Sunday, February 17, 2013

Options for Projects

To go along with the 'Reading for Choice' program, at least one of the teachers is giving a lot of choices in what they can do as their assignments. Here are some of the options:

1. Live tweeting. Twitter is a 140 character-at-a-time way to share your thoughts with the world. I did a live twitter feed of 'The Hunger Games', which you can find here. Shows you know the book, the characters and how to answer a question without retelling the story.
What do you need? Internet connection, a twitter account specific to this project. Free.

2. Popplet. Popplet is a webbing and organizational website. It allows you to post topics, pictures, video and web them all together. It allows you to present a topic, show similarities and differences and illustrate it with appropriate images.You can also save it and put it on a website.
What do you need? Internet connection or downloaded app, free account (free for the first five popplets).

3. Book Trailers. Much like a movie, a book can be promoted with a trailer. There are lots of video programs to build this, but I like the app iMovie. It has trailer templates which walk you through the storyboard and allow you to pick different themes to suit your particular novel. You can take the pictures and video with the iPad or iPhone, so you don't need any other technologies.
What do you need? Any video equipment, but if you're a beginner and have access to a iProduct, iMovie is fantastic. $4.99 from the app store. Students at school can work with their teacher and me to borrow the LRC iPads.

4. Dipity. Dipity is a timeline maker. It's a little buggy - had issues making one - but when it's working is a great way to show how a novel progressed and highlight the important events in the novel.
What do you need? Internet and free account.

5. Prezi. I love prezi. It's all zoom-y and fun. Great way to do a presentation, save it to the website, and work on it again. It zooms and swoops and makes me happy.
What do you need? As per so many of these, an internet connection and a free account.

6. Stixy Stixy allows you to create a message board style page, with pictures, documents and notes. You can work with others or by yourself. This would be a great way to create character profiles.
What do you need? Internet and a free account.

7. Photo Essay. Putting together a photo essay is a great way to use photography skills and display your knowledge. There are websites like Flickr, which allow you to upload pictures, apps that allow you to build photo collages and places all around that will print out pictures. Plus, with some apps, you can make the pictures look different - manga style or what not. Great visuals will tell a story.
What do you need? A camera or camera device, editing programs or apps, ability to print out pictures and some creativity.

8. Tagxedo. The tagxedo site allows you to make word clouds that can be made lto look like a particular image. Great way to show the main ideas and that you understand the visuals the author is presenting.
What do you need? Internet and free account.

Beth Maddigan (the awesome) has some more web 2.0 links on her jux account. Really - if you can dream it, you can do it!