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Aug. 10
The stores are loading the shelves with back-to-school items and summer is almost over. I know…it’s sad! However, this is an excellent time to create an amazing and engaging back-to-school lesson that will introduce yourself to your new students and parents. Let’s make a glog!
A "glog" is a graphic blog. That is, it is a way of sharing information over the Internet that is focused on the use of multimedia instead of primarily text. So, blogs are like diaries and glogs are like digital posterboards.
The posterboard analogy is key for education. Think about all of the school projects where kids glue pictures (and macaroni and all sorts of things) to posterboard. All of that can be done digitally and can also include video and audio. Finally, the “poster” can be shared with anyone in the world. Family members and friends who would normally never see a child’s project can now experience the student's creation.
Now, let’s create a glog about you. Then, you can share this with your new students and let them explore and learn about their new teacher. If you have a projector, you can show your glog at parent night to help introduce yourself to the parents.
Before School Starts:
Step 1:
Go to Glogster (http://www.glogster.com/edu). You will need to sign up for a free account so go ahead and sign up. We will not be exploring all the wonderful features in the education section (i.e., setting up student accounts) in this lesson but will explore advanced features soon.
~ TIP ~ If you will be creating student accounts sometime in the future, keep that in mind when creating your username (nickname). Student account names will include your name as well. So, if you account name is “funkygirl,” student accounts will have names such as 030funkygirl!
Step 2:
Click the “Create a New Glog" button to get started. A digital posterboard will load. Now the fun part begins!
Step 3:
Add pictures, text, and anything else you can think of that’s tells your students all about you. You can accomplish this by using the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen. I recommend changing the “wall” or poster background first. This will help set the mood for your creation. Then, add pictures by clicking the “image” button and then “upload”. Don’t forget to add fun frames to your pictures.
Continue exploring the possibilities. There is a huge variety of clip-art graphics you can add to add pizzazz to your creation. For a more detailed look at using Glogster features, watch this video:
http://tinyurl.com/glogvid
Your finished glog should have all sorts of pictures about you. Make sure you include pictures of your pets and any photos of interesting places you have lived or traveled. If possible, include videos…students would love to see a video of your pet!
I have attached a sample worksheet for your reference. Make sure you have included content in your glog to answer all of the questions on your worksheet.
When you are done, click “Save and Publish” and then “Classic Glog”. Finally, click “Save and Publish”
Step 4:
Plan how your students will access your glog. Possibilities include showing your glog to the class on a projector, each student exploring on their own computer or several students sharing a computer.
First Day of School
When school starts, have your new students explore your glog. If you have enough computers, I recommend letting the students explore on their own. That’s one of the great things about making a digital poster…it is not linear. Kid’s can explore freely.
Students should either complete a worksheet about you (sample attached) or write their findings in a journal. Of course, you can tailor this to your grade level.
~ Tip ~ Use your glog as an ice-breaker at parents night. Parents will love learning all about you. Also, email the link to your glog to the parents and ask them to share with grandparents and other family members. It will make a great impression and help you build connections with your parent community.
Let me know if you have any questions about Glogster and glogging. Feel free to respond to this post and I will help you.
Thanks,
Mark
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