Comic Book Project Entry 2

I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with Comic Life 3. This software was extremely user friendly and easy to navigate. After watching a few tutorials for the software, I realized that the free version does not offer all of the bells and whistles of the paid version, but I am still impressed with the 30-day trial version I was able to use.

My comic book story teaches about how rocks are formed and classified, so I needed specific images of rock types. I was impressed with the large variety of media provided, and didn’t have to look outside of the software for additional media. I also really like that the images are from creative commons and cited upon use.

I used a variety of panel types and liked the ease of deleting, adding, and moving image blocks to accommodate the information when necessary. Having the templates gave me ideas of how to organize the information but didn’t restrict my creativity or keep me from adjusting the format when I needed to.

Seeing the pages come together to form a story from the storyboard was really exciting. I believe my students would love working with Comic Life 3 and the benefits are definitely present. Comic books provide great visual representation, which most of us need for comprehension and memorization and could motivate students to both read and write. I am really proud of the overall comic book story I created, and I can’t wait to see what my students produce with their creative minds!

Comic Book Project Entry 1

Before beginning this project, using comic books to teach is something that hadn’t crossed my mind. Many of my students love reading graphic novels, so I guess it should have, but I just had no idea how popular comic books have become in the classroom. After reading the preliminary documents for the project and reviewing the education section on plasq.com, I realized that I have really been missing out on a great tool that not only engages students, but promotes reading as well. I am most impressed with the visual support provided in this type of learning, and while the planning for this content is time consuming, it is also well worth the effort.

I began by looking at the sixth grade Earth Science Standards to help me determine what I wanted to teach with my comic book story. I immediately started having ideas about how I could teach rock formation and rock types, so I selected this content. 

The information in the story thoroughly covers  how rocks are classified and introduces students to how the three types of rocks are formed. The text structure is a problem/solution format that I believe students will enjoy and identify with.

Website Project Entry 2

To be perfectly honest, I am still a little in shock that I created a website! At the end of the day I am proud of a number of elements, and can say that I have learned so much about web design. I truly have a new appreciate for the work and creativity that goes into creating websites!

I knew that I needed to use a web design tool because of my lack of knowledge in this area, so I went with Weebly. I found this tool to be perfect for me, but I can see how individuals who have been working in web design for a while might find it a little restricting, due to some of the preset template options. I found a few very helpful tutorials on how to use Weebly, and I also used the resources provided in the project folder to get me started with the design tool, but most of my knowledge came from actually experimenting with it. It took me several days to learn the basics, and I know there are still things I could learn with additional time and practice.

Once I was ready to design the logo for my website, I used Canva. It took five attempts before I created a logo that I was satisfied with. The proportions were off in a couple of my starter logos and a few just didn’t seem to “fit” with the fun, kid-friendly template I chose. The hard work was worth it in the end because I am really pleased with the logo and I believe it is a good addition to my website. I used PowerPoint to create my icons, which serve as links to various support websites and documents. The first icon I created was an earth and it links to a website about the layers of the earth, which students can access for information needed to complete a learning project. Next, I created two iPad icons, one blue, which links to a document containing Earth Science apps, and one red, which links to a document containing school apps. The third icon I created is a red “help” button, which links to a homework help site, specific to Science. Creating icons proved to be quite the challenge, but once again PowerPoint tutorials and the resources in the project folder were very helpful.

Completing this project is a big deal for me, and I am proud to say that I not only created a website, but created a website that I really like and want to share! Overall, I believe it is visually appealing, functional, informative, and welcoming, which were my initial goals in the onset of this project. I am excited to share it with my students and their parents, and hope they will use it often to stay connected with our learning and school events, and to share their thoughts and ideas with the social media components.

I would love to learn more about Weebly and the resourcess it provides, so that I can add additional design elements to my website in the future. I plan to continuously update it throughout this school year, and I hope it provides students and parents with a place to share and stay connected.

This project was a true challenge, but also a great learning experience, and I am proud to have this awesome tool to start of the school year with!

Website Project Entry 1

The target audience for my website is my students and their parents. I want this website to be a place where parents can come to find out about what we are learning in the classroom and stay up to date on homework assignments. The "Home" page features a Twitter Widget and Facebook Page, which I plan to use for continuous updates and reminders on everything from due dates to special events. There is also a specific "Homework" page with links to homework documents and a helpful website link for support. There is also a "Weekly Focus" page, which describes the Standards we are learning about and projects students are completing to demonstrate content mastery, so that parents can support students at home and stay informed on what students are learning. I also added an “iPad Apps” page, which provides families with apps for practice and reference, specific to both Earth Science and for general school use.

I believe my website is easy to use for students and free of clutter, with a logical flow and textual information that is to the point and specific. I really tried to create a website that caters to the needs of my learning community. Siebert (2015) states," the factors that motive them to visit a website, click on a link, or close the browser, it’s all about the catering to the user’s needs". I also took Siebert’s advice in making the content “king” so that parents and students can easily find what they came to, without being bogged down with lots of graphics and extra information. Overall, I strived to make my website visually appealing, welcoming, informative, and user friendly for both students and parents.

Siebert, J. (2015, March 1). The Absolute Minimum Every Novice Web Designer Must Know - designrfix.com. Retrieved from http://designrfix.com/web-design/absolute-minimum-novice-web-designer

Website:
http://sciencewithmrsthompson.weebly.com