F2009+8Y24+Lab+6+Activity+Type+Reviews

=8Y24 Lab 6: Type in your Activity Types Reviews below. Then place a line under your entry.= Impersonation Activity There were several activities that I felt were useful in a classroom. I really enjoyed the activity called “impersonations”, where students (individually or in groups) email a fictional character from a book or an historical figure that is no longer living. The impersonator would have to be the teacher or an expert in the field. The idea is that students use their literacy or historical knowledge about the character/time era by asking appropriate questions via email. In turn, they will receive accurate information (from the teacher) specific to their questions. I would defiantly use this activity during Literacy or History lessons. I find this activity engaging and a better approach to learning about the characters. Students will feel as though the characters are real and may use them as primary sources in homework. I would assess students based on how engaged they are in the activity and how well they are able to form appropriate questions that relate to the character. Giulia Perri Chapter 4, p. 132

The activity type that caught my eye while reading was students creating their own brochures. Personally I really enjoy the task of formatting brochures to ensure they are appealing to an audience. It is a neat way to incorporate technology skills (inserting and manipulating text boxes, images, shapes etc…) as well as applying written language skills. As the book describes, brochures can be summarized as a persuasive information document that tends to be compact in size. I would absolutely use this activity in a future classroom as an alternative to a one-page handout component of a presentation. I find that brochures are more engaging then regularly formatted word documents. Also once students acquire the skills necessary to construct a brochure they will be well set up to create a print advertisement, poster, or newsletter.

-Brynne Katsof

//Blog or Journal//, Chapter 3: Information at Your Fingertips

A blog is an online journal that records thoughts, feelings, ideas, and reflections from the writer's perspective. There are different forms of journals that students can record. A journal kept for the purpose of recording writing pieces are considered to be a writer's diary. Journals that incorporate pictures and graphics are called photo journals. A cumulative journal is where students combine their entries to form a group journal. I would use blogs with my students primarily to see how they are feeling or coping with a topic. I would assess based on how engaged and detailed their reflection is; it would probably be more of a completion assessment.

- Daniel Urciuoli

Activity Type: Question & Answer

This activity requires students to use email as they ask experts questions about a subject matter that interests them. It helps students learn to ask questions that are specific to what they want to know.

During an inquiry based subject such as science students are continually asking questions that sometimes you just don’t have the answer to. You could place these questions on a KWL (What I Know/What I want to Know/What I Learned) chart and students can record them in the back of their science notebooks. Students then are given time to use the email based websites JustAnswer or Ask a Scientist to ask their question. After, students bring the answer they received back to class and you can fill in the what I learned column together. This can be an on-going practice used during science.

The questions can be assessed using the Scientific Inquiry/Research Skill Continuum, found on page 16 of the Science Ontario Curriculum, which outlines the development of questioning skills.

- Rob McMillan

The activity type I selected that is of particular interest to me is the Edublog. An Edublog is essentially a blog that is used specifically for educational purposes. These online journals or personal messages describe events, opinions, reflections, thoughts or ideas from the perspective of the author. Blogs can be text based, include graphics, or hyperlinks to other websites. Upon submission of a post, the message is immediately uploaded to the webpage and shared with the world. Readers of the blog are then able to respond by posting their own comments.

I can see myself using an Edublog in one of my lessons as a way to enhance the learning by adding an interactive component. The wonderful world wide web has a significant number of kid-friendly webpages that align very well with many of the curriculum standards you will be teaching in your classroom. They are a great way to provide students with addition hands-on activities that will further reinforce material studied in class. There are several aspects of this activity that you could assess. For instance, you could assess student posts or comments. You could ask them to reflect on material that you have added to the blog or relate class material to the links you have provided. Another aspect you could asses within this activity would be the students completion of worksheets or papers using the information gained from the interactive tasks.

-Morgan Kempf

Chapter 4: Communication and Project-Based Learning The activity that I selected was the //Character Map or Web// that was found in //Chapter 4: Communication and Project-Based Learning//. This activity is based on a "web" which is a visual map that shows how different categories of information relate to each other. This character map or web is used to identify traits of a central character. This will then provide the reader with direction and help to understand that character's actions and motivation. This activity can be useful for the subject of Language Arts. When a student is reading a complex novel they can keep track of the character of the story as the story proceeds. This will result in students being more organzied and prioritizing information. This activity can be used in the word processing documents or concept mapping tool programs, such as //Inspiration// and //SMART Ideas//. This activity would be very easy to asses. If my students were doing their novel study and they had to keep a log/journal they could easily create a character map for each character in the novel. This map can then take the format of a web and provide information about the character throughout the entire novel. This way when the student goes back they can see what they wrote about that character and remember/recall that information for their report. The assessment would be a completion mark or a check mark rubric in which the teacher can provide appropriate feedback for each of the maps if more then one is created.

-Dahlia D'Intino

=== The activity that I found to be interesting was the Picture Prompt Writing activity found in Chapter 4. This activity involves displaying a picture to the class and having the students write a story based upon the picture. The teacher can guide the writing process if he or she feels the need to by giving the students specific instructions on what writing style to use. What I like most about this activity is the fact that the students are open to use their imagination and write about whatever they want, so long as it has something to do with the picture displayed. Students will demonstrate their reflective thought as they view the picture in depth and think critically about the story they will write. I can definitely see myself using this activity in the classroom, incorporating video stills from popular movies, or perhaps displaying a single frame from a comic strip. I would use this activity to generate all sorts of writing styles, asking questions like //“What is happening in this picture?”//, //“What do you think of or feel when you see this?”//, //“What do you think is going to happen next?”//, or //“Make up your own (poem, narrative, expository, article, etc.) about this picture.”//. The options are endless. I would then have the students share their finished product with other classmates to obtain some feedback. I would then use a holistic rubric to assess their finished work at the end of the activity. ===

- Marcel Roque
The activity that caught my eye was the wiki collaboration found in chapter 3. This activity allows students to work collaboratively to create a document on the web. Like we are doing here, wiki collaboration allows several people to contribute to one wiki easily, allowing all users to create and edit the pages. I think this is a great tool to use and have used it in some of my previous classes. I can see myself using this collaborative activity as part of a culminating task for students at the end of a unit. I would have students work in small groups and I would expect them to present all of their information through texts and images on their group's wiki. I would assess the wiki with a rubric to evaluate the final product. I was evaluate students on their use of images, the information presented as well as collaboration with group members. For the wiki that I used last year our prof was able to see the contributions that each group member made to the wiki and I think this is important to look at because wikis are supposed to be a collaboration.

Elizabeth Leclair

The activity that I selected was Vocabulary Bingo or GeoBingo found in chapter 4 the Communication and Project-Based Learning. We can use the table feature of Microsoft Word to construct the bingo card. Now you can use the bingo card for a number of different purposes; vocabulary words, spelling words, or graphics that represent landmarks. It is the learners job to identify the correct term or graphic according to the informated called out by the teacher. Vocabulary Bingo is an excellent activity that requires learners to recognize and identify various words and concepts. I can see myself using this activity for a french class, teaching students new vocabulary for a unit. In terms of assessment, instead for just calling out the word, you could call out the definition of the word and the students will have to recognize the definition and associate it with the proper french word. Students can create their own bingo games through printable online websites such as [] and [].

Morgan Thomassian

I was interested in the Problem-based learning activity: Web Inquiry Projects (WIP). Compared to WebQuests these are more advanced and less structured inquiry project, and are meant as a more open ended inquiry project, while allowing the teacher to still be involved in the process for guidance. These WIPs will get students interested in a topic of their choosing, and hopefully motivate them to learn more. The stages of a WIP is to first help teachers with a hook in order to engage the students, then the WIP will provide good examples of inquiry based questions and procedures. WIPs also help with data investigation, analysis and findings. I would definitely see myself using this as a lesson for grades 7 or 8, where I have already introduced the topic. For example in a history lesson they would be responsible for researching the different roles of settlers that have come to Canada. You could use a blog or wiki to construct a students page for their WIP, this is very important since the process of inquiry if the main focus of the activity. These wiki's could be used as the main assessment of their research as well as a final report or presentation for evaluation.

Kendra Landoni

The activity that interested me is Picture Prompt Writing in chapter four. In this activity, the teacher provides a picture to show to the class. This picture is used to prompt story writing. Now I know what you are thinking: finding a picture can be time consuming for the teacher. Well, __Bright Ideas for Writing__ from Houghton Mifflin has taken care of that. If you go to the link [] ,__Bright Ideas for Writing__ provide ready-made picture prompts. Also, Janet James, at [|http://pirate.shu.edu/~jamesjan/picturePrompt.htm], provides picture resources, template, and even tips for creating picture prompts. This activity can be done individually or collaboratively. The reason this activity caught my eye is because it really encourages the students to be creative, and this is something that I feel to be important.

Emily Warmington

Picture Prompt Writing Activity (chapter 4, page 133)

This activity caught my attention for several reasons; the first reason being that I am extremely fond of language arts, and therefore activities based in this particular area of study. This activity basically involves the students being given a picture used as a prompt for them to write a story. The textbook has an example of giving students a picture of a fire and then asking to describe what is happening in that picture. I also like how the textbook informs us that this particular activity can be done either in group work, as well as individual. This particular activity can be modified for students who prefer a written prompt to engage them in an idea for a story. For instance, if I were doing this activity with my own class I would give the students both types of prompts: visual (a picture) and written (a phrase or question they can expand on [i.e. if you were trapped on a desert island what are three items you would require and why?]). There are many different options for this activity to take on and many different relating questions for them to expand with: what is happening? What do you think will happen next? What do you think caused the event in the picture (or phrase)? How would you solve the problem or issue occurring within the picture (or phrase)? For me, any activity you bring into your class room needs to be engaging for your students and cause them to think and reflect! This activity does so. Assessment for this activity can also occur in numerous ways. Nevertheless, if I were assessing this activity I would require the students to write out their reactions to the picture (word) prompt in a journal type format (i.e. focusing on their emotional reaction to the picture, did they make connections [did they relate the image to something else all together], how did they interpret the picture, etc). Basically this activity is, as previously mentioned, a method through which the teacher can engage the students in a writing activity that will be able to express their imagination (i.e. through expressing what they think will happen next), while at the same time getting practice writing.

Shelley McNally (#techaces)

Using Microsoft Word, students create a bingo card representing landmarks. They can use words, spelling words, and even graphics to represent the landmarks of their choice. Students identify the words, terms, or graphics on their card once the information is provided by the Bingo Master.This is a great activity that can be tailored to meet various learning styles in the classroom, which embraces and supports the uniqueness of all students. This activity helps the teacher evaluate vocabulary acquisition if definitions are called out instead of the words. Once the game is complete the teacher can challenge students to create their own bingo games focusing on different topics and vocabulary. This is a great way to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to a fun and engaging activity!
 * Vocabulary Bingo** is the activity I found most interesting in Chapter 4.

Angelika Ksiazek (#techaces)

The activity that I found very interesting nd useful as a future teacher would be Picture Prompt Writing, found on page 133 of the textbook. Specfically, Picture Prompt Writing is when a teacher provides the students with a visual in order to stimulate ideas and begin the process of story writing. The benefits of Picture Prompt Writing are that it can be used to pratcie multiple types of writing, for example, narrative, descriptive, peoms, etc. and it works well for individual students or groups of students where they would collaborate ideas. I would use this in a lesson for language arts. In order to write a limewrick peom, I, as the teacher would bring in an object to create a flow of ideas for their peom as poetry tends to stump many students. For example, I could bring in a jack-o-latern to stimulate ideas regarding halloween, and the students could create thier own festive poems for the holiday. I could assess the students on their connection with the object. Although some connections established may be more obvious than others, creativity always counts! It would be difficult for a student not to find a connection therefore I could also assess the spellign and use of grammer (i.e. descriptive words). Anthoer idea is students could write a "Stream of Conciousness" and a visual aid could promote thoughts and ideas. From there students will just write for a ten minture span. Here, there are no wrong answers, so the students would be assested on participation.

Amanda Zacharewicz (#techaces)

Virtual Field Trip One activity that interests me is the Virtual Field Trip (VFT). This allows individuals to explore and research relevant sites to collect information for a topic at hand. As a teacher, I know that the sites the students are viewing are safe and appropriate to the task. VFT gives the students the freedom to search and discover the internet, while gaining important knowledge. This activity is fun and engaging for the 21st century learner. I could see myself using this in many lessons and in various grades. More specifically, VFT would be useful for a grade 7 or 8 history class where they can learn about various topics across the internet. One aspect in this activity that I would assess is the students ability to stay focused and on task. I would have the students complete a worksheet that corresponds to the VFT and asses their work. Amanda Sabatini (#techmates)

3D Book Report Activity

This activity is located in Chapter 4, p. 136 at the bottom of the page. The activity is created using Power Point tools and is printed to look like a line of boxes with information and tabs on the sides of each of them. The outer lines are to be cut around and then folded to make a 3D box. Lastly, glue the tabs in the right places to connect each side. This is very effective in a classroom because the information is presented in a different way, rather than in paragraphs on a page. Examples of each side would be major events in the story line, timeline events etc. I could definitely see myself using this acitivity in a classroom because the students can see the information in a different way. They can even draw or paste pictures on some of the sides to accompany the text to enhance understanding. The cube is very visual and will appeal to these types of learners. I would also get the students in to groups and throw the "dice" and whichever side it lands on, each member of the group will go around and discuss the "plot summary" for example of their specific book. I would collect the cubes at the end of class and assess them with a rubric (level 1-4). I would look for creativity (design), the ability to follow the instructions, and completion (of the cube and answers).

Hillary Kriter (#techaces)

I enjoyed the section in Chapter Four on Iconic Writing, which basically encompasses all writing that is represented with pictures or icons. I think this activity is absolutely great for visual learners, and it provides another format to view text in, which can be very useful in providing a more comprehensive understanding of a piece of writing being studied in class. I have already put one of these picture-writing tools into practice in my internship school. I taught a lesson to my grade eight's about summarizing and finding main ideas. We read an article together, and discussed some "clue places" we could look in when looking for the article's main idea. One of those was "Repeated words and phrases"- I told the class that often when a word or phrase is repeated in a piece of writing, that means it is important and may have to do with the main idea. We then went on Wordle, and I cut and pasted the article we had just read (which I had pre-typed in a word processor), and we watched the word cloud appear. I then asked the students to take turns reading aloud some of the biggest words. We all agreed that these words were important to the story and from there were able to agree upon a sentence that summed up the main idea of the article. In this case, I was instructing them and they were not actively participating in the creation of the Wordle. However, in the future I could take them to a computer lab and have them all go to www.wordle.net, and after making their word clouds, they could write a short assignment on the five most prominent words, stating whether or not they agree with those words as accurate representations of the main idea, and explaining their decisions, along with providing alternate words if they don't agree.

Jannet Packham (#techaces)

What I find most interesting is the use of blogs/journals. As a new teacher i've often mentioned in several classes that it is important to stay connected with our up and coming students. Creating a class blog or wiki is one of the easiest ways to do so! Creating a blog or webpage is as simple as using microsoft word and publishing it to the web. My associate teacher has created one for the classes he teaches and provides them with links to math games. He also posts each week who has completed their math homework by only posting their initals. Some suggested ideas would be to include tech with any other class room subject. Have students create simple blogs based on social studies subjects (ficitonal). Assessment can be as easy as using a rubric based off of a language arts activity. I would look for aspects of creativity, images found or used from the web & proper citation. Are the hyperlinks active or missing? Is the content clear and easy to read and understand? Are their components of character infused throughout the blogs? After creating our own edublog, I feel that students of all capabilities will be able to at some point in their academic career create a simple blog or journal!

Andrea Bottosso (#teachaces)

After reading chapter 4, one activity that caught my eye was character impersonations. In this activity, students email either a character in a book they are reading, or talk to someone who is no longer living, for history. Experts in the field, teachers, or administrators answer the questions posed by the students. Impersonations would be an ongoing activity, not just a one time email. This would be a great way for students to ask their own questions and learn history through what interests them. Some students find history boring to learn but by engaging in conversations with people throughout history that interest them, or who they want to know more information about. As students learn more about the time period the person lived, or read more of the novel, they can ask relevant questions to learn more. Students become responsible for developing and asking higher level thinking questions of their impersonation character. For this activity, I would be assessing whether or not students were able to ask questions relevant to the person they have chosen and also questions that show critical thinking skills (questions that have not been answered in class for history characters, or that can be found in the novel for literacy impersonations). I would want students to spend time developing their critical literacy skills through formulating a variety of questions to ask their characters/historical person. I think this is a great idea- it helps make learning more independent and also makes the students responsible for thier learning. I would have loved this activity to have been part of my classroom throughout public school. It would have definitely made history a lot more enjoyable at times. I would have been able to get answers to questions I thought were interesting/important. I look forward to incorporating this activity into my classroom as often as I can.

Elizabeth Wagner (#techaces)

-- The name of the activity type that caught my attention while completing this assignment was **Digital Storytelling**. We use stories all the time in the classroom for things such as social studies to teach students about events that have happened in the past (e.g., important wars). Digital storytelling allows us to put stories into digital form by using things such as //slideshows, tutorials, eBooks, and presentations// – each of which serve different purposes. An example of how I can see myself using digital storytelling in the classroom is while teaching a unit on Aboriginal traditions and communities. As an example, here I could develop a slideshow containing digital images and special videos while integrating information with regard to Aboriginal history and lifestyle into the slideshow. In the case where I would want the students to compose a slideshow I would have them put the slideshow together with the aforementioned elements. When assessing the slideshow for completion I would be looking to see that they have relevant information with regard to Aboriginal traditions and lifestyle and more importantly, that they have incorporated high quality/adequate digital images and videos with proper referencing where applicable.
 * // Digital Storytelling: //**


 * Fab Ciavarra (#techaces)**