All this week we've been working hard on finishing our Glogs and websites about the states. Today is presentation day!  We will show our final projects and Channel 99 will be here to film some of it.  One new thing we worked on this week, that you might be interested in working on at home, is creating books online.  I left it as an optional activity, so your child may not have made one, but he or she is welcome to at home.  The two sites we used were TikaTok and StoryJumper  The login for TikaTok is the same as all the other sites we've used, but StoryJumper required parental activation.  I included the directions in a message on your child's Glog because it's different for each child.  At the end of the day today we had a sundae party and I DJ-ed music!  It was fun!  I sincerely enjoyed the privilege of teaching your child these past two weeks.  Feel free to email me with any questions or comments.  Thank you!
Picture
 
Today the students worked really hard on finishing up their Glogs so they could create their websites.  First I took them to VoiceThread so they could make comments on the Bad Glog I created and we could discuss what the students need to do to avoid making a Bad Glog.  The finished VoiceThread appears on the homepage of this website. Then I showed them how to create their own website using Weebly. They learned how to use embed codes to embed their Glog, a Google Map, a Poll, and a photo album. You can visit your child's website by going to http://ct2010name.weebly.com (substitute "name" with your child's name in lowercase letters).  The password is my last name (also in lowercase letters).  If you don't see anything it might be because your child isn't finished yet.  He or she can keep working on it by logging into http://students.weebly.com and using the same login and password as the other sites we've been using.
Picture
 
Today we worked hard on finishing our Keynote animations and adding our own soundtrack using Aviary (http://aviaryeducation.com).  If you'd like to go there at home, the school ID is "GreenwoodElementary" and the login and password for your child are the same as the other sites.  After we exported our animations as QuickTime videos we uploaded them to our Glogs.  So today, everyone's Glog should be up.  If you'd like to see your child's Glog, the address  is http://ct2010name.edu.glogster.com/nameofstate (substitute "name" with your child's name lowercase and "nameofstate" with the name of your child's state, also lowercase).  If nothing shows up your child may not be finished.  You can comment on your child's page on Glogster (http://edu.glogster.com) by logging into his or her account (directions below).  I also added a couple of examples on the homepage of this website.  There's a poll for you and your child to vote on to help your child distinguish a good Glog from a not so good Glog.  Discuss the reasons why one is good and one isn't.
Picture
 
Today I showed the students a finished sample Glog and webpage (password = clough) that I created to give them an idea of where we are heading with this project.  They spent the rest of the day doing research on their state, gathering pictures to use, and making their songs and videos.  You can always check on their progress by visiting their Glog.  Just go to http://edu.glogster.com and click the "Log In" link at the top.  Your child should know their log in information, but if they forgot it's CT2010Name (substitute your child's name with a capital) and the password is name123 (substitute your child's name without a capital).  Be sure to leave comments on your child's Glog!  Your child is welcome to work on the Glog at home too. See you tomorrow!
Picture
Our class standing on the state we are researching
 
Today is the first day of our technology class.  I did an intro lesson for the basic technologies that we will be using.  So your child made a "mini me" in Pixie, then we brought that over into Keynote and made a simple animation.  We also used the Background feature of PhotoBooth to put ourselves into a movie scene, kind of like a green screen effect.  Next we practiced using the music creation tools in GarageBand.  Finally, at the end of the day I introduced the project they will be working on... travel websites about the states.  Your child will be able to make a multimedia website complete with videos, songs, and animations about the state of his or her choice.  Learning about the states will be a new SOL for 5th grade next year, so I plan on using these websites to help other teachers.  Your child is not only going to have fun learning about technology, but he or she will also be creating something useful!
Picture