PowTooN

Is Web-based animation software that allows users to create animated presentations by manipulating pre-created objects, imported images, provided music and user created voice-overs.

PowToon can be used by educators to create animated presentations of content for students to view. Educators can also use PowToon as a form of assessment by asking students to create their own animations. Using Audio/Video rather than standard presentation tools moves users away from over-reliance on text to convey ideas and users are able to create more engaging experiences for their audience. The provided objects and music are high quality and varied enough to allow for flexibility and creativity. The added ability to import images and create voice overs allow users to add their own touch to the animation. 

ADVANTAGES:

Ease of use.

Truly customizable animated presentations.

DISADVANTAGES:

   Not suitable to live presentations.

MY WALKTHROUGH OVERVIEW

MY POWTOON PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Click here to see my Walkthrough Presentation

Click here to see my POWTOON PRODUCT


REFERENCES:

http://www.techlearning.com/news/0002/product-review-powtoon/63310

ToonDoo

is a web 2.0 tool that allows users to create comics.It allows users to express their creativity in the form of a comic strip without needing the ability to draw.It is a simple drag and drop concept with access to scenes and characters to tell a story or express views and opinions.

TooNDoo can be used to bring a story to live in the form of a comic.Students will practice creative writing skills, creative thinking and communication skills.It may help engage students that do not enjoy traditional types of writing styles.

WHY SHOULD I USE CARTOONS IN THE CLASS?

  By creating cartoons, students:

• Interpret a concept from verbal / textual form (provided by teacher) to visual form (created in ToonDoo).
• Organize science concept to fit a limited-panel representation.
• Create their own new, unique representation of an idea.
•   Demonstrate computer skills.
• Appreciate the difficult scientists encounter when trying to communicate their ideas to others.

MY TooNDoo WALKTHROUGH OVERVIEW

CLICK HERE TO SEE  MY WALKTHROUGH

MY TooNDoo Product 

Click here to see it on ToonDoo

REFERENCES:

https://toondooguide.wordpress.com/toondoo-what-it-is-and-why-to-use-it/

Wordle

is a Web 2.0 application used to create a tag cloud or word cloud. These constructs are visual designs intended to represent the frequency and importance of words in a narrative or on a Website, Blog or for other posted material.

WORDLE can be used in all curricular areas and are great for promoting critical thinking skills in our students.

The Pros of using Wordle/word clouds

Wordle is free and no sign-up/sign-in is necessary to use the tool.
Wordle helps by summarizing/highlighting the keywords of a text.
It allows for a visual representation of a text.

The Cons of using Wordle/word clouds

Word clouds put emphasis on the popular information, that might not always be the useful/important information.
In some cases the visual effects of the tag cloud can bias the interpretation of the visualization.

MY WORDLE WALKTHROUGH Overview

MY WORDLE PRODUCT

Click here to see my Walkthrough Presentation

REFERENCE:

http://wiki.agroknow.gr/politics/index.php/

Pinterest

 is a social curation website for sharing and categorizing images found online. The site is described in its own content as a visual bookmarking site. Pinterest is a portmanteau of the words “pin” and “interest".

Pinterest  is ideal for getting inspired on a wide range of topics such as decorating your classroom, organize your ideas, get ideas for an inspired bulletin board, follow an interesting board, get fun ideas for new projects, learn how to get crafty, and looks for the way to organize your classroom.

In Pinterest, you'll find a wealth of lessons and ideas to look  through such as swap lesson plans, locate amazing images for your lessons, Have students pin project ideas, use pinning as part of a lesson, collect ideas for virtual field trips, Make group work visual, Have students photo journal on Pinterest, find loads of printables, pump up your science lessons with amazing experiments, get ideas on how to make learning more hands- on, find great books to use in the classroom, and look for grade-specific materials.

Pinterest, develop your teaching skills and connect with other professionals using these ideas-Collaborate with other teachers and educators, start a conversation, share what you're doing in the classroom, find out about great reads, get links to great tech resources, look for new innovative teaching methods, find out about awesome new educational products, promote your own work or blog, learn how to help with behavioral management, find amazing teaching blogs to read, develop as a teacher,find other teachers, stay on top of trends, and find tutorials.

Pinterest doesn’t have to be all business. There are fun ways to use it by finding inspiration, create dream classrooms, laugh after a long day  and by simply having fun!

MY PINTEREST WALKTHROUGH Overview

   MY PINTEREST PRODUCT Overview 

                   
  Click here to see my Pinterest Walkthrough

     Click here to see my Pinterest Product

REFERENCES:

http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/37-ways-teachers-can-use-pinterest-in-the-classroom/

blendspace

Blendspace is a free web tool for teachers to collect resources in one place to form a bundled, interactive lesson for students or colleagues.

Blendspace also gives you the ability to add in multiple choice quizzes into your lessons so that your lessons are more than just sharing info - it helps you assess students on what they're learning right alongside the content.

But to get the most out of Blendspace, you'll want to create a class and add your students.

We can use Blendspace  as an assessment tool for our students and track their progress but our students should have an account as part of your classroom.

Students can then create Blendspace "lessons" of their own.

I can also see myself making Blendspace lessons for fellow colleagues for professional development purposes.

                                          

ADVANTAGES:

BlendSpace provides an online space to bring together any online learning resource on a single web page. The platform does not limit the type of digital resource that can be added to the lesson. Analytics such as views, quiz answers, comments, and likes or dislikes are available for teachers to view. There are several ways to share a lesson through social media, email, website embed code, or QR code creation.

DISADVANTAGES:

Digital learning resources are ordered in a list and students go through them one by one making the lesson very linear. It would be interesting to see a more adaptive lesson that provides different learning paths for students depending on their actions. Some resources take more time to load and others must be opened in another tab or window. It could be beneficial to try and load all resources in the same tab or window so students remain in the learning space which would allow them to have access to the resource alongside instructions and space to comment.                

          

MY WALKTHROUGH

MY BLENDSPACE PRODUCT Overview

Click here to see my Blendspace Walkthrough

Click here to see my Blendspace Product

References: http://www.uen.org/cte/facs_cabinet/downloads/ConferenceProceedings/2014/summer/Summer-Tech_Jones_Blendspace.pdf

https://newlearningtimes.com/cms/article/1194

VOICETHREAD

This Web 2.0 application is a multimedia presentation of slides that allows for the sharing and collaboration of information. It provides a variety of ways for commentators to add their thoughts via text, voice and video. 



Educators can use VoiceThread for many different reasons, from extending and documenting classroom conversations, online tutoring, virtual class spaces, professional development training, and a thousand things in between.

It is an amazing tool in that it that allows for conversation, discussion, collaboration and analysis about any topic from learning advanced grammar skills to exploring and discussing national and international responses to worldwide events. Students can practice foreign language skills. 

   PLEASE WATCH LINK!   

http://voicethread.com/myvoice/#thread/4706790/24029837/25937753

          

          ADVANTAGES:     

1.Software downloads are not required in order to operate.

The presentation is saved and run directly from the website.                 

2.Supports Multimedia. Embedding video has been simplified.

3. Supports online editing.
4. Readily available collaborative & commentary. 

            DISADVANTAGES:            

1. Simultaneous access is not possible for multiple users on one account.This causes a problem for educators who want their students to comment individually on a presentation. The easiest option would be for each student to have his or her own account.

2. The quality of function is not uniform for all web browsers.

3. To maintain a free account, one must remain beneath 2GB of space.

 MY VOICE THREAD WALKTHROUGH Overview

MY VOICETHREAD PRODUCT Overview

Click here to see myVoicethread Walkthrough

Click here to see myVoicethread Product

 REFERENCES: 

https://wiki.itap.purdue.edu/display/INSITE/VoiceThread 

http://www.edtechforkids.com/voicethread 

PREZI

Prezi creates stunning visual impact. Import pictures, maps and PDFs and use them as a canvas. With the cinematic experience of the zooming function, your students will feel like they are transported into a “world” that you have designed yourself.

Prezi is interactive whiteboard friendly. Designed in 2009 with the iPad in mind, it allows you to create exciting and interactive presentations with touch navigation.

Prezi offers more freedom of navigation. Your Prezi can be kept in the public domain and therefore accessed by your students on the Internet. At home, they can navigate the Prezi themselves, observe connections of ideas and visualize concepts.

Prezi is a great tool for interactive classroom sessions or group projects. Students can cooperate in real time with up to ten others, in the classroom or at home, to brainstorm and build a presentation on one shared a virtual whiteboard.

If you already have all your notes in PowerPoint, you don’t need to start all over again. Use the PowerPoint Import feature to transfer your existing content directly into your Prezi.

     Prezi is not your typical slide-based presentation tool. You start with a blank canvas and can add and manipulate content anywhere on the page. There is no such thing as a linear, slide-by-slide display method (unless you design it that way, of course). Break the mold and present in unique ways. It even lets you import your existing PowerPoint presentations for conversion!

    Prezi is completely free. Compared to PowerPoint, which is both a paid application and not accessible everywhere, Prezi provides access from any web-enabled computer. This is great for students who may not have the Office suite on their home computers. Students and staff can easily create Free accounts on Prezi using their Facebook accounts as well.

    One of my favorite aspects of Prezi (assuming it is used correctly) is the ability to have movement actually become part of the presentation. For instance, if you are talking about ‘Imagery,’ you can have Prezi zoom in (past the word Imagery) and display examples of the imagery you are discussing. The movement relates to the terms and examples, creating a visual link for the students.

    The web-based software is designed with all ages in mind. The simple icon-based design tools ensure that any age group will be successful in creating and presenting new creations. I have always been a proponent of teaching young kids how to use new technology – and Prezi certainly makes that easier with their simple design interface.

    It sounds so simple (and somewhat deflating) but your students really do pay attention to the teaching tools you use. By staying current with new technology, more often than not your students will appreciate the change of pace from the tools they are seeing used in all their other classes (and what they’ve seen for the past few years of their schooling). Take a chance and try something new – if it fails miserably (which it won’t) they will appreciate you for trying something that breaks the mold.

Can Cause Motion Sickness

 More of a Learning Curve

 Web-Based

  Click HERE  

MY PREZI WALKTHROUGH Overview

Click HERE

      MY PREZI PRODUCT Overview

REFERENCES:  

http://instructionaltechtalk.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-prezi  http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/UsingPreziInEducation.aspx