BuzzWord

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:40:43 -0700

Adobe has recently acquired BuzzWord. BuzzWord is a flash-based word processor. It has very similar functions as Google Docs, but it is a lot slicker. I easily placed a table, changed its dimensions, added color and deleted a column. Inserting images is a breeze. Page breaks, headers, and all the export, save and of course share features are there. I am not sure if I will switch from Google Docs, because of the integration I have with my Google Homepage, but if you are considering moving to an online word processor for yourself or your students, this might just be it!

Note: If your students do not have network drives that allow them to access their documents from any computer in the school, or they do not have the ability to access their documents from home, you should definitely look into an online word processor and other tools. See my post titled, Computing in the Cloud.

280 Slides

Mon, 2 Jun 2008 14:01:22 -0700

280 Slides is an online slideshow creator with style! It functions much like Google Slides and Zoho Show, but it is much prettier! It looks a lot like Apple’s Keynote, but don’t be fooled the bells and whistles are not there. It doesn’t have transitions or animations, but I don’t know of an online slide creator that does. It is a great option for the classroom because kids can share it online and access it form anywhere. When you are finished, you can show it from the web or download it to PowerPoint for final touches.

Awesome Highlighter

Mon, 26 May 2008 22:35:12 -0700

Awesome Highlighter lets you highlight text on web pages and then gives you a small link to the highlighted page. This tool works great for teachers that want to provide students a direct link to text in a web page. It’s so super easy to use that anyone can figure it out... and you don’t have to sign up!

Dipity

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:32:19 -0700

Not just another timeline creator... Dipity allows users to create timeline from RSS feeds. You set up an account, select all of the RSS feeds you want to include in your timeline, and then save. You instantly have a timeline that chronicles all of your RSS feeds, or the feeds of a particular topic you follow. I have included my personal timeline below. It includes all of my RSS feeds. I also saw a timeline set up for the Nargis Cyclone that follows that story. It is a very interesting application that I hope teachers check out.

Twiddla

Sat, 3 May 2008 17:11:03 -0700

The best part of presenting at a conference is what I learn from the participants. Thanks to Peggy George’s relentless web surfing, I have been introduced to Twiddla. The following is the description from the Twiddla website:

Real collaboration, in real time.
Mark up websites, graphics, and photos, or start brainstorming on a blank canvas. Browse the web with your friends or make that conference call more productive than ever. No plug-ins, downloads, or firewall voodoo - it's all here, ready to go when you are. Browser-agnostic, user-friendly, mom-approved. Oh yeah, it does one-click audio chats too.

Teachers and students unite! Get together and mark it up!

Poll Everywhere

Fri, 2 May 2008 19:12:43 -0700

Dr. Tim Tyson gave a talk tonight at the AzTEA WOW Conference Pre-Session. He used a tool called Poll Everywhere that knocked my socks right off! He asked questions and we responded by text messaging. We instantly saw the results on his web browser (you can also embed it in a PowerPoint). So, if you want to use a student response system and you can’t get funding for a set, have your kids use their cell phones... they are using them any way!

Mixbook

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:08:39 -0700

Student publishing just got a big boost with Mixbook. Mixbook enables you to collaboratively create picture books that can be viewed online. Allow anyone to contribute or just invite certain people. Upload photos from your computer, or import them from Flickr, Facebook, etc. Like all decent user generated websites, you can then publish by embeding your book onto your blog/website.

Looky Book

Fri, 1 Feb 2008 22:32:38 -0700

Lookybook is an online collection of children’s picture books that you can read. You can also share the book and embed it onto your website as shown above. This would be especially helpful if you wanted to share books with families. Each week you could share another book and encourage them to read the book together. If you like the book, the site makes it easy to order it from such sites as Amazon.

Be Funky

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:30:54 -0700

If you know me, you know that I am a character. Now I can ACTUALLY be a character, and so can you! Be Funky enables you to upload a picture and turn it into a cartoon or an avatar. This has great implications for student publications, especially graphic novels. It also is great to use with Toon Doo (see Super Joe below).

Geesee

Sun, 6 Jan 2008 10:37:47 -0700

Have you ever wanted to use a chat client to have students from different classrooms or schools collaborate? Geesee allows you to set up a chat room on YOUR webpage. You know that it is secure because you control it, and you shouldn’t have issues with your school’s firewall. An example of a chatroom is below.

Gcast

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 10:26:16 -0700

Would you like to do podcasting with your class, but you just can’t deal with all the drama of recording equipment? Gcast to the rescue! Gcast allows you to record to their servers from your telephone!

This is also a good solution for people that want to podcast on the move. Say one of your students is going to be gone for a week because their parents are taking them on a trip. Give them an assignment that requires them to call in every day and podcast.

Mapwing

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:08:41 -0700

Have you ever taken a virtual tour online? There are many online virtual tours that allow you and your students to experience places that may not be accessible on a school budget. For example, most U.S. educators will never be able to take students to Poland to visit Aushwitz, but thanks to remember.org, anyone can take a virtual tour. Even in the virtual world a somber, mourning mood will overtake you as you move around the camp.

Mapwing now allows you and your students to create your own virtual tours and post them online. Although not as polished as the above Aushwitz tour, students can create very sophisticated online experiences.

More online virtual tours.

qipit

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:05:20 -0700

Let all those kids with cel phones put them to good use with qipit. Qipit enables you to use your cel phone to take a photograph of a notebook, whiteboard, chartpaper, or anything else that has notes taken on it and turn it to a PDF that can be emailed. Notes taken in class can easily be sent to other students or posted online. You can also use a regular digital camera and upload the images to qipit.

Splashup

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 22:12:03 -0700

Do you want to do photo editing with your students but don’t have a single dime to spend on software? Splashup is here to save the day! Splashup is a powerful editing tool and photo manager. With all the features professionals use and novices want, it's easy to use, works in real-time and allows you to edit many images at once. Splashup runs in all browsers, integrates seamlessly with top photosharing sites, and even has its own file format so you can save your work in progress.

ScrapBlog

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:42:04 -0700

Holy Web 2.0! Check this site out! The functionality included in this site is incredible. Kids can easily publish photos and text supported by backgrounds, stickers and other scrapbook paraphernalia, Don’t get clouded by the craftiness of scrapbooking... this is SO much more than a scrapbook alternative. This is a true online publishing tool.

CircaVie

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 01:09:19 -0700

Are you old enough to remember the software program Timeliner? Well I spit on its memory! CircaVie is a fantastic timeline application that allows you to upload images, embed it into your webpage, subscribe to its RSS feed, and leave comments. Very cool!