Hello Everyone!
WHEW! This has been a CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZY week! It's hard to believe that I was in the heart of Times Square in NYC just 5 days ago, came home, went to work, acquired a nasty sinus infection along the way, completed my Digital Book Trailer for my other graduate class, and did all the coursework for this week's module for THIS graduate class - all since Monday! (Well, I had been working on the book trailer since February, but I finished up all the editing this week.)
So this week, we are starting to put our digital story plans into action. The story will be a question-and-answer-type story written by a class of first-graders - a group project. The title of the story is "Mischievous Monkey" - about a naughty monkey who escaped from the zoo - and the students will write their answers to the question, "What will he do?" They will illustrate their story and record their voice reading it. Each student's work will be combined with their classmate's responses. In the last few weeks, we brainstormed ideas, created a wiki curriculum page for the activity, and researched appropriate websites for our students to visit. This week brings us to the next level - creating a sample story (on SlideShare or Prezi) for our students to view.
And this is where I sat.
For two days.
Neither program was what I was planning on using. I had been planning on using PowerPoint - simple, accessible, user-friendly - to create the story. But, since we are learning new software and I shouldn't close my mind off to new things, I decided that I should get more practice with SlideShare and Prezi.
Hmmm.... But, which one? There are pros and cons for using both, of course. I started with Prezi. I uploaded all my pictures and added the text to each one. I found that it was MUCH easier to create this time around - and I actually like my final product. I also love the graceful, smooth movement between the elements. That being said, I don't like that you can't add audio. That is a BIG problem for me. I saw you can add a YouTube video - I wonder if I could somehow hide a YouTube video off to the side that only plays audio? I guess the timing wouldn't be right because the user presses the next button. Or could I have multiple YouTube videos that played with each click? Sounds like a hassle and much too complicated.
Here is my Sample Story "What Can You Do on a Rainy Day?" on Prezi. (Note: I changed the topic of my book for the example - I didn't want them to copy what I did.)
The whole lack of audio issue really bugs me. My activity is for a class of first graders, so I think that audio is extremely important - to reinforce the words on the screen for the readers as well as guide the struggling readers. So, I most likely would not use Prezi for a first grade story project.
On to SlideShare.... I first created a simple PowerPoint presentation with the text I wrote and the pictures I drew. I did not use any transitions or animations since they would not work in SlideShare. Then I uploaded the presentation to the site. I knew there were directions to upload and sync sound to a SlideShare show somewhere on the site, so I hit the forums and searched. I found some great step-by-step directions. (I love forums!) I used Audacity to record the audio as one complete file and then exported it as an mp3 and uploaded that to my account. Syncing it was a little tricky at first, but once I figured out what exactly I was supposed to do, I had the sound attached to my presentation and to my liking pretty quickly. I can definitely see myself using this site with PowerPoint, will use it for the digital story as well.
So there it is... as Paul Harvey used to say, "The Rest of the Story"... I am looking forward to the final product.
I hope you are, too!
~ Christi S
Christi-I love your idea of sound! I too teach first grade and never thought about using sound in their presentations. In the past years I have done some power points that used the students voices. I actually did a really cool MLK Jr. powerpoint and I had a first grader that knew the whole "I Have a Dream" speech. What an awesome and touching presentation it was. Now that I look back it was the student voice that really made this presentation. I will definitely consider this in the future projects that we do.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about you, but I felt a little restricted with my first graders, but I ended up not giving them enough credit. I already have 2 students that have created a powerpoint and 2 Prezi's all by themselves. These little people are so amazing and I feel comforted knowing that I am enhancing their technology skills for the 21st century!
Hello Christi,
ReplyDeleteAs you say, "WHEW! This has been a CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZY week!" Are there any that are not crazy??? We all lead such, shall I say, FULL lives. I admire your ability to explore. I have not reached that level of confidence yet. If I can use familiar software, I will. I used PhotoStory because we used it last semester.
I appreciate the details you shared about Prezi and Slideshare. They give me a good idea of whether or not to try them. I have struggled with how to write the activity reflections because I get caught up in the wrong parts of a projects. Tangents, I am always going off on a tangent. A couple of your comments really hit home.
For example, yes, I did note you created an example different from the assignment. Great idea, they will be more creative. One day, I was having my Valencia students role play. I used the same instructions for all of my classes, except for one. I drew thought clouds on the board while explaining the assignment. Every single group did the same thing. "Woah!" I thought, "I have to be careful." This situation illustrated to me how much we can influence our students--good or bad!
Another comment that resonated with me was how you thought about making YouTube "work for you." Yes, it does sound "like a hassle and much too complicated." But, can I tell you how many times I have done just that. Not necessarily re-creating the wheel, but trying to make a square object round. What makes me think I could possibly make something work easier than the experts who designed the programs.
Your story idea is great. I like the movement you had with Prezi, but I think it might be distracting to 1st graders. I agree with you, sound is important. I think you made a good choice moving away from Prezi and using Slideshare. I still like PhotoStory because the sound element can be created right in the program, as well as transitions. Of course, I haven't gotten that far yet, because I have been off on picture tangents.
The combination of a student's picture and their voice will be a great memento. Your possibilities are endless, if you can get parent volunteers to help you. Think of Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparent's Day... Good luck with your project.
Techknow RhondO