Literacy+Ideas

[|Shape Poetry] Use the computer to add graphics to enhance a poem. Shape Poems Using WordArt



[|Create a big book for junior classrooms] The example on this page was made using Frontpage and is very basic but you could do the same thing in any webpage software. You then just need to put the html files on your server for the younger classes to access.

[|Google Docs Activity for Educators] A lesson plan and ideas on how to use Google Docs for collaborative writing and re-working writing.

There is a great example of how to use Google Docs in combination with Skype to develop writing on two teachers blogs that were involved in the project. [|Lisa's Lingo blog] and [|Learning is Messy Blog.]
 * Skype and Google Docs**

[|ICT Applications in Literacy] This has a large number of ideas on how to incorporate ICT into literacy organised by objectives and strand.

[|NGfL Literacy Ideas] Almost all of the ideas in this list have an ICT component.

We created an animated advertisement for a useless product. We first created a Jingle then drew the animation and took photos of it. Finally we compiled it together in iMovie. It was fully integrated into our poetry and inquiry unit making the learning more meaningful. The students learnt the process of animation while learning about how to effectively advertise.
 * Creating Animations iMovie**

Children read the same text in separate classrooms and the children develop questions based on the text. They then use iChat/ Skype to contact the other partner classroom and children ask each other their questions. You could also do this in other ways such as using [|VoiceThread] with a picture of the book/page in the middle and children add their responses to the question around the outside.
 * iChat/ Skype for Reading**

Using Keynote/ Powerpoint to publish Poetry. Given the nature of transitions and animations, the children had to think about the importance of each word, what they needed to emphasize, how they were going to emphasize it.
 * Kenote or Powerpoint for Poetry**

Using keynote we put together informative slides with hyperlinks to websites and other pages. The kids loved it. We had a map of New Zealand with clickable areas that would take you to slides about that area. We also added hyperlinks to external sites that could be clicked on in the presentation.
 * Keynote for Presenting Topic Material**

They had to add a further ending onto the book using Comic Life. It was successful because I got a few older kids to assist them (buddy system) integrated with reading. The children enjoyed using their imaginations and loved the story and were therefore motivated. These were shared with the whole class at the end.
 * Comic Life to Add Alternative Book Ending.**

This can be done with a data projector or with small groups. You can base it on a current big book for reading or for other purposes such as to explore ideas in the current topic. Our children enjoyed working together to make a class book.
 * Clicker 5/ Kidpix to Create Class Book**

We made photo stories of children's experiences. It was about them personally and they enjoyed reflecting on an activity they did. They could shape and craft their story in their own design.
 * Digital Storytelling with PhotoStory 3**

I used podcasts in my writing programme to record the children's advertisments. You can hear the results of these on our podcast channel. the children really focused on improving their oral language skills and loved sharing their podcasts with their families [|http://sanantonio.podcastpeople.com/posts/15384">Fabian's Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Advertisement]
 * Podcasting for Language and Style of Advertising**

Using Video to develop writing You could use videos from a range of sources to use as either a story starter or to help develop descriptive language. You can also use a video clip that is quite neutral and write about it using a range of contexts to explore changing the mood such as in [|this example].


 * VoiceThread Ideas**
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