Category: Secondary Elementary

Creaza

Kelly Tenkely2 Comments on Creaza4534 views

 

What it is: Creaza is a suite of web-based creativity tools.  There are four tools in the Creaza toolbox that will help your students organize knowledge and tell stories in new creative ways.  Mindomo is the mind mapping tool.  Students can use this tool to organize thoughts, ideas, links, and other information visually.  Mindomo is the perfect tool for exploring new material, looking at connections, and organizing thoughts for further development.  The mind map topics can contain media files, links, and text.  Cartoonist is a cartooning tool that students can use to create multimedia stories.  Cartoonist can be used to create comic strips or more personal digital narratives.  The finished product can be viewed online or printed out.  (Check out the video demo to learn how to use this tool.)  Movie Editor helps students produce their own movies based on Creaza’s thematic universes, video, images, and sound clips.  Students can use the Movie Editor to edit a short film, create a news cast, a commercial, a film trailer, etc.  Movie Editor can import film clips, sound clips and images to tell a story.  Audio Editor is the final tool in Creaza’s creative suite.  Audio Editor is a tool that allows your students to produce audio clips.  Students can use Audio Editor to splice together their own newscasts, radio commercials, radio interlude, etc.

How to integrate Creaza into the classroom:  Creaza is a great suite of online tools that allow students to display learning creatively.  The Media and Audio editors follow established conventions for sound and media editing complete with timelines.  Using this online software will be a nice introduction to more robust media and audio editors.  Mindomo is a great way for students connect new and existing knowledge.  It is also a nice place for students to plan out a story.  Cartoonist and Movie Editor are great tools that provide students with a creative outlet for telling a story.  Allow students to show their understanding of a period in history by creating a cartoon about it.  Display a new science concept in Movie Editor complete with voice over.  Students could create a short video or radio type commercial for a book that they read in place of a traditional book report.  The uses for are limitless, you will think of many ways for your students to use this creative suite to display knowledge.

 

Tips:  Cartoonist is the only tool that has a video demo, this is a great way to teach your students how to teach themselves.  Encourage students to learn how to use this tool by watching the video demo first and working with the tool.  Movie Editor does take a little bit of playing with to figure out how to use it, give your students a day to play with the tools so that they get a handle on how it all works.  

 

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

Spell Quizzer

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Spell Quizzer2760 views

What it is:  Spell Quizzer is software that helps students practice their spelling words each week.  Input spelling words into Spell Quizzer and use the software to study spelling words.  Spell Quizzer plays back audio of the spelling word you record and waits for the student to type in the word.  Students get immediate feedback about how they did.  The software re-quizzes students on spelling words that were missed after the first run through.  This software costs $29.95 but the creator has generously offered iLearn Technology readers a free copy of the software for one classroom computer.  Parents can get a free trial of Spell Quizzer to find out how it works for their family.  To get your free copy of Spell Quizzer fill out the contact form here: http://www.SpellQuizzer.com/Contact.htm.  Be sure to mention that you are an iLearn Technology educator and use an email address associated with an education institution when requesting a free license.

How to integrate Spell Quizzer into the classroom:  Spell Quizzer is excellent software for your classroom computer, record spelling words at the beginning of each week.  Give students multiple opportunities to visit the spelling center to practice their words.  We all know that not all parents help their kids study spelling, this is a great way to ensure that all students get some practice in.  

 

Tips:  Be sure to share this software idea with parents. Busy parents will appreciate the help with spelling practice!  *Spell Quizzer is a PC only software currently…hopefully there will be a Mac version in the future.

 

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

Ekoloko

Kelly Tenkely2 Comments on Ekoloko2592 views

What it is: Ekoloko is a virtual world for kids.  In Ekoloko students discover the world, both real and virtual, through fun games and quests.  As they play in Ekoloko, students learn and build values, character qualities, knowledge and skills that help them become more responsible and involved individuals.  Students learn to respect each other and the environment in the safe online community.  While students are in Ekoloko, they are faced with dealing with other characters that are interested in exploring the resources of the world for their own personal benefit.

How to integrate Ekoloko into the classroom:  This safe virtual world is a great place for students to practice their netiquette in a controlled environment.  In Ekoloko, character qualities are valued, leadership and responsiblity are encouraged.  This is a great way for students to learn how to be good online (and offline) citizens.  Along the way, students can also practice being good stewards of the environment.  Ekoloko reminds me of  and would be another great site to introduce to students in preparation for Earth Day.  I really appreciate the character values encouraged by this site.

 

Tips:  To view the site in English, select English as the language in the bottom right corner of the site.

 

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

Illuminations Resources for Teaching Math

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Illuminations Resources for Teaching Math4219 views

What it is: Illuminations Resources for Teaching Math is a gold mine of interactive activities for the math classroom. The site has over 100 interactive math activities for teaching and practicing math in kindergarten through twelfth grades.  These are high quality games, interactives, and simulations for the math classroom.  You are sure to find something to use in your math class that will increase understanding!

How to integrate Illuminations Resources for Teaching Math into the classroom:  This site is ideal for use with an interactive whiteboard in the math classroom.  The activities help students understand concepts that can be difficult by inviting them to interact with the concept.  If you don’t have access to an interactive whiteboard, you can demonstrate math concepts from a teacher computer connected to a projector.  Students can practice and interact with concepts on classroom computers set up as a math center or individually in the computer lab setting.  

 

Tips:  To narrow the list of activities, choose a grade level to narrow activity results.

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Illuminations Resources for Teaching Math in your classroom.

Geo Greeting

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Geo Greeting2785 views

What it is: Geo Greeting is a fun little site that lets you type in a message and send it to a friend or preview the message in a separate window.  When the message is opened it is spelled out one letter at a time through pictures embedded on a map of the world.  The pictures are of buildings around the world that are the shape of letters in the alphabet.  The effect is really neat!  Each picture is accompanied by the name of the location and the name of the building.

How to integrate Geo Greeting into the classroom:  Geo Greeting would be a fun way to display a morning message to your students using an interactive whiteboard or projector.  Just type in your message and copy the URL into a browser to play the message for students.    This site is also a fun place for students to practice their spelling words.  They can type in their words and then click on the preview button to watch the word being spelled for them.  Geo Greeting is a great way to interest students in geography, type in a message and discuss the places that pop up as a result. 

 

Tips:  These greetings can be embedded as an e-card, sent as an email, or just copy and paste the link in a browser.

 

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

Newseum

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Newseum3456 views

What it is:  Newseum is a neat way for students to see the news from around the country.  Front pages of newspapers from around the US are displayed on a map.  Scroll over the map and the front page of the newspaper pops up.  Click on a different country to display newspapers from around the world.

How to integrate Newseum into the classroom:  Newseum is a great site to visit for current events.  This is a great way to find out what is happening state to state or around the world that is news worthy.  Have students compare and contrast front page events around the country or around the world.  Is there a particularly news worthy subject that seems to pop up in multiple states, multiple countries?   Newseum could be a great discussion starter about newspapers, should they be saved or will they eventually be totally replaced by the Internet?  Use Newseum each morning to get an update of current events using an interactive whiteboard.   Have students choose 3 or 4 states or countries each day to check on (also great geography  practice).  This site is like a virtual field trip around the world for newspapers.  

 

Tips:  Because these are actual front pages from around the country, some material may not be appropriate fo your students.  Always preview before you let your students loose! 

 

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

Xtranormal Text-to-Movie

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Xtranormal Text-to-Movie4666 views

What it is:  Xtranormal Text-to-Movie is another outstanding site that I learned about from @danreeve on Twitter.  This site lets students create and direct their own animated movies.  Students can choose a set, actors, and music for their videos.  Xtranormal allows students a huge amount of control of exactly how their movie will look, they can choose camera angles, animations, expressions, looks, points, and sounds.  The site is very intuative and user friendly for students in third grade (with a little guidance) and up.  I was able to create a movie without reading any instructions in about 5 min.

How to integrate Xtranormal into the classroom:  Xtranormal is a great way for students to express what they know creatively.  Students can use Xtranormal to create mocumentaries on any subject, students could interview historical figures, report on geographical occurances, or create public service announcements.  Xtranormal would be an excellent alternative to the traditional book report.  Students could interview one or several characters from the book or create a little review show about the book.  The Xtranormal interface is intuative enough that the focus will be on the learning, not on the tool.

 

Tips:  Xtranormal is a great way for students to create movies.  Many times schools are restricted from putting videos featuring students online, this is a great way for students to put their creations online without their actual picture being out there.

 

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

Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime2299 views

What it is:   Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime is an incredible look into the life of Benjamin Franklin.  I learned about this awesome site from @kylepace on Twitter (a great educator to follow if you aren’t already).  Students can play, listen, watch, observe and have fun learning about Benjamin Franklin’s life and legacy.  Students can explore Franklin’s life by different  themes such as Franklin’s character, B. Franklin Printer, Franklin at Home, Doing Good, Franklin at Home, and World Stage.  This feature breaks Franklin’s life down into manageable pieces for students and provides a well rounded understanding of who Franklin was and why he is an important figure in American history.  As students explore the timeline, they will find quotes, stories, videos, and audio about Benjamin Franklin.  I wish there was an interactive timeline of every historical figure like this one!  History would have been so much easier for me to understand.

How to integrate Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime into the classroom:  This interactive timeline would be great for use with a whole class and Interactive whiteboard.  Students could take turns visiting the whiteboard to ‘discover’ a new fact about Benjamin Franklin.  Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime could be set up on classroom computers for students to visit as a center during a unit on Franklin.  In a computer lab setting, students could be assigned a theme or time period of Benjamin Franklin’s life to explore and share later with the class.  Make it even more fun by creating a time machine atmosphere where students can travel back in time to learn about Franklin…stamp their time travelling passports as they ‘journey’ from one period of Franklin’s life to another.  This site is an outstanding way to capture students interest in Franklin and American history. 

 

Tips:  Show students the help/tips section for a key to understanding the different symbols on Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime.

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime in your classroom.

Artopia

Kelly Tenkely4 Comments on Artopia3483 views

What it is:  Artopia is an interactive website that lets students learn more about and interact with different mediums of art virtually.  “Students can closely examine important works of art and take part in activities that teach about styles, principles and processes of each art form. They can write about the artworks online, collect art cards in a virtual portfolio and view videos of professional artists at work. Teachers may exhibit their students’ artwork in a virtual gallery and both students and teachers can communicate with other artists in an online message board.”  Artopia teaches students about dance, media arts, music, painting, sculpture, and theater.  This is an outstanding addition to an art classroom!

How to integrate Artopia into the classroom: Artopia is a nice addition to any classroom.  The site can be used to develop a greater appreciation for the arts.  Students can be recognized and encouraged in their own art in the sites online art gallery.   Artopia introduces students to important works of art and teaches them how to think about art.  This site would be wonderful for working on critical thinking skills, creativity, and innovation.  

 

Tips:  Check out the Teacher Resources for lesson plans using Artopia in your classroom.  Pass this site on to an art teacher, they will be thankful you did!

 

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