We visited the C-SPAN Classroom booth at ISTE back in June but I just had a few minutes the other day to take a look at the site. This website is FULL of free primary source materials for social studies teachers and students! There is a “Timely Teachable Videos” module right on the front page where you can grab and embed videos about current issues. Select a particular video and read a summary about it and then, if logged in as a teacher, save the video for easy retrieval. Upon joining, you are automatically added to the C-Span Classroom Ning where you can join in on the Forum.
Additionally, easily navigate the wealth of content yo the site by the Subject/Topic categories or by using the search feature. Find tutorials by fellow teachers on how they use C-Span as a current events blog, with Google Maps and more! You can also quickly navigate to other C-Span websites!
Take a look at the STUDENTCAM 2012 project available to your students!
This annual national video documentary competition encourages students to think about current issues affecting their communities and our nation. They submit a short video documentary related to the theme. This year’s theme is “The Constitution and you: Select any provision of the US Constitution and create a video illustrating why it’s important to you.” Deadline: January 20, 2012!
Please take a minute to take a look. We're really looking forward to hear how YOU will use C-Span Classroom this year!
For over a year, I have shared with teachers how to download Discovery Education videos and then import then into iTunes for syncing to the iPod touch/ iPad. This is a great practice, especially at elementary school where having students log onto another site can be time-consuming and/or when time is short and you really want the students to focus on one or two videos. However, there are times when you want students to find their own resources for learning and having access to Discovery Education would be ideal on the iPad!
Discovery Education has created an iPad optimized environment! While not an app that is downloaded, it can look like one by creating a web clip of the website! Students can find content using Discovery Education's targeted keyword search or explore content via the visual subject browse.
Users open the Web Clip, enter the district username and password, and explore thousands of video clips covering all core, K-12 curriculum areas.
So now, you may be asking, “How do I create a web clip?”
First, tap the Safari app and enter the url: mobile.discoveryeducation.com. Then, tap the “Send to” icon and select Add to Home Screen! Repeat the process on each device, or better yet... Have your students do it! It is that easy!
Thanks, Angela for sharing this website!
Stupeflix: New features!
If you have ever attended one of my trainings, then you are probably aware of Stupeflix Studio - a terrific movie-making app that is integrated into our SBISD Google Apps accounts. Stupeflix Studio is a super-simple presentation tool. Recently, the creators of Stupeflix Studio have overhauled many of their original themes to include the features of the new video editor such as the music library, maps, text-to-speech and more, so now it is even better if you can believe it!
Choose from four different themes, upload your images or video, add a few title/text slides or add text directly to the images, make a music selection from the library or record your voice/write a narrative and voila! Your movie is created in minutes! No longer are students lost in design decisions, animations, and transitions! Take a minute or two and explore Stupeflix Studio! I think you’ll agree it is a great little tool to use with students in the classroom! Create a classroom Dropbox or share one of your Picasa Web Albums with students! That way, everyone is working collaboratively adding pictures to the same location.
How do you get there?
Select more from the Google Apps dashboard menu and then select Stupeflix Studio!
It’s THAT easy!
Questions? Feel free to comment, email or call!
