1. MULTIMEDIA BLOGS The use and integration of a web log in the K-5 classroom. Larissa Weaver and Lisa Diffenderfer

2. The Need That Drove The Concept: If Only I Could… Increase students’ enjoyment of writing Encourage students’ focus on quality Share students’ work Improve assessment

3. The Concept is Born: But… What is a Multimedia Blog? Interactive component of a website in which video or photographs are posted and visitors comment.

4. Let’s Make Sense of It: What Goes In a Multimedia Blog? Our Classroom Blog An introduction Photographs Student work Videos Text Audio Comments made By students By parents

5. What? When? How? Logistics Production Process What is worthwhile showcasing? What do you have readily available? What do you still need?

6. Let’s Put It Together! Plan ahead Estimated production time Resources needed Flexibility Build excitement!

7. The Real Thing Sample Schedule: Day 1: Take pictures Day 2 and 3: Recording Day Volunteer 1: oversees center rotations Volunteer 2: reading fluency Teacher: audio or video recording Day 4 and 5: Put it together Enter text Add special effects Post onto website and email parents

8. Interactivity at its Best

9. Interactivity For All: Families

10. Interactivity For All: Students

11. Is it Worth The Time Investment? Why use it? High-interest activity for skill set practice Assessment Communicating with parents Emphasizes the Writing Process Wrap-up concepts taught Self-reflection

12. Let’s Be Realistic: When to Use Video Blogging End of a unit When students are ready to implement a skill Special Occasions

13. From The Trenches: Lessons Learned A simple camera (goes a long way) External microphone (helps reduce noise) Three grown-ups on recording day works best Be very explicit with instructions and expectations on recording days With students With volunteers

14. Free (or inexpensive) Online Applications for Creating Video SlideShows Animoto – http://animoto.com Animoto Most appropriate for tweens and teens No ability to comment on projects You can embed in blogs VoiceThread – http://voicethread.com VoiceThread Appropriate for K-12 Audience/viewers can send audio commentary You can embed in blogs Little Bird Tales – http://littlebirdtales.com Little Bird Tales Most appropriate for K-3 No ability to comment on projects You can bed in blogs

15. Applications for More Robust Video Editing iMovie Mac Application Windows Live Movie Maker PC Application VideoToolbox Free online app http://www.videotoolbox.com/ Movie Masher Free online app http://www.moviemasher.com/

16. Free Tools to Create Blogs Blogger http://google.com/Blogger http://google.com/Blogger Free, online application Easy to use WordPress http://wordpress.org/ Download application to your computer Application is free, but you have to find a hosting service which costs money Very robust application

17. Questions ??? Larissa Weaver larissaw@harker.org larissaw@harker.org Lisa Diffenderfer lisad@harker.org lisad@harker.org