Two Excellent Web Tools to Create Story Maps in Class

July 26, 2014
The two web tools I m sharing with you today are ideal for creating and sharing mapped stories. Students can use them in class to organize, narrate and present information through the means of geography. Both of these tools are easy to use and are also student friendly. Have a look and share with your students.

1- Odyssey
Odyssey is a cool web tool that allows you to create mapped stories. Students can use it to create and tell their stories with the help of maps and without even having to register. The concept of Odyssey is to provide users with a tool to create maps illustrated by narratives.

Odyssey provides three main templates that you can use to narrate a mapped story. The first one is through slides. This one lets you display visualization chapters like slides in a presentation. The second one is through scrolling. It allows you to create visualization that changes as your reader moves through your narrative. The third one is called Torque. Torque is an animated map template that links story elements to moments in time. It is similar to creating a timeline.

2- Story Maps 

Story Maps is another great web tool that students can use to create stories on maps. Story Maps lets you enrich your story with interactive elements such as text, photos, video, and audio. Its interface is pretty basic and intuitive and students do not need to have HTML knowledge to operate it. They can jump in and start building their stories of a place , event or issue in a geographic context.

Courtesy of Google Maps Mania.

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InfuseLearning- A Wonderful Student Response Tool

July 25, 2014
InfuseLearing is a great virtual learner response system. In a very basic level, InfuseLearning allows teachers to ask quick assessment questions to check for students understanding. There are seven types of quick assessment questions supported by InfuseLearning. These are : Response Drawing, True/False questions, Multiple Choice, Sort in Order, Open Ended Text Answer, Numeric, Likert Scale(1-5).

source: http://goo.gl/NJT6xp

Here is how InfuseLearning works:

You log in as a teacher and you create a class. There are two types of classes you can create: open enrolment class and private classes. The difference between these two classes is that in private classes, students need to have a generated code to access the class ( this code you get it when you create a class). Public classes are open to anyone with the class ID number to access it.

source:http://goo.gl/NJT6xp

Once you have created a class, share the Room ID of your class with your students. Students  go to student.infuselearning.com and  connect to your room by entering the "Room ID" found in the upper left-hand corner of the Teacher Dashboard along with their name. Now you're ready to start asking questions. Select the type of questions you want to ask and as students respond you can see results in realtime. You will be able to see the details related to the responses and save the results.

The unique feature that sets InfuseLearning apart from other learner response systems is " Draw Response". This quick assessment question allows students to respond to a question by drawing. Students are provided with a drawing canvas where they can draw their answers. Teachers can see students drawings as they happen and all drawings can be saved in PDF format. Another interesting feature from  InfuseLearning is audio narration which allows students to have questions read to them  in different languages.

Watch the video below to see InfuseLearning in action

Check out these excellent guides to help you  learn more about InfuseLearning and how to use it with your students

• InfuseLearning tutorial for teachers
• 9 Snapguide Guides created by Infuse Learning
• Steps to get the most out of Infuse
•  LearningDIY Graph Paper for Infuse Learning
• Longer Tutorial with Screen Shots

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11 Great Apps to Enhance Your Evernote

July 25, 2014
Evernote is a powerful note taking web tool and mobile app. It is definitely an elemental component of teachers workflow. I have been using it for a few years now and I just can't live without it now.Evernote enables you to take notes in both text and audio format. Your notes can also include images,videos and even files. Evernote is available across different devices so that everything you do with Evernote on your computer can be automatically synced to your Evernote account on your phone or tablet.

With the growing popularity and widespread of Evernote, there appeared a wide variety of applications that can enhance your productivity and expand your Evernote experience. Here are some of these applications as recommended by Evernote app centre:

1- EverClip2

EverClip 2 is the easiest way to clip things on mobile to Evernote Open EverClip in the background, switch to any app, copy something you like, and it will automatically be imported to EverClip. Edit, annotate, and organize, then send to Evernote. You’ll never miss anything on mobile again!

2- Refresh

This app  aggregates information from across the web (including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Evernote, email, calendar, and contacts), and intelligently surfaces helpful insights. 

3- Postach.io

Postach.io is the easiest way to publish the thoughts you're already capturing in your Evernote. If you currently have notes in your Evernote account, you're ready to publish right now.

4- Instapaper

Instapaper lets you save web pages and articles you want to read later. Connect your Instapaper account to your Evernote account and send articles that you want to remember straight into your Evernote account, where you'll always have access to them from any device.

5- eHighlighter

Prepare organized, searchable, copy-and-pastable excerpts and notes from hardcopy books, journals, and magazines and save them into Evernote.

6- Study Blue

StudyBlue is your digital backpack. Join the millions of students making, learning, and sharing amazing class materials. Use Evernote to take notes anywhere, and StudyBlue to study them everywhere.

7- ReferenceMe

ReferenceME makes managing research simple and organised. Simply scan book or journal barcodes with the ReferenceME app to create and manage references for your essay or research report.

8- Scalar

Scalar is powerful like a spreadsheet, but simple to use without rigid tables or small cells for inputting. When you’re done, save your calculations into Evernote to reference them later.

9- ClipBook

Manage your book collection and record your favorite quotes and find them later in Evernote.

10- Azendo

Azendoo is a collaborative task and project management app that lets you bring your Evernote notes at the heart of collaboration to boost work execution and communicate more intuitively!

11- LiveMinutes

Open, collaborate on your notes & save them back to Evernote with LiveMinutes.

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The Best Tools and Apps for Flipped Learning Classroom

July 25, 2014
Following the posting of "Managing iPad Videos in Schools" somebody emailed me asking about some suggestions for tools and apps to create instructional videos to use in a flipped learning setting. In fact, over the last couple of years I have reviewed several web tools and iPad apps that can be used in flipped classroom but the ones I am featuring below are among the best out there.

1- Educlipper

Educlipper is a wonderful tool for creating video tutorials and guides to share with students. As a teacher you can create an Educlipper board for your class and share the link with them. Now that you have a shared space with your students, you can go about creating instructional videos using the iPap app of Educlipper. After you are done you can share it on your class Educlipper board. For those of you not familiar yet with how to use Educlipper to create videos, watch this video.

2- PixiClip

Pixiclip is another wonderful tool to create step by step instructional videos to use in your flipped classroom. Like Educlipper, PixiClip provides you with a whiteboard where you can add images,text, videos, drawings, annotations and many more. PixClip also offers a nifty recording feature that allows you to record your talk while working on the whiteboard. Once your PixiClip video is ready you can then share it through popular social media outlets lie Facebook or Twitter or email its link to your students directly. If you have a classroom blog, you can grab the HTML code of your video and embed it there. Here is a step by step guide on how to create instructional videos using PixiClip.

3- Explain Everything

Explain Everything is a great interactive whiteboard that  allows you to create screencasts and video tutorials using annotation, animation, narration, importing, and exporting almost anything to and from almost anywhere. 

4- Knowmia

Knowmia Teach is a new free lesson planning and recording tool for teachers and their students. It helps you create short video lessons on any subject and publish them on Knowmia.com so students, other teachers and the public can find them. Knowmia Teach makes it easy to bring in visual aids from multiple sources, organize them in steps (like slides in a presentation) and use your own voice and fingers to bring your lesson to life. You can design each step in the lesson, record illustrations as you draw them, and create sophisticated animation sequences with a simple stroke of a finger. We also give you the ability to describe your lesson in a way that makes it simple for anyone who is interested in the subject to find your video.

 5- ShowMe

ShowMe is similar to Educreations in that it also allows you to turn your iPad into a recordable iPad. You can use  this app to record tutorials and short video lessons to share with your students. Some of the features ShowMe provides to its users include :

• Record your ShowMe tutorial right away — no manuals or complicated menus needed
• Drop in images onto the whiteboard
• Easily switch between drawing and erasing (as well as pausing and playing) to make your ShowMe flow from concept to concept
• You can make your ShowMe as long or as short as it needs to be, and record as many ShowMe’s as you want. Go nuts!
• Once you’re finished recording, upload your ShowMe to share with the community (or keep it private if you prefer) 
• Discover awesome tutorials created by other members of the ShowMe community

6- Educreations

This is my favourite of them all. Educreations allows you to create short video recordings that can include your own voice, text, drawings, sketches, and pictures. Some of the features that Educreations provide to its users include :

• Record and replay your voice, handwriting and drawings
•Draw in 10 colors of incredibly realistic digital ink
• Add text to any page
• Add photos from the iPad camera, Photo Albums, Dropbox or the Web
• Animate images by dragging them around while recording
• Create multiple whiteboard pages
• Scroll pages up or down when you need extra space
• Easily erase drawing mistakes
• Unlimited undo and redo
• Pause/resume or start over recording anytime
• Create a free account on educreations.com and choose who can view your lessons
• Share your lessons via email, Facebook and Twitter
• Embed your lessons on your blog or website

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Handy Google Drive Tip for Teachers- Moving Docs to Multiple Folders

July 25, 2014
Here is an excellent Google Drive tip I learned today from Shake Up Learning. As much as I love Google Drive and spend so much time discovering its hidden tricks and features I must say that this new tip has completely taken me by surprise and I am not sure how I missed it.

This new tip allows you to move Google Drive files, documents, presentations and spreadsheets into multiple folders. For instance, you have tow folders for two separate classes and you want to share a document you have written with both classes. This is how to do it:

Open the document you want to share and then click on the folder icon.

 Alternatively, you don't have to open the document to do this. Just click on the folder icon from within Drive management window.

Now if you want to add the document to a single folder you can simply select the name of the folder and click add to but if you want to add it to multiple folders, hold the control key (Windows) or the command key (Mac) as you click to select multiple folders. Then click Move to save your changes.

Any edits you make to that document will automatically appear in both folders. Here is a video tutorial from Google Gooru showing this tip in action:

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A Must Have Resource for Finding Educational Sites, Apps and Services

July 24, 2014
Graphite is one of the amazing platforms that connects teachers with technology. Graphite is a free website from Common Sense Media that  provides reviews of the latest exciting innovations in educational technology, everything from video games that help students learn algebra to lectures they can watch online.

Graphite provides teachers with a one central location where they can go and find tested and trustworthy learning resources and web tools to use in their classes.The web tools and mobile apps shared on Graphite are expertly rated by a dedicated group of leading education specialists. Using the search functionality on Graphite you will be able to look for and filter learning resources by subject, grade, skill level and Common Core standard.

Another great feature of Graphite is the community work that has been going on there. In this community, teachers interact with each other and share resources they have tried with their students. They also share how they used web tools in their classes, what their students think about them and many more.

Watch the video below to learn more about Graphite

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BoomWriter Just Released WordWriter for Teaching Vocabulary

July 24, 2014
 BoomWriter announced the launch of its new interactive vocabulary tool called WordWriter yesterday! WordWriter makes vocabulary fun, easy, and engaging and gives it a 21st century technology-twist! It's sure to be a great tool for teachers and students alike.

Utilizing BoomWriter’s interactive and collaborative platform, WordWriter will develop greater interest and engagement levels around vocabulary instruction.  WordWriter will increase students’ overall vocabulary comprehension through application of the teacher-selected vocab into their own written work.  Teachers will simply add the specific words they wish the students to incorporate, a word limit, and some guidelines—the WordWriter platform is flexible enough that students can write creative stories around the chosen words or just simple sentences to demonstrate their vocabulary knowledge.

  Best of all, WordWriter tracks student’s use of selected words and then checks off the vocabulary word once it’s been typed.  Once all students’ pieces are submitted and approved by the teacher, they can participate in the anonymous peer review portion of the process and vote for the piece they feel best utilizes the vocabulary.  WordWriter will also feature vocabulary word crowdsourcing, so teachers can see the most popular words for a particular grade added by other teachers from around the world!

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