This presentation focuses on the Web 2.0 tools that were selected by…

Judy Foster, Cathi Davidson, and Danielle Stead

Our Web 2.0 Selections

Judy Foster-Wordle:  www.wordle.net  

Cathi Davidson:  letterpop.com

Danielle Stead-Digital Storyteller

What's Wordle?

• Wordle is a Web 2.0 site that lets users create unique word clouds.

• Wordle is free and does not require a username or a password.

• Users can type in their word choices or pull them from a website.

What is a Word Cloud?A select group of words represented as

a graphic design

                                 "My Compound Words" by Sophie Foster

It's SO easy to use...• To get started, click on

the CREATE link on Wordle's homepage.

• Then, type or paste your words.  The more times you use a word, the larger it will appear in your word cloud.  

• Click GO when you are done.  

• You can then alter the appearance by choosing RANDOMIZE or using the menu for specific items.

Classroom Uses for Wordle• Spelling Words• Vocabulary Lists for

ANY subject area• Novel Studies• Character Traits• Word Webs• Key Events of

Historical Timelines• Important Math or

Scientific Terms"I Have a Dream" Speech by

MadiEKlund, Wordle

A Few Concerns...• Wordle's Javascript does NOT cooperate      

 with Mac OSX or OS9 computers.• Wordle's Gallery sometimes contains

inappropriate content for younger students.• The Gallery has no search option, so finding

an archived word cloud is tedious.• The PRINT option does not work with eMacs or

iMacs, so the entire screen image must be printed or transferred to a document.

But don't be discouraged, Wordle is still a FUN and EASY site for word

play!

t

Welcome to LetterPop.com!An interactive Web 2.0 site that easily allows you to create:

LetterPop.com has been around since 2006 and was created by three Southern California friends, self-described as…

"Christian"

"Bright"

"Scruffy"

Something for everyone…

Free Account Personal or Personal Pro Account

Business or Business ProAccount

No Cost $9.98/mo -$24.98/year $24.98/mo - $49.98/year

10 newsletters/year 52/365 newsletters/year 365 newsletters/year

25 photo uploads Up to 2500 photo uploads Up to 10000 photos uploads

Easy to Join:Just enter your name, email , and create a password – that’s it!

Fast and Easy Photo Uploader:Browse your computer for photos to upload or use Flickr.com!

1. Create your title.2. Select a template (dozens of themes available in the

drop down menu.)3. Drag your template to your work area.4. Type your content.5. Select the Pictures and Images Tab and drag your

photo to the photo box on your newsletter.

You can add as many pages as you like, delete, start over, make changes and save your work!

?

Anyone can use

This is an All About Me” book from Kindergarten, 2008. The student copied the content from the actual book into Letterpop.com after  about 15 minutes of learning to use the site.

How Can We Use LetterPop.com In Elementary Classrooms?

• Photo Collages: Create collages with simple captions.

• All About Me: Introduce students to classmates using photos and words to describe themselves and favorites.

• Vocabulary and Spelling Words: Write sentences or stories incorporating their word lists, then illustrate them with photos.

• Class Newsletters:  Collaborate in teams to create a class newsletter, highlighting classmates achievements, jokes, and pictures.

How Can We Use LetterPop.com in Upper Grades?

• Science: Create brochures for Science Projects, showing  processes and results.

• History: Write newsletters from the perspective of historical figures, including historical photos.

• Writing: Current events, school highlights, due dates and achievements.

• Math: Utilizing other Web 2.0 technologies such as SurveyMonkey.com, create surveys and tabulate results. Add tables and graphs.

But what about…?Things to keep in mind when using LetterPop.com

Digital Storyteller

Digital Storyteller is an online tool that allows teachers and students to access pictures and add their own narrated stories about

various subjects. 

In other words, it's a personally narrated video, like you would find on a documentary.

http://www.digitalstoryteller.org/

Why Use DigitalStoryteller in the Classroom?

• Improves Public Speaking Skill

• Helps with Reading Comprehension

• Assists with Writing and Typing Skills

• Makes learning fun and inventive!

• Allows the student to create the lesson, and do the teaching

• Gives the student a finished project they will want to share with everyone!

So Let's Get Started!There are 2 Basic steps for getting started

 Setup a digital classroom by going to THIS LINK. Here you can set up an assignment or look up ones other teachers have created. You will also need to create a class account where you list all the students with their screenames and passwords, and set up the assignment for them.

 Next, you need to make sure

all the students have their info so they can go to THIS PAGE

and start working on their projects!! Here they will add pictures, scripts, narrations,

motions and effects, and can share the final project with

friends and family!

But What About....Things that make Digital Storyteller difficult or

frustrating for the classroom.It can be difficult to navigate through the initial setup. However, it gets easier when you realize that there is a teacher setup page, and a student activity page.

 Also, students have the ability to look for their own

pictures, so monitoring of that would need to be

involved.

Also, it is a bit tricky to get the narration right on cue, but with

some practice, it gets much easier!

Digital Storyteller

As a last huzzah, check out Mildred Hubble's  (my pseudonym), finished Digital Storyteller project at...

 www.primaryaccess.org/show.php?id=50559

Three Excellent Sites to Enrich Language Usage

Graphic Word Studies

Creative Journals, Newsletters, &

Brochures

Unique Story Creations