Productivity

Xtranormal Xtranormal is a cartoon making site. A thing that really sets it apart from other animation sites is that the characters actually speak (albeit in a monotone computer voice). The videos are very easy to make by selecting from stock characters and movements and sounds. You simply have to add your own dialogue to each shot. As a fairly illiterate computer person, this took me one 48 minute plan period to set up an account, figure out how it worked, and create and view the video linked below. This site can be accessed at my school despite that serious filters we have. This is an excellent tool for kids to use to collaborate and create multimedia projects and show their understanding of the curriculum in a unique way that is sure to engage them more than a boring test of book report. In fact, recently (as in just a few days ago) I decided to replace a portion of the //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows// test with a multimedia project using xtranormal. There is always a 50 point portion of my tests that are straight knowledge about the text. This ensures that those who did do all the work but aren’t very good a literary analysis have a grade buffer on the test and that those who are excellent at bluffing short answer analysis and who are good listeners in class discussion don’t ace the test simply because they have the aforementioned qualities. However, as I went to revise my Harry Potter test I couldn’t help but thinking how it was such a waste of my time and theirs. Surely there had to be a better way of seeing that they understand the plot without the stupid scantron. This was what I came up with. I have attached the file for you to peruse and here is a link of my short example that I intend to show them of an xtranormal video: []

media type="custom" key="8429872" This video is just an example to show them so that they have a starting expectation. They will obviously have to do more with a three minute minimum expectation. This will hopefully engage them in a way that certainly wouldn’t have been possible in a boring scantron test while still getting the same goal across – that I know that they understand the basic plot and how it’s important in terms of theme. There is, of course, a huge possibility that this will go WAY south, but I have intentionally placed the responsibility of finding fixes for issues they experience on their shoulders. Of course, I have all advanced classes (dual credit) so I get a little extra wiggle room with high expectations, however, I expect that if kids were given only the choice to use xtranormal (instead of giving them as many options as I did) then it would be more manageable as an in-class project (my kids will have to do it all out of class). It’s a good way to get kids to work collaboratively together in a manner that will hopefully excite them and incorporate web 2.0 into their lives.

Also, how cool is it that I get to watch variations of Harry Potter and get paid for it?

Wallwisher.com Wallwisher.com is a pretty basic, simplistic tool. It was a first idea that I thought through before I got to the activity described above. However, as I dismissed it in favor of xtranormal for the above project, I stored it in the back of my head for another. Wallwisher is just a basic site where you double click it and a sticky note appears (after you pick a design). Then you type a note. Privately, this can be an easy way to organize what you need to get done at school in a day or week or whatever time you want. For classes, this is a great way to do group brainstorming. As kids offer ideas they (or you if it’s a class thing rather than small groups) simply double click and add the note. Then when the brainstorming is over you can sort the ideas into categories by clicking and dragging or you can simply delete ideas dismissed as poor. It can also serve as a question/answer forum. It is a way kids could sign in at home and ask you a question and then you can answer them from home. This would prevent the issues we’ve seen arise from Facebook because there’s no personal information at all. Just the question and the answer.

MindMeister.com Here is the link that compares plans and prices: [] MindMeister is a site that helps to create mind maps. The maps created are very professional and entertaining. However, the software isn’t very intuitive and can be difficult to use. To get any of the cool animations and a lot of the benefits of the this program, you have to pay. On the flip side there is an academic plan where, by proving you are student, you get a deeply discounted rate to full access of the site. Additionally, this $18 fee is only due once a year. Depending on how frequently mind maps are used, this is a good software to pay for for whole school use. The free version is a great tool to use in classes. It’s a great new way to make kids think about things differently.