Animoto in the Classroom: Activity Ideas Looking to enhance students' Web 2.0 competencies and build 21st-century skills? The Animoto tool allows anyone to create professional-looking projects using audio, photographs and video. Fortunately, if you're a teacher looking to bring this fun and easy multimedia tool into the classroom, a free account will do just fine. Free accounts let students generate projects up to 30 seconds long in a limited number of styles and with a Web-streaming level of visual quality. To get you started, Education World offers three great classroom activity ideas based on free-account features of Animoto. Students might enjoy one of the following technology integration activities: 30-Second "Shark Tank" Do students have what it takes to impress the business sharks? Once students have completed their Animoto videos, require each one to take a minute or two to introduce his/her presentation verbally before playing it for the class. Monster Attack!
A Beginner's Guide to Using Schoology: The Back-to-School Essentials It's that time of year again—the time for you to begin getting reacquainted with the Schoology platform in preparation for the new school year. But don't stress about that. Even though we've added some new features, getting back into the swing of things will be just like riding a bike, especially if you followed our End of Year Best Practices. For those of you out there who need a little refresher, and for those of you just starting out (Welcome, by the way), we've put together a quick overview of the platform that will be available here on the blog and in our Help Center. If you look up at the top of your screen, you'll see four different "profiles" on the left—Home, Courses, Groups, and Resources—and some icons and your name on the right. And keep in mind that Schoology streamlines navigation. Home Page Your Home Page is where you will start every time you log in to Schoology. There are four main components to your Home Profile: Course Profiles Your courses are your virtual classrooms.
How to Use Twitter for Teaching and Learning Are you an educator who is thinking about taking the plunge into using Twitter in your classroom? Many of us think of Twitter as a place to share pictures of our latest meal or as the place where industry gurus post their greatest observations. It’s common to wonder: how can we use Twitter in a meaningful way—especially in a classroom? Why Use Twitter in Education? The truth is, with 288 million monthly average users from all over the world, Twitter provides a social media world that is chock full of information and insights. Maybe you’re intrigued with the idea of using Twitter, but aren’t quite sure how to get started. Twitter Basics Twitter is a free, online social media tool, found at Twitter.com. One of the most confusing aspects of Twitter is the lingo. Twitter handle/user name: This is your Twitter name. Twitter’s New Users FAQs provides more information, but these are some of the main aspects an educator needs to know to get an account up and running. 1. 2. 3. In Short
25 Fun Ways to use QR Codes for Teaching and Learning I’ve culled a bunch of ideas from different teachers who have shared their approaches to using this simple but powerful construct in the classroom. Once your students are equipped with a device that can read QR codes and they know how to scan them, you’re ready to use ideas like these in your classroom! If you’re not already familiar with it, scroll down to the bottom of the article to learn how to easily create QR codes, and find QR Code readers. Ideas, Ideas, and More Ideas! The article, Ways to use QR Codes in the Elementary Classroom and Using Google Docs to Create Them, by Jill Thompson, offers these uses: Library Book Add-On: Put QR codes on classroom library books, linking out to information about the author and or book. These ideas come from the web page QR Codes – What are they and how can I use them in my classroom? Assistive Technology: “Provide an alternative access format for students who need additional support in reading and writing.” Creating and Reading QR Codes
Animoto: Examples, lessons, and scaffolding | Inclusive Classrooms Project Animoto is a free video slide show creation website. If you sign up for a free education account (scroll down to the bottom of the site, click on "education," and sign up), your students can create slide shows that are up to 10 minutes long using pictures, video clips, and words. How Can Animoto be Used in the Classroom? I originally wanted my students to use Animoto as an assessment of their independent reading. However, they were so delighted by the technology that they began to use it for other purposes: to show their understanding of topics in Living Environment, to explain about different topics in US History, to demonstrate their research on different life skills in Advisory, and even as a medium to display their knowledge from an inquiry project assigned in my class. As long as they can use the technology, students can use it for anything. As a teacher, you can also use it to introduce topics in an engaging format, as another medium for differentiated instruction. Downloads Examples
Top Five Ways to Use Screencasting in the Classroom This article was written by guest author Ron Kotlik for our quarterly education newsletter, the Learning Lounge. If you have an interest in contributing, please fill out this form. Screencasting is one of the most dynamic tools educators can use to transform their classroom in a dramatic fashion without investing a tremendous amount of time learning a new software piece or app. 1. “Live screencasting,” creating a live recording during a class activity, is one of the easiest ways for teachers to begin the adventure of using this tool to promote positive change in their classrooms. The idea of creating live screencasts during class was born out of necessity when a student was absent for an extended time for a medical issue. 2. Screencasting can be used for any grade level instruction (K-12 & Higher Education) that involves any aspect of online delivery. Student positive feedback has been tremendous with many expressing surprise on the personal nature of an online experience. 3. 4. 5.
Creative Commons Resources for Classroom Teachers | CTQ #CTQCollab Posted by Bill Ferriter on Sunday, 09/08/2013 If your students are using images, video, or music in the final products that they are producing for your class, then it is INCREDIBLY important that you introduce them to the Creative Commons -- an organization that is helping to redefine copyright laws. With a self-described goal to "save the world from failed sharing," the Creative Commons organization has developed a set of licenses that content creators can use when sharing the work. While every Creative Commons license requires that attribution to be given to the original owner of a piece of content, every license also details the ways that content can be used by others WITHOUT having to ask for permission in advance. That makes Creative Commons content perfect for use in classroom projects. #winning Want to know more about the Creative Commons? Sources for Finding Creative Commons Content: Related Radical Reads: What Do YOU Know About the Creative Commons? Anti-Bullying PSA Project
Cool Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom Imagine taking your class on an "around the world" field trip or having your favorite children's author lead today's read-aloud. You can do both of these and more without leaving your classroom thanks to Skype. It's a great use of technology in the classroom! Skype is free communication software that allows you to make calls, instant message and video conference online. Here are just a few of the endless possibilities for using this ed tech tool in the classroom. One amazing experience you can have with Skype in the classroom is a virtual author visit or other amazing guest speaker. Skype Author Visits & Guest Lectures Author and illustrator Mike Artnell is one of many authors using Skype to visit classrooms. Our technology in the classroom look at Apple TV, and how to use it. Use these teacher-tested classroom management ideas to organize the all-... A heavier emphasis on financial literacy in schools can help students when it... 5 things you should NOT do in an inclusive classroom.
50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom Many critics of Twitter believe that the 140-character microblog offered by the ubiquitous social network can do little for the education industry. They are wrong. K-12 teachers have taken advantage of Twitter’s format to keep their classes engaged and up-to-date on the latest technologies. The following projects provide you and your students with 50 ways to Twitter in the classroom to create important and lasting lessons. 1. One of the simplest ways that teachers can use Twitter in the classroom involves setting up a feed dedicated exclusively to due dates, tests or quizzes. 2. Subscribe to different mainstream and independent news feeds with different biases as a way to compare and contrast how different perspectives interpret current events and issues. 3. Set up an interesting assignment requesting that students set up Twitter for education lists following feeds relevant to their career goals and keep a daily journal on any trends that crop up along the way. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Using Timetoast to Create Interactive Timelines | Incorporating Technology into the Everyday Classroom Name of Tool: Timetoast URL: Type of Tool: productivity tool Description: Timetoast is a free Web 2.0 tool which allows its users to create interactive timelines online! What do you need to know to use this tool? What resources do you need? How to use the tool: First the user must go to and click on the orange “Sign Up” button in the middle of the page. Possible uses for this tool: An obvious use of this tool would be to create a timeline of events from a particular time period, or war in order to use as an instructional aide in class. Now this tool has infinitely usefulness in a history class, however this tool can be incorporated into other content areas. Advantages: Disadvantages: users can not create timelines in the BC erarequires an email address and email confirmation to register for the tool, and most school districts don’t allow students to access their personal email accounts from school Like this: Like Loading...
10 Major Technology Trends in Education -- THE Journal Research | Spotlight 10 Major Technology Trends in Education We have a first look at the results from the latest Speak Up survey, which polled hundreds of thousands of teachers, students, administrators, parents and community members about technology trends in education. By Chris Riedel02/03/14 According to the latest data, video for homework is on the rise; mobile computing is "beyond the tipping point"; and most kids don't use traditional computers to connect to the Internet at home. The 2013 results represent more than 400,000 surveys from 9,000 schools and 2,700 districts across the country. 1. According to the 2013 results, students overwhelmingly have access to personal mobile devices. Specifically, said Evans, 89 percent of high schools students have access to Internet-connected smart phones, while 50 percent of students in grades 3 through 5 have access to the same type of devices. 2. 3. Video is another tool that has been on the rise in recent years. 4. 5.
Video Tutorials – Edmodo Help Center Watch and learn! The following short videos will provide an introduction to many features of Edmodo, helping to jump-start your Edmodo experience. If you do not find what you are looking for below, we have more video resources accessible through our recorded webinars. 1. Welcome To Edmodo Learn how to open the door to your Edmodo Classroom by signing up for a teacher account and creating your first group. Watch this video on a separate page. 2. Learn how to use Snapshot to quickly assess your students on Common Core and other state standards. Watch this video on a separate page. 3. Learn how to use quizzes and assignments in your Edmodo classroom. Watch this video on a separate page. Watch this video on a separate page. 4. Use the Edmodo Library to store and manage your digital resources. Watch this video on a separate page. 5. Learn to engage and serve all student learners by differentiating instruction with Groups and Small Groups. Watch this video on a separate page.