Final Reflection on Technology

I loved my class on technology! I really liked playing with all the different formats of technology. Some I already was familiar with such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, QR codes, and Podbean, but I learned a lot of new ones as well. One of the ones I was excited to learn about was infographics. I have a friend who is a leader in infographics, so I was aware of them, but did not know there were programs available to help create them! He recommended Visme, which was not one of my options, so I went with Easel.ly and it was very easy to make one. I foresee myself using it this next year and in the future in my own library for sharing information. I also enjoyed using Animoto for creating videos, however I really liked Adobe Spark for making videos and think I would use that over Animoto. It just seemed more intuitive and easier to use.


I can see using the cartoons and comics regularly throughout the year for all kind of quick expressions of books and will be learning from my new Twitter contacts about all the cool things they do in their libraries that I will want to incorporate into mine one day. I also played with Canva, which is a simple graphic design software. It is super easy and has a lot of free graphics and photos.

I have enjoyed learning about all the different technology and look forward to learning much more as I journey into the future.  

Culture 6 - Inclusive Literature

Budhos, M. T. (2006). Ask me no questions. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN:  978-1-4169-0351-2

It is after September 11, 2001 and Nadira Hossain’s family are illegal aliens from Bangladesh.  They are headed to Canada to ask for asylum, but the border is unable to help at this time.  When they return to the US border her father, Abba, is arrested.  Nadira’s mother stays there to help her father and Nadira and her sister, Aisha, return to New York to live with their Aunt and Uncle to finish school.  This is the story of their struggle to remain in America and how sometimes the bad can become good. 

Budhos does a great job of building her character of Nadira.  We really get to know her through her thoughts and feelings.  She is not very self-confident and she feels like her sister is the “golden child” in the family and can do no wrong.  Aisha is smarter, thinner, and more popular than Nadira is and Nadira feels it.  After they are turned away from Canada, Aisha and Nadira return home and Nadira tries to make sense of what will happen to her family and her.  She looks to her family and her culture to figure out what will happen.  She is a weak, discouraged young lady at the beginning of the story, but by the end we see that she has solved a problem with her dad’s paperwork and takes a bus on her own to go to her dad’s hearing.  She develops into a strong woman. 

In the beginning of the story there is lots of description of their trip to Canada and within that time frame, Budhos gives lots of Bangali words, but doesn’t do a good job of explaining them.  The reader will be able to tell what she is referring to such as, “…I notice the pale bottom of her shalwar kameez flutter up around her jacket.” which we can tell is clothing or “…all serve the same Indian food, chicken tandoori and biryani, that the Americans like.” which is a kind of food, but we don’t really get a visual or any imagery about it.  Because of not explaining to the reader what to picture or expect it gets a little confusing at first and makes the story start slowly, but as you continue reading it picks up the pace and you are just focused on Nadira’s story. 

We also see cultural names like Taslima, Mr. Rashid, Ali-Uncle, Abba, Amma and of course Nadira.  We also see their surname Hossain, which later in the book gets mixed up with Hossein, one letter’s difference. 

Overall, we see and experience what it might be like for an illegal alien from a Middle Eastern area not only here in America, but in their history of their own country and what might bring them to America.

 

Reviews:

“Marina Budhos's novel (Atheneum, 2006) paints a compelling portrait of what it was like to be a Muslim teen living in the United States following 9/11. The characters are believable and well-rounded, especially Nadira, who grows from a naive and whiny teenager into a mature, level-headed young woman.”—School Library Journal

“The teen voice is wonderfully immediate, revealing Nadira's mixed-up feelings as well as the diversity in her family and in the Muslim community. There's also a real drama that builds to a tense climax: Did Abba give funds to a political organization? Where has the money gone? Will Immigration hear his appeal? The answer is a surprise that grows organically from the family's story. Readers will feel the heartbreak, prejudice, kindness, and fear.”—Booklist

Activities:

Book activities

Carter, C. (2014). My best friend, maybe. NY: Bloomsbury. ISBN:  978-1-599990-970-7

Colette, known to Sadie as Coley, lost her best friend three years ago.  Sadie has now all of a sudden asked Colette to go to Greece with her to a wedding.  Colette doesn’t know why, but she misses their friendship and even with a boyfriend and a new best friend she still feels lonely and is tired of trying to be perfect.  Colette’s mom doesn’t want her to go, but her dad let’s her and as she travels with Sadie to Greece she learns the secret that tore them apart three years ago. 

Carter does a great job of describing Colette’s thoughts and how she is feeling.  She places flashbacks into Sadie and Colette’s relationships periodically, which lead up to Sadie revealing to Coley she is a lesbian.  We feel Colette’s love of swimming and water, we feel her loss of her friendship with Sadie, and we feel her stress of trying to be perfect for her parents, boyfriend, and everyone else. 

Carter also does a great job of describing Greece.  We can picture the island they are on with only all these mazes of steps that lead to the ocean, we can almost smell the donkey manure on the steps and want to gag and we see the ocean, “It’s a deep blue, almost sapphire, marred only by occasional whitecaps and sailboats….the sea spreads before us, glittering in every shade of blue.” 

The book does not really reveal the topic of LBGT until about three-fourths of the way in.  Up until that point we are just as clueless as Coley as to why Sadie stopped being friends with her and why she has invited her to Greece.  Sadie keeps avoiding telling Colette, but when she does she mumbles, “I thought you knew.” because Sadie had told Colette’s mom three years ago and assumed she told Colette.  At this point in the book lots of things become clear as we realize why Coley’s mom didn’t want her to go with Sadie.  It also makes sense why Sadie has acted so weird. 

The theme of friendship and the struggle of relationships is richly is portrayed all through the book.  We see Colette struggle with her feelings about her boyfriend, her mom, Sadie’s brother, Sam, and Sadie herself.  But at the end of the book, things are not perfect, but they are willing to work on them because, “…we had to grow up.  We had to deal with hormones, with broken hearts, with boyfriends and girlfriends, with parents who make mistakes, with loneliness, and with finding new friends to fill it.”  This pretty much will speak to any teenager of what they are going through and any adult of what they have been through. 

Review:

“Carter weaves together classic elements of a coming-of-age summer-adventure story with poignant explorations of independence, sexuality, coming out, and the harmfulness of striving for perfection. Leavened with a sweet touch of romance, this meaningful tale of second-chance friendship should appeal to older teens looking for a meatier summer read.” ―Booklist

“Their messy and complex friendship is a realistic look at the ways relationships can change and wither. The narrator's quest to be who she needs to be (not who her demanding mother, her virtuous boyfriend, or duplicitous Sadie need her to be) and Sadie's tentative steps toward honesty are poignant. Stunning descriptions of Greece and a small cast of well-developed secondary characters round out this affecting story about identity.”—School Library Journal

Connections:

·       Me, Him, Them and It by Calea Carter

·       Have students research Greece, create a map of the island based on Colette’s descriptions.

·       Have students write about their own friendships.  Have they ever lost a friend?  Have they ever left a friend? Etc. 

Gantos, J. (1998). Joey Pigza swallowed the key. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN:  0-06-440833-7

Joey Pigza lives with his grandma because his mom and dad left when he was in kindergarten.  He seems to be “wired” differently and has trouble paying attention and making good decisions and has struggled in school and at home.  His mom shows back up and Grandma can’t take the rules so she leaves.  Joey’s mom tries to help him by becoming involved with his schooling and getting him medication.  It seems to work sometimes, but other times he swallows a key, eats an entire molasses shoofly pie and cuts the tip off a girl’s nose.  He gets sent to a special-ed facility and there finally begins learning how to make good decisions and gets the medical help he needs. 

From the beginning of the book Gantos gets us into Joey’s mind and what a whirlwind it is!  “At school they say I’m wired bad, or wired mad, or wired sad, or wired glad depending on my mood and what teacher has ended up with me.  But there is no doubt about it.  I’m wired.”  We can see that he knows he struggles with his actions and he knows that the teacher sees him depending on how she feels about his behavior.  He knows that he would do okay in the morning, but when his meds wore off he stayed in trouble.  He wants to do the right thing, but his impulsivity gets in the way and he can’t control himself. 

Gantos shares with us how it might feel to have ADHD.  The mind can’t focus, the body is on an energy high and has to work it all out, and then there comes a down time of exhaustion.  He also shows how it can be genetic.  “I am how I am because Grandma was born wired, and my dad, Cater Pigza, was born wired and I followed right behind them.  It’s as if our family tree looks like a set of high-voltage wires strung across a field from one steel tower to the next.” Joey gives us a great image of not only his family tree, but having ADHD is electrifying like a set of high voltage wires. 

Gantos gives us a glimpse into an ADHD child’s perspective and makes us want to not only help Joey, but frustrates us as well.  The book can help not only someone with ADHD help explain how they feel, but anyone who has to work with someone with ADHD know how they might be feeling. 

Review:

"In this rollercoaster of a ride, ingenuously and breathlessly narrated by Joey himself, readers are treated to an up-close and personal introduction to life with attention deficit disorder." --The Horn Book

“…readers will empathize and feel his emotional and physical bruises. References to alcoholism and abuse add realism to the novel without impeding the flow of the plot. In his first-person narrative, Joey relates incidents that are heart wrenching and humorous. From the powerful opening lines and fast-moving plot to the thoughtful inner dialogue and satisfying conclusion, readers will cheer for Joey, and for the champion in each of us.”—School Library Journal

Connections:

Lesson Plans

Activities for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Culture 5- Asian-American

Lin, G. (2009). Where the mountain meets the moon. New York: Little, Brown and Company.  ISBN 978-0-316-12363-1

Minli lives with her mother and father in a small village near a mountain that doesn’t have any vegetation and a river that is not fit for drinking.  She and her parents work hard everyday growing rice.  Her father tells her stories in the evening, but her mother says it is a waste of time.  Minli decides to go searching for a fortune for her family and village.  Along the way she meets a dragon, an emperor, a buffalo boy and finally the Old Man of the Moon. 

Lin has created a very satisfying book by describing such a rich and varied landscape for her setting.  She says, “…a black mountain that cut into the sky like a jagged piece of rough metal…nothing grew on it and birds and animals did not rest there…village that was a shade of faded brown.”  And then we see the emperor’s garden as “soft sunlight cast leaf shadows across her face and the wind made gentle ripples in the moss-colored lake in front of her.  The Imperial Garden was just as beautiful in the day as it was by night.”  She also describes the goldfish man with his “cart was full of bowls of flashing fish that glittered like jewels.” As a contrast to their brown village.  And later a man pulling a cart of cabbages and calls Minli “Little Mouse.”  As Lin describes her settings for the book she also helps create the mood for the reader of sad, weary to great joy and happiness. 

We also see a theme of peaches throughout the book.  She has Minli and the dragon eating them of course, but Lin also describes some children’s faces as “plump peaches”, she has the emperor plant a peach pit and grow a tree magically.  These peaches appear not only in the main story of Minli, but also in the tales that Lin includes along the way starting with Minli’s father and continuing from different characters in the book.  This ties the main story to the tales in a perfect way. 

Lin has included many cultural makers such as names:  Minli, Ba (for father), Magistrate Tiger, A-Fu, Da-Fu, A-gong, Amah, and Dragon.  These help immerse us into the Chinese culture.  Lin also includes paintings throughout. Small ones on top of each chapter page and full pages spread throughout.  The full page illustrations are in color and show pagodas, their dress of colorful clothes, mosaic ceilings, tables that you sit on the floor at, the Man of the Moon sitting on a floor with red string around him, and more.  Through the illustrations we get a glimpse of the culture Lin is exposing us to.  She also includes some food items, such as, bamboo, cabbages, noodles, chives, and tofu soup. 

Reviews:

2010 Newberry Honor Book

“While these tales are original to Lin, many characters, settings, and themes are taken from traditional Chinese folklore. The author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning. Minli's determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her absence, is compelling and thoroughly human.” –School Library Journal

“With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude. Lin’s own full-color drawings open each chapter.” –Booklist

Activities: 

Grace Lin's website activity ideas

Pinterest ideas

PDF of vocab and summary with links

Say, A. (1991). Tree of cranes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN:  0-395-52024-X

A young boy plays in his neighbor’s pond, even though he knows he is not supposed to.  As he goes home he is nervous he is going to be in trouble.  He finds his mother folding paper cranes to make a wish.  Mama is not pleased that he is wet and feels warm, so she puts him in a warm bath, gives him a warm meal and makes him rest.  He sees Mama digging up his tree that was planted when he was born.  She tells him about when she lived in California and about Christmas.  They decorate the tree and the next morning he finds a samurai kite under it. 

Through this book we see a development of setting.  We see the boy at the carp pond, then at the house that is the traditional Japanese house with simple walls, ceilings, and sliding doors, a wooden bath that would look almost like an American Jacuzzi, and sliding paper windows.  We also see the mom sitting on the floor at a table and the boys bed is a mat on the floor. 

Say also shows us their clothing styles.  The boy starts off in shorts and a jacket, but later dons a Japanese robe when he is sent to rest in bed.  The mother also is dressed in a kimono, however we later see the father home from work in a suit. 

The boy shares at one point that Mama was going to make him a hot lunch.  “I knew what that meant.  Rice gruel.  Only sick people ate rice gruel.”  And that is what he had along with a sour plum, yellow radishes, and hot tea.  This shows that Mama cares for him and is trying to make sure he stays well.  She also shares with him about when she lived in a warm place, “Ca-li-for-ni-a”  and tells him about trees decorated with winking lights, boxes of presents under the tree, and they light candles on the tree and decorate with the paper cranes she made. 

Say also depicts an Asian look in their physical look.  Dark hair, tan skin, and almond shaped eyes.  The pictures however are realistic and not cartoonish giving a respect to the story he is sharing. 

Reviews: 

“The story is a poignant one, illuminated with finely drawn illustrations reflecting the serenity of a Japanese home and the quiet love between mother and son.”—Publisher’s Weekly

"A gift from artist to child that indicates a ripe maturity in both its illustrative and textual elements. Serving as a bridge between American and Japanese cultures,…understated and pristine, Tree of Cranes is the achievement of a master in his prime, one of the best picture books of this or any other year." Horn Book

Activities:

Other books written by Allen Say include:

Say, Allen. 1993. Grandfather’s journey. ISBN 0395570352

Say, Allen. 1999. Tea with Milk. ISBN 0395904951

PDF on Japanese Culture

Activities for Tree of Cranes

Origami Paper Cranes

Yep, L. (1995). Hiroshima: A novella. New York: Scholastic. ISBN:  978-0-590-20833-8

An Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima August 6, 1945.  It was the first atom bomb used in a war.  That morning people were going about their business as normal.  Riko and her little sister Sachi are going to school and as a bomber flies over everyone takes cover in the bomb shelters, but there is no bomb dropped.  Later that morning the real bomber plane comes and no one is prepared for the devastation that occurs.  Sachi survives, but is badly disfigured and later becomes one of the Hiroshima Maidens.  The story is fiction based on real events and a compilation of people. 

Yep brings us into the book with setting, “…women go out with baskets to shop.  A peddler wheels his cart carefully through the crowd…Some people believe Hiroshima is so beautiful that the Americans have decided to spare it.”  This not only gives us a sense of a normal morning there, but it also helps us connect in a way that any ordinary day can bring life-changing events.  We see that Riko and Sachi stop by a shrine to pray to Buddha for their father who is in the army.  Yep describes the buildings as many are made of wood and paper.  Because of the material, school children like Sachi are outside in the streets tearing down houses so that if a bomb is dropped they can contain fires.  Older children are working in factories and recording phone messages at army headquarters.  We get the sense of war, but it has not drastically affected Hiroshima. 

Yep also describes the sisters as having an air-raid hood that are supposed to protect them from burning sparks, and as they run, “lunches and emergency bags bouncing.”  After the bombing, in 1949, Americans return to Hiroshima to help.  In 1955 they take 25 women to New York for surgeries to help them.  Yep describes Sachi as not being able to communicate in English, but she tries to learn and adapt, “she tries to act like a good Japanese daughter.” 

Later in the book Yep includes a story of Sadako, who got sick from radiation.  She had heard a legend that if she folded 1000 paper cranes she would get a wish.  She did not get her wish and dies 10 years after the bomb was dropped, but they did build a statue for her and now children send as many as 400 million paper cranes to Hiroshima. 

Reviews:

“Yep's account of the bombing of Hiroshima and its devastating aftermath is at once chilling and searing, hushed and thundering. Within a factual framework, the author sets the fictional story of a girl named Sachi, allegedly a composite of several young residents of the bombed city… Yep interjects the resonant words of an American-the Enola Gay's copilot-who, surveying the destruction just after the bomb has hit Hiroshima, scribbles a note to himself: "What have we done?" This powerful chronicle ensures that what was done on that awful day will remain in readers' memories for a very long time.” –Publisher’s Weekly

“His words are powerful and compelling, and the facts he presents make readers realize the horrors of that day and its impact beyond. As a fictional character, Sachi never becomes much more than a name, but even so, readers will be moved by her tale.” –School Library Journal

Activities:

PDF Lesson Plans

Background information, teaching ideas

Origami Paper Crane

The Great Media Debate...how should we use it?

In reading the article “The Media Debate” I lean more towards agreeing with Richard Clark. He makes the statement, “…media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes change in our nutrition.” (Clark 83: 445) I think that you can have the same information presented in different ways to accomplish the same learning. If I have a Prezi presentation of the information I am teaching for one group of students I may then decide to provide the same information through a video to another group. They may both learn the same concepts but have a different means of presentation.

I also think of it this way. I am a visual learner primarily. My students in my reading workshop classes are typically auditory learners. If all I do is show them pictures or have them read silently then they are really not learning their best. Therefore, I know that teaching in different modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile) make for the best teaching and learning. However, because I am a visual learner I have to really work at making sure I try to hit all the other learning modalities to make sure I am helping all my students.

I think today’s learners are surrounded by media and we should use it to help our students as long as it is relevant and useful. I don’t think we should just throw media in the mix just to say we are using technology, it needs to be relevant, but I do think our students are so immersed in media today that it does play a big part in how they learn. I don’ think they media should replace face-to-face learning, because I also think our students need to have social skills and the ability to work together. Media is just one aspect of how students can learn today.

Clark, Richard E. (1983). "Reconsidering Research on Learning from Media," Review of Educational Research 53 (Winter 1983): 445-59.

Podcasts...

I have made a podcast before, but I really don't like them because I feel like I sound like a hick!  I would imagine lots of people feel weird about how they sound, and I guess I just need to get over it.  I can see using podcasts in the classroom for lots of things.  I think it would be great as a reader's theater, interview, or just a response to anything they've read.  One thing that struck me as I researched using podcasts in the classroom was a teacher that used a podcast called "Serial" and had his students listening to it and then using it as a springboard for activities in the classroom.  It let to critical thinking and listening/speaking skills.  I used several podcast creators:  Soundcloud, Audioboom, and Podomatic.  I also added a bonus one Podbean, that I had already used and I'll speak to which ones I liked and why at the end.  The biggest challenge was figuring out what to talk about. I asked my high school daughter what she would want to listen to, but she was really no help because she wants to listen to teacher drama. LOL.  She said she wouldn't be interested in listening, she would rather read directions she said...so I figured things out on my own.  I tested each one with a read aloud.

The first program I used was SoundCloud.  I downloaded it to my iPad, but you cannot record from there. I had to search for how to use it and record.  I found that you can record from an Android device or a computer.  I chose the computer.  Once I found where to record I hit record and went from there.  You also have options to upload a picture, tags, etc.  It walks you through once you find out where to go.  Here is my recording of Koala Lou by Mem Fox.




The second program I used was PodOmatic.  This one was difficult to use in that I had to record somewhere else and then upload to PodOmatic.  It took me awhile to figure that out after looking at youtube videos and searching on how to record.  Again I had downloaded it to my iPad, but was unable to record from there. I ended up using the voice recorder on my laptop and then uploading the file. I also uploaded a picture.  Again I used a book, Tree of Cranes by Allen Say.



Next I used Audioboom.  It used to be Audioboo, but has converted or joined Audioboom.  I downloaded the app on my iPad and was able to record from there!  I went under my profile and was able to record on my iPad.  I can share from there or I logged in on my computer and got the embed code. I could have added a picture here as well, but there really wasn't one to go with it so I didn't.  I read "Ode to my Southern Drawl" by Kathi Appelt because I feel like that's how I sound.  LOL...




Bonus:  Podbean.  I had previously used this in another class and really liked the ease of using it.  I downloaded it on my iPad and click record and voila!  I then logged in online and got the embed code.  But you can publish it straight from the app to facebook or twitter.



Hope you enjoyed listening...I still will have to do some thinking of how to work this into the classroom and get over hearing myself talk.  ;)

Cartoons and Comics

I played around with different comic strip programs today.  I see a lot of uses for this in the classroom/ school.  I see students using the programs to create a quick assignment to show what they learned or teach someone else.  I see teachers using it to grab kids attention to introduce a lesson or concept.  I also see using it for a flipped lesson.  I can see it being used for book trailers, science experiments, timelines, etc.

The first program I looked at was Make Beliefs Comix! and created a 4-paned comic.  I liked this program because it gives characters that have a few positions, backgrounds, different speech/thought bubble sizes, and it is easy to use.  The one thing I didn't like about it was I could only do up to 4 panes and if I wanted to do more I couldn't.  That in itself does make you keep it succinct, but I didn't care for the limited panes. It also didn't have a ton of objects to use and place in the pane.  There is no log-in for this one and you can't create an account.  You can email yourself your comic when you are done.

How to solve Boredom Comix!

The next program I looked at was ToonDoo.  This program was a little more difficult and I had to do some reading to see how to save it.  It was not easily done and I wasn't sure how I did it until I played some more and figured out the drop down menu from the Toondoo logo. It again has built in back drops, characters, speech/thought bubbles, etc. that you drop in and adjust.  This one seemed to have a little more customization with adjusting the speech bubble, flipping and rotating the characters, and the ability to create characters.  Again, though you are limited to how many panes you can create.  I tried a vertical and a horizontal and could not get it to add a pane.  Maybe I'm doing it wrong..??? This had a free account and you are able to use the App on iTunes.

First one with all their templates already created...

By jenhill93 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Second one with my own people and some doodling...

By jenhill93 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

The third program I looked at was Pixton.com.  I really liked Pixton.  It was again easy to use with drop in backgrounds, characters, etc.  I could add more panes, which I really liked.  I had to create my account online and then I could use the app to build my comic strip.  It had most of the features that ToonDoo did but it just seemed a little more user friendly.  It has different layouts like a comic strip, storyboard, graphic novel, mind map, character map, plot diagram, timeline, poster, and photo story.  All the choices would be great to use for different projects, however some of them you have to upgrade to a membership.  I first made a comic strip about reading and created the backgrounds and things I wanted...

The next one I did a Story Board and picked weather systems.  It guides you through each step to create a story board.  I started in the online program then it moved me into the app to create it.  You can add speech bubbles and also a panel description.  Once you create all the panels you click done and it takes you back to the internet.  There you can title it, edit it, or publish it.

Here is a Story Board...


Lastly I created a Tellagami.  Ok...seriously love this but it reminds me of an old app called Voki, or something like that.  You are pretty much creating an animated cartoon that talks or you can type in speech.  It again is free and you can create an account.  It is very limited in your choice of people, clothing, etc.  Most everything is locked and I'm not exactly sure how you unlock them.  I think I don't allow in app purchases and you have to purchase them.  There is a Tellagami Edu app that you can purchase for $4.99 and if you feel you will use it often would be worth the money.  It unlocks a lot of stuff in the app for the initial cost.

 Once you are finished creating your picture you can record your voice.  It will only give you 30 seconds so you need to have a script or plan of what you want to say.  To type your text or get 90 seconds of speaking you have to buy it.  If you type your text it gives you options for the voice speaking either female or male and there are some different dialects.  Here is the first Tellagami I made...LOL

Here is one for a book teaser.  I uploaded my own picture of the cover of the book...



Lots of fun technology to use in the classroom...I found that Tellagami was the easiest to use.  For an actual comic strip I liked Pixton, then Make Belief Comix!, and lastly ToonDoo.  I think looking at all of them they are all enough different that some people may prefer one over the other and some students may want more customization.  Each one offers something a little different and I think would be good to present all of them for students to play with and try out.

Here is a link for some ways to use Comic Strips in the classroom: How to Play - Educators

Culture 4 - Native American

Bruchac, J. (2005). Code talker: A novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two. New York: Dial Books.

Kii Yazhi is a Navajo boy who at six years old is being sent to boarding school to learn the ways of the white people to help his family.  He is there given the white name of Ned Begay.  He is not allowed to speak Navajo language anymore and can only speak English.  Ned does very well and school and is a quick learner.  He does so well that he is allowed to continue on to high school.  During this time the US is in war with Japan and the Marines come looking for 17-32 year old men who can speak Navajo and English.  Ned is only 15 but wants to sign up to serve his country.  His parents refuse until he is a year older, but at age 16 they agree and he joins the Marines where he becomes a Navajo code talker to send messages in the war without the Japanese knowing what the US was doing. 

This story was based on true events and people, except the main character, who is also the narrator, is fictitious along with some of the other characters.  The job of the Code Talkers was very top secret and the Navajo were not allowed to talk about what they did with anyone even after the war was over, so a lot of things about the Code Talkers are still unknown.  Bruchac does a great job of including history along with some fiction to tell this story.  He uses Navajo words throughout the book along with belief systems they have. 

Bruchac has a theme throughout the story that he restates in different ways, “The first thing was that bilagaanaas (white people) are not born knowing everything.  The second was that in many of the most important ways, white men are no different from Navajos.  The third?  That no matter who they are, people can always learn from each other.” He relays this again and again and shows through Ned’s thoughts and interaction with other men the truth in this statement.  Ned sees this through a white boy, “Georgia Boy,” who comes to him and can’t read and asks Ned to read a letter from home to him. 

Some cultural stories that Navajos grew up with were staying away from deep water because of water monsters, so the Navajos always tried to stay away from eating anything that came from the water.  The Navajos also did better in training because of their life and how they lived.  One story from a training exercise was how they were crossing a desert in two days on foot with only one canteen of water.  The Navajos knew they could get water from prickly pear cactuses and were able to save their canteen water, whereas the white men didn’t know that and almost died. 

Ned talks about the religious beliefs of Navajos that he attends Catholic Church, but also the Holy People and tells about Monster Slayer who killed off Monsters who killed people except for Poverty, Old Age, and Hunger.  Those Monster Slayer was unable to kill. Ned also talks about ceremonies the Navajo have one was before he went in the Marines to keep him safe called Blessingway and another Enemyway ceremony for restoring balance.  

Reviews:

"Readers who choose the book for the attraction of Navajo code talking and the heat of battle will come away with more than they ever expected to find." —Booklist

"Bruchac's gentle prose presents a clear historical picture of young men in wartime, island hopping across the Pacific, waging war in the hells of Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and Iwo Jima. Nonsensational and accurate, Bruchac's tale is quietly inspiring..." —School Library Journal

Activities:

Code Talker PDF activites

Code Talker activites

Code Talker Pinterest

Word Document Code Talker

Dorris, M. (1997). The window. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Rayona Taylor lives with her mom, who is an alcoholic.  Her Dad, Elgin, does not live with them, but checks on them every once in a while.  It is during one of the checks that he discovers Rayona’s mom has not been around for 3 days.  He decides to get a friend who is a social worker to help place Rayona with a family temporarily while he gets help for her mom.  She goes to one family for one night and then moves to another one for a week, however she ends up being taken to stay with Elgin’s family.  She has never met her great-grandmother, grandmother, and great-aunt before and discovers she is loved and has a family she never knew about.

The Window doesn’t have a ton of cultural markers in the way of Native American, but the story does a great job of developing Rayona’s character.  She is just finishing 5^th grade and is 11 and in the book she seems like she is more with it than her parents.  Her mom leaves her for hours and days at a time, but Rayona takes care of herself.  She has a great sense of sarcastic humor when she says, “I love being a surprise.  I really do.  I love it almost as much as getting a booster shot, as having a cavity filled, as  the first day at a new school in the middle of the year.” 

Dorris also describes Rayona’s foster homes each time she moves.  The Potters live in an aluminum prefab house that is in a neighborhood of the same and the only difference is in the “accessories” of flower boxes, weather vanes or in this case a homemade sign that reads “THE POTTERS.”  She also admits her room is great with a bed, frilly spread, dresser, desk and chair and a bookshelf.  She is then moved to Mrs. Jackson’s apartment building into apartment 3-F, which has an elevator and a security system you have to be buzzed in by.  However, when Rayona gets to her grandmother’s home Dorris describes the people more than the setting. 

In describing the people in the story, Dorris uses some physical description, but more of a heritage description.  Elgin comes from a black father and an Irish mother.  He has not told Rayona or her mother that his mother’s side of the family is white.  Elgin is described as “…mysterious:  dark complected, sharp cologne, sad pale-green eyes…skin feels like satin…” and her mother as “Mom’s from Montana—‘pure Indian,’—she brags…”  Rayona is never described, but we can imagine from her parental coloring that she is a brown color and it does say at one point that she has brown eyes like her mother. 

While she is with her extended family, Aunt Edna has a lot of art to do with Rayona, paint-by-number, “all these Indian scenes and projects—Aunt Edna’s bought a beadwork loom as well, but we never get around to it—are intended to make me proud of my heritage.” She also has a conversation with a “middle-aged Indian guy in full costume—turkey feather headdress, buckskin suit, beadwork.”  And he asks her if she knows her language and tribe and she discloses she knows a little by saying something her mother has told her not to say in public. 

REVIEWS:

“This honest tale, with its wise narrator, will engross young readers.” – The New York Times Book Review

“The first-person narration is sophisticated and perceptive, and seems to promise more of a story than it delivers…readers are ready for the story to begin at last, until they realize that there are only 20 pages left in the book. Dorris's lyrical writing and ability to create evocative moments will sustain those who have read his historical novels, but won't give them an idea of the real Rayona of the earlier books.” – Kirkus Reviews

Activities:

Students can finish the book – add to the plot and tell what they think happens next.

Students could also pretend a journal of Rayona’s trips.

Smith, C. L. (2001). Rain is not my Indian name. New York: HarperCollins.

Cassidy Rain Berghoff is turning 14 on New Year’s Day, but as she wakes up she is given the news that her best friend, Galen, died last night in an accident on his way home from her house.  She spends the next 6 months withdrawing from everyone and everything.  Her father is in the military and stationed in Guam, so she lives with her Grampa Berghoff and her brother Fynnegan.  Her Aunt Georgia is having an Indian Camp during the summer and Fynn signs her up to go against her wishes.  She ends up documenting the camp for the local newspaper with her camera and as she does so she begins to find her way back to the world and begins to heal from her loss of Galen. 

Leitich Smith gives us a view of a modern day Native American, who is not struggling with her mixed blood, but with grief and healing from the loss of her mother and best friend.  The night before Rain’s birthday, Galen gives her a present of a necklace of a seed-beaded pouch.  Rain remembered it from a Lakota trader’s table at a powwow her Aunt Georgia had taken them to in Oklahoma City.  She also recalls her finger’s sticky from an Indian taco and taking pictures of a girl dancing to the rhythm of the Drum.   

In her journal Rain describes her heritage as, “I’m Muscogee Creek-Cherokee and Scots-Irish on my Mom’s side, Irish-German-Ojibway on Dad’s.” and she begins by saying, “Rain is not my Indian name, not the way people think of Indian names.” it came from her parents meeting in a rainstorm. 

Rain describes herself as “average height, average weight…eyes pinched at the corners…my so-called Kansas coloring.  She (her mother) used to say my hair looked like waving wheat and my eyes changed color with the weather.  Dishwater hair, I’ve always thought.  Hazel eyes.” Rain goes on to say her brother looks more like their mother and more Native American. 

Most of the names in the book are typical names, however Fynn’s girlfriend is pregnant and she calls the baby Aiyana after Rain’s mother which is explained “Aiyana is an old name, a musical name.  My mom’s name…It means ‘forever flowering.’” Rain also recalls a memory of her and her mother traveling to Oklahoma to go to powwows, socials and stomp dances.  She recalls the smell of pork cooking, her the songs and fell the rhythm of the shell shakers.

Leitich Smith does a good job of including Native American culture throughout the book, without making it the focus.  She also gives a realistic picture of the “outsiders” to begin to have an understanding of the culture.   

Reviews:

“Some of Smith's devices such as opening each chapter with a snippet from Rain's journal add depth and clarify Rain's relationships for readers…” – Publisher’s Weekly

“There is a surprising amount of humor in this tender novel. It is one of the best portrayals around of kids whose heritage is mixed but still very important in their lives.” – School Library Journal

Activities

Rain is Not my Indian Name - multidisciplinary

RINMIN chapter previews and activities

RINMIN Book Trailer

Videos and QR Codes in the library

Libraries are using youtube in all kinds of ways to promote returning books all the way to teaching how to do research.  I looked at a few library channels and found the following videos to share with you.

The first school I looked at was  BBMS library.  This librarian produces tons of overdue books parodies, however the kids are making them. I think that is a good idea, because kids know what their peers will find funny and interesting.  It will make for grabbing the attention of students.  The first video is one of the overdue parodies.


He also produces videos to walk the students through the research process.  Here is one of him showing how to create a citation for a database.



The next channel I looked at was Norman High School Library.  This librarian didn't have many videos, but I found this one that showed how to access the library page from home.  I think that is a good basic thing to teach kids, however I'm guessing it is posted on her website and kids would need to know to go there to watch this video.



The second video I think kids would like is one that shows all the things the library offers.  It is a tour of the library by the mascot.  I think sometimes kids may not know all the library has to offer so this would be perfect...a virtual tour.



The next library channel I looked at was The Unquiet library.  One video that stood out to me was the librarian took a mobile check out station to the cafeteria during lunch.  I thought that was pretty ingenious.




She has tons of mini-lessons and tutorials on how to use things.  One that seemed to be pretty popular was about how to create a citation for music.  I liked how she also mentioned copyright law at the beginning as well.  I think students would need to know this as well as teachers.




The last channel I looked at was Pikesville HS Library.  This librarian seems to publish lots of information about college readiness and library reward type activities.  The one I thought the kids would like the most is one from a few years ago...heehee.




Again this librarian shows how patrons are using the library.



I can definitely see using youtube in the library.  I think it will be useful for showing kids how to research, create citations, use the databases, and check out ebooks.  I also can see using it for mini-commercials to promote any fun contests or challenges.  I think using videos to show what materials are available in the library, especially things that might not be known about.

Another great tool to use in the library is Quick Response (QR) Codes.  I already use this to give my contact information at school and think it is an easy way to transfer information.  I can foresee using QR codes all over the library with linking them to book trailers for books that are popular and those that I am having trouble getting kids to read. I can also see using them to do a library scavenger hunt to show what is in the library or how to use materials in the library.  I would like to use them in the makerspace to give ideas or how to use materials (machines).  I could also see using them to link to a google hangout or remind sign up type thing.  I have included one below for you to see what it looks like and use it.  You will need a QR code reader and if you look on your mobile device there are tons of free ones.  And lastly for this post...

Animoto...what in the world is that?  Well I pretty much think it is animating pictures to make a video.  I had not used Animoto before, but I know my students had. I signed up for a free account and decided to make a book trailer for my class next year.  We read Nothing But the Truth by AVI at the beginning of the year, so I thought a good hook would be useful.  First I downloaded some public domain images that would go with the book and saved them in a folder.  From there I uploaded them into Animoto and alternated creating slides with text to explain the story.  Animoto has free backgrounds and music to go along with the themes it allows.  There are more themes and music if you upgrade to a pro account.  Another positive is educators can create accounts and get 50 student accounts.  Animoto Educator Classroom I can see using this for presentations and such for class.  It truly was really easy to use.  I do wish there was more space for typing text, but it does make you keep things succinct and to the point.  :)

In this thought-provoking examination of freedom, patriotism, and respect, ninth-grader, Philip Malloy, is kept from joining the track team by his failing grades in English class. Convinced that the teacher just doesn't like him, Philip concocts a plan to get transferred out of her class. Breaking the school's policy of silence during the national anthem, he hums along, and ends up in a crisis at the center of the nation's attention
Here is my video.  Scan the QR code with your phone and watch it.

Screencasts, Instagram and Vines, oh my...

I am having too much fun.  I am playing with screencasts and tried out several and looked for ones that were free to use.  I looked in to Jing, Screencast-o-matic, and Adobe Spark.  The first one I used was Screencast-O-Matic.  When you register for it you use it you download it to your desktop or you can use it from the webpage.  It pops up a screen that you can make to the size you want.  It will record for 15 minutes at a time, which is probably plenty for a quick lesson on all kinds of things.  I can really see this being used in a flipped classroom or as a resource to help students (or parents) use databases or searches at home. It puts a little yellow circle around the mouse so you can help show what you are doing on the screen.  I used this to show how to use the card catalog from school.





The next screencast tool I used was Jing.  I used this to show how to make an Adobe Spark.  The downside to Jing is that it is only 5 minutes, so it got to a point I felt like I was rushing.  You can also see that I ran out of time and it cut my video off at the end, but it got the gist across.  Jing downloads to your computer and you again can use it to make a screencast, but you can also use it to do a screenshot.  Each way you can send the link from screencast.com and send things to people. When I downloaded it to my computer it puts a little yellow half sun at the top of my screen and from there I can capture, get my history, or use settings.  There was also a get started slideshow so it was easy to figure out.



From there here is the full Adobe Spark video I made.




Okay, on to some social media.  I set up an new account in Instagram for work/school.  I was able to add it to my current account on my phone so that I can toggle between the two and get notifications on both accounts, private and public.  With Instagram I can foresee using it to create interest in new books or materials in the library or book reviews.  It is mostly pictures with a few words.  Again, I think promoting the account is a priority or no one will know it's there.  My account is readings_my_thing and will be used mostly reading stuff, but also some fun things as well.

Middle school coming to a movie!

A photo posted by Jennifer Hill (@readings_my_thing) on Jun 29, 2016 at 12:10pm PDT

Happy 4th y'all.

A photo posted by Jennifer Hill (@readings_my_thing) on Jul 4, 2016 at 12:19pm PDT

Next I made a Vine account.  It is six seconds of craziness.  Now supposedly they are trying out some longer videos, not sure how long, but six seconds goes by quick.  It was not as intuitive as other apps are and I had to do some googling to find out how to get it to record.  Here is my first attempt. It'll almost make you sick...I could see the green lighting up, but didn't figure out I needed to hold it down to record LOL.




Here is after I figured it out...




I'm not exactly sure how I will use it, however,  there are tons of videos on how to do stop motion or reviews so I will keep thinking and researching and figure it out.