Common Core and Technology

When I examine the Common Core standards I appreciate that speaking and listening are included, as well as an emphasis on publishing using technology. Speaking, listening, and technology are core tenets of my classroom. I am hoping that this post shares ways to incorporate these standards into your classroom!

Let's look at this third grade Speaking and Listening standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.5 Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

There are two tools I recommend for creating audio recordings: VoiceThread and AudioBoo. They can both be accessed through a web browser, as well as iPhone and iPad apps.

Here is a VoiceThread my third graders created to share their musical instruments:



Here's another VoiceThread created after an Earth Day field trip to the beach. Students wrote poems and then added a photo or a photo of a drawing:


And here's a third VoiceThread that was created using a fable that students wrote collaboratively. The pictures are photos of student drawings:


On VoiceThread, by upgrading to an educator account, you can record many more VoiceThreads than are allowed on a regular account.

Now, AudioBoo! If using AudioBoo on the iPad, download the iPhone app so that you can record podcasts (video explaining how to do this).

Here is an AudioBoo a student created based on an animal they researched:



And an AudioBoo board of students' creature alliteration poems:

listen to ‘Seedian’ on Audioboo

I wrote a more detailed post about Audio Boo last year, which you can read here!

Here are the corresponding standards for other grades:
Second Grade:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.5 Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
Fourth Grade:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.5 Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
Fifth Grade:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.