“Fast Five” for October 2010
In this everchanging world of the Internet, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with the newest and coolest “Web2.0” tools. In fact, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with just what exactly “Web2.0” really is. Is it the “read-write web”? Is it the Google-fication of the internet? Or is it something different all together? Tim O’Reilly of O’Reilly Media tries to explain it as “faux-meme” that has caught on as “media hype” for what is simply the next generation of websites. For more insight into just Web2.0 really is, check out O’Reilly’s website.
All this debate and debacle, however, has nothing to do with the fact that there are tons of great resources online for educators to use with each other, and even with their students - sometimes even for FREE! In this monthly series of blog posts I’ll try to share with you 5 free and easy-to-use Web2.0 tools that you can try in your learning community.
Tool #1 - Animoto
Click here to see the full tutorial page created for Animoto on the FCPS TRT Website!
Taking pictures is easy, but creating an engaging and exciting slideshow is a different story. You could use PowerPoint, PhotoStory, or even MovieMaker, but timing the picture transitions with music can be extremely time consuming. Animoto makes it a snap with just a few clicks. Simply upload your pictures to the site, choose a soundtrack, and wait a couple minutes for your video to “render” and before you know it you’ve got cool movie ready online that’s easy to share or embed. Try it! The movie below was created with the “free” account that allows for 30 second videos.
Tool #2 - Prezi
It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s free, and you can download it! If you’re tired of boring PowerPoint presentations and want to grab your audience’s attention, perhaps even invoke some motion sickness, try Prezi. By using an open “workspace” you can add text features, images, hyperlinks, and even videos to your twisting and spinning presentations. You will need an email account to sign up, but it is free, and you can download your finished projects to your computer that will play in Adobe Flash format. Below is an example of a Prezi presentation made about… Prezi!
Prezi Intro 4 Curriculum on Prezi
Tool #3 - Edmodo
Are your students using Facebook? Probably.
Are they using it safely? Probably not.
And why aren’t they using it safely?
Because no one has taught them how to use it safely!
If you’ve burned out the “Blog Buzz” and would like to try something new, try Edmodo - it’s social networking for the classroom. Much like Facebook, students can create their own page, post their own information, links, and even files, and all in the privacy and safety of the teacher’s online classroom. Completely locked down and protected, students are free to communicate and collaborate with both the teacher and each other. No email addresses are required except for the teacher. Once a class is created the teacher receives a code to share with students which will allow them to create their own accounts. For more information about Edmodo, follow the how-to guide at http://www.edmodo.com/guide/ or simply watch the movie available on their front page at http://www.edmodo.com
Tool #4 - Glogster via http://edu.glogster.com/
What is “Glogster”? For that matter, what’s a “Glog”? Well, it’s a whole new 21st century word that’s basically a hybrid of another 21st century term - blog. When people started keeping a journal or diary online it was called a “web-log”, which became shortenned to “blog”. Now that you can add images or graphics to a blog, you get a graphic-blog, or “glog”.
In short, a glog is an online poster that has all the interactive capabilities that come with a website; pictures, video, audio, links, etc. Glogs make great digital products for book reports, class projects, and research presentations. To get a better understanding check out this Anglo Saxon Glog.
Glogster is free to educators, but make sure you use the “edu” version in order to protect your students! For more information on setting up an account and getting started check out http://edu.glogster.com/what-is-glogster-edu/#five
Tool #5 - Google Forms
