It's Glog, Glog, it's better than bad, it's good

Glogster (http://www.glogster.com/)

I've been looking for a WYSIWYG cloud-based software that allows you to easily incorporate visuals, text, video, and audio files on one page. Glogs are like virtual poster boards, and I can't wait to use these in the classroom.

Right now, it seems as though the software has been updated and some people appear upset, but I have no problem figuring out how to create, move, and edit my project. In fact, I plan on using this website to showcase the zombie card game I designed at a QEP symposium.

While Glogster's primary market is elementary school children, the visual possibilities seem to be promising for college students. I think the program has potential as a way to introduce students to visual rhetoric in freshmen level writing and communication courses.

My plan is to have students use this program to present their final projects to the class. Since they are completing a community outreach project outside of the classroom, students are required to talk about their experiences using videos, photos, and audio files. Glog will allow the groups to create virtual posters that will help them organize their experiences, and share their projects to people outside the class.

The free plan gives you everything you'll need to create dynamic posters. Give Glogster a try. 

Maps and Photos and Files, Oh my: The possibilites are off the chart with Historypin

Historypin (http://www.historypin.com/)

While I haven't been able to use this in program in a class yet, the possibilities seem so limitless with Historypin that I wanted to share it with you now, while your syllabus for next semester may still be in development--like mine.

Historypin is an online collection of photographs, audio, and video files that are primarily organized by the place where they are taken/recorded. As people upload files to the map, they are also able to date them and write a little story about what is taking place.

Right now, the collection seems rather USA and Europe heavy, but I'm sure as time goes by we'll be able to find more files available. In any case, Historypin provides a few rather obvious teaching/assignment opportunities.

Next semester, my class will be writing, speaking, and filming a ghost tour of EKU's campus, and Historypin will allow us to create a collection of photographs to tell this story digitally. We will also create a tour using Historypin.

Another classroom use could be to see photographs of the time and place in which a novel is set. Writing topics could be generated by actually seeing the objects the author mentions or by seeing the damage occurred by natural disaster or warfare.

Then, of course, there is application for a history, geography, and architecture classes. There are so many directions you can take with this program. Try it out and see what you think.