I’ve added many new free web 2.0 resources at my Fab Five website.
17
Feb
EtherPad
EtherPad is one of the easiest tools I have found for real-time collaboration. There is no signup or registration required, making it a great tool to use with students. Simply create a pad, share the link, and you are able to collaborate in real-time. The edits are instant. Some of the features I like are the ability to import and export into and from the pad into Word, .pdf, HTML, etc. There is also a chat window for real-time discussion as you are collaborating on a document. Definitely worth checking out.
I’m trying a new tool for a New Teacher workshop.
One of the blogs I enjoy reading is Teach Paperless written by R. Richard Wojewodzki. His latest entry was inspired by the list of 21 Things that became obsolete this decade. Wojewodzki has created a list of 21 things that will become obsolete in education by 2020. His list includes desks, computers, homework, lockers, parent-teacher conference nights, attendance offices and more. His rationale is sound, and I truly hope I’m around to experience his vision of the future. He did not include teachers on his list, but if his vision is to be realized, teachers will have to change dramatically to avoid obsolescence.
I just started reading “Differentiating Instruction with Technology in Middle School Classrooms” by Grace E. Smith and Stephanie Throne. In Chapter 3, they list what they call “The Essential Nine” Learner Web 2.0 Tools You Should Know and Use. It it worth noting that all of the Essential Nine are collaboration tools. And, it is the collaboration tools that districts are most likely to be blocking. Here is the list. What do you think?
- Blogs
- Document Sharing
- Photo Sharing/Editing
- Podcasting
- RSS
- Social Bookmarking/Tagging
- Social Networking
- Video Sharing
- Wikis
Pixar University’s Randy Nelson explains what schools must do to prepare students for jobs in new media.
I’ve created a 15 minute video on how to manage pictures taken with a digital camera that includes copying the pictures from the camera to the computer, renaming the pictures, printing the pictures, and showing the pictures with PowerPoint’s PhotoAlbum tool.
Full Video in Flash Format - this is a link to the full video in Flash (.swf) format
Digital Camera Video Part 1 - this is part 1 of the video in Windows Media format (.wmv). It demonstrates how to create a folder on your computer and copy the pictures from the camera into that folder.
Digital Camera Video Part 2 - this is part 2 of the video in Windows Media format (.wmv). It demonstrates how to quickly rename the pictures in the folder, print the pictures, and create a slide show of pictures quickly and easily using PowerPoint’s Photo Album feature.
07
Dec
Edmodo
Typically, when people hear the term microblogging, they think of Twitter. The problem with traditional web 2.0 tools like Twitter in a k-12 classroom environment is concerns over privacy of the students. In fact, Twitter is blocked in Macomb County. Edmodo has been built with the privacy of students in mind. Edmodo is a private micro-blogging platform designed specifically for teachers and students. Using Edmodo, teachers can create a microblogging network for their classes. Edmodo allows teachers to create a group specifically for their students and exclude those not invited to the group. Edmodo provides teachers with a place to post assignment reminders, build an event calendar, and post messages to the group. Teachers and students can share links, videos, notes, and files. Edmodo also has a public component allowing teachers to post any item to a public timeline at the teacher’s discretion.
Edmodo could be used for a wide variety of tasks and lessons. Creating an Edmodo group could be a handy way to remind students of assignments and tasks they need to complete. It could also be a forum for open discussion in an online course setting. In a one-to-one computing environment you could post a story starter and have each student add a sentence or paragraph to create a collaboratively written story. Teachers can post assignments that can have due dates and file attachments; similarly, students can either complete the assignment by replying or can upload a file. Teachers can provide immediate feedback and scoring.
07
Dec
Phixr
With Phixr you can edit your photos in every possible way and directly e-mail them to your friends, or upload them to your account at third-party websites such as Facebook, Picasa, Smugmug, Flickr, and more. There are a wide range of editing tools you can use to transform your photo. You can Rotate, Flip, Crop, recolor to B&W or Sepia, Equalize colors, adjust saturation, hue, brightness, contrast, add speech bubbles, text, remove noise, sharpen, add various fun effects, add a border or frame, and more. Within minutes, I transformed a simple photo I had uploaded into something special. Check it out.
07
Dec
Pixer
Pixer is another photo editing site. While it doesn’t have as many features as Phixer, one of the features I did like was the resize tool. It was very easy to upload a photo, click on the resize tool, drag the photo size up or down, and save the photo. Because it is necessary to make photos smaller for the web, this would be a handy online tool. You can also crop, rotate, recolor, sharpen, add effects and perform other editing tasks with Pixer. However, I think Phixr has more editing features.
07
Dec
Queeky
All of you artists out there need to take note of this site. Queeky is a free online art community where artists can upload, create, collaborate (with the MultiDraw feature), give and get feedback, enter contests, create shows (using the Queeky ArtPlayer) and embed them on a blog or website, and more that I probably haven’t discovered yet. You can create animated drawings using QueekyPaint, a unique and easy to use draw application. If you are familiar with Adobe Photoshop, you will see that QueekyPaint has many of the same features, inlcuding the ability to work in layers. I’m impressed with the many features of this site. The Projects area lists ongoing contests and projects in which you can participate. Users can choose their level of privacy. So far, I haven’t found anything inappropriate, but as always, it would be wise to monitor Queeky as it is an online social network community of artists.
07
Dec
5min.com
5-min.com is a library of instructional, knowledge, and lifestyle videos on a multitude of topics. The videos are professionally produced and feature content from some of the world’s largest media companies as well as the most innovative independent producers. Video recipes, yoga and fitness routines, tech tutorials, DIY projects for home and garden, health videos on specific conditions, beauty and fashion tips, video game walk-throughs and much more. Click on the Knowledge category to access videos on such topics as Newton’s First Law, Introduction to Friction, The Roman Empire, and more. The site has a search feature that allows you to search for specific topics. It also uses a “Smart Player” to view the videos which allows you to watch the instructional video in slow motion, to zoom in or out, and to access text guides, links, and images if the creator has included them. You can add a link to the video on your website or blog – or you can embed the video directly on your site. You can also submit self-produced instructional video for upload to 5min.com. As the site says, “If you can teach it, upload it.” It is reviewed and either accepted or rejected by the 5-min team.
04
Nov
Lino
Lino - Think “online bulletin board.” Lino is a simple and easy web-based sticky note/bulletin board service. This service provides its registered users with virtual “stickies” which can consist of sticky notes, pictures, videos, or documents. Users post and organize these “stickies” on a “canvas”, a bulletin board-like area. Users can choose their canvas from a gallery or they can upload their own image to serve as the background on the canvas – sort of like choosing your own pattern for your bulletin board. Use lino anytime, anywhere. Post “stickies” not only from your PC, but also from outside via email. You can login to your lino account using a computer at home, at school, at work, and even using a cell phone. A lino user can choose public access level for each of his/her canvases from three levels; “Public” (publicly accessible), “Friends” (limitedly accessible), and “Private”(non-accessible except by its creator). Teachers can use this to post class information or to present content information. You can use it as an alternative form of assessment, allowing students to use it as an alternative way to demonstrate knowledge on a topic or to collaborate on a group activity.
04
Nov
Springnote
Springnote is an online notebook tool. You can keep your notebook private, or you can create public pages that anyone can view and edit. Create pages, work on them with friends, and share files. With the Personal Notebook, users can keep shopping lists, to-do lists, lists of favorite books or movies, meeting notes, recipes, documents, pictures, etc. Creating a notebook for educational or academic purposes is a great way to have accessible notes anywhere you go. Think about having your notes and notebooks available wherever there is a computer. Students can create notebooks on school subjects and course material to share with other classmates. They can also create notebooks for group projects to give and receive feedback on work from their peers or teachers!
04
Nov
PicLits
PicLits is a creative writing site that enables users to match beautiful images with carefully selected keywords. The object is to put the right words in the right place and the right order to capture the essence, story, and meaning of the picture. Users choose from a gallery of images, then drag and drop words onto the image – or they can write freestyle on the image. They can then save their piclit, e-mail it, or post it on a blog or website. If you visit the site, click on the Learn It link which provides lessons on the basics of creative writing to help students generate quality piclits. I wish I had known about this tool when I was using Harry Noden’s “Image Grammar” in the classroom to teach students how to use grammatical structure to create pictures with words. PicLits is a useful tool to use in conjunction with Noden’s “brushstrokes.”
09
Oct
Dipity
Dipity is a online web tool that enables users to create event timelines with descriptions, images, links to videos, websites, etc.
An example timeline is included below:
09
Oct
John Locker
John Locker is a great classroom resource for educational videos and documentaries. Every video on John Locker was added by its community of users. The site contains a search tool that enables visitors to search for documentaries by key word or by category. When you find a video, you can view it from the John Locker site, or you can share the URL with others, or you can embed the video into your website, blog, Blackboard site, etc. as I’ve done below:
09
Oct
Moblyng
I just discovered Moblyng – a very easy to use slide-show creator. It took me a few minutes to create this slide-show of a family trip. Make sure you click on the audio button to hear the music. There are lots of different themes and music to choose from. Check it out – you’ll love it.
Visit www.moblyng.com to make your own!
07
Oct
Stress Relievers
School has been in session for 1 month now, and I already feel like I’ve packed 4 months of work into that month. Having the valued privilege of visiting many people in nearly all of the buildings around the district, I know that I’m not the only person feeling like this. It’s been a stress-filled start – PowerTeacher, MEAP, jam-packed classrooms, new technology, old technology, progress reports, construction, etc.
Today, I came home and plopped on the couch for a breather before starting dinner (tacos…again), and started flipping channels. Instead of flipping to my usual MSNBC or CNN, etc. I stopped on “I Love Lucy.” It has been ages since I watched this treasure, and boy am I glad my surfing stopped here. I laughed out loud for nealy 15 minutes straight. Nothing like Lucy and Ricky to put things in perspective. No thoughts of problems or strife – just slapstick humor that really brightened my day and gave me energy to start those tacos (and write this blog entry).
I know that we all have some good ideas for how to put the problems and stresses of the day aside. Watching “I Love Lucy” is something I’m going to try and do more often. How about taking a few minutes and sharing with me (and anyone else who ventures to this blog) your ideas for reducing stress and reenergizing. Or maybe just a brief message that helps us to remember why we are doing this every day. Keep it G-Rated, please. I don’t want to get kicked out of Edublogs. Just click on the word “Comments” above and contribute your thoughts. Come back often to see what others are saying.
29
Sep