Eric, how did you make the slide show?

I made the narrated slide show as an example for my students, in the spring of 2011.  In this post, you can read about 

• the goals for this project
• the writing process
• the free Internet application we used

Students' Projects
You can see many projects from the students at my old blog: ESOL at Riis Settlement.  Many of these students were using computers for the first time.

Goals for the Project

• Students will be able to write and speak about their lives.
• Students will be able to choose photographs that enhance their writing, and will be able to write about the photos.
• Students will be able to use an automated phone service to record their writing.
• Students will be able to use the Internet to assemble their recordings and photos.
• Students will be able to use the Internet to share their projects on the class blog.

I liked this project because it allowed students to work at their ability level.  Low-Intermediate students could write short sentences ("I am a painter.").  High-Intermediate/Advanced students could write descriptions and provide more detail. 



Reading: "Who Am I?" poems
Who Am I poems are like self-portraits.  We looked at many example of self-portraits from painters and photographers.  And we read many poems by published poets and ESOL students.  

When we discussed the images or the poems, we considered this question: What do we learn about this person?  I asked students to think about: What do you want others to know about you?

We also discussed how identities can be used to label and limit people to stereotypes.  How do we see others?  How do others see us? For example: "He's asian," or "She's muslim."  Using labels and categories to describe people is not necessarily bad.  But it becomes a problem when people believe those labels can tell us everything about a person.  Categories like sex or gender, race, sexual orientation, age, or religion can't define everything a person is.  

Prewriting: Identity Lists
Before we began writing poems, I asked students to make a list of identities.  All of these words would be nouns. All of these words could complete the sentence: I am a _______.  Here are some examples of identities: 

• work: teacher, artist, cook, janitor, mechanical engineer
• family: mother, father, brother, sister, uncle
• personality: dreamer, optimist, advocate, explorer, adventurer, romantic, pacifist
• nationality: Mexican, Algerian, American, Ecuadorian, Pakistani
• culture: Berber (northern Africa), Mestizo (Mexico), Han (China), Gond (India)
• interests: sports fan, music lover, art enthusiast
• talents: leader, athlete, motivator, carpenter
• hobbies: chess player, rock collector, blogger
• religion: Eastern Orthodox, Alevi (Turkish Islam), Baptist (western Christianity), Sikh (India)
• interests and passions: painter, musician, chef, dancer, actor, poet, translator

I asked students to make a list of 30 words.  This was very challenging.  Students compared lists in groups, and we made lists on the chalk board to share and borrow ideas.  When students had trouble, they could also write words in their first language, and later translate them.

Writing and Drafting
After students wrote their lists of 30, I asked them to cut the list down to 10.  This may have seemed cruel.  But it was important that students were not limited to the first words that they could write.  I asked them to choose the 10 most important identities.  They could also group related identities together.  For example, in my poem, I grouped "son," "brother," and "grandson" together to talk about my family. 

Students wrote adjectives to describe their nouns.  And students wrote sentences to explain the identities.  

Choosing Images
While students were writing and drafting, we also began taking photos and collecting photos.  Students chose photos to represent their ideas.  Once students chose a photo for an identity, they could also write more, describing the photo.

The Program: Yodio
We were using public computers in a lab at our site.  We couldn't download programs, and many students were using computers for the first time.  

I found an Internet application called Yodio.  

• It's free.
• You don't need to download software.
• Everything is saved online. Students who don't have computers could work from anywhere.
• You record your narration by phone. We did not need additional hardware, like microphones, and students could record from home.
• It's relatively easy to use. For many students, programs like iMovie (Mac) or Windows Movie Maker (PC) are very challenging.  And, after you finish your movie using one of these programs, you must learn how to export and upload it to the Internet.  In Yodio, the application will automatically time each photo slide to display for the length of the audio.

Of course, it has limitations.  It does not work with all Internet browsers (Chrome, for example).  And you can't make the kind of adjustments you can with iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.  This is a great tool for Internet beginners.

Questions?
If you have any questions about using Yodio, please share your questions in the comments.

-Eric, NYC