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SimpleMeet.Me - Irian Solutions
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
SimpleMeet.Me is a free service to quickly create an online chat room and invite others. That code appearing when you open SimpleMeet.me is the code that you can give to ...more
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SimpleMeet.Me is a free service to quickly create an online chat room and invite others. That code appearing when you open SimpleMeet.me is the code that you can give to anyone you want to join your chat. They simply enter that code to join. Registration is not required to use SimpleMeet.me.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): chat (53), social networking (112)
In the Classroom
Use this site to connect to other classes to open up conferencing between your students in one convenient place. Safety is not a concern with this site, since only those with your unique code can participate in a chat. Chat sessions are not saved. (You can copy/paste the content into a document before closing to save an offline copy.) Use this site for a means to connect to any classroom you choose for any subject area. Connect to learn about other locations, learn various perspectives, find animals that are similar yet different, learn about the different books others are reading, survey students on various economic, political, or environmental topics. Be sure to plan content ahead of time, so students have the opportunity to think through the material and formulate a response. Discuss appropriate ways to communicate to others prior to connecting with another classroom. Use SimpleMeet.me as a place for students to brainstorm and share ideas about a topic. Use as a simple help forum for students to ask questions of each other and of you. Share your unique code with parents once a month for a question and answer session at a scheduled time.Use backchannel chat on laptops during a video or student presentations. Pose questions for all to answer/discuss in the backchannel, or ask students to pose their own "I wonder if..." questions as they watch and listen. Keep every student engaged and THINKING as an active listener. The first time you use backchannel, you will want to establish some etiquette and accountability rules. The advantage of backchannel chat is that every student has a voice, no matter how shy. In world language classes or even autistic support class, have students using new language vocabulary in backchannel descriptions of what they see while classmates act out a scene from a video, or describing the feelings of the actors. In studying literature, collaborate with another class to have students role-play a chat between two characters or in history class for conversations between soldiers on two sides of the Civil War or different sides of the Scopes Monkey trial.
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Talk Typer - 2012 TalkTyper
Grades
K to 12
10 Favorites
0 Comments
Your spoken words are instantly changed to written text. You need to use the Chrome browser for this site to work properly. Just click on the microphone and speak. Follow ...more
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Your spoken words are instantly changed to written text. You need to use the Chrome browser for this site to work properly. Just click on the microphone and speak. Follow simple directions and immediately begin to dictate. You need to the Chrome browser for this site to work properly. As soon as speech is ready, it appears in red, and you push ok. Corrections are suggested in red. If your speech is not recognized, there is an alternatives button to help you dictate correctly. You can also click on the speaker button to hear the written words played back to you. Click the blue arrow to move the text down to the larger text box. There you can store several phrases or sentences together. Choose to print, email, or tweet your message. Talk Typer is also available in a variety of languages. Be sure to speak slowly and clearly. This is best used with short phrases or sentences.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): text to speech (18)
In the Classroom
Talk Typer is a very versatile tool, for students, parents, and teachers alike. Bypass poor typing skills, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and physical disabilities. Use this tool in emails, documents, or anything requiring typed text. Use in your writing class so students can either write or edit their work. Use when you are in a hurry with emails requiring long text. Use for your newsletters or family emails. Share this on your class website and at Back to School Night. Emerging literacy students will enjoy the success they have with their oral language into written word. Improve content and forget about mechanics of writing or typing. Focus in on grammar and mechanics after seeing the recognized mistakes. Include this website on every tool bar and as a favorite on your class web page. ELL students can speak English, play it back, and correct it until it "sounds right" and expresses their ideas correctly.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TED-Ed Lessons Worth Sharing - Ted.com
Grades
6 to 12
8 Favorites
0 Comments
Find videos recorded by professional educators. These are not just the humdrum lecture type videos you might expect. These are dynamic speakers, energized by their desire to share what...more
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Find videos recorded by professional educators. These are not just the humdrum lecture type videos you might expect. These are dynamic speakers, energized by their desire to share what they've learned and know. The videos are even more appealing because of the professional animators who worked in the background (with the educators) to get the message across to the audience. You can search these videos by "Series" or by "Subject." Every video has a Quick Quiz with basic comprehension questions, and real time answers. If you get an answer wrong, you will receive a video hint to help you get it correct. Every video has a "Think" section with open ended questions. Every video has a Dig Deeper section with additional resources for exploring the topic. You can take one of these videos, a video from YouTube, or any other video with a URL and "flip" them to make them your own. You can change the title, put in instructions, discard or keep the questions, create your own questions. In other words, you can make the video your own, to suit your needs. Once you save the video it will have a unique URL so you can track the progress and participation of anyone using it. Don't miss such clever offerings as David Hunter's video about the importance of geography concepts in deciding "How do you decide where to go in a zombie apocalypse?" Ted-Ed is only part of the TED offerings. View the full TED site reviewed here.
tag(s): business (57), design (83), literature (274), psychology (66), religions (68), video (276)
In the Classroom
Choose a video or create your own videos for students to use for review. After students view a video that has the questions, show one that doesn't, and have students generate questions for it. Assign videos for students to view at home or in the computer lab. Use them as a springboard for engaging writing prompts or to spark a discussion connected with a unit of study. Challenge students to do a compare/contrast activity using an online Venn Diagram tool reviewed here. Most of the videos are less than twenty minutes, which makes it realistic to use them in a one-period class lesson.Show a video or two with your class and discuss the set up of the lesson. Discuss the difference between basic comprehension questions and open-ended questions. Show your students an inspirational video or two from TED reviewed here. As a class, pick out eight or ten of the TED videos and allow students to sign up to work on one of the videos. Have cooperative learning groups develop a TED Ed video lesson. You will need to proofread all work using a word processor, before allowing students to upload their questions on TED Ed.
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Button Beats - Buttonbeats.com
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Make music using this creative tool. Play the instruments by moving your mouse over the keys, or use your computer's keyboard. To play with your computer keyboard, click the "activate...more
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Make music using this creative tool. Play the instruments by moving your mouse over the keys, or use your computer's keyboard. To play with your computer keyboard, click the "activate keyboard control button" on the right side of the piano. Play single notes or chords (hit two or more keys at the same time to play the chord). Use the built-in metronome and a chord chart. Switch from piano to organ mode and play other instruments. Sheet music is converted to a sequence of letters you type on the computer keyboard to play the actual song. The video here gives great directions on using the Button beats music player. Unfortunately this site requires Flash, so it will not work on touch-friendly iOS devices.
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tag(s): music theory (41), musical instruments (47), musical notation (37), podcasts (55)
In the Classroom
Create original background music for any multimedia project or a lead-in for podcasts. Since the created music is original it is not a copyright concern. Use this site to teach basic music concepts on an Interactive Whiteboard or projector. This is a great tool for music classes or students learning to play the piano. Challenge students to RECORD their own creative pieces and share with the class. Have students create music to express their reactions to current events, social issues, after reading a book, or whatever relates to your curriculum.Edge Features:
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Products can be embedded
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Lesson Stream - Jamie Keddie
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Lessonstream offers 70+ English lessons originally intended for ELL/ESL learners. They are divided by ability levels, listed according to topic, language aim, learner type, and lesson...more
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Lessonstream offers 70+ English lessons originally intended for ELL/ESL learners. They are divided by ability levels, listed according to topic, language aim, learner type, and lesson time. Each lesson includes images or a video, preparation tasks, text prompts and then the lesson plan. Many include additional printouts to supplement the lesson. Explore the site in several ways: browse all lessons page by page, time needed for lesson, learner type, main activity, language aim, or materials. Download lessons using the PDF link provided with each lesson. "Pinned" images provide age level information, activity type, and language skill addressed for each activity. Most lessons are aimed at middle school learners and above. However, there are several for younger students and worth taking a look if you teach younger grades.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): narrative (22), parts of speech (68), punctuation (43), sentences (50)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site to access lesson plans throughout the year. Lesson plans cover multiple grade levels in many different English content areas. Resources can enrich, or even give further explanation to current topics of study. Teachers of English/language arts and special ed will find some of the lessons quite applicable for all students, not just ELL.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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QR Codes and Ideas for Using Them in the Classroom - Karen Ogen
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Learn what QR codes are and how to use them in a classroom. There are ideas for literacy, math, art, social studies, science, and more. The slideshow provides some quick ...more
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Learn what QR codes are and how to use them in a classroom. There are ideas for literacy, math, art, social studies, science, and more. The slideshow provides some quick tips for using QR (Quick Response) codes in the classroom. It begins with a short explanation of QR codes, how to generate them, and applications for reading them. Most ideas are easy to use immediately in a classroom setting. For example, use QR codes to link to book reviews in library books or add a QR code to student-produced artwork with a link to the student reading a story or describing their work. If you are interested in using QR codes in your classroom, this slideshow will help you get started. Be sure to read the comments at the bottom of the article for some additional ideas for using QR codes. There are also a few links provided for more information and video instructions.
tag(s): qr codes (22)
In the Classroom
All it takes to use a QR code is a device such as an iTouch or phone to aim at the code. Even very young students can aim at a code to open a web page or game. Make objects in your classroom play a song (on a web page) or teach. Choose one of the ideas suggested in the slideshow as a starting point for using QR codes in your classroom. Try additional ideas a little at a time. Share the slideshow with other teachers and split up the ideas for each to become an "expert" in one of the strategies. Share your experiences as you learn together. Form a classroom "tech team" of interested students to try out an idea before launching it with the full class. Let them become experts along with you. Meet together over lunch or before/after school to become QR masters.
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How to embed almost anything in your website - Amit Agarwal
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
This simple blog site offers directions for embedding practically anything in a web site. Directions are included for photos, RSS feeds, YouTube videos and other videos, podcasts, and...more
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This simple blog site offers directions for embedding practically anything in a web site. Directions are included for photos, RSS feeds, YouTube videos and other videos, podcasts, and more.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): images (274), photography (161), portfolios (33), resources (112), video (276)
In the Classroom
If you have students creating projects using online tools, embedding is often the best way for them to collect projects all in one place. Often the tools are not clear about how to manage the details of embedding, to this reference is very helpful. If your students create ME-portfolios to showcase their work to colleges or potential employers, embedding is a must. Link to this site from your class web page of general resources to help today's tech-savvy students learn how to embed from various applications. Provide this link on your class website, wiki or blog for students (and parents) to access at school and at home. Teachers can create a class wiki or web site using embedding, even in school-subscription web site services. Share your elementary class's creative projects by embedding them on your class site so parents can see their great work. This site wil help you learn how.
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IconBug.com - ClipArt Free - IconBug 2011
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Looking for some new free clipart to add to projects, presentations, and websites? With over 10,000 images and a keyword search function, IconBug makes locating and using clipart easy....more
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Looking for some new free clipart to add to projects, presentations, and websites? With over 10,000 images and a keyword search function, IconBug makes locating and using clipart easy. Simply click on the image to download. With Mac, the image automatically downloads as a PNG. With a PC, you need to choose to save the image. Either way, it is easy to use and there is no need to worry about image copyright. Each image page specifically tells you whether icons/clip art are free for personal use, for commercial use, or both. Note that many do require that you give credit via link back to their site.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): clip art (10), creative commons (22), images (274)
In the Classroom
Share this link with your students so they have safe images to use in projects beyond the standard images in their computer software. If you worry that students will spend far too much time making up their minds, download a smaller collection, including the links to give proper credit, to share locally as part of a project assignment. Use clipart to spice up your activity sheets and rubrics. Use clipart images in learning support, speech and language, or life skills classrooms to teach words using images. This method could also be applied for students learning a new language. World language teachers can create a presentation of pictures and speak the words in the world language to help students learn. An extension of this type of activity could also be helpful with ESL/ELL students in your classroom. The handy icons here would also work well for sharing link collections visually using a tool such as Symbaloo, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Introducing the ELA Common Core - Kevin's Meandering Mind
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
View this Prezi to learn more about the focus and goals of the Common Core English Language Arts standards. Among the highlights are reasons for the Common Core, shifts that ...more
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View this Prezi to learn more about the focus and goals of the Common Core English Language Arts standards. Among the highlights are reasons for the Common Core, shifts that are taking place, video clips explaining WHAT the Common Core means, and where Common Core plans to go.
tag(s): commoncore (95)
In the Classroom
This Prezi is very useful for the introduction of the Common Core standards to faculty or parents. This would be a great presentation to share at faculty meetings, inservice, or even at Back to School Night (probably a short clip, not the entire presentation). Share this link on your class website for parents (and older students) to learn more about the Common Core.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Pause For Later - Pause For Later
Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Pause for Later is a browser extension that allows you to pause a YouTube, Vimeo, or Hulu video and resume playing it anywhere, anytime. You do have to download and ...more
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Pause for Later is a browser extension that allows you to pause a YouTube, Vimeo, or Hulu video and resume playing it anywhere, anytime. You do have to download and install the bookmarklet or extension. Sign up for a free account for the server to store details of your paused videos. The program also keeps a record of the videos you watch, saving you from having to bookmark or search for them later. The program has extensions or bookmarklets for Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari. There is an "Action" button on the side of the video that allows you to restart from the beginning and mark it as unmarked. There are several other features. After installing the extension, you'll see a pause button in your browser. Continue your paused videos from any computer, not just the one where you paused them.
tag(s): video (276)
In the Classroom
If a video is too long to share during one class period, use this tool to pick up where you left the video. It is worthwhile to ask the techies to install it at least on your teacher machine if school machines are locked down. Share this with your students when you assign videos to be watched from home, queuing the video to the start point you want the to use. Encourage students to mark start points for videos they include in oral presentations. Save them time searching if they get interrupted while viewing. This would be a useful tool to share on your class website.
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40 Interesting Ways to Use QR Codes in the Classroom - Tom Barrett
Grades
3 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Find ideas for using QR codes in the classroom. This slideshow is a must-see to get many unique ideas for using QR codes. Examples include adding QR codes to worksheets ...more
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Find ideas for using QR codes in the classroom. This slideshow is a must-see to get many unique ideas for using QR codes. Examples include adding QR codes to worksheets for students to check answers or to go to a video explanation for completing the worksheet. Another idea: print a QR code on a sticker and place into textbooks for students to access additional content. Add to displays or bulletin boards to make them interactive. There are many great ideas shared on this site. It is definitely worth a visit for anyone using or wanting to use QR codes in their classroom. Of course, you do need to have devices that can read the QR codes; smart phones and iTouches work well.
tag(s): qr codes (22)
In the Classroom
Choose one of the ideas suggested in the slideshow as a starting point for using QR codes. Try additional ideas one at a time. Share the slideshow with other teachers and split up the ideas for each to become an "expert" in one of the strategies. Share your experiences as you learn together. Challenge your students to dream up other uses for the codes. As a service project, students could create a QR code school "tour" or add QR codes for students to use while waiting in the cafeteria line to access nutrition information about today's menu.
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Twitter - Education Chats - Chat Scheduler
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
This Google site is a chat schedule for Twitter educational hashtags. Take a look at who is using Twitter and why. You'll see that Twitter isn't just idle "chat." This ...more
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This Google site is a chat schedule for Twitter educational hashtags. Take a look at who is using Twitter and why. You'll see that Twitter isn't just idle "chat." This is just the educational chats. You can find diverse chats about everything from leadership, to minimalist running enthusiasts, to 4th grade teachers, and more. You'll probably find something that piques your interest! Some of the chats occur live, but many are ongoing. Not free at a chat time? You can always read the tweets later.
tag(s): microblogging (40), social networking (112), twitter (44)
In the Classroom
Explore the site to discover and follow educational and professional chats that match your interests and needs. Read the tweets about what is happening in other classrooms to gain some new/fresh ideas. Students in upper grades interested in a particular career or trying to find a mentor in an area of interest could use this. You may want to preview and pick out certain hashtags for your student(s). Want to know more about Twitter? See TeachersFirst's Twitter for Teachers page.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Widbook - Flavio Aguiar
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Write, read, and share digital books with Widbook. Create a digital book that contains text, images, and videos. You can rearrange content on pages and upload images, etc. Invite others...more
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Write, read, and share digital books with Widbook. Create a digital book that contains text, images, and videos. You can rearrange content on pages and upload images, etc. Invite others to make contributions to your books. Create a profile on the site to begin your book or collaborate with others (or you can skip this step). Books you create become a part of your profile. If you allow it, other Widbook members can add content and or comments to your books. You can change setting to allow comments and additions on a book or not. Likewise, you can search for others' books and contribute to their books. The only way to share your books is with others logged into Widbook or other social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest).
tag(s): creative writing (171), descriptive writing (44), expository writing (44), paragraph writing (17), persuasive writing (56), process writing (46), writing (369)
In the Classroom
Create books on any subject for your students to review or learn. Set up a whole class account or use individual accounts with those 13 and older if school policy allows it. Challenge students to create a book as a multi-media presentation instead of a typical book report. This would be great to use for a student/star of the week presentation. Each week add a student's information. Do this together as a class on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Create a link (and log in) on classroom computers for students to view the book when they wish. Use this tool for groups to collaborate on science concept tales, poetry books, general writing, math problem solve-its, and more. ANY grade can use this tool with a whole class account, depending on the amount of direction by the teacher. Have students create a book as an end of the year culminatng/review project.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Cropp.me - imagga
Grades
4 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Crop and resize your images using this online tool. Upload your images and select the desired size. There are several predefined sizes to choose from: an avatar image, gallery thumbnail,...more
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Crop and resize your images using this online tool. Upload your images and select the desired size. There are several predefined sizes to choose from: an avatar image, gallery thumbnail, Facebook timeline cover image, or you can select a custom size (width and height) for your particular purpose. Crop up to 5 images simultaneously. The site detects the most interesting part of each image to use when cropping. Adjust the placement as needed. When finished, select images to keep and download to your computer.
tag(s): images (274), photography (161)
In the Classroom
Quickly and easily crop pictures and images to any desired size for use in projects and presentations. Share with students to use with projects and presentations for making images uniform in size.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Playfic - Andy Baio and Cooper McHatton
Grades
4 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Create interactive, text-based games with this simple tool. Perhaps you remember a text-based game called "Adventure" from back in the early days of computers. Be sure to watch the...more
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Create interactive, text-based games with this simple tool. Perhaps you remember a text-based game called "Adventure" from back in the early days of computers. Be sure to watch the tutorial on the home page that also teaches you how to navigate the stories themselves. By clicking on the "Learn More" when you're signed out, or the "About Us" when you're signed in, you can view the "cheat sheet" that will certainly make your first creative attempt at Playfic more enjoyable. Experiment with Playfic games created by others and time yourself. if you get stuck, you can look at the source code. Create your own Playfic for any topic that interests you, whether it's fiction or not. Note that there is no moderation on games created by others, so preview before sharing with young people.
tag(s): creative writing (171), creativity (119), digital storytelling (153), gamification (75), mysteries (24), puzzles (207)
In the Classroom
"Gamification" of learning is a hot topic in 21st century learning. Use this simple tool to make it happen. Use for any digital storytelling: fact or fiction. In social studies, have students create an interactive game based on life during the Depression or any historic era. Have them create a "Where in the world is ..." for geography. World language students could make a simple game (in the language they are studying) about daily life. Gifted students will love creating games on their favorite topics, so make this a research-and-create-a-game approach for independent projects. Science students could make a game about what might happen in certain weather or life as a fossil. Have your language arts students create mystery or survival stories or even a different ending to a story you've read together. Warning: all stories are PUBLIC and your students will be able to view other's stories. You'll either want to have a class account or monitor this closely.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PDFescape - Red Software
Grades
K to 12
9 Favorites
0 Comments
Use this site to be able to edit PDF documents. It is free and easy to use. Upload your PDF document or link to an existing online PDF. Add additional ...more
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Use this site to be able to edit PDF documents. It is free and easy to use. Upload your PDF document or link to an existing online PDF. Add additional text or free hand writing. Create drawings or add images. You can create PDFs, edit PDFs, fill-out existing PDFs, save/print PDFs, and more. When finished, download the final product. No sign up is required to use most features. If you must complete entry forms, applications, or otehr pdf forms, this tool can be a lifesaver.
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In the Classroom
Use to alter documents that may have been saved as a PDF in the past. Save this site in your professional resources. If you work with students who request college recommendations or need to fill out forms for scholarships or jobs, be sure to share this tool with them!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Slide.ly - EasyHi
Grades
7 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Easily create a slideshow of your photos! Simply upload your photos or pull your Flickr, Instagram, or Facebook photos into your slideshow. Create beautiful slideshows by adding music...more
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Easily create a slideshow of your photos! Simply upload your photos or pull your Flickr, Instagram, or Facebook photos into your slideshow. Create beautiful slideshows by adding music and then sharing them with others. Connect all the accounts that you use for your photos. Click on the photos from any of your sources to be included in your slideshow. Drag your photos around to put them in the order you want. Add music to the show by using YouTube videos or SoundCloud music. Finish by adding a few effects to your show to liven it up a bit. Embed the slideshow on your site or share it on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, or Facebook easily. There are public slideshows created by others on this site. Some may not be appropriate for the classroom setting so please preview..
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (170), images (274), slides (64)
In the Classroom
Use to create educational videos and projects to introduce and interest students in a topic. Use to generate questions prior to the discussion of topics. Create a multi-image slideshow where students brainstorm how the images are all connected. Students can use Slide.ly to create projects for class. Be sure to add the link to your blog, wiki, or site for easy access when needing a tool for projects.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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Wix - Giora Kaplan, Avishai Abrahami, Nadav Abrahami
Grades
7 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Wix makes creating your own website EASY! Wix has over 100 visually rich templates for you to choose. Or you may choose a blank template and upload your own material. ...more
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Wix makes creating your own website EASY! Wix has over 100 visually rich templates for you to choose. Or you may choose a blank template and upload your own material. The easy, "drag and drop" elements allow even the novice technology user to create their own website. Choose to have your website in Flash or HTML. Wix does all the work for either of these. Choose from 100s of images, fonts, menus, music files, buttons, and widgets, or upload your own. There are video tutorials that will take you from beginner to website designer in 8 steps!
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): blogs (90), game based learning (114), gamification (75), portfolios (33), social networking (112)
In the Classroom
Your students, 13 and over, may register by email if you want them to create a page to present a project, or for club web pages. Use a whole class account for students under 13. This program would be nice for developing student portfolios, small group presentations, even journals about career research. Create a Wix website page to publish biographical information about any historical figure in any subject area. Use Wix to create pages about characters in a novel. Create pages about scientists and their contributions including reactions of others to their discovery or invention. Research why these inventions were particularly important and the scientific knowledge that changed as a result. Create a page about artists, musicians, politicians, etc. using the same guidelines as above with scientists. Challenge students to step into the person's character to create an informative understanding about the person and their contribution. In upper elementary grades, have all students generate a starter page offline about a famous person (or people) you are studying. Then vote on one to publish as a class using this online tool. Have teens begin a "Me" portfolio in middle grades, one that they can continue to develop as they approach college and/or career. Encourage them to showcase links to online projects, favorite images they have taken or created, artwork, music, writing samples, and personal interests. This is the ideal way to build a positive digital footprint that students can actually use well into the future. If you teach gifted students, encourage them to add suitable projects from your class to their portfolio site, especially projects that involve connections with the "real world."Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
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Drama in the ESL Classroom - Jessica Davis
Grades
2 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Find a wealth of resources for using drama in the ESL/ELL classroom. The same activities can also be useful for other subjects. The improvisation resources are especially exciting,...more
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Find a wealth of resources for using drama in the ESL/ELL classroom. The same activities can also be useful for other subjects. The improvisation resources are especially exciting, offering definitions, examples of activities, links, and visual examples of how you can use improvisational techniques. In addition, information and activities on using plays, process drama, and reader's theater for language teaching abound. Use play writing for another aspect of language teaching. There is a complete curriculum for offering an independent class in drama for ESL/ELL students. Although this site may appear plain vanilla, there are sprinkles throughout, making this tool very valuable and informative.
tag(s): acting (27), creative writing (171), plays (36)
In the Classroom
Use this site as the starting point for group projects like having the students write and produce their own play(s). This is a great find for gifted students as well as students studying any modern language as the play writing and acting techniques can easily be adapted. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos of the plays they write and produce. Share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Mind is a Metaphor - Brad Pasanek
Grades
7 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
The Mind is a Metaphor is something like a dictionary for finding metaphors. There are over ten thousand of them. Though many are mental metaphors, there are some that don't ...more
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The Mind is a Metaphor is something like a dictionary for finding metaphors. There are over ten thousand of them. Though many are mental metaphors, there are some that don't relate to the mind. This site originally started with an "expanded eighteenth century" list, but now has metaphors from as late as the 1990's. Search for a metaphor by literary period, author, genre, gender, and several others. You may also enjoy the creator's blog with his interpretations of his favorite metaphors at Blog for The Mind is a Metaphor.
tag(s): literary devices (11)
In the Classroom
High school AP literature and history teachers or IB capstone classes will especially love this site. Share a metaphor a day as students are entering the class or on your class web site. Allow a student to choose one as today's Metaphor Master! Discuss the meaning together or use it as a quick writing prompt. Use the time period to discuss the historical context of the metaphor. Use these in your own presentations or require students to create a presentation explaining the metaphors you assign. Younger students just beginning to study metaphors can benefit from trying to interpret the metaphors as a group and presenting them to the class. Challenge students to try to create their own metaphors. Develop a class Metaphor Wiki for students to share metaphors. Not familiar with wikis? Check out the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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