Research+Remix+(Informative)

Are you looking for ideas to transform your research projects to better meet the needs and interests of your tech-savvy students without requiring a lot of "tech know how" on your part? Check this out!

Research Remix: INFORMATIVE Have your students put themselves in the shoes of the person or object being researched. The menu of choices below for crafting an autobiography incorporates many Web 2.0 tools while offering enough choice to allow students to tailor the project to their interests and abilities.

(For a copy of this document with links to the actual sites rather than to the Teach.Web.Two.Oh! pages that describe the resources, click [|here] )

Creative Ways to Tell Your Life Story (See our Glog of Examples)

Biopic: Biopics, biographical movies (The Social Network, 127 Hours, The King’s Speech, etc.), have been very popular lately. If you enjoy creating videos, consider creating a video biography (Use WeVideo or for an animated version, try @Xtranormal)

Blog or Journal: Let us know about you through the everyday things that happen in your life that you choose to share in a journal or blog (try Blogger).

Collage: Many famous artists, such as Romare Bearden, Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo, used collage to tell stories. If you decide to create one, be sure to include a “key” that explains the significance of each item. Make a poster or try BeeClip or Glogster for an online collage maker.

Graphic Novel or Children’s Book: If you’re the artistic type, then you might consider telling your story through a graphic novel on paper or with a tool like ToonDoo. Or, use words and pictures to tell the story of your life using descriptions a child would understand. Make your own children's book on paper or online with Storyjumper.

Obituary or Eulogy: What would people say about you and your life after you have passed away?

Oral History Recording: In an oral history, you record someone (either through audio or video) telling stories about life. Check out Storycorps.org for some great examples that show that every voice matters. (Try @Cinch for recording)

Resume: Adults use resumes to tell potential employers about themselves. Try adapting one of the resume templates you find on Microsoft Word to tell about you.

Scrapbook or Baby Book: Scrapbooking is a fun way to save not only photos, but other mementos such as letters, cards and small keepsakes. A baby book is a specialized type of scrapbook that has places for parents to fill in information about their new child. These books can be paper or digital. Don’t forget to write informative captions! Check out Voicethread for a cool tool to make narrated photo album, BeeClip for an easy online scrapbook maker, or Scrapblog for an online scrapbook with more capabilities.

Song Lyrics: Are you the next Justin Bieber? (Oh goodness!) Songfacts.com has a list of 180 songs that are autobiographical that you might use for inspiration to write songs for your own playlist. Story Quilt: You don’t have to be able to sew to use the idea of quilt squares that tell a story. Using words and pictures, each square tells about a different aspect of your life.

Talk Show: Take inspiration from daytime talk shows: what questions would Dr. Phil ask you if he interviewed you on his show? Turn it into a script or a video (Use WeVideo or for an animated version, try @Xtranormal).

Teen People Profile: Pretend you are a celeb being interviewed by Teen People. What stories would you tell? (Try @BigHugeLab's magazine cover maker for a fun cover for your project)

This is Your Life: This was an old TV show where they would surprise people with influential people from their past to help tell the person’s life story. Who would be your special guests? (Use iMovie, WeVideo or for an animated version, try @Xtranormal)

Time Capsule or Memory Box: Imagine that your kind is being eradicated (destroyed). You’ve decided to create a time capsule, so that future generations will understand what your life was like. What mementos would you save to tell the story? Be sure to include writing that explains the significance of each item.

Timeline: Show all the important events in your life through a timeline. Be sure you include an explanation of each event. Check out Capzles, Ourstory or TimeRime for a cool online timeline creator.

Your Own Idea: Have an idea that is not on this list or just want to talk over the possibilities, let us know!

To see an example of how a middle school science teacher utilized these options, click here: Research Writing in the Content Areas and see the handouts below. media type="custom" key="12299940"