New web 2.0 tools appear each day. Many of these tools were not originally intended for classroom use, but they can be powerful learning tools for today’s techno-savvy students and their more adventurous teachers. These sites appear (and frequently disappear) very quickly, launched by creative techno-geeks out there in the world.
Many of these sites require a higher-than-average set of teacher tech skills or extra monitoring to assure student “safety.” TeachersFirst Edge features these "tools on the edge,” and offers ideas for using them safely and effectively as yet another approach to teaching. This is the world your students already know. Try teaching in their vernacular.
If you are feeling adventurous -- or want to see what many teachers and students will be doing in a year or three -- try some of these tools.
If you try one of these tools and find it especially useful or if you know of another tool that teachers would find beneficial, please contact TeachersFirst.
This section of Nik Peachey's Learning Technology Blog for ESL/ELL teachers offers 20 ways to use web cameras for classroom activities. There are videos, blog entries, reviews of some GREAT sites, and more. These suggestions include things such as diaries, dictation, class research, poetry, having a tip of the day, questions, guessing games, news, and student support. If you are not a techie, he has also made suggestions about which type of web cameras work and how to use them. This is a great tool to learn about some new online tools. Be sure to check out TokBox, mentioned in this blog and reviewed here. This tool uses webcams to allow teachers and students from all over the world to video chat (for free). 10296
In the Classroom: This site would work well for world language courses and segments of classes where cultural studies and world awareness are important. Share the webcams, video clips, and more on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these suggestions as group activities; ask your students to suggest more ideas with web cameras. Challenge students to create video commercials “advertising” their new idea. Share them using a tool such as SchoolTube reviewed here.
This blog, created by Sean P. Aune, offers a collection of Web 2.0 tools which could be useful in business education, math, family and consumer science, or economics classes. Some of the sites offer ways to save money, create a budget, analyze your expenses, find hidden fees, and more. The four main areas of the site include Business Accounting, Personal Accounting, Personal Budgeting, and Shared Accounting. Each link on the blog includes a brief description of the site.
Be certain to consider your school's Acceptable Use Policy before creating any STUDENT accounts on any of the tools. There are comments (students can both read or add comments), so be sure to supervise their navigating or do this as a class on an interactive whiteboard or projector. For tips on using Web 2.0 sites in your class visit the TeachersFirst Edge Tips. Some of these tools require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 1718
In the Classroom: Use this site to help your students learn how to budget their money and expenses. Read through the descriptions of the 25+ tools and find out which ones may be useful in your subject area. Have students choose one of the tools to create a monthly budget a week or so prior to the start of the month. Have students keep calculations (using the site) throughout their "budgeted month" and see how well they can stick to their own budget. You may want to include this link on your class website so students can access the tools at home. You could also assign students to try more than one tool and compare them. Since students are used to using web tools for everything, challenge them to make the decision about which tool is best.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for moderately adventurous technology users and/or blog and wiki owners. These five sources provide Creative Commons images and videos for use in your blog/wiki/web site LEGALLY. Model your ethical use of media by sharing these with your blogging students or using them on your whole-class blog or wiki. The sources include abstract photos and current events new stories, as well as general photos. Each has its own search/browse features. The services include: Voxant Newsroom, PicApp, GumGum, Zemanta, and PhotoDropper. 9629
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Since each site has its own directions, our review team will not explain the how-to's of each here. Some require access to install a plug-in on your blog, such as wordpress. Many school blogging sites do not provide this access. Others permit embedding an image simple by copy/pasting code into your blog or wiki. Two are actually extensions you add to Firefox or Internet Explorer and may require tech department authorization or installation on school computers.
Safety/security concerns: If you do allow students to join a site, be sure to adhere to school policies. As always, we recommend previewing the content available on each site before recommending it to your students. These images sites are NOT education-only, so some image content may not be classroom-appropriate. Have a policy and consequences in place before turning your students loose.
Possible Uses: Art teachers or writing teachers can use the abstract images from the GumGum option as writing prompts or to launch discussion on design principles. If your students have individual blogs, allow them to personalize the "look" using these legal images. Be sure to model thinking aloud about why you are using a legal image source. Use news images or videos from Vixant Newsroom as prompts for current events discussions on your blog or wiki, or assign students to select a news story and write an in-depth analysis of it to accompany the image/video. English or social studies teachers teaching persuasive writing can assign students to use their multimedia skills as they present arguments both verbally and visually on a class "issues" wiki. Younger students can help select images to include on a whole-class wiki or blog then add their own writing about them. A teacher can embed a sequence of photos and ask student to tell the story that explains it. Be sure to include this link on your teacher web page for your tech-savvy teens to use as they generate projects with LEGAL images. Of course you will require them to document their sources.
Teacher's First Edge Review: This free site is for very adventurous technology users. With Apture, you can create a rich multimedia experience to your site, wiki, or blog, with instant access to video, audio, text, and more. Easily incorporate these multimedia objects into a page of your site, providing instantaneous information from Wikipedia, Washington Post, You Tube, Flickr, and many more. Adding these multimedia links creates icons next to your text. Hovering on the icon brings up the related multimedia items for any reader. Since learning and finding information is not linear, the discovery of your information’s deeper meaning occurs with richer context in a shorter time frame. This relevant content remains dynamic within your site. Apture's own example of a page using Apture can be found here. See another: a wiki page with class notes and Apture annotations created by a teacher..
At the time of this review, Apture is in “limited beta” but appears to be automatically accepting all new applications. 9301
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the site and wait for verification email to log in. Enter your site/wiki/blog’s URL. You are actually allowed to enter many of these, but try ONE first! The site’s detector tool will then “sense” common blogging software, such as WordPress, and prompt you on what to do next. You must be familiar with embed codes and how to place them into your blog or website. Apture’s video tutorial will help (it also pops up along the Apture dashboard when you first go to your “Aptured” site/wiki/blog). Other the simple directions shown in pop-ups for using Apture in various blog and wiki tools. Instantly add the embed code to the most popular blog and wiki platforms with one click. The code generated is easily copy/pasted into your existing website/wiki/blog. Once the embed code is there, visiting your site/wiki/blog automatically brings up an Apture “dashboard” (small toolbar in the corner) for you to log in and add things to your site/wiki/blog. Highlighting text or another item automatically brings up the site (if a site name or URL) you wish to add. Other material can be located by clicking "add related media." Entering a search term instantly finds related Wikipedia or Washington Post articles, You Tube videos, Flickr photos, and more. Subsequent visitors to your site will see the icons next to any item you have “enriched” with Apture-linked media content.
Safety/security concerns: Membership requires an email address log-in. If students will use Apture with their own classroom blogs/wikis, check your school district's Acceptable Use policy regarding student email and establishing site memberships. A single class account created by an extra email account and password (NOT the one you use for your own teacher-created sites) is an option, assuming students will not vandalize each other’s work.
Apture recognizes your any site/wiki/blog name you have entered into its system each time you go there. Therefore, enter only sites you intend for multimedia use. Do not check “remember me” when you log into Apture or others will be able to add mischievous links to your site from that computer! Apture may not be fully accessible inside your school filtering because of the bandwidth it requires or the sites it pulls up. Check in advance to be sure all portions you plan to use in class will be available at school.
Practical Tips: Demonstrate first on a projector or interactive whiteboard with a teacher account so students see how easy the tool is for those familiar with embedding. This will allow you to discuss reliability of links and appropriateness of content to the audience for their educational projects. Enter additional search terms to add new media through the Apture pop-up dashboard. If you are Apture-enriching content on your site/blog/wiki for students to use independently, think of all the possible questions that your students may have about the content and vocabulary. For example, we know certain words are stumbling blocks for students, yet students are hesitant to find the meanings on their own. Link a Wikipedia or other definition for instant access to the meaning. Since Wikipedia is user-generated content, consider requiring students to link to two or three different definitions/articles so they can see first hand the variability of web information. You will need to be sure that students actually READ what they link and do not simply subscribe to “more links are better” to impress you. Consider asking for justification or critique of the links they include.
Possible uses: On your own blog or class information site, link videos explaining a curriculum topic or definitions so students understand the full context of the sentence. Use Apture to teach about evaluating the reliability of web sources by creating multiple links from the same term on a teacher-created page for students to compare and evaluate. Students can use Apture on a blog or wiki can to link content from the web to the information they are discussing. Special ed teachers may want to work with content area teachers to create enriched versions of key content on a class blog so students can experience a multimedia review. ESL teachers may want to create class blogs or wikis collaboratively with students to add visual stimuli and prompts. Consider having your more able students create some of these pages independently as a gifted project for learning support students to use later. Or allow gifted students to go beyond the usual “connections” to higher level, deeper understanding.
Teacher's First Edge Review: for very slightly adventurous technology users and their students.
Traditional art media become digital with the free ArtRage 2 Starter Edition paint program. Pencil, chalk, paint and marker tools smear, smudge, blend,and flow just like real art materials. You and your students can paint with thinned oils, use wet or dry markers, soften the pencil and control the hardness of the crayon, and much more.
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: ArtRage Starter Edition can be downloaded and installed on machines running Windows Vista, XP, 2000 and Macintosh OS X 10.3.9 or later. Check with your IT department or administrator for download and installation approval and help (if needed). ONly the need to download and install pushes this tool to the "Edge."
The ArtRage 2 interface is simple and intuitive, with large icons which clearly identify tools and options. While the program has a user guide and the website offers a quick start tutorial plus several technique-specific tutorials, fifteen minutes of clicking on icons, exploring the menus and playing with tools will give you a good start creating works of art. Teachers and students who are familiar with standard paint programs included in Windows and Mac machines will quickly grasp the basics and enjoy exploring the artistic possibilities of ArtRage 2. The program supports English, French or German language labels on tools and menus.
Possible Uses: Students can use ArtRage 2 to create illustrations, drawings and paintings for storybooks, book reviews and author posters in English or language arts activities. Math and science concepts can be explained through illustrative drawings, such as a diagram of a flower's parts or the steps in oxidation. Make visual represntations of mathematical operations or concepts such as fractions. Have ELL or foreign language students import images into ArtRage 2, trace and color them to create unique vocabulary cards and posters illustrating new words. Recognize and celebrate your students by importing their digital photos and applying textures and effects to create special birthday cards, awards, bulletin board pictures, and desktop signs. Share students' curriculum-related digital art projects on your class web page, blogs, or wiki (with parent permission) as well as your bulletin board.
There are no safety concerns with this program because it is locally installed and does not involve interaction with the "general public" or social networking.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: For slightly adventurous technology users. This site is useful to create an interactive video (hypervideo) through the use of hyperlinking. Just like hyperlinks in a document, create hot links to notes, websites, and other material you link to from parts of the video. The links appear as little circles (hotspot markers) that are clicked to reveal the information you "attach." Add more information to your video for students to access during the playback. Easy-to-follow directions and quick tours to get you started. When the video is done, you can generate and embed a code in your blog or website. Video can also be emailed. Quicktime and FLASH are required. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: Site is free, but you must join to create your own videos. Videos must originate from YouTube or TeacherTube (see editorial comment below). You can always upload your own originals to one of these sites, if you wish to annotate a video you shot for use in class, such as a science demo. Paste the YouTube url into the search function, click on a part of the video you want to label, and add notes to, or link to a website. No special skills needed. A teenager or techno-comfortable teacher will figure this one out in one minute. The only challenge is determining what notes and links to use. Keep a second window open to copy and paste website addresses quickly. Watch the demos for quick learning of how to use this application.
Safety concern: some featured videos available on the site's home page, especially those under "Entertainment," may not be appropriate for school viewing. If your school does not have an actively-enforced student acceptable use policy with specific consequences for accessing inappropriate content, you may want to avoid this page or generate such an agreement for student and parent signatures before allowing students open access to Asterpix. You can always create products of your own and share them directly by URL or by embedding them in your blog.
Does your school block YouTube? Try creating a video using an original from TeacherTube instead. Or follow your school's technology policy to request unblocking of specific YouTube video URLs that are directly related to curriculum.
Editorial comment: Be sure to SHARE the completed examples (and student-made products) with administrators and school decision-makers to demonstrate why school policies should permit such powerful opportunities for teaching and learning. Perhaps you can advocate, at the least, quicker unblocking of specific videos (24 hours or less?) for classroom use or permission for teachers to unblock on a per-computer basis. Your efforts to respect policies while pro-actively advocating for appropriate change will benefit all teachers and students.
Possible uses for annotated videos: Use a video and have students add information to check their understanding, such as to label the actions they observe during a chemistry demo and add links to web pages that explain the underlying concepts. Create teacher-made videos to share individually or on a projector with students of ALL ages to illustrate and annotate concepts that are especially challenging or simply to help students visualize the connections between the words they read or hear and the real world examples. Shoot on-site video at the zoo or at a pond study site, then add annotations later. Use videos already available, but add the explanations using the terminology from your curriculum and allow student so access then for review or extra help. Secondary students will love using Asterpix themselves and will give a new dimension to presentations they create. Teachers can use the interactive video for extra tutorial work, explanations of topics, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Teacher's First Edge Review: For serious technology users. Use this free site to create audio files easily for use in or out of the class. Record your own voice using phone or microphone, upload an audio file, or create audio from text to speech. Choose different voices, use the playback options, and update audio at anytime. Use your email to receive a link to your new audio file. 10227
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Users must be able to identify whether there is an internal or external microphone on the computer. If using a phone, understanding calling plans and additional charges is needed. You must know how to use embed codes to place audio files within your blog, wiki, or website. No login is required! Simply click the "Get Yours It's Free" button. Choose the method to create the audio and preview and edit the file. Enter your email address to receive a link to your file. Click on the link to grab widgets. Copy the code and place in your blog or website.
Safety/Security: The tool does not show which work is attributable to which student. You may want to require that students mark their contributions in order to get credit. Students can use an email address. Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Check your schools’ acceptable use policy, regarding students using email accounts. Consider using a class email account set up for this purpose. Be sure students understand the appropriate use of this email account.
Classroom use: Use this service to record audio of passages used in class, homework assignments, and other written material. Young students can practice reading aloud at this site (and listen to themselves), showing improvement in fluency as the year goes on. Have students use this site in place of a traditional book report. Have cooperative learning groups create a news broadcast and share it using this site. Use this site with ESL/ELL students just learning the English language. Use this site in world language classes for students to hear and learn the pronunciations. Place the embed code in a site that students can access outside of class for review, identifying directions, and listening to text. Speech and language teachers can use this tool to record student articulation and demonstrate progress through the year.
Teachers First Edge Review: For slightly adventurous technology users. Create your own motivational poster easily and effortlessly. Choose a random picture, one from the Internet, or one chosen from your computer. Choose colors to border the picture and the type of text to be used. Enter your text and preview the result. Once complete, save to flickr, your computer, or print using a separate site. Remember you can use a saved image in PowerPoint shows and on a class wiki, as well. 10401
In the Classroom: Skills required: You need to know how to browse and upload a file from your computer or find the URL of an image already on the web (one you can legally use, of course!).
Safety/Security: Be aware: there are some advertisements on this site. Also, make sure students are aware of copyright laws. Use this site to encourage proper use of photographs that students have the authorization to use. Model including appropriate photo credits on the posters.
Classroom use: Younger students can use this tool together as a whole-class activity or simply enjoy the posters their teacher creates. Have students create a picture about what has been studied with a caption of what has been learned. For example, create posters about predators and prey or classifications of animals. Students can create a poster of a study skill or learning activity that helps them learn. Create a caption that explains how the student learns the best. Every subject area can use this resource to create interesting presentation posters for display or as springboards to talk about what was learned. For example, in Biology, students could create a poster about a cell part with a clever caption about the importance of the job. In Literature or History, students can create posters about the perspectives of others in the story or at that time of history. Rather than a traditional research project. Have cooperative learning groups use this site to show their knowledge in any subject area. Ask students to apply concepts such as constitutional rights by illustrating them in poster images with captions. Teachers can create bulletin board images, as well. Have a classroom motivation poster competition to start off the school year! Share the winners on your class wiki or in a PowerPoint presentation at back to school night/open house. As special occasions approach, have students bring in or take a digital picture they can make into a poster as a family gift with their own inspirational saying.
Teachers First Edge Review: For moderate technology users. Add some fun to your pictures by making them into puzzles using this free site. This easy-to-use, free site offers choices of flickr picture groups to choose from, such as "Patterns," "Hello kitty," "Water drops," and many others. Choose a picture you wish to "befuddlr." Pieces of the original picture are moved around in a new order. Continue to choose a different combination, change the lines that divide segments of the picture, and even drag a button to your toolbar to "befuddlr" any picture. Once done, use the snapshot function of your computer to take a picture. In Mac, use apple-shift-four to take a snapshot. In PC, use the print screen (Prt Sc key) function to “copy” the picture and then paste it into a document or elsewhere. You are able to submit your own photos to the site (found on Flickr, of course). Learn more about flickr, a photo storage and sharing site, in the TeachersFirst review here. 9922
In the Classroom: Skills needed: to use the pictures provided, simply chose a “group” title, such as water drops, and click to befuddlr it. If you wish to befuddlr your own pictures, you must first upload them to flickr, so you will need to learn that simple tool. Be sure to TAG your pictures so you can FIND them again! No membership or saving are available on befuddlr. Its is an on-the-spot tool.
Safety/Security: Be sure to use your own images or copyright free images and images that are available to be built upon. If students click to choose other pictures from flickr, they could encounter ANYTHING that someone has uploaded, so be sure to guide them to the pictures you want them to use and have a stated policy and consequence for those who wander off into inappropriate places. Flickr does have anti-porn policies, but girls in bikinis, for example, are still available!
Possible uses: Use snapshots of animals, numbers, letters, or other pictures and have students scramble the pieces. Befuddlr a picture on your interactive whiteboard to start a language lesson! Students can create their own and provide hints using a variety of constraints such as no more than 5 words, a poem, using adjectives only, etc. in order to help those guessing the original picture. In Art, create new patterns for analysis. Use befuddled pictures to practice new vocabulary for young ones or for ESL and world language students. Accompany student poetry with befuddled pictures
Teachers First Edge Entry: for slightly adventurous technology users and their students. Now, your students can create their own picture books with just a few clicks. Or if you want, you can read countless other books written by students. The professional illustrations and layout options offer the ultimate in publishing of students' writing.
Watch the Tips and Tricks tutorial to see how the features work. Due to the minor advertising, blogs, and internet retailing, teachers should monitor students closely or use this website as a whole-class activity. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9336
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: Join the site (free) and log in. Registration requires an email address. Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Once registered, view the tutorial presentation to learn more about the website.
Safety/Security Concerns: Check your school policies on student email subaccounts (Gmail). You may want to use a teacher account and allow students to use it under your supervision. Be sure to obtain written parent permission before posting ANY student work online. Be aware that their work will “show” in “Recently published books” for others to see.
The opening page for outsiders and members shares featured and popular books, so you will want to preview for possible inappropriate books created by others. As with any site where students can create content, you will want to obtain parent permission before posting student work online.
Possible Uses: Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to share the tutorial presentation and some samples of student-created books. Create a "class book" or have students create individual books. Also, sign up for the free newsletter to receive information on updates at this site.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for moderately adventurous technology users. Blabberize is a photo editing tool that creates talking animations from a photo or other image. Search ready-made blabbers or create new ones. There are some real treasures among the ready-mades, some of which you can use as examples for your students. Here is an example created by the TeachersFirst Edge team:
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: You need a microphone in or on your computer for easiest recording. We recommend watching (and showing the entire class?) the introduction blab on the home page. It is a riot! To create blabs, you will need to be able to upload photographs or save then upload images from safe and legal sources. Once you know which pictures you are going to use, the rest is as easy as following the onscreen instructions. You will need to “allow” access to your computer’s microphone and/or a microphone you attach to the computer. Recording by phone also works. Browse a few examples first to get ideas on how to make a mouth on your photo to move and “talk.” Get started right away by choosing a photo and following prompts (arrows) below telling you what to do next. You have 30 seconds to narrate your photo. When you complete the blab, click SAVE. You will be prompted to create an account on the spot. You will also have the options to mark your blab “mature” or “private” (not shown on the “latest” pages and other public areas). Completed Blabs can be shared via email or embedded in another web page, blog, or wiki. See an embedded example below. Users unfamiliar with copy/pasting embed code can simple share by the URL of the blab's page.
Safety/security concerns: Registration requires email, You may want to use a single, whole-class account you create with your “extra” email account or establish student accounts using your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. This will make it easier to monitor student activity. Here is a blog post that tells how. No email confirmation is required for this Blabberize membership to work. Be sure to spell out consequences of inappropriate use/content of blabs. Since Blabberize is a public site, avoid allowing students to “browse” blabs. They may discover blabs not appropriate for the classroom. Blab creators are asked to mark their creations “mature” if they could be objectionable, but the only enforcement of this is by users clicking “I object!” Have students enter the site through the “Make” page link provided in this review to steer clear of the “latest” blabs. You may want your students to make their blabs “private” so they do not show on the public areas, depending on school policies.
Possible uses: The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Blab the homework directions on your teacher web page. Ask your students to create blabs for all sorts of reasons. Use photos or digital drawings to “blab”! Have students draw in a paint program, save the file, and then make it “speak.” Spice up research projects about historic figures or important scientists. Have literary characters tell about themselves. Create entire conversation sequences of blabs between people in world language or ESL/ELL classes (with students speaking in the language, of course), then embed them in a wiki. Have speech/language students make blabs to practice articulation and document progress over time. Promote oral reading fluency with student-read blabs. Create book “commercials.” Have students blab what the author may have been thinking as he/she wrote a poem or literary selection or as an artist painted. Blab politicians’ major platform planks during campaigns for current events. Blab the steps to math problem solving. Even primary students can make an animal blab about his habitat if you set up the blab as a center. Make visual vocabulary/terminology sentences with an appropriate character using the term in context (a beaker explaining how it is different from a flask?) Students could also take pictures of themselves doing a lab and then blab the pictures to explain the concepts. This would be a great first day project (introducing yourself and breaking the ice). Share the class blabs on your class web page or wiki! Give directions to your class (for when a substitute is there). Use at back to school night to show your humorous side to the parents.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for moderately adventurous technology users. This online database-creation tool allows you (and your students) to create a database online, including images, links, and more. A "blist" is a "web list." Blists can be shared with others as totally public or by invitation only. They can also be entirely private (accessible only to the person who created them). The tool and was designed for general consumer use, not education, but it has many potential uses in the classroom, for teachers, and parents. As Blist explains it, "A blist can be as simple or as complex as you need it to be. Compared with a spreadsheet like Excel, blist is much more visual and intuitive - plus, blist is really social, it's easy to share with other people and groups. What's more, you can also find blists created by other users, so you don’t have to start from scratch." You can view the data through a "lens" or filter (show data that meets certain criteria, such as only the entries from a certain city in an address list, include photos, create groups for sharing the blist, allow others to input their information, import and export with Excel, and more. Here is a sample blist about ways to use blist in the classroom from the TeachersFirst Edge Team. Add your ratings to our ideas or add more ideas for how to use blist!
Be aware that this site is currently in transition. The original Blist is still available. However, they are upgrading and changing their site to Socrata. As this upgrade is completed, TeachersFirst will be reviewing the new site. For now, you can click on a link to take you to the original Blist.
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: If you like directions, explore the links form the home page about ways to use blist. To start right in, create the account (requires email) then start right in. No email verification needed. Explore options under the Dashboard (icon at top right. Explore some blists created by others to see examples (teachers should do this without students, since these are public blists that may not be classroom-appropriate). Create a blist from another model or from scratch using simple drag and drop arrangements. Set the privacy level of your blist to public, shared with specific users, or private. Our example is public, with specific permissions for what others may do. See recent changes to your blist made by others from your dashboard. Explore the options for creating contacts to "share" blists, including emailing a blist to someone (shows as an table in the email). Blist will even save contacts you enter.
Safety concerns: Registered users set their own screen display name or choose "undisclosed." We recommend using generic display names for students so only the teacher can identify them, since "undisclosed" will not tell a teacher which student did which work. Although single blists can be private or limited to groups you create, students can easily see other "popular" blists (possibly not classroom-appropriate), participate in public blists, follow the activity of others, and add others to their "contacts" (a more businesslike term for "friends"). You may want to use a teacher Gmail account and assigned subaccounts to be able to track the activity of students if you allow them to use the site on their own. Other options: a blist user agreement with specific permissions and consequences with parent permission> If you use web 2.0 tools in general in your classroom, you may want to create a single classroom policy in accordance with your school's AUP and simply list the tools your classes will use, having students and parents sign. This will allow you to spell out caveats about public interaction, profiles, posting student work, damaging the work of others, etc. If sharing a blist you created for students to add to (such as a classroom database of independent reading choices), use the URL for direct access to the blist to avoid some of the more "public" areas. These areas will still be easily accessible for curious clickers, however. Some messages during "loading" times encourage exploration. One unfortunate tip we noted unhappily: "Be a voyeur. Click Discover." Teachers with students not accustomed to self-controlled behavior on the web will want to limit use of this tool to teacher-centered or whole-class activities. The tool IS worth learning for just for these!
Possible uses: Teach about data collection and analysis using this tool on your interactive whiteboard or projector. The highly visual, drag and drop interface will make data manipulation work more intuitively for your students to understand. Let them click and drag to create a blist and resulting graphs from surveys the class conducts. If you are comfortable allowing students to use the tool, create an inventory of books read independently with reviews, ratings and more. Students can add to it from home and collect credit for outside readings or find books based on others' reviews. Collect lab data, have groups collect data on famous people, inventors, or historic events. Compare consumer goods. Share important dates and checklists for major projects by allowing student and parents to VIEW (not edit) a database you create. Assign students to evaluate and compare different web resources as part of a class research assignment. See more ideas in the sample blist about ways to use Blist in the classroom from the TeachersFirst Edge Team.
This comprehensive article gives all the details on using gated blogs safely in the classroom, including explanations of blogging basics, a TeachersFirst Step-by-Step on how to start one, complete reviews of several free blogging tools for teachers, and over two dozen ideas for how to use a blog with your students. Make "writing to learn" approachable and exciting. Don't miss the specially-honored TeachersFirst Class Blogs. 6808
In the Classroom: You could use this step by step as the framework for a self-directed or "buddy" professional development project. Share it with your principal or professional development coordinator.
Teacher's First Edge Review: for slightly adventurous technology users and their students. Students and teachers can write their own original books, add your own images and artwork as illustrations, and read your published books in interactive, online form. For a fee, you can also have printed copies made, but there is no fee for the online publication and sharing. This is the ultimate in "digital storytelling."
Here is an example of a book created by the TeachersFirst Edge editors. Once you set up free membership in this site, students (or teachers) can select to create from a blank start or using templates provided. You can also create a book starter of your own as an example so students can follow the prompts you have created. The book creator allows you to upload your own images and to create books from a Word document or PowerPoint file you have already made. There is no provision for multiple users to collaborate on the same book.
After you save and publish the work, share the URL so people can read the entire thing online, either among an audience of “just my friends” or publicly. They also offer the embed code to place your books in a class or school web page, wiki, or blog, but at the time of this review, this code was not working properly. The BEST option is to copy the address of the new window displaying the interactive book. There is an option to have the book printed for a fee, but this is not required. You can also read books created by others (if they make them public). Use the fully-public option to create learning materials for classes to access year to year for at-home review or reading practice.
This site requires a simple registration. Members must be at least 13 years old. Teachers using this tool with younger students should use a whole-class account WITH parent permission and in accordance with school policies. See more detailed suggestions “In the Classroom” below and in our sample book! 10404
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the site. No need for a confirmation email to get started. SKIP the profile and friends areas to get to the book creator. The site constantly offers ways to purchase printed versions of your books, but you can ignore them. On the Create Books page, choose from using a blank book, starting from a file, or using a template. Browse many “public” examples on the templates page of books created by others. Choose “school” to see projects from other classes or a sample created by you or a student team working in advance along with you. Explore ready-made themes (seasonal, topical, etc.) or use “open theme.” Choose book dimensions (match layout shape to any uploaded files, such as PowerPoint slides). Enter settings and description of your book (editable later), including who is allowed to “see” it: everyone, just friends, or private. Again choose a “theme” – more of a category where Bookemon will list your completed book. A logical option is “school.” Experiment with tools to upload files (within file limits), add images, add text, etc. Written help is offered as you go, but there is no video demo. SAVE often. Turn margins on to avoid chopping content. To share the book, you must “publish” it (i.e. finalize).
Once published, locate the book under "My Books" and use options to share (by email—and see the URL to copy from there), “Make a new edition” to create a new version—also useful for treating the original as a template for later books), Post to Other Sites offers embed codes not currently working properly. The BEST option is to click the book COVER which opens a new window without ads or “stuff,” and copy the ADDRESS of that window to paste into email, etc. You can also make that clean-window view a Favorite on a classroom computer!
Safety/security concerns: The home page of the site has “Featured books by our members” and the ability to browse all public books. You will want to preview for possibly inappropriate books created by others. As with any site where students can create content, you will want to obtain parent permission before posting student work online. The site does not allow users under age 13, so teachers with students below that age should obtain written parent permission for students to use generic student accounts you create and control through your teacher-extra Gmail address. Use up to 20 subaccounts of that Gmail account to create student accounts and passwords to be used by each student or group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
If you have older students use their own email accounts to join and navigate, you will want to first spell out rules about the “profile” tools, friends, and other social networking features. There are multiple opportunities to share address books, use social tools such as Facebook to share your books, etc., so teacher-controlled accounts may be the easiest option.
If students are to collaborate on the same book, they must either log in under the same user name or sit together to collaborate. This could provide opportunities for “vandalism,” so have class policies and consequences spelled out in advance.
Possible uses:
With younger students, have them create their work in PowerPoint then upload for whole-class books. See an example, created by the TeachersFirst Edge editors . The example is full of ideas for classroom use from Kindergarten to high school, including science concept tales, poetry books, general writing, math problem solve-its, and more. ANY grade can use this tool, depending on the amount of direction by the teacher. By the way, the correct answer to the problem in the sample book is c. 27. Another idea, have students create personalized books for their parents or grandparents for special occasions (Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Grandparent's Day).
Tip: Use this site for a guided introduction to social networking as a class, an excellent teaching opportunity for 21st century literacy skills and online safety discussion.
Teacher's First edge Review: For moderately adventurous technology users. Create your own TV channel using Boostcast! Boostcast is a user-owned and user-generated video “home” that you control. Create and manage your own video site with your own chosen name and customized access and features. Boostcast itself is a user-friendly, web-based application that takes very little programming to operate. The site is designed for people to create video collections, possibly for profit, but the potential for classroom use is terrific.
Note: Ads do run on the site, and some may not be school-approriate. Preview and decide if your students can ignore them. Some revenue made through those ads could go to you by attracting visitors. It is unlikely that your school will permit this, but you can always ask!
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: Sign up is free and easy to complete. You must register and remember your login and password. Membership requires an email address. Users will need to be able to locate and upload a video from a computer and use links or embed codes to share. Managing of comments and emails to approve videos is also necessary.
Quick start: After making your site, view the "5 things to do when you start" which is on the front page of your boostcast site. Follow all directions.
How to use: Click on the "Start Your Video Community Now" button and fill out the form. Personalize Your video community by adding a logo or image, changing colors, as well as other options. Invite your friends (parents?) by sending emails from your address book. Friends can join your video community or create their own. Publish pictures, videos, audio tracks, and multiple blogs on your Boostcast site. By clicking the "Share" button, your community can be seen by the rest of the world. If you do not “share” it, the general public will not see it to comment, upload, etc. Share your uploaded videos by using an "Embed code" or a "Direct link code." Make comments on the videos, flag comments, and moderate them. There is messaging between site members. Other options include a search feature, site statistics, and email alerts. You can be alerted about video uploads and any flagged comments. Settings allow approval before videos can be seen on the site.
The controls for the site are on the tabs at the top : "Create my space," "Add video," "Add image," "Add audio," "View video," View image," and "Listen audio."
Safety/Security concerns: Users must register and create a login. If you allow students to self-register, be sure to keep a written record of their passwords for when they “forget.” It may be worth your time to do advanced registration for your younger students or simply use a single classroom account. Individual accounts require email. Check your school policies about accessing or sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to establish Gmail accounts for user registration on any online service.
The red tabs along the top can take you to other Boostcast sites, so students should be advised not to click these. “Featured” content contributed by the general public and may not be suitable for the classroom. You may want to prohibit and/or have specific rules in place for students accessing ads on the page. Uploaded videos and comments from those outside the classroom can be denied. Additionally, by not sharing your Boostcast site, you can keep a classroom site from becoming public. Check your school policies on whether student work may be displayed online and what information is permitted, then enforce that policy with your students.
Possible uses: Boostcast is easy to use and provides an alternative for students needing to upload a video in order to embed code in a website. Create a classroom or school boostcast to house video and audio from projects that students create. Embed these videos anywhere you would want to share the projects. Use the comment feature as a microblogging exercise for students to obtain feedback from their peers. If you shoot videos of classroom events during the year, make parents members of your private Boostcast to see and comment on school-day events they have missed. As students complete their own mock newscasts of informational videos, share them and allow students to peer-evaluate using comments. Or a teacher can place a collection of videos for students to watch on a curriculum topic, such as student-produced examples from a previous year, how-to use lab equipment video made by teacher/students, student-made book review videos (to promote independent reading), student-made math videos such as the ones on Mathtrain reviewed here and more. If you plan to enter the StoryTube competition reviewed here, this is a terrific place for your school to “collect” possible entries in order to select your “best” one.
Teachers First Edge Review: For the slightly adventurous. Use this free web site to create flashcards for teacher or individual student use. There is also a link to “Study Flashcards” that are already ready to go. There are literally HUNDREDS of ready to go flashcard packets: presidents, addition, algebra, music, and more.
If you are creating your own, you can add images, video, or audio. Study flashcards online or share with others in created study groups. Use flashcards to learn new information (question and answer are side by side,) study (shows the question and then the answer,) or quiz themselves by entering answers. Create a game with the flashcards by using a timer and score board on the site. Share flashcard sets with others by sending a URL address or create study groups to share. View public flashcards created by others by using their search feature.
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: You can access the already created flashcards without any account, email, or age requirements. However, if you wish to create flashcards, an email and birth date is required to create an account. Users must be 13 years of age or older. Verifying email is required to create flashcards.
Using Brainflips: Use the Deck panel to enter flashcard deck title and other basic information. Use the Card panel to add, edit, and change the order of the flashcards in the deck. Create text or multiple choice answers for each flashcard and even enter alternative answers. Click "Insert" above the question field to add images, audio, and video to flashcards.
Safety/Security: Since an email and birth date are required, consider creating a class account for teacher use or for groups of students to use. Create teacher flashcards for class use by creating card decks and providing the URL for students to use. The home page of this site includes changing “featured” content contributed by the general public. Check ahead of time to be sure it is suitable for the classroom. You may want to send students to the flashcards via a direct link to the deck. You may want to prohibit or point out the links to advertising located along the top and sides of the site. Students must have individual accounts to create flashcards on their own(email required). Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.
Possible uses: Facts, spelling words, vocabulary, definitions, foreign language, root words, historical names -— all can easily be typed into this flashcard format for any subject. Plan a system of tags for sets on related material so they can be grouped. For example: tag all geography terms "geography" and all words from the same science chapter using the chapter number or topic. You can use multiple tags, too! In the computer lab, using a projector or interactive whiteboard, walk your students through making their own sets of flashcards or using teacher created flashcards for student and group use. Students or parents can then access their electronic cards at home or anywhere with a specific URL that can be placed on any teacher blog or website. No email address is needed to use the cards, only to create the cards. Include the link to your sets on your web page for students to study before tests. Collaborate with other teachers to create useful sets for all to use. Rotate responsibility each marking period among student groups in your class to create a set for each chapter/unit/week for the rest of the class to use as review. Give a special award (or bonus points) for the most creative, complete set that marking period. Learning support teachers may want to work together with small student groups to create verbal and visual card sets to accompany the chapters they are studying. Involve the students in the process so they can reinforce new content as they create their own “study materials” with color coding, images, and more.
TeachersFirst Edge Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. This simple and free online tool allows you to brainstorm ideas – no special software! Bubble.us features some highly interactive abilities: saving your mind map as an image, sharing (emailing) your work with a friend, printing your organizer, creating colorful mind map organizers, embedding your work into a website or blog, and working with friends. You are able to "play" at this site without registering; however registration is necessary for saving, embedding, emailing, and other features. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
Here is an example of a bubbl.us map embedded in a page. Click and drag on the background to read more, or try the zoom controls:
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In the Classroom: Skills Needed: If you intend to save, email, or print your organizer you must join the site. Registration is free, simple, and requires an email address. You can start using the “membership” immediately and without confirming the email, though, which makes it quite convenient. Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Experiment with the small icons on each “element” to change colors, drag, make new connections, etc.
Once registered (if you choose to do so), you will be taken to the work area. A box marked "Start Here" can be clicked on to type the subject of your mapping activity. By clicking Enter you create a new level (branch) within the map. By clicking Tab you create an additional branch on the same level as the current word. Save and set sharing (read-only or open access) in the area at the right. You can “send” a read-only link via email or copy the embed code from the Menu at lower right), but you cannot find the URL directly from your map. "Send" it to yourself via email to copy the actual URL. You may want to have your class accounts all be “friends” with you for easy sharing or simply have them "email" their finished work to you using the menu button.
Safety/Security Concerns: Check your school policies on student email subaccounts (Gmail), if you plan to have students use Bubbl.us on their own. You may want to use a teacher account and allow students to use it under your supervision. Be sure to obtain written parent permission before posting ANY student work online. Fortunately, there are no “see others’ work” links or other easy access to inappropriate content.
Possible Uses: There are countless possibilities at this mental mapping site. Demonstrate the activity on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and then allow students to try to create their own graphic organizers. Use this site for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics of study. Use this site to create family trees. Have students collaborate together (online) to create group mind maps or review charts before tests on a given subject.
Some student project ideas: Have students... organize any concepts you study; color-code concepts to show what they understand, wonder, question; map out a story, plotline, or LIFETIME; map out a step-by-step process (life cycle); map a real historical event as achoose-your-own-adventure with alternate endings(?) based on pivotal points; plan a “tour” for a “thought museum.”
Use this mapping website as an alternative to a traditional test, quiz, or homework assignment in literature or social studies: have students demonstrate their understanding by completing a graphic organizer about the main points. Be sure that they RENAME it before they start work to an individual name so you know who did it (they could EMAIL it to you!) or have them print their results to turn them in. See more ideas in the embedded example above!
Teacher's First Edge Review: For serious tech users. Create free comic strips from flickr pictures. Search tags in flickr or search by user to choose pictures then add words in the caption bubbles. If you use flickr reviewed here, you can set up your own tagged collection of images for students to use, as well. Quickly publish, email, or embed your comic strip. This site requires Flash. here. 10052
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Knowledge of use of tags and familiarity with flickr is required. Each picture is labeled with the title and the picture creator’s name.
How to use: Type in the name of a topic in the tag area or the name of a known flickr user. Entering information into both fields is not required. Pictures will appear in the top area. Choose a picture you wish to use by clicking on it. To add another picture, choose the options in "Add frames." Drag a caption bubble onto the picture and type in your caption. Easily delete pictures by clicking the “Delete” button at the bottom of the picture. When finished, click "Publish." Comics can be deleted afterward, and sharing gives the option for sending an email link or using an embed code to include within a website or blog.
Safety/Security: Clicking on "...or visit the archive" takes you to other users’ content. The archive of this site includes changing “featured” content contributed by the general public and may not be suitable for the classroom or may cause a distraction.
No login or password is required, but publishing requires a name to be entered. Be sure to know the rules and safety concerns of your district before entering any student names. Consider creating anonymous ways to enter names in order to track student contributions. All projects are public. Check your school policy for posting student work online. Written permission is always a good idea.
Possible uses: Use this site for students to take pictures of lab experiment steps and explain the experiment or the concepts behind the experiment. Students can create a story using pictures taken from home and uploaded to a class flickr account. Any school subject can easily use the comic strip generator to show knowledge learned in class. World language or ESL/ELL students can create dialog strips. Reinforce vocabulary by having students create strips with characters using the new words. Assess student understanding of concepts by providing a collection of tagged photos on Flickr and having the class create a Bubblr strip on the interactive whiteboard (collaborating for a whole-class or group grade). Share completed strips on your class web page or wiki.
Example created for review: embed code: or link: Angiosperms by Mrs. Maine
Follow the progress of 100 TeachersFirst members as they collaborate and use a safe web2.0 tool with the support of the tool developer and TeachersFirst's teacher-friendly team. The 100 participants receive free, premium pilot accounts to use TRintuition’s workBench and our support to help them build learners in their classrooms. These accounts allow teachers and students to create online collaborative projects using the workBench’s visually-rich and user-friendly tools, possibly even collaborating with classes from other schools.
Both teachers and students can build online or downloadable projects using the workBench. Each free premium pilot teacher account includes up to 45 student user accounts for access throughout 2008. Teachers who are part of the pilot project will be asked to complete at least one classroom-related, student- or teacher-created project (or as many classroom-related projects as you wish!) before November 30, 2008.
This blog documents the project and the idea-sharing from the announcement of the project start in April, 2008 and will remain online as a prototype for collaborative use of technology after the project completion.
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In the Classroom: Teachers who wish to join the project should read the details and sign-up from the blog. Learn more about the TRIntuition workBench from the TeachersFirst Edge review of this tool.
Teachers and students in any subject can use this TeachersFirst Edge tool for slightly adventurous technology users. This online calendar maker allows users (must register---for free)to create and edit online calendars with your own events and including local events (if you wish). Save paper by publishing your classroom calendars online using this free tool! Schools and teachers can use it to share upcoming important events. Classroom teachers and students can use it to plan long-term projects. Groups working on collaborative projects can share a calendar with to-do list and deadlines telling which person is responsible. Teach organizational skills to your students by modeling the tool in class and telling both parents and students about it. Middle schoolers just beginning to take responsibility for their own time management will enjoy creating their OWN calendar instead of being told what to do.
See a sample (look at June, 2007). Notice that there is not a clutter of advertising. 8309
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the site (requires an email address, so this is not suitable for younger children. Consider setting up accounts using the teacher's email). Check out the Help for complete directions or simply play with the tools to make calendar events, share calendars, create groups---perhaps the sections you teach or the groups for projects, publish them, add events, etc.
Get the URL for your calendar by "publishing" it. You can make the calendar shared only between certain CalendarHub members (such as students working on a project). Do not include student names, birthdays, etc. on a fully public calendar unless you use first names only and limit the amount of identifiable information about your school. If students use the CalendarHub for group projects, require them to make theirs shared but not fully public for safety reasons.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for the more adventurous technology user. This creative page allows you to add captions to photographs you have uploaded or found on an online site such as Flickr. Upload your own set of digital images to Flickr ahead of time, then assign the task of creating a captioned sequence to explain a major concept, such as mitosis or narrative patterns. You could also have students create campaign ads, posters of important people, etc. If you limit the photos permitted, you can control some of the "risk" of students' accessing non-classroom content. Be certain you explore the potential areas of risk before trying this lesson. 6950
In the Classroom: Skills needed: locating and uploading digital image files, locating the actual URL for specific images, navigating the tools of Captioner, managing potential safety and "appropriateness" issues of an online environment.
Teacher's First Edge Review: For serious technology users. Use this free online tool to create timelimes embedded with media that can be shared with others. Create timelines that include music, pictures and photos, video and text. Change backgrounds and customize your timeline for a personal and creative touch. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10022
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Teachers need to be able to identify material to be used in the creation of the timeline and strategies to help students be prepared for student assignments (checklists, goal sheets, or presentation planners). Click "Create" to begin making a "Capzles." Use the buttons on the left to follow the creation process and create with the following: Add titles, description, tags, content and media, set privacy, and share. Watch a video tutorial to learn steps to create a timeline. Click "Explore" along the top to view previously made timelines. Click on "Share" to send email links to others.
Safety/Security: To create an account, enter a login and password. The next screen requires personal information including email. Consider creating a class account for easier access. If students are permitted to have their own account, it is recommended that passwords and logins be maintained for those students who forget. Students must have individual accounts (email required). Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.
This site includes content contributed by the general public and may not be suitable for the classroom. You may want to send students directly to URLs for their own projects or use the site as a whole-class activity using a teacher-created capzles to spark discussion.
Classroom use: Create Capzles that introduce new topics and content for great student discussion. Students can use pieces of the capzle to brainstorm questions, initiate research, and learn more about the topic. Capzles are an interesting way for students to tell stories about a project, research, or as a class activity. Use to showcase fun items such as "what I did on my summer vacation," "the story of my dog," family, etc. Create Capzles from the point of view of a literary character or historical figure telling his/her story. Remember to teach about copyright, since using copyrighted images in a Capzle would not be “fair use” due to unlimited distribution. Look for images in the public domain or with Creative Commons licensing and model giving attribution for them.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. This is one fabulous way for art or photography students to create a FREE online portfolio to share work in your class, share with each other, or submit as an online collection for competitions or college admissions. The users agreement specifies no "group" accounts or users under 13 years old. The free version is limited to 5 projects and 35 images (no videos in the free version), but this is enough to show your "best of the best." You can even choose the actual URL for the portfolio within Carbonmade. The home page has a Flash demo so you can see how the site works. 7819
In the Classroom: Skills needed: join the site (free), browse for files and upload to site, label with captions, project information, other information, and decide about viewing options. Works best with Internet Explorer 6+ or Safari. No special html skills needed. A teenager will figure this one out in one minute. A techno-comfortable teacher will take no more than four minutes! The only challenge is figuring out how to change settings on a project within your portfolio and have them SAVE. Watch the demo.
Share portfolios among neighboring schools or through art teacher associations to inspire your students and help them develop the critical skills to choose their best work and articulate their reasons (Use the "notes" space on each image to tell about it).
Be sure that you adhere to school policies regarding posting of student work. Have students create their accounts ONLY with written parent permission, especially since there is space for a "profile" (which teachers should require students to leave BLANK for safety reasons. Use your teacher email account so there is no danger of having outsiders contact your students. After graduation students may change the settings and use the site in budding art careers! Avoid including any personally identifiable information in descriptions or images. Personally identifiable information can always be shared with potential colleges, etc. via email or letter, rather than posting it to the web.
TeachersFirst Edge Tool: For more adventurous technology users-- and those who are willing to take the time to learn the tool. This fabulous, FREE online tool allows you to create your own interactive "books" to help young readers learn reading strategies to build comprehension. The tool allows you to enter your own text, images, and hints. The finished product is a very polished-looking book in a form that you can save on your computer or burn to a CD and use over and over and over with students for years to come.
Be sure to try the model books and read the tips for writers and illustrators. Click to see a sample we made for you and placed on our site. 8060
In the Classroom: Skills required: joining the site (free), locating or writing your own copyright-free text, locating or creating images for which you have the rights to make more than one copy (Fair Use does not apply!), copy/paste the text and resize/upload the images--following simple directions to create the pages and accompanying hints. Be sure to learn about the three interactive characters who teach the strategies! Publish and download the files of the finished "books" and save on your computer. Extract the zipped files and save locally, on your network, or burn to CD so your students can access them directly.
The uses of this one are endless. If you take the time to get permission from the publisher to use text from some of your textbooks or reading books, you could create interactive versions to use in your classroom or with special ed students. More simply, use student-written stories and artwork (scanned -- or created in Paint)to create the "book." Imagine creating a class "book" at the end of a unit on Communities or Animals, and including images you take with your digital camera. If you copy the CD's, students could sign out the "book" and read it to relatives using their home computer. You can keep the "library" of past books to help future classes. Or ask your middle/high school or gifted students to create books as writing/service project for struggling readers to use.
Teachers First Edge Review: For serious technology users. Upload an mp3 or wmv audio file, record your own voice, or enter text for the site to provide a text-to-speech recording. Here is an example of the site reading the TeachersFirst home page text. (The audio quality is not terrific for this tool feature). 10125
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Be able to manage and find any audio files on your computer. Recording of voice requires knowledge of internal and external microphones. Use the "text to speech" option for an easy way to record using a computerized voice. Register using an email address, though verification is not required. You do need a microphone either attached or built in to your computer to record chirbits.
Safety/security: Categories shown include Confessions, Jokes, and Pickup lines, among others. Though these are quite humorous, they may be inappropriate. Chirbits created become public, however by choosing "Settings" across the top, check the box to protect your chirbits and make them private. If each student is to have their own account, check your school policies on whether student work may be displayed online and what information is permitted. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. Consider creating a class chirbit with a global email. You may want to require that students initial their contributions in order to get credit. Accounts have an RSS feed where you can follow others to keep up with the chirbits created. You may allow students to self-register, but be sure to keep a written record of their passwords for when they “forget.” Click on "Profile" and then the gear symbol to copy a link to share. You may want to create a word doc, Favorites folder, or other “collection” of the URLS to all your students projects in
one place for easy work at grading time. Some teachers use a class wiki or blog with links to all projects from there.
Possible uses: Use chirbit to record quick assignments or responses. Create prompts which require clever answers such as viewpoints of famous people in your subject area. Use chirbits to record thoughts or facts of the day. Use chirbits to record how to solve problems, define vocabulary, or to understand class material. As closure at the end of class, ask a student to record a “chirbit” summary of the most important concept for the day’s lesson. You could even have a competition to decide which group/pair has composed the best sentence for a chirbit recording and have them make the recording on the spot.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. Imagine being able to give students (or parents)an exact link to a specific quote within a web page. This TeachersFirst Edge tool does exactly that. Why would you want to? Perhaps you want to send students to a certain paragraph for an activity: for reading comprehension, for reading a specific portion of text, or even for highlighting a literary device within a text or poem. Students will no longer waste time, announcing, "I can't find it!" or return to school saying they couldn't do the homework! 7987
In the Classroom: No membership or cost required. Tool can be used in less than 30 seconds. Skills needed: Open TWO windows in Internet Explorer or any web browser. One should be open to citebite; the other to the web page you wish to reference. On that web page, locate and "highlight" the exact passage of text you want to "send" people to see. Copy/paste the passage into the quotation box at Citebite (copy, then change windows). Return to the target web page and copy/paste its actual URL into Citebite. Click "Make Citebite." Copy/paste the new url, indicated after "Your citebite link is:" Note: if the original quote is within a FLASH presentation, it will not copy/paste or generate a Citebite. See this example of a Citebite link to a tip about TeachersFirst Edge tools: http://pages.citebite.com/b1j4l1j7o0ndu
Have your middle and high school students do a web page "credibility critique" on their potential sources by using Citebite before they start a research project. They can highlight passages as proof of credibility -- or lack thereof -- and give you the Citebite links. They will love this easy way to reference a specific portion of a page. You will love the ease of finding it. If you give them a Word document table as a web site evaluation rubric, they can paste the Citebites there, with their comments in the neighboring cell!
Teacher's First Edge Review: for moderately adventurous technology users. Create a panoramic photo without a special camera! Use a normal camera to take the photos. The CleVR Stitcher is the easiest photo stitcher available. Just drag and drop your pictures, click the button, and the application “stitches” them together for you. By joining your pictures, create a stunning panoramic picture. Clevr enables you to embed the image into your website or blog, share the images on various social networking sites, and more. 9619
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Users need to be able to log in to the website, upload and manage pictures from their computer, and use simple tools. You must register with an email and password to log in.
Safety/Security: Students must have individual accounts (email required). Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. As an alternative, you can create a "class account" that all students can access. Share your panorama on the web in the interactive viewer. Embed it into your blog or website using the embed code.
Possible uses: Create panoramic pictures for blog headers on a classroom blog. Students can plan and take pictures representing their town, area, school, or classroom. Use the pictures to create a panorama for the top of the page. Social Studies teachers may assign students to create panoramas of local history. Art teachers can also assign a design challenge for students to create fictitious panoramas from diverse images. Literature teachers can offer an option of creating a “setting panorama” or “thematic panorama” as a project for visual/spatial students. Of course you will want them to explain their design choices in terms of the literary work.
TeachersFirst Edge Tool: For SLIGHTLY adventurous technology users. This site allows you to create flashcards, and includes sharing and group capabilities. Many teachers will be able to navigate this free site very easily. Enter vocabulary terms and definitions as well as any html (web page language), such as images and charts to create electronic flashcards and quizzes for word study to use in language or other content areas. Create individual sets of flashcards, or invite others to interact and learn the same words. Teacher or students can create groups to share word lists. As with other collaborative tools, the revision history is easily accessible. See this example flashcard list . This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10072
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the free site easily. Membership asks for an email, but email verification is not needed to start using the site. Sharing with friends for collaboration does require the sending of an email invitation however. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. It is recommended to keep a list of email passwords and logins for students who forget.
Explore the guided tour to learn an overview or find answers to specific use questions. Save your "sets" and decide whether you want them to be completely public, just for you personally, or shared with a "group." Create your own groups for each class or subject. Publish your cards for others to use. Published sets can be altered to create a new and personalized set.
Possible Uses: Teachers in lower grades will want to create cards their students can use and perhaps have more techno-savvy help with the process. Content and English teachers may choose to set up their own network of users. Learning support teachers could suggest that their students create their own flashcard sets to assist learning of the concepts. Use the interactive whiteboard or projector for quick flashcard or electronic testing using your sets as a whole class or in small groups in the classroom. Collaborate with other teachers to create useful sets for all to use. Rotate responsibility each marking period among student groups in your class to create a set for each chapter/unit/week for the rest of the class to use as review. Give a special award (or bonus points) for the most creative, complete set that marking period.
This is a TeachersFirst Edge Entry for ANYONE who wants to know more about new technologies. No special skills needed. Watch and learn. If you are embarrassed to say that you don't know what all the "new web 2.0" terms are all about, this one is for you (and probably for your students' parents, as well). Common Craft uses a very simple, visual method of explaining all the latest technologies so that anyone can understand, using short video clips narrated by a positive and respectful voice. The next time you hear someone talking about RSS feeds or some other new doo-dad, stop here first so you will know what they are talking about. Did you think you were the only one who did not know? Fear not. This site has incredible popularity because there are LOADS of people quietly questioning -- just like you. Videos require Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. 8729
In the Classroom: Start by looking at "Most Viewed" and "Most Popular Right Now," but don't be afraid to search for other topics that have you wondering. You will definitely want to make this site a Favorite and tag is as "professional" information to keep you informed. Share it on your teacher web page to help out your parents, too!
Teacher's First Edge Review: For slightly adventurous technology users. Want a slicker way of finding creative commons pictures (pictures you are ALLOWED to use without copyright problems, simply by giving credit)? Compfight searches flickr pictures and finds those that can be used in other activities and projects. Enter text or tags, and compfight does the rest, providing thumbnail images for you to choose from. 10280
In the Classroom: Skills required: Users need to be able to use good search terms to find the best pictures possible as well as knowing where to save images on their computer. Be sure users know that credit must still be given to the person who took the picture and their name must appear wherever the image is used. Be sure to use Compfight correctly by changing the settings at the top. For students using images, it is recommended that the word "only" appears next to Creative Commons, the word "On" for Seek Original, and the word "On" for Safe Search. An image showing these settings can be found here.
Safety/Security: No login or registration is required. Be sure students understand what is and is not permissible due to copyright and how Creative Commons allows some extra uses. Students must give credit to the owner of the image.
Classroom use: Use in the classroom any time that an image is needed for projects, even if it is not put on a website for others to see. Be sure students are aware that any time another person's image is used, they must give full credit for it, even if that owner cannot see it. Student groups can use Compfight to collectively find the best image to use for a project. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Voicethread reviewed here. Voicethread allows users to narrate their collection of pictures. For example, students studying renewable energy can use compfight to find images of various renewable energy sources, then explain them on Voicethread. Teachers can collect images for use on their interactive whiteboard for sorting activities (monocots and dicots, producers and consumers, etc).
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for the more adventurous technology user. The Washington Post offers this short-term opportunity to create your own campaign interview. Begun in September, 2006, the project invites you and your students to create a video interview using the downloadable question "footage" they provide of an interviewer and insert your own video of the responses. You may submit your completed video back to the Post's site. After a few weeks, the Post will allow you to see others' work and comment to each other.
This would be a great activity to teach video editing, but more importantly to teach about interviewing, political "message," and the election process.
Although this activity was designed prior to the 2006 election, the video clips will work for most any election. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 6947
In the Classroom: As a class activity, you may not want to upload your resulting videos but instead share them in class, depending on your district policies about posting student work to the web. Certainly, you will want to keep student work anonymous. Tech skills needed: ability to download and upload, locating or creating video clips of responses, use of Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, or similar video-editing software, management of larger files, proper citation of sources.
Wondering what Google Docs are? Check out this short video, it is under 3-minutes. Instead of attaching a document to an email, attach an email to a document. Want to learn more? Take a look at this video. There is a link provided to embed the video (perhaps on your class web page when you introduce Google Docs?) . The site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9997
In the Classroom: View this video for both professional and personal use. Administration could share this video with staff during in-service, a great way to collaborate! See more info on ways to use Google Docs in the TeachersFirst review here.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for ANY technology user. Dabbleboard (still in beta) allows you to make whiteboard drawings and graphic organizers in an online space you can share with others. Since more than one computer can "work on" the whiteboard at a time, students in multiple locations can add to the board at the same time -- or come back to a saved board to add to it later. The whiteboard includes freehand drawing, basic shapes (some that even pop in when you come close to drawing that shape), text tools, and simple colors. You can also upload images, drag and resize anything you draw or type, etc. If used as a whole-class activity, such as on an interactive whiteboard, you can save it by clicking SHARE, copying the URL so you can put the link on a class wiki, teacher web page, or blog so students or the class can revisit and change it later. The tool requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the site (free), but only if you wish to be able to SAVE dabbleboards. You can share them in real time without joining, but they are lost once you quit. Joining requires an email address. Use your memberships email or check school policies before allowing students to sign up using email. Another option is to create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
Once you join, watch the quick video tour or play with the tools. Be sure you can locate tools to draw, resize, delete, drag, and group/ungroup items. Try uploading an image (make sure you have the RIGHTS to use it!). Your uploaded items remain in your library for later use. Note that to add text you simply click in the whitespace and start typing. It is easier to change text size and color BEFORE typing. To keep a board, simply click NEW. The old board will become part of your library at the left of the screen.
Safety concerns: Once shared, any dabbleboard can be seen and altered by others who know the URL. You will not have any record of who makes changes, so student-to-student "vandalism" is possible. Do not make student drawings "public" unless this is within school policies. Clicking "Make public" will add that dabble board to the public library. Others can copy any "public" work. Note that sharing by URL does NOT make a board public unless you click "make public."
Ideas for using this tool: Assess prior knowledge as you start a unit by generating a class dabbleboard. Save it under your class/teacher account to re-access throughout the unit, adding new topics and content. Make the URL available from your class web page for students to use as review or for learning support teachers to reinforce what has happened in class. Have student groups map out the content of projects. Encourage visual prewriting for the students who "think in pictures." Have students create review organizers or drag and drop activities to share with classmates. Brainstorm together over time or distance by letting students add ideas from home or collaborating from another school. Save your visual notes from a faculty meeting to reopen next time. Allow students to use a dabbleboard as their visual during speeches. Map the sequence of steps in a chemical reaction. Then share the URL for absent students to "see" what happened in class. Annotate design principles directly on top of an uploaded image or have students submit their own analysis of an image by sending you the URL for their dabbleboard. Have young students use a dabbleboard to draw out ideas before they can even write entire sentences. This one has endless possibilities!
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for the more adventurous technology user. Delicious is a social bookmarking tool. Your high school students (and maybe you?)have probably been using it for a couple of years. Keep your Favorites (bookmarks) on a web page where you can access them from any computer, organize them by "tag" (keyword), and make them public or private. You can share them with others or search for others' choices by tag, as well, as long as the "owner" made them public. You must join to set up an account with a valid email, then you can download a toolbar or make an "Add to my Delicious" link on your links bar so you can add sites as you find them. Many school districts block this site, unfortunately, because the "What's Hot" links available from the Delicious homepage may lead to inappropriate content. Sometimes automated filtering systems therefore block the entire site. 7011
In the Classroom: If you can access the site from school, tag links by the units you teach or by assignment so students can access the public side of your Delicious page and use the links to complete assignments. If you are a truly inspiring teacher, they may even add some of them to their own delicious accounts. Unless your school specifically permits user profiles and accounts for students, do NOT encourage them to set up these accounts from school. If they do, use pseudonyms.
Another possible use is for collaborative projects. If students have their own accounts, they can "collect" links for a group project with a shared tag so others can access them. You may have to help those who have less experience with web tools, and you must be careful about equity issues such as home Internet access. Using a single teacher account IN class prevents these concerns. Another plus: you can add to your Del.icio.us from any inservice you attend and NEVER lose the links!
Tech skills needed: developing a system of tagging that will facilitate sharing and searching (look to see how others do it), adding a link to your links bar, copying the URL of the public side for students to use.
Teachers First Edge review: For slightly adventurous technology users. Use diagrammr to make a diagram or mind map by simply typing text. Diagrammr uses your sentences to diagram the sentences into a map for you. Once created, change the layout size or embed easily into a blog, wiki, or site. Create as many diagrams as needed without needing to register. Here is a sample created by the Teachers First’s editorial team: . 10264
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Use short, declarative sentences as you build your diagrammr. The image is updated as each sentence is added. When finished, click the text links below the diagram to delete, edit, or embed. Simply copy the code to embed into a site. Users need to have knowledge of embed codes and how to use them in their wiki, site, or blog. You can also share the diagram by Bookmarking and/or copying the actual URL.
Classroom uses: As soon as students can read, you can use this site to help them interact with and organize ideas. Use this application for simple mind mapping of important ideas, constructing points of a short story, or identifying main points of passages for a visual representation of the connections. Try this tool to generate a “main idea” statement or to map the basic points of paragraph development. Wrap up a lesson by having the students create a "diagram of the day" (the main points of the lesson). Students can use this site to map ideas in passages of a textbook. If each student or group maps a specific passage, ideas from chapters can be seen visually. Share students’ products on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to include the links to student-created “diagrams” on a class wiki or web page so students can use them for review. If your students have Internet access outside of class, assign them to create a simple diagram of an assigned reading as homework and email you the URL for their work.
TeachersFirst Edge Review: For moderately adventurous technology users. Looking for more than just flashcards? Find a whole learning system in this free resource. Interact with others and create "study groups." Study with classmates online or download or print cards for offline study. Create either private or public cardboxes. Use a learning scheduler to personalize the use of the flashcards. Create individual sets of flashcards, or invite others to interact and learn the same words. Teachers or students can create groups to share word lists. As with other collaborative tools, the revision history is easily accessible.
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In the Classroom: Skills required: Sign up for free using an email address (verification not required.)
To use: Click on "Your cardboxes" to create a new flashcard set. Enter a card set name and description, add tags for better searching, and set privacy, sharing, and joining permissions. Click "Create" to begin. Use the flashcard tab to add flashcards to the set. Add images or videos to your flashcards as well. Use the "Learning group" tab to view members. Create discussions using the "Discussion" tab. The "Overview" shows the number of flashcards in the set and the learning progress. Import or export any flashcard information, print, change settings, invite learners, or create a test easily using the right hand menu. Click "Learn" in a bright green button to begin learning from flashcards. Use the tools of this system to learn by a schedule, review only unknown cards, or randomly sort cards. Hints on how to schedule and extra controls to switch up learning make this system extraordinary.
Safety/Security: Membership asks for an email, but email verification is not needed to start using the site. Sharing with friends for collaboration does require the sending of an email invitation, however. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. It is recommended to keep a list of email passwords and logins for students who forget. Be sure to spell out settings needed for your classes such as keeping study groups to your school only and ramifications for not following rules.
In the classroom: Teachers in lower grades will want to create cards their students can use. Students may perhaps need more techno-savvy help with the process at first. Content and English teachers may choose to set up their own network of users. Learning support teachers could suggest that their students create their own flashcard sets to assist learning of the concepts. Use the interactive whiteboard or projector for quick flashcard or electronic testing using your sets as a whole class or in small groups in the classroom. Collaborate with other teachers to create useful sets for all to use. Rotate responsibility each marking period among student groups in your class to create a set for each chapter/unit/week for the rest of the class to use as review. Give a special award (or bonus points) for the most creative, complete set that marking period. This learning system can be used for any content and is easily customized for any age group. Be sure to share sets with techno-savvy parents to assist their students at home, as well. The easiest way might be to provide links on your class web page.
A fantastic and complete site that tells you all you need to know about making digital stories with students. The wide grade level range shows the versatility of the site for use with any student based upon his readiness to tell stories. The site includes everything from goals to resources to the step-by-step process used to create the stories. An example is also shown. Adobe Acrobat is necessary to see some examples. 7094
In the Classroom: Fabulous for use with any subject that can be turned into a story. This is especially good for author projects, history reports, and adaptations of stories. It can be used by teachers from intermediate grades through college, depending on the topic, need, and abilities of the students.
Be sure to explore the many links to see how other schools and students have used digital storytelling.
Does the thought of using Elluminate to join a class or other session want to keep you away? Use this great resource from Elluminate for help in getting set up, participating, and even moderating your own sessions using an Elluminate virtual room. (The free Learning Central area of Elluminate allows teachers (and students) to conduct small, three-person sessions for free.) This techline site also offers the answers to common questions and problems you may face in using this resource. 10520
In the Classroom: Find many great professional development sessions that use Elluminate from Classroom 2.0 to our own OK2Ask sessions. Gain confidence before joining by looking at this great resource to become comfortable using the virtual room. Find experts in fields that can help in student understanding and connect with them using this wonderful tool.
Teacher's First Edge review: For advanced technology users. Upload a variety of documents in order to embed them easily in a website. Embedding simply allows you to fill a placeholder “space” with content that is actually saved on another web space. Embedded items appear to be part of their new “space,” but can be shown (embedded) simultaneously in many, many places. This site offers a free service that simplifies the upload process. Upload documents of the following types: word documents, excel, adobe pdfs, PowerPoints, and open document formats, as well as a variety of image formats. Also use this site to embed URL's in a site. 9920
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Users will need to be able to locate the files to be uploaded, as well as knowing the specific formats they are working with. Users must be able to manage a login to one of the services used for user verification: AOL, Google, Yahoo, or OpenID. This site does not require registration of its own to use Embedit.in.
Click to upload the file to the site. You will then need to sign in to one of the following accounts: AOL, Google, Yahoo, or OpenID. After signing in, you will be able to see the uploaded item and will be given the code to embed it into the site(s) of your choice. You will need to know how to paste the embed code at the site where the item will be included.
Safety/security concerns: The documents and images are hosted on the embedit.in server. If for student use, logins would be needed for each student to the services mentioned. Alternatively, a class account could be created on one of the services for use by all students with a login shared. Students should be cautioned that the login is for classroom use only and the know consequences of misuse.
Possible uses: Embedding items using a variety of services can be confusing. This free site makes the uploading and sharing of information through embed codes simple and easy. Students can easily upload information to a class wiki or blog for use by other students or to show their knowledge. Documents and images for presentations and contribution of content can be shared. As a teacher, you can provide items to be embedded in student blogs simply by giving them the embed code (copied into a word doc, for example). Student can choose the item they wish to blog about: a video, image, or other web content, and spend their time writing their response to it. Art teachers can share web-based, copyrighted images for student to critique, for example, since you are not TAKING the image when you embed it!
Sadly, as of December 4, 2009, Etherpad has announced that it has sold to Google and will fold in early 2010. If you are a loyal Etherpad user, read more here. TeachersFirst Edge review: for even slightly adventurous technology users. Ether pad is a tool for writing and collaborating in real time between up to 16 different contributors-- without erasing or overwriting each other's work! This tool starts up instantly, requiring no log-ins, tricky features or difficult tools. If you can type (and choose your favorite color), you can work on an EtherPad, a "pad" of virtual paper out in space on the Internet. The free version allows you to invite others to join you, either by sending them an email or, even easier, giving them the URL to your "pad." Here is a sample EtherPad, ready for you to add your own ideas for using EtherPad in the classroom! Unlike Google Docs, this tool does not require user accounts or email addresses, so even young students can participate in an EtherPad.
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: Nothing special. No log-in needed Simply click "Create a new pad" or click/paste the link for an existing one, and away you go. Enter a name for yourself in the box at the right of the pad and click the colored square to set a color for the highlighting on your typing. Type away. Delete, add, etc. To Save, click "Save revisions" and SAVE NOW. Be sure to click SHARE and copy the URL (Ctrl+C to copy), so you can keep it in your favorites or recorded somewhere. Or you can email it to yourself. It will be impossible to find your "pad" without it! Up to 16 others can work on the pad at the same time, and their work will show in their own colors. When you and your collaborators are done with your "pad," click "Export" to save it as a word doc or other option. Try looking at the different versions you can "revert" to as your group works, too!
Safety/Security Concerns:
Be sure you are within school policy to have students put work online. Have them use initials or a coded identifier instead of their real names. Each pad is public, if someone knows the URL, so outsiders could possibly add inappropriate content, but there is no display of "recent pads" or other ways someone could discover students' work. Students could also locate another student/group pad by URL and vandalize each other's work. Since changes can be reverted, all will not be lost.
Possible Uses:
Have students make multiple "pads" to comment and write on several class topics. Ex. students add responses to questions, evaluations of web links, or critiques of passages assigned for in-class perusal and discussion... create an Etherpad collaborative "study guide" for the passages. A social studies teacher could provide links to seven articles on Iran today and students respond, explaining what they think is important about each article (a "pad" for each). Use Etherpads to evaluate web site/blog authority or bias. Younger kids could write cooperative stories on the pad(s) to use vocabulary, grammar skills, practice punctuating dialog, etc. World language teachers could have students compose dialog or scenes to act out on video. In Reading class, have students collaborate to compose a "main idea" statement or summary of a written passage, including in higher level content area reading. Pass-the-pad: use the pads to "jigsaw" summaries or explanations of new content knowledge between expert groups. Keep a master list of the pad URLs so groups can access and change as they learn. Eventually publish the "final" version by exporting it. Cooperative writing groups can revise on drafts (copy/paste in from other docs) - then export the version the writer likes best. BRAINSTORM in real time or across times and places. Write cooperative lab reports. "Meet" with another class (or screenpal) using Skype to talk and Etherpad to write, making notes together of your plans for an upcoming event or working together to compose a story, letter, or script. Write cooperative stories or poems. Keep student council or club "minutes' and plans. Be sure to add your own ideas on the sample EtherPad made by our review team.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. Fleck allows you to put sticky notes and other annotations onto existing web pages and share them with others. Now you can tell students exactly what you want them to do on a page, point out instances of bias or unsafe Internet practice, etc. You can put effective reading strategies right ON the text of the page. See an example here. Your students can also "fleck" to each other as they work on group projects, noting how they will use information or categorizing what they find.
Fleck uses FLASH and does not work well on TOP of Flash-driven pages. The annotated pages take a few moment to load, even on a quick connection. 8769
In the Classroom: Possible uses:
Student research projects, guided reading of web sites, comprehension questions, guiding questions, annotations for tough vocabulary with younger students, Internet safety lessons, students analyzing sites as part of information literacy lessons, art critiques by you or students, student collaboration and source-sharing, professional notes for your own reading or graduate work, etc. Assign students to "Fleck" a site as an assignment in critical thinking and turn it in by sharing with you.
Skills needed: Join the site and wait for the confirming email (our review team said it took a couple of hours). While you are waiting, click over to the HOME page and watch the "How this works" animation. Then try the link to "So why don't you give it a try." (This trial will NOT be saved!) Enter the URL of a page you wish to annotate at the top of the Fleck screen and click GO. Use the toolbar that appears with the web page to add notes, etc. and SAVE. You can also download an extension for Firefox or bookmarklet for Internet Explorer (to make a Fleck button on your toolbar). Be sure to choose public or private for Flecks you make when you SAVE (can be changed). Share your Fleck by clicking the Share button and emailing a note to your recipients-- or click the "blog" button to get a permalink you can copy/paste to share via email or other means, such as on your web page or an electronic assignment handout.
To use Fleck safely, you can have students use your login account to make their own Flecks. If students have their own email, they can also have log-ins, but you have no monitoring over what they do. For safety's sake, you might want to require all student Flecks to be private and shared ONLY with class members. Since enforcement is tough, start with the teacher-only account and make Flecks for students to SEE. Once you are comfortable with the tool, allow students to use your account. You will not know WHO made inappropriate Flecks, but you can see and delete them from one place. Of course, you will need to test whether Fleck is blocked in your school (we hope not).
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: This is a public site, and some of the "recent Flecks" that show on the HOME page are NOT school-appropriate. TeachersFirst has contacted Fleck about this concern, and they tell us they are unable to "filter" these flecks at this time. We recommend always starting students from your member home page and avoiding Fleck HOME altogether.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for the more adventurous technology user. This site allows you to upload and share images in an online location. It is not specifically an education site, so it has the drawback of possibly including "inappropriate" content. As a teaching tool, you can upload picture collections and "tag" them with a unique keyword so students can access them for various activities, such as creating sequenced "comic strips," making annotated posters, including photos in blogs, and other electronic projects. This is a great way to make the photos accessible for the students to use. Note: use the DIRECT URL to the specifically-tagged photos ("photosynthesisproject") or create a collection for each project. 6952
In the Classroom: Join the site for free (and make sure you turn OFF all the "send me emails" features). Place photos online for all the projects you expect to do with students. They will remain in place for future years. If you wish to, remove them from "public" viewing when you do not need them. Note: You MUST be the actual copyright holder to upload photos to this site, so use your digital camera, NOT downloaded photos from the web! Skills needed: taking and saving digital pictures, location and upload of photo files, "tagging" them so students can a find them, copying the URL of the tagged group or of the collection, changing the attributes of your uploaded pictures, finding other tools on TeachersFirst or elsewhere to use the photos.
Teacher's First Edge Review: For serious technology users. Want to use video, but do not have access to most sites? Create your own free video site with Fliggo. Allow only the users you wish. Users can upload to your Fliggo site and comment on each other's videos. Have complete control of the privacy of your site and create for the use of you and your students. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10023
In the Classroom: Skills required: Ability to create and manage a site. Before creating the site, have a purpose for your site. After creating an account, describe your site, create a site that functions as a community, video blog, or producer site, and set privacy from moderated, open, or closed.
Safety/security: This site includes content contributed by the general public and may not be suitable for the classroom. You may want to advise students to not click on the "Popular sites" link at the top. And discuss consequences, if the rules are not followed. Manage the classroom with checklists, goal/progress sheets, and completing spot checks on student work. Adding members to your site requires an invitation by email. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. Be sure to discuss with students the proper use of commenting and leaving positive feedback.
Classroom use: Create an environment of video sharing and commenting of student created videos. Identify You Tube videos you wish to show in class by importing from You Tube or Blip.tv. Students can comment on these as well without You Tube comments appearing with the video. Have students upload videos from projects for review throughout the year. Have students create videos as culminating projects for a science unit, historical reenactment, news reports about a piece of literature, or many other options! Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector.
Teachers First Edge Review: For adventurous technology users. Create flowcharts easily with this free resource. This is not just a graphic organizer but more like a simple flowchart that allows great possibilities for use. Here is an example chart created by the TeachersFirst review team.
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In the Classroom: Skills required: This resource is currently in Beta. Request an invite (which took only a day to receive.) Users must be able to play to find the best way to create their flowchart. Learning of tools is easy with a little play. Users must decide the best use and remember to create templates for use. Users must manage the saving of flowcharts and the exporting to other formats. If using in another site, users should be able to use embed codes.
To use: Create a new flowchart by using a blank template or one of the stored templates shown. Click the folders under "Cliparts" to find objects to place in the flowchart. The "General" folder holds boxes and arrows to get started. Drag an object to your building space. Double click on it to add text and click "Set" to place on the box. Objects will remain small, though clicking on it brings up boxes to drag to the required size. Use the right-hand side toolbar, to draw items directly in the workspace. Click on an object desired and draw that item effortlessly. Change colors and other parameters of the object with the on screen toolbox. Save the chart, save as a revision to go back to past versions, or even save as a template. Export flowcharts as PDF documents or even images. Print your flowchart easily or generate an embed code to use in a blog, wiki, or other site. Record a chart to show the process of the flowchart as it unfolds.
Safety/security: Sign up with an email address is required. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. Consider creating a class account and have groups of students work on flowcharts for specific portions of the class work (each group could work on a different part.) Print flowcharts or download for easy sharing or flowcharts to provide simple step by step directions.
In the classroom: Use this resource for showing how a scientific process works, planning a how-to or step-by-step directions for a piece of writing, or documenting events leading up to a war or other historical event. Create a template to show the process of scientific review of articles or other writing types. Require students to enter their information in the sections of the template prior to actual writing of the assignment for a more effective way to plan their work. Use a scientific process flowchart to show how to use inquiry to solve a problem and learn information. Provide a flowchart of how students should learn unknown information. Even the simplest tasks become easier to follow using a graphically constructed flowchart.
Challenge your students' creativity and personal reflections about art: both their own and art through the ages. Use this site to CREATE their own videos with images from their own artwork, text, and video clips provided by the site. There are suggestions for structured video topics or you can suggest other ideas. The site provides clear, step-by-step instructions for students to complete their videos. The files can even be downloaded and played on any computer. Art teachers and computer teachers alike will love the possibilities of this project-site. If your students maintain electronic art portfolios, they will certainly want to add a video from this online production studio. REQUIRES FLASH!! Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. 7213
In the Classroom: Demonstrate the skills and steps on an interactive whiteboard or projector, or simply allow your "digital native" students to work through the directions. Since no two computers are alike, it is strongly recommended that you or a student-assistant try a "practice run" to make sure your computers have all the right plug-ins and permissions. Then watch your students go to town!
Share the products on a projector or burn them to CD. We were unable to find information on the site about copyright and whether you have permission to share them on a web page.
This is a TeachersFirst Edge entry, though it is not difficult to use. Skills needed: drag and drop video elements, follow directions in Help, downloading files, unzipping and saving (directions provided)
Teachers First Edge Review: For somewhat adventurous technology users. Create amazing photo effects, animations, magazine covers, and more with this free site. Choose the effect, upload a picture, and save to your computer for use anywhere. Ads appear throughout this site. Be sure to warn students to only use the tabs along the top and choose the photo effects under each tab. 10254
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Users need to be able to find and upload a photo on their computer or find the direct URL of an image on the Internet. Younger students would need a lot of assistance navigating this site. Adjust the picture using the easy to use tools (experiment to master them). Once the effect has been applied, you need to know where you are saving the picture and how to give it a meaningful file name to be found later.
Safety/Security: Be sure to check district policy about using student pictures, though the web site does not “keep” them. If using pictures from the Internet, be sure to discuss copyright issues and approve pictures that students use.
Possible uses: Use these fun photo effects for creating interesting pictures for About Me information on blog and other sites. Use for pictures of lab events in science. These pictures can be incorporated into presentations or other multimedia products using online tools or PowerPoint. Students can dress as a historical figure, take and upload a picture, and use in classroom projects. Have students narrate their creative images using Voicethread reviewed here.
Be smarter and use smarter flashcards! Browse, use, or create flashcards for studying in a variety of courses from basic to advanced. Take flashcard creation one step further with this free site that not only uses collaboration in the creation of flashcards, but also chooses the next cards based upon correct/incorrect answers in order to move information from short to long term memory. Add explanation, links, and mnemonics to the flashcards. Create and join groups for creation and study of the flashcards. For an overview, watch the video tutorial to learn how best to use Funnelbrain. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10100
In the Classroom: Skills needed: For moderately advanced technology users. Create an account with an email address and password. Verification of email is not necessary. Create a new group by finding an already listed school or adding your own. Create flashcards easily by entering the question, answer, explanations, and mnemonics in the appropriate tabs. Students can create a profile and join or create a group.
Safety/Security: You may want to prohibit or point out the links to advertising located along the side. This site allows others to comment on created flashcard sets. Some school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school's Acceptable Use policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety or establish specific written class rules and consequences for inappropriate comments given or received. Students must have individual accounts (email required). Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. Alternatively, create a class account that has a global login and password that all students can access. Students would need to be cautioned against deleting or changing flashcards created by other students. Students would not be able to join groups using this option. All projects are public. Check your school policy for posting student work online. Written permission is always a good idea.
Possible uses: Create flashcards for students to study or have students create them as an assignment. Create the original questions of the flashcards and assign students to determine the answers, find links for additional information, and add hints and mnemonics to complete the deck. Have groups of students use the flashcards for study time and for critique of the flashcard deck creator(s.) No matter the topic or subject, this flashcard site has great uses for student learning. Use flash cards for terminology, test review, or reinforcement. Have students create and critique sets as the actual assessment, replacing traditional tests and quizzes.
Teachers First Edge Entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. This tool allows you to create an interactive family tree. Once you are registered, you can easily create a family tree. You are able to include family member's birth-dates, death-dates, email addresses, pictures, video clips, and more. This site also has the capacity to create timelines for births, deaths, weddings, divorces, education, occupation, and other important events and information. The family tree and some of the other activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9613
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: this site is fairly simple to use. Join the site (free) and log in. Registration requires an email address. Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
Navigation of the site is simple. Click on Tree to start your family tree (or Timeline to use that free resource. For the family tree, arrows are provided to add family members. The arrows pointing up indicate a parent, arrows to the left or right are used to add a wife/husband or brother/sister, and arrows pointing down are used to add a son or daughter.
Safety/Security Concerns: This site allows users to set-up their family tree or timeline as PRIVATE. It allows you to control who can and can't view your profile, family tree, and other information. For more information about this feature, visit the Settings link (on the top right corner). Before you plan your family tree project, be sure to get parental permission.
Possible Uses: Use this site to create family tree projects in elementary or middle school classes. Have high school students create family trees as part of an immigration unit studying patterns in social studies classes. In science class, have students create fictitious "people" as they study genetics. With younger students, create a class timeline sharing important dates for individuals (i.e. birthdays) and class dates (field trips, tests, or other special events). Have students share their family trees on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to "advertise" this project on your class website (and newsletter, if applicable) so students have time to gather names, birthdates, and other information about family members. In world language classes, have student create a family tree using the correct vocabulary for relatives and talk about it as they share it on the interactive whiteboard. When researching famous people, reading biographies, or even reading literature have students create a family tree illustrating their discoveries about their famous person, writer, artist, musician, explorer, literary character, etc.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for the moderately curious technology user. Research verifies the power of graphic organizers in promoting strong thinking skills and comprehension for all ages. Gliffy is a FREE online tool for creating graphic organizers without purchasing ANY software. Individuals or groups can create the organizers or the class can create them together, such as in a brainstorming session on a projector. You can assign students to "map" out a chapter or story or assign groups to create study guides using this tool collaboratively. Your students are certain to enjoy this tool and be forced to THINK in the process. You can export the graphic organizers to a blog or "publish" them on the web -- all for free. See an example of a published diagram/organizer made by our editors for more ideas. 7125
In the Classroom: Skills needed: join the Gliffy site (free), play with the tools and toolbars to create diagrams, access help and FAQ to collaborate, publish, or embed diagrams in your blog or other web page. Easy to medium difficulty. Note: collaborators need individual email accounts to gain access. If your students do NOT have personal email, you may want to create group email accounts on Yahoo or GMail for which only YOU know the password and can log in for groups to work in class in order to avoid the safety and school filtering issues of student email access. This would also be a great tool for group projects in YOUR grad classes!
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: For moderately adventurous technology users (teachers) and most student users (with significant help in primary grades). Glogster EDU is a tool to create online multimedia "posters" that can incorporate all types of elements into a visual space: links, images, text, videos, music, and more. Your students will have multiple ways to express themselves and to learn from each other, making it easy for you to differentiate and engage each student.
The ad-free EDU community offered by Glogster is designed to alleviate the problems of inappropriate content and contact with "outsiders" not welcome in your class' electronic community. The EDU area provides classes advertising-free glogs and easy teacher monitoring of student work. Students can comment and interact within a "gated community" with education-friendly options for collaboration and learning. Remember those "All About Me" posters you used to make during the first month of school, or science fair stand-up tri-folds, or magic-marker-drawn visual aids for speeches? Translate 20th century "visuals" into the 21st century using Glogster EDU, extending your students' intellectual reach and mastering the media to incorporate new technologies and richer messages. Here is an example glog created by the TeachersFirst Edge team. 4733
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the site (free). Premium service will be available in the future, but this review is for the free version. Registration requires teacher email. Once registered and confirmed by email, teachers can establish up to 200 student accounts without student emails. Take time to view "new glogs" within the EDU area to get some ideas. Skip making a profile, if you wish.
You can learn all about Glogster EDU and see student examples by scrolling down the home page to "Students Work," a collection of great videos (click the screens to play), and "Educational Resources." Don't miss several teacher-friendly, step by step tutorials in print and multimedia formats.
If you prefer to simply play, start by creating a glog to try out the tools (don't forget to name it). Keep it simple or add all the bells and whistles. Preview as you work or return later to complete and publish your Glog. Add ready-made graphics, images from files on your computer or by URL on the web, links (hyperlinked from text or other objects), text boxes or bubbles, backgrounds ("walls"), animated graphics ("vinyl and toys"), recorded audio, embedded video from SchoolTube or TeacherTube, uploaded media file, and much more. You can also "grab" video or audio from your computer's webcam and mike. [Our editors had some trouble "grabbing" video from a Mac using Firefox, so TEST in advance. A very responsive Glogster EDU tech crew tells us they are working to correct that glitch.]
Of course you will want to model and teach appropriate documentation of any sources of images and media you use and to use copyrighted works legally. The "private" feature enables you to limit access to a glog to your class only, thereby allowing you to even use copyrighted materials under Fair Use.
When you are done working, decide whether the glog is "unfinished" or "finished" (and published), and decide whether it will be public or not. Share finished work with "friends" (classmates) in the Glogster EDU area or via URL and other social networking tools. You can access ALL your glogs and your students' glogs from your teacher dashboard, including the glog URLs. You can embed a glog in your class wiki or blog (this feature is new), making it easy to "collect" student glogs in one place. Watch the tutorials on embedding so you can learn how to adjust the size of the embed window and which codes work best for wikispaces.
Safety/security concerns:
Check school policies about posting student work on the web. Obtain written permission and notify parents about your exciting Glogster projects so you can share with them. Have specific rules about using social networking tools through Glogster, especially about "friend" and profile features available at log-in. EDU glogs are automatically "private" so you need not worry about outsiders viewing them. Teachers have access to see and administer student passwords (great for forgetful students!). You have the choice to make student glogs "Unfinished private" - only teacher and creating student can see, "Finished Private" - only teacher and all students within classroom can see, and "Public" for all to see.
Possible uses: (in addition to those shown in the sample glog here) "visual essays;" digital biodiversity logs (with digital pictures students take); online literary magazines; personal reflections in images and text; research project presentations; comparisons of online content, such as political candidates' sites or content sites used in research (compared for bias); documenting science experiments or illustrating concepts, such as the water cycle; "Visual" lab reports; Digital scrapbooks using images from the public domain and video and audio clips from a time in history -- such as the Roaring Twenties; Local history features; visual interpretations of major concepts, such as a "visual" U.S. Constitution. Build a library of sample Glogs by you or by former students, then ask students to create their own as a new way to assess understanding: you could even provide links to images and raw materials they may use (especially if you have students who need extra scaffolding), and they can work with them to sequence, caption, and write about the pieces. After a first project where you possibly suggest "building blocks," the sky is the limit on what they can do. Even the very young can make suggestions as you "create" a whole-class glog together using an interactive whiteboard. Consider making a new project for each unit you teach so students can "recap" by visiting the glog long after the unit ends. Save student glogs from year to year as examples, possibly even awarding prizes for "best" examples. Have upper elementary or middle school students create "glogs for understanding" for "little buddies" two or three grades lower.
Teacher's First Edge Review: for moderate to advanced technology users. Use Go Animate
to create interesting and memorable
cartoon type presentations. Students will have fun unleashing their imagination and delivering a message through creative animation.
Flash is required. Get it from the
TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
Here is a very simple animation example:
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: Create an account to login, but use the application right away (without waiting for an email confirmation). Video tutorials are available, and many functions are easy to figure out once you play with them. Choose from many templates or start with a blank screen. Create your cartoon using Saturday morning cartoon characters or a variety of other characters such as presidents, commercial characters, and many others. Add your images, such as faces or background pictures and customize additional characters, sounds, etc. Control length of sections, voices and sounds, and delete or add sections through the time line along the bottom. Save your creation easily and share to your favorite social or bookmark site; copy a link to share with others, or copy and paste the embed code into your wiki, blog, or website. Creations are saved in your account online and can be kept private or made public.
Safety/Security concerns: Some scenes may be inappropriate for all students but can be deleted easily. Caution: check student creations during the process. Students will need an email address to create an account. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. Also check your district's policies on displaying and sharing student work. CAUTION! This site includes the ability for the general public to submit their own animations. Be sure to preview for content inappropriate for your classroom. You may want to limit use to whole-class activities or prohibit accessing the public portion of the site. The home page has loud music and links to many “public” animation projects, so firm policies and/or practices to avoid "exploring" these are vital.
Possible uses: Students can sum up debate ideas using animated characters or present simple concepts from researched material to introduce to the class. Students can tell book report stories, create fictitious stories or present ideas in a fun format. Challenge students to use this site to tell the history of political figures, historical figures, or historical areas. Use this site to teach about chemical properties, scientific figures or discoveries, or great moments in Science through animation. In language arts class, you can use this tool to apply concepts of narrative patterns or characterization. Teachers of gifted may want to assign students to create an entire animated series. ESL/ELL or world language students could create animations to practice their new vocabulary. Why not have students create a comic strip about their mom or dad for Mother's or Father's Day or honoring someone else special in their lives - - even the school custodian, nurse, or secretary!
TF Edge entry: If you have not heard about them, Google's online collaboration tools are a must for slightly adventurous technology users and for those in schools where students are allowed to log into their own accounts for web services. With Google Docs, users can create, edit, reformat, upload, and share documents they've created in WORD or other office applications. They can also look at their editing history. Perhaps the best feature is the ability to collaborate on documents and spreadsheets with anyone or with a selected group. Groups share editing capabilities, making collaboration much easier. Users can publish newly created, uploaded, downloaded, or revised documents and spreadsheets as well as making links to them on personal blogs. Easy directions and familiar-looking pages make exporting and importing documents simple; Google also helps users keep them organized. 8030
In the Classroom: A "tour" and simple to understand directions make this site easy to use. Have your students set up collaborative groups for projects, lab data, and more. Or set them up yourself, giving them specific passwords to access their "space." Skills needed: join Google Docs, take the tour, experiment with collaboration tools, upload and download files.
Users are normally invited to "join" via an email message. This may be problematic in the many schools that do not permit student email access at school. Note that notifications sent by Google Docs may also land in "junk mail" folders or be blocked by spam filters. We suggest that you experiment with a small group of students to determine what will work in your particular situation. One option is to set up the groups with the teacher as a "member" but have students work from home, using their personal email addresses, for group projects. Make sure you are protecting the safety of student work and identity and are within your school's Acceptable Use Policy.
Possible uses: Anything students can do on a single computer, they can do collaboratively on Google docs, accessing their work from any online computer. See this teacher forum for just a hint of the possibilities.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for any technology user allowed to install software. Bring the world into your classroom with Google Earth. This interactive view of the Earth (and more) is free for download. Find landforms, geographic locations features, pictures, and more from around the world using this satellite-powered software. As you spin the globe, you can tilt to view locations at an angle to show elevation, click to play a "tour" or "fly" from one location to another, or simply open tours and placemarker files created by others. Once you are comfortable, try making tours and placemarkers of your own. Note: this software uses more than the usual "bandwidth" to stay connected to the Internet while you are using it, so dial-up and slow connections will not work. Some schools block this tool because of the bandwidth needed, but teachers should not let this stop you from requesting this software to use in whole-class or group settings.
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: Permission and ability to download and install the free version. Use tutorials from this site to learn more, or try some Google Earth files from TeachersFirst's Globetracker's Mission to get a taste of what the program can do. Get started by exploring the different LAYERS available in the left side and searching a location you know. Locate and try the tools to drag, tilt, zoom, and even measure distance. Extensive user forums are available through the help menus.
Safety/security concerns: None. This tool is listed as "Edge" simply because it requires software download and installation (and may be blocked by some schools due to bandwidth demands). No log-in or memberships are required. Placemarker files created by you "live" on the computer where you make or save them and are not shared on the web. Note that your computer will ask whether you wish to save your “temporary places” (any places you have marked during a session) each time you close Google Earth. If many students use that computer, you may find you have a disorganized mess of saved places. Be sure to direct students to either name their saved places logically and file them into folders or NOT to save them to My Places! Students and teachers can create placemarker (.kmz or .kml) files and share them as email attachments, files on a USB "stick," or any other means you would use to share a file, just like a Word document.
Another practical tip: if students are using Google Earth on several machines at the same time, you may put a heavy load on your school network. Plan accordingly, perhaps having groups alternate their Google Earth time if it becomes sluggish.
Possible Uses: Use Google Earth to teach geography or simply give location context to class readings or current events, especially on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Ex. you can tilt to show the peaks scaled by Lewis and Clark or volcanoes that rise in the Aleutians. Have students show the locations of historic events or literary settings and create placemarkers with links to learn more. Placemarker text is editable by going to the placemarker’s “properties” or “info,” so students can enter the text description, place title, and any inks they want to include, such as a link to a certain passage of text, an image of a character, or news image/article for a current events map. Students who know html code can get even more sophisticated in what they include in placemarkers. Have students/groups create and play a “tour” of critical locations for global warming, a comparison of volcanoes, or a family history of immigration. Navigate the important locations in a work of literature using Google Lit Trips or search the web for placemarker files connected to civil war battles, natural resources, and more. Turn layers on and off to look at population centers and transportation systems. Teach the concept of scale/proportion using a tactile experience on an interactive whiteboard and the scale and measurement tools. See more ideas at the teacher-created Google Earth 101 wiki reviewed here. Even if you do not venture into creating your own placemarker files, there are many already made and available for use by teachers and students. TeachersFirst’s Globetracker’s Mission includes a weekly file to follow the Mission.
Google Earth, reviewed here, is a fabulous teaching tool. This participatory wiki (part of the larger "Teaching Hacks" wiki) walks educators step by step through the how-to and why-to of Google Earth (GE). Start with the two minute video, then click through the steps at the right. You are also invited to ADD to the wiki so other teachers can learn from you! The wiki includes curriculum ideas grade by grade (listed in text form). Since the wiki originated in the Toronto area, some topics are Canadian-only, but the wiki is open to all global learners and teachers.
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In the Classroom: Plan your personal professional development on your own or with a teaching buddy to learn more about Google Earth (GE) and plan activities for your classrooms. Even if your access to GE is limited to a single class computer, work together with a small team of student "GEniuses" to prepare class placemarker files, then have the team teach other students, as well. If your school has personal professional development plans or allows teachers to suggest topics for professional workshops, include this link, along with other GE resources from TeachersFirst, as your inservice day agenda.
Google Earth, reviewed here, is a fabulous teaching tool. This teacher-created wiki supplements it with Google Earth Resources galore. Find links to lesson plans and files for using Google Earth in your classroom for many subjects. See a tutorial video on Google Earth, find directions for making files, and more. Ideas for using Google Earth by subject even include links to ready-made files so you need not start out by creating from scratch. See what other teachers have done and let it inspire you and your students to do more. Learn how to make kmz (placemarker) files. 10270
In the Classroom: Make this site part of your personal professional development or pair up with a teaching buddy to learn more about Google Earth (GE) and plan activities for your classrooms. Share the link with your students, as well, so your class can become GE experts together. Even if your access to GE is limited to a single class computer, work together with a small team of student "GEniuses" to prepare class placemarker files, then have the team teach other students, as well. If your school has personal professional development plans or allows teacher to suggest topics for professional workshops, include this link, along with other GE resources from TeachersFirst, as your inservice day agenda.
Looking for innovative classroom activities? Search "Google for Educators" to learn about activities from great teachers. Click on "Classroom activities" to find lesson plans and activities (listed for grades K-5 or grades 6-12). Find information on using great Google tools as well. Learn about SketchUp, Picasa, Google Maps, Good Earth, Blogger, Google Apps, Google Reader, Knol, iGoogle, and many others. Don’t miss the “Search Tips” section with some great ideas for saving time searching in the classroom or the downloadable posters to help remind students about effective searching. Download information using Adobe PDF. This site requires Adobe PDF. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. 10604
In the Classroom: Find great activities like Literature trips and Postcards from the Past which use tools that go beyond lecture and drill. Check back as more lessons are added. Share the lessons on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Many of the lessons include podcasts, videos, and other interactive elements. Use this site to teach your students about the many tools available from Google. You may want to list this link on your class website for students and parents to use to learn more about the Google tools available.
This is a slightly "edgy" TeachersFirst Edge Review, due to the options to download and create your own software game. This simple, interactive game practices parts of speech by asking the viewer to click and identify specific parts of speech in sentences. The options for the game itself do not last long, even though there are three levels. Teacher and students can take the game into many more levels and use students' own sentences, however, by downloading the "Grammar Ninja Sentence Creator" (GNSC). This software (available in both Mac and Windows versions) downloads as a "zipped" (compressed) file that opens to reveal a folder full of goodies. You will want to SAVE it on your desktop for easy access. There is an offline copy of the Grammar Ninja game and a separate Sentence Creator game. Open Sentence Creator and follow simple instructions to enter your own sentences and drag and drop labels onto the parts of speech. Then comes the "geek" part: the Sentence Creator has you copy and paste what appears to be scary computer code into a separate file within that folder of downloaded items. You can click for help that shows you what to do. Save the txt file you just copied and pasted, and YOUR sentence will show up when you play the Grammar Ninja game on THAT computer. Turn DOWN your speakers or the music will drive you crazy! If your school blocks downloads, save the folder onto a USB "stick" from a download at home and bring it in to school. 10418
In the Classroom: Have students try the online version of the Grammar Ninja game on your interactive whiteboard (IWB) when teaching parts of speech. As you exhaust the options and notice that the number of sentences is limited, challenge a few students to use classroom computers to download and create their own sentences. Students who follow written directions well could do this on their own. Or you could do it together as a class on your IWB. Once students know how to create sentences, give them a chance to add their own. Remember that sentences will only play on the computer where you have created and saved them. If you keep the GNSC folder on the desktop of that machine, you could easily copy it onto a USB "stick" to be added to another computer. Have students challenge each other with sentences written around specific science or social topics you are studying or use sentences extracted from their own writing drafts so they learn grammar along with other content. Have students "swap" sentence files or challenge the entire class. Note: if you create a sentence with the WRONG answers, the game does not know that. Teachers will want to check (and score?) the accuracy of the parts of speech their sentence-creators identify! What a great way to do assessment!
This is a TeachersFirst Edge entry: for more adventurous technology users. Groupvine is a free (for now) tool for groups such as student council, clubs, teams, or even academic project groups to organize their files, maintain a common calendar, and organize "to-do" lists. If you are a club adviser or ask students to complete long-range group projects, you should consider using Groupvine. 7323
In the Classroom: Although the site appears to be primarily for college groups, our editors contacted the folks at Groupvine, and they assured us that they welcome high school groups, as well. Skills needed: register to request a group space, follow simple tour and instructions to create groups, to-do lists, calendars, etc.
If you plan to have students use the site independently, we recommend demonstrating it on an interactive whiteboard or projector so all are in agreement on how you will use the tools within your organization. If students will be posting, we strongly recommend using initials or first names only. Once your club or group is using the site, you may end up answering questions from other club advisers who are interested in doing the same.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for the more adventurous technology user. GuruLib is a great way to organize and annotate your classroom library. If you can find the ISBN number on your books or UPC codes on CDs/DVDs, you can enter the full information on these items into a library that students can use to find favorites to borrow (you can even sort them only shelves according to related units you teach). Another idea is to have students use this site (and your single log-in) to enter titles, authors, and reviews that classmates can read. Since "borrowing" an item requires having an account (not a safe idea with your students), why not allow all students to use your account and create a "shelf" for each student's initials?. Then students can drag books he/she has signed out from the classroom. Students can enter reviews (Sign with initials so others know who wrote it) and even comment on the reviews left by others. What a great way to promote reading in a motivational way! Parents and others see the site from the public side. If parents join GuruLib, they can even comment on the reviews their children wrote. Think of the excitement! 7192
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the site (free). Read and play (limited help given)to Add items, edit them (including a review), add or edit shelves, drag items to shelves, etc.
Show students how to enter a book and review on a projector, then mark your class library in Favorites on the classroom computer for them to make entries as they read!
.See our editor's sample library from the "public" side.
Power users can even add "widgets" to the class blog from the GuruLib. There's a challenge!
H2O Playlists - Berkman Ctr for the Internet and Society, Harvard Law School
This is a TeachersFirst Edge entry-- for more adventurous technology users. Create an online collection of annotated links and materials for academic research or have your students use this site to collect sources and materials for a collaborative project. A "playlist" is a set of links with explanations and tags that you (or students) can use to initiate self-directed research or that students could use to prepare or present content.
Have students make a "playlist" on a research topic, such as the Vietnam War, displaying and speaking about the resources in a class presentation on a projector. You can monitor the progress of collaborative research by checking their playlists-in-progress. Students who have Internet access at home can add to the playlists from any computer. Playlists can be published and shared. You can also find other playlists with the same tags, extending the reach of your research. 7266
In the Classroom: The site requires a log-in, so you may want to set up a single account and password based on your "extra" email account (always recommended for joining all these great web-based tool sites). When your students are finished with their projects, you can simply change the password. Skills needed to use this tool: join site (free), copy/paste links, create tags (keywords), reorder list items, start new lists (all very easy by clicking on text links).
TeachersFirst Ede staff strongly suggest that you create a sample playlist to start and model the process to your students. They will catch on fast. You will also need to prevent them from altering profiles or creating unmonitored accounts and profiles, for safety reasons.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for technology users who like math and like to "play." This online tool lets you create(or "share" someone else's existing) online calculations/spreadsheets. You can also display instant graphs of the spreadsheet contents. The spreadsheets are displayed in terms that ordinary people can understand and allow you to "plug in" numbers to see instant results. Some of the shared calculators already online are surface area and volume of geometric solids, interest calculators, body mass index, and more sophisticated business functions. The best way to see how the site works is to read through their "tour" then click to browse through the examples, especially the shared ones. Even if you never create your own, this tool is great! 8122
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Visit the site and observe how the shared examples work. If you find one you like, you can get the link (try the little disk icon) to go directly to it. If you are feeling more adventurous, try creating one of your own, perhaps for calculating the class average on a test. Your web-savvy students will love this tool for collaborative lab reports or graphs of statistics. For safety's sake do not use any student names or information if you share calcs online.
Teacher's First Edge Review: For only slightly adventurous technology users. Few skills required! Looking to make a great jeopardy game with no fees, registration, or powerpoint slides involved? Now you can with Jeopardy Labs! Create your own Jeopardy game or browse the already created jeopardy games! Be aware: there are over 6,000 Jeopardy Templates ready to use in the classroom, beginning at kindergarten! You may notice that some of the already created Jeopardy Templates are not in “question” format. The topics include nearly everything one can imagine: European Settlement, South America, various books, specific math topics, media, aircraft, and many, MANY more.
Note that all jeopardy templates created become part of the domain and can be used by others.
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In the Classroom: Use any already-created game as a quick assessment of prior knowledge or review on projector or interactive whiteboard.
Skills needed to make your own game: Nothing special. Here’s all you do:
To prevent others from editing your template you create a password when you start. Others will be unable to edit your created game without your password. After creating your password, you are taken to the familiar blue jeopardy screen. Here, enter the title at the top and the topics at the top of the columns. Click on a dollar amount under each topic to enter the clue and the What is... question in a pop-up box. Click done to enter the information. The dollar value square becomes blank to let you know it was completed. When done, click "Save." Click on Browse to view random template titles or enter a term into the search bar. On the "Build" page, follow the quick instructions and even browse tips for editing. When done, an internet link will be given for your Jeopardy game. Put this link in any website, blog, or wiki for students to click on and review information for study. This site uses Flash. Get it here.
Possible Uses: Use this as an introductory activity to uncover misconceptions. For example, prior to a unit on viruses, create a jeopardy game about myths and truths about viruses. Share the Jeopardy activities on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these as a starting point for understanding concepts in the unit. Create review games for students to learn and remember content. After making one game together as a class, allow students to make their own games to challenge each other on segments of the material. This not only provides students with material to review, but the creation of a game takes thought and understanding of the material. Be sure that students understand how to create such a game and how to choose parts carefully. Check student games prior to saving. Maintain a page of Jeopardy links for review of a wide range of curricular topics.
Teacher's First Edge Review: For advanced technology users. Have a series of web pages you want to share with someone? Use Jog the Web to share links and a specific jogging pathway (“track”) through them. Look at some of these great examples: Google Earth in education and Find a Fallacy.
Search or browse existing “tracks.” Once clicked, a sidebar appears on the left that provides information about the track. The number of pages in the “jog” appears, as well as forward and back arrows. View the names and descriptions of the pages and any instructions that the author added. Click on any of these names to follow the link directly to the page. Register to create your own track. See TeachersFirst’s safety and use tips for using this site below under “In the Classroom.” Some content on this site may be inappropriate for the classroom. Always preview. 10210
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Registration is free and requires a password and email address. Once validated by email, click "Create a New Track" and enter a title and description. Find all of your tracks on your page. Click on each to edit descriptions or add steps (these are the web address url's of the pages you are adding.) Easily delete your tracks by clicking on the trash can icon next to each track.
Safety/Security: If students are to create tracks, each student will need to create an account (with an email address) and then email verification. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each
group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.
Consider creating a single class account using your “extra” email address, so you can monitor and submit student work safely. Student-created tracks can be identified through title or adding initials at the end of the title. The home page of this site includes changing “featured” content contributed by the general public. Be sure to preview the content ahead of time. You may want to send students to your track via a direct link.
Classroom use: Create your own tracks as webquests for students to follow for class assignments. Students can be assigned different subtopics of a subject such as biomes, find related pages, and create a track working through these pages. Students could also create tracks to annotate their sources for a research project, critiquing each source in the sidebar. Teach about evaluating web sites and reliability of sources by having students in small groups create tracks comparing different sources on the same topic. Create tracks as homework help solutions for parents and students. Use a blog, wiki, or website to share these tracks for students to visit for obtaining information. Want to learn more about Wikis? Check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here.
This annual "conference" started in 2006, costs you nothing, and connects you with teachers and education professionals all over the world in live or near-live interaction. Always held during the second half of October, the conference features "presenters" using technology tools to share their experiences using technology and best practices to change the way learning occurs in their schools and classrooms. They describe it as "a conference by educators for educators around the world interested in integrating emerging technologies into classroom practice."
Each year the strands vary, so be sure to visit the site early to learn more about the current focus. Our editors are very impressed at the changes in this conference since our first review in 2006 and cannot wait to see what will happen next. Every teacher can find something to learn and stretch without being overwhelmed.
Don't miss the "Fireside Chats," opportunities to talk live with the presenters and ask questions. NO question is too minor or "dumb." TeachersFirst writer and reviewer Louise Maine will be presenting in 2008. Don't miss the chance to "meet" her. 6981
In the Classroom: Put this conference on your calendar every year. Consider holding a get-together after school for pizza and participation with some face to face teacher friends as you meet new ones "virtually." Many of the presentations are available as podcasts to carry along to children's soccer games or listen as you commute or jog, too! As you move forward, possibly rethinking the way you teach in the 21st Century, consider sharing your experiences by submitting a presentation proposal. Most of the presenters are "just teachers" like you. Don't have time to "attend" during these two weeks? That's OK. The entire "conference" remains online in perpetuity for you to experience personalized professional development. Ask your administration to allow you to "attend" and earn continuing ed credits. Don't miss the archived material from 2006 and each year thereafter.
TeachersFirst Edge Review: For ANY user who wants to know more about new technologies. No special skills needed. Just watch and learn. Embarrassed to say you don't know what all the "new web 2.0" terms are all about? This is for you (and probably for your students' parents, as well). Common Craft uses a very simple, visual method of explaining all the latest technologies so that everyone can understand, using short video clips narrated by a positive and respectful voice. The next time you hear someone talking about RSS feeds or some other new doo-dad, stop here first so you will know what they are talking about. Did you think you were the only one who did not know? Don't be overwhelmed. This site has incredible popularity because there are LOADS of people quietly questioning -- just like you. 10535
In the Classroom: Start by looking at any video that catches your eye, but don't be afraid to search for other topics that have you wondering. You will definitely want to make this channel a Favorite to find information to keep you informed. Share it on your teacher web page to help out your parents, too! Create an account to add as favorites and subscribe to the channel to inform you when new videos are added.
Teachers’ First Edge Review: For totally-connected, adventurous technology users.
Organize your online resources into Lifestream for quick access! The concept is simple. If you already use the many Web 2.0 tools such as Flickr, Twitter, Picassa Web Albums, Del.icio.us, YouTube, FaceBook, Google Reader, RSS feeds and more, Lifesteam can be your homepage for viewing and sharing these resources. Lifestream connects to your accounts on over 40 popular Web 2.0 sites(and counting) so you can share your online resources with students and parents. Your activities and links to those accounts appear in a time-stamped daily event format on Lifestream.
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In the Classroom: Skills Needed: You must be familiar with have your Web 2.0 accounts already established to copy and paste URL addresses or usernames from these other accounts into the supported Lifestream services. You might want to create accounts on all services using your "classroom teacher" personna, thining of the accounts as being for your Clasroom and therefore only accessing and using services relevant to your teaching activities. A Gmail account for this professional identity would be a simple way to establish all the accounts. Register for a free Lifestream account. Registration requires an email address, but appears to work just fine with a "made up" address (warning: email notifications for forgotten passwords will not work if you pretend! That professional GMail account might be a wiser choice). Logging into Lifestream requires a user name and password. Click to "See a lifestream in action" to see how it works. Once logged in, add your existing web 2.0 memberships to your Lifestream.
Safety/security concerns:
Lifestream does not provide setting options to share or hide your materials on the other linked sites you select. Be sure to go to each of your selected sites to make appropriate settings to show only what you deem appropriate for your students or have an entirely separate account for your professional/classroom content. Be aware that once students go to your other Web 2.0 sites, there may be easy access to inappropriate content from the general public. We recommend always starting students from your member home pages and avoiding public home pages altogether.
Check in advance to be sure all your linked sites will be available for use at school. You may need to request to have a site unblocked. Be sure to rquest the precise URL for YOUR resource (such as YOUR professional del.icio.us account, not the general site). This will assuage nervous technology administrators.
Ideas for Use: Think of this site as a collection of clickable resources to support your curriculum. Create a set of RSS feeds for blogs, podcasts, bookmarks or specific curriculum topics such as current events, weather or science and make them available for an in-class activity, complete with directions. Add a link to your Lifestream page from your class web page for easy access in and out of class. Send the web address to parents and students so they can check the page for daily updates from home.Parents and students can become “followers” of your site by registering for a Lifestream account.
TeachersFirst Edge review: for very slightly adventurous technology users. Create authentic-looking magazine covers sure to attract double-takes. Simply upload a photo to create your cover. If you do not need to SAVE the photo for online access later, you do not even need to join the site. Covers you create can be downloaded as completed images or sent via email and other sharing tools (Facebook, etc). Photos can be uploaded from your files, Flickr, your website, or other photosharing sites. Fill in your desired text for the titles and sub-titles and choose colors for them. It's that simple. Click 'Create' at the bottom and you have a magazine cover that will leave others in awe. For more creative ideas using Big Huge Labs, go to the top of the page and click on Big Huge Labs Blog or Forum. Big Huge Labs offers MANY similar tools, such as Mapmaker, reviewed here. Of course, this site offers advanced options for a fee or with free registration, but neither is necessary. See Safety/security suggestion below if your students use this site on their own. 10011
In the Classroom: Skills needed: You need to know how to locate your photos on your computer or photo sharing site. Click the little white boxes to change text colors, etc. as you enter desired text. SAVE your completed cover when done. Be sure to give it a meaningful name if you are creating several covers on the same computer!
Safety/security concerns: If you and your students simply use the tool without joining the site, there are no problems with email, profiles, etc. You do need to demonstrate the tool and specifically explain which links students should NOT use, including ads and links to social networking sites that are prohibited in your school. These may be blocked, anyway. Make sure you watch and teach copyright issues in snatching photos from the web.
Possible uses: Have students create magazine covers of themselves as a getting to know you activity and classroom bulletin board. Print and laminate magazine covers to make them appear even more authentic. Or share the images (WITHOUT student names) on your class wiki or web page. When doing reports for any subject, have students create magazine covers that mimic the real thing instead of boring plain covers. Make covers about famous Americans, scientists, or historic figures. Make covers about objects, as well. Assign students to research a vegetable and create a cover about its nutrients, recipes, and more as part of your nutrition unit! Guidance teachers or principals can feature exemplary students using this tool. Bulletin board creativity will skyrocket using Big Huge Labs Magazine Cover. Why not offer a rotating PowerPoint slide show of student-made magazine covers for parents to view as they wait in the hallway for conferences?
Teachers First Online Tool: Frustrated at creating sub accounts with your gmail account for more than 100 students? Try Mailinator as a possible solution to the problem. Make student accounts for the web 2.0 tools you would like your individual students to use. Create a "spoof" email account from one email account (preferably the teachers gmail.) Use this "spoof" account to enter when creating web 2.0 accounts. Mail can be viewed online for any verification if necessary. The bonus? Less spam when signing up for other sites!
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In the Classroom: Use your teacher gmail account to create different Mailinator accounts for each student by sending an email to the "spoof" account. For example, a student sends an email to gottalovebio@mailinator.com. Magically, your "spoof" email address has been created. Use this "spoof" email all year long for any web 2.0 tool you wish to sign up for. Find emails sent to the "spoof" account by viewing on the mailinator site (type in your "spoof" email address) or following an RSS feed (use a feed reader to view them all.) Important Note: emails must be read within a few hours as they are then permanently deleted. Caution students not to use these email addresses for anything important as it is not a regular email address. Use only for creating logins and registrations for other web 2.0 tools. Stumped with coming up with a unique name. Possible name choices are given on the site (refresh to see more options.) Be sure to read the FAQ's to familiarize yourself with the service and answer any questions you may have. Check to be sure this is not blocked by your school. If available on a teacher computer, consider cycling each student through your computer to get them signed up while being monitored. Record their "spoof" emails in case these are needed later and students forget. Be advised that these email accounts are public. If the same email address is entered on the site by someone else, those emails will be viewed. Despite this, use the service to quickly enter students to use the variety of cool online tools found on the Internet today.
Teachers First Edge review: For adventurous technology users. Looking for data for analysis and comparison? Use this great site for existing data sets and visualizations to explore, analyze, and form conclusions. Click on links to explore data sets, visualizations, comments, or topics. Use the search box at the top to search specific topics or subjects. Create your own visualizations by using an existing data set or uploading your own. Registration is not required to create visualizations (you will be named as anonymous.) Choose from the following possible visualizations of data: scatterplot, network diagram, matrix, bar or bubble chart, graphs, tree maps, histograms, word trees, tag clouds, or maps. 10216
In the Classroom: Skills required: Determine the data set to use, choose words or parameters, enter a title (required,) tags, or description, and publish the data. Easily share your visualizations by using the embed code in a blog, wiki, or other website or by emailing a link. Users will need to know how to manage embed codes and use in sites of choice. Create comments for other visualizations. Create an account to be able to find your visualizations and leave comments in your name. Registration requires an email account and verification may take up to an hour once submitted. Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
Safety/Security: Some content in this area may be inappropriate for your classroom. Always preview before assigning. If an existing data set is to be used, provide a link to the specific visualization and monitor student work. If students are to create data sets for submission, consider creating a class account that can be used by all students for submission. An extra email address or one created for this purpose can be used to create the login. Preview all visualizations before publishing. Model how to use this site safely on your projector or interactive whiteboard so students can learn how to think and act wisely online. Be sure to discuss what are considered quality and appropriate commenting of other students or users visualizations.
Ideas for Use: Use a single data set to with different visualizations so students can see the power of different visual tools in explaining and interpreting numbers. Find data sets that can be used to analyze trends, make comparisons, or apply information in a meaningful way. For example, begin a lesson in a Health, Science, History, or Math class while previewing this visualization. Use it to generate questions, ideas, and direction for student groups to research more information. Examples include change in diet in past generations, energy expenditure and input, health related issues concerning diet, differences in diets of other cultures, different types of food molecules and how they are processed by the body, etc. Create whiteboard presentations using the visualization and related information to share information with the rest of the class. Have a data set that students are having difficulty identifying trends? Try using this tool in order to view different visualizations to make meaning of the data.
Teacher's First EDGE Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. This online tool allows you to see various cities and countries throughout the world. The site features placemarkers added by users to interactive Google Maps including stories, photos, videos, and comments and ratings from other users. Visit this "story" we made in Reston, Virginia (west of Washington, DC) for a sample placemarker full of teaching ideas left by our review team “captain.” Mapskip allows you to zoom in and out (using the arrows) and scroll across the map in any cardinal direction. You can view the entire world, or individual cities. Red hands are used to represent placemarkers created by users. There are special features available for teachers upon registration. See their blog entries for more details about these features and ways to see only content created by your students or classmates.
The Mapskip blog is written by the MapSkip staff to explain new features and tools. Registered members are able to comment on any updates there, as well. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9374
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: Register (requires email and activation from confirmation email). Before you submit your registration, be sure to scroll down to request "additional features for teachers" with the checkbox near the bottom of the form. Manipulate the map as you would on Google Maps (zoom, drag, etc). Click to add a new placemarker, enter a "story," title it, and upload pictures or video. You need to know how to locate and upload files. You can also edit your profile, view places created by you or any author you choose to "follow" and more. You can "rate" placemarkers left by others, as well. Why not make our review a "Favorite"?
Safety/Security Concerns: Membership requires an email address and user name. Use your “memberships” (extra) email account for such memberships, so you don’t clutter your mailbox. Register for the "special teacher features" to enable you to establish student accounts linked to your email address. Since this site has photos, videos, and stories submitted by members, always be sure to preview what you wish to share in class. The site has a link to click if anything appears inappropriate. At the time of this review, this website and its contents appear very useful and appropriate for intermediate and secondary students. Be sure to check your district's acceptable use policy before you submit anything to a website. Use fictitious names or initials for your students (or use the teacher features!) and be sure to get parental permission if photos, videos, or any student work are included. Since others can read, comment, and "Favorite" any entry you or your students make, you may want to discuss ethical behavior and help students build a “thick skin” to outside criticism. This is a good place to learn positive interaction with the public.
Possible Uses: Even without joining, you can share PREVIEWED Mapskip entries created by others on an interactive whiteboard or projector as you study faraway places. Create Mapskip entries about historical sites in your local area, including images taken with digital cameras, artifacts from your local historical society, links to newspaper articles, or video/audio interviews of older residents telling about old times. As you study community or landforms in your elementary class, "mapskip” them with annotations of a local map, showing examples of landforms and local community landmarks with digital pictures. Allow older students to use the site independently or in small groups. Mapskips are ideal as a product for individual research projects. In world language classes, have students plot a trip or write an imaginary story of their dreamed trip to Spain or Mexico. Take your students on a whiteboard trip to the native countries where the language is spoken. Literature settings can take on new meaning when your students annotate them on a map. Have students "mapskip" the landmarks of an author's life and/or the locations in his/her novels. Trace the path of a famous person's biography or annotate a famous painter's works, using links to the images from the places shown in landscapes. The "story" of a work of art can include critical analysis, as well. Anything that has a "place" can be a mapskip. Have students map family trips or important places in family history and share the maps with parents!
TF Edge Tool: for the moderately adventurous technology user. Create collaborative mind maps (graphic organizers) using this online tool. See an example created by our editors. The example gives some ideas for uses of this online graphic organizer tool. The tool requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..
NOTE: There is an advertising area at the right side of the screen on this free tool. TeachersFirst has been in communication with the Mindomo creators to assure that the ad content will not be alluring or inappropriate in the classroom. They are extremely responsive and interested in making their online tool practical for teachers. 8178
In the Classroom: The site requires membership (basic level is free). Have students create graphic organizers in cooperative groups as a study guide for unit content, to collect information for a group research project, or show examples of an important concept. Share and compare the organizers on an interactive whiteboard or projector in class and allow classmates to suggest changes. Skills needed: join the site, practice with the tools (don't miss the notes feature!). Save up to 7 "private" maps and an unlimited number of "shared" maps.
Make a map available online by saving and clicking "yes" for sharing, then clicking the Save by URL icon. This will copy the URL onto your computer's clipboard so you can paste it into a word doc or even your teacher web page. Imagine sharing several student made "study guides" in the days before the unit test.
Note that maps that are shared can be seen by the public, but not altered. You specify members who may collaborate and make alterations. For students to collaborate using this tool they must have individual memberships, requiring an email account. These memberships must be activated from their email. So, if students do not have email that is accessible from school, classroom use BY STUDENTS will be severely limited. Editor's note: we asked the Mindomo folks about spell check and student safety issues. They are still developing this tool, so they MIGHT address these issues at a later date.
Teachers First edge Review: For average technology users (nothing tricky unless you want to use these clips elsewhere). Looking for short movie clips that you can view at school and use to teach something? Check out Movieclips. Thousands of short clips are available free and without registration at this site (not Disney!). Get a quick idea of the content by clicking on the Movies menu. You can make any clip display full screen using the small icon in the lower right. Note: Mature movie clips are available, but registration is required to see them. Sort through movie clips by subject, theme, genre, character, etc. Registered members can add questions to accompany clips. Unfortunately, registration also allows access to mature content. We don’t recommend this option, since this will allow students access to the entire site. You would be wise to use a teacher-only email account and membership to submit questions.
Use the embed code and URL codes with each clip to provide link or embed a specific clip into a blog, wiki, or other site. Ad links also appear along the bottom of the clips. Students should be advised to ignore these ads. 10492
In the Classroom: Skills Required: None, if you simply wish to view clips. Clips can be played through the site. Copy the URL or embed codes under “Share this clip” to link or share the video.
Safety/Security: Student registration is not advisable due to mature content.
Classroom use: Use the clips for vocabulary with ESL or ELL students. Introduce other curriculum topics or lessons using the clips on this site. For example, use video clips to get students thinking about concepts such as tornadoes, animals, feelings, or decision-making. As you teach about characterization in literature or creative writing, use movie clips to illustrate how a writer can “show not tell” about a characters personality or motivations. Have students observe the outward signs the actor uses to SHOW what he/she is feeling, then use these signs in writing their own stories: the way the eyebrows move, the body language, etc. Emotional support and autistic support teachers can use the clips to help students learn to “read” human feelings.
Teachers First Edge Entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. This tool helps you create an interactive family tree. Once you are registered, the family tree is easy to create. You are able to include family members’ birth-dates, death-dates, email addresses, pictures, marital status, and more. The site also includes some really neat features: Celebrity Morph, look-a-like meter (for children and parents), "smart matches" for your family tree, the ability to print family trees, and other features. The family tree and some of the other activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9612
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: this site is fairly simple to use. Join the site (free) and log in. Registration requires an email address and some other personal information (name, hobbies, etc..). Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
Navigation of the site is rather simple. Once you put in your own name, there are buttons on the bottom right and left side of your "name box" to "add" an additional family member or "edit" the current name. Once you click to "add" a member, you are able to put in their name, birth date, death date, marital status, and email address (see safety concerns). One tip: to scroll UP use the DOWN arrow, to scroll DOWN use the UP arrow.
Safety/Security Concerns: This site allows users to set-up their family tree as PRIVATE. It allows you to control who can and can't view your profile, family tree, and other information. For more information about this feature, visit the Privacy link (on the bottom bar). Before you plan your family tree project, be sure to get parental permission. You may want to use this tool with first names and last initials and keep email addresses out of it for safety’s sake.
Possible Uses: Use this site to create family tree projects in elementary or middle school classes. Have high school students create family trees as part of a unit studying immigration patterns in social studies classes. In science class, have students create fictitious "people" as they study genetics. With younger students, create a class “family” sharing important dates for individuals (i.e. birthdays) or to teach vocabulary and spelling of family terms, such as “grandmother” and “uncle.” Have students share their family trees on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to "advertise" this project on your class website (and newsletter, if applicable) so students have time to gather names, birthdates, and other information about family members. In world language classes, have students create a family tree using the correct vocabulary for relatives and talk about it (in their new language!) as they share it on the interactive whiteboard. When researching famous people, reading biographies, or even reading literature, have students create a family tree illustrating their discoveries about their famous person, writer, artist, musician, explorer, literary character, etc.
Teacher's First Edge Review: For slightly adventurous technology users. Create a fictional portion of a web page easily by entering a fictional Newspaper, Title of article, Date, and body of article. Final image will be downloaded and not retained on any website except ones that you publish to. Note: Model ethical behavior: Do not plagiarize or use real names of newspapers or people.
There are also links at the top of the page to create: a newspaper, ninja text, wizard text, talking flowers, talking tomatoes, talking owls, a wanted poster, talking cats, a cigarette packet, talking squirrels, and a clapper board. Be aware: this site does include some minor advertisements. 10053
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Basic ability to enter text into fields, download and find the finished file. For file to be shared, understanding how to upload the file onto another site or blog. The "clippings" you make do NOT remain on the site for access later by URL.
Safety/security concerns: You may want to prohibit or point out the links to advertising located along the side and the top of the site. As files are downloaded to the desktop, you may want to create a Favorites folder, or other “collection” of students projects in one place for easy work at grading time. Another idea: use a class wiki with all projects.
Possible uses: Create a fictional account of a happening or description to identify the errors or determine the item being described. Create an account of a class celebration or a fantastic project that should be shared. Students can use this site to create a fantastic account of a vacation or experience. Use this site as a “first week” activity for students to write articles introducing themselves to the class. Have them use pseudonyms in their “articles” and share them on your class wiki or web page. A week later, have a matching contest where classmates must identify the mystery students! You could do a similar "famous Americans" or "important scientists" activity where students learn and share.
Teacher's First Edge Review: For adventurous technology users. Use this free resource as more than a to do list, and more as a project management tool that follows the GTD (Getting Things Done) concept. Create and prioritize lists and send reminders. Create project folders and add to do lists to complete each project. Registration is simple and easy (no email address is required.) 10587
In the Classroom: Skills required: Managing the user interface is not very difficult. Spend a little time acquainting yourself with all the options.
Safety/security: Register easily without an email address. You may allow students to self-register, but be sure to keep a written record of their passwords for when they “forget.” It
may be worth your time to do advanced registration for your younger students.
To use: Create a new project by clicking on "Projects." Click on your designated project to enter new tasks for the project. Name the task and enter a description, due date, URL, and mark the action with immediately, idea, done, etc. Click on "Sections" to look at all similarly marked tasks at the same time (for example, you can view all marked “immediately” to see what must be done first.) View the calendar with tasks (and the specific project) outlined. Use "Reminders" to add specific actions to the calendar.
In the classroom: Help students organize the specific tasks necessary to finish a project. Use class discussion to decide what needs to be known and the best steps to take to complete the project. Organize tasks and set due dates to assist students in being timely completing projects. Use the tool together a few times on a projector or interactive whiteboard, returning to check off items, then have student groups try it as they do projects. Teachers of both gifted and learning support students can use this tool together with students to build organizational skills.
Watch, Learn, Research, Teach. Got your attention? View the statement, "Together We Learn" to understand the underlying purpose. This free beta site uses video that starts with many of the wonderful TED talks videos. “Nibs” provide the opportunity to view the best videos out there that are worthy of a learning adventure. Playlist subjects include architecture, the brain, business, chemistry, civics, computers and the web, cool stuff, design, education, Egypt, math, music, physics, sociology, sustainability, and several others.
As the site grows, others will have the opportunity to add videos to the growing timeline. At this point, there is only a select group of educators adding content (see the main page of any topic for more information). See the purpose of creating a smarter way to learn. Videos are "nibbed" (linked) to content on Wikipedia, as well as to equally worthy video that increases our knowledge and makes the experience smarter! The community is tightly controlled so only appropriate videos and resources are included. Clicking on a video link provides a biography or background information from Wikipedia, related information (nibs), and other videos. This site requires FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9771
In the Classroom: Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Search through the content to find topics relevant to your class. Allow students to use this site for research projects. Use Nibipedia to create smarter searches with purely relevant content. Use Nibipedia to find quality resources that links you to other quality resources. Learn and share information found in Nibipedia for use in class or by individual students. You may even want to list this site on your class wiki, blog, or website for students to access at home.
Teacher's First Edge Review: for thoroughly adventurous or organized technology users. Ning is a tool for creating social networks. Though that may be a scary term to parents and a concept prohibited in your school, this education initiative from Ning provides advertising-free, private spaces for classroom use in K-12. Because of concerns over COPPA (federal legislation protecting children on the web), Ning specifies that the tool is for ages 13 and up. Users outside the U.S. do not need to worry about this law. There are related blog posts and debate about whether the law applies if you configure your Ning a certain way, but TeachersFirst cannot recommend circumventing the law. A Ning provides an online space for forums (threaded discussions), blogs, “friends,” groups, personal spaces for members, and more. As the administrator of your Ning, you can control the actual set-up. Assuming you can access the Ning URL at school, this tool can provide a PRIVATE online space for your classes or teaching team as an electronic home for use in and out of school. 9415
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Before you start, make sure your specific Ning URL will not be blocked by filtering on the school network. See some of the tips from the Edge team . Join Ning and set up a network, including name, URL, and description. Be sure to choose Private to limit viewing of your network to those you INVITE to join. Drag your desired features to create your Ning layout. You can always change it later. Make appearance choices. Create a “master key” (and for heaven’s sake WRITE IT DOWN somewhere secure – not on a sticky note at your classroom computer). Customize at will, but right away you will want to follow Steve Hargadon’s blog entry with detailed directions to remove the ads from your Ning for education space. The ad-free offer began in November 2007 and may not continue forever, so do it now!
Safety/security concerns: Since the Ning tool establishes profiles for each member; you will want to customize the profile settings to stay in accordance with your school policies. You will probably not want students to be able to set up groups, since they might make them “private” and lock you out. You can also change the questions they are asked as part of their profiles. The simplest way to set up student accounts may be through a teacher Gmail account with subaccounts. You could then create the accounts and passwords on your own or have students enter the information. Even though your space is private, we recommend asking for parent permission mostly to be sure that they are aware of this positive use of social networking and all the lessons about Internet safety that can grow from its use in class. A modified version of the Blogging agreement offered by TeachersFirst would work (a word doc).
Possible uses: A class social network has limitless possibilities. Engage students in discussions on current events, independent reading, literature, and more. Create groups for students to work on projects and use the space as a forum to work out tasks, scheduling, and file sharing. Get creative and ask students to play the role of a historical figure on a social network across time: Ben Franklin networks with Harry Truman to argue about the atomic bomb. Use the Ning as a forum for any simulated or real task. Invite parents to join to give their points of view on upcoming elections. Include the principal or superintendent in your class discussions of students’ rights as you study the Constitution. Your students themselves will suggest ways to use this all-too-familiar tool from their world. Imagine the “profiles” they could create as characters from fiction or inventors from history! Steve Hargadon, creator of this Ning in Education initiative invites participants to join a Ning for teachers who are using this tool. We hope you will tell them where you heard about it and send them over to check out (and suggest) more tools at the TeachersFirst Edge.
Teacher's First Edge Review: For adventurous technology users. Create online material or presentations in an unlimited number of formats for free with this unique collaborative site. Use an unlimited combination of media on this whiteboard space. Integrate drawings, text, pictures, articles, maps, videos, and a multitude of media too numerous to mention! Create an online informational poster, suite of pages, or presentation documents that multiple owners create. Embed your “Nota” in another site, Facebook, or Blog. Click the "About" tab to find great education examples. Use the "Quick Guide" and the "FAQ" section for easy to use information. Watch the tour video to learn more! This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9915
In the Classroom: Skills needed: To use Nota, register with an email address. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. No need to wait for a registration email to begin. Name your new page and begin your work! Use the most common buttons on the left side of the workspace to begin: cursor, drawing, eraser, text, shapes, undo, and redo. Moving the cursor on the whitespace creates options to leave a comment box. Click to place on the whiteboard, then enter text, move by dragging the move tab, or other options. Use the menu to Insert objects such as font art, photos, movies, clipart, wikipedia, or google maps. Insert a message board or access counter. Share or embed your creation easily. Change the background colors or create new pages simply and easily. Change the license of your “Nota” to block changes or comments with one click.
Safety/security concerns: This site allows outsiders to comment on or modify work. Many school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school Acceptable Use policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety or establish specific written class rules and consequences for interacting with outsiders. Click on "no" to receive comments and for modifying work to create a level of security for students and work. Check your school policies on whether student work may be displayed online, and then enforce that policy with your students. You may allow students to self-register, but be sure to keep a written record of their passwords for when they “forget.” It may be worth your time to do advanced registration for your younger students. In many schools, you will need parental permission before allowing students to post content online.
Ideas for use: Create a book (recipe, alphabet, places...), a scrapbook, poster project, or free graffiti projects. With younger students, create collaboratively on your interactive whiteboard for students to learn the tools. Have students decide how best to illustrate the water cycle or animal food chains. Make a visual literary magazine or visual aids to accompany oral presentations. In art class, collect examples of a style or design element and annotate them with the drawing tools. Create political "ads" in history class, depicting a candidate's stand on key topics. Make a whole-class NOTA in your elementary class about the school year, including digital images of important events or field trips. Create with friends near or far. Students in collaborative groups can present content or projects quickly and easily. “Nota” allows multiple users to create in the same space at the same time.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for the more adventurous technology user. Share and collaborate on data for projects using this online collaborative spreadsheet tool. Group projects can share their data as they collect it, such as students who do animal counts in their backyards or water analysis in various locations. If you prefer to use it in class, students can all enter data from an experiment they do in the lab so you can compile a larger aggregation. Join for free. You can also see and collaborate with other schools a nd people ( be careful to protect student identities and location). Find interesting ideas by playing with the "search spreadsheets" feature. 7246
In the Classroom: Skills needed: join the site (free) using YOUR teacher email or a yahoo or gmail account. This editor has an email account used strictly for memberships to such sites and uses the same user name and password for all. Set a username and password. Tools are very mush like Excel. Remember your user information. Students can use it or you can set up accounts for student groups so you can monitor their activities, if your district policies suggest this.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. This online tool lets you and your students create a collaborative "space" online in any subject, allowing as many people as you want to edit, make changes, add new content, etc. You may be familiar with wikipedia, but wikis can be so much more! A recent poll of "high tech" educators cited wikis as the one web-based tool they could not live without! If you have not tried a wiki yet, visit the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through for a detailed, step-by-step explanation and starter help, including dozens of ideas for ways to use a wiki in your classroom.
If you are not sure which wiki tool is best for you, see our detailed TeachersFirst review of PBWorks (formerly PBWiki) features, pros, and cons(done as part of the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through).Ignore the persistent and pervasive suggestions that you upgrade to a fee-based membership! 9006
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Click through the first two steps to create a free wiki, including the name (which becomes part of the wiki URL). Be sure to select "education" as the answer to "What is this wiki for?" Wait for your confirmation email (may take a while...check junk mail folder). After the email, choose whether your wiki is public or private (visible to members only or to the public). Set a "key" (password), if you wish. Bypass the offer to PAY. Use the Quickstart steps to configure the wiki just the way you want it or simply play to learn the Clickable editing toolbar. Add and edit pages, invite new members, explore the three template options and a few options for "skins." You may want to become familiar with the tool as a teacher-created site at first so you know its capabilities before turning students loose.
Safety concerns: Students need email accounts to have individual log-ins (consider using one GMail account you own, with separate sub-accounts). Note: with this wiki tool, you do not have the option of "locking" certain pages or setting different "levels" of users. You and your students have equal access to make changes, once you make them "members." There are also "plug-ins' (widgets) available from the toolbar, some of which may connect you to sites with unmonitored content. Decide ahead of time what you policies are concerning use of the "plug-ins."
Teacher's First Edge Review: For slightly adventurous users. Create instant collages of photos using this free site. No sign-ups are required to use. Choose a collage style and upload photos from your desktop or import from a flickr photo stream (read about Flickr here). Here is a sample collage created by our editors: 10073
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Users will need to be able to locate pictures on their computer or identify a flickr photo stream. Choosing a collage type is important and users will need to already have an idea of the number and orientation of the pictures in order to choose the right collage.
Safety/Security: Several text advertisements appear along the top and students should be cautioned to not click on these. Check your school's Acceptable Use policies on whether student work may be displayed online and then enforce that policy with your students.
Possible uses: Students can use the collage picture as part of a presentation to the class in order to guide their discussion. This would be great to use on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this to create a picture collage in order to get students thinking or brainstorming about a topic or unit of study.
TeachersFirst Edge Review: For adventurous technology users. Hop into the "2D physics sandbox" to play with objects and physical processes by tweaking the environment and the objects. Download of Phun is required. Versions are available for Win, Mac, or Linux. Download options also include ten different language translations. Join an online community for troubleshooting and ideas. Currently in Beta, Phun will become even more "fun." 10585
In the Classroom: Skills required: Users must be able to download and install the application for the specific platform being used. Check with your IT department for ability to download and install on district computers. Learn to use Phun by playing with the application. (Suggestion from the editorial staff: allow the students to just play for a bit. Students learn from each other and it is the best way to introduce an interactive application.) If that isn’t an option, an interactive whiteboard or projector is another way to introduce this site. Maybe offer extra credit to students who want to explore on their own time then offer a how-to “lesson” to the class. Your gifted or “techie” students might enjoy such an opportunity.
Safety/security: Registering for the site is not required. Use the forum (registration required) or the wiki for examples, suggestions, and troubleshooting. All items created remain on the computer where they are created.
To use: For help, view the video on the site for a simple how to. Other examples exist on You Tube by searching "Phun." Play by unleashing imagination and building objects to see their interaction. Change objects, the environment, and continue building to view more interactions. What is surprising about Phun? View the sometimes unexpected outcomes of the interactions of your objects with the environment though the physics of simple interactions are what you would expect. Draw and create objects and the environment;press the "play" button to watch objects collide, fall, bounce, or other movements. Change and manipulate object movements through a simple right-click of the mouse (or control-click on Mac.) Use the toolbar of simple actions and objects found on the left hand side. Choose from objects such as planes, squares, circles, springs, chains, and hinges. Change object properties such as level of bounce, density, and levels of collision as well as environment properties such as gravity and air resistance. Create unbelievable and ever changing possibilities with this open ended game.
In the classroom: Create increasingly complex and interactive environments that demonstrate a multitude of physics processes. Use as an ongoing lab to uncover physical processes. Isolate these processes using the simulation and reinforce with additional activities or labs to understand each separate process. Unleash student creativity and use as an end activity that ties multiple processes together. After students create a simulation, allow others to view, review, and write up an explanation of what has happened. Present simulations to the class using a whiteboard or projector for student comment and explanation.
Safety/security: Registering for the site is not required. Use the forum (registration required) or the wiki for examples, suggestions, and troubleshooting. All items created remain on the computer.
To use: For help, view the video on the site for a simple how to. Other examples exist on You Tube by searching "Phun." Play by unleashing imagination and building objects to see their interaction. Change objects, the environment, and continue building to view more interactions. What is surprising about Phun? View the sometimes unexpected outcomes of the interactions of your objects with the environment though the physics of simple interactions are what you would expect. Draw and create objects and the environment, press the "play" button to watch objects collide, fall, bounce, or other movements. Simply change and manipulate object movements through a simple right click of the mouse (or control-click on Mac.) Use the toolbar of simple actions and objects found on the left hand side. Choose from objects such as planes, squares, circles, springs, chains, and hinges. Change object properties such as level of bounce, density, and levels of collision as well as environment properties such as gravity and air resistance. Create unbelievable and ever changing possibilities with this open ended game.
In the classroom: Create increasingly complex and interactive environments that demonstrate a multitude of physics processes. Use as an ongoing lab to uncover physical processes. Isolate these processes using the simulation and reinforce with additional activities or labs to understand each separate process. Unleash student creativity and use as an end activity that ties multiple processes together. After students create a simulation, allow others to view, review, and write up an explanation of what has happened. Present simulations to the class using a whiteboard or projector for student comment and explanation.
Teacher's First Edge Review for moderate technology users The title says it all: "Inspired Picture Writing!" Use this free drag and drop literacy tool to create great sentences inspired by beautiful pictures. Or add inspirational or humorous captions to pictures.
NOTE: Our editors regret that PicLits occasionally allows advertising on their home page to include images that are not classroom-friendly. Teachers should preview to determine whether or not your students can ignore the ads.
"Learn It" provides learning opportunities and examples for creating captions, compound sentences, or paragraphs. Advanced lesson plans for teachers are viewed in the "Learn It" tab as well. "View the Gallery" to see already-created PicLits as well as comments and ratings. After selecting a picture (or using the one they provide) and dragging a word onto the screen, choose different forms of the word by using the drop-down menu next to the word. Move your words anywhere on the screen for creative writing. You can also click “freestyle” instead to type in your own words instead of choosing from their list. Word lists change, depending on the image selected. Note: Advertisements run alongside the PicLits screen. Caution students to ignore these. Here is an example: See the full PicLit at PicLits.com 9822
In the Classroom: Skills Required: Join the site (requires email but does NOT require that you wait for confirming mail to arrive so jump right in!). Users of PicLits must be able to navigate tabs on sites, manage logins, and use URL's and embed codes to share results on websites and blogs. Play to learn the tools before or after joining. Help also provides a short-and-sweet text explanation of the tools.
Safety/Security concerns: Registering for a PicLits account requires the use of an email address. PicLits can be used without an account but users are unable to save or blog about their creation without an account. This site allows outsiders to comment on created PicLits.
Many school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school policy. Teach about proper “netiquette” and making appropriate comments as students use this site. Set specific written class rules and consequences for interacting with outsiders. If you wish each student to have an individual account, they need to create it with an email address. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. A class account can be created instead. However, it does not show which work is attributable to which student. You may want to require that students initial their contributions in order to get credit. All work on the site can be seen without a login. All projects are public. Check your school policy for posting student work online. Written permission is always a good idea.
Management suggestions: You may want to create a word doc, Favorites folder, or other “collection” of the URLS to all your students’ projects in one place for easy work at grading time. Some teachers use a class wiki or blog with links to all projects from there. You may allow students to self-register, but be sure to keep a written record of their passwords for when they “forget.” It may be worth your time to do advanced registration for your
younger students or simply use a whole-class account.
Possible Uses: Share a PicLit on your interactive whiteboard at the start of a grammar or writing lesson to discuss word choice, figures of speech, or vocabulary. Use the visual picture prompt for journal or blog writing, allowing each student to compose a unique poem or haiku. Even science classes can write about concepts illustrated in the many nature photos. Emotional support teachers will love the chance to discuss feelings and how to describe facial expressions in the pictures. Make a collection of PicLits for a curriculum topic or as a literary magazine online. ESL students can create PicLits to learn new vocabulary. Have students create PicLits for special occasions and special people (mom, dad, grandparents, school nurse, or others). Use the embed code to place your creations on many other sites, including your class wiki or blogs. Share your PicLit by using a URL or code for an embedded widget.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. Fancy photo editing for no cost—that’s what Picnik is all about. You can even do simple fixes, such as removing “red eye” or cropping the tree trunk off of your head! No downloading is required, and there are no tools to install. In fact, you don’t even need to register. However, if you want to manage your photos, you will need a quick registration. Also, for non-English speakers, choose from a list of language options in the drop-down menu at top right. It’s very user-friendly, so the techno-babies will feel right at home.
As with most high-tech sites, there is a premium level for a cost, but you don’t need to pay for some truly cool features. After you create your ‘new’ photo, you will be asked if you want to apply it to merchandise, such as mugs, key chains, magnets, etc. (This, of course, will go to an outside site which costs money.)
Picnik works on Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. This site allows you to access your Picnik photos from Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, Picasso, Webshots and Photobucket. If you really want to get intimately acquainted with Picnik, check out their blog and read about their featured photo makers (click on ‘blog’ at bottom of the page). This blog features photos and products designed by ordinary people like you, but the outcomes look like they were designed by highly-paid design artists! Also, if collages are what you need, click on the Collage button and go through similar easy-to-use options as the above.
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: You need to know how to locate and upload photos from your computer. You can also get images from anywhere on your computer, the web, webcam, your Flickr, Facebook, or other photo storing account. Click on Get Started Now or click on the Start Picniking tab in the upper right corner.
Click on Upload or find your photo(s) that you would like to fix. Now the fun begins. Click on any of the tabs to change your photo. Click Edit to adjust the contrast, color, size, ratio, etc. of the photo. You are allowed to play around with the photo, and if you don’t like what you have done, simply click on ‘reset’ to bring it back to its original state. Once you click ‘apply’ you can not reset to its original. Click Create to apply artsy, fun or serious new effects to your photo. Click on Text, Shapes, or Frames add those features. It works just like a word processor. You can minimize the shapes or apply different fonts, colors and sizes to the photo. All of these fun effects won’t be saved until you hit Apply, so play around with the features all you want.
Once your photo is finished, click on Save and Share. Rename your photo and click on Save Photo. Once it is saved, you can manage your photo by clicking on Manage History. This feature allows Picnik to access this photo from your files whenever you desire it.
This tool would work well with a student “expert” in your class becoming the go-to helper, since most students (and the teacher) will not need all the features all the time. If one student becomes more experienced out of interest, let him/her help you—and others!
Safety/security concerns:
The only safety concern is if you are uploading photos of students to remain on the Picnik site or other photo sharing sites and this is not permitted under your school policies. If students are to use this tool, be sure you have parent permission for them to be using any photosharing sites, as well. You may want to simply work from your own local photos if sharing sites such as Flickr are not permitted. If you decide to have Picnik “keep a copy” of your picture, membership is required. Avoid this by saving your photo back to your computer, and no one has a copy but you!
Possible uses: Teachers, you can create professional posters for your classroom, gifts, scrapbooks for projects, bound books, and of course, advanced, professionally-doctored photos for any occasion by using this site. Your school (or your classroom) can raise field trip money by creating products with customized photos from this site. Middle school and high school art or computer teachers will enjoy a teaching unit on this no-cost site. It has similar functions of high-cost photo doctoring sites yet it is FREE. Have students/groups create a photo collection to illustrate a curriculum concept, such as “habitats” or “repetition in nature” by editing their own digital images to emphasize the concept. Share the finished work on your class wiki or student blogs so others can comment.
Teachers First Edge Review: for very slightly adventurous technology users. This free, beta site is a useful photo editing service. No registration or login is necessary. Edited pictures are saved on the computer and are not public for viewing. Use this site to create montaged images, resize photos for emailing or use on wikis, etc, or simply because your camera files are too big to store.
There are public comments on the main page. You may want to preview the comments before sharing the site with your students. At the time of this review, one of the comments did have an inappropriate word. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9568
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Know how to browse to find files saved on your computer and be willing to “play” with the tools and menus, if you are unfamiliar with photo-editors.
How to use: Click Jump In to access Photoshop-type tools. Select an image saved on your computer or your desktop or create a new one. Currently, pictures cannot be accessed from online photo storage sites. The top menu contains almost any option the average user would need to edit and manipulate pictures. The menu is easy to navigate and read. Help is minimal at this time. The site is easy to use, and users of other paint and editing applications will be at ease using this site. Students will love the filter options for altering pictures. Multiple images can be edited or “montaged.” When editing is complete, save the image by specifying an image name and file type (JPEG or PNG). Click "OK," and the file will be downloaded to your machine. The simple interface and fast site makes this a great editing application to try.
Classroom use: Use this site to add information to pictures for class and student projects and creations. Add attributions (copyright info and sources) directly to the photo. Add student responses to pictures of class experiments. Create artistic effects with student pictures. The ideas for picture taking, creating, and sharing are endless. Make this a link from your class wiki so students can cut down file sizes before uploading large photos or make edited composites to communicate their message visually. As you study propaganda, have students create propaganda images to share on a class wiki or classroom bulletin board. Art teachers will love the ability to teach photo montage without expensive software. Make creative bulletin board displays from multiple digital pictures of special events, adding text and captions right into the photo. ESL/ELL, language, and special ed teachers can ask students to label images with sentences including correct vocabulary and grammar. Have students in your reading class create visual idiom images using digital pictures.
Keep this tool handy as a link from your teacher web page for quick access any time!
Teacher's First Edge Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. At this site, students can create, share, and "remix" comics. The "remix" link allows students to add their own twist to ready-made comics. Students can read comics created by others and also make comments on them. Other highlights of the site include a featured author and blog. This free version of Pixton will be followed with a fee-based version for schools (with teacher and student registration levels and safety tools) in 2009, but the free version will remain available. Eventually, the free version will only include a 30-day trial period. Be aware: the Pixton for Schools (if continued after 30-days) will cost $1 per student. See an example created by the TeachersFirst Edge team. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9280
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: Register and watch “trailers” or play with the simple tools to choose a situation (template), color, graphics and symbols. Then enter dialog. Make changes with simple tools alongside each block of your comic. Save your work to come back later or you may "publish" right away. You have a choice about whether others are allowed to “remix” your work. You also have the option to edit work or embed it in a website, blog or wiki. Comics can also be shared by URL (copy it from the address bar) or sent via email.
Safety/Security Concerns: Registration requires an email address.
You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. There are some safeguards in place to be sure students use appropriate language and actions. It would be wise to preview whatever you wish to share with your students, however, since the general public can create comics with their own ideas. Students should submit their work without identifiable names and location, according to your school policy, perhaps using their newly-assigned Gmail address and account (monitored by you, since you own the master account). You will also want written parent permission before allowing students to create comics that can be seen online.
Possible Uses: Use comics to write summaries of current events, responses to reading assignments, expressions of teen problems, and creative works of humor. With younger students, use an interactive whiteboard or projector to create a class comic on a current topic of study, such as the life cycle of the frog or ways to conserve energy. Use this site to integrate an art and writing lesson. Why not have students create comics to demonstrate a concept in science or social studies, rather than a traditional paper/pencil quiz? World language teachers and ESL/ELL teachers will love the chance for students to demonstrate written language skills in the “context” of their comic situations.
TeachersFirst Edge Review: For ANY technology user -- an EASY way to try making your own online content for the first time! At this site, students get practice using Google Maps’ satellite technology and user-created hints to locate a place from a Place spotting “quiz,” as pictured with a Google map. A world map below the “quiz” location image allows them to explore the globe and zoom in to pinpoint the location shown in the “quiz” map. Students use hints to narrow their search area. Be aware, MOST of the hints are in English, but there are a few in other world languages.
Once students or class find the map location, they can choose to try other maps or send a map ”quiz” to others. The real power of Place Spotting is that students, teachers, and whole-class groups can also create their Own Place Spotting “quizzes” with accompanying hints using the "Create" page. Here is a sample made by the TeachersFirst review team. This site also includes a blog and search option (i.e. to find maps in specific languages).
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In the Classroom: Skills Needed: this site requires few "skills" and no membership to operate. Click Create to create your own place spotting “quiz” for others to solve. The simple steps have numbered directions. Be sure to enter the security “code” and click “Store” for your quiz to be saved. Note that you may decide whether to make it “private” (invisible to others except by invitation). Share the quiz you create by copy/pasting the URL that shows after you click “store.” You can always find it again using the search tool, but knowing the URL allows you to give it to others as a link. You might want to “collect” your class Place Spotting links in a Word document (for safe keeping) or on a class wiki.
Security/Safety Concerns: The only safety concerns are if kids write questions or use places that might lure people to their school or identify themselves (their own house, for example). Check the box to make the quiz private if it is so revealing that you want to keep it only for those you know (GET THE URL and be sure the teacher keeps the list. Private ones cannot be found using the search!). Kids can use them to quiz each other if the teacher/kids shared the group of "private" ones as links on a teacher web page, class wiki, or in a word document (clickable).
Possible Uses: Use this site when studying the concept of satellite imagery and map skills. Contrast this site's technology with that of a hand held GPS device. Discuss the map skills needed to use it, including the comparison of the ZOOM tool with a map scale. This is a great activity for ESL and ELL or weaker readers since there is little language involved! Share the site on an interactive whiteboard or projector for a daily "map challenge" or as an anticipatory set/activator at the start of any place-related lesson. Choose places as a class and create your own maps, or have students work in cooperative learning groups to create their own maps about places in their community, landmarks of local history, or cultural sites of countries they study in world languages (be sure to mark private, if they are maps that reveal too much information). Classes could build a community treasure hunt of local history or a landform "find-it" on their wiki, simply by including the URLs -- even add digital pictures of the actual location with each "quiz." You will want to us the areas with higher-resolution images for landform study! Older students can put links or embed the quiz on their blogs or wikis, too. Literature lessons could include Placespotting quizzes for major sites in the stories (assuming they are real) or important places in the author’s life. You may want to list this site on your class website; families could map out vacation spots, countries of ancestry, and more.
Teachers First Edge Review: For very adventurous technology users and bloggers. Plurk is a microblogging platform for quick 140 character “plurks” about what you are doing, thinking, or mentally asking. Plurks show as a timeline along with those of your friends. Comments to plurks are attached to the original and conversations are easy to track and continue. Plurk brings interconnectivity between friends and is more like a social network than a blog. Registration with an email is required and managing login and password is necessary. Instant messaging and mobile blogging options are possible. 9485
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: Plurk is free, and no download or installation is necessary. Users must join (email required). This site is not difficult to navigate. Left click on the timeline to drag it to earlier posts. Unread plurks and replies appear as a number beside each plurk and in the timeline. Along the top of the timeline are user controls. “My profile” contains your contact information and details. Upload a photo, customize the colors of your outline, or add a widget to your blog or site that contains your plurks. Use “My friends” to invite friends, create cliques that allow you to segregate who sees certain plurks, and blocking other users. “Alerts” contain friend requests sent to you. Click on “Interesting plurkers” to see plurks from everywhere which you can customize to gender, age, city, state, or country. Use “My account” to change privacy settings and set up instant messaging. Create your plurks below the timeline and use the dropdown to change your verb from “is” to “says,” wishes,” “feels,” and many others. Hover over a person’s picture or name to send a private plurk. Plurk messages can be edited but replies cannot. Pictures, images, and links can be added as well. Also below the timeline are tabs to see plurks from you and your friends, your plurks alone, and private plurks. View your Karma -- which increases with plurks and friends and unlocks new features. Use “Embed your Plurk widget” easily to your blog by simply entering your login information.
Safety/Security: Students must have individual accounts (email required). Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You should also check policies on using a social tool, perhaps sharing your rationale and practices pro-actively so your administration understands what is happening in your classroom. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Managing and remembering of login and password information is also a concern. Be sure to keep a written record of their passwords for when they “forget.” Create a written and signed classroom policy that outlines necessary privacy settings and actions that would be considered misuse. Check these regularly and take appropriate actions to enforce rules when needed. Students need to be guided in how to safely blog and share information. Students may come across questionable content if reading through the “interesting plurkers” tab. As with all social networking sites, students need to be aware of proper ways to communicate at school and at home. Teachers should be a part of all student groups to monitor use.
Possible uses: Students can use Plurk to discuss group work on a project, create study groups, ask for help, or communicate with those who can mentor their class or subject they are learning. Many students will find success with sending bits of information at a time and letting the conversations evolve from there. Literature teachers may want to require students to plurk their thoughts within small groups as they read chapters or acts of longer works for homework, generating discussion and active reading. Social studies teachers could assign a similar task as students read about history. Math teachers may want to encourage “plurking” as students work on longer, more complex problems. Those writing lab reports for science class may find that plurking will help them collaborate in interpreting data. Consider setting up a regular class “plurk time” in the evening on certain nights of the week or for snow days.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for slightly adventurous technology users (NOT difficult!). This VERY simple tool lets you or your students make simple, folded small booklets that fit in a pocket. You choose what will appear on each page: from blank space to lines to calendars or checklists. Then print the single sheet (and run copies!) for a student "organizer" useful for homework assignments, long-term project deadlines, checklists, even student-made study guides. Students use the booklets the old fashioned way: by WRITING in them; but the clever, customizable format lets you teach organizational skills in a way that works. REQUIRES FLASH!
In the Classroom: Skills needed: go to PocketMod and follow simple drag-and-drop visual screen to create the PocketMod from their many organizer options. Print and fold (NO Acrobat Reader required). More skilled users should consider downloading the free "PDF to PocketMod" converter that will take any pdf document and format it to the small, foldable format. If you have handouts in pdf format or can make them from your scanner/copier, you can make ANYTHING into a PocketMod. The converter assumes you have Acrobat Reader.
Possible uses: have students design their own study guides before a chapter test or maintain a project checklist to be submitted along with the completed project to build better organizational skills.
Warning: Students will quickly learn that PocketMod is a great way to make CHEAT SHEETS. Be forewarned of student cleverness!
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for moderately adventurous technology users. Create simple audio podcasts using this online tool and the free space they provide. Simply put, this tool lets you create and place sound recordings online for people to listen to and/or download from a web site. There are MANY free podcasts in a variety of subject areas (art, health, technology, music, business, and more). The site itself is a "web 2.0," social networking style site, so some schools may have it blocked. Ask about unblocking just YOUR teacher account so you can have students access it while at school and under your supervision.
What can it do? You can record sound directly with the microphone built or plugged into your computer and make it available for people to listen to online or download to their MP3 player. See and hear a sample we made for you. 8094
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the site (free); Membership requires email. Then attach a mike or use your built-in computer mike; create the podcast by clicking a record button,(you may have to tell your computer to "allow" nonsecure items over and over). Choose a background for your podcast page. Share it with others using one of several sharing options on the "My Podcast" tab, including copying the link to paste in an email or newsletter or embedding the podcast in your class web page or wiki.
Safety/Security: Podomatic does not allow memberships for those under 13. Teachers using this tool with younger students should do so under supervision and with a teacher-controlled account. The site is a "general public" site, so the home page has links to recent podcasts that may not be appropriate for the classroom. Discuss this possibility and tell students NOT to click on other's work or simply avoid sending students into the site on their own. Be sure you have parent permission and check school policies before allowing students to post work online. Carefully select or SKIP many sharing mechanisms for safety's sake. Limit any identifiable information within the podcasts. You may want to share the links to class podcasts only with your students and parents. If you have students record podcasts as assignments, you may need multiple accounts because the free accounts have limited file space. An elementary teacher might have enough space for 25 students to keep a limited number of products on his/her own account, depending upon length. The site will tell you how much space each podcast takes and how much you have left. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to create these subaccounts for use in joining any web-tool site.
Possible uses: You could record your homework assignments or directions; you can record story time or a reading excerpt for younger ones to listen to at a computer center AND from home! Have better readers record selected passages for your non-readers (perhaps older buddies). Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Have students create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events; make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News;" have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!); have students write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings; language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages; allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Have your Shakespeare students record a soliloquy! Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person.
Teachers First Edge Review: For slightly adventurous technology users. Use Postica to generate web-based sticky notes on a sticky board. Share sticky boards with others or send and edit sticky notes. 10586
In the Classroom: Skills required: Users must create and manage logins. Register using an email, though verification is not required. Use this simple resource effortlessly to manage to do lists on any computer.
To use: Click "New note" to create a new sticky note. Select from a few colors, enter the text, add a file such as a document or picture, or share immediately by entering another user's email address. Click "Print" to print the notes on your sticky board. Use "Settings" to do more than change the background. Find nifty ideas to manage your to-do list. Direct message using twitter to add a note to your sticky board, use your registered email, or add an iGoogle gadget to place your notes on your iGoogle page. (Note: When adding to iGoogle, refreshing the iGoogle page was required to see the gadget.) Set reminders to be delivered to your email inbox to remind you of items on the "to do" list. Share and edit notes to share ideas and manage project work flow.
Safety/security: Students must have individual accounts (email required). Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your
own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. You may allow students to self-register, but be sure to keep a written record of their passwords for when they “forget.” It may be worth your time to do advanced registration for your younger students.
In the classroom: Use this resource to set steps for accomplishing parts of a project. Increase communication among members of a group. Use with individual students to identify educational goals and help set steps for reaching these goals. Keep track of assignments and set up reminders via email or iGoogle easily with one click. Share documents and other material through the sticky note. Teachers of gifted but disorganized students or learning support students can draw these students into better organizational skills using this engaging tool.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: no special skills needed, just a little willingness to "play"! This product-in-development (beta) is an online vector drawing/technical drawing tool for geometry, science, engineering, and more. Vector drawings are far more precise because they are based on mathematical formulas (which you cannot see, of course), instead of the "little boxes" of pixels. Free membership allows you to save and re-access drawings later, all via the web. You can also export drawings to be saved on your own computer is several file formats. The drawing grid allows you to make floor plans, circuit diagrams, flow charts, project mock-ups, or simply demonstrate geometry concepts. Our editors noted that the way to make a shape "no fill" is to set its transparency to 0.0. A little experimentation will help you figure out the drag and drop tools. The tool works best in Firefox 1.5+ or Internet Explorer 6+. Editors' note: we tried the "upload an image" feature and found it "glitchy." You should not count on that feature. 8811
In the Classroom: This tool is amazing on interactive whiteboard. Teach simple concepts, such as area,on the board or have students at computers create their own floor plans or maps to reinforce concepts of proportion, direction, and more. Students can even collaborate from home or continue over several days, since the files can be saved on the system. If you wish to save drawings on Project//Draw, create a single class log-in using an "extra" teacher email account and have all students use that log-in, as well. [We recommend that every teacher keep a secondary email account just for memberships.] Make sure you specify some standard ways for students to name files so you know who created them!
Safety note: students who log in and venture throughout the support site behind this will eventually find some bulletin boards where people are discussing features of the program. These discussions are largely technical and do not involve "social networking," but you should be aware of them. Also, since this tool is "in beta," you should not assume that drawings will remain online indefinitely. If you wish to keep one that is complete, download it and save it locally.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: For very comfortable technology users who need more sophisticated capabilities than your TeachersFirst home page. This online tool creates a highly visual "home page" that can incorporate multiple elements simply by dragging and dropping them in place. Not unlike Google's personalized homepage, the elements look like little sticky notes or boxes, but there is far greater flexibility and a wider variety of content readily available. You can also make the page local (simply use it as the "home" on your classroom computer), shared by a select group (passworded), or completely public. You can easily make a theme or unit page for quick access of resources, complete with directions. 8257
In the Classroom: How would you use this in your teaching? Create a set of RSS feeds for current events or a specific curriculum topic such as weather and make them available for an in-class activity, complete with directions. World language, world cultures, or geography teachers can profile a location on the globe, complete with local weather and news. Make separate tabs for separate activities. Students can access them by password or publicly from outside of class, as well. For primary grades, make simple instructions right on the desktop for a computer center activity. Use color coding of the instructions to differentiate for different children (Sam, I want you to do the yellow one). If your school permits students to set up accounts on web services, have groups make Protopages on an assigned topic, collecting and organizing resources, images, and information: "A Protopage Guide to Cells" or "Shakespeare's Times." Gifted and highly-able students will go crazy!
Skills needed: Join (free). Check out the Intro, Overview, and Quickstart to see how it works. Play to your heart's content, including making tabs. Learn about RSS feeds and other Widgets-- including sticky notes. Share the URL with those you wish to have use it. Note: this works on Internet Explorer 6 and higher and on Firefox. If your users are on older web browsers, the developers recommend upgrading. This may be a problem for some. Check with your end-user computers before you spend too much time making the perfect Protopage!
If you allow students to create their own Protopage, you will need to have very specific rules about content, since there are non-educational elements available.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for slightly more adventurous technology users. This unique image site allows you to make a quick sketch in a small area (you select the color and line size for the "pencil"). It then searches through thousands of images shared on flickr (See our separate TF Edge review and explanation of flickr) to find an image similar in art element to your sketch. It matches up line, shape, and color. Matches are not exact, but they are amazingly close, providing ample opportunity for your students to "see" images with these elements in common. You can also upload an image and ask for a "match," using the "search by image" option. What a fabulous way to see and compare images side by side! 7599
In the Classroom: Use this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector to demonstrate art elements. You can also use it for advanced searching for images to fit a certain design need. Remember to see the Creative Commons licensing information on flickr if you plan to copy/download the images.
NOTE: flickr can possibly have images not suitable for classrooms, though this editor has not run across any. Use retrievr under supervision.
Skills needed: select color and line size, draw in the small sketch space, upload an images, if desired. (The sketch option is easy enough for a young child to try. The latter requires knowing the name and location of the file you wish to upload). Have fun with this one!
TeachersFirst Edge Review: for any technology user comfortable with watching video and/or using video cameras. You can be as adventurous or not as you wish! This safe, free site lets students and teachers show off their talents by sharing their appropriate videos to be viewed all over America. With a simple registration, you can upload your classroom video, which then goes into a “holding” area. That video then awaits approval by the website’s moderator before becoming available. Because of the layering of approval, this site poses no security concerns to students or schools. Not only can teachers and students upload videos, but administrators may also want to post welcome or informational videos to be viewed by parents and students. You may also wish to share some of these videos with your class. Teachers will find videos suitable for classroom instruction (and lesson plans). Use the search box at the top of the webpage to look for topics that relate to your current units of study. If your school blocks streaming video sites, consider accessing this site and choosing videos at home, using a tool such as Vixy (reviewed here) to bring them in on a USB stick for class use. Searching the site and simply viewing the videos does not require any registration or log-in. There is a link to SchoolTube Games , as well. Viewing the videos and games requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. See a sample video at the end of this review. 9437
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: no special technological skills are necessary to search the site or view the videos. If you wish to upload your own SchoolTube video, you must register as a user at the site. Registration is free. Create and save your edited videos where you can find them on your computer. (Windows Movie Maker or iMovie are great, free tools for video). Then upload to SchoolTube. You can share the video via link or by embedding it in another web page (see sample below).
Safety/Security Concerns: If the teacher is the one uploading, the only potential concerns include posting videos with identifiable information or images about your students, school, or class. Check your school policies about posting pictures of your school. If you post student videos, obtain written parent permission to post student work, again within school policies. Any student visible in a video should also have parent permission in accordance with school policies.
Possible Uses: Students can use SchoolTube to share videos with sister schools, or to broadcast weekly news from their school or classroom. Students can also produce project videos on any curriculum topic. Try making “You Are There” videos about different events in history! Teachers may want to use this site to share ideas and lesson plans with other teachers across the nation. Make “how to” videos to share with parents and friends. Embed SchoolTube’s video player into your school’s website and encourage parents to view school news or clips from events they were not able to attend.
Here is sample "embedded" video shot for us by the SchoolTube folks at the NAESP conference, 2008. We included it here by simply copying the "Embed" code from the Schooltube site and pasting it into our site, just as you could with your teacher web page or wiki:
Teacher’s First Edge Review: For moderately adventurous technology users. This site allows users to create online scrapbooks including photos, video clips, and music. Users can “Start with a Theme” or “Start with a Blank Page.” Add stickers, backgrounds, text boxes, and more. Be aware many of the themes are free, but some are for a fee. The ones for a fee say "purchase" at the bottom of the screen. This site requires Flash. You can it both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10061
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: This site is fairly easy to navigate. Users must be able to access photos (from several websites or personal computers) to use in the scrapblog. View the short introduction tutorial to learn more about site. Learn how to edit photos, add stickers to your pages, add backgrounds, add text, add videos, and more! There is the option to view the scrapblogs on full screen (see the box on the top right side of the screen). If you want to control the speed of the blog, you must have it on full screen. Once on full screen, look for the turtle and hare slider to slow down the speed. When completed, you can share your scrapblog via URL, on many social networking sites, or by printing out the pages. You don't need to register to USE this site, but you do need to register to save or share your scrapblog.
Safety/Security Concerns: an email address is required for sign up to use this service. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.
Classroom Uses: This amazing site has countless possibilities in the classroom. After a field trip, use this site to share the experience with families and as a review for the class. Can't take a field trip? Create a scrapblog of a fictitious "visit" to the historical site, showing what you have learned without even visiting. Rather than having students create traditional "book reports" or reports about famous people or events, use this site to create a multimedia presentation with photos, text, music, and more (include attribution for the Creative Commons images they may use). What would Jefferson have included in a scrapblog about his time in Philadelphia in 1776? Elementary classes could make whole-class scrapblogs about the important people and places in your school or community, using digital pictures you take yourselves. At Thanksgiving, have students make a scrapblog about the things they are grateful for. Share this link on your class website for students to access both in and out of the classroom. This is a perfect site for students to use to make free "homemade gifts" for Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Grandparent's Day.
Here is a sample of a scrapblog created by the TeachersFirst Editors
Scratch - Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab
Teacher's First Edge Review: for moderately adventurous technology users (and those who are allowed to download/install or request free software). Want to get in touch with your inner child? Get Scratch! Warning: The use of this application is quite fun and engaging! Scratch is a downloaded program that creates interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art. This application can be used for bringing simple ideas and projects to life. It has great use as a paint program without using the animations. Downloads/install files are available for Mac or PC. Other links include a Getting Started pdf, Help screens to show what each block controls and how to use, and a Reference Guide which provides an overview of the interface. A support page is also available for help in using the application.
Material created can only be viewed within the program. Drawings are not saved as a jpg or pic file. However, a "snapshot" of the screen can be created by using these keys in Mac: apple, shift, and 4 and click/drag to surround the portion to save. In PC use: control/print screen. These snapshots can be uploaded or used as a picture in other applications.
PDF guides require Acrobat Reader. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9202
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Download and install the program or have your tech folks do this for you.
Quick start: Click stage and in the center pane, click on backgrounds. Click on paint to make a new background. Different colors, pens, and materials can be used to create the background or an image can be brought in from your computer. Objects in Scratch are called a Sprite and can be added in by choosing the folders below the screen. By clicking the script tab, blocks can be moved in to create motion, add sounds (even record your own message), and change the look of the Sprite. Blocks are linked on to each other to create a series of events. A control block dragged to the top of the blocks control which key starts the event. Advanced options include adding variables and other controls.
Safety/Permissions Concerns: Be sure to check with your Technology Department, as many districts require authorization to download or install new applications. Projects can be shared online; however an account is required. Be sure to check your district's policy for creating student accounts online and using student email for verification. Many districts require a parental permission prior to creating an account. If online accounts are desired, another alternative to entering student emails exists. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
Work is saved to the computer itself and only shared online via an account. To avoid problems concerning content made by outsiders or issues with sharing, save the work locally and either create your own gallery on a supervised class website/wiki or set up a single account where you share the "best" projects online via your own log-in. Remind students of the school's Acceptable Use Policy and consequences of violations, if you do allow them to join/share. Images used should adhere to all copyright rules. Use pictures taken in class or those with Creative Commons licensing (and provide attribution!).
Practical tips: Students quickly catch on to this program when allowed to play and easily see what they can make from it. Provide a simple assignment with defined rules/tasks to learn the tools. Younger students may familiarize themselves more easily working with a partner.
Have students use a storyboard to write down what they will do/draw/say in their creation in order to keep tabs on what students and their creations.
Possible uses: For the lower grades, Scratch provides unlimited possibilities. Use as a new way to show vocabulary usage. Use the paint program to add information to a picture from your class field trip or science experiment. Use Scratch to help in storytelling a concept in a new and unique way, such as how rocks are formed. In the upper grades, use Scratch to show complex material in a new way. For example, students can draw DNA and show replication, etc. through their drawings and storytelling. Draw the different movements of landforms in plate tectonics. Draw or illustrate solutions to Math problems.
Teachers First Edge Review: For adventurous technology users. Use this simple and free tool to create a video recording of your screen to upload and share on a teacher web page, wiki. blog, etc.. This is an easy way to create a tutorial from your own computer screen. When you visit sites that have tutorials on how to use their software, you are looking at a screencast. Use this site to give specific directions on how to use different applications in and out of the classroom. This site requires Java. Audio is not necessary for the screencasts but may be beneficial, depending upon the tutorial. An example can be found here. Click to Play the "Using the Wiki" screencast. 9564
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Users will need to know how to use whatever computer software, website, or skill they are demonstrating. Following basic directions and managing browser windows or tabs are a must, as well as the managing settings of the computer being used. The site demonstrates how to troubleshoot problems on both PC's and Mac's.
How to use: Click "create" to start. The website will check your computer for Java, which is required to use the online software. As the screencast is being created, files will need to be written temporarily to the desktop. A security screen will pop up that asks to run the application. You will be asked to "trust" or "not trust" the security certificate. Depending upon your school's Acceptable Use Policy and computer security settings, you may not be able to complete these steps. Choose the screen size when played and whether audio will be needed (audio can be tested here as well, which is recommended: settings may need to be adjusted for different microphones.) Open a new tab or browser window and enter the web address of the site (or software) that will be the subject of your screencast. Drag the black frame by clicking the line and dragging it in order to choose what will be recorded during the screencast. The microphone icon has a green bar that shows recording levels. A green arrow showing instead of a green bar denotes that sound is not being captured. The red button is used to start recording while the black "X" stops the recording. Once you stop recording, click on your screencast tab or browser window and preview your recording. You can then either upload or discard your screencast. At this point you can create an account easily. Save your screencast to a channel of your own. Use the embed code to place your screencast into a blog, wiki, or other site. You can also use a widget code to embed the screencast player into a website. Screencasts can then be made from your other site and will save directly to your screencast channel. Screencasts can be set to different levels of privacy and comments can be turned on or off.
Safety/security concerns: Teachers who must request certificate approval by tech staff may want to try this tool at home and create some sample projects to convince administration of its educational value. Ads are found along the top and sides of the screencast site. You may want to prohibit or point out the links to advertising located on the screencast pages. Unless checked to turn off comments, this site will allow comments on your work. Many districts prohibit such interaction and steps should be taken to prohibit commenting from others. When using the widget, the tool does not attribute work to specific students. You may wish to have the students identify their work while creating the screencast. Screencasts will only be able to be viewed when using an embed code in a site, wiki, or blog. Students need an email to create an account though authorization is not required. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here
is a blog post that tells how. By marking the screencast "searchable," it can be available to the public. Recently created screencasts do not appear on the home page of screencast-o-matic. Students are able to self-register, but you may want to keep a record of logins and passwords for students who forget.
Classroom Uses: Make how-to demos for instructions on using and navigating your class home page, class wiki or blog, or other applications you wish the students to use in creation of classroom content. By narrating how you want students to navigate through a certain site or section, you can eliminate confusion, provide an opportunity for students to use the information as a refresher for the future, and maintain a record for absent students. Software demonstrations add an increased flexibility with helping students who need it while allowing students to begin and work at their own pace. Added audio is a great asset for many students including learning support and those who might need to access the material in smaller “chunks.” Use this site for students to give "tours" of their own wiki or blog page. The presentation of their web-based projects and resources can be more engaging. Use screencasts to critique or show the validity of websites, identify a resource site they believe is most valuable, or explain how to navigate an online game. Social studies teachers could assign students to critique a political candidate’s web page using a screencast. Reading/language arts teachers could have student teams analyze a web site to show biased language, etc. For w powerful writing experience, have students "think aloud" their writing choices as the record a screencast of a revision or writing session. You will probably need to model this process, but writing will NEVER be the same! Math teachers using software such as Geometer’s Sketchpad could have students create their own narrated demonstrations of geometry concepts as review (and to save as future learning aids). Teachers at any level can create screencasts to demonstrate a computer skill or assignment, such as for a center in your classroom or in a computer lab. Students can replay the “tutorial” on their own from your class web page and follow the directions.
Teacher's First Edge Review: For serious technology users. Create videos of how to use a website or application as well as your thoughts as you are navigating through simulations or sites. This free site records your voice and captures what is on your screen as you work on your computer. Screentoaster works with any type of computer platform. View screencasts made from other users which can be helpful in learning a new technology tool. Here is an example screencast of how to use screentoaster. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10024
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Users should know what they are trying to show before making a screencast. Click on the "Demo" button to learn more about making a screencast as well as visit the "FAQ" section for additional help. Click on "Start Recording." A Java applet will begin to load and must be approved before being able to screencast. Many school districts have settings on computers that restrict pop-ups or applets from loading. Check with your technology department. Set your video and audio settings next. Click "Record" or Alt-S to start. When done, watch your recording, upload to the Screentoaster site, or upload to You Tube. To continue to edit your screencast, download the video (as an .avi) to edit with movie software.
Safety/security: This site includes content contributed by the general public and may not be suitable for the classroom. The value of this site is to create tutorials to help students use a tool, but many students can also use this tool to create tutorials for other students. Create a class account where screencasts can be made. Screencast videos made by students would not be attributed to the student. Be sure to determine a way to know which work belongs to particular studentssuch as including initials or a group number in screencast titles. An email address is required for sign up to use this service. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your
own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.
Classroom use: Consider making screencasts of navigating through websites you use often such as wikis, blogs, or simulation/game sites. Many students who learn these sites naturally can create screencasts as well to help other students. Screencasts can also be made on how to use various software used to create projects or multimedia products. Have students create web site critique “tours” to demonstrate a site’s bias or questionable/reputable quality. Have your students 21st century literacy skills by analyzing and acting as media critics comparing different political coverage, etc. by screencast tours. Be sure to share the screencasts on a class wiki or blog for further discussion and even outside comments (if permitted by school policy).
Teacher’s First Edge review: for moderately adventurous technology users. This free provides an instantly-available online whiteboard for multiple people to collaborate as they brainstorm, add text and shapes, or annotate an image. You can also add video or sound (if you have Internet cameras and microphones). Create a graphic from scratch using the geometric shapes. Share the whiteboard to brainstorm with both words and shapes. Upload of photos is easy. Include photos or other images as part of your collective visual “thinking.” A chat function exists on the whiteboard space, as well. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9616
In the Classroom: Skills needed: You need to know how to locate and upload a picture from your computer and how to manage basic tools, etc. Scribblar creates a temporary room for use by your group. Using the free room requires a name to be entered to temporarily manage and track edits. Email addresses or passwords are NOT required. Tools are easy to use and require a small amount of play to be comfortable. Invitations can be sent to other students in order to allow group contributions. Clicking “Take a snapshot” opens a pop up window to SAVE the collaborative creation. You can also use the print screen function (PrtSc button on a PC) or apple/shift/4 combination on a mac. For schools needing more photo mash up options to alter artwork or photos, this is an alternative.
Safety/security concerns: The site includes a chat function. Be sure to caution students about appropriate use. Continuous monitoring by teachers is essential!
Ideas for use: Use pictures from a science lab or experiment to write information on the picture. Have student groups collaborate to create a diagram of the steps in a process shown in a photograph. Have students add annotations to an art images or ad layouts, showing design elements and the path of your eye as you view the image. Show math concepts using geometric shapes. Create images as a group or use for tutorials. Create artwork or use for brainstorming. Have students create their own whiteboard as part of a research project. Project the “Scribblar – whiteboard brainstorming” on your interactive whiteboard or projector as you begin a unit or lesson or to recap the steps in a process with the entire class. Collaborate with others outside the classroom as you create a community map or action plan together.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for ANY technology user who can "draw" with computer drawing tools. With no registration or email required, you can use this site to "draw" on and label any map available through Google Maps, including maps of the night sky! Create a colorful and personalized map with added scribbles and labels. Your drawing or "Scribble Map" is then available for you to share by URL, email to a friend or teacher, or print (but think of the trees first). Slightly more savvy users can download, save as a kml file (readable in Google Maps or Google Earth), or even embed the map in another site. The tools include sharing the map on Facebook and Twitter, as well. Slightly more savvy users who know how to find the URL for an image on the web can add images to the maps, as well. Drawing tools include lines, circles, place pointers, text labels, and color/size/transparency controls for all tools. This site is not affiliated with Google Maps, but it does include Google Ads on the right side and all the normal controls of Google maps, including satellite, map, terrain, hybrid views and Night Sky. See a sample Scribble Map created by the TeachersFirst editors (drag the map with your mouse!):
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: Users need to have some basic familiarity with computer drawing tools and Google Maps. If you wish to include images in a map annotation, you need to know how to obtain the image URL from an image you wish to pull in from anywhere on the web. If you wish to embed the finished map in your web site, wiki, or blog, you must know how to copy/paste the embed code using that option from the Menu and paste it into your site.
Getting started: Explore the tools and MENU options at the top left when you start out. Try the different Maps views (lower right) and zoom controls. Search for a starter location using the search at the top left, just below the tools. There is no help available, but it is easy to do basic maps. Share, save, etc. by clicking Menu (top left). When you first save a map, it will ask you to create a password for that map to use to edit it later. Note that if you SAVE a map and share it by URL, those accessing it will be able to use the tools and change the map. If you want them to see it without changing it, you will need to embed it in a blog, wiki, or other web site. Students and teachers will want to keep a written record or map URLS and passwords for future reference. When you click to SAVE a map, the site gives you the direct URL for that map. Highlight it and control (on Mac: Command)+C to COPY it and then paste it into a document or electronic note so you do not "lose" it. Model this for students so they do not lose hours of work! Our editors discovered that the map ID can be changed and customized by simply typing in your own choice of ID when you are saving the map. You can also email the map URL to yourself and others. Students who create maps for an assignment can "turn them in" by emailing the URLs directly from this site to the teacher! All they need to do is type in a quick message identifying whose work it is. Teachers can prepare partially-made maps or maps for students to make corrections and changes by giving the students the URL, then having them SAVE the map with a NEW ID. To SAVE the map with a new name and URL, click "Save map" in the menu, then enter your OWN map ID. Students could use a code including their initials, such as SJ12-3-09 for a map made by Sally Jones on Dec 3, 2009. Teachers should PASSWORD their originals so changes can only be saved under a new name. Similarly, if a student saves the map with a map password, they don't have to worry about other students vandalizing their work. But they DO need to remember the password! Wise teachers will keep a class list of maps and passwords for forgetful students! A note from the TF editors; it took us a few moments to figure out that place pointers can be edited by selecting them (arrow tool), then clicking the small pencil!
Safety/Security Concerns: The site collects no information about users and no email address or membership. It does include advertising on the right side, but it you click the "delist" box when first saving a map, ads seems to disappear from that map except for an ad to use Google Adwords. All maps created are public BUT are only accessible if others KNOW the URL. Since this tool shares no "popular" or "latest" maps created by the general public, it is far safer than many user-tools on the web today. Before having students create their own maps on the web, check school policies and obtain written permission from parents. Be sure students do not include digital pictures or information that could identify them from their maps. Since images must come from other web pages, students will not be able to upload an image to include in their map. Using images by URL avoids the problems of copyright, however. Just be sure to teach your students the best practice of giving a credit to the image source in the text of their placemarker of other map annotation.
Possible Uses: in primary grades, make maps of your local community together on your interactive whiteboard as you teach basic map skills. Create your own "key" with symbols you choose for playgrounds, etc. Have students help map locations of favorite playgrounds, grandparents' houses, stores, etc. as they gain basic understanding of map skills. Make sure you allow students to operate the tools! Save the map and share it as a link from your class web site (or embed it there). Keep names generic so it is "safe." Other ideas: natural resource maps, immigration maps, maps of civil war battles day by day, maps of key sites in the life of a famous person, artist, or author. Maps of the settings in a novel, landform maps of a continent or state, "My life" maps of places important to an elementary student's family, annotated watershed maps of pollution sources, maps of the water cycle, maps of constellations in the night sky created by students to demonstrate understanding, maps of a dream community to be built in a vacant area (desert), including the water sources, etc. that will be needed, maps of a redesigned city/town on top of its current map. Teachers can provide map challenges or templates to be completed or corrected, including maps where students must label distances and cardinal directions between points (using map scale and skills). Or provide a teacher-created map with labels in the wrong places for students to correct the landforms, resources, etc. What will YOU do with Scribble Maps?
Scribd - Trip Adler , Jared Friedman, Tikhon Bernstam
TeachersFirst Edge tool: for moderately adventurous technology users. This online file storage and sharing space allows you to upload Word documents, Excel files, pdfs, PowerPoint files, and other formats and keep them in a place where others (or just you) can access them. Scribed provides tools to convert between file types, for example to make a Word document into a pdf (readable in Acrobat Reader on most computers)or even to convert it into a SOUND file (MP3). The sound conversion apparently takes some time, as our editors found when uploading a sample. The default set-up makes files public when you upload, so you are , in effect, "publishing" them to the web, but you also have options to make them "private," i.e. limited access via a private URL for that document, or to make them only available to a certain "group." You can create or join groups, as well. Our editors made a sample that is "private," but available via this link. The site uses FLASH, so be sure you have the plug-in. 8605
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join (free). Email address is optional. Determine whether you have the copyright to the file(s) you wish to upload. You may ONLY upload files to which you hold the rights. Locate files on your computer and upload them. (Read FAQ for file types that are permissible). Choose options for that file: tags, private/public, etc. Create groups, such as for your class or group projects. Determine rights of the groups---who uploads? Who administers the group? You can also bulk upload. There is also a "collections" feature within your account, possible for different types of work, different student authors, etc. If you have a class log, click "more options" at the left of a document display to copy code and embed the actual Scribd file in your blog---a SAFE way to share it without sending students to Scribd.
How would you use this? As a productivity tool for yourself, you can make all your own files available from any computer, so you will never say, "I left it on my desktop at home." This is handy for itinerant teachers or forgetful students. Having pdf versions of handouts available with a few clicks makes it easy to share them with students via email or links on your teacher web page.
As an instructional tool, you will first need to manage some safety issues. Scribd is a site for the general public, a]so the texts available can have objectionable subject matter. "Browsing" Scribd is not an option for the classroom unless they launch a Squeaky-clean education version. If more mature students want to maintain (and even share) a writing portfolio to accompany college applications or simply document their growth as a writer over time, this tool is great, It will even save "versions" of documents to show writing process. There are some other ideas in our sample document. For safety reasons, we recommend a written Scibd policy for your classroom requiring parent permission for using the site, maintaining limited access for class members of selected "collaborators," such as a partner class from another school, and strict NO BROWSING, NO COMMENTING , NO JOINING GROUPS unless they are known to the teacher. The simplest way to control this is to have all students use ONE account (that you can monitor) and create individual collections or "tag" their work with their initials or some other unique identifier. This would allow everyone to "keep" work there, so you can open drafts on a whiteboard, access writings from a few months ago for comparison side-by-side, etc.
A "possible uses" list:
Share handouts or study guides (yours or student-made)
Share permission forms, lab report formats, assignments, calendars, project rubrics and details, science fair documents, collaborative writing or group projects. Create an online literary magazine "dropbox." Encourage student responsibility by suggesting they maintain their own file repository on Scribd so they ALWAYS have their homework. Help students "hear" their own drafts read aloud (if the audio conversion works quickly enough). Share all lab data from a science experiment so students have a large data set to analyze. Then share their lab reports. Have students "turn in" any assignment to your group (if you and their parents think they are trustworthy on the site alone). The list goes on and on...
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: For moderately adventurous technology users. Simplybox is an online space for collecting pieces of content from throughout the web: parts of web pages, images, recipes, passages of text, entire web pages, etc. Each “box” can hold and arrange a mixture of contents and can include comments from those creating the box and those who see it. Everything moves by simply selecting and drag/drop. You can also create “boxes” that are shared among many Simplybox member/users, with each being able to add content and comments. You can publicly share boxes and allow comments by sharing the URL. To access the comment area, click "view" and choose "list view."
See a sample, publicly shared box created by TeachersFirst Edge editors
here. Leave us a comment by changing it to List View (under View menu at top left). This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9630
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Requires Internet Explorer 7 or Vista. Join the site (free). This requires email and must be validated by clicking on a link in the email. Once registered, be sure to watch the short video that explains Simplybox and its terminology and functionality. You can watch this while you wait for the email! You may need to check your junk mail folder to find the validation email. Do this in advance before using the tool in class! Our editors waited at least 30 minutes for the email to arrive. The email will provide a link to download and install the Simplybox toolbar. If your school machine is “locked down,” you may want to install it at home to create sample “boxes” to demonstrate to your tech folks why they should permit and/or install the toolbar. After you install, you will need to open Internet Explorer afresh for the toolbar to appear. Log in and add things to the “stuff” box they provide for you at the start. You may want to use separate tabs or windows for selecting items and arranging your “simplybox” so you can collect things quickly.
Tips: Open a web page, then use “box and save” on the toolbar to turn on the selection tool and ”grab” portions of a web page. Our editors found that pages with a frameset did not “box” very well. Box items inside the frame without the frame itself. Find the tools to arrange (view) the pieces, add comments (click on an item to edit it separately), delete an item, rename the “box” (edit menu), etc. The zoom control at the RIGHT is very important to obtain more space in the “box.” Items seem to display with the newest on “top” when overlapped, and you cannot rearrange the order.
Model and require ethical use of web content by showing students how you document the sources of the items within a “box.” Note that the link they show for the source is the home page of that site. To be more accurate, copy/paste the actual URL for the specific page into a comment, along with bibliography information. You can use comments to provide full documentation as you collect items or retrieve the data later by using the link from that item back to its original source. Since items retrieved in the past may link to a newer version of the web page, so it is wisest to collect source information as you go. The tools do record the date when you “boxed” the item.
Once you have created a box you like, Share it with others. If the others are members of Simplybox, they can edit and add to the box, too. If not, they can add comments on the items in the box you share by providing the URL.
Safety/security concerns: If you plan to have students use individual Simplybox accounts, check your school’s policy on accessing and sharing student email. Another option is to use your teacher Gmail account and set up subaccounts for up to 20 students to register (by code name or number). Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
Possible Uses:
Share teacher-created collections of web resources using this visual tool. Even non-readers can click on an image to access the page and use it. Share a collection of sources on the same research topic for students to compare for bias, leaving their comments on which they would trust the most. Assign students (must be members) to create their own collection of information on a research topic, annotating each with comments. Imagine having each group present their “findings” on genetic engineering, including links, images, and commentary, making the “box” available during oral presentations on the interactive whiteboard and also sharing the link on the class wiki for others to comment. Allow individual students to “collect” a “box” of resources they would like to use for research on animals or cultures, commenting back to them about their choices. Learning support, ESL and ELL, or reading teachers can collect passages from various web pages for comprehension practice, placing questions in comments and asking students to respond in comments. If your students are members, assign each group a series of images that they must explain and re-order as they learn about the stages of insect development using the source pages of the images. Have student groups illustrate the sequence of urban development using a “simply box” and comments. Provide a digital “trunk show” of an era and ask students to research and write about what they learn, adding their own comments and reactions. Then ask them to create their own “trunk show." Art teachers can collect images to demonstrate design concepts, then assign students to make their own annotated collections of images with analogous color schemes or good examples of texture, etc. Have students turn in current events “boxes” showing and explaining different angles on a single event from different cultural perspectives. Have students collect snippits of language from many web pages illustrating figures of speech such as metaphors. Let them add images to show the metaphor. Have students create visual poems using text from a poetry page and the images it generates in their mind, explaining their choices in comments.
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for moderately adventurous technology users. This simple-to-use online tool allows any user to create a "recording" of a drawing without without narration. Simply draw on a "whiteboard" space on the computer screen (and, if you wish, record yourself talking as you draw). The finished product is available as a mini-video (recorded in Flash) that can be shared via URL or embedded in a blog or wiki, much the same way people share YouTube videos. See a sample created by the Edge editorial team with some ideas for ways to use a Sketchcast. Requires FLASH. 8666
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the site (free). Membership requires an email address, but appears to work just fine with a "made up" address (warning: email notifications for forgotten passwords will not work if you pretend!). Watch the sample sketchcast, if you wish. Create a sketchcast (be sure to plug in a mike and check "with voice" if you want sound. When finished, name it, and publish it. You can copy/paste the URL from the page that shows the Sketchcast to share it, click to email it to someone, or copy/paste the code they provide to embed it in your blog. Edit or delete from the My Account page.
Some concerns: there is no way to keep your sketchcast private. Any visitor to the Sketchcast site can see it or link to it. They can also COMMENT on it--possibly a problem as you try to protect students. Also, your students can see any Sketchcast that has been made on the site, so content may NOT be appropriate to all classrooms. (Stick figures can be suggestive or scary, too!). There is a link to report any abuse of the site. The Edge team recommends some combination of a student-user agreement, signed by parents as well or close monitoring if you choose to use this in class. The safest way to SHARE Sketchcasts you make for students is to embed them in your blog so they will not "see" the rest of the Sketchcast site. NEVER allow students to create user names or Sketchcasts that are identifiable by unscrupulous outsiders. One other limitation is the difficulty of drawing with a mouse. If you have access to graphics tablets, these would really help. You might also try "drawing" with your finger with the site open on an interactive whiteboard!
Ideas to use Sketchcast: allow students to submit assessment quizzes using sketchcast instead of written essays (especially those with writing disabilities); create teacher-made explanations of concepts or math processes for students to access and play from your blog for review; Allow young ones to draw and talk about animals they have learned about (on the interactive whiteboard, then embed their videos in the class blog; have students talk about musical notes or symbols as you draw them and record for later review; allow students to do prewriting for assignments in Sketchcast; challenge students to create a visual explanation of an abstract concept, such as democracy or energy. The options are endless.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. Create simple drawings (or elaborate ones) and share them in animated form using this online tool. The VERY simple drawing tool space records your drawing actions, allows you to replay to see it in quick motion, and "publishes" the result on a web page. The site is designed as a social drawing space where you can view others' work and share your own, but students could use it just for class--and so could you. See a silly sample diagram made by our editors. This site requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. 8553
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join the site (free). They say it requires email, but it works with a "nonsense" address, so students COULD set up a quick account. We recommend using a single class account with the teacher's email so you can monitor content. It appears that multiple computers can log into the same account at the same time. Once on the site, SKIP the profile info (not required) and friends, and go right to "draw something." Use very simply tools to diagram a process (photosynthesis?), build an art drawing to show how simple geometric shapes can interact as the basis for complex drawings, or illustrate a simple allegorical story with basic shapes (The Dot Meets the Line?). Use Replay to watch it.
When you are ready, click "publish" and copy the URL they provide (skip the email part) so you can show the animation on your interactive whiteboard or place the link in other presentations. You can also DOWNLOAD the still image.
Safety concerns: Since the site has drawings by anyone, we do not recommend allowing students to browse freely. You never know what people might "draw"! Share the site on a supervised computer or an interactive whiteboard or projector to avoid adventurous curiosity in class. Let the students do that at home under someone else's supervision. The site policies state that content should be rated "PG."
How would you use this? Challenge students to use the tool to explain complex processes in simple graphic terms. Since text is very difficult, you may want them to narrate their animations themselves. Art teachers will want to browse some of the beautiful drawings done by others on this site and share the animations to show techniques of building color, shape, cross-hatching ,etc. to make an image. (There is an opacity variation tool, but you have to "earn" it---our reviewers did not get that far).
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for slightly adventurous technology users (may require permission or special arrangements from your tech department!). Every teen and college student knows Skype, the free tool for making calls from computer to computer anywhere in the word. By downloading and installing free software and setting up a free account, you can talk and/or make a video call to a similarly equipped computer elsewhere in the world for free. Skype uses a lot of "bandwidth" so is not suitable for very slow networks or dial up connections. It may also be slow at high-traffic times on a good network. Some patience and pretesting is required before you can be sure it will work for your needs. Connect to classrooms, experts, authors, virtual special speakers, or interview subjects using Skype. 10252
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: Download and install the Skype software. If you are not allowed to install software on school computers, ask to have a single laptop available that is Skype-capable so you can borrow it or else explain to your principal that you are planning a series of Skype visits in your classroom so your techies will install it in your classroom. You will need a computer with built-in or separate microphone and speakers and optional webcam. If you plan to use a webcam, you must know how to start it. You will need to set up a free Skype account (requires email) and password. Keep a record of what you use for email and password! A single teacher-controlled Skype account will work in most school settings.
Getting started: If you prefer written directions go to Help >> Step by Step Help to get started. Or ask a student to show you (without seeing your password). You will need to explore the tools in Skype to locate where to enter the SKYPE name of the person you wish to call, start the call, and answer calls. Do NOT set your copy of Skype to "remember me" on a school computer! If students are to participate in the Skype call, you may want to have a "hot seat" at the Skyping computer so they can sit at a mike so their questions will pick up better for the person at the other end.
Safety and Security Tips: Be sure to set Skype so it does not open every time you start up the computer. Manually start the program when needed and do not leave an obvious Skype icon on the desktop for "clever" students to find. Protect your password -- do not post it on the computer. A teacher-controlled account is best for Skype classroom use to prevent unauthorized calls by students. Your user name will show on the screen for students to see, so be aware of that when you create your account.
Possible Uses: Anything you can do by telephone or video call you can do on a projector with your entire class. Connect the Skyping computer to a projector or whiteboard for the entire class to see if you are using video. (The video will be fuzzy, but good enough to follow a person's face.) Use Skype to talk to authors (check out their web sites or this blog for contact information). Have students write questions in advance. Use your contacts, web page "contact us" emails, and parent contacts to find others willing to Skype into your classroom. Interview scientists or government officials, deployed military personnel, or classes far away in a different culture or language. Younger students can compare weather, family life, community events, and more. Learn other ideas for using Skype in your classroom
Teachers First Edge Review: For adventurous technology users. Create a website in mere minutes using this free and easy to use interface. There is a "Pro Account" that is for a fee, but the "Personal Account" is FREE! An email address is required for site creation. Enter a username (which will be the name of your site). This tool offers highly visual, pleasing “looks.” 10179
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Entering and remembering usernames and passwords are necessary. An email address is required to verify information before beginning. If students are creating pages, be sure to check with your district policy on student use of email as well as publishing of student information. You may wish to have a master snappages site or other website that links to all the student sites for ease of finding information. Alternately, use a word document to record student sites. If snappages are used primarily as a student blog, use feed settings on the blog page of the master site to import feeds from all students in the class. Users need to be able to enter correct url's of sites to manage feeds. An understanding of feeds and management of simple sites is necessary.
To use SnapPages: After verification through email, follow the screens to choose your template, learn basics of the site, and create pages through the control panel. Pages that can be created include "Home," "About Me," "Blog," "Photos," and "Calendar." Click on the page to change, click "Edit," and then click on each text or headline field to edit these sections. Buttons below allow changes in heading, font, and other styles. Click "Cancel," "Save," or "Preview" at the bottom of the page when done. Easily change permissions or revert to a previous version. Click on "Applications" to access the various pages created. Also access your themes, and friends through "Applications." Through the Friends tab, you can chat (called a "Gab",) exchange information, and create a profile. Clicking on "Help" takes you to the user forum, FAQ pages, and more help. Easily import feeds from another blog. These feeds do not just appear along the side as a link, but will bring in all posts in chronological order. See an example Snappage here: http://hurricanemaine.snappages.com
Safety/Security: This site allows outsiders to comment, mark favorites, or interact with blog posts. Many school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety or establish specific written class rules and consequences for interacting with outsiders. Students can create their own snappages including blog pages. Look and discuss different privacy options for best use of the pages. Consider a class snappage with multiple authors to create class content instead if individual pages are not needed. Students must have individual accounts (email required). Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.
All students will have access to comment on each others' work, so you may want to spell out specific consequences for inappropriate commenting depending on your students. Address possible misuse (especially of the gab function,) by discussing consequences and managing project/class time to keep students on task.
Possible uses: Have students create their own snappages. Link these feeds together on a master snappage for ease of finding recent blogposts. Students can easily comment on each others' work and begin great conversations about issues in any content area. Create a class snappage with multiple authors that report on class projects, happenings, or important information. Share major class events, photos (within school policies), or even student artwork using this visual forum. Senior high students might want to create art or writing portfolios for use in college admissions.
TeachersFirst Edge Review: for those who are allowed to download and install free software. Use this free application to create accurate 3D models of the solar system. Show the planets and orbits as well as the sun and the moon. View detailed information of the physical and chemical make-up of the planets, the energy of the sun, and details of solar eclipse. View all images in great color. Change orbit views or tilt and rotate orbits to other angles. Speed up or slow down the movement of the solar system. Application download is for Windows PC only and appears NOT to work with Vista.
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: Moderate technology skills. Users will need the skills of downloading and finding and managing applications. The software is easy to use and has a wonderful interface for finding great information about the planets.
Safety/security: The only safety concern is whether your school’s policy allows you to install this free software. If not, try approaching an administrator or department head to show them the descriptions and request installation at least on you teacher computer for sharing on projector and/or whiteboard.
Classroom use: Use this free model to understand the physics of the universe or learn astronomy. Use as a science fair project, to ask questions or find answers, and to create material for presentation online or in class. Share the model on your interactive whiteboard or projector.
Teacher's First Edge Review: For slightly adventurous technology users. Use Creature Creator to make interesting and imaginative animals. Your students may recognize it as a tool for making characters for the Spore video game, but it is actually a useful tool for learning, as well. Use a pre-made creature or create your own custom creature. Add carnivore features to your creation that include mouths, ears, eyes, arms, hands, feet, and legs. Weapons such as horns, spikes, and clubs can also be added to the creature as well as wings. Change the position of the features and alter them through unbelievable joint changes which then alter how your creature walks and moves. Paint your creation when done and place it in its woodland environment. The creature can walk, show emotion, have offspring, and make sounds. Use the software to take a picture, record a movie, and make an avatar. By adding a description and tags, your creation can be uploaded to the spore website or to a You Tube account. Here is an example (if you can access You Tube).
Creature Creator is a free download but is a limited version of the original purchased program. The purchased program provides many more choices for the features and environments used to make the creatures. The download is available for both PC and Mac. 9476
In the Classroom: Skills needed: User needs to be able to download and install the free program. Easy to use interface. Start with a blob, which you manipulate into a shape, pulling its spinal cord in any direction with the mouse, before adding a head, limbs and various optional extra body parts. Choose your part by using the onscreen catalog. Manipulate it further by changing the position of joints or through adding or deleting segments. Add a background and move your creature by dragging your mouse for it to follow. Continue to alter your creature to get the movement or features needed.
Pressing "H" brings up the spore guide which includes topic categories such as "Welcome to Spore," "Getting Started," "Build Mode," "Test Drive," and "Paint Mode."
Safety/security concerns: Check your district policy on downloading and installing of programs. Many districts have administrative controls on each computer. Check with your IT department. Teachers who must request software installation by tech staff may want to try this tool at home and create some sample projects to convince administration of its educational value.
Uploading pictures and videos of creations to You Tube or the spore site may expose students to advertising as well as inappropriately created creatures. You may want to send students directly to URLs for their own projects, maintain the creatures on the classroom computer itself, or use Teacher Tube to upload the creations. Uploading creatures enables outsider comments without teacher control. Outsiders can interact or mark the creations as favorites. Many school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety or establish specific written class rules and consequences for interacting
with outsiders. Student work can be saved as a picture and printed, as well, for sharing and showing. Check your school policies on whether student work may be
displayed online and what information is permitted, then enforce that policy with your students.
No login is required to use the downloaded or purchased program. The tool does not show which work is attributable to each student. You may want to require student initials on projects in order to get credit.
Possible Uses: Use Creature creator to create an unusual creature as a class project. Create a classification system of all the class creatures to demonstrate biology classification skills. When discussing the groupings in the Animal Kingdom, use Creature Creator to create a new organism for that group. Use the tool to create a class creature with adaptations to a specific environment. Have students create a creature and then write a story or poem about it and how it lives. Have students create a creature as a self-portrait of personality or other traits the students possess. Students can design and draw habitats that would house their creation including the calculation of the volume and area the housing would require. Use a classroom projector or white board to share/create creatures in class and discuss specific features of the creatures.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for the more adventurous technology user. Create printable, downloadable, emailable, or online versions of photo collages in a stained glass style using this free online tool. You must join (free) to make an account. You can upload digital pictures or transfer them from Flickr (see TeachersFirst Edge for more info on Flickr). The products can have all sorts of uses or simply be an artistic project. Be sure to read About Stained Glass Collage for tech info and ideas. 7009
In the Classroom: Upload photos to a teacher account and allow students to create "stained glass" collages from your collection. You can document a field trip, illustrate a concept or process, such as "autumn," "healthy eating," or photosynthesis. Demonstrate first on a projector or interactive whiteboard, if available. Some other ideas to illustrate: lab safety, food groups, mammals, acceleration, branches of government, etc. The only limit is your imagination! You can also make great collages for an open house PowerPoint show or for your web site (assuming you OWN the rights to the images).
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for users who are able to download and install software. Stellarium is a free, open source planetarium software for your computer. You must download the software and install it on your computer to create a planetarium-like experience right in your classroom. (Open source software is free to allow software developers to collaborate and improve on the products. This is the newest trend in web development). The download and install are not difficult, but you should ask someone for help if you are uncomfortable. 6917
In the Classroom: You may need tech support to help you install the program on a school computer. There is an extensive wiki (user-contribution help section) to answer your questions about using Stellarium.
Try it on a projector in your classroom or even on an interactive whiteboard where students can draw and highlight items "in space." When you find successful strategies for using the software, be sure to participate in the wiki to share them. Or
contact TeachersFirst to let us know more about ways to use Stellarium, so we can share them with other teachers!
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. Create collaborative visual and verbal spaces where you can “post” and share ideas, images, snippits of text, sticky-notes, photos, documents, and more using Stixy. The product makes a bulletin board of items, reminders, comments—essentially everything you could throw onto the front of your refrigerator and more. You can share the stixyboard by URL. Here is an example of a Stixyboard created by the TeachersFirst Edge team. At the time of this review, Stixy was testing a calendar feature with a limited test group. Some features of Stixy appear a bit slow, but the tool still says it is in beta testing. Be patient as the pages load. (Watch the little status report in your lower left in Internet Explorer; it will tell you that things are loading.) 9631
In the Classroom: Skills needed: Join (free) using an email address. Note that you do not need to access this email to be able to log in right away (handy when some email is blocked at school!). It will help if you forget a password, though. Use your extra, memberships email account (such as Gmail). If you plan to have students create individual accounts with their individual email accounts, check school policies. Another option is to use your teacher Gmail account and set up subaccounts for up to 20 students to register (by code name or number). Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. If you plan to have students collaborate using a Stixyboard, they will need to be able to log in individually, using either a Gmail subaccount or their own email accounts. To share a board, click Options. You can find the URL for the board there, as well.
Safety/security concerns: Sharing of Stixyboards is completely controlled by the users who create the boards. If students only “share” with those within their group, there is no “contact” with outsiders. Make sure they include you as a shared member on any collaborative project so you can monitor student work. Check school policies (and obtain parent permission, if necessary) before allowing students to post any work to the web. Stixy does not promote public sharing and commenting.
Possible uses: Teachers can use Stixyboards shared by URL to assign or create web-based tasks: directions and tasks to do on the web (with links), collections of writing prompts (images AND text), or calendars. Students –even young ones – will catch on to the tools of Stixy very quickly to create their own Stixyboards. Have students “collect” quotes and images to convey a message or profile a concept or time period: a Stixyboard about the 1960’s, a writer’s journal of ideas for future writings, a collection of images that use LINE as a major design element, a board full of questions on a new curriculum topic -— a visual KWL chart that can be added to, rearranged, and edited as the unit proceeds -- almost a cognitive “journal” as learning proceeds. For example: Thoughts about Macbeth or The Great Depression. As students read a piece of literature or a challenging speech such as the Gettysburg address, they can collect, question, and comment on snippets from the text, including their own “I wonder” or “what if” notes. Have students make a Stixyboard of the water cycle or other processes, including images and notes to explain each step, then “turn in” the URL for their work or share it with others for changes and additions. (Changes are logged as part of the “list” at the left of any board.) For art classes, assign students to collect and annotate images as they prepare to create artworks of their own, just as artists collect materials in design notebooks and sketchbooks.
Some thoughts on giving credit and copyright: Since it is simple to add notes, students can easily keep track of the SOURCES of anything they collect into a Stixyboard, such as images or quotes, simply by copy/pasting URLs into a "Credits" note. Make sure you require them to do this kind of citation, especially if they use any images. Note that a password-protected (see options) Stixyboard CAN use downloaded images from the web under Fair Use, provided you limit access to that board ONLY to members of that class.
This site walks you through the easy steps for creating your own story and posting it to this site! A companion site to Myths and Legends (reviewed here), this walks you through the easy steps for creating your own story and posting it to this site. Story Creator provides templates for backgrounds and characters, or you can upload your own. Follow the easy steps to upload and record voice for your story. Unlimited storyboard frames are available. Be sure to visit the “Teachers” link for lesson ideas, “how to,” and more.
Registering at this site is required in order to use its features. In order for your class to upload stories, you must register at the site. Registration does require an email address, and setting up a school account may take a few days. Rather than using personal email accounts for students, consider creating a teacher Gmail account and set up subaccounts for up to 20 students to register (by code name or number). Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. You must have a microphone to record voices. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9972
In the Classroom: Make writing assignments come alive using this free site. Post local legends and myths onto this site and link to it from your school or class website. Use a site like MapSkip, (reviewed here), to connect geography and writing. Students can even record their stories to share (in the exact location on the map, where the stories were written). High school students can partner with an elementary school to collaborate on creating stories together. Have students create blog entries using their stories (and comment on others).
Teacher's First Edge entry: For slightly adventurous or curious technology users. Want to "stumble upon" some great sites? Use StumbleUpon to browse websites without having to enter search terms and click through search pages. Choose categories that you are interested in. These can be updated at any time. Choose hobbies, interests, or teaching subjects. When the StumbleUpon button on the tool bar is pressed, StumbleUpon presents a website to fit your interests. Simply click the thumbs up "I like it" or the thumbs down symbol on the tool bar to "teach" StumbleUpon what you like. StumbleUpon seeks out interesting pages you might otherwise not see. The more you Stumble and indicate your preferences, the more Stumble Upon will refine its understanding of what you like. On the StumbleUpon site, you can see your favorites, as well as the top rated websites, videos, and photos from their many "stumblers." Firefox or Internet Explorer is required. 8994
In the Classroom: The best use of this site is for teacher research. Hit the Stumble button once or twice a day to find new ideas and new sites for teaching. Skills needed: Join the site (free, but requires email). Download and install the tool bar for Firefox or Internet Explorer and create your "identity." Click the Stumble button. Though you may not get websites relating to just one specific topic, many in your field or interest group will come up. Bookmark these for later use. LOG OUT of Stumble Upon when you are not at your computer to avoid unauthorized use.
Safety concern: Be wise and choose your interests carefully. For example, if you are interested in photography, you will receive random photo sites. Though many have wonderful photos, a few may have questionable content not appropriate for education. Since StumbleUpon has other uses, such as "dating" and "friends," and the ability to see other "popular" sites, you will want to use a single class account to model and teach web site critique and evaluation as a whole class. Individual student profiles can be problematic to supervise unless your school has built a strong, enforceable Acceptable Use Policy, signed by both student and parent, that holds the STUDENT accountable for his/her behavior, not you.
If your school uses a filter (U.S. schools are required to do so by law), any streaming media and other sites may be blocked. If you "Stumble" at home and find a useful site, follow your school's technology policy to request unblocking of specific URLs that are directly related to curriculum.
Editorial comment: Be sure to SHARE your reason for using the site with administrators and school decision-makers to demonstrate why school policies should permit such powerful tools for teaching and learning. You may have to "prove" the worth of StumbleUpon by providing specific examples of the content you have found through this tool, especially since many schools prevent users from downloading and installing any software at all. Be sure to talk about -- and follow through on -- teaching students how to critique and evaluate websites as research skills. General surfing the web in the classroom is not considered best practice, and your example will speak volumes. You may need to become an expert "Stumbler" at home to build your case for accessing and demonstrating the tool at school.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: For the most adventurous technology users. This new start-up web 2.0 tool (born Dec 2006) is "a place where curious people explore all kinds of data." Users register to join (free) to upload and/or manipulate data of all kinds: from comparisons of "What a Couple of Hundred Billion [dollars] can buy," to sports stats to election stats to less school-appropriate topics such as drinking. Why risk it? You will find terrific examples (and non examples) of how data can be shared visually, manipulated, and reported to help explain a concept. You can upload you own datasets, tag them, and see how others collaborate. Even simpler, you can browse graphs already made on the site, mark them as part of "your" stuff (Favorites) and visit them on a screen to discuss which graphs provide meaningful data and what they show, exactly.
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In the Classroom: Any teacher using this site should register under the his/her own name and limit use to areas that have been previewed before class to avoid inappropriate content. The best use is by marking items as Favorites and beginning your class visit in your Favorites to avoid "popular" content that might be awkward for parents, students, and you to justify in a classroom. If your students have been collecting data (sightings of migratory birds, lab experiment data, daily temperatures, etc), you can upload them and manipulate them on this site, comparing to other data uploaded by others. Teachers of math, statistics, science, even reading can use and teach data analysis from graphs. Share this one with your "geeky" teacher friends and figure it out together!
Skills required: join the site (free), browse datasets or upload your own (several formats possible), mark Favorites, create tags, create graphs from one or more datasets, all by "playing with the tools. No clear "Help" is available. There is a tour to give you the big picture of how the site works. Finally, you may want to link to one of your graphs (such as from a PowerPoint show) or display one on a web page.
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for the more adventurous technology user. Tabblo allows you to make very professional-looking posters, brochures, photo layouts using an online tool. Join the site for free and use photos you "borrow" from Flickr, other Tabblo users, or uploaded from your own digital image collection. The hitch: you cannot PRINT OUT the finished Tabblo results from the web page. You CAN share it online (they'll give you the link) or pay to have it printed. Why bother? Primary teachers may want to use this site as a way to share images of a classroom special event with parents (by email invitation to view it online). Since you can designate your images and finished Tabblo as PRIVATE, there is no safety concern. Older students can actually make Tabblos of their own from images you provide or images they take with a digital camera. Our editors made a sample for you to view online. We used their sample images, so the content does not really "make sense." Be sure to read the TEXT of the sample Tabblo for more ideas on how to use the tool in the classroom. 7079
In the Classroom: Use Tabblos for professional-looking, student-made projects (perhaps pay to print the BEST one?) to illustrate concepts, show steps in a process, document a lab experiment,
Tech skills needed: ability to upload pictures (for which you OWN the rights), Tagging photos and finished Tabblos, reading step-by-step directions and Help to master simple drag and drop, template selection, text editing, etc involved in making the Tabblo, copy/paste of URL to share a Tabblo, careful reading of sharing options.
Our advice: start small and think about management issues if you are allowing students to upload photos. It might be easiest to provide a set, tagged with your class name, for the first time you use this tool. The students are guaranteed to ask for another Tabblo activity!
Become a technology expert by learning from the best. View screencasts of great training videos for teachers. Find content to support in a variety of subject areas with tutorials and "how to" for a variety of sites. Subscribe to newsletters to receive updates of newly produced videos. Find "how to" videos of web 2.0 tools such as wikis, blogs, and other more complicated tools by clicking on "Web 2.0/ICT Videos." 10534
In the Classroom: Use the links on the left hand side to find videos on how to use some of the most popular and useful classroom sites around. Find something of use in the vast array available for viewing. The screencasts of the web 2.0 sites offer step by step instructions to help novice and intermediate users in their use in the classroom. Videos are organized into topics with multiple tools showcased in the segment. Find quick videos at the bottom of the page which highlight just one tool. Even teachers of very young students will find many of the tools explained helpful for their own use in creating learning materials, centers, etc.
This section of Nik Peachey's Learning Technology Blog for ESL/ELL teachers offers 20 ways to use web cameras for classroom activities. There are videos, blog entries, reviews of some GREAT sites, and more. These suggestions include things such as diaries, dictation, class research, poetry, having a tip of the day, questions, guessing games, news, and student support. If you are not a techie, he has also made suggestions about which type of web cameras work and how to use them. This is a great tool to learn about some new online tools. Be sure to check out TokBox, mentioned in this blog and 
A fantastic and complete site that tells you all you need to know about making digital stories with students. The wide grade level range shows the versatility of the site for use with any student based upon his readiness to tell stories. The site includes everything from goals to resources to the step-by-step process used to create the stories. An example is also shown. Adobe Acrobat is necessary to see some examples.
