Techgab1415
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
2014 News Event Video Contest
This looks like an interesting, fun contest from the New York Times! To enter, a student needs to write an informed, engaging 12- to-16-line rap about some aspect of this year’s news.
This site will be publishing an end-of-year news quiz and list of 2014 retrospectives that can help students remember the highs and the lows of 2014 events.
The NYT has also posted a lesson plan and rubric to help teachers in guiding students through the rap-writing process.
Entry deadline is January 6, 2015.
Link: http://nyti.ms/1CZE662
Link: http://www.flocabulary.com/how-it-works/
Link to lesson plan: http://nyti.ms/1CZE662
Link to rubric: http://nyti.ms/12Y75r5
Collaboratively Create Music
Soundtrap is a web-based platform for collaboratively creating music and vocal recordings. Students can create music from scratch by using the built-in virtual instruments. If you have your own instruments to record, you can record it! After recording your tracks you can blend them together in the Soundtrap editor.
Soundtrap offers a collaboration option. By clicking the "collaborate" tab to in the Soundtrap editor, students can invite others to edit with them.
Making "Sticky" Presentations
Sticky ideas are ones that an audience can plainly understand, clearly remember, and easily retell. Here is a good infographic explaining the six elements (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional and Stories) of "stickiness."
Link: http://bit.ly/1z01J9p
FREE Desktop Observatory/Planetarium
Wow...and it's FREE!