Projects with Pizazz

In our library we collaborate with our teachers and students to take the boring and blah out of project presentations.
First, we meet with a teacher to learn about their requirements for research.
Second, we look at ways to integrate technology into their research with ebooks, databases and reliable sources.
Third, we help students gather and organize their information with proper citations.
Fourth, we look at the presentation methods that would best fit the information to be presented. This may be a PhotoStory (great for book trailers, step-by-step directions for recipes or building something in woodworking), Glogster (edu.glogster.com) is a wonderful upgrade from poster-type presentations. Students can add movie clips, sound, and images as well as text to these colorful, dynamic "online posters." Animoto allows students to produce a movie using avatar-type characters, sound and music. Voicethreads take an uploaded powerpoint and allow the students to add their voice and also allow other students to leave comments about their presentations.

In the end, the teachers are thrilled with the creativity that has been added to their students' presentations. And the students...well, they are in their element and do amazing things with the information they are presenting.