Week 32: Exploring the World of Multimedia
Homework
for the Teacher
Today’s
focus is very simple: Give students time to explore, explore,
and explore some more. The activities are designed to introduce
students to a wide range of copyright-friendly multimedia sources
before jumping into the planning phase of their projects. This
takes time and it is barrels of fun for everyone. So,
pull up a chair with your students and explore, too! We can’t
expect students to "imagine the possibilities" if
they don’t have some experience with the nuts and bolts
of multimedia beforehand. Students can waste valuable instructional
time floundering around on the Web if they don’t know
what’s available and where to find it quickly. The TK
Multimedia Diner puts high-quality, safe sites right
at their fingertips.
Utilizing
technology and its multimedia capabilities can absolutely mean
the difference between "glowing success" and "getting
by" where most students are concerned. If students who go
on a field trip are given video or digital cameras to capture
images for an upcoming multimedia project or simple report, they
will be actively seeking out information for the duration of
the trip. Take advantage of the benefits of multimedia to turn
otherwise boring assignments into high interest adventures! As
always, move students beyond the traditional search for factual
answers and into higher arenas of thought by modeling how to:
- ask
probing, real-world questions
- inquire
about phenomena or issues that matter to them
- compare
and contrast
- make
a decision
- solve
a problem
Bookmark
the famous TK
Multimedia Diner for all your classroom multimedia needs!
Here’s
an outrageously
fun idea that is cheap, easy, and places YOUR students’ photos
right on the Web---ready to be popped into a slideshow with a
few simple clicks! (We are using Wal-Mart for this particular
example, but you can apply the idea to any store with a photo
center.)
You
see how easy it is to get pictures online with the Wal-Mart idea
above, right? Now think about how the entire multimedia
process is made more meaningful when students generate
their own artwork, take their own pictures, shoot their own videos,
etc. At Pics4Learning,
a site with thousands of copyright-friendly images for education,
you can upload images taken by your students. Students will be
proud to know they are making a contribution that benefits people
all over the world. It’s easy. Try
it!
Reading
Strategy Spotlight
Empower! Help
students use a variety of "fix-it" strategies to repair comprehension
breakdowns independently. Listen to students describe their
reading problems and then respond by modeling techniques to address
the problems. Ellin Keene and Susan Zimmermann, authors of Mosaic
of Thought, describe reading problems that go beyond the failure
to decode words and understand their meanings. Refer to their chart,
on pages 201-204, to understand the more subtle features of reading
obstacles and to see examples and practical classroom solutions
for each of those problems.
Student
Activity Sheet
Download a sample Reading Conference Form developed by Cheryl
Sigmon to assist you in the identification of your students' reading
obstacles.
BBs:
Weekly Nuggets of "Best Practices" and "Brain
Research"
Download
music with 60 beats per minute for your classroom.
TechKnow
Disaster Preparedness Page
Printable Computer Skills Mini-Posters & activity sheets
for those times when the network crashes or equipment is unavailable.
You can print a different page each week.
Fifth
Grade Computer Skills Test Item Bank
Please retain the security of this test to maintain its validity.
Contact your local Media and/or Technology Director for the user
name and password to access the item bank.
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