New Media in the Writing Classroom More Than PowerPoint! New Media in the Writing Classroom

There are many new web apps to engage students that are easy to use, even for less techy instructors. Best of all, a number of good ones are free!

(Ben Franklin, quoting an ancient Chinese philosopher) “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn.” (Ben Franklin, quoting an ancient Chinese philosopher)

New Media: “A 21st Century catchall term used to define all that is related to the internet and the interplay between technology, images, and sound” (New Media Institute). “Interplay” defined: “Two or more things having an effect on each other.”

Who Gets to Play?

Students Must be Producers of Media, Not Just Consumers If not, they will be as disadvantaged as the illiterate of the past—they will be voiceless (evoking Peter Elbow here!).

We can help our students by engaging them with technology…...

Fun, Free Web Apps That Engage Students: Polling Video Customization Video Creation

Polleverywhere.com

How does polling help in the classroom?

Advantages of Using Polling Apps 1. Polls give immediate feedback: Break up a lesson with a survey or poll and gauge the students’ understanding of the information that’s just been presented. 2. Engagement: Facilitate discussion and draw students in. 3. Polls allow everyone a chance to be heard: The anonymity of a poll provides an added level of comfort for students to express themselves.

Polling as a Learning Assessment Tool Students absorb new information in chunks, with 15 to 20 minutes being the limit for that information to go from short-term to long-term memory (Willis). Polling students near the 20-minute mark gives them a chance to analyze what they have learned, making the lesson more effective and lasting.

Videos Also Engage Students Students Love Technology! Teens spend nine hours a day using various forms of media (Common Sense Media). The number of hours people spent watching videos on YouTube went up 60% in the last two years.

There are a number of free web apps to customize videos:

American Dream Video

There is less likelihood of a generic “Googled” response using video and prompts in this customized way.

Powtoon Make animated videos and presentations Amazing, fun creations. It’s free!

Powtoon

Digital Literacy

Cloud-based Video Production Creation Service Animoto Cloud-based Video Production Creation Service Free for Teachers!

Our students are already “managing, analyzing, and synthesizing multiple streams of simultaneous information” (NCTE) outside of school—we need to harness those abilities by engaging them in our classrooms.

Thank You For Attending!

Links to Web Resources: https://digitalwritingworkshop.wikispaces.com/Websites_And_Apps http://www.edutopia.org/film-fest-classroom-apps http://www.edudemic.com/best-web-tools/ Links to web apps: https://www.polleverywhere.com/ https://edpuzzle.com/ www.powtoon.com https://animoto.com/

Works Cited “The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing is Taught in Schools.” The Pew Research Center. 2013 July 13. Web. 5 May 2016. “NCTE Framework for 21st Century Curriculum and Assessment” NCTE. National Council of Teachers of English. 2013 February. Web. 14 April 2016. “Statistics” YouTube. YouTube. Web. 30 March 2016. “The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens.” Common Sense Media. Web. 25 March 2016. Willis, Judy. Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning. ASCD. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Web. 7 April 2016.