Alberto the Dancing Alligator- Literary and Artistic Elements

Richard Waring Alberto the Dancing Alligator Illustrated by Holly Swain
Published in Cambridge Massachusetts by Candlewick Press in 2002
Genre: Fantasy

Hello Class!! Welcome to our class discussion on literary and artistic elements. After reading Alberto the Dancing Alligator, we have decided as a class that this book is Fantasy. As you recall, some of the elements that make a book a Fantasy include talking animals and unrealistic settings. Because in real life alligators do not dance and become best friends with little girls, and for the most part do not swim in underground sewers and through pipes from toilet to toilet, we have placed this in the Fantasy genre.

We have been discussing many different elements that authors and illustrators use in their books. Your task is to have a discussion about some of the literary and artistic elements Waring and Swain use. You may critique these elements, but do not forget to back up your claims. Please talk about the element as well as what it does for the story. I will start the discussion by talking about one of the artistic elements that Holly Swain captures.

For example: Swain uses watercolors and colored pencils to create bright colors that show excitement and energy throughout the mixed double page spread and comic book style illustrations that “bleed” off the edge of the page.

Google Sketchup

Google SketchUp is a program that allows either teachers or students to create presentations and explain ideas using 3d images. SketchUp can be used in all classrooms. For lower elementary it is great for making education fun. It can be used in a geometry lesson to explain area and volume. It can also be used to create virtual museum tours or recreate historical settings to introduce a history lesson. K-12 students can use this program to design sets for school plays, create models of cars, space ships, buildings, it can be used in shop class and for architecture, students can design their own communities, and many more projects could be done using SketchUp.

One of the cool features to SketchUp is adding 3d models you create to Google Earth. Once you build your model, you can upload it to Google Earth, wait for it to be approved, and then your model will actually appear on Google Earth. This could be a really fun tool for students to build models of their schools or homes and add them for the world to see!
There are many tutorial videos that guide you through this program. Because it is so extensive, I did not create my own video showing how to use the program, but here is a you tube video that will help any new user get started:



Visit the slide show of some students' work on Google SketchUp to see some examples of how this program can be used.

This program can be downloaded for free here. Also, there is a more advanced program Google SketchUp Pro that is free for educators.

Audio with Presentation

Using the program VoiceThread, I was able to add audio comments to my presentation. I simply uploaded the presentation I created in Google Docs as a pdf file, and used the commenting feature on VoiceThread to add my audio. I could easily create presentations with this program to post on the class blog or website for at home assignments, or if a student is working on something at home and needs to review the presentation, they can easily access it and get the same one they viewed in class along with my voice. Here is the presentation I created using VoiceThread:

Web Presentation/Digital Storytelling

This week we learned create a presentation using the BBP approach which will ensure students get the most out of a presentation as possible. I have decided to create a science lesson about Prairie Biome plants which could be used in an upper elementary classroom. I believe the slide successfully portrays the BBP approach. It is simple and to the point, and by adding audio, the students can listen to the presentation but not be overwhelmed by too many visual details. Here is the presentation I created using Google Docs without audio:

Audacity Podcast

Podcasts can be used in the classroom either for recording audio or video and embedding them into your class blog. These are useful to enrich students learning by incorporating a number of different learning styles. Many students learn by visualizing, and many students learn better by listening. Podcasts provide these different ways of learning and are easy for students to use.

Here is a link to my first podcast.

Using Photoshop for Image Manipulation

I chose to use a photo of a Clownfish at the aquarium in New Oreleans for this lab. Here is a slideshow of the original picture, the resized picture, the picture in black and white, and a screenshot.

Using Images in the Classroom

It is extremely important to cater to all students' learning styles. I know that I am a visual learner where other students may learn by listening or doing. No matter what style helps students learn, images are important to use in lessons to help students make connections with what they are learning. People learn more deeply with images paired with words than only words. Pictures also keep the attention of the classroom if they are used within lessons.

It is very important that my students understand how they should use protected images. Copyright laws are very important, and by using the Creative Commons website, I can show my students the correct way to use images and how to protect their own work.











Photo attribution:

Original Image: "kids demonstrate their alphabet - _MG_5229"
Image URL: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3638/3611706019_5404887240_m.jpg
By: Sean Dreilinger

Released Under an Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en

Visit my own flickr page and check out the pictures from our trip to New Oreleans!!

RSS

An RSS reader can be very useful in the classroom. I have just recently learned about this and it is a great way to keep up with updates in a classroom blog and keep students updated with homework assignments and lessons. It is an excellent tool to bring new information to students without a lot of effort or hassle.
RSS readers on blogs are also great to keep parents updated and involved with their child's learning. Rather than counting on a child to fill their parents in, the parents can find the information directly and easily through RSS readers. I would like to practice more and learn a bit more about them, but I will definately consider using this tool in my classroom.
Blogs are a great way to have classroom discussions out of the school setting where students may feel more comfortable expressing themselves.

Technology in Education

This is my first blog ever, and although I have blogged and read blogs, I haven't made my own blog. I never imagined how useful blogging could be, and it doesn't always have to be done by high school and college students. I do not doubt that blogs will be an efficient and useful resource in an elementary classroom. I am excited to explore this and many other sources of technology to use in my classrooms.