4.1.8

4.1.8: Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning. Blabberize 

[|http://www.blabberize.com]

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 An excellent tool for expressing personal learning is Blabberize. Blabberize is a free web based product that enables anyone to make a picture “talk”. All you need is a photo or a picture of someone or something that you want to make “talk”. You upload the photo to the online program, draw in a mouth, and then upload dialogue through your phone, a microphone, or dialogue you have on your computer already. That’s all it takes to get this up and running and it is a program that I would say any kid over the age of about 8 or so would be able to make with just a little assistance. Students love Blabberize because it is fun and easy to use, and because whatever it is they produce using Blabberize is just plain funny. Many students use Blabberize to satirize themselves, while others find different subjects for their Blabberizing. The only thing you have to worry about with Blabberize is keeping your students from enjoying themselves too much, as discovered by Brock Dubbels in his article //Technologies, Tools, and Literacies: Emerging and Possible Practices Student 2.0 and Beyond//,====== "There is actually a request on here for students to take it easy on their teachers with this thing too!"

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This technology tool will enable standard 4.1.8 to be taught to people with all different intelligences, but it is especially great for  linguistic learners. It should not be overlooked, however, that it is also excellent for kids whose linguistic skills are not quite as strong because you can re and re record your voice. Also fun for nature lovers or musical people to make nature based or musical blabbers. Visual and spatial people probably pick up on how to do the mouths faster, but anyone can learn. The characteristics of meaningful learning that are most applicable here include Constructive and Active. It is Constructive because it gives students a chance to rearticulate what they have learned and give it back in an interesting format to others. Blabberize is also Active because it involves manipulation but is very simple and enjoyable! It can also be used in an Authentic way, especially when used to summarize learning done over the course of a unit in a simple way that is easily shareable which makes it Cooperative also!

This technology also meets the NETS standard 1, parts a and b quite effectively. They state that: “Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.” Blabberize can be used to apply existing thinking as well as to develop innovative products, and can also be used as a means of personal expression. Finally, Blabberize could be used to meet many state standards depending on the assignment. For example, here is a public Blabberize that a student made that tells George Washington’s bio in an innovative and fun way:
 * 1. Creativity and Innovation**

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