Rubistar

I found the Rubistar website very easy to use. I liked that there were pre-made categories and descriptions of student performance. It was also helpful to be able to search through the rubrics already created by others. As someone who used to be a poor test taker, I like the fact that rubrics show exactly what the instructor is expecting. The rules are clearly defined, and if reviewed carefully there are no surprises when it comes time for grades. As a teacher, I also like the way that rubrics give students a roadmap of what they're going to do and how they need to perform to succeed. The rubric I created is on reading skills at the elementary level which I focus on a lot with my students.

Windows Movie Maker

I have used Windows Movie Maker before to compile images from Rugby games and things, but my experience with it is limited. I didn't know I could import a PowerPoint presentation and turn it into a video like this. I liked the credits feature at the end. This may the new way that I put together slideshows of vacations or events. Here is another example of something useful that I will indeed use!

Jeopardy

I actually have made a few Jeopardy games in the past for review lessons for teaching. I am including two Jeopardy PowerPoints I've made this year for my 3rd graders to review continents and government. I volunteered to build the PowerPoint for my team. I used a template that I found a few years earlier that uses a PowerPoint template complete with a picture of Alex Trebec! I added them to the ftp site because of problems accessing the action buttons on google documents. You can check them out here (Jeopardy government and Jeopardy continents) , and if you want to use this template for your own review game visit this page.

Photostory

We have Photostory on our computers at school. I was surprised to learn I could download it for free and use it on my home computer. At the end of the last school year, I was in charge of a grade level week-long camp that created Photostories on different places. I had no experience with it before that time. It's easy to use, and the older students I was working with then really got into it and created some wonderful videos.

I chose to do my Photostory here on Hawaii. In the spring we study Hawaii, and I have a lesson that deals with making tikis. The Photostory provides the atmosphere for the lesson. It has Hawaiin music and pictures of places and things related to Hawaii. Photostory is pretty easy to use. It requires little prep. time or explanation. I will use it for various projects throughout the year. I will also use it to create personal Photostories. It's so great to have technology that uses your pictures and music to create somethign that can be enjoyed for years to come.