Qwiki: The Information Experience

Qwiki is a multimedia website that synchronizes information drawn from Wikipedia articles and other sources on the Internet. Text and images are summarized on the screen like a moving slideshow with a digital voice narrating the information. This website offers visitors free access, although you can sign up for an account to receive more information access.

Qwiki at TechCrunch Disrupt from Qwiki on Vimeo.

Ms. Tonhauser

Postcards from the Web, Part 1: India…Wish You Were Here

Grade three students have completed part one of a four part social studies series studying communities from India, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Peru. This VoiceThread postcard project allows students to demonstrate an appreciation in the differences among communities with technology infused learning.

“Social Studies provide opportunities for students to use the processes, tools and techniques of various forms of technology. The Alberta Social Studies program of studies includes selected outcomes from its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) program of studies.” The student resource, Many Voices, suggests incorporating technology as a vehicle for inquiring, communication, representing, decision making and problem solving. Technology can be used as a tool to:
• Gather and identify information
• Express and create
• Organize information

To view a full screen version of this VoiceThread, please use the following link:
3HW India…Wish You Were Here


To view a full screen version of this VoiceThread, please use the following link:
3S India…Wish You Were Here


All digital pictures used in this VoiceThread project are from Wikimedia Commons which houses public domain educational media files.

Ms. Tonhauser

Pearson Education Canada. (2005). Alberta Social Studies Many Voices. Toronto, ON: Pearson Canada.

Social Studies 7 Project

Student artwork by Pier

Ms. Kwan (Assessment Coach), Ms. Langford (Social 7 teacher) and I (Technology Coach) are working with Grade 7 students on an Aboriginal inquiry-based learning project in social studies. In May, 2011, students will celebrate Education Week by hosting an interactive museum called the L'nu'k Student Expo. As expo presenters, students will share and provide evidence of learning and collaboration through various appropriate mediums of technology.

A social 7 wiki and blog has been created to encourage students, parents, and educational guests to participate in collaboration, information sharing, student engagement, and project communication. Please visit the sites to follow the project, view student work and join in the discussion.

Camilla Social Studies 7 Wiki

L’nu’k: A Tribute to the First Nations Blog

Ms. Tonhauser

1L Animal Research

Kidspiration Animal Research

Grade 1 students have been busy researching animals in science over the past couple weeks with Ms. LaBuick. Students have been studying living things, what they need to survive as well as how to grow within their environment. Through research, students have become familiar with differences and similarities in living things.

General Learner Expectations

Students will: Observe, describe and compare living things.

Specific Learner Expectations

Students will:
•Classify some animals into groups on the basis of visible characteristics; e.g., adaptations for survival, such as claws, beaks, prickles.

•Identify examples of animals that are normally under human care (domesticated) and those that are normally independent of human care (wild).

•Identify the requirements of animals to maintain life; i.e., air, food, water, shelter, space; and recognize that we must provide these for animals in our care.

Kidspiration software was used as the tool to give structure to the research project. This tool gave students creativity to visually organize their research information into web groupings such as:
•Lives
•Eats
•Looks like
•Moves
•Facts

Through the help of a cross-graded leadership activity with 5W, grade 1’s were shown how to import a digital picture in the centre of their web as well as given some assistance typing up their research information.


Ms. Tonhauser

Wonderful Wordle

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Gr 3 Wordle Project

Wordle is a wonderful tool for generating ‘word clouds’ out of text. This online tool does not require a login and allows users to originally design artistic word artowork with the option to print out the colourful creations.

Grade 3 students created their annual fall ‘Introduce Yourself’ Wordle. Students began the project by creating a personalized list of meaningful words in Microsoft Word 2007. Next, students copied and pasted their word list into the Wordle tool where they could customize font style, colour and text layout.

More interesting ways to use Wordle in the classroom include:
•Vocabulary words
•Novel study
•Highlighting key words
•Summarizing
•Writing prompts
•Creating a learning poster

Ms. Tonhauser

Mrs. Kieftenbeld’s Blog

Welcome Mrs. Keiftenbeld to the blogosphere. She will be blogging for students, parents and staff while attending the Ottawa Teachers’ Institute on Canadian Parliamentary Democracy with 70 other teachers from across Canada. Please check out her blog, feel free to leave comments and celebrate in learning through the theme of the Institute, “Parliament in the Age of Social Media”.

Ms. Tonhauser

Welcome Tech 7 Students to the Blogosphere!

Tech 7 students have entered the blogosphere as student bloggers. They are now web authors and collaborators by newly creating and maintaining individual public blogs. You can access the grade 7 student blogs on our main webpage titled Grade 7 @Camilla School. Please feel free to visit, read their postings and leave comments.

I decided to use kidblog.org as our blogging tool because it is simple, secure and presents straightforward formatting. Blogging is a great way to have an introduction to 21st century literacies, online participation and classroom sharing. Students will learn how to creatively design and edit blog posts, upload media files, and continue to grow as ethically responsible digital citizens.

There is a great article titled 20 Reasons Why Students Should Blog which outlines the power of student voice through this format. Blogging is a powerful learning community where sharing, learning, collaborating and responding is open 24/7. Students are engaged in writing meaningful posts and responding to blog comments, interacting not only with peers but potentially with a worldwide audience.

Take a little time to enjoy the view from our place in the blogosphere.

Ms. Tonhauser