Glogster: Poster Yourself!

Glogster is a tool that allows users to create posters to express information. They are multi-media posters that can include text, images, and video. For use in the classroom- the possibilities are endless! Teachers can create glogs for their students to use and students can make glogs for projects.

Instead of using powerpoint to present your lecture- try using glogster! You can include text and images that relate to the material. You can link to additional web resources. It’s an easy, clean way to present information to students. When you finish lecturing, the glogs can be posted online for the students to refer back to later to study for the test.

Glogs can also be used as part of a webquest activity. Teachers can link to websites that contain valuable information. Videos and graphics can be embedded right into the glog so the information is neatly in one place. These webquests are easy to create and the students will have fun exploring the glog.

Students will also love to create their own glogs! Instead of printing our pictures and messing with scissors and glue, images and video can be added right to their glogs. They can express an event in history, a science concept, characters in a story, or math concepts. The value they will get out of the project will depend on the assignment they are given. Assignment should be structured so that they are providing valuable information, but can also use they creativity and express themselves!

Setting Up Your Class

Before you start using Glogster, you’ll want to create your profile and set up your class. First, go to http://edu.glogster.com . Click “Register Virtual Class”. After you enter your information, you will get a dashboard. The dashboard is like your homepage. You’ll be able to view the glogs you create, your profile, and also the profiles of your students. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1

You can also view your whole class (Figure 2) or each students’ profile (Figure 3).

Figure 2

Figure 3

Using the dashboard, you can make comments on the students’ profiles, email the students directly, and view their glogs. It’s a great way to keep track of all your students’ work!

Creating Your Glog

Once you’ve created your profile and class, you can create glogs! The default glog looks like this: (Figure 4)

Figure 4

From here, you can change the background, add graphics, add music and videos, and create text. (Figure 5) It is easy to add graphics from the program, or to upload your own pictures. You can also upload images and video from your computer, or link right from the web!

Figure 5

Each graphic, video, or text can also be easily edited by clicking on it. They can be rotated, resized, and moved- or the font and color can be changed. You can also create hyperlinks with the graphics. (Figure 6)

Figure 6

When you’re finished, you click “save” and the glog will be saved to your profile. (Figure 7) You will also receive a link so you can embed it in a blog or wiki or other web page, or share it in an email. (Figure 8)

Figure 7

Figure 8

Here is an example of a completed glog. (Figure 9) It was used as part of a lesson plan and includes text, video, and pictures. There are also links that connect the viewer to documents on the web.

Figure 9

Ms. Hughes’ Poetry Class

Students in Ms. Hughes’ fourth grade class created glogs to express their poetry. Each student glog included a picture of the student, the poems they created, and a recording of the student reading the poem. The lesson plan can be found here: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfw6gxf2_6cgk498g4 and the class glog can be found here: http://principianteglobal.blogspot.com/2009/05/glogster_25.html . The student glogs can be viewed by clicking on the students’ picture which is a link to their page. This example is great because it allowed the students to be creative and express themselves. It was a very interactive activity that I’m sure kept them engaged throughout the lesson. The glogs also gave them a finished product that they could then share with the class and their families. Having the students read their poems on the glogs also gave them a chance to practice their oral communication skills.

Contemporary Literature 11th and 12th Grade

Students in this class were assigned to create glogs depicting the novel they had finished reading. They were asked to express characters by using music, graphics, and text. The lesson plan can be found here: http://www.anythingbutsquaredesign.com/images/HTGGLTA_LessonPlan2.pdf . In this class, the students are again interacting with the material and creatively expressing their learning. Glogs allow a lot of freedom by allowing different styles and media to be included. Also, since there is a limited space to present the information, the students have to think about how best to communicate their ideas and what information is most important.

Exploring Weather

This glog was created for an elementary school classroom. The glog incudes video and graphics and links to websites for further exploration. A glog like this would be used for students to explore, like a webquest, or for studying at home. http://cscribner.glogster.com/Weather/ This glog is great because it can be used for many different purposes. Teachers can use it as a tool for presentation, like they would powerpoint. It allows for a lot of flexibility and control with presentations because the order and depth for explaining information can vary depending on responses from the class. Also, since it is online, students can view it at home to review information, complete homework, or get enrichment.

Civil Rights Poster

This glog was created by a student, depicting the Civil Rights movement. It includes background music, video, and photos. It is a great example of what students can create in social studies classrooms. http://famous77.glogster.com/Freedom-of-Speech/ To express ideas and time periods, glogs work well in social studies classrooms. I especially see these types of glogs being used in year-long reviews, like in May when teachers are reviewing for SOLs or AP tests. Each student could take a unit and describe important people, events, and themes and the glogs can be presented as review and also viewed at home.

Pro’s

-Allows student creativity and students will be more engaged in the material

-Private glogs allows teachers to protect student work

-There is a very small learning curve- it’s user friendly and doesn’t take long to master

-Verstile—can be teacher created, student created, used as study guides, etc.

-Glogster Edu allows teachers to view their students’ work easily

-Glogs can be embedded in other formats, like on class webpages or wikis.

-Uploading images and video (from youtube.com, for example) is very easy

-Can be accessed anywhere so students can view and edit from home, in the computer lab, or in the classroom

-The limited space forces the students to think about how best to present the information and how to communicate their ideas

Con’s

-Technical difficulties may result in wasted time and loss of student work (when not saved)

-Engaging and exciting—but students may easily become distracted by the graphics and sounds

-Lack of time may be a challenge in creating glogs. Students will need time to create attractive glogs, and unless you have extended periods of time, there just won’t be enough.