writing

=Promoting Writing in the Classroom Through Technology= - handout highlighting some Web 2.0 tools for writing, focused on elementary

Cartoons from your Photos

 * 1) Convert images into a cartoon style using [|befunky.com]. Save onto your computer.
 * 2) Save and insert into a Word template [[file:6 panel cartoon template.dotx]].
 * 3) Right-click on the shape - Format Shape. Select Fill Effects and choose Picture.
 * 4) Navigate to where you saved your image and click Insert. Your image will now fill the shape. //If you don't like the BeFunky words on your image, crop the image beforehand (i.e. in Paint.net or Picassa).//
 * 5) Use the shape tools to draw speech bubbles and add captions.

[| Myths & Legends Story Creator] - Create your own story - myths & legend using this highly interactive tool. Select between scenes, characters, speech bubbles, props, etc. Resize, re-order, rotate & flip objects. Can upload own images. Can save, print, etc.

[|Read*Write*Think Flipbooks] - Create and print your own flip book, complete with text and images. Simple interface. [|Make Belief Comics] - Create your own comic strip using this interactive site. Fun for all ages. For integrative ideas, visit their Daily Comix Kerpoof- Create your own story, selecting scenes & included props, create own objects, add text. Can save and print. Comics Links- Collection of web links on comic creators, tools, and cartoons in education

Poetry
[|PicLits] - Drag & drop words (provided below) to accompany the site's many photos. You can also use your own words. Save, post online, etc.

**Language Arts**

 * Compare themes in two pieces of literature, seeing what words emerge as most common
 * Paste the text from a book and do a "word walk." Analyze the vocabulary, predict what a new book is about just by the Wordle.
 * Make a Wordle of commonly misspelled words. Can make a new one monthly, etc. and analyze.
 * Create a Wordle of **characters** listing in a book. Take a screen shot and add an image of the book cover on the same page. You could also create a character analysis of a selected story character, ranking the top traits and repeating the trait to show prominence. Describing the **setting** can also be done in Wordle.
 * Use your linguistic skills to come up with different ways of saying the same thing - i.e. "please" in different languages.
 * Find or create an image reflecting a poem. Overlay a Wordle design of the poem on top. Use colors reflective of the poem and/or image.
 * Do some creative writing using words from the word cloud.
 * Predict what genre the source text is from based on the Wordle cloud and state your reasons why you made that choice.
 * Conduct a readability test of a book, typing in words from a page - if more than 5 words are unfamiliar to you, then it may be too hard.
 * Take selections of writing from an author to help determine the diction of an author's writing.

**Social Studies/Humanities**

 * Create a Wordle of a famous speech or writing (or even compare two speeches), analyzing the words that appear graphically.
 * Wordle the text from several news articles on a topic and evaluate for bias and content source
 * Conduct a "who am I?" hunt in which students try to guess which key historical figure matches the biography-generated Wordle.

** Arts **

 * Create a reflection on a piece of artwork (famous or student). Can focus on art appreciation, art elements & principles, etc.

**Foreign Language & ESL**

 * Create a wordle using words in a target language and their equivalents in English. Students find the matchmates.
 * Type topic vocabulary (including foreign language) with the topic word larger. Practice pronunciation.
 * Use for prompts for charades
 * Choose which words are appropriate for a certain writing task (i.e. formal vs. informal letter)
 * Include English and other language words - try to find the matches
 * Analyze a Wordle using words from a current or upcoming unit and find & look up unfamiliar words

** Text Analysis **

 * Copy and paste the first paragraph or two of some text and create a Wordle design from it. Try to see what the big ideas of the are.
 * Take a vocabulary word and write all the words the class associates with it. Can also use in place of a word wall, using vocabulary
 * Type in vocabulary related to a topic (i.e. parts of a heart, heart functions & diseases) and overlay (optional) on top of an image of that topic
 * Study a Wordle created from upcoming content as part of your KWL activity. Identify words you know and don't.

** Speeches & Presentations **

 * Use to introduce a topic, having the students guess what will be learning about
 * Use as a basis for delivering a presentation in lieu of presentation notes, PowerPoints, etc.
 * Paste text from your writing or speech notes and analyze for overused words {including transition choices), need for more descriptive, etc.
 * Summarize findings from a survey's text field entry
 * Use as a summary from the content of an essay or other piece of work to determine what the writing is about

** Reflection, Goals **

 * Have students brainstorm about an event, memories, field trip, etc. - or even things they appreciate/remember about their teacher. This can be printed as a poster, on a mug (take a screen shot), or other memento.
 * Use as a visual poll representation of favorite class colors, birthdays, favorite pet, etc.
 * Create an attribute poster for each child, using the written input of each classmate (duplicates = fine).
 * Create a customized greeting card, fabric printed T-shirt/tie, etc. for Mother's or Father's Day, using attributes of your parent.
 * Paste the text of your favorite poem or song as part of an introduction to who you are.
 * Write about your strengths, copy text to Wordle, and print your "About Me" poster
 * Create a Wordle from a student's dreams & aspirations writing. Repeat later in the year and compare.

**Class - Miscellaneous**
media type="custom" key="3913411" Forty Interesting Ways to use Wordle in the Classroom []
 * Create a class sign using the names of your students
 * Analyze/summarize a course syllabus, course description, or standards met in an activity.
 * Create a word cloud of your class rules or expectations
 * Summarize the results of a **survey** response. This can be particularly useful if you use Google docs to collect your survey information – just copy and paste into Wordle.

media type="youtube" key="jwFJG4GY_gc" height="344" width="425" Creating Word Clouds with Wordle - short video tutorial Putting Images into your Wordle - step by step how to transform your text Wordle to include images
 * Using Wordle in the Classroom**
 * Tips:**
 * The more often the word is typed, the larger it will appear
 * Put a tilde (~) between two words to keep them together.
 * Edutopia BootCamp Summer PD - Wordle in the Classroom

Alternatives to Wordle
Tagcrowd - similar to Wordle, but can also get text from imported files ToCloud - Word cloud generator (static or dynamic) that can take text from a website or pasted/typed text. Many options for display and included text. Recognizes phrases better than most. Tagxedo - Similar to Wordle, but can create fancy shapes. Export function. ABCya - Simplified word cloud generator, great for young students Word Mosaic - Includes ability to select from a small variety of shapes

Writing - General

 * [|Scholastic Story Starters] - Generate fun story prompts by pulling levers. Write in several formats (newspaper, notecard, postcard). Also includes drawing tools.
 * [|Writing Fix for Kids] - Choose one of 14 interactive word games (i.e. crazy animals, colored animals) and click on the buttons until you're inspired to start your story.
 * [|Ideas for Inspiring Writing in the Classroom] - Over 30 ideas presented in this SlideShare
 * [|Build Your Wild Self]- After creating your wild character using the site, proceed to use descriptive words (vocabulary, similes, metaphors), special abilities, or fun adventures it has
 * Can create your own kids/characters for use in your PowerPoint or Notebook presentations, or even an avatar (using screen capture tool)
 * Get your kids to have more practice writing more descriptive, expanded sentences by using premade phrases at [|Telescopic Text]or your own at [|Basseq].
 * Write a poem, using lots of descriptive imagery. Select corresponding image using [|Flickr Storm]. Select a word(s) from your poem using [|Spell With Flickr] to create a unique image word, where each letter is an image. Combine images & text in PhotoStory or PowerPoint for a visual poem.
 * [|EtherPad] - Write collaboratively (up to 8 people at a time) using this free tool
 * Google Translate - Type up a document in Google Docs and go to the Tools menu - Translate, selecting the new language for the text to be translated in.
 * Retell tales, writing the script and rehearsing narration. Upload text to xtranormal.com, choose from cartoon sets & actors, and make your animated movie online. Can be embedded into your blog, etc.
 * **Xtranormal**, with its animated output, can be a motivating tool for kids who struggle with writing
 * Go Beyond the Book Report**
 * Design a **movie poster** using page layout programs (i.e. Publisher) or multimedia (i.e. Glogster)
 * Create a **multimedia collage** about a book, incorporating text, videos (including trailers if book has been turned into a movie), links, audio, and images (drawn, scanned, or photos) using Glogster.
 * Create an **"Interview with the author."** Could be in the form of a Podcast.
 * Pretend that you are a **newscaster** covering an event(s) in the story
 * **Retell** the story through the perspective of another character in the book
 * Redesign the book's cover
 * Create a **quiz show** such as Jeopardy! based on the book's content. Use templates already made for PowerPoint, SmartBoard Notebook, or online at Super Teacher Tools
 * **Rewrite** the ending of the book or another part of the book
 * Use an **advice column** as a medium - write as a character giving advice or as an advice columnist giving advice to a character
 * Create a **photo album** using PhotoStory or VoiceThread
 * **Recreate** a chapter of the book in a simple play
 * Create a **book trailer** trying to convince people to read the book. Post on the Book Trailers for Readers wiki. (How-to posted here). Use Animoto or video editing software to create.
 * Create **stop-motion** or **animated videos** about the book's plot. Use MeeMov to create animated video or visit this tutorial on how to create stop motion videos.
 * **Recreate the travels** of a character using Google Maps or Google Earth. Google LitTrips has examples of students using Google Earth for this.
 * Create **3-d** augmented reality book reviews using ZooBurst.
 * //For more ideas, visit 41 Ways to Go Beyond the Book Report//