Today, my new friend, Brenda Cleland and I wrapped up a collaborative project that my ComTech 10 class and her Grade One class did together. The Grade One class (the Clients) have hired the high school class (the Freelancers) to animate their drawings. The students were paired up and assigned a blog post in which they were able to have a conversation in the comment section. The Freelancers asked the Clients how they wanted their drawings to be animated. They were not allowed to change the artwork in any way; it would be like changing a client’s logo! We hope you enjoy the results below. Be sure to read the comments in each blog post to get a feel for how well the two groups communicated without meeting in person.—
The URL: https://sites.google.com/a/epsb.ca/winter-traditions/home
And on that note, Mrs. Teacher List and I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the coming year! Rest well and we’ll connect again in January.
– Pete
My work pals, Noel Taylor and Karly Kulpa, passed this one on. The Polona Typo project, based on the new Polona API, (Polona.pl is a National Library of Poland website) makes it possible to type, share and print your own sentences using thousands of letters from the books, posters and maps created over more than six centuries.—
The URL: http://typo.polona.pl/en/ ]]>
Given the content of socially conscious storytelling and film, please take the time to preview any content that you plan to use in your classrooms.
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The URL: http://www.cultureunplugged.com/
Cheatography is a collection of 899 cheat sheets and quick references in 19 languages for everything from science to google!—
The URL: http://www.cheatography.com/ ]]>
I haven’t seen magnetic poetry for a while now but here’s an online version that your students can use to explore word order and construct meaning from the selection of offered words. There is a “more words” button that keeps the creativity flowing.—
The URL: http://play.magneticpoetry.com ]]>
Ontario List member, Jason Yeoman, suggested I have a look at WordLens, an iOS/Android app translates text between different languages in live-time. Jason explains, “The app opens the devices camera and will translate english to spanish or german to english. The best part is that you don’t require an internet connection.” I had a look at this app last year and was turned off by the in-app purchases required to add language capability to it but when I reviewed it this week, it appears that for an undisclosed time, the language packs are being offered at no cost. That changes my initial rejection to a conditional (and possibly time-sensitive) recommend. I installed all the language apps and tried it out – its accuracy seems to fluctuate but it’s close enough that I could interpret Google images of road signs easily.—
The URL: http://questvisual.com/ ]]>
I had to double check my use of i.e. versus e.g. the other day, which is when I found Mignon Fogarty, better known as Grammar Girl. Ms. Fogarty offers a variety of useful tidbits to help users, learners, and writers further master their English language skills.—
The URL: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl ]]>
Ah, the dreaded book report! This page has been making the rounds since yesterday and it’s too good not to share. Thanks to all who pointed it out.—
The URL: http://www.educationrethink.com/2014/09/six-alternatives-to-book-reports.html ]]>
My friend, Ann Blakely, told me about this site last week. The Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary is a collection of visual illustrations. The site explains itself: “The Visual Dictionary Online is an interactive dictionary with an innovative approach. From the image to the word and its definition, the Visual Dictionary Online is an all-in-one reference. Search the themes to quickly locate words, or find the meaning of a word by viewing the image it represents. What’s more, theVisual Dictionary Online helps you learn English in a visual and accessible way. The Visual Dictionary Online is ideal for teachers, parents, translators and students of all skill levels.”—
The URL: http://visual.merriam-webster.com/ ]]>
This vast collection contains historical images from the Wellcome Library collections, Tibetan Buddhist paintings, ancient Sanskrit manuscripts written on palm leaves, beautifully illuminated Persian books and much more. Much of the collection is available in high or low resolution for educational use either by permission or by Creative Commons licensing. “Whether it’s medicine or magic, the sacred or the profane, science or satire – you’ll find more than you expect.” This is probably more useful for the secondary level students. Preview for use by younger students, just to be safe.—
The URL: http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/page/Home.html ]]>