Popplet is a one-stop shop featuring a combination of mindmapping, online bulletin board and presentation tools. It's extremely fun and easy to use and works great with a wide range of grade levels. Double-click anywhere on your Popplet board to add a content bubble (called a popple). A popple can hold all sorts of media including text, images, videos and even Google maps! Create mindmaps by dragging connections between popples and arranging content on the board. Finally, use Popplet as a unique presentation tool. Choose the order of the content using the presentation menu, then the app will zoom in on each popple while you are presenting. This is a great way to teach students to go beyond traditional, linear presentations. Make sure you give Popplet a try for its ease of use and versatility in the classroom.
The Student News Action Network was created, and is maintained, by students and teachers at Washington International School in collaboration with TakingITGlobal and bureau schools worldwide.
Global Issues Journalism
The Student News Action Network takes the concept of the school newspaper beyond school walls and the confines of print media, allowing students to work collaboratively on a global level to create an interactive, multimedia-rich student-driven online newspaper. It brings together a network of students in an online peer-driven environment to address issues of local and global significance, such as poverty, the environment, and human rights, in a creative and constructive format that culminates in meaningful efforts to make a positive impact on their world. Contributors bring their unique voices to the discussion, representing their regions and their cultural histories.
Edcanvas features grid-like "canvases" for teachers and students to organize educational materials. A clear strength of this site is how easy it is to integrate content from Google, YouTube, Flickr, Dropbox or a user's desktop with the built-in search engine. By allowing users to embed digital media such as videos, images and other files with the drag-and-drop function, the canvases are able to become richer and more diverse. Another interesting feature is the newly-developed capability to leave audio comments on canvases which can help students learning foreign languages.
Learnist is a social media learning site where users can pin text, images, video and audio to create "learn boards" about certain topics or subjects. Learnist will suggest pins for existing boards and allows for board owners to invite other people to collaborate with them to add content. Outside of the classroom, users can get on Learnist to give students the assignment of creating a board as homework. Since the site was created with education in mind, it is safe for students to use at home as well.