StoryJumper

StoryJumper is a great Web 2.0 tool! It could fit into many of the Maryland Writing Standards but below is the content standard in which I feel it fits best.

Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Framework English Language Arts. Standards for Writing (W). W3 CCR Anchor Standard. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences





StoryJumper

The book linked below was created on StoryJumper.com.  It was created from the story starter section.  This Web 2.0 tool enables users to start from scratch or begin with a premade idea.  I would use this site to publish my students writing.  We teach a picture book unit at the end of the year.  I plan on trying this with my class!

http://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/4630382/The-Great-Walmart-Adventure

It seems that many other teachers are interested in using or are already using StoryJumper.com in their classroom.  Check out the blogs below to gather some resources on this Web 2.0 tool.

http://techtasticteaching.blogspot.com/2011/11/jump-in-water-is-warm-storyjumper.html


http://blogs.jefftwp.org/wordpress/walker/2010/11/08/publish-your-own-childrens-book-with-story-jumper/

Blabberize

Blabberize seems to be a popular tool.  The links below are to other teachers' blogs that describe some ideas for using Blabberize in the classroom. 

http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/Blabberize

http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/looking-for-creative-ways-to?commentId=649749%3AComment%3A590417

Edmodo

Edmodo can be used to meet a variety of content and technology standards but below I have listed a few that could be met using this technology.

National Education Technology Standards 2. Communication and Collaboration. A. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. B. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Framework English Language Arts. RL1 CCR Anchor Standard. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Edmodo

            The links below are to some great ways to use Edmodo in the classroom. One of my favorite things about using Edmodo is that it gives students who are more timid an outlet to participate. I was surprised by the quality of some of my students' posts. Unfortunately, I was also surprised by the lack of proper grammar and spelling. I tried to impress upon my students the importance of posting your best work, but for some students it just didn't sink in. Overall, I’m very pleased with my students’ participation in the blog. I hope that the newness doesn't wear off anytime soon!  Check out the screen shots of my Double Fudge blog below.



http://blog.edmodo.com/2010/11/17/7-brilliant-ways-to-use-edmodo-that-will-blow-your-mind/



http://blog.edmodo.com/2010/11/23/we-asked-you-answered-15-more-brilliant-ways-to-use-edmodo/

Edmodo

            Edmodo is a type of blog posting site, but can be used for much more. The site is often used by K-12 educators.  After doing a bit of exploring on the Edmodo site, I found other ideas of how to use this Web 2.0 technology in the classroom. Edmodo could be used as a jigsaw learning tool in which groups in your classroom could research different aspects of one culture for example, and then share their part of the research with the class on the Edmodo blog.  Students in 4^th grade often still have trouble with punctuation and grammar. It may be meaningful to teach grammar lessons about posts students make on Edmodo.  One of my favorite things about Edmodo is that it’s a great place to teach students about Netiquette, since teachers are able to moderate comments. Edmodo can be a place to teach students how to safely use other social networking sites like Facebook.

            I have already used Edmodo to explore technology related issues with the faculty at my school.  I plan to start a blog to use with my students to discuss the literature circle book we’re reading, Double Fudge.  I’m very excited!

StoryJumper.com

StoryJumper is a Web 2.0 tool that allows kids and parents to write and illustrate children’s stories easily.  From the home section of the website, the user needs to click “create” and there is a template that guides the user in creating the entire book.  The user can save their children’s book on the site by creating a free account.  Users can also view other books that have been written and saved.

StoryJumper also has story starters that students and adults can finish to create their own stories.  The site seems like an easy Web 2.0 tool.  I’m going to try it out and I will make a post in a few days to report how it goes.  Below is a tutorial from YouTube on StoryJumper.