Group items tagged

Hidden behind Google's search box are a slew of shortcuts leading to so-called "OneBox" results that provide awesome tools and display helpful information quickly and directly. You might think you know them all, but a few are more hidden than others.

Google Forms is such a useful tool. Listed below are all the different ways Google Forms can be used by the classroom teacher. 

 If it Were My Home is a fascinating website that asks students to consider what their life would be like if they were born in a different country.  Would they be the same person?  If it Were My Home is a country comparison tool where students can compare living conditions in their own country to those of another.  When students select a country, there is a visual overlay comparison of maps.  Students can easily visualize relative size of another country based on their own state or country.  Students will also see a break down of death rates, HIV/AIDS, birth rate, electricity availability, oil consumption, economic comparison, health care, and class divide.  Students have the ability to compare the country they selected with another country of interest.  Students can learn additional information about the country and vote to show if they would rather live in the chosen country.  Additionally, most countries offer a recommended reading list with books about the selected country.  When students click on the mini-facts, they get a full description of the fact along with the original source.  K Tenkley

What it is: Inklewriter is a great digital tool that lets students (and teachers if you are so inclined) write and publish interactive stories.  Inklewriter lets students create choose-your-own-adventure type stories, story lines can come with choices and then be linked back together.  Inklewriter makes this process easier by keeping track of which story paths have been finished and which still need work.  There is no set-up required, no programming language to learn and no diagrams.  Inklewriter is free to use and easy to share with the world when it is published.  When a story is finished, it can even be converted to Kindle format! iLearnTechnology

Common Sense Media has just released a fantastic new tool for integrating digital citizenship into your curriculum. The Interactive Scope and Sequence lays out simple lessons organized by grade level and divided into topics such as Digital Footprint and Reputation, Creative Credit and Copyright, Cyberbullying, and more.

Projeqt describes itself as "dynamic presentations for a real time world." Use it to create linear and stacked slide presentations for any type of event. Embed images, text, documents, or add data from your favorite social media tools. Tip: Use in your library to create a stacked slide show to feature books by genre.

Tell stories with graphics, text, and audio with this visually compelling application on desktops, iPads and iPhones. Network socially without sidebars, ads, or logos in this online environment that focuses on the content you create with photos, video, and slideshows.Tip: Use this tool to share daily life in your dynamic library with the school community using video, photos, and text.

Interactive tool to brainstorm words with a group. 

A site created by Lissa and Kelly with tutorials and information on 7 Web 2.0 tools to use in the classroom. 

Purpose of the Teachers' Lounge The purpose of the Professor Garfield Teachers' Lounge Section is to provide free, user-friendly, and standards-based learning materials for the classroom teacher, parent, tutor, or mentor. These materials are intended to support and supplement the ongoing work of the classroom teacher by providing leveled materials (plans, activities, downloadables, and printables) that are retrievable by grade level, subject, and/or national standard. Every effort is being made to provide pre- and post-assessment tools where appropriate and useable.

Tool for measuring attitude towards reading...

Twurdy is search tool that automatically displays the readability of your search results for you. Twurdy uses a simple color-coded system to indicate how easy or difficult it is to read a particular website in your search results. There are three types of Twurdy searches; Just Twurdy, Simple Twurdy, and Twurdy with Pop. Here's how Twurdy defines the three search types: Just Twurdy - searches using Twurdy's basic algorithm with medium speed and medium results.  Simple Twurdy - searches using Twurdy's simple algorithm for fast speed but less accurate results  Twurdy with Pop - searches using Twurdy's most complex algorithm which includes looking up the popularity of words within the text. It has a slower speed with more accurate results. (Richard Byrne)

Museum Box is a great tool for creating virtual displays of artifacts that you find online.  Using Museum Box students can organize images, text, videos, links, and audio clips about any topic that they're researching. When completed , students' "boxes" become digital dioramas.

A blog post about reading online as opposed to reading text. Has a link to a tool called 'Readability" which reduces clutter on a webpage. 

The author of the wiki shows how to use 50 different Web 2.0 tools to create stories. Wonderful site for ideas...

ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that lets anyone easily create his or her own 3D pop-up books. Using ZooBurst, storytellers of any age can create their own rich worlds in which their stories can come to life.  There is an Augmented Reality component that may be of interest to some.  While the free version allows you to work with the program, there is a premium level that allows for classroom management for teachers.