I plan to use this Animoto for instructing my students in grades 3-6. The purpose of this Animoto is to supplement the study of vocabulary used to describe character's traits in literature. ELL students are often asked to make connections to demonstrate or strengthen comprehension. Such students often come to this country with very different cultures and backgrounds; thus, making connections to literature from the U.S. often difficult. By focusing on character traits and character development, students can personally connect themselves to the characters using similar traits. It helps them identify with the character in the text by reminding them of something they have done or manners in which they have acted, which hopefully in turn further stimulates their interest and provokes deeper engagement.
Depending on student interest, I was hoping students could choose one of the apps to enhance a blog post. By choosing the appropriate app for their favorite medium: storybird, animoto, voice thread, etc. students will use at least two domains of language (if not more) to communicate their text to self connections in some way, through drawing, writing, speaking, or use of digital tools. All will demonstrate how the character trait they have chosen connects to them. Younger students may possibly use their iPads to photograph the character they connect with and write about it while older students may choose another medium cited above.
Developing vocabulary is one of my biggest challenges because of the repetitions needed to acquire terms. I hope using digital tools will not only address ELL standards and expectations but fulfill ISTE's digital teaching standards one, two, and maybe three as well.
