How to Make a ThingLink

Hey there!  I was sitting here thinking that it might be nice if I gave directions on how to make a ThingLink, so you can try it.  Let me know how it goes! :)

1. Login to your account or make one.

2. Click on "Create"

3. Decide on a picture to use, and then click on the appropriate source.

4. I will pick the "Upload from hard drive option" since that is what I do most often.  I then have to click on the blue box to access my files of pictures.

5. Find and select the picture you would like to use for your ThingLink.  Either double click on the picture, or single click and then click "open."

6. Now it's time to start tagging the picture.  Below I point out how to do it, things you can include, and other features. 

7. After you are finished putting in information for one tag, click "save tag."  After you make one tag, keep going! 

 8. When you are finished, don't forget to save your entire ThingLink project.

9.  Lastly, click on "Share" to get a link or embed code for your ThingLink.  You will also be able to share on facebook or other media.

Enjoy!!

Diigo and ThinkLink possibly in the same lesson

I just found a lesson plan that was posted online as an example of how students can use Diigo to research an invention and be able to share the websites they find with their group.  When I was thinking about ThinkLink and how it can be used in the classroom, I came up with a lesson that allows students to use ThinkLink as an alternative way to present the inventor/invention report.  Teachers could use both of these Web 2.0 tools within the same project!

Visuwords - be careful

Oh, wow!  I was just looking through my Visuwords examples, as I wanted to explain how each of my examples would be used in the classroom.  The "board" Visuwords would be part of a lesson during the spelling list of homophones.  The "scared" Visuwords would be used in October for a writing assignment.  Students love this assignment where they get to write their own scary story that will be read to the class on Halloween.  We turn off the lights and pull down the shades.  We pull the blinds, and then I put on a youtube video of a crackling fire behind the readers!  It's great.  One of the skills I stress, in addition to descriptive words, is to show the reader how scared the character is, as opposed to saying "Bob was scared."  I thought the Visuwords would be a good way to come up with other ways of saying it.  Just be careful, though, as I just saw the Visuwords I posted has "shitless" as one of the nodes on the word "afraid." I was unable to figure out if I could take that particular node off the diagram, and I tried to locate a way to contact the company to discuss this.  My advice: just be careful, and remember to vet the words you plan to use.

ThingLink's use as a Science Project

 Image Source

In thinking about ThingLink and the many ways it can be used in the classroom, I decided this year I may tweak a current science project and include ThingLink as an alternative to the normal pencil and paper report.

My students are assigned a report on an inventor and invention and are to read the report to the class.  This year I will teach my class how to use ThingLink earlier in the year, and then they will use this new tool to showcase what they learn about the inventor.  I will also be changing it from a project to be worked on individually to a project for pairs to collaborate and discuss. 

Here is a link to the standards, lesson summary, and checklist for the students.  Including in the document is an example I made to show the students what is expected.

Ways to Use the Intel Seeing Reason Tool

On a very basic note, this tool can be used to practice the concept of cause and effect.  Once students understand this concept, this cause and effect tool can work great for showing understanding of casual relationships in content areas.   This tool can be used at any stage of a lesson or unit. 

The Seeing Reason tool works well as a collaborative tool.  Students working together to build a diagram, engage in critical thinking and deep conversation.  Students can investigate the cause of a problem, illustrating connections.  They need to think about all the factors leading to an event and how they are related.  If students are going to be doing research, they can make their diagram prior to the activity, and then after data is collected, they can talk about their new knowledge and how it affects their original map.  Teachers can use student diagrams to start conversations about student thinking.

Here is link for a diagram I made to show the relationship between factors that led up to Karana being left alone on the Island of the Blue Dolphins, a novel my language arts class reads. Here is a lesson plan in which a version of this diagram would be a product.

Teacher Workspace: http://screencast.com/t/fRLkJWa4Du0w
 

Manage project teams: http://screencast.com/t/wn7vY55hoj

Project Ideas

Note: It was easy for me to create an account, but I had the hardest time finding how to register to use the tools.  Here is where you can register.  Then I had a hard time starting a project and had to email the company.  They got back to me within 24 hours and gave me this link.