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TEN TOP TIPS FOR TEACHING WITH NEW MEDIA
edUTopia.org
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iceBreakers are a TiMe-honored TradiTion
or starting the new school year. Scavenger hunts, name games, and other introductory activities help teachersand students get acquainted so they can start building a positive learning community. Givethis important classroom tradition a 21st-century makeover by integrating digital tools.VoiceThread
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is one example o an online resource that can help youand your students get better acquainted. VoiceThread allows users to combine photographsor other visuals with written or audio comments. This collaborative, Web-based tool is easy to use, which means students will be spending class time actively participating rather thanawaiting instructions.For elementary school students, introduce VoiceThread with a whole-class activity. Usinga projector or an interactive whiteboard, share a short digital album to introduce yoursel.Invite students to record their own audio comments in response to your prompts. Thenexpand the activity by adding photos o students. Invite them to add comments to help youlearn more about them—and each other. With secondary school students, consider using a VoiceThread prompt to encourage goalsetting or the new school year. What do students look orward to doing in your class? What interests them about this subject? What image can they share that captures how they are eeling at the start o the new school year? Students’ individual VoiceThreads can beuseul artiacts or reection later in the year. Add your own encouraging comments to theirdigital albums, modeling how to give positive eedback.By introducing a collaborative tool like VoiceThread early in the year, you’ll be lettingstudents know that your classroom is a place or productive conversation where everyone’svoice matters.
rt ru:
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“100 Way o U Voicthad ieducaio”
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, a ach-cad Voicthad abou Voicthad.
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“Voicthad exd h Claoom wih Iaciv Mdia Album”
(ut./t-tt-mutm-bum)
,fom eduoia.og.
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Voicthad fo educao
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, aocial-wokig i fo ach, wih mo ha 880 mmb.
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I a ho vido
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, Gail Dl, a chology-igaio ciali fo h elk GovUifid school Diic, i elk Gov,Califoia, xlai h ow of uig Voicthad i a hioy claoom.