Instagram and Vine

     Instagram is a photo app that has become very popular among today's youth.  They are posting pictures of themselves, their friends, what they are eating, or whatever highlights their day.  Vine is a 6 minute video app that is gaining popularity, too.  It is associated by the people from Twitter.  Together, these two apps can be used in the classroom as classroom projects or supplement to classroom instruction.

     Instagram turned out be an easy app to use.  You just take a picture, click a button and you posted it to your Instagram stream.  You are able to follow people, and people are able to follow you.  I liked that you are able to crop the picture and change its hues, but that is about all you can do with the picture.  I think it is a great way to share photos with friends and family. 
     In the photo below, the owners of the fields in front of our house were burning the sugarcane that was ready for harvesting.  It was such a loud, smelly, and scary event.  I decided to document it.  What I did I changed the hue of the picture, and it made it look as if the trees in our front yard looked burnt.  It also made the fire be the center of this picture.  This is just the small bit Instagram can do.

     In order for me to place writing in my pictures or other designs, I had to download other apps.  The apps that I found were from the Google Store.  Below is a picture of my niece, Bunny.  What I did was download an app used with Instagram called Instext.  As you can see, it allowed me to put a frame around her picture.  Instext had a variety to choose from.  Then I decided to write her name on her picture.  They had a nice choice of fonts also.  What I also liked was that you could add stickies to the picture as well. I think this livens up the picture.

  

     In this next picture, I took a picture of the book I am currently reading with my students in the class.  I was surprised by a student who commissioned  a carving of one of the characters of the story, Ranger.  He gave it to me!  I decided to showcase the gift on Instagram.  I also believe that it can be use  as a promotion for the book.  I used Instext to create a border and to add the word Ranger next to the figurine.  Instext is not become part of Instagram.  It is a separate app, but you can share your modified photos on Instagram.  With Instagram, you can not add text or stickies to the picture.

     Another app that can be used in conjunction with Instagram is InstaCartoon.  When you take a picture with InstaCartoon you are able to change the photo in a variety of ways.  You can turn you picture into a cartoon, sketch, comic, and many other ways.  When you are done changing the photo, you can save it and share it on Instagram.  Below, I took a picture of my cat.  Then, I chose the option Sketch on InstaCartoon.  The only thing that I did not like about InstaCartoon is that it has a delay when taking picture.  I was unable to take a decent picture of the cat because by the time the picture was taken, he would move away and the moment would be lost.  Other than that, I liked this app.

     Instagram can have many uses in the classroom.  In a blog, 10 Ways to Use Instagram, many ideas are given on how to use Instagram in the classroom.  One way to use it is to showcase student's work.  Below, you can see a picture that my son took of his work-in-progress for his art class.  He usually documents various stages of his drawings. The same can be done for pictures of students in the class.  I also liked the idea that was given of posting the student of the month.  In a prezi presentation, more ideas are given on how Instagram can be used in the classroom.  I really liked the idea of using a picture for a writing prompt.  In the annual Texas STAAR test, the students are sometimes shown pictures to help them bring out their background knowledge.  This idea would be great to get them prepared for that test.

    

     Vine is an app that allows you to take short videos up to six seconds long.  These videos then loop, so they are repeating themselves over and over if you have them on the screen.  I really liked this idea. Recording the videos was easy (after I asked a student to show me how to record on vine).  All I had to do was shoot and touch the screen.  I could stop it and start it right from where I left it the last time I used it.  Below, I caught my husband, Manuel, adding some kind of chemical to the weeds in the lawn.  For the recording, I asked him to state what he was doing and what chemical he was using.  Also, I recorded my mother-in-law working on her crochet materials.  In the classroom, I can have the students promote a book they are using and post it on vine.  The students can record themselves saying a few lines of the book they reading or provide a video showing tangible items that are related to the book.

     One of the best features of vine is that you are able to stop your recording and resume with the touch of the screen.  Below, I recorded my cat asking to be let outside.  I recorded him in various stages.  I can see my students making very creative recordings with this ability.  I could have them choose their favorite quote from the book and act it out in the six minutes time.  It would be a quick project they can have fun sharing with the class, and at the same time, it would get them to read their book.

     I think Instagram and Vine are great tools that can be used in the classroom.  Both can be used to document on-going projects.  They can be used to promote books that the students have read or even post the student of the month or highest points in reading.  The only problem using these public apps, especially Vine, is that you could find unwanted items in your stream.  A suggestion that was made in a blog, 8 Ways You Can Use Vine to Teach Reading Comprehension, that if the classroom teacher decides to use Instagram or Vine, that they create one account for the class and make it private so that no one else besides the teacher, students, and parents have access to the postings.  I believe in doing this the students will enjoy themselves creating projects on both apps and motivate to do the reading and research so that they can have a creative project to show their peers.

Information Curation

     Information Curation is when you gather, organize, and place in an online presentation different types of articles on a particular topic.  With the variety of tools available to help you organize the information, you are able to see articles at a glance and quickly.  In the internet and in application format, there are many Information Curation tools that you can use to organize all types of articles.

     Zite is an information curation tool that can be downloaded as an app in I Pad or Android. When you first sign up for the Zite, it guides you to select interests for the articles that you want gathered.  It also allows you to connect Zite with Facebook or Twitter.  In the Android app, I was not too keen on the aesthetics of this app.  All the articles were sectioned off in squares and did not mentioned what topics it was listed under.  In the I Pad app, It is more colorful, and on the corner of each square, you find what the topic is of that particular article.  The articles are in squares also but different sizes.  Something as simple as that makes it more appealing, at least to me.  The articles in this app, whether it is Android or I pad, allow for the reader to like or not like the particular page.  You are given a choice if you want to "share" the information you have read in Twitter, Facebook, and other social media.  Going through the compilation of articles according to my interest, I did find myself trying to tear myself from reading.  The articles, overall, were good.
     According to the creators of Zite, this app was originally intended for I Pad.  Zite might be changing its presentation and might have more bells and whistles pretty soon since it has joined forces with Flipboard.  

     Another Information Curation tool is Paper.li.  I was not able to download it as an app in Android or in I Pad.  I had to use the internet on a PC. I find this to be the negative side of Paper.li since I would not be able to access articles I put together unless I have my laptop. When I first signed up to this site, it asked me to create a page with my preference.  I had to give it a title.  Then, I chose my interest in articles.  Once I was done, it created a page with all my preferences and a few of their own.  The articles were good, but I was just not impressed with their presentation.  One thing I did like was being able to sign up with my Twitter account.  I did a search, for example, under reading, and it brought up my post from my Twitter account, so I was familiar with the people who were writing the articles.  Overall, I felt this site to be okay, it does the job, but it did not please me aesthetically.

  

     I was able to find Prismatic on I Pad, Android, and on regular PC.  The app I found on Android did not work.  The app told me how to use it, but when I tried to open the app it did not work, even after several tries.    Another service Prismatic has is Pocket.  It allows you to save your articles to be read at another time.  I find this useful since I only have a few moments to read articles, and I wouldn't have to be wasting time hunting down the article I was previously reading and did not complete.  To me, to me this app was simple, but it did the job.  As I looked at it in I Pad, it has a feel of Facebook due to its presentation.    When you click on the pictures, it would open the article associated with it.  With Prismatic, you are also able to like or not like a page.  If you want, you can start a discussion on a story you just read.  You can also share those pages you like on the social medias.  Prismatic does have a way to look quickly look for your preferences in topics and go to the one you want to see at that moment without having to go looking through all the articles.  Overall, I like Prismatic.  It did its job.  I just did not like that I could simply search for a topic and it would look for the articles.  With Prismatic, it gave you a list of topics to choose from.

     I loved the presentation of Google Currents on the I Pad.  The pictures were huge, and to change topics you just slid your finger across the screen.  I also like that it first starts you on breaking world news.  That topic is a high interest for me.  What I did not like was that the huge pictures only had one or two sentence captions on them.  I would rather have a short paragraph so I can have a brief summary, and from there, I can choose rather to read the article or not.  I just feel I can not make that decision with one sentence.  I also was able to download the app for Android, but I was only able to go in once with the the name Google Currents.  The next day I noticed that I could not get into it by touching the current icon.  I found out that the name had changed, only on Android, to Google Play Newsstand.  Since I have an Android phone, it already had an app with that name installed on the phone.  Once I got on the right app, I saw that this app placed the articles in squares, almost like a Facebook presentation.  You could change this squares to make the articles smaller or bigger.  Also, you have to subscribe and pay for magazines if you want to see them.  It did have a limited amount of topic choices to choose from when it came to the free topics you could choose.  Overall, I like this app in its I Pad presentation.  It did provide interesting articles to read.

     As soon as I signed up for Scoop.it, I was guided step by step in setting up my list of preferences.  One of the things I liked most was that it allowed you to do a general search on any topic you wanted and then it would also let you pick from a list of topics.  I like the presentation and since I signed up using my Twitter account.  I was able to download an app in I Pad and it also caught my eye.  I thought it was very interesting that when I like an article, I could click on the Scoop. it icon, and it would make the article smaller and post it to you Twitter or Face book account.  I feel that this app was able to gather a more interesting articles than the other Information Curation Tools.  Scoop.it was also available for the PC and Android, but did not open in Android from some reason.  I think of all the apps on this topic Scoop.it was the easiest to use.  I also like the fact that many of the articles came from the people that I follow on my Twitter account.  I think this is what made them more interesting.  Overall, I think Scoop.it is a very nice app to put all your high interest articles together.

     Of all the apps that I tried, Flipboard was by far, my favorite.  It was extremely eye-catching on the Android.  I was able to see in a-not-so-crowded way.  I also tried it on I Pad and it provided me a slide show if I stayed too long on a page without flipping to see the article.  I found myself lost looking at the articles and pictures.  I also like the way it also let me see my Twitter and Facebook accounts, all in one place.  It had a different presentation from the original social apps.  I was able to pick the topics I wanted to see on my Flipboard.  It provided me with current news and interesting articles.  I was also able to click on an icon and see my interest and social media icons so that I could quickly navigate to those articles without "flipping" through everything.  I was also able to like and comment on the articles I was reading.  As with Prismatic, I was also able to save articles to read for later when I had time.  This app allowed me to go to the internet and view the article there or go to the actual magazine site.  I really got lost in Flipboard.

     Of all the Information Curation tools that I was able to look at and try out, I feel that the best one was Flipboard by a huge margin.  I think the aesthetics and ease of use is what won me over.  I think this would be great for students to use to do research on a topic.  By using this app, they could do a search on their topic and Flipboard could gather all the articles together.  I think this would save lots of time.  Also, with Flipboard, I was able to get the same quality in boty I Pad and on the Android device.  I would also use Scoop.it.  I liked being able to read articles by the people I follow on Twitter since it used my Twitter account to look for the topic I was researching.  Scoop.it was just simple to use, and the app guided you every step of the way.  Flipboard and Scoop.it make searching for Information Curation tools more interesting and fun.

Screencasts

   When teaching a computer skill or an application, I have learned the hard way that giving written instructions will not work for most students.  They will either not look at the paper and insist that I guide them every step of the way.  I have found that when I use a Screen-cast to as a supplement to a lesson, the students do not feel so lost and their questions are limited.  There are several programs you can use in the internet that allow you to create a Screen-cast, and it can be done for free or without downloading any apps.  Some programs are Screencast o Matic, Screenr, and Explain a Website.  The screen-casts that were created for this blog are of  an actual assignment given to the students.  It is due on April 14, so I am exited at what they will produce.

     The easiest screen-cast program that I used was ScreenCast o Matic.  I did not have to download anything.  It did not have any hidden plugins that I had to download or required special permissions.  I simply opened ScreenCast o Matic and started recording.  I first had to make sure that my microphone was in working order and it was.  Then I adjusted what I wanted Screen o Matic to record.  Once I recorded it, I was given an option to save.  Once I saved it, it was easy to upload to this program to this blog.  I will be using this program in the future due to its ease of use.

Jing


     Jing is a screen-cast application that must be downloaded.  The only problem is that you have to have Java.  You cannot download it in an Apple software.  The application itself was easy to use.  The controls are found at the top of your screen and it looks like a sun.  I did have some difficulty trying to get the program to highlight the screen just right.  After trying several times, I did get used to it and was able to highlight the screen from whatever corner I wanted.  To record, I just hit a button, and it recorded very easily.  I did not have any problems saving my recording.  The saved file did upload to Blogger, but it did not process properly.  In order for me to get it to work, I had to convert my file to Windows Media.  I think if I were to record something on Jing now after working with it for a while, I think it would be a quick recording since I understand how to get around the program.  I would only have to take the extra step of converting my file to the media that I need.

     I went into the Screenr page, and it said that you can just record your screen-cast without any downloads.  I tried recording, but it would only tell me that I needed to have Java in my computer.  I thought it was simply a matter of giving the app permission to use my Java, but it did not work.  I decided to download the Java app once I was prompted, even though I already had it.  Once it was done, the program was not able to read the Java in my computer.  I looked into it, and I had the right version of Java for my computer.  I tried again making sure all my permissions were granted, it did not work.  I tried using Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer and none of them work.  I decided to use another computer.  I used an HP Tablet, which is well equipped with Microsoft Office, Google Chrome, and Fire fox.  I followed the same process and none of them work.  The program did pop up a screen that said that it was risky to use Java and click on Run if I wanted to use it anyway.  I did so, but it still would not accept my Java application in either of the computers.  I tried logging into the webpage through IPad, and all I got was "sorry does not work on IPad."  Finally, I admitted defeat and decided not to pursue it any further.  I just think they should have a downloadable option with everything necessary to record a screen-cast.  I was so disappointed.

Explain a Website

     In order for me to use Explain a Website on the IPad, I had to download the app and pay $.99.  This is a meager amount, but I was not happy with what it provided.  As I was recording, I could see myself talking through the webpages, clicking here and there, and typing in information.  When I saw the final product, I saw that the recording did not follow me as I was talking.  It would stay on a page, and on some I had to type in the URL on the address line for them to show.  It took me a while and many, many recordings to figure it out.  Once I got a product completed, I saved my file.  In order for me to successfully, upload it to Blogger or to even share it, I had to create my very own YouTube channel.  Almost all screen-cast had an option for uploading to YouTube, so I was okay with it.  I am not happy with this recording since it skips some of the steps that I wanted to show the students, but I think most can understand the instructions.  What I did like about the Explain the Website is that if you are only explaining how a website works or its contents, you can draw, highlight, or emphasize a section of the page.  I think I will use it for that.  I must admit, though, I was very disappointed with this app.

     After having the opportunity to work or try to work with the above applications, I found that the easiest one to work with is Screen O Matic.  I did not have to do anything but set my screen boundaries and click on record.  The recording was easy to save and easy to upload to my blog.  I will continue using when I give my students assignments requiring technology.  Since I also use Edmodo, I can upload the assignment to my feed and students will be able to immediately have access to it.  When I do screen-cast, it is amazing how much the questioning is diminished.  I also feel it lessens the pressure students feel since most of my technology assignments are for the most part done at home, and it is great to hear, "I just followed your screen-cast and got the assignment done."  

Playing with Words

 

     In the reading classroom, each student has his/her unique learning style.  If the teacher limits herself to one way of teaching, she can only reach a few of the students and loose the others.  In order to make sure, most students learn the lesson, she must use a variety of strategies with the same lesson.  When working with vocabulary or introducing a reading assignment, the teacher can create a collage of key words from the readings to discuss with the class as a preview and to build some background knowledge.  Then, as the student begins to read, he will find that some of the words will be familiar, and he will be more successful in the comprehension of the reading assignment.  There are several programs than can help forming these collages:  Wordle, Tagul, and Tagzedo.

Wordle

     Of the three programs, Wordle is the simplest of the programs.  You do not have to create an account.  You simply add your list of words and it creates a collage for you. The problem is that you have no choice in the shape it will take.  It has a random button, and when you push it, it arranges the words differently.  You cannot save the collage as an image. You also can change the color but  If you want to share it in a blog or website, you need to go through the process of embedding code.  Once you place your Wordle in your website or blog, it copies a small image.  It looks blurry and gets worse when you enlarge it.  I have place a direct link on the sample of the Wordle below, so that you can click on it and go directly to the word collage and see it clear and bigger.

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/7721400/Information_Ethics

Tagul

     Tagul required you to create an account with them.  It did take a bit longer to learn the program, but it was still easy to work with.  With this program, you type in the words that you want to use in your collage.  You have the option to choose certain words so that they can stand out by being made bigger.  With Tagul, you are able to make your Tagul into shapes they have pre-set or you can upload a picture from your computer, and it will arrange the words to take the shape of the image you uploaded.  You are able to change the color scheme, and you are able to save your image in a couple of formats.

 

Tagxedo

     Tagxedo is another program that creates word collages.  It is a bit more difficult to understand, but once you get the hang of it, it is easier to use.  Tagxedo also allows you to choose a pre-set shape for your word collage or you can upload an image.  For either shape or image, you are able to edit color or background.  It is versatile in this aspect.You also able to select the font that you want.  You are able to save your work as an image, so you can simply upload that image.  What I did not like about Tagxedo was that I created a collage, I changed the color and font, I saved it, but when I uploaded it to this blog, it change color and background.  I was a bit disappointed with that because I wanted to look a certain way.  I did not see an option for choosing the words that would stand out, just like Tagul, but I still think the program choose the right words to make stand out.

 

     Of all three word collage programs, I would use Tagul more with my students.  I liked the way I was able to use one of my images, and the program was able to put all the words together with hardly and space.  Whatever I saw in Tagul and saved, I would be able to retrieve it exactly the same, unlike Tagxedo.  I would use this program to have the groups of students read a short passages and select words that were important to the story.  Once all the Taguls are completed, they can share with the class, and the class can create the gist of the story with the words that were selected.  I think when the students use word collages, they will be able to internalize vocabulary words a bit more.  Also, since they will be using this collection of words to share with the class, it will make them accountable for what they read, thus increasing the comprehension levels.

Creating Quotes

     Another way to play with words with students is to create quotes in quote makers.  These quotes can be used to present a quote to the students prior to reading a novel, so that they can predict what the story will be about.  They can create their own after they have read a reading passage and present to the class.  Two programs on the internet and IPad that can create quotes are Recite This and Quipio.

Recite This 

     Recite This is an easy program to use, but it is very limited.  You do not have to log in.  You simply type in your quote and choose the style or look that you want that have been pre-loaded.  There is not much room for creativity, but it can be easier to use with students since most will be able to understand it.  With Recite This, you are able to share your completed product with most social networks.  You are also given the option to download the picture, so you are able to use it in your blogs or creating pages. The two examples from Recite This below are very simple, but I still feel they get the job done.

Quipio

     In order to work with Quipio, I had to find it in the ITunes store under IPhone applications.  Once I downloaded it, it was also fairly easy to use.  It was just a matter of getting use to the app.  Quipio allowed me to create a quote using my own photos or simply using text.  If you choose the option to use a picture or a photo, you are guided to choose it first.  Then, it takes you to a page where you type what you want to express.  You are also given an option to choose words to highlight or make stand out in quote.  Recite This did not have either of these options.  In Quipio, you can also choose just to use text, but you have the ability to highlight words and chose styles and colors from a lot more variety.  Once you make a choice, you still have the ability to move the text around.  Quipio also allows you to share your quotes with the social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.  This is were Recite This was better when it came to sharing.  It had more options.  Once I shared my Quipio pictures with the social media, I was able to save it as a file, so I had more flexibility with where I placed the quote.

 

       Out of the two programs, I would most likely use Quipio more often.  I feel that the students will be able to be more creative since they will be able to have more options.  I still would use Recite This, especially if there are students who are unable to figure out how to work Quipio.  The students can create and design quotes based on reading passages or novels assigned to them.  They can discuss their quote to the class and explain why it was important to them of all things said in story.  I think it will hold them accountable to their reading assignment and comprehension levels.  I also think that the students would simply have more fun using Quipio and will be engaged in their assignment.

      When word collage makers and quote makers are added to the reading lessons, students will be more engaged since they will be held accountable for what they read and will be having fun at the same time.  They can also read their passages with more confidence since the teacher had already reviewed some of the words that are going to be used prior to the reading by using word collages or quotes.  I would most likely use Tagul for word collages and Quipio to create quotes.  These apps proved to allow the user to be more creative by giving them the ability to create a product that is more colorful and more appealing to the eye.