September 12, 2011
The first site I want to make sure that everyone is aware of is our very own Technology Web (previously the Tech Wiki). On it, you will find any and all the resources I have talked about or staff development given throughout the past 2 years along with tutorials, guides, videos and any handouts used. All the Links of the Week are archived there as well (see side bar) and the site will continue to grow throughout the year along with our knowledge of exciting new technologies and resources for our students!
September 20, 2011
SMART has created a new needs assessment site that allows you to complete a short survey that will determine what you know, and need to know, concerning the use of the Smartboard and Notebook software; it will then offer FREE, self-paced, staff development modules for you to take based on your score! I’ve looked at the site and there seems to be something for everyone to learn from beginners to advanced users. It’s a super resource that you can review on your own time when YOU want to! Definitely check this one out.
September 26, 2010
Did you know that our school has a comprehensive, tagged Resource Library containing over 150 web sites? That there are links to lessons, interactive games, quizzes, puzzles, videos, images, specialty Web 2.0 sites and more? It’s really easy to use; on the right-hand side of our bookmark page you’ll see tags you can choose from…….just click the ones you are looking for and narrow your search as you go. For example, a teacher here was looking for an web-based timeline generator the other day; it took maybe a minute to click the Social Studies tag, then Web 2.0 to find the Timetoast Timeline generator (cool program by the way). It’s updated throughout the year as quality sites are found; check it out!
October 5, 2011
Ever run into really wanting to show a YouTube video to your class but the comments underneath were less than appropriate? Do you wish you could view a video from that site without having to deal with advertisements and potty mouths? It’s very do-able through a site called ViewPure………in fact, I used it yesterday to show the bullying videos! They were all on YouTube and surrounded by adds and comments but all I had to do was copy the YouTube address of the video, go to the ViewPure site and paste it in the box. Clicked Create and viola! A completely new site with just that video. Done. I’ve attached an amazing video of how it works……enjoy J
November 14, 2011
With over 2,700 videos, custom self-paced learning, real-time class reporting, practice exercises and even a progress measurement process that has BADGES – the Khan Academy organization is an excellent resource for students both here and at home. It’s a free non-profit organization with the goal of “changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.” Be sure to start at http://www.khanacademy.org/about to learn all this site has to offer. Good stuff!
November 29, 2011
Have you ever had that video file that refused to play in Windows Media? How about a document you made in MS Works that won’t open in Word? WordPerfect? How about pictures? Need to make something a .pdf file? No need to fear, Zamzar is here! This web site will convert almost anything and send the new file(s) to your email. Check out the list of formats it handles: http://www.zamzar.com/conversionTypes.php Much better than PDFtoWORD!
December 19, 2011
Just in time for Holiday shenanigans…..it’s pho.to! This is a free online photo editor that has cool enhancement tools and super fun effects. You’ll just have to see this one to understand it’s pure awesomeness.
January 4, 2012
Mixbook is a free Web 2.0 site that allows teachers and students to create completely customizable online photo books / scrap books (cards and calendars also). It is an amazing visual presentation, digital storytelling, project creation and portfolio gathering collaborative tool that students (and yourself) will love to use! Now that students have email addresses through Gaggle they can sign up for an account and get started building, creating, sharing and even publishing (for a fee) projects……
Check out the following book that a 5th grade class created on Famous Americans:
http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/all/famous-americans-2703889
The education gallery is a must-see:
http://www.mixbook.com/gallery/education
February 8. 2012
Xtranormal is an easy to use movie maker containing tons of characters (fictional, celebrity and historical), sets, sounds and animations. The easiest part of the whole thing is the fact that all you have to do is type what you want and the characters say it and are automatically animated! It’s a free account and you will be given enough credit to unlock several characters, a set or two, and sounds to make a movie…..once something’s unlocked, they are yours to use as many times as you want and you can publish as many movies as you want. If you want to use more sets or characters down the road, you can purchase bundles of points in increments of $10 that will allow you to build your inventory up…….if you want to use more than 2 characters at a time there is also a desktop version you can download. I am thinking of using this program to do several Vocabulary Adventure word movies…..how about Albert Einstein on Pi day!!??
They also have an educational version (http://www.xtranormal.com/edu) that allows students to access to all the characters and sets and make movies for $0.50 per student, per month. Plus, as the teacher you can have a special account that allows you to set up classes, moderate, grade and give feedback for $10 a month. This isn’t necessary to purchase in order to use Xtranormal with your students. You can, with parent’s permission of course, have the students sign up for a free account using their Gaggle email address and they will be able to make their one movie for free……imagine re-creating the Romeo and Juliet scene in an animation, having Abraham Lincoln talk about his life, write a poem and make a movie that relays not only the words but the emotions and surroundings as well! Book reports, historical research, presentations……the students LOVE it.
February 15, 2012
Penzu is an online personal journal or diary that’s extremely easy to use, looks just like paper and can be typed, hand (mouse) written on and even have pictures clipped to it. An online journal can’t be lost or stolen, you can access it anywhere there’s a computer w/ Internet, all writings are password protected (no more little lock) and, best of all, it’s FREE!
Keep a diary and someday it will keep you – Mae West
March 5, 2012
Prezi is a Web 2.0 program that allows you to build zoom-able, non-linear presentations that allow viewers to explore what you are presenting; not just sit and watch. It allows you to create a “big picture” that explores connections and ultimately, have a final result of a “visually captivating presentation that leads your audience down a path of discovery.” Many teachers use this program at the High Schools because the kids love exploring the data and it’s also available online 24/7. It can be viewed both online and as a file on your computer. You have to see this to truly understand what it can do! Check it out……
March 14, 2012
Attention one and all – BrainPop has launched an educational gaming platform with some great titles that cover Science, Social Studies, Math, Health, etc. I played around / attended a presentation at my conference last week and they are really engaging and full of great information (same as the cartoons….the kids watch but don’t realize how much they are learning since they’re cartoons). 8th grade getting ready to go to Washington, you may want to check out Supreme Decision and Court Quest!
Login: nwmstitans - pop
Play on!
March 26, 2012
I have created a digital binder containing the resources we spoke about yesterday during our training. If you can think of anything I may of missed, or if you’d like to contribute, write me an email and let me know. A thank you goes out to Staci Collins for sharing this Web 2.0 site at the Smackdown and to everyone for their participation throughout the day!
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=354482
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