Surely You’re Joking, Mister Teacher

As I was parsing articles in Google Reader, I came across an article on the Learn Me Good blog titled, “Top 10 ways to close out the school year.” At first glance, I was appalled by what I saw. Napping contests? Surely you’re joking, Mister Teacher.

One of the ways I have decided to close out this year is to give students an opportunity to flex their creative muscles with Glogster.  Because I teach Computer Science, my bonus assignment asks the students to research famous computer scientists.  You might have them research people, places, current events, or other topics in your field.  The sky is the limit.

Glogster is a wonderful web-based interactive poster creation tool.  Far beyond PowerPoint, students can embed photos, videos, music, links, and text in a rich web-based environment.  When done properly, Glogs can be captivating for viewers.  Check out this student-produced work on the Grapes of Wrath or this Glog about Glogs (a meta-Glog?).

Educators can register up to 100 student accounts for free — no student email addresses required — at Glogster’s education site:  http://edu.glogster.com