 2.0 programming environment for beginners, where kids can use a simple programming syntax to create their own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art, and share their creations on the web. Students use built-in sprites or they can draw their own. Once the student finishes the game or animation, they can publish it online.
Kerpoof (http://www.kerpoof.com) turns your students into cartoon artists. They can doodle, create a movie, build their own greeting card, or draw a comic strip using predesigned elements in this free multimedia software. Students can also build Avatars to use in the program. The "For Teachers" link provides additional help and digital story telling lesson plans for use in the classroom.
Like I mentioned above, if given the right opportunity, I would love to incorporate one or both of these programs into my Literacy (Language Arts) block. The programs would align with GPS standards and would work nicely in the later stages of the writing process (final draft and publishing). You could also use them during Reader's Workshop.
I look forward to looking into both of these sites. The future is in programs such as these, and I'd like to make sure my students are a part of it.
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3 comments:
Hi, Mark,
The two resources you mentioned sound really great. I'm interested in checking those out as well. It sounds like they are excellent resources for teachers as well as being useful in terms of motivating and sparking interest among students. I really like the emphasis on interactivity in both.
If you get around to using them with your students before the end of the semester, I hope you will share the details with us!
TTYL,
Lenrose
Mark,
I just checked out both Scratch and Kerpoof. I agree they would make interesting tools for Language arts, maybe Science and Social Studies too if used to explain concepts or illustrate history, etc.
I could also see kids just exploring them on their own because they are fun.
I can already think of several kids at my school who would create elaborate videos with both!
Thanks for sharing!
Lisa
Mark,
Great resources. If you are like all the elementary school teachers I work with then time is always an issue.
Too often I hear teachers say they would do something but they are afraid to try the technology because it might not work properly.
I hope you get to use those resources soon and I know your students would enjoy them.
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