April 13th, 2009 — 23 things, ideas, teacher spotlight
Jenny Johnson collaborated with the Library Media Specialists for her HCA II classes to use a microblogging site – Shout’em!
All students logged into the blog and a few students at a time entered their thesis statement. Students used valuable communication and critical thinking skills as they collaborated with their peers to provide suggestions and input for how each student thesis could improve.
Students were able to receive instant feedback from their peers and exchange ideas. The interactive nature of the activity provided an engaging and relatable process for students to connect with the curriculum.
March 9th, 2009 — collaboration, information literacy, teacher spotlight
Honors Communication Arts I
Matt Bolch, April Burkhardt, Joe Geist, Kim Lilley
By collaborating with the HCAI teachers, the library media specialists converted the library into a museum-type experience for all HCAI students. Students were able to explore artwork (prints) from the Renaissance as they begin their Shakespeare unit.
Students downloaded provided podcasts (The National Gallery, London) to their iPods or library mp3 players. They also explored online museums and the art books to gain a deeper understanding of the culture.
February 18th, 2009 — collaboration, ideas, teacher spotlight, technology
Our teacher Spotlight for this month is on Marilyn Brewer!
Her AP CA IV students used Photostory to convey interpretations of various poems to prepare for the AP exam. Since students in previous years created Movie Maker and iMovie projects, students were comfortable using the technology. Using photos, music, and narration, the students creatively expressed their interpretation of the poem. Photostory is available free from Microsoft and can be downloaded to any computer. The students worked very hard and did a wonderful job! These will soon be posted on the BVW Productions page.
January 15th, 2009 — 23 things, information literacy, teacher spotlight
This month’s spotlight is on Josh Koerkenmeier! His Contemporary Issues classes created public service announcements. Students researched an issue and created engaging multimedia presentations. The students were very creative and did a great job highlighting their issue and encouraging others to get involved in their cause.
November 5th, 2008 — teacher spotlight
Congratulations Aaron Anderson! His Africa Studies and U.S. History classes are creating essential questions and researching the information to create Voicethreads.
The Library Media Center purchased student accounts for Voicethreads. Students are able to create engaging projects, pose questions online to each other and make comments. Students love how easy the site is to use and the ability it gives to interact with their classmates.
If you are interested in an alternative to posters and powerpoints, please stop by and see us!
October 7th, 2008 — teacher spotlight
The teacher spotlight for September is on the Sophomore Communication Arts teachers! After reading, Class Matters, Jenny Johnson, Tyson Ostroski, Morgan Scanlon and Trent Stern collaborated with the library media specialists to have students create newsletters discussing social classes. Students analyzed primary and secondary sources before creating their newsletters. The students then found primary and secondary sources to use for information to be included in the newsletter.
April 3rd, 2008 — collaboration, ideas, teacher spotlight, technology
Terry Flynn’s health classes utilized the library’s digital editing equipment and online databases during the month of March.
Students chose a health-related topic and created a public service announcement. They incorporated statistics and other compelling information to provide greater awareness of health issues.
Students created these projects using still photos and/or video to encourage better health habits. They also followed copyright guidelines by using fair use images, video, and music.
We enjoyed seeing the students use their creativity and applying their individual touches to their projects!
To see these and other student created projects, visit
http://bvwest.edublogs.org
