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Project Look Sharp - Project Look Sharp, Ithaca College
Grades
K to 12
Project Look Sharp promotes media literacy education and critical thinking skills through the offering of curriculum kits for classrooms in grades K-12; to find the kits click the Free...more
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Project Look Sharp promotes media literacy education and critical thinking skills through the offering of curriculum kits for classrooms in grades K-12; to find the kits click the Free Classroom Materials button. The free kits include teacher guides, handouts, assessments, and correlating digital media. Browse through all available kits, or filter by grade level or Common Core Standard. Each kit is available for download in its entirety or download individual lessons as desired; registration is required. Lesson contents cover a variety of topics including Global Warming, Presidential Campaigns, and Social Justice. Be sure to look through other sections of the site including professional development information and links to handouts from Project Look Sharp's presentations.
tag(s): american revolution (82), climate change (99), critical thinking (128), environment (252), martin luther king (45), media literacy (109), middle east (50), nutrition (140), OER (43), presidents (135), russia (36), social media (48)
In the Classroom
Become acquainted with these free curriculum kits and lessons to integrate media literacy within content already taught in the classroom. As you teach lessons found on the site, incorporate technology to enhance learning and build student understanding by using Word Ahead, reviewed here, or WordSift, reviewed here, to introduce and develop vocabulary as a prereading strategy or older students can use either as they are reading. Incorporate images with annotations to help students understand "big picture" ideas using Image Annotator, reviewed here. For younger students create a Image Annotator as a class to add text, video, and more to images. Ask older students to create their own Image Annotator sharing information learned throughout your lessons. Be sure to share all of your images on your class website for students to view at any time. To transform classroom technology use and as a culminating activity, use a digital book creation tool like Book Creator, reviewed here, as an alternative assessment to quizzes or tests. Include student-created writing, Annotated images, and add videos with student commentary within each book. Be sure to provide students with your rubric to use as a guide before turning in digital books. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here. Whether students work individually or in groups, be sure to share your new digital library related to your lesson topic with students to review and revisit at any time!
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
Quillionz - Harbinger AI
Grades
6 to 12Use the power of AI to create quizzes, questions, and assessments with Quillionz. Copy and paste your content or upload a PDF to begin, then select keywords and terms, Quillionz ...more
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Use the power of AI to create quizzes, questions, and assessments with Quillionz. Copy and paste your content or upload a PDF to begin, then select keywords and terms, Quillionz does the rest. Quillionz creates several different types of questions including multiple choice, short response, and recall. Choose the ones you want to use, or edit what is provided to suit your needs. When finished, save to text and download to your computer. Be sure to take note on the home page of the section labeled "Is Quillionz Right for Me?" This portion details the type of texts and defines the limitations of the types of questions provided through the site.
tag(s): assessment (147), Formative Assessment (74), quiz (67), quizzes (90), reading comprehension (149)
In the Classroom
Use Quillionz as a time-saver to create quizzes covering any content. Before teaching the material, use this tool to help define key terms and content you want to cover. Share Quillionz with older students as an excellent tool to help with reading comprehension and understanding content. Ask them to use the site to create questions to review before quizzes. Enhance learning by asking students to transform technology use and transfer their learning from quiz questions into the creation of an infographic using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Have students include images, data, and links with additional research information into their infographic.Soundcite - Knight Lab
Grades
6 to 12Soundcite is a free tool that embeds audio directly into portions of text for use on your blog or website. Use Soundcite to bring emotion or context to a story ...more
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Soundcite is a free tool that embeds audio directly into portions of text for use on your blog or website. Use Soundcite to bring emotion or context to a story through the use of a real audio file, be sure to check out the examples for ideas. Follow the advice on the site to add short audio clips after uploading to your server. Before starting your Soundcite project, take the time to read and understand different options for uploading audio to blog providers such as Word Press and cautions against the use of Google or DropBox.
tag(s): blogs (65), communication (129), sound (72)
In the Classroom
Combine audio with text to bring life to student work. Share some examples with students before asking them to create Soundcite files. If you have some tech-savvy students, share this site with them before sharing with your whole class. Allow the tech-savvy students to create some examples and tutorials for all to use. Have these students transform classroom technology use and their learning by sharing step-by-step directions using a video explainer tool like Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here. Include with student work on their blogs or digital portfolios, or include with any multimedia presentation created using Sway, reviewed here, or Adobe Creative Cloud Express, reviewed here.Z-A Quiz Generator - ClassTools
Grades
4 to 12Test students' knowledge of related items using this unique quiz creator. Create a quiz using a set of common terms or elements (presidents, types of animals, incorrect use of a ...more
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Test students' knowledge of related items using this unique quiz creator. Create a quiz using a set of common terms or elements (presidents, types of animals, incorrect use of a comma, etc.). Build your game by adding additional sets of items to add rounds. To play, divide students into teams and start the game. The alphabet appears beginning with Z and going backward, and letters begin to disappear. If the letter is in your set of terms it pops up into the appropriate place - think of Wheel of Fortune. When a player guesses why items are related, pause the game to hear their response. Continue playing if incorrect or move to the next round if correct.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): assessment (147), game based learning (205), quiz (67), quizzes (90)
In the Classroom
Use the Z-A Quiz Generator as a motivating way to introduce a new unit to students (even as a formative assessment for the class), or to review information before quizzes and tests. Instead of asking students to memorize a set of dates or events, help them by organizing the information into common features. For example, during a Civil War unit group together events taking place in different cities as a way to help provide context for students. Include a link to your quizzes on your class webpage or blog for students to practice at any time using the URL or embed code. Enhance technology use and learning by having students create their own Z-A quizzes to share with peers when studying for tests or use as an introduction with class presentations. When sharing student-created multimedia presentations, modify technology use by using a tool like Sway, reviewed here, to share their final projects including a Z-A quiz for viewers. This quiz generator is also a great resource to use during professional development sessions with your peers. Create a quiz to increase your viewers' interest in your topic as you begin your discussions or as a final activity to review information shared.Headliner - SpareMin
Grades
K to 12Create and share videos for social media platforms with Headliner. Add images, text animation, clip audio, add video, and more to personalize content. Choose from several video editor...more
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Create and share videos for social media platforms with Headliner. Add images, text animation, clip audio, add video, and more to personalize content. Choose from several video editor templates or go straight to the video editor to begin creating. Upload videos to add transcript, use the audiogram wizard to make a video from audio, or create a video from a URL linking to an online article. When finished, publish your video and download to your computer.
tag(s): communication (129), editing (93), multimedia (53), social media (48), video (266)
In the Classroom
Use Headliners to create and share videos in multiple ways. Set the stage for upcoming lessons by creating a video from an upcoming text, post the video on your class website for students to view before reading. Include the transcription feature when sharing videos of student discussions or classroom activities (with appropriate parental permission, of course). Promote your classroom podcast using the Audio Wizard to share a short preview of an upcoming podcast. As an alternative to a research report, use the Find My Content feature and have students redefine their technology use by creating a multimedia video filled with images and video based on their research.Flourish - Kiln Enterprises Ltd
Grades
6 to 12Create online charts, maps, and interactive stories from your spreadsheets using Flourish. Modify technology use by uploading any spreadsheet (or copy and paste directly from Excel)...more
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Create online charts, maps, and interactive stories from your spreadsheets using Flourish. Modify technology use by uploading any spreadsheet (or copy and paste directly from Excel) to create tables without downloading additional software. After creating your free account follow prompts to design and construct a visualization or animated story. When finished, publish and share using the provided link, download the image to your computer, or use the code to embed into your website or blog. Free accounts include features to share your information publicly.
tag(s): animation (64), charts and graphs (171), infographics (56)
In the Classroom
Use Flourish to create and share information in many different ways. Ask students to upload information, then create bar graphs, pie charts, and line charts to view the same statistics through different methods. Use the animated story feature to display statistics over time. For example, when students create projects about climate change, ask them to create an animated story that shares facts from different decades with each decade becoming a new point in the story to demonstrate change. Because this site features many different options for sharing data, have different groups of students become experts on how to build and share different types of charts then share their expertise with their peers. Include student work created using Flourish within bigger projects using Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map where the report takes place. Use Zeemaps to modify technology use by creating animated maps featuring various location stops that can feature text, video, audio, and of course, your charts created with Flourish.Hiveword - Zecura, LLC
Grades
6 to 12Hiveword offers a set of integrated writing tools. Use the Novel Organizer to organize characters, setting, and plotlines as part of your ongoing story writing process. Use the Knowledge...more
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Hiveword offers a set of integrated writing tools. Use the Novel Organizer to organize characters, setting, and plotlines as part of your ongoing story writing process. Use the Knowledge Base as a search engine featuring over 40,000 articles all about the craft of writing. Other handy tools on the site include random character name and location generators.
tag(s): creative writing (124), process writing (37), writers workshop (31), writing (324)
In the Classroom
Your students don't need to write novels to take advantage of the many features of this site. Start out simple and use the character name and location generators as inspiration for creative writing projects. Share an article a week from the Knowledge Base on your class website as part of your writing lessons. After sharing articles, ask students to revise their work within Google Documents or Microsoft Word by adding highlights and comments to share changes. Enhance classroom technology and their learning further by asking them to keep a blog using Penzu, reviewed here, documenting what they are learning about writing. With Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. Take advantage of the Novel Organizer to help students develop portions of any writing project. Ask them to take a screenshot of their story organization from Hiveword to include with their final project draft.Edward - Isaac Lyman
Grades
6 to 12Stop dreaming about your first novel and start writing it with Edward, or take advantage of Edward's organizational tools even if you aren't working on the next Great American Novel....more
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Stop dreaming about your first novel and start writing it with Edward, or take advantage of Edward's organizational tools even if you aren't working on the next Great American Novel. Create an account using your email address to begin your first document. Choose from starting a novel, script, essay, or blank document. Use Edward's dashboard to plan, outline, analyze, write, and more. Select features within the analysis tool to find the most commonly used words, track usage of specific words, and see a computer-based sentence based on your work. Free accounts allow you to use the full interface, export to PDF or save on your computer.
tag(s): creative writing (124), digital storytelling (154), editing (93), essays (21), plays (32), process writing (37), writers workshop (31), writing (324)
In the Classroom
Use Edward as an excellent tool for helping students manage and organize any writing project. Instead of hand-written outlines, ask students to use Edward and share a screenshot of their project before beginning to write. Ask students to share with peers and help each other begin to organize writing. As students work toward completion of writing assignments, ask them to use Peergrade, reviewed here, to upload their work and enhance classroom technology use and their learning by collaborating with peers to make final revisions. As students move along within the writing process, include each piece as part of the overall assessment instead of just the final project. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here.Adobe Premiere Rush - Adobe
Grades
5 to 12Premiere Rush is an all in one app for creating, editing, and sharing videos. Download Premiere Rush and use it across any device. Access your work from anywhere with the ...more
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Premiere Rush is an all in one app for creating, editing, and sharing videos. Download Premiere Rush and use it across any device. Access your work from anywhere with the site's cloud storage feature. Use your Adobe account to log in either on your computer or with the app for your mobile device. Create a project by importing video, images, or audio. Use the editing features to edit, add titles, transitions, and much more. Easily share finished projects using social media links. The free version offers three exports and up to 2GB storage. Be sure to check the system requirements necessary before attempting to install Premiere Rush on your computer.
tag(s): communication (129), digital storytelling (154), editing (93), video (266)
In the Classroom
Share Premiere Rush with students to use as an editing option when creating videos for any topic. If students are old enough, let them create their own account to take advantage of the free offerings. Upload videos and images from student projects or field trips to create a video to share on your webpage. Instead of a traditional research project, offer students the option to transform their learning by using Premiere Rush (or another video editing tool) to create a multimedia project. Include videos created with Premiere Rush with other information using Sway, reviewed here. Sway will transform your classroom technology use since it is a comprehensive digital product including images, text, web links, and video.Game Builder - WiscOnline
Grades
K to 12Game Builder offers ready-to-go games and templates for building digital games in a variety of formats. Choose from classic games like Bingo and Jeopardy or try different forms such...more
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Game Builder offers ready-to-go games and templates for building digital games in a variety of formats. Choose from classic games like Bingo and Jeopardy or try different forms such as Squid Hunter or Chakalaka. Select a game option to begin making games, then follow prompts to add questions and responses. When finished, be sure to choose the option to make your game public making it available to share. Registration is required to create and share games.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): assessment (147), game based learning (205), gamification (83), quizzes (90)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the games offered on this site to review or introduce content in your classroom. If sharing with younger students, demonstrate on your interactive whiteboard first to show students how to avoid the advertising on the site. Share games on your class website or blogs. Instead of you creating the games, ask students to work together to create their own games for use when reviewing content. Ask students to replace pen and paper and include a link to their games as part of a blog post using edublog, reviewed here. Take this a step further at the end of your unit and modify classroom technology use and extend student learning by having students build an explainer video of the topic using moovly, reviewed here, or another video creation tool.Poem Generator - Masterpiece Generator
Grades
4 to 12Quickly create several different forms of poems using the Poem Generator. Choose from over a dozen different options to begin your poem. Follow the prompts to add a topic and ...more
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Quickly create several different forms of poems using the Poem Generator. Choose from over a dozen different options to begin your poem. Follow the prompts to add a topic and words to include. To create and complete your poem, select the "Write me a poem" link. Some formats require additional steps before generating the final piece of poetry. To view different poem creations using the same word prompts, choose refresh for a new poem.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): parts of speech (39), poetry (193)
In the Classroom
Use the Poem Generator to introduce students to different forms of poems through exploration and use of the generator's features. This site is also a great tool to use when teaching parts of speech. Challenge students to identify the features that indicate different types of poems. Create a class Padlet, reviewed here, with columns for each type of poem and ask students to share their creations in the appropriate column. After students have time to experiment with the Poem Generator, challenge them to create poems without using this tool. Enhance classroom technology use by adding a reading of their final project to Voxer, reviewed here. Ask students to add audio recordings including their reading of the poem and a short discussion sharing the features that identify the poem as belonging to a specific genre. Transform classroom technology use by having students publish their poetry using Book Creator, reviewed here, to make a class book with all of your students' poetry. Be sure to have each student include an audio recording reading their poem!Poetry Generators - Poem of Quotes
Grades
4 to 12Are you stuck trying to write a poem? These generators will help you through the process. Choose from a variety of different formats including haiku, limerick, and acrostic to begin....more
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Are you stuck trying to write a poem? These generators will help you through the process. Choose from a variety of different formats including haiku, limerick, and acrostic to begin. Once started, fill in the provided blanks to add names and other information then view your completed poem. Copy the poem as created, edit to your liking, or choose the regenerate option to generate a new creation. New to this tool are several Artificial Intelligence (AI) poetry generators. Enter a word or phrase and the AI Generator will create a poem for you. Make sure your students know to attribute the AI Generated poem. There are programs out there to detect AI created writing, see GPTZero, reviewed here.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): digital storytelling (154), poetry (193)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the poem generator to motivate students' interest in poetry and offer the opportunity to explore different types of poetry. As students become more confident in creating their poetry, use a digital portfolio tool like Spaces, reviewed here, for students to compile and share their poetry. Transform classroom technology use by having students publish their poetry using Book Creator, reviewed here. In addition to sharing poems, ask students to add images and record audio, reading their poems and sharing their creative process when writing poetry.LMGTFY - Jim Garvin
Grades
K to 12Have you ever told anyone, "Let me Google that for you?" That is what LMGTFY is all about! This site allows you to demonstrate how to Google (and much more) ...more
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Have you ever told anyone, "Let me Google that for you?" That is what LMGTFY is all about! This site allows you to demonstrate how to Google (and much more) terms, then send a link with a step by step demonstration on how to complete the search. LMGTFY has grown beyond Google and now offers users the ability to select from several popular search engines including Bing, Yahoo, Ask, and DuckDuckGo. The drop-down box provides choices to search the web, images, video, and more. After making selections and entering a search term, click to get the link or choose preview to view the information.
tag(s): browser (8), search engines (48), search strategies (22)
In the Classroom
Use LMGTFY to teach students how to use search engines effectively. Create links demonstrating searches using different terms and different search engines and have students analyze the results. When students create multimedia presentations of research projects, ask them to include a screen share using Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here, to show their search method using LMGTFY. This site is perfect to use with young students to demonstrate proper search techniques.Easy Teacher Worksheets - easyteacherworksheets.com
Grades
K to 12This site offers a large assortment of ready to print worksheets with preschool through high school content. The majority of materials focus on content for elementary and junior high...more
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This site offers a large assortment of ready to print worksheets with preschool through high school content. The majority of materials focus on content for elementary and junior high levels. Choose a topic and use the topic list on the left side of the screen to narrow down to specific needs. Be sure to check out the Teacher Printables section; this includes many helpful printables for report card comments, parent information, and organization.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): calendars (37), grammar review (31), graphic organizers (48), holidays (187), organizational skills (88), substitutes (25), worksheets (69)
In the Classroom
Use instructions found on the site to print materials as a PDF document. Use worksheets as a starting point for assessing student knowledge at the beginning of a unit. Have students use information on the worksheets as a starting point for research. Have them locate sources and websites that explain further and share that information in a blog post using a tool like Edublog, reviewed here. Include information from this site with your other resources and create games for review using Baamboozle, reviewed here. Baamboozle is a quick and easy game creator that makes multiple types of games for two teams and keeps score as you play.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
One World Education Student Writing - Eric Goldstein and Emily Chiariello
Grades
5 to 12The Student Writing portal of One World Education shares exemplary writing examples from One World Student Ambassadors. Each piece models grade-level writing and includes a reflection...more
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The Student Writing portal of One World Education shares exemplary writing examples from One World Student Ambassadors. Each piece models grade-level writing and includes a reflection experience. Based on the One World Program, articles feature information based on student research of a social justice issue important to them. In addition to the featured student writing, the site also includes a research portal for students categorized by grade levels and issues. Sign up to become a partner and access curriculum materials based on Common Core Standards.
tag(s): persuasive writing (58), sociology (23), writing (324)
In the Classroom
Share the student writing samples with your class to model grade-level writing and research skills. On your interactive writing board upload an example and use highlighting and drawing tools to point out examples of good writing including use of specific examples, text structure, and vocabulary. Ask students to share their first draft on a site like Peergrade, reviewed here. This site allows teachers to create an assignment with a rubric and automatically distributes uploaded assignments to peers for review. As a follow-up, after students complete their writing project, ask them to create podcasts sharing additional information and reflections on the social justice issue they researched. Buzzsprout, reviewed here, is an excellent tool for creating and sharing podcasts.
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MSN Kids - MSN Worldwide
Grades
K to 8MSN Kids features content and search features geared toward elementary and middle-school aged kids. In addition to news stories around the world of interest to kids, the site also includes...more
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MSN Kids features content and search features geared toward elementary and middle-school aged kids. In addition to news stories around the world of interest to kids, the site also includes crafts and videos that appeal to students. Use the links to different categories including animals, science and tech, and more to narrow down features. One very nice feature for classrooms is that this site does not include any advertising or sponsored content.
tag(s): bookmarks (43), cross cultural understanding (173), search engines (48)
In the Classroom
Set the home page on classroom computers to MSN Kids for students to explore and learn about current events around the world. Have students choose an article and use it as a basis for a research project. Challenge students to create an infographic using Canva, reviewed here, to share information learned from the site. After researching information using MSN Kids, ask students to create an explainer video using Typito, reviewed here, to provide facts, background information, and discuss any topic.ArchKIDecture
Grades
4 to 7Explore the resources offered at ArchKIDecture - you'll find a list of books, links to other resources, lessons, and project ideas. A few project ideas include drawing a floor plan,...more
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Explore the resources offered at ArchKIDecture - you'll find a list of books, links to other resources, lessons, and project ideas. A few project ideas include drawing a floor plan, building a toothpick structure, and building a geodesic dome. All projects include a materials list. Sign up for the free newsletter to receive notice of new project ideas. Don't forget to download the Teachers Guide.
tag(s): architecture (75), book lists (167), crafts (64), makerspace (40)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use when implementing STEAM activities or makerspaces. Introduce this activity with a projector or on an interactive whiteboard to show students how to navigate the site. Then, in your flipped or blended classroom (or at a computer center), have students, or small groups of students, explore on their own. Allow them to choose a book (creating book groups?) or a project to explore. Ask students to create their own concept maps to record their learning and understanding using MindMup, reviewed here. Challenge students to use their concept maps to share what they learned with peers by making an interactive infographic using Gennially, reviewed here. Genially allows students to insert videos, hyperlinks, & maps that are interactive.CurriConnects Booklist: The Artist's Eye - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12This CurriConnects features books about artists and their style and Caldecott winning authors who have unusual or beautiful layouts. Treat your students to the possibility of exploring...more
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This CurriConnects features books about artists and their style and Caldecott winning authors who have unusual or beautiful layouts. Treat your students to the possibility of exploring color and its power to communicate feelings and ideas, that art can be in the eye of the beholder, finding art (and joy) in the shapes of nature, different ways to look at perspective, and much, much more! This thematic list includes fiction and nonfiction, interest and grade levels, ISBNs for ordering or searching, ESL levels and Lexiles (where available) to match with student independent reading levels to challenge, not to frustrate.
tag(s): artists (84), colors (63), drawing (61), perspective (14)
In the Classroom
This list will be a natural fit for anyone teaching art whether in elementary, middle, or high school. Use the books to introduce concepts in art and have students create digital sketchbooks about the styles and concepts they like. Replace the paper journal or sketchbook with one that can be accessed anywhere and never left behind. Use a digital "idea bin" collector like Padlet, reviewed here, that offers tools for creating shelves or grids to organize information about the concepts learned and post ideas and photos. Be sure to share this list of CurriConnects books about art with parents on your teacher webpage.Unhangout - MIT Media Lab
Grades
K to 12Unhangout is a free platform for connecting community-driven learning opportunities. Participants gather in the site's lobby at the time of the event, introduce themselves, and possibly...more
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Unhangout is a free platform for connecting community-driven learning opportunities. Participants gather in the site's lobby at the time of the event, introduce themselves, and possibly view a short presentation or video together. After introductions, participants choose breakout rooms based on their interest. Breakout rooms hold up to ten participants at a time and open in a new tab so they can continue to add to the main chat if desired. Within the breakout rooms, conversations focus on a common topic and include options for members to use their webcam to discuss topics, view videos together, or work on a shared document. Following the event, participants receive an email with a transcript of the event and email contacts of fellow participants. Create your event by logging into your account and adding information including date, time, and additional hosts if desired. Other options enable you to set privacy options, allow follow-up emails, and provide for a custom URL.
tag(s): chat (41), collaboration (93)
In the Classroom
Unhangout offers many opportunities for classroom use and professional use. Use this site to introduce a topic, for example, the Civil War. After your initial introduction and discussion, enhance learning and ask students to choose a breakout session based on their interest - perhaps causes of the Civil War, battles, Civil War leaders, and cities. Within these sessions, have students share ideas on the focus of their learning and discuss how to divide up research and sharing of information. After the session, as students conduct their research, have them share resources using a collaborative Wakelet, reviewed here, stretching everyone's learning. Wakelet is a free bookmarking tool for sharing videos, documents, online resources, and more in an easy to view format. As students gather information, modify learning and use Timeline JS, reviewed here. Timeline JS offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps. After sharing group projects, challenge students to redefine their learning and share with their peers in a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, and Clipchamp.YoTeach! - PALMS
Grades
7 to 12YoTeach! is a free backchanneling app created for teachers and students. Create a room and set a password then provide the URL to your students. Once in the platform, the ...more
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YoTeach! is a free backchanneling app created for teachers and students. Create a room and set a password then provide the URL to your students. Once in the platform, the site's features allow you to share chat discussions, use the online whiteboard, and upload images. Additional options include a simple polling tool, a "like" button, and student participation statistics. When finished, download the conversation to your computer as a PDF. When creating your room, use settings to control privacy and moderate participants. Students can now engage using anonymous mode.
tag(s): chat (41), communication (129), social networking (61)
In the Classroom
Use this site to connect to other classes to open up a discussion between your students in one convenient place. Safety is not a concern with this site since only those with an email invitation/link or the QR code can participate in a chat. (Your students need not have email. You can simply email the link to yourself and share it with students to enter into their browsers.) Teach good digital citizenship of chat etiquette while using this activity to learn. Connect with other classes to learn about other locations, learn various perspectives, find animals that are similar yet different, learn about the different books others are reading, or 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 with others before connecting with another classroom.Use backchannel chat on laptops during a video or student presentation. 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. Use this in world language classes, ESL/ELL classes, or autistic support classes for backchannel chat. Challenge students to use their new language skills to describe a scene from a video or the feelings of the actors. When studying literature, collaborate with another class to have students role-play a chat between two characters. In a history class, create fictional conversations between soldiers on two sides of the Civil War or different sides of the Scopes Monkey trial.