Easy Web Content Presenter

 

 Infographics are easy to read and understand. Your students love them because they are a visually appealing way to convey information.  Creating your own has never been easier than it is using a new Web 2.0 resource called EWC Presenter.  It's a powerful, web-based HTML editor that lets you create inforgraphics like the one below, using a simple drag and drop interface.

After creating a free account, you'll see the dashboard were you can choose to make an Inforgraphic or a Presentation.

Either uses the same features.  In fact you can create multiple pages of inforgraphics and then turn it into a presentation.

To create an infographic, you choose from a variety of themes.

Choose from a variety of types and begin to add your data in the template. 

You can also drag and drop images you want to use with the infographic, as well as create text boxes and titles for any area.  After populating the fields,  you'll see the data come to life.

Classroom Integration Ideas:

• Students can create infographics in history, geography, economics, science, etc
• Create a presentation on various data they have researched using multiple inforgraphics.

Kids Picture Dictionary App

Kids Picture Dictionary is a free app that is a dictionary for kids with pictures.  This picture dictionary includes a self record feature that allows teachers or kids to record their own voice to record sentence examples.  Each word includes a picture, an audio recording of the word, as well as the ability to record their own sentence.

Pocket

 How many times have you come across something you wanted to read, but didn't have time at that moment to do so?  So you made a bookmark, and then lost track of it.  That won't be an issue with
Pocket.
Pocket is free resource that allows you to save anything you find on the internet and read it later. It can saved on your desktop, laptop, iPad, or phone. Create a free account on http://getpocket.com/ or download the free app.  Anything saved via the website (with either a Google Chrome or Firefox extension), by emailing to add@getpocket.com, or the Pocket app can be viewed on any additional device that you sign into with your free account.  Once saved, internet articles can be accessed offline.

Whatever you saved you can archive, mark it as a favorite,  

or even share the page with a colleague.  They will not need an account, it simply shares the web link.

Helpful Resources:

Frequent Pocket Questions 

How to use Pocket

Classroom Integration Ideas:

•  Find online articles to share with students via email (secondary campuses) or use to bookmark sites that can be shown in class at a later date.
• Save videos from YouTube to be used in classroom
• Create a professional online journal collection

50 Fab Apps for Teachers

Scholastic has shared a 50 Fab Apps link. Apps are for both iOS and Android systems.  The apps are for Language Arts, Science, Math, Social Studies, Music & Art, Special Needs, Lesson Planning, Communication  & Organization,  and Classroom Management.
This PDF lists the paid and free apps.

Edmodo Apps - Class Chart & Flashcards

As Edmodo continues to increase in popularity, utilizing the free apps that are located in the Edmodo Store is one way to ensure you are getting the full experience.

Two free apps that can be useful in Edmodo-created class groups are Class Charts and Flashcards.
Class Charts is a behavior recording tool that allows the user to create detailed seating.  

Teachers create charts by uploading actual student pictures or use the app's icons.  Then arrange the charts based on learning groups or minimizing behavior issues.  Keep track of each student's positive and negative behavior directly from his/her profile.

Teachers can invite other colleagues to track and analyze student behavior and attendance.  Detailed reports can be gathered on individual students or entire classes.



Flashcards by Course Hero presents students and teachers an easy way to study new information.

Cards can be created or customized from the several thousand flashcards that exist already.  Students can and then save and share their sets with other students.

Remember, apps purchased in the Edmodo store shouldn't be confused with iTunes (or Android) apps, as these will only work inside of the Edmodo site.

Bounce - Easy Way to Share Ideas on a Webpage

Bounce is a free Web 2.0 tool that lets you easily annotate screen captures of webpages.  You can then share them with anyone.
Start by entering the URL you want to annotate.

Then while the page is loading you will see why the site is named Bounce.

Bounce then generates an image of that website with controls at the top of the page that allows you to draw boxes that you can type annotations in. Then click on the specific area of the screenshot where you’d like to leave feedback. Keep in mind that each box is numbered sequentially, so you may want to plan your order prior to use.

Once you have finished adding annotations, Bounce creates a new URL for your screen captures that you can share with others.

Classroom Integration Ideas:

• Teachers can add questions to websites they want students to research
• Students add notes to researched web sites on assigned topics and share annotated notes with the rest of the class. 

Symbaloo

Symbaloo is a web based visual organizing and sharing tool that allows you to bookmark websites, which you can share or just use for yourself.

Each website that you would like to bookmark, is arranged in tile boards, or as Symbaloo calls them - webmixes. These can be shared easily with others by clicking webmix details, allowing you to share a the URL link to your webmix, email to others, or embed the code in your website or blog.
A new iPad version gives you access to your Symabaloo webmixes on any iDevice.


Classroom Integration Ideas:

• Create webmixes about topics to share with your students. This would be a great for way elementary teaches to use with their students to use in place of bookmarking several websites on a specific computer. 
• Students research a topic, and  create their own webmixes, then share them with the class as a way of presenting their research. 

Tellagami

Tellagami is a free App that allows you to create a customizable talking avatar. Check out the video below for an example.

Easy to customize your own character's appearance from a side menu.  Use a background from one of Tellagami's pre-created, or upload your own background from your camera roll or an image you've saved.

To make your avatar speak, either type the text and choose from a list of voice types to read it out load or record your own voice.  Once it's saved in your camera roll on your iPad or other "iDevice", simply sync it to your laptop or email the video in order to share it.


Classroom Integration Ideas:

• A great tool for digital storytelling where students create an avatar with their own photos and voice to tell a story.
• Teachers can use Tellagami to introduce a new topic in place of themselves to their class.
• Students use Tellagami avatar to present a short book report.  

Mentormob

Mentormob is a free Web 2.0 resource that allows users to create "learning playlists" for their students or even colleagues. Essentially you can create a slideshow that contains websites, uploaded files, online quizzes, or self written information pages.

As you create each new "step" containing one of the above, a you will be asked to add a description of what that step includes.  The steps can be edited, moved into a different "play" order, or deleted.

Once the list is complete, simply share the playlist with others with the shortned URL that was created by clicking the share button. As students move through the playlist, a progress meter is displayed at the top of the page letting them know how many "steps" of the playlist is left.

One of my favorite aspects, is the ability to create a quiz anywhere in the playlist.  The questions on the quiz can be multiple choice or true false.

Classroom Integration Ideas:

• Teachers can create playlists of websites they want students to use for that day or week in class. Especially useful for elementary grades since students only have to type in one URL of the playlist.
•  Use a mixture of web pages, photos, and written articles to focus a particular subject. Then evaluate their learning with a quiz inserted into the playlist.

Best of TCEA 2013

Each February, some of technology's best and the brightest gather in Austin for the annual Texas Computer Education Association's conference.  Over the new few weeks, I will discuss some of my favorite Apps and Web 2.0 sites from that conference.

Chirp is a free app that lets you share information from one device (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad) to another using sound.  Chirp 'sings' information, letting you share photos, links, notes after the user uploads that data into Chirp. Any device within the audio range that is using Chirp is able to retrieve the data.  There is no need to pair devices. 

Classroom Integration Ideas:
This could be an easy way for teachers to share presentations or web links to students without the students typing any any URLs.

 
Two Web 2.0 resources that are related but perform different tasks are KeepVid and Quitetube.
KeepVid allows you to easily download video from Youtube and save it for later use.
Ouiettube simply removes all distractions such as comments, side ads, etc.

Classroom Integration Ideas:
Great way for teachers to preview and save videos to use in class at a later date. 

Scribble Maps

Scribble Maps Pro  is a free web tool that is great for editing and drawing on top of Google maps. Unlike Google Earth Pro, this site does not require any additional downloads.
[There is also a standard version that doesn't require registration with less features that is an easy way to check out the basic features.]

A toolbar allows you to add to maps by drawing shapes, create place marks, and place text.

 Included in the drawing menu are the following features:

• Pen tool - for drawing straight or curved line segments
• Polygon pen tool - for drawing polygons
• Scribble tool - 'free form pen' for doodling
• Line Tool - for drawing straight lines segments only
• Connected line tool - for drawing connected lines (no individual segments)
• Draw shape tool (for drawing irregular shapes)
• Draw rectangles
• Draw Circles
• Place text
• Measurement tool (measures polygons, and lines)
• Markers (a variety of symbols available)
• Image - link images to the map 

You can also search for maps that have been created by other registered users.


Once maps are edited, they can be shared with an URL link, exported as an image or KML file.

Classroom Integration Ideas:

Use Scribble maps:

• in Language Arts class by inserting place markers with descriptions on the locations from stories that are read
• in Social Studies review geography lessons by having students tag locations being studied
• to chart a Flat Stanley or Travel Bug project