books – Page 2 – Learning Signs

Rachel buys her first iTunes Audiobooks

July 19, 2010 Dad books, littlesister, technology

Rachel has seen her siblings listen to audiobooks on their iPods, so this week she decided she’d like to have some of her own – particularly in light of our upcoming road trip to Kansas in a few weeks. Last night we searched the iTunes Store together to explore what was available that might be of interest, and she found a Dr Seuss compilation of nine books along with Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” which she thought would be great.

Since she just had $9, I agreed to split the cost of the books which totaled $13. This provided a good opportunity for her to learn how to divide by two, in a practical context. This evening at dinner she took 13 sugar packets at our restaurant and separated them into two groups, eventually figuring out she had to tear one in half. In this way she figured out we both needed to contribute $6.50 toward the purchase. This evening before bed she made her purchases with my help, and then recorded a five and a half minute podcast discussing her experiences with Audiobook purchases on iTunes. Lots of great learning together tonight!

Technorati Tags:
apple, audiobook, book, child, ipod, itunes, learning, math, purchase, student, audiobooks, division, kid, family

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One Rice Thousand Gold: A Remixed Story by Rachel

May 3, 2010 Dad books, littlesister, technology

This is a story Rachel (age 6) typed tonight all by herself on our family netbook. We printed it on our home printer, and then she read it aloud. I recorded her oral reading using the iPadio application on my iPhone, which created this embeddable audio version. Rachel based her story on the Starfall.com Chinese fable, “One Rice Thousand Gold.”

one rise tawsin gold by rachel

one day a little gill wuz waking past the woter fool

tin sheye sol a pot of gold

sheye ran to it but a old womin said one rise tawsin gold

so sheye gave hr a rise and sheye gave hr tawsins of gold
pesos

look look look wut i fawn

yes mom yes i did rimier wut i said

non of that yes mom

so i chradide the gold for food yum yum sheye said

wun sheye was waking dawn the shtrete a min said i will give
you food if you gave me some gold

ok so i gave him some gold

i stopt for a momit and said tis is not rite i spinet my manee oh no

i made a bad chose oh wut am i going to do?

i no i will do one rise tawsin gold so i wint war i sol hr and sheye wuz gon

sheye dide

oh no i said hr stuff is still heir i can gist git it so i did it

5 comments

The Night Before Valentine’s Day by Rachel

February 16, 2010 Dad books, littlesister, technology, writing

“The Night Before Valentine’s Day” is a four page book my six year old wrote today. She is REALLY into writing, and I want to encourage her as an author / illustrator as much as possible. After she shared this with us tonight, we snapped four pictures of the pages using my iPhone, uploaded those photos directly to Flickr using PixelPipe, organized the images into a Flickr set, and then created the VoiceThread together. In all, this production process took about ten minutes. Has it ever been easier for a kindergartner to share their original art and writing with the world?!

It’s fun to see the way she has been influenced by other books we’ve read together, like “The Night Before Christmas.” I love how VoiceThread automatically inserts the linked title of each image when you insert them directly from Flickr!

Technorati Tags:
book, literacy, write, valentine, day, author, illustrator

Role Playing Annabeth Chase in St Louis (The Lightning Thief)

February 15, 2010 Dad books, movies, sister, travel

Sarah created the following digital story today before school using VoiceThread about the book, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.” She role-played Annabeth Chase in a video we shot last Wednesday in St Louis using my iPhone. This is the first VoiceThread we’ve created which includes an embedded video and not just still images. Several of the photos in this VoiceThread were created using the $3 iPhone application Pano. She was required by her teacher to create some type of supplementary “teaser” about the book, which she also wrote about in a traditional book report she’s turning in today at school. All of the photos we used, with the exception of the book cover and movie poster, are included in this Flickr set.

If you’ve seen the movie version of The Lightning Thief, you know the writers changed the plot so Percy, Annabeth and Grover visit Nashville instead of St Louis. Sarah and I were VERY disappointed at this theatrical setting and plot change, since the scene at the St Louis arch was one of our favorites!

I’ve added links to this VoiceThread on both the Great Book Stories project wiki, and the Voicethread4Education wiki in the grades 3-5 category.

Technorati Tags:
jackson, percy, voicethread, lightning, thief

Lego Eragon

January 12, 2010 Alexander books, brother, lego

While searching for lego eragon stuff, by the way I found nothing, I ran across theses videos on youtube. It acts out Eragon the book in five parts but he has so many videos its hard to find the others but the next one is usually the first one on the related videos.

If you have read Brisingr, you might be able to help me on one of my projects! Do not click this link unless you have read Brisingr, spoilers included!

VoiceThread about The Gingerbread Baby

October 22, 2009 Dad books, littlesister, technology

Rachel created the following VoiceThread today about Jan Brett‘s book, “The Gingerbread Baby,” during the 2009 KATE Conference in Wichita, Kansas. She recorded the first three pages’ comments during the actual conference, in front of about 150 English teachers! She recorded the fourth/last page right after the conference keynote was over. We planned this VoiceThread last night, with Rachel selecting the Creative Commons photos she wanted to use from Compfight. She also practiced what she would say with each photo. Great job Rachel!

I added a link to this VoiceThread on the Great Book Stories project and wiki.

Technorati Tags:
kansas, kate, voicethread, gingerbread, baby, jan, brett, kate09

One comment

Hobbit Room

October 5, 2009 Alexander books, brother, school

At my school in english are curriculum is The Lord of the Rings and we just read the part when they meet Tom Bombadil in the Fellowship of the Ring. We had to do a project on one of the scenes and make a miniature on it, I did the scene when they looked into their room at Tom Bombadil's house. This is the passage describing the scene and pictures of my project are at the bottom so you can see how I did:


Its walls were of clean stone, but they were mostly covered with green hanging mats and yellow curtains. The floor was flagged, and strewn with fresh, green rushes. There were four deep mattresses, each piled with white blankets, laid on the floor along one side. Against the opposite wall was a long bench laden with wide earthenware basins, and beside it stood brown ewers filled with water, some cold, some steaming hot. There were soft green slippers set ready beside each bed.


		
					
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		Vacation like a pensieve		
		July 12, 2009 Dad
	
		books, dad, travel	


	
		
			
		
					

			Our vacation seems to be functioning as a pensieve for me. My brain seems to be processing out a multitude of ideas at night, so they do not clutter my waking, conscious mind. I normally do not remember any dreams in the morning, but sleeping as we are in these camp cabin bunks here on the north shore of Oahu, right by the ocean, I have had lots of vivid dreams each night and I have been enjoying getting enough sleep these days, not like at home where I can barley get four hours of sleep. I think I´ll get this queen mattress like the one at the hotel so I can finally sleep comfortably.
Shelly, Sarah and I are all awake already, our body clocks still not yet adjusted to island time. I think we are going to go on a morning hike today.
			
		
		
					
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		Offline Bible Versions		
		July 9, 2009 Dad
	
		books, dad	


	
		
			
		
					

			I love using the free YouVersion iPhone  Bible application. I recently downloaded some offline translations so I can use the app when I do not have wifi or cell network connectivity. (That does happen sometimes, often in our church basement.) I was amazed that at a touch of the mouse, an entire copy of the Bible in my own language was suddenly in my hand after waiting about 60 seconds. Would Martin Luther ever ba amazed?!


			
		
		
					
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		On the homepage of ISTEconnects		
		June 22, 2009 Dad
	
		books, brother, writing	


	
		
			
		
					

			Alexander’s photo reading in bed with his iPod Touch was on the homepage of the ISTEconnects blog today and in this ISTEconnects post. 🙂


Full disclosure: I wrote the post! 🙂

Technorati Tags:

read, reading, #necc09, isteconnects, iste, ipod, touch, itouch


			
		
		
					
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		Audience Assignment: Watch Drew’s Book Reviews		
		March 27, 2009 Dad
	
		books	


	
		
			
		
					

			Alexander and Sarah: I have a homework assignment for you. I want you to watch, listen, and think about Oklahoma student Drew’s two book reviews that he has posted on Ustream. Here are the two links you’ll need to use:
Drew’s First Book Review V-Cast
Drew’s Second Book Review V-Cast
After you watch each one, I want you to write a thoughtful and specific comment which gives Drew some feedback about the ideas he’s discussed in each book review.
I’d like you to also copy and paste your comments for Drew here, on this blog post.
Let me know if you have questions. I’d like you to complete this over the weekend. Good luck, and have fun!
Love, Dad

Technorati Tags:

book, books, ustream, review


			
		
		
					
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		39 Clues		
		February 8, 2009 Alexander
	
		books, brother, writing	


	
		
			
		
					

			I just finest the book the 39 Clues, The Maze of Bones. There are ten books in this whole series and the cool thing is that all of them are written by all different authors so you get a feel for a different witting styles. The first book is written by Rick Riordan who wrote the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. If you have read the Artemis Fool books, another good series, it is a lot like that. I t is about two kids who go on this big clue hunt to become the most powerful person in the world. If you read the first two pages you will end up reading the rest of the book and the whole series.
			
		
		
					
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		Audiobooks		
		January 15, 2009 Alexander
	
		books, brother, technology	


	
		
			
		
					

				Lately, I have been listening to Brisinger on my iPod. When my mom or dad ask what I am listening to they always laugh when I tell them I am listening to a book. I think I can go thought it faster listening to it than reading it. I think listening to a book rather than to listen to music. I wonder what book I am going to listen to next?     
			
		
		
					
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		charlotte’s web		
		October 7, 2008 Sarah
	
		books, school, sister	


	
		
			
		
					

			I am reading Charlotte’s web in class and I wanted to share it with you.

			
		
		
					
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		Artemis Fowl		
		August 26, 2008 Alexander
	
		books, brother	


	
		
			
		
					

			The series I am reading right now is Artemis Fowl. I am going to read Artemis Fowl: The time paradox when it comes out in paper back. I skipped the 1st book so I am going to go back and read it. The Artemis Fowl series also has its own language, Gnommish. I am going to decipher code at the bottom of the page.
			
		
		
					
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