Web 2.0 Tool #7: PowToon

PowToon

Link: http://www.powtoon.com

Link to this example: https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/fkCownU3498/panda-haluha/#/

Description: PowToon is a creative, engaging, free presentation software. It allows users to create slides that can either play as a movie or continue forward on a mouse click. Pictures, animated cartoons, and text can easily be inserted into the presentation. It has cute themes that students love. PowToon can be used by students to present information on any subject. Students will enjoy adding pictures and organizing the objects on a slide. The site has a wealth of cute animated cartoons that can be added to the presentation. Voiceovers can also be added to any presentation with the click of a button. Movies can be published to the site for public view or uploaded to YouTube.

We used PowToon in the classroom to create presentations on the figurative language found in the book Tuck Everlasting. Students had to find three examples of personification, metaphors, and similes and pair the words in the book with a picture. PowToon can easily be integrated into any subject area.

Unfortunately, the free version of PowToon limits the length of the presentations to 5 minutes. Luckily, this is plenty of time for most elementary school students. The major drawback to this software is the inability to insert videos or links. Students enjoy being able to add different short videos to their presentations. There are also some cute themes that cannot be accessed without purchasing a premium or business membership which ranges from $59 to $127 a month. You must also purchase a membership in order to be able to download your presentation to your computer. The verdict- we love using the free version as an alternate to PowerPoint!

Web 2.0 Tool #6: Wordle

Wordle

Link: www.wordle.net

Link to this example: Not applicable

Description: Wordle is a free site that allows users to create word clouds out of inputted text. Users can either type in text of their choice or have Wordle analyze the words on a webpage.  The size of the words is based on the frequency of the word. So, a word that appears ten times will be significantly bigger than a word that appears three times. Users also have the ability to customize the font and color of the words. However, they do not have the ability to customize the placement of the words. 

This is a great website to assess a student's knowledge of a book or concept. I've had students create a Wordle with important parts of a book such as the characters, setting, important plot words, etc. Students were informed that the size of the words would indicate it's importance in the book. Students could create a Wordle for a social studies, math, or science concept. We have also created Wordles for each student with characteristics that describe him/her and given them as Christmas presents.

There are some downfalls to this site. You can only save the finished product; you can't save any progress. Therefore, if your site freezes or you need to refresh the site for any reason, all of your work is lost. We have learned to type our text in Word and then copy and paste it into Wordle for this reason. You can only save your work as a PNG or as a PDF; you can't access it through a webpage. However, you own all the rights to any creation that you make.    

Web 2.0 Tool #5: TotSplash

TotSplash

Link: http://www.totsplash.com

Link to this example: http://www.totsplash.com/app

Description: TotSplash is a free graphic organizer software. It allows users to create mind maps that allow them to organize thoughts and ideas into an easy to use presentation. TotSplash allows you to add as many "tots" (thoughts) as you need. Users are able to images to go with each idea and a description if wanted. You can then show the "Splash" or your ideas. Basically, it takes your mind map and converts it into a Prezi-like presentation of your ideas. This website would be a great tool to use when prewriting and brainstorming a piece in writing. Students can get all their ideas organized and notice where they need more support or evidence. It is easy to add another chain or idea to the map and students can see exactly how everything is related.
However, there are many drawbacks to this site. First, since it is a free site, the owners are having financial difficulties keeping it up. As a result, the amount of storage space allowed for each user is minimal. My account let me save only one mind map. The site states that you can upload your presentations to YouTube and Twitter, but I was unable to find anywhere on the site to do this. The help center was not helpful at all. Therefore, there's no way for students to save their mind maps unless they take a screen shot of them or print the page. Overall, I think this is a quick and easy way for students to prewrite pieces or brainstorm ideas, but that's about where the capabilities of this software end.

Web 2.0 Tool #4: Animoto

Animoto

Link: http://www.animoto.com

Link to this example: https://animoto.com/play/t1dZT01W7TbcfrS0KwiC2g

Description: Animoto allows its users to create beautiful videos from pictures and video clips. Unfortunately, the subscription is expensive ($10 a month) and the free version of this site is very limited. Without a subscription, users are limited to a 30 second video (about 9 slides) with no formatting control. The image library that Animoto provides is insufficient. Students must resort to Google searches for photos to use, which I dislike. On the positive side, Animoto is very easy to use and comes with background music. It only takes a few clicks to upload pictures from your computer to the presentation.There are some great templates available on the free version. At the beginning of the year, students created Bio Poems in class. I took a Bio Poem created by a student and turned it into a video that looks beautifully done. Unfortunately, I had to cut the poem short because there was not enough room in the 30 second video to put all of the lines. Completing this project with students would be time consuming if they had to find  or take their own pictures. However, students would be able to quickly recreate their poems if the pictures they needed were already downloaded to the computer. Overall, I feel that there is not much teachers can do with the free version of Animoto. Thirty seconds is just not enough time. 

Web 2.0 Tool #3: Glogster

Glogster

Link: http://www.glogster.com

Link to this example: http://stjohns5th.edu.glogster.com/road-to-the-revolution/

Description: Glogster is a site that allows users to make glogs (interactive posters). While the site requires a paid membership, I have found it to be worth the small membership fee ($39 a year for 30 memberships). Not only does membership allow teachers to create an unlimited amount of glogs for students to view, but each student also has an account that they can use to create their own glogs. There are numerous templates available categorized by subject area for use or you can create your own. You have the option to make your glogs private or public. After picking a template, it is easy to input videos, audio clips, pictures, or text to make the topic come to life. Glogs can be used to introduce topics, review concepts, or assess student learning. The glog I created will be used as a review of the events we have studied in class. Students are able to study the information presented and watch the videos to review for the end of unit test. Using Glogster, teachers can reach many different learners.

Web 2.0 Tool #2: Prezi

Prezi

Link: http://www.prezi.com

Link to this example: https://prezi.com/lfaj3txllxb9/westward-expansion/

Description: Prezi is a free presentation software that allows users to make nonlinear slideshows. Including pictures and videos is easily done with the click of a few buttons. The site allows teachers to offer multiple methods of entry into a topic and meet different types of learners at their level. Prezi is easy to use, but can be somewhat time consuming if you want to create elaborate paths for your slideshow. This site offers students an alternative to PowerPoint that is easy to learn and use. Since the presentations are stored online, they can be accessed at anytime from any computer with Internet access. I created a Prezi for a 5th grade social studies lesson on Westward Expansion. Prezi allowed me to include relevant YouTube videos, pictures, text, and hyperlinks. Students can then watch the presentation again at home if needed, and it can easily be used as a study aid. Not only do students enjoy presentations using Prezi, they also love making their own slideshows. 

Web 2.0 Tool #1: PhotoPeach

PhotoPeach

Link: www.photopeach.com

Link to this example: http://photopeach.com/album/81msc1

Description: PhotoPeach is a picture sharing site that allows users to create interactive photo albums. The free version of this site allows users to upload 30 pictures, but with a paid membership, users can upload an unlimited number of pictures. Adding text to photos and music to the slideshow is quick and easy to do. The site comes with music options available. The text features are minimal, and it does not offer many options to move text around. The highlight of this website is being able to add multiple choice quiz questions to any picture. The slideshow pauses and gives students five seconds to click on their chosen answer. PhotoPeach then dings if students are correct or buzzes and shows the correct answer if students have chosen the wrong one. The uses of this software are endless. I chose to create a review slideshow of geometry terms. After a few review slides, students are able to answer a few multiple choice questions to help test their knowledge. Unfortunately, PhotoPeach does not have the ability to keep records of quiz answers given. Overall, this is a great way to put together a short slideshow presentation of different photos. 

First Week of School Activities- Create Your Own Country

Create Your Own Country

To help create a supportive classroom environment, we like to complete many different team building activities. One of these is our Classroom Country project. As a class, we discuss that our classroom is like a country and we need to work together to help our country be the best it can be. We discuss what we value as a class- honest, hard work, patience, etc. We then discuss how flags are designed to represent the values and history of the country. For example, our flag has 50 stars to represent the 50 states, thirteen stripes to represent the 13 colonies, red to represent the blood shed for our freedom, etc. We look at about four different countries and their flags to learn more about symbols. Students are then broken into groups of two or three to design a flag that would represent their class. They are given a sheet of color meanings to help them. Students must create a flag and write a good paragraph describing their flag and what it means. We then read all about the flags and vote on one to represent us. This flag then hangs in our classroom for the year.

 

First Week of School Activity- Saving Fred

The new year always starts with high energy, nervous stomaches, and a million ideas running through my head. I love fresh notebooks, new markers, and sharp pencil points. The first week is always chock full of getting-to-know-you activities and team building games. I will be posting some of my favorite activities starting with Saving Fred.  Feel free to use any of the resources available.

Saving Fred

Materials Needed:

• Gummy Worms (one per group plus extras to eat!)
• Gummy Lifesavers (one per group plus extras to eat!)
• Clear Cups (one per group)
• Paper Clips (one per student)
• Saving Fred PowerPoint

Procedures:

1. Break students into groups of 3-5. Four works best.
2. Each group gets the following set-up. Place a gummy lifesaver under an upside down clear cup. Then place a gummy worm on top of the cup.
3. Every group member gets a paper clip to use.
4. Go through the PowerPoint discussing each slide. Allow students time to complete the task. Then follow up with the reflection questions.

Can You Save Fred in action!

 

 

Welcome!

As I enter into my 12th year teaching this year, I feel invigorated and excited to implement new activities and projects. My main goal this year is to work on connecting my students to the global community. I have already connected with many classrooms across the country and scheduled Mystery Skype sessions with them. I'm excited to begin this fun project and think that the students will enjoy this activity. At St. John's we work with schools in Wamunyu, Kenya through a project called Kenya Connect. Each year we raise money to help these students and provide them with technology, books, sporting equipment, and many other things. I hope to expand on this project and teach students that they are capable of making a difference in the world. I will keep you updated with projects and activities that occur in our classroom. Feel free to use any of the resources in your classroom!