Useful Web Apps

I just stumbled upon this article from SmashingApps.  http://www.smashingapps.com/2010/10/30/9-coolest-web-apps-you-might-not-know-about-but-should.html

I think Alertful is a great idea.  CV Maker looks like it is going to be useful for high school juniors and seniors who are creating resumes.

Free Educational Games for Pre - Early Elementary Kids

I was just introduced to Game Goo, which is a collection of educational practice games provided by Earobics.  The purpose of these games is to provide students with the opportunity to develop early reading and language skills. 

If you teach pre - early elementary education, this is a FREE site you should definitely check out.  http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/gooey.html

Last Robot Diaries Screencast

I just finished the screencast for sensors.  I used Jing for the previous two screencasts, but I used Camtasia for this one.  I discovered the zoom feature and thought it would be useful for this demonstration.

Download now or watch on posterous

sensor_good_video.mp4 (3344 KB)

Robot Diaries http://robotdiaries.posterous.com

First Two Robot Diaries Screencasts

Here are the first two screencasts I created for the Robot Diaires project.  I did not realize that I had the mic muted, so it defaulted to the mic on the webcam, which was pointing at the floor.  I fixed the audio the best I could in Camtasia.  If enough people think I should re-record it, I will.

Download now or watch on posterous

Parts.mp4 (3251 KB)

Download now or watch on posterous

Programming.mp4 (2379 KB)

Robot Diaries http://robotdiaries.posterous.com

Stop Motion

Here are Rob Ruddle's sample stop motion videos.

Download now or watch on posterous

dude_final.avi (12856 KB)

Download now or watch on posterous

triangle.avi (22446 KB)

 

Robot Diaries http://robotdiaries.posterous.com

A.nnotate Documents and Images

A.nnotate is a site that allows you to upload documents or images and annotate them.  The free version allows you to share with peers but you will have to upgrade if you want to be able to collaboratively add notes to the same document.  

You can upload images, PDFs, or MS Office documents.  This is nice because you don't have to worry about someone having an older version of Word that won't open your document.  Everything, including fonts will remain intact.  All you have to do, is share the link.

Here is an image of my family with some Star Wars characters I used as an example.  http://a.nnotate.com/docs/2010-06-08/TdxcIKoq/index.html

Oil Spill Visualization in Education

Http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/ is a site that uses real data from NOAA to create an image that will lay over a map to help people understand the true seriousness of the oil spill disaster.  You can select any location and the image will show you what the oil spill would look like if it happened there. According to the site, it is usually updated once a day. I selected my home town and here is the image I saw. 

Think of how you could use this site in education.  A social studies teacher could probably use this to talk about how society is being effected.  An English teacher could show a map of the local area and have students write about how their lives would change if this actually did happen to them.  If anything, it will help students empathize with the people being affected.

Windows 7 Tip - Dock it in the System Tray

For those of you that use apps like Skype and other chat clients, which used to dock in the system tray, you probably noticed that Windows 7 keeps them in the taskbar when they are open. This can be annoying especially if you are working on a bunch things at once and already have a lot of icons down there.

Here's the solution
If they app docked in the tray on Windows Vista or XP, you can set the app to run in compatibility mode. To do this, right-click on the shortcut for the program and choose "Properties". Then, you will see a "Compatibility" tab. Click that tab and choose the "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" option.  Then, select the version of Windows you want. I choose Vista and that works for me.

New YouTube Sharing Option: Unlisted

Youtube has created a third option of sharing videos.  Before, you were able to make the video Public (anyone can search for and see it) or Private (only YouTube users you specify can view it).  Now, there is an option that falls between the two.  This option is called "Unlisted".  This option will not allow the video to show up in search results.  So, only people who know the link to the video will be able to see it.  And, they will not need to have a YouTube account.  Below, you will find video from Tekzilla on Revision3.

Fuzzwich - Animation for Everyone ???

I stumbled upon Fuzzwich while catching up on Twitter. Fuzzwich allows the user to create a mini video.  There are characters you will recognized, but you can replace their heads with yours.  It looks like it would be a useful tool for storytelling.  BUT...

I am still on the fence (leaning toward the no side) when it comes to using it in the classroom.  Here's why.

1.  I think the students would get the hang of the site quickly.  But, the actions are very limited and include fighting moves.  On a positive note, you can change the facial expressions.

2.  Some of the characters have weapons and there is a dog you can make pee on things.

Don't get me wrong.  I had a lot of fun playing with the site and I could see myself playing with it for hours.  I just wouldn't use it in a classroom setting.

Here's a short video I made with Fuzzwich

Tagxedo - Custom Tag Clouds

Tagxedo is a site that allows the user to turn words into tag clouds.  The thing that sold me on this tool was that I was able to upload a picture of myself and make a tag cloud shaped like my head (see below).  You can change the color scheme of your tag cloud and there are pre-loaded shapes you can use. 

Then, you can save the cloud as an image or embed it.

As of right now, the site is in beta so all the features are free.  Eventually, there will be a pro version and you will have to upgrade to get some of the advanced features.

You can view a gallery of clouds here.

Mouse Mischief - Free tool lets students participate during class

What Is It?
Mouse Mischief is a free tool from Microsoft that you can add to PowerPoint to allow multiple students to participate in your presentations.  You can add multiple choice, true/false, yes/no, or drawing question into your presentation and the students can use any computer mouse to answer questions. 

How Do I Get It ?
All you have to do is go to http://www.microsoft.com/multipoint/mouse-mischief/ and download the application.  Once it is installed, you will see a new toolbar for Mouse Mischief in the PowerPoint ribbon.  Now, when you open a PowerPoint presentation, you will be able to add interactive items very easily.

Can I See It In Action?
Yes.  There is a link to an eSchoolNews article below that contains a video. 
 
How Did You Find This?
I was getting caught up with Twitter and I saw that a ton of people were tweeting about Mouse Mischief. Then, I found an article from eSchoolNews that explains it a little better.  

Here is a link to the article from eSchoolNews: Free tool lets students participate during class

Free Web Comic Creator - Chogger

I just stumbled upon Chogger.com.  This is a free Web Comic Strip Creator that only takes a few minutes to master.  In the past, we have used stripgenerator.com to create comic "renditions" of Edgar Allan Poe poems/stories in the 11th grade English classes in our district.  The problem we ran into was that Stripgenerator limits the amount of space that can be use for each comic.  So, some students had to make three or four seperate comics to retell one story.  One positive thing about Stripgenerator is that they had tons of pre-made objects that you can use.  While Chogger does not have the pre-fab objects and images, you can upload your own images as well as draw your own objects.  Also, Chogger allows to add more cells as well as more rows of cells.  So, you can make your comic larger if you need to.  I am seriously considering using Chogger in place of Stripgenerator for the Poe activity next school year.  The only thing I would like to see added is the ability to embed the comics after they are finish.  If there was a way to this, I missed it.  Below is a screenshot of a comic I made in less than 5 minutes.  Of course, given more time, I could fix up Bill and take better pictures.  But, those familiar with digital storytelling know that it is about the quality of the story and not always able the appearance. Creating a Chogger account only took about 30 seconds.

Start Youtube Videos Where You Want

Youtubetime.com is a website that allows you to enter the URL for a Youtube video and a specific start time.  The site then provides you with a link that will start the video at a specific point.  This is good for classrooms, where a teacher might want to show only part of a video.  Instead of the teacher loading the video and having to try to find the part they want to show each time, they can do it one time and save the link provided by Youtubetime.com.  Note: you want to use the actual URL not the embed code.

This can be done without Youtubetime by simply adding the following to a Youtube URL.  #t=XmXXs.  So, if I wanted to start 24 seconds into a video, I would add #t=0m24s to the end of the URL.  For example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8 would become http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8#t=0m24s

The advantage of using this website is that you don't have to remember this code and it is easy to share this trick with other people.

Google for Teachers - Free 33 Page Guide

Thanks to my Twitter PLN, I just stumbled upon this 33 Page Guide for using Google in the classroom.  This document was provided by Free Technology for Teachers.  This guide covers everything from using the advanced search tools to using Google Docs to create quizzes that can be posted online.  Every teachers can find something they can use in here.  Pass it along.


Google for Teachers -

Using Check Boxes in Windows 7 to Save a Little Time

If you have ever tried to select multiple files one a computer you can drag a box around all of the files if they are in order.  If they are not in order, you had to hold control and select each file.  Now, with Windows 7, you can enable the use of check boxes so you can select multiple files with only one hand.  To enable this feature you need to be in a folder.  Click on "Tools" from the menu bar at the top.  Then, select "Folder Options".  Finally, click on the View tab and check the box that says "Use check boxes to select items". 

Once you have enabled this option, you will be able to select multiple files by clicking the check boxes to the left of the file names.

This feature works regardless of how you view you files (list or thumbnails).

Literature Recaps

Today, a colleague emailed a great resource for English teachers.  It is call 60 Second Recap. This site provides engaging video recaps that will help make understanding literary works easier for students.  I saw there was a recap for Brave New Word by Aldous Huxley.  I watched the Teaser Trailer for this book and it instantly gave me an idea.  What if we had our students make their own Teaser Trailers for books.  We could even do it for short stories.  Regardless of whether you have you students create their own or not, I believe this site will be an excellent resource for teachers who are trying to engage students with literature.  There are recaps available for many popular books and they also accept requests for recaps.

Flip Video and Windows Movie Maker

If you have tried using videos taken on a Flip camera in Windows Movie Maker, you may have run into some problems.  Here is a document that will walk you through the process of converting the files so they will work.

This post is intended for students and teachers in my school district.  If you want to take this document and adapt it for your school, feel free.




http://mrruddle.wikispaces.com/file/view/Using+Flip+Videos+in+Windows+Movie+Maker.pdf

I Found it on Twitter

The July Crisis: Can you stop the Great War? - This is a scenario-based lesson that requires students to attempt to prevent World War I.  Student teams are assigned a country and they must prepare an oral presentation that identifies the country's background and history as well as their long term and short term reasons explaining why their country would be willing to go to war.  After all students have presented, the groups must take into account everything that was said and formulate a potential peace agreement.  Finally, the class gets divided into 4 groups and begin negotiations.  If they cannot come to a consensus after 45 minutes they must draft a declaration of war.

Math Interactives - This site includes interactive and print activities as well as videos that show students how math is used in everyday life. 

Crocodoc - Share and collaborate on PDFs and other documents online.  You can view their demo document here.


WebList - Create listings of URLs, Photos, and Files that will be displayed in thumbnail view for easy sharing.  Once you have created your WebList, you are provided with a URL to share so other people can visit you WebList.  Here is the official tutorial.

Where is this TinyURL going to take me?

If you use any kind of social networking service, you have seen tinyURLs (or other brands of shortened URLs).  This has been very helpful for people who want to keep their posts short.  It has also allowed people to send you to virus laden sites or inappropriate sites.  To prevent this, you can use http://untiny.me/ .  This site allows you to paste the tinyURL and it will tell you where it is going to take you.

Tying It Together: Discovery Streaming, Glogster, and Google Earth

I attended a session at the Discovery Education Network pre-conference at Pete&C called Creative Construction with Digital Media.  In this session Traci Blazosky showed us how we can use Discovery Education, Glogster, and Google Earth together. 

Here’s the Idea

Step 1

You can create an assignment in the Assignment Builder on Discovery Education.  When you are finished creating the assignment, you want to “Assign by Code or URL”.   You want to use the URL because this is automatically fills in the code for the students when they click it. 

Step 2

You can create a glog on Glogster and link something to that assignment.

Step 3

You can embed the glog into a placemark on Google Earth. ** (see screenshots below)

Let’s Apply It

Imagine you are doing a lesson on Europe.  With Google Earth, you could create a virtual tour of European nations.  But, with Glogster and Discovery Streaming, we can take it a step further.

First, you can create an assignment for each European Nation on Discovery Education.  Each assignment can start with a video or image and can include various questions.  Next, you want to create a Glog for each nation and link to the assignment in the Glog.  You can present other information in the Glog as well, such as text and images.  Finally, you can create a tour in Google Earth that will visit each of the nations.  You can embed the Glog in the placemark for the corresponding location.

Don’t Use the First Embed Code You See

When you first publish you Glog, you will see the box below.  You DO NOT want to use the embed code you see here for Google Earth.  It will not work properly.

You want to click on “View This Glog”

Then, look for the box you see below.

Now, click on “Embed into you page”

You will see the box below.

THIS is the code you want to use to embed you Glog into a Google Earth Placemark.

The Science of the Winter Olympic Games

SCIENCE OF THE WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES

NBC and NSF have created a 16-part video series about the science behind the Winter Olympics. No matter what area of science you teach, I am sure there is something here for you.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEOS

I heard about this a CFF Coach meeting at our local Intermediate Unit.

2 Science Resources

Here are two useful resources for any science teachers out there.

http://periodicvideos.com/ - Short videos about all 118 elements
http://sixtysymbols.com/ - Videos about the symbols of astronomy and physics

Thanks to @web20classroom for tweeting this.  This originated for teachhub.com

100+ Google Tricks for Teachers 

This article lists 102 Google tools and tips related to search tricks, Google Docs, Google Mobile, Gmail, Google Books, and more.