An open source application similar (VERY similar) to Microsoft's Zoomit. Give this to every teacher (Windows users only. Mac users have it built in) who uses an interactive whiteboard.
"Showing videos and the occasional Hollywood film in the classroom is an innovative way to demonstrate concepts and expose common misconceptions while providing a thought provoking change of pace for students.
These worksheets are NOT meant to supplement good interactive, thought provoking activities in the classroom, rather they are meant to provide an OCCASSIONAL change of pace in the classroom. It is recommend to show the film, then stop the footage, do some teaching, and start it up again."
Revizr is a new way for content creators to interact with their audience, in public or in private. You decide if you want to communicate privately, socially, or wiki-style to improve and update your work.
Your revisers don't change your documents directly. They provide you with contextual comments and editing suggestions you can use at your discretion. You have the control you need when you're responsible for the results.
"At Learn it in 5, you'll learn what is Web 2.0, and strategies for using Web 2.0 technology in the digital classroom - all in 5 minutes or less.
Learn it in 5 is a powerful library of how-to videos, produced by technology teachers, for the purpose of helping teachers and students create classroom strategies for today's 21st century's digital classroom. These step-by-step how-to videos walk teachers through Web 2.0 technology, demonstrating how to use Web 2.0 applications like blogs, social networks, podcasts, interactive videos, wikis, slidesharing and much more."
I like PhotoPeach and have used it for some of the slideshows I have posted on my school website. There is a limit to the photos you can post on the free site. Thanks for sharing.
School is one of the few times when they can get together with their friends and they use every unscheduled moment to socialize - passing time, when the teacher's back is turned, lunch, bathroom breaks, etc. They are desperately craving an opportunity to connect with their friends; not surprisingly, their use of anything that enables socialization while at school is deeply desired.
informal social learning
This drive to connect provides a unique opportunity for school teachers: Incredibly high levels of student motivation paired with a predefined fluency with electronic communication tools.
One tool that can help educators to do just that is Voicethread.
Known as a “group audio blog,” Voicethread allows users to record text and audio comments about uploaded images.
Voicethread is Asynchronous:
Voicethread is Engaging:
Begin by carefully selecting a topic that will promote conversation and debate between students—and that can be conveyed through images currently available to you.
don’t be afraid to disagree with something
Initial comments should be somewhere between 1 and 3 sentences long.
As a teacher, this will be a challenge. The brief intro is what makes the difference between presentation and social education dialogue.
The best Voicethreads are truly interactive—with users listening and responding to one another.
They come to the conversation with an open mind, willing to reconsider their own positions—and willing to challenge the notions of others.
To be an active Voicethreader, start by carefully working your way through a presentation. While viewing pictures and listening to the comments that have been added by other users, you should:
Gather Facts: Jot down things that are interesting and new to you
Make Connections: Relate and compare things you are viewing and hearing to things that you already know.
Ask Questions: What about the comments and presentation is confusing to you? What don’t you understand? How will you find the answer? Remember that there will ALWAYS be questions in an active thinker’s mind!
Give Opinions: Make judgments about what you are viewing and hearing. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Like? Dislike? Do you support or oppose anything that you have heard or seen? Why?
Use the following sentence starters to shape your thoughts and comments while viewing or participating in Voicethread presentations. Comments based on these kinds of statements make Voicethreads interactive and engaging.
This reminds me of…
This is similar to…
I wonder…
I realized…
I noticed…
You can relate this to…
I’d like to know…
I’m surprised that…
If I were ________, I would ______________
If __________ then ___________
Although it seems…
I’m not sure that…
These student suggestions are the missing link I was looking for to successfully incorporate into my classroom.
help other listeners know what it is that has caught your attention.
finish your comment with a question that other listeners can reply to. Questions help to keep digital conversations going!
carefully script out short opening comments for each image that include a question for viewers to consider.
Just be sure to disagree agreeably
Assessing Voicethread Participation
Essentially mirroring the reflective aspects of Konrad Glogowski's system for pushing reflective blogging, I've decided to ask my students the following four questions while we're working with a new Voicethread:
To craft careful answers, they must truly consider the comments of others---an essential skill for promoting collaborative versus competitive dialogue---and compare those comments against their own beliefs and preconceived notions.
Competitive dialogue motivates the students, but collaborative dialogue is the life skill they need to learn.
Voicethread allows users to upload documents to their strands of conversation as well. That means that users can create a "Works Cited" page in a word processing application and upload it at the end of their Voicethread presentations.
Detailed guide to creating/using/evaluating VoiceThread in the classroom. There are great examples and guides to download. The question prompts for students to consider when replying are simple, yet perfect.
During Homework Day, scholars, experts, and members of the Wolfram|Alpha team will explore a wide variety of subjects relevant for K–12 to college students. Segments throughout the day will be tailored for specific age groups and show how students and teachers are already using Wolfram|Alpha in the classroom
"Join us on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at noon CDT, for the start of Wolfram|Alpha Homework Day, a groundbreaking marathon live interactive web event that brings together students, parents, and educators from across the United States to solve their toughest assignments and explore the power of using Wolfram|Alpha for school, college, and beyond."
We have created a list of what we think are the best available apps out there and have categorized them into the following: Science, Language, Math, Administrative & Content Management, Interactive & Online Classrooms, Study Aids, Video & Imaging, Music, Multimedia, Geography & History, and Mapping Tools.
the entire tom barrett series of interesting ways to use: twitter, wiki search enggines, voicethread, prezi, google docs, interactive whiteboard, google earth, & wordle inthe classroom
The Free Music Archive is an interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads. The Free Music Archive is being directed by WFMU, the most renowned freeform radio station in America. Radio has always offered the public free access to new music. The Free Music Archive is a continuation of that purpose, designed for the age of the internet.
Every mp3 you discover on The Free Music Archive is pre-cleared for certain types of uses that would otherwise be prohibited by outdated copyright law. Are you a podcaster looking for pod-safe audio? A radio or video producer searching for instrumental bed music that won't put your audience to sleep? A remix artist looking for pre-cleared samples? Or are you simply looking for some new sounds to add to your next playlist? The Free Music Archive is a resource for all that and more, and unlike other websites, all of the audio has been hand-picked by established audio curators.
This site contains free to use interactive games for learning languages and links to study resources. Games require the use of Flash Player. It includes over 50 dialects.