So we have a spankin new iMac computer lab in our building and I'm really chuffed! (British for flippin excited!) 30 brilliant new iMacs all lined up & shiny...ready work with my kids to create cool stuff with the kids! (and yes, throughout this post I'll be showing off the pics - your hard-earned tax money at work - please notice the hard to find laminated not mint, Think Different Apple posters stapled to the wall bought in 1999- don't hate!)
Facebook, Farcebook, and Fakebook Templates
Miss Wallen - one of our coolest teachers is using the iMac lab with her kids to do a mock Facebook page for Latin American Historical figures like Pizarro, Cortes, Bolivar, and Hidalgo with her 7th grade Social Studies kids!
Using the downloadable template I shared from our favourite NerdyTeacher none other than Nick Provenzano the kids are using our databases and links Miss Wallen found to do their research and then become the character filling in the Facebook template.
What's so cool is they can write on their walls as if they or another historic character left a message such as: "I Founded a city...I'm calling it Ciudad de los Reyes, which means "City of the Kings" It's royally AWEsome...I'm a Winner!" Even though in real life Pizarro never learned to read or write... with this template kids can really get a different glimpse into his life, political struggles, adventures, and accomplishments!
My teacher librarian friend, Barbara Randolph, passed along a cool link to a Teacher's Discovery resources Blank Farcebook Poster Set of 30 for $19.99 - which can be laminated & written on with dry erase markers for when the computer lab is being used for month long standardized testing (starting next week!). Taking that idea...I've got it in me heid to create a comic life version - making several changes - I'm gonna call it Fakebook and post it to my Comic Tutorial gallery & ya'll can print em out for free! Stay tuned for that!
But I AM gonna buy from that company a really cool set of NOVEL CHARACTERS FARCEBOOK (TM) POSTERS SET OF 8 for...[gulp!] $39.99! Described as: "Characters from your favorite novels come to life on these Farcebook posters. Learn what book Ponyboy Curtis likes to read and what Frankenstein's monster's favorite song is. Does Scout Finch really belong to the group "the Maycomb Legal Defense Fund"? Is Odysseus really interested in spelunking? Find out these fun facts and more. Your students will recognize this format and will love finding all the hidden information. 11 x 17 inches each, printed on glossy card stock, middle school/high school. "
Check out that cool chick Juliet & her page...has she friended you yet?
When our 7th grade social studies kids finish the unit & we check out all their pages we'll be posting them on our learning wiki! I love the idea of these Fake Facebook pages for historical or fictional characters - it get's the kids excited - creates dynamite disposition to learning with total student engagement and is also relatable!
What do you think? Do you have any other resources or sites like these that use Social Media to tie into student projects? Please comment! Loves me some comments!
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iMac lab photos by Gwyneth Jones
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3 comments:
May I know why it was deemed necessary to purchase iMacs? I don't see these students NEEDING Mac-exclusive programs like Final Cut Pro -- in which case I can say money would have been saved by using Adobe Premiere running on inexpensive PCs... unless they are being groomed to work in Hollywood? All these taxpayer dollars spent on Apple products seems to be too extravagant.
Great question, Mr. Anon!
HCPSS has a 15+ year relationship with the Apple corp. From my early AppleTalk networks connecting AppleIIgs to AppleIIe to opening MHMS in 1997 with Mac 5200's with the first S-Video out that we designed to have in every classroom connected to a 27" TV Apple has supported us & given great deals to our school system to do one thing...help educate our kids!
Early on educational software wasn't there for PC's... but our kids make wonderful Multimedia projects using iLife on the iMacs from Garage Band to iMovie these machines really lend themselves to my student's creativity!
If you ARE an MHMS parent please feel free to call me to make an appt. and I'd LOVE to give you a tour & show you how HCPSS has made the right choice for your child's education.
And no, Apple doesn't give me any kickbacks though I'd LOVE a Mac hoodie! I'm lookin at you Steve Jobs! Muwa!
Cheers!
~Gwyneth Jones
I wish we could make an Anne Frank Fakebook page for English. They look so cool! Do they have twin Apple hoodies, cause I can invest!
Hahaha, Ciao!
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