TECHY TEACHER – WHAT THE TECH?

Inspiration

What Is Inspriation?

Inspiration Software^® facilitates visual thinking and learning. The software is a tool for helping students how to organize their thinking, brainstorm, analyze, and write. 

The software is available on all SPS computers.

Overview Video for Inspiration:  To obtain an idea of the power of Inspiration, please watch this overview and then let your learners create! 

Inspiration In Teaching and Learning

• Create a family tree using Inspiration
• Visit Graphic Organizers for ideas for mindmapping, brainstorming, etc.
• Develop organization skills in writing

Tutorials

• Version 8 Training Materials 
• Quick Start Tutorial: This document is 46 pages long and it is aimed for the learner who wants to learn  while working on the screen. Please allow about 60 minutes to complete this tutorial.
• SPS Handout for Introduction to Inspiration
• Transfering  Inspiration Content to WORD and save it in a version that will open on all school machines.

Templates

Start with a blank canvas by selecting “Create a Diagram” from the starter screen or select “Find a Template” to see if what you are looking for has already been created.

Templates are available in Inspiration on its Starter Screen (refer to screenshot). Once in the template area, search online for more templates by selecting BROWSE at the bottom of the template screen. Please note that Inspiration must be installed to view/use  these templates. 

Support

• Under the Learn to Use option, there are additional resources to help get you started.
• View Resources to Help You Integrate Inspiration Across the Curriculum, to locate  resources on the Inspiration Website. Find lesson plan books and samples, related technologies, connections to textbooks, as well as archived webcasts and videos that provide an idea of how Inspiration can be integrated across the curriculum.
• Inspiration and Kidspiration - Templates and Ideas
• Suggestions for Using Inspiration in the Classroom - lists templates that can be used across the curriculum and considersations for how to use.
• To find copyright free sound files, visit TechyTeacher’s Audio Resources.

April 21, 2010

Creating a Family Tree Using Inspiration

Family Tree Project Using Inspiration

Download the sample family tree ZIP file here. This includes the Inspiration file (see screen shot) and several pictures of people to use in the creation of a sample family tree. FamilyTreeFiles.zip

Open up a new diagram and have students list off all of the members of their families that they will be including in their web. Do this without rapid fire because they can create links later to represent family relationships. Simply have them click on the canvas in a new spot and type a name. Repeat until all family members appear on canvas. Now have students arrange the family members into family groupings. See the screen shot as an example.

Once everyone is in the correct position, students can click on the the person they want to link to someone else. Once their “bubble” is selected, they can click on create link and then click on the “bubble” they want to link to. The link arrow should be placed between the two bubbles. Arrow direction can be changed using the icon at the bottom. If you click on a link line, in the middle of the line you can type the relationship between the two people.

To insert pictures of specific people that the students may have, select EDIT and then INSERT GRAPHIC. Browse to where the file you want is saved. Once the file inserts, you can click on it to resize it to the size you need. You can also click on the image and type in a name below the image.

The files in the .zip file can be used to try this out. Once the kids udnerstand how it works, they can take their own digital pictures of family members or scan some from family albums. If family members have blogs or other websites, students can link to them through their tree.

FACEBOOK is a great place for student to get pictures of their family members. Often students will have family pictures already uploaded to FACEBOOK. They can easily cut out people’s faces to serve as images in their family web – as done above in the sample.

April 20, 2010