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Quixey: Your go-to app search for ALL platforms!

What it is:   Have you ever attempted an app search?  It is a miserable experience, unless you already know what you are looking for, you are out of luck!  Quixey changes all of that by powering app searches across multiple platforms (Android, Bada, BlackBerry, Chrome extensions, Chrome web apps, Facebook, Firefox add-ons, IE add-ons, iPad, iPhone, Mac, Symbian, Web, WebOS, Windows, Windows Mobile and Windows Phone).  Quixey works with manufacturers, carriers, search engines and platforms to create a custom app search solution.  Quixey uses what they call “functional search” just for apps.  When you use Quixey, you don’t have to know the app’s exact name or “official” description to find the app.  Quixey scans blogs, review sites, forums and social media to learn what each app can do and how people are using it.  The Functional app search isn’t dependent on keywords.  When you search an app, you can type in the kind of app you are looking for.  Easily narrow your search by device.  Next to the device, you can see how many apps are related to your search making it simple to see how much digging you will need to do.  Next to each app that comes up in your search, there are snippets: short pieces of information that help you decide if the app will do what you need it to.  Need to narrow it down even more? No problem, Quixey let’s you organize by paid or free apps, or filter by a custom advanced view.  Very handy! How to integrate Quixey into the classroom: If you or your students use ANY of the above platforms, Quixey is a must!  Hunt down the exact app you need quickly and easily.  Have a mixed platform classroom? Quixey makes it simple to see where app crossover is possible for the classroom.  This is one handy search engine! Be sure to bookmark Quixey on classroom computers for easy access to an anytime search. When you find an app you are interested in, click for more information, screen shots of the app and a link to the app store.  You can even tweet the app out or share it on Facebook! Tips: When you click on an app, Quixey will even redirect you to the appropriate app store for download! Please leave a comment and share how you are using Quixey in  your classroom!

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Storybird

Posted by admin | Posted in Fun & Games, Interactive book, Language Arts, Middle/High School, Primary Elementary, Secondary Elementary, Teacher Resources, web tools, Web2.0, Websites | Posted on 08-09-2009

Tags: , , , , ,

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storybird

What it is: Storybird is a fun new collaborative storytelling website.  Storybird makes it easy to create and tell stories digitally.  Students and teachers can create stories together by combining imaginative artwork and text.  The final product can be printed, watched on screen, played with like a toy, or shared in an online library with the world.  “Storybird promotes imagination, literacy, and self-confidence.”  Creating, sharing, and reading Storybird stories is free.

How to integrate Storybird into the classroom: Storybird is an excellent way to get your students enthusiastically writing.  The imaginative artwork will have your students creating stories in no time.  Storybird stories are meant to be collaborative.  Students can work together in teams to create stories.  This type of learning through play reminds me of the “lets pretend” stories that students create on the playground.  Students will feed off of each others ideas, creating more creative stories and learning together.  Storybird is also a fantastic place to create a classroom story, each student can contribute pages to the story.  The final product can be easily shared with families and friends in the online library.  Storybird can be used by teachers to make ‘special’ stories for students.  They can include students as characters, emphasize classroom themes or curriculum, and be created for specific reading levels.  Encourage your students to create and share their stories on Storybird, open up your classroom computer during DEAR time for students to read stories their classmates have created.

Tips: Storybird is currently in an open Beta version.  Right now all features on Storybird are free.  Storybird plans to keep story creation, reading, and sharing as free features.  Premium (pay-for) features will be added.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Storybird  in your classroom.

Comments (5)

sandra742 said on 09-09-2009

Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.
Laura said on 09-09-2009

Hey Kelly,
Just discovered your blog – LOVE IT. I’m a teacher in Victoria, Australia, and am working on incorporating heaps of technology into my classroom. Each student in my class has a laptop so we are having great fun!

I’ve been trialling Storybird this week, and the kids are loving it.

We have a class blog, showcasing our learning http://missmyerss7.edublogs.org

Laura
Cool Sites 9/13 | Teacher Reboot Camp said on 13-09-2009

[...] Kelly Tenkely’s post that gives you ideas on how to integrate Storyboard in your classroom. [...]
We can haz luv? — The Storybird blog said on 28-01-2010

[...] “Students feed off of each others ideas, creating more creative stories and learning together. Storybird is also a fantastic place to create a classroom story; each student can contribute pages to the story.” iLearn Technology [...]
Ms. Teacher said on 26-08-2010

Help! I can’t get the classroom feature working… I have created two students as an experiment class, but can’t figure out how to get them to collaborate with each other… Any suggestions?

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