An incredibly innovative, poster-making program which allows users to create and share interactive posters, Glogster is the perfect medium to convey your ideas in a creative and interesting way. The program is user-friendly, geared towards children, and looks professional. The best part about it? It's all online.
Making a free trial account is easy. Simply visit Glogster's website and sign up for a seven day trial. Unfortunately, this website charges yearly for their service, but an educator's account is only . Like many of the programs I've used in the past, there are two types of accounts: a regular account and an elementary educator's account is only $39/year.
For these purposes, I used GlogsterEDU, which is considered "the leading global education platform for digital learning and expression of knowledge and skills in the classroom and beyond." This particular account is special because it genuinely caters towards educators and students. There are certain restrictions in the GlogsterEDU which protects students from viewing inappropriate content, accessing certain Glogs, and sending private messages to one another.
My initial experience with Glogster was a disaster. I used it in order to plan a lesson in a class on Healthy Living for the Elementary Child. We used a trial version of the account, which expired after a few days. Unfortunately, the project took longer than the time allotted by Glogster, so we struggled to retrieve our information once we needed it. With this experience in the back of my mind, I began this project a little worried.
I've been pleasantly surprised and able to creatively use GlogsterEDU for several projects outside of this class. With practice, it gets easier and easier to navigate the site.
Once logged in, it's time to create a new Glog. All it takes is a click of a button that says, "Create New Glog" at the top of the page. This prompts tons of templates to appear. Although it's a little overwhelming, there are tons of great options to choose from. You can either choose to begin with a blank template or one that's been created for you.
Next, it's important to know how to start filling up your Glog. Choices consist of adding Text, Image, Audio, Graphic, Video, or Wall (which could be interpreted as the background). To find these choices, click on the plus sign at the top left of the Glog. Within each of these categories, there are subgroups which divide the content further into options such as Art, Anatomy, Mathematics, History, Retro, and School. In addition, you can add your own images or videos or search for others on Glogster's in-site Google search, which gives you the opportunity to further customize your Glog.
Another great feature that Glogster has is that they allow you to hyperlink graphics or photos. This makes it really easy to direct students or viewers to sites you want them to visit. To do this, click on any graphic. There will be a small, grey toolbar that pops up with options for you to choose. There will be an option that looks like a link, which gives you the ability to hyperlink.
After you've perfected your Glog, all you need to do is save it. You can save it as Finished, Unfinished, Public, or Public with Reglog, so this gives you the ability to publicize your work and show it off!
These features make Glogster so versatile, especially in the classroom. For my project in particular, though, I focused on the essential standard for third grade science, 3.E.1.1. This asks that students "Recognize that the earth is part of a system called the solar system that includes the sun (a star), planets, and many moons and the earth is the third planet from the sun in our solar system."
Check out my Glog here!
For my Glogster lesson, I thought it would be exciting if students did a web-quest which challenged them to discover information about the solar system, organize their information on a provided worksheet, and work together to create a presentation. This isn't any old presentation, though. The students are presenting to aliens who have kidnapped me, their teacher, and hidden me in outer space. The only way that students can save me is if they prove to the aliens that they are knowledgeable about the solar system.
First, students must watch the video of me on the Glogster. This will give them the directions they need to begin working. Next, they will click on the planet that says, "Click here for instructions on your worksheet and poster!" This hyperlink will take them to another Glogster, which has detailed instructions, the worksheet, and a sample poster to help them with their presentation to the aliens. If they click around on the main Glogster, they will also see hyperlinks for the information on and the contents of the solar system. The links are a collection of science education websites for children. Students will use the links provided in these Glogsters to inform their answers and presentation.
In order to "save" me, students in groups of 5 will work together to come up with a creative poster which gives information about the fact that we live on a planet that is part of a solar system, that the solar system includes a star and planets, and other objects and that planets and other objects revolve around the star. They will also include that in our solar system Earth is the third planet from the sun. In addition to the minimum, students will include a few interesting facts they've found about the solar system. In addition to giving them the opportunity to work individually on the web-quest, they also work collaboratively to collect and display their information in a way that makes sense to them.
Used by teachers and students alike, they're a genuinely great way to express your ideas. As a student, Glogster is a great way for presentations and projects. In fact, I've actually used it voluntarily because it's a great way to display information in a cohesive and engaging way. Since it's accessible online, students can access their accounts from anywhere with an internet connection. As a teacher, there are so many ways to make Glogster a part of your classroom. In addition to presenting information to students, teachers could use these posters to help students solve problems with their homework, explain projects, or display student's work. Because it is so easy to integrate videos, it's a great way for teachers to create assignments that have recorded instructions and worksheets or problems to complete.
Teachers can use these with parents, too. It would be great to have these on a back-to-school night, which gives parents the opportunity to see what kinds of projects their child will be working on and the kinds technology that will be integrated into the class. Teachers can also create Glogsters which include pictures from events in the classroom and email the link to the Glog to parents for viewing.
Obviously, this program has incredible versatility. Despite my initial experience with Glogster, I am so happy that I have learned to love it. It's a wonderful way to create something unique, innovative, and informative in a short amount of time. If I take the time to teach my third graders how to navigate the website, I may be able to reduce the amount of work a parent does on a student's project, giving my students the confidence to accomplish big tasks on their own.
Resources
[Glogster Logo] Retrieved April 8, 2015, from: https://kglascock.wikispaces.hcpss.org/file/view/Glogster_EDU_Logo.png/202529778/Glogster_EDU_Logo.png
