Why and how could the course applications be integrated into STEM topics in the K-12 classroom?
- Comic Life ~ http://www.plasq.com/downloads/win - this was a wonderful new tool for me. We use www.makebeliefscomix.comand www.toondoo.com with the students to create content based comment strips, but to make an “Attention Getter” or introduction to a unit was a great way to use this specific tool. I look forward to using many more of these with teachers and students to introduce technology training options and techniques.
- Mindomo ~ This mindmapping tool - http://www.mindomo.com/- we also use www.gliffy.com and www.bubbl.us with our students. The most useful part of mindmapping for our elementary students is the relationship to a vocabulary word or difficult concept. This gives the students a great visual to refer to (similar to flashcards for us in ‘olden times’).
- Google Map ~ https://maps.google.com/ - I had never created my own google map before and loved this concept! What a great tool beyond Google Earth to allow students to show creativity while using a real-world concept and tool. The only dilemma that I see with using this tool is that You Tube is blocked for students in our district due to bandwidth extreme usage. I already made a Google Map for our vacation spots so that my children have something to refer back to other than just the pictures in the digital album.
- Weebly ~ website creator similar to Wordpress –http://www.weebly.com – I am enjoying Weebly and its ease of tools, however I am most familiar with Wordpress. I do, however, see the benefits of the drop-down tools and ease of formatting in Weebly. Like anything, there are so many website creators out there and it is all what feels comfortable for the user. Our students create Wikispace sites, Glogsters, and use other web 2.0 tools in the elementary setting, however Weebly has not been something we have tackled quite yet. Many of our teachers enjoy using Weebly, but it also makes me laugh because so many of these sites are built on the same platform (like Wordpress) but just a more user-friendly interface. Either way, it is all about communication and a way to post digital work.
- Edmodo ~ eLearning tool – http://www.edmodo.com – I love Edmodo. This is such a wonderful learning tool. Many of our high school and middle school teachers are adopting this more and more while leaning toward the “paperless” classroom. We also have Moodle in our district and I find Edmodo to much more user-friendly for the teachers and the students. The only drawback I have found with Edmodo for students is that they cannot take a poll through the app on their mobile device…that is a complete bummer! But, the students love being able to post from their devices directly to their Edmodo wall (so much like Facebook that they are all too aware of the wall).
- Sidenote – we also use Kidblog in our district for a Blogging avenue for the students. The ELA Common Core standards start “digital collaboration and communication” skills in Kindergarten so many of our teachers are beginning to adopt www.kidblog.org as their blogging tool. It is an easy way for students to respond to others in a safe, private environment while very little setup, maintenance, or skill is needed at such a young age to meet the collaboration benefit.
- Prezi ~ presentation tool – http://www.prezi.com - This is a HUGE presentation tool in our district. Our students love Prezi and we have worked with our teachers to find various ways to incorporate Prezi into their curriculum. Anything from Book Talks, Book Reviews, Living History Museum, Science Concepts, KY Facts, to introductions of self are just a few of the ways our teachers and students use Prezi.
- Glogster – This is another presentation tool our students love to use in order to present something they would normally do on a poster (similar to Prezi but without the slides). Glogster.edu is a digital poster site. This allows students to create digital posters with interactive tools (videos, picture enlargement, animation, music, voice, embedding other tools like Voki).
- Voki – This is a wonderful Avatar tool that allows the students to create characters in an “avatar” format. Many teachers use this for book reviews in the character point of view (that can be incorporated into a QR code), personal introductions, instructions at learning centers incorporating this into a QR Code, as well as fun ways for students to create their own “teaching concepts” such as the water cycle, rocks and minerals, etc. The students get so excited when asked to create a Voki.
- Google Advanced Tools ~http://www.google.ca/advanced_search / Information and Resources for Google Safe Search and other Google Toolshttp://bcspgooglesearchtools.wikispaces.com/ - This always blows our teachers’ minds when we show this to their students. Many teachers don’t know about safe searching, advanced searching, or specifically reading level searching. They are amazed to find out that you can actually filter specific information from the Internet. We do a huge unit on Safe Searching and how to correctly use Google and Bing at school and home.
- QR code Generator– http://www.grstuff.com,http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ , http://www.quikqr.com - Our students love to use QR codes, but very few are creating QR codes just yet. High schools have been using QR code creations for book trailers, book reports, vocabulary, etc., but elementary students are just happy to use QR codes to find out information (book trailers, learning center lessons, websites, contact information, etc.) Teachers love making QR codes for beginning of year contact information, a link to their teacher packet on their website, a list of school supplies, introduction videos, voki avatars…so many more ways yet to come.
- Tagxedo and Wordle ~ word cloud generators –http://www.tagxedo.com , http://www.wordle.net – Teachers use these tools as an introduction to a concept, class name introductions, teacher interest and introduction, vocabulary work (synonyms, antonyms, etc.), poems writing, etc. Students use these tools in so many ways that sometimes they are on the tool when they should be doing something else. What a fun way to display an attention getter or new concept.
- Tuxpi ~photo editor - http://www.tuxpi.com/ - Great editor, but my favorite was Picnik (now PicMonkey). We teach the students how to crop and edit photos directly in Microsoft editor, but using tools like this is great to give them a different perspective on editing. Within Glogster, Photostory, and MovieMaker, the students learn how to compress pictures, edit the properties, etc. to create a more exciting or dramatic final product.
- Screencast ~ http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/ or Screenr at http://www.screenr.com/ - We love using this tool because it is so easy to quickly make a Screencast of something (especially for technology tools and integration) that you would like the teachers or students to try if you are not there to help. We have various cheat sheets that our teachers love to print, but we are trying hard to become a paperless supporter and transform our cheat sheets to video. The problem that we find in our district is that many teachers only have one monitor and to complete a task, they sometimes need to see something and “do” something at the same time so they have to use their iPad (mobile device) and their computer…bummer. So, there are goods and bads like anything, but this is a great tool! For students, we have loved using this to explain a “digital concept” on the computer to help meet the digital citizenship standards as well as various NETS standards on tools and awareness of software and hardware features.