Archive for June, 2011
Web 2.0 tools that will instantly impact your classroom.
Posted by fernandezc4 in Digital Tools, Edtech on June 5, 2011
The following post is a small and quick representation of a of web 2.0 tools presentation made at the 2011 LCS Interactive Technology Summit by Carlos Fernandez. I was asked to participate in a friendly web 2.0 shootout with a great friend of mine Stephen Veliz. Knowing Stephen as good as I do, I knew I had to bring my A-Game. With the help of my amazing twitter PLN and a few of my own personal favorite web 2.0 tools I was able to come up with what I believe are Web 2.0 Tools that will instantly impact a teacher’s classroom in a positive manner. The Web 2.0 Tools listed below are in no particular order.
Fernandezc4: Favorite Web 2.0 Tools
Join.me: This is an easy to use screen sharing tool. Whoever initiates the screen sharing only has to share the link with anyone else they want to share their screen with. I have used this before when a teacher or student has one of those “need to see it” type questions about something they’re working on or something I want to demo for them. You can either instruct the teacher to create the screen sharing link and send it to me or vice versa. Works nicely when either party is on a time crunch. There’s even a mobile version for iPad, iPod Touch, and Android. https://join.me/
Audioboo: Brilliant podcasting tool and so easy to use. You can record a message and send out to students, students, can record messages to you. Can be used for assignments, Discussion Based Assessments, you can also embed the recordings into your website.
Jing: This is a screen capture tool, but it’s not for just a quick picture, it actually records videos so you can record yourself talking and explaining a website or resource, and then send it to your students. This could be your perfect outlet to using you tube videos for your classroom, with out all of the inappropriate side stuff that may come out.
Google Voice: Google Voice gives you one number for all your phones, voicemail as easy as email, free US long distance, low rates on international calls, and many calling. Screen all of your calls. Give the students your google voice number rather than your cell phone number. You must have a Gmail account in order to use google voice.
Survey Monkey: Allows you to make all kinds of surveys. It automatically puts the results into graphs and summarizes things for you. You can do up to 10 questions for free in each survey. This could be a great form to get feedback from students and parents. http://www.surveymonkey.com/
Evernote: I like to think of Evernote as an organized filling cabinet that is always with me. I personally use Evernote to create notes, clip interesting web pages, store pdf’s, and snap photos. The best thing that Evernote offers is the ability to take my notes everywhere I go. They can be accessed through the computer, my phone, iPad, or even web. Evernote is something that does not have a single use, it has hundreds of uses. My wife uses it to keep an updated shopping list on her at all times and make digital copies of her important receipts. I use it as a digital portfolio that each of my students can use to save their work and show growth. This is my personal #1 web 2.0 tool. You can use Evernote with your Ipad, Itouch, Droid, PC or Mac, or just about any computer that has online access. http://www.evernote.com/
Quizlet: Quizlet is a free site that allows you the teacher or a student to make their own vocabulary words and definitions, and then the site generates flash cards, games, and even exams that the students can take in order to study.
Vocaroo: Allows you to make a voice recording and send it off to anyone. The students can make a recording and turn it in as an assignment, maybe they can just record themselves going over the vocabulary, email themselves the link and listen to it through their iTouch, iPods, phones, or any computer. Obviously works great for those audio learners.
Present.me: This site will allow you to record and share your presentation. With Present.Me you just upload your slides, click record, present into your webcam and then publish instantly on the web. http://present.me/
Message Hop: ( could replace voice thread) you have pictures and text that turns into an animation. You can use multiple pictures and write as much as you want under each picture. You can use this for group work. Once you create them you can send them to who ever you want. You can use them for presentation or maybe use it to have different groups create stories on a topic of your choice. http://www.messagehop.com/
Pollmo: this site allows you to post a question and have students respond back via poll. You can embed this poll into your website.This could be a great way to get kids to go to your website and get used to going to the website to answer a poll question for HW or something of that nature. http://pollmo.com/
Prezi: Prezi is a web-based presentation application and storytelling tool that uses a single canvas instead of traditional slides. Text, images, videos, and other presentation objects are placed on the infinite canvas and grouped together in frames. The canvas allows users to create non-linear presentations, where users can zoom in and out of a visual map. http://prezi.com/index/
KeepVid: This site will help you download a video from YouTube and convert the video format so you can show it in your classroom. http://keepvid.com/
Loudlit: A collection of books that have been recorded. You can see the text and hear it being read to you. You will find novels, short stories, poems, children’s books, classics, and more. http://www.loudlit.org/
Digital Dialects: This site allows you to learn different words and pronunciation from so many different languages. This could be a great tool for students to use when doing projects about different cultures and languages. The digital dialects site features free to use online games for learning languages. Language resources include games for learning phrases, numbers, useful words, spelling, verb conjugation and alphabets. http://www.digitaldialects.com/
Eyercize allows you to learn speed reading. On this website, find out how to beat information overload, and read much, much more in the time you have available. This will help your students read at a much faster rate. This is something that they can do in school or do at home and practice. http://www.eyercize.com/
Meegenius: children’s audio books (K-5) whole books that are being illustrated and you can read along as the book reads it to you. You can also choose to read it yourself. http://www.meegenius.com/
Skype: Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chats over the Internet. Skype service is free. You can use Skype to communicate with other classrooms and share projects, assignments, ideas, or just learn about each other. http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home
JotForm: JotForm is the easiest and quickest way to create web forms. You can do surveys, applications, and so many more. If it’s an on-line form that you need you can make it with JotForm. Teachers can use this for contact forms, surveys, use them as an assignment and much more. You can embed your JotForm onto any website.
Dropbox: Dropbox is a cloud that allows you to store files. Drop box is one place for everything. It’s always there on your computer, but you can also access it from any computer with web access, no matter where you are. Drop box keeps track of all of your files and allows you to organize them however you wish. It’s a single secure place for all of your materials. http://www.dropbox.com/
Dropit.tome Insert Here This program allows the students to submit a word document, power point presentation, PDF, or spreadsheet into a personal folder inside your personal Dropbox folder. It basically allows students to turn in assignments digitally.
-StudyBlue: StudyBlue is your online home to store lecture notes and make flashcards. Study online and on your phone for effective, productive learning. http://www.studyblue.com/
Live Binders: Live Binders is your personal 3 ring binder for the web. You can collect resources, organize them neatly and easily and present them. They can be used in a classroom for students or teachers who wish to keep a portfolio. http://livebinders.com/
SoundBoard: This site has an amazing soundboard and you can find audio files from famous historical figures, movies, radio, or pretty much anything. This would be a great resource for History Teachers. http://www.soundboard.com/
Shakespeare in Bits: For iPad and iTouch. This is an amazing way for students to hear and watch Shakespeare. This site breaks down the plays, and animates them into cartoons. This app reminds me of the infamous John Wooden quote ” You haven’t taught until they have learned.” This is one of those resources that takes you away from traditional teaching and allows the students to learn using modern-day technology.
Tagxedo: This site allows you to make word clouds. This site could be used to study poems, speeches, important documents, or just analyze websites. It allows students to view text differently and even creat their own interpretation of a visual text document. http://www.tagxedo.com/
Testmoz: Testmoz is a test generator that sports 4 question types, automatic grading, a really simple interface and detailed reports.Testmoz is free, and does not require you (or your students) to register. You can build a fully functional test in about a minute. http://testmoz.com/
Engrade: Engrade allows teachers to create an account and have direct communication with students and their parents. Teachers can manage student grades, track attendance, schedule upcoming homework, and provide students and parents progress reports http://www.engrade.com/
GCF: This is a site where you can find a bunch of free tutorials for so many programs. Microsoft Products, Word, Power Point, Excel, Office Products and so much more. Free on-line learning with GCF: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/topicsOnline Resource:
If you want to learn more about technology tools, or just read what many teachers around the US have posted in terms of classroom ideas, and resources that they are sharing go to any of the following websites:
- The Educators PLN: The personal learning network for educators http://edupln.com/
- Free Technology 4 Teachers: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
- Teacher Technology Training Videos: http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/
Join a group, hop in a discussion, or find out about upcoming online learning opportunities.
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