YouTube inspiration and instruction

Here are a couple of quick and fun links I wanted to share with you about the joys and benefits of YouTube in education...

This link sends you to a collection of some of the best YouTube videos for teachers. There are instructional videos to show your class, videos to instruct YOU on how to do various things with and for your class, as well as some videos that are just mean to inspire you or make you laugh :)

This article has a very easy to understand description of various Web 2.0 tools, including YouTube, and the benefits of using them in the classroom.

YouTube isn't as controlled as other sites such as TeacherTube so you obviously need to screen all videos before sharing with your students, and take into consideration if the video is violating any copyright laws. However, if you can get past both of those roadblocks, it can be a great way to engage your students!

MORE ways to show videos in class!

It's no secret that students look forward to "movie day" in class- they find it entertaining, and who are we to say learning can't be entertaining?

TeacherTube is an amazing resource for educators. It's set up in the same way as YouTube, but the goal of TeacherTube is to host instructional videos. There are TONS of great videos that you can share with your students to create background information maybe about the setting of a book, discuss a famous author, or even show examples if you are introducing your students to a new assignment.

There's also lots of videos that you as a teacher can watch for a little stress release, motivation, or inspiration. Speaking of inspiration... here's an amazing video from TeacherTube that I came across on another blog about using technology in schools.

Enjoy and be prepared to be inspired!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Everyone's heard of the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words". Well, I think that pictures can be a great way to have students visualize their own writing. Here's a great assignment idea- have your students write a short story, poem, narrative, any sort of creative writing. Once they have written the story, record the audio of them reading the story outloud. (Most new computers these days come with a microphone built in; otherwise, purchasing an external microphone is easy). Then, using a standard program like Windows Movie Maker or iMovie, your students can choose pictures that go along with their story, and create a "digital story"! You can either have your students take their own pictures and then upload them to a computer, or do a GoogleImages search for pictures. The students will really get into this, and it helps them to visualize their characters, the setting, and the sequence of events.

Here's one I made about my experience in TV Productions in high school...

These can be time consuming, but it's something your students will be really proud of and will want to share with others when you're done. I've even heard of teachers having "premiere" nights where they play all the videos and invite the students, friends, and parents to come watch.

Creative Writing

Here is a really cool website that I learned about from my colleagues: www.wordle.net.... you attach a document or link to a blog and it creates a visual representation of the words you use in your writing, adding emphasis to the words you use most commonly. Here's a "Wordle" of my blog:



This would be a great way to teach your students about different ways to create visuals with their writing, and to get their creative writing juices showing. Also, if your students link to a blog that acts as a journal to create their wordle, this might give them surprising insight into what's really important to them!