This podcasting platform is owned by Spotify and is 100% free. Well, nothing is 100% free. Ads are placed throughout your podcast but it’s a small price to pay (or not) for a free podcast. This site is so user friendly that I can see 4th and 5th graders using it with little instruction. A user board is placed on the lefthand side, and you follow them to create your show. The microphone with the application works very well. Each segment can be recorded separately, and music can be added to each segment if you wish. The transitional piece list is quite extensive with many moods available.
Once the segments are recorded and your transitional pieces are chosen you drag them over to the right-hand side in the order that you want. You can preview the episode before you save it. Once you have it the way you want, it’s time to save the episode.
Podbean
Podbean is free for the first 5 hours of podcasting and has three different paid levels depending upon what you need. While Podbean is not as beginner friendly as Anchor, it is still quite simple to get a podcast started. Podbean has a “How to start a podcast” page with embedded videos to guide you through the process. They make it easy to have cohosts which is the way that most podcasts are done today. If not a cohost, then each one has at least one guest. Podbean has lots of sound effects and music to add.
The “how to” guide starts with having a vision for your podcast. Before you even start with any of the digital stuff you must answer of few of their conceptual questions to get an idea of who, what, and why of your podcast. Then they guide you through planning your episode before recording it which is a particularly crucial step. This is where students would be doing their research and communicating with one another to develop a plan for their podcast. Once the podcast is done it is published and shared.
My partner for an assignment and I spent a crazy amount of time trying to figure out how to use Podbean. I had used Podbean before to record a podcast, but I had never had a cohost before. This was throwing a wrench in the works. After a brief consultation with the resident IT man, we found the problem and we were on our way to recording our first podcast. This really was so much fun to do and I can see how children would really get excited about using this kind of technology for learning. Here is our first attempt at podcasting.
Buzzsprout lets you try it out for free with no credit card. There are three distinct levels of paid subscription, but I tried the free one. I will have up to two hours of content per month. I really liked one of the first screens of Buzzsprout which asked about your podcast experience. I chose “I’m new to podcasting” and got to a screen with several options. I finally figured out that you record your podcast somewhere else (I just used my phone’s recorder) and upload it to Buzzsprout. Once it is uploaded you give it a name and description. Then it’s time to publish it. This literally took me about 2 minutes once I figured out you had to record elsewhere and upload it. I’m going to put this 25 second podcast here, but it’s literally me talking about what I’m doing and the cat fight outside.
A podcast by kids was started by Mrs. Treptow who used ELA time for kids to research, write their script, work on summarizing and main idea skills, and then report on the status of the Iditarod. Asking her kids to create a podcast, she said in season 7 episode 1, they made progress in reading, speaking, and listening skills. They were engrossed in their studies and came to school early to finish the project.
What an amazing podcast and it’s all children doing this. They are motivated and dedicated to their work.
Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. Penguin Group. ISBN 0142407321
Plot Summary
Melinda Sordino’s freshman year at Merryweather High is not going as she would wish. At an end-of-summer party she made a phone call that made every one of her friends hate her and now she is paying for it by being ignored at school. She retreats inside of herself and does not interact with any of her past friends beyond what is expected of her at school. Something must give though because what happened at the party, the thoughts in her head, will not go away. She must stand up for herself and speak so that everyone knows the truth.
Critical Analysis
When you are introduced to Melinda’s character at the beginning of the book, you really feel sorry for her. She is being shunned by everyone at school for something she did at the end of summer. The reader learns about Melinda and her willingness to make life as normal as possible after what happened at the party. Anderson takes us day by day through Melinda’s days at school, meeting new friends, and her interactions with her parents. Interspersed throughout the story are her innermost thoughts about that horrific night. Her character develops into someone who is strong and courageous. She stands up for what must be done. Speak is a wonderful story of courageousness and perseverance.
Review Excerpts
“In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. . . . Yet Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers’ empathy. . . . But the book’s overall gritty realism and Melinda’s hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last.”—The Horn Book, Starred Review
“A frightening and sobering look at the cruelty and viciousness that pervade much of contemporary high school life, as real as today’s headlines. . . . The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn . . . a novel that will be hard for readers to forget.”—Kirkus Reviews, Pointer Review
“Melinda’s pain is palpable, and readers will totally empathize with her. This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story.”—School Library Journal
“A story told with acute insight, acid wit, and affecting prose.”—Library Journal
“Melinda’s voice is distinct, unusual, and very real as she recounts her past and present experiences in bitterly ironic, occasionally even amusing vignettes. . . . Melinda’s sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers.”—Booklist
A Michal L. Printz Honor Book
A National Book Award Finalist
An Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist
An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults
Connections
Major Themes in Speak
Isolation — One of the main themes in the novel involves Melinda’s silence and her inability to talk to others about what happened to her.
Related Works:
The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Grief — This novel exemplifies the immobility that derives from grief and depicts the true dangers of depression.
Related Works:
The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse
Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Hope — It is relieving to see Melinda finally tell someone about her attack and undergo a transformation from the sullen, quiet girl she was at the beginning, to a person with a renewed sense of self.
Related Works:
The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom
The Miracle Worker, by William Gibson
Sold, by Patricia McCormick
Natbony, R. (2020, July 28). How to teach speak. Prestwick House.
Johnson, A. (2003). The first part last. Simon & Schuster. eISBN 9781439106587
Plot Summary
Bobby is a typical New York City teenager who likes hanging out with his friends. On his 16th birthday while out for pizza with his buddies, Bobby learns from his girlfriend, Nia, that he is going to be a dad. His life changes drastically after hearing this news. He is supportive of Nia and matures quite a bit when he must attend doctor appointments and then pediatrician visits for his new daughter, Feather. Bobby’s life changes even more when Nia slips into a coma. Bobby is now a single, teenage father learning to cope.
Critical Analysis
Johnson tells story of a young man who must grow up quickly when his choices he makes put him in the category of teenage father. In this fast-paced story of a young dad and his baby daughter we hear of what Bobby is going through in trying to raise Feather and continue his education. We learn of his relationship with the baby’s mother through some chapters entitled “then.” Bobby is the storyteller, and we get a glimpse of what it is like to have to make grown up choices at 16 years old. It is a quick read and heartwarming.
Review Excerpts
It’s the tale of one young man and his choices, which many young readers will appreciate and enjoy. Kirkus Reviews
Readers will only clamor for more about this memorable father-daughter duo—and an author who so skillfully relates the hope in the midst of pain. Publishers Weekly
A Michael L. Printz Award Book 2003
Connections
Coming of Age
Bobby must make some mature decisions after his girlfriend slips into a coma. He decides to raise his daughter by himself. What are the ramifications of this decision? In what ways has Bobby grown up by the end of the novel? In what ways is he still a kid?
Love
Discuss genuine love that Bobby has for Nia and then his daughter, Feather. What is genuine love? Supply text evidence of Bobby’s love for Nia and Feather. How do Bobby’s parents show him love? What are some of the sacrifices that many of the characters make in order to show love?
Men and Masculinity
Bobby is trying to figure out what it means to be a man. He has good role models: his father, his brother, and yes, even his mother. But he is only 16 years old. Why should he have to grow up now and take on the responsibilities of a man? How do characters in the novel define being a man? Consider Bobby, Just Frank, Fred, Bobby’s friends, and Paul.
Nayeri, D. (2020). Everything sad is untrue (a true story). Levine Querido. eISBN 9781646140022
Plot Summary
Khosrou, aka Daniel, is not like the other children in his middle-school classroom. He not only looks different, but he smells different, too, well, his lunch smells different. Daniel is an outstanding storyteller and his classmates are intrigued by his tales that span generations of family members. He tells stories of how his family lived in Iran and had to flee and his life in a refugee camp in Italy. He tells the reader his struggles of being bullied as he comes to live in the United States.
Critical Analysis
Nayeri does a phenomenal job of telling a fictionalized version of his early life in Iran and then being moved to a refugee camp in Italy. We get an insight into what it truly means to be an outcast from one’s country and struggle to make a life somewhere else. Nayeri’s character, Daniel, is a strong, mature character who manages to persevere in challenging times. He uses beautiful language to describe his ancestral Persian history. Nayeri gives us a first-hand insight into Daniel’s world by telling the story from Daniel’s point of view.
Review Excerpts
At its most basic level, Nayeri’s offering is a fictionalized refugee’s memoir, an adult looking back at his childhood and the forced adoption of a new and infinitely more difficult life. The language is evocative: simple yet precise, rife with the idiosyncratic and abjectly honest imagery characteristic of a child’s imagination. Kirkus
Nayeri weaves stories within stories in this fictionalized account of his formative years. He shares layers of rich information about life in Iran, refugee camps, and his experiences as an immigrant in the United States during the late 20th century. The themes of family, love, and truth are as strong as those of faith, endurance, memory, and storytelling as Khosrou (also known as Daniel) tries to tell the tales of his beautiful, complicated life and family. School Library Journal
I have to admit that when I saw this assignment was about cartoons and comics I was not overly excited. I don’t necessarily read them often, never have. Why are we having a complete assignment about this? Then I looked into the three sites given to us and I was hooked after visiting the first one! Cartoons and comics can be used in so many classrooms, with students in many grade levels, and in multiple content areas. Just today at lunch I mentioned what I was working on and three teachers wanted to know more and asked for links. These teachers are from different content areas as well: art, religion, and science. They all plan to use them for instruction and I’ll be here for support.
This site is amazing! I have never been one to read comics, but many other family members at my house have such fun with them. I think I’m turning to the dark side after visiting Make Beliefs Comix. This site makes making comics so extremely easy and it has so much to offer. One of the first things that you see when you enter their site is a tutorial video and it is interspersed throughout the website so you are always reminded that if you need help, it is available. Don’t know where to start? Make Beliefs Comix can help. They offer starters, story ideas, helpful hints when you don’t know what to say, comic strips already illustrated and you write the story, and so much more. Every teacher will want to visit Make Beliefs Comix and I can’t wait to use this with my junior high boys and girls. Because this site does have SO much to offer it is my opinion that it would be overwhelming to younger students and I would probably use it with junior high and high school. The owner of this site allows students and educators to use everything on his site for free as long as they are not sold for profit. Teachers may use all of the tools for free and even print for distribution to students but may not sell them.
Fotojet
Showtime!
Fotojet is fun and more appropriate for 4th/5th. With Fotojet there are 10 free templates. You can upload a photo from your files, add lots of really cute clipart, and change the background. These are all easily accessible on the side of the screen and the art or pictures are automatically added when the use clicks on them. They can be scaled to different sizes and moved around the frame. With Fotojet you can try it out for a 7 day free trial, billed monthly, or billed annually for $40.
Pixton
My favorite thing about Pixton is the super clean and non cluttered look it has when you first log in. You are given a panel to work on and can add more as you go along. The main tabs at the top are background, characters, focus, and words. Once these are chosen you then have options to change the characters face and “actions” which changes their body posture. The amount of clothing, emotions, and actions that your character can be in is overwhelming, but very simple to change. It is super simple to add speech bubbles. Simply click on “words” and you get a text box to type in what you want your character to say. The bubble is automatically added to your panel and you have capabilities of moving it around a bit. The characters can also be moved on the panel as well as resized.
One nice thing about Pixton is that you can rate your comic. You rate yourself on background/focus, characters/expression, captions/dialogue, spelling/grammar, theme, and sharing. Once you have rated each of these categories the rubric tells you how your comic is rated and gives you capability to print the rubric.
As I was working on my comic, my 13 year old asked me about what I was doing. After I explained a few steps she said she wanted to create one. She had it figured out in a matter of minutes. I will be using this with the junior high boys on Friday morning. Last Friday was “Device Free Friday,” but this Friday I will ask everyone to take out their Chrome books for some creative fun.
