For this assignment, I explored several creativity tools that would be useful in my English classroom. There is such an emphasis on writing with the EOC (STAAR) that the more interested we can get our students, the better chance they have of succeeding on these all important exams that are a must to pass for graduation.
Source: www.mobigizmos.com
One of the first I looked at was the Comic Book app from iTunes. I have a great many boys who would be interested in this and quite a few girls. The way the graphic novel genre is taking off, they could make something similar with this app. It also makes them choose their words carefully because in a comic strip, very few words are used to get a specific point across. With there being only 26 lines in an essay page for their tests, this would be a great exercise in getting to the point quickly and concisely. It would be appealing on a visual level as well and they could add captions, photos, images, etc. to "jazz it up" as much as they wanted. It would require thought in what to include that would use evaluation and then finally creation. I liked the idea of this app so much that I installed in on my iPad. It was only $1.99 and next year all my incoming 9th graders will have already had a year with iPads under their belts and bringing them with them to the high school. The better I am able to harness the technology they have for the betterment of their writing, the more engaged they will be with the classroom material. (Hopefully! :) )
Source: www.techvibe.com
I also looked into and then created an account at Protagonize.com. This is a site where you can peruse writings of others as well as publish your own. I think that if students have a chance to get their voices out there instead of just turning in a paper to be graded and handed back, it would be so much more meaningful. They would still have to create the original work and then publish it online. There can be interchange and feedback on this site as well. By allowing people other than me to see and give feedback on their work, they might take it more to heart. I know that when we peer edit in class, they take it very seriously and try to improve upon their classmates suggestions much like our peer review of the educational technology philosophies for this class. 
Source: www.theteachingpallette.com
I also am very fond of photopeach.com. I mentioned this in an earlier discussion during this course because I first used it this year with my students for a novel project. At Photopeach, the students are creating a book trailer. This is much like a movie trailer in that it is, in essence, an advertisement for a piece of literature. They may add background music, photos or graphics, and enticing tidbits to tempt potential readers to go out and find the book. It was very successful in a project we did where part of the grade was the promotion or "selling" of the book to their classmates. This is a sample of what one of my students created for the promotion part after reading Bless Me Ultima this year.
To watch the slideshow, please click the link below:
Another site I have used and LOVE is Jing.com. With Jing students can capture images and videos. They could use this to make a tutorial for other students or present knowledge for a presentation. It is a wonderful site with many capabilities in the classroom. It would be great for any type of curriculum. They would have to create a script for the video and they would describe what is occurring onscreen. I used this to teach how to use an interactive whiteboard for another class. It is a fantastic tool that teachers could use (It makes me think of science and math in particular) for steps to solving a problem. Students could make videos to teach each other.
There are so many amazing creativity tools on the market that if we, as educators, don't take the time to explore them for ourselves, we will lose the attention of our students and not make what is relevant to them (technology) a meaningful part of the learning in our classrooms. It is up to us to utilize these tools to maximize their learning.
There are so many amazing creativity tools on the market that if we, as educators, don't take the time to explore them for ourselves, we will lose the attention of our students and not make what is relevant to them (technology) a meaningful part of the learning in our classrooms. It is up to us to utilize these tools to maximize their learning.
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