Animated Fakebook

As I have shared here before, Fakebook is a really cool way to get students to create a false Facebook page for a an historical figure, book character, or even place or event.  Recently I found out on Free Tech 4 Teachers that they have added a new feature to their site which allows you to animate your Fakebook profile.  No, you won't be able to make your person dance or anything but you will be able to show the progression of the page.  This is a great way to use Fakebook as a timeline creator or historical synopsis.  Check out this profile for Harry S. Truman to see this feature in action.

Now What?

If you haven't used Fakebook in the past, check out the short tutorial below which walks you through how to create you very own profile in a matter of minutes.  Also if you are interested, I have also created some great resources for the creation of a profile including agraphic organizer for planning and a reference sheet...feel free to use them in your classroom.  For those with SmartBoards...check out this template for use with SMART Notebook.

Weekly Technology Assignment 5

This week's assignment will use a website called Fakebook created by classtools.net to create a fake Facebook profile page.  I really love how simple it is to create this profile and the ability to really get creative with the posts and comments.  We all know how pervasive Facebook is in our society and this is a great way to make learning authentic for your students.  Check out the assignment and tutorial below for more information...

Website:  Fakebook

Activity:  Have your students create a Fakebook page for a book character, a famous person or even a famous landmark or event.  Another great way to use this website would be to have the students create a fakebook profile for themselves and then share them in class to learn more about each other!   The possibilities are endless.  If you are interested, I have also created some great resources for the creation of a profile including a graphic organizer for planning and a reference sheet...feel free to use them in your classroom.  For those with SmartBoards...check out this template for use with notebook.

Example:  Derek Jeter

Class Tools

A while back I wrote about a site (view original post) where you could create a fake Facebook page called Fakebook.  It's a great site and very easy to use without an account or registration.  I happened on to the site again to find that there are some other really great resources on there besides the Fakebook tool.  Below are three other really great resources for you to check out and use in your classroom:

Random Name Picker: Use this site to select students to answer a question in class or use it as a vocabulary game using words from your word wall.  Check out the video clip below to see how it works:




QR Code Quiz Generator:  Really easy way to create a scavenger hunt or quiz using QR (Quick Response) Codes (those barcode looking things you see everywhere).  To create a quiz simply type in your questions and the QR codes are generated for you so you can print and hand out or post around school.  If you would like to create a QR code of a website or other content, check out jlj l.  Click here to see a sample quiz using the QR code quiz generator.

Post It!: Upload an image and then you can label it with sticky notes.  This would be a great way to handle diagrams and labeling but I also found it be useful as a shared corkboard ala Wallwisher or corkboard.me.  Check out the corkboard below and add your own sticky note to the coversation.

Click here for larger version

Teachers on Facebook

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/07/istock_000015600044large.jpg?t=1323291225&s=2

NPR recently had a story about teachers using Facebook and the implications of statements made by teachers on Facebook.  These statements have been debated with regard to a teacher's freedom of speech.  It is a short article but very interesting in nature.  Do you have students as friends on your Facebook?  How careful are you when you are discussing your life and opinions socially on the web?