Final Reflections: Voice Thread

Now that I've explored all the stories individually, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the anthology as a whole. I chose to use VoiceThread to do so. I've heard a lot about VoiceThread and its use in K-12 classrooms, but had never had the chance to create my own.

You can also view a larger version at http://voicethread.com/share/1192434/

I should note that for this assignment, I chose to shift my perspective back to a teacher examining this anthology as a teaching tool for her students. My reflections on each story thus blend my personal reactions with thoughts about how each story might be used within a classroom. Obviously, I think that students could easily create a similar VoiceThread (without the teaching ideas, of course!) to share their reactions to the story. Or the teacher could create a VoiceThread and require each student to comment on one, several, or even all of the stories, creating a single product that encompassed the reactions of all the students.

VoiceThread was a very easy-to-use tool, and I think it could be easily incorporated into a classroom. I liked how there were text and audio options for commenting, which makes the tool more accessible. It is also easy to send a direct link or to embed the thread into a web site or blog, which allows students and teachers to share their work with families. I've seen some great examples where grandparents and other relatives have left audio comments on the work. Having an authentic audience is such a key aspect of web 2.0, and it really adds to reading and writing assignments.

There are so many possible uses for VoiceThread that I couldn't begin to list them all. I'm glad I finally had a reason to experiment with the tool!

Follow Up to Out of Bounds: Comparison of Mapping Tools

In my last post, I tried Lovely Charts as a way to visually organize text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections. While I liked the webbing approach, I did not like the tool. So I decided to recreate the web using three other mapping tools: Bubbl.us, Mind42, and Webspiration. Here's what I found. Note that all three tools are free, and that I'm comparing them with the lens of a teacher interested in using them with her students.

Bubbl.us

http://bubbl.us/

Bubbl.us was much easier to use than Lovely Charts. Small icons would appear each time I added a bubble, allowing me to easily add, change, remove, or move what was already on the screen. You can also invite friends to collaborate on your web (termed a "sheet") with a friends list. A menu allows you to send a read-only link, embed (a dynamic object!) in a blog or web page, and export or import items. The downside? The result is not nearly as visually appealing as the finished product in Lovely Charts. It's also very easy to forget to name and save your work, as this is not something you are prompted to do.

Mind42
http://mind42.com/

I had a little more trouble setting this one up, although it still wasn't as difficult to figure out as Lovely Charts. I also had trouble figuring out how to embed the map into the post, although I eventually found the correct option for doing so (look under "Open Publish Dialogue" to do so). I do like that, as with Bubbl.us, you have the ability to embed a dynamic object into a web page or blog and that you can manipulate the map from the blog. I also like that you have the ability to collaborate and that you are prompted to name and save your work from the start. However, I don't like the layout and don't feel that it is very student friendly. The shapes of the bubbles in Bubbl.us much more closely matches what we present to students as mind maps, webs, or graphic organizers. I also couldn't find a way to manipulate the entries so that the text was not all displayed on one long single line. This makes the web much harder to read, in my opinion.

Webspiration

http://mywebspiration.com/

The embedded version isn't very attractive. You can also view my map at http://mywebspiration.com/view/457127a6684.

Webspiration is a web-based version of the Inspiration software. I had used Inspiration when I taught several years ago, so I was able to create the web much more quickly. The tool offers the most flexibility in terms of customization of images using various symbols, line and arrow thickness, and a wide variety of non-bubble images to use within the web. Finished products can look quite sophisticated if sufficient time is given for students to experiment with all the options (something I didn't do for this post). I also found from past experience that students could learn how to use the tool fairly quickly. Webspiration also allows users to collaborate, chat, and comment - features that can greatly extend the utility of the assignment. The lack of an attractive embed option is a definite drawback, although it may not affect many teachers who do not publish to a class blog or web page.

Overall, I would recommend Webspiration as the most robust tool, with Bubbl.us as a good option for teachers looking for a quick and simple approach to webbing. Mind42, while still useful, would not be as helpful for use with students, particularly those in the elementary and middle grades.

Out of Bounds and Lovely Charts

"Out of Bounds" is the story of Rohan, a presumably Indian boy living in Durban. He isn't happy when squatters set up camp down the hill from his house, destroying his hideouts in the process. His parents aren't happy either, but for different reasons. Rohan eventually goes "out of bounds," making a new friend and learning some valuable lessons about the universal nature of humanity in the process.

One of my favorite stories in the anthology (along with "One Day, Lily, One Day"), I felt this was a prime opportunity to encourage students to make connections to the text. I chose to use the popular and research-based strategy of making text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections. And I decided that a webbing tool would be an interesting way to visually organize those connections. I'm familiar with several web 2.0 tools that can be used to create webs, and I decided to try out Lovely Charts to do so.

Here's my connections web for "Out of Bounds":

That's pretty much impossible to read, but you get the idea of the layout. (Updated: After I published, I learned that you can click on the image and view a full-sized version.) Unfortunately, the free version of the tool does not allow you to embed or share via a web link - you can only export as a jpg or png file. So here are my connections, written out in case you are interested:

Text-to-Self

• My siser and I used to create hideouts in the woods near our home when we were younger. I would have been sad and upset if they had been taken away, just like Rohan was.
• I remember visiting Durban when I went to South Africa. Just like all the other cities, there was a big difference between the rich and the poor houses and neighborhoods.
• I also remember seeing wire crafts and visiting African Craft stores at the malls. It seems odd (and sad) to think that the people who actually made the crafts wouldn't be allowed in.

Text-to-Text

• The idea of taking a risk and befriending someone outside of your culture reminds me a little of the novel Summer of My German Soldier that I read for class in 7th grade. Even though it was a very different story, it was still about going "out of bounds" and the power of friendship to work against stereotypes and prejudice.

Text-to-World

• A cyclone is just like a hurricane. I remember when Hurricane Katrina caused all the damage and flooding in New Orleans. The cyclones in the story must have been like that.

While I do like the webbing layout for making connections assignments, I can safely say that I won't be using Lovely Charts again, and wouldn't use it in my classroom. First of all, there's a fairly high learning curve with the tool. I consider myself pretty web savy and I had to refer to the "Help" menu four times as I created this simple web. Students would become easily frustrated and I can only imagine the classroom management issues that would occur as a result.

I was also very frustrated with the limited functionality offered to free account holders. With so many web 2.0 tools out there, I expect to be able to embed and share, even if I haven't paid for a subscription. Other free tools (such as Mind42, Webspiration, and Bubbl.us) also provide the ability to work collaboratively on a single web. I think that this really underscores the collaborative nature that is so essential to the web 2.0 concept, and also lends an effective social dimension to the assignment. I can imagine that the number of connections made would grow exponentially if students had the ability to work collaboratively and share ideas.

In my next post, I will try out the three other mapping tools - Mind42, Webspiration, and Bubbl.us with the same assignment and discuss their pros and cons.