Wetpaint

Wetpaint is a free website builder that allows you to create social websites on your own personal interests. You can create, collect, and organize content and include text, photos, videos, and polls. Since it's a social website anyone can contribute content, opinions, photos, etc. and can edit inaccurate facts, just like a wiki. Wetpaint has won numerous awards and honors, and is reported to be simple to use, no maddening code needed. As the creator, you can set your site as public or private. Many of the sites created through Wetpaint are built by fans of TV series or movies and include many photos, trailers, polls, and discussions of characters and plot lines. In the classroom or library setting, a social website could be created on a given topic or subject that requires students to contribute content based on their learning; editing and adding as their knowledge increases. Also, teachers or librarians could create a website to collaborate with other educators on a specific topic or unit of study. http://www.wetpaint.com/

Blogs

Using blogs in the classroom can provide students with a meaningful, real life experience. Educators who integrate technology in the classroom find many benefits in having students blog. Those benefits include: improving writing skills; providing just in time learning (a concept we covered in LIS 2000); a place to share learning; a place to receive feedback; a motivator in creating real work samples; a quick and easy way for students to web publish; a means of collaboration; a means to involve parents; and so on. Edublogs has been recommended by my district's technology coordinator as a safe way for students to create individual blogs, while providing an easy management system for teachers. An educator can sign up for the Free, Pro, or Campus memberships that allow varying degrees of customization in design and management. Having students blogging should not be limited to secondary and higher education; even elementary students can be introduced to blogs in the classroom. http://edublogs.org/

Fotobabble

Fotobabble allows you to create talking photographs. It's easy to use, simply choose a photo to upload, record your message, and share. Access to this application is free and can be used with your Facebook account. You can choose to mark your photo as private or public, and can share through Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, link in an email or instant message, or embed into your web page. In the classroom, Fotobabble could be used by students to enhance oral descriptions related to all curricular areas. Using a photograph of a grasshopper, I recorded the two-voice poem (with my husband) "Grasshoppers" from Paul Fleischman's collection, Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. For a personal touch, students can use photographs to invite family members to a school program, thank family members for their support, send a special message to family members for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparent's Day. Fotobabble's application in the classroom is only limited to your imagination.

Blabberize

Blabber may no longer simply refer to incessant idle chatter. In today's digital environment, a blabber is a talking picture. Blabberize is an online tool that allows you to choose a picture/image, record a voice track, and animate the mouth of the character to make it appear that it is talking. Blabberize is free, easy to use, and allows teachers and students to enhance speaking and listening skills. However, since it is a public site, many of the examples provided are not educational, and according to its terms of service you must have parental permission if under 13 years of age. In the classroom, Blabberize can motivate students to share poems, stories, speeches, knowledge of a specific topic, scientific observations or even mathematical story problems. It can also provide a fun way for students to practice oral language skills and proper speech. Have fun exploring blabberize.com!

Prezi

Are you tired of the same old PowerPoint presentation? Prezi offers a creative solution. Rather than traditional slides, Prezi allows you to place text, images, and videos on an infinite canvas, grouped in frames. Due to its non-linear design, you can zoom in and out of a visual map following the path that you've created to maximize your presentation power. Since you can create your presentation in a browser window and download it, you can present your project without relying on an Internet connection. The zooming action tends to make me dizzy and queazy, but its a new tool that many find add an extra element to presentations for students, administrators, parents, or community members. The following video (1:23) posted on YouTube provides an introduction to Prezi, from UTM Library.

Twitter

My first experience with Twitter was through Resources for Young Adults in the spring term. We were required to create an account and tweet about YA books. Due to the time constraints of being a full-time student and more pressing priorities, I haven't continued tweeting, but am interested in its applications to the classroom. I've heard others discuss the use of tools like, Tweetscan, Twitter Search, Twitscoop, and Retweetist as a means for students to research current events. Many educators (though I haven't found any at the elementary level) are finding Twitter to be a useful classroom-communication tool. David Perry, assistant professor of Emerging Media and Communications, University of Texas, Dallas had added Twitter to his syllabus and has been experimenting with assignments and general use since 2008. Even though he began his experiment as a skeptic, he has become convinced of the power of using Twitter in the classroom. Here are some of his observations: increases conversation surrounding class content; develops a classroom community; provides a sense of the world; provides immediate access to tools for tracking a word or conference; allows instant feedback; allows one to shadow a professional to get a sense of a field of interest; maximizes the teachable moment; and much more. You can access Dave's blog here and read more about his use of Twitter in the classroom.

Skype

A text, voice, and video-chatting platform, Skype allows face-to-face interaction using an Internet connection. Skype has tremedous potential in the classroom. Teachers can access guest speakers as experts in their field to speak on a particular topic. Classrooms in different buildings, districts, states, and/or countries can connect to collaborate in projects or share presentations. Skype is easy to use, but there are many areas to consider when using with students, such as: equipment, connections, district approval, and time zone differences. With some creativity, Internet connection, and a webcam, Skype can be a beneficial tool in any classroom. http://www.skype.com/

StoryCorps

StoryCorps is an oral history project preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Their mission is to provide all Americans the opportunity to record, share, and preserve their life stories. An interview or conversation between two people is recorded and preserved. Librarians can sponsor on-site recording days and have students record a session with a parent, grandparent, or other loved one. This could be a culminating activity that results from a collaborative project between English teachers, history teachers, and librarian. What a powerful teaching tool that involves the community and makes learning a living, breathing entity. In addition to recording your own story, you can listen to the stories of others and learn about events, such as the Stonewall Riots in 1969, Mendez vs. Westminster, stories from WWII and the Iraq War, in addition to personal family histories. Visit StoryCorps at http://storycorps.org and listen to hundreds of moving stories and/or make a reservation to record your own.

Puzzlemaker

Puzzlemaker is a free tool from Discovery Education for teachers, students, and parents. Try pre-made puzzles or make your own that are connected to your specific curriculum. Simply choose a puzzle type from the list: word search, criss-cross, double puzzles, fallen phrases, math squares, mazes, letter tiles, cryptograms, number blocks, and hidden messages; follow the directions to fill in the fields using your chosen terms or numbers; print and challenge your students to use their knowledge to find the solution. If you'd like to save the puzzle you've created, Discovery suggests that you copy and paste the puzzle and solution into a Word document to save on your desktop or in a file for future use. You can also challenge students to create their own puzzles on a selected topic for their classmates to solve. FYI, Puzzlemaker is only viewable in Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers version 4.0 or higher. Have fun! http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/.

Delicious

If you're like me, your Favorites bar is chock full of Websites that you'd like to remember. Delicious may be the answer you're looking for. It is a social bookmarking web service for storing, sharing, and discovering web bookmarks. Set up a free account and start gathering bookmarks. You can share your bookmarks with others and search the service for bookmarks that fit your interest. Check out the "hot list" on the home page for an idea of what's popular. The tagging system makes searching simple. Depending on your web browser, you can even synchronize bookmark features and have access to your account anywhere, anytime. http://delicious.com/

Flickr

Flickr applies Creative Commons licensing to oline photo sharing, offering an alternative to full copyrighted photos/images. You can upload, share, and explore others' photos. In addition, users can add comments and blocks of notes on the photos for others to see. Under their Creative Commons licensing there are four levels of use: "Attribution" allows you to copy, display, and distribute works if credit is given; "Noncommercial" allows you to copy, display, and distribute works for noncommercial use only; "No Derivative Works" allows you to copy, display, and distribute only verbatim works, not derivative works; and "Share Alike" allows you to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the present governing license. Try Flickr Creative Commons instead of Google Images the next time your students search for photos/images for a project. http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons

TeacherTube

TeacherTube is a video sharing website based on YouTube that caters to educational environments. The site allows teachers, librarians, administrators, and others in the education field to share videos, audio, documents, and photos. You can share lesson plan videos, documents, student videos, and much more; and it's a great tool for finding fresh ideas for your own classroom or library. Students can upload videos as part of a class assignment or can enter contests to win prizes for the school. Usually, TeacherTube gets past district firewalls, unlike YouTube. Even administrators get in on the fun - check out the spoof on the Sprint/Nextel Oh baby, baby commercial titled "Walkthroughs and Learning Objectives" under Most Viewed Videos. http://www.teachertube.com/

Spelling City

Spelling City is a free online spelling program that allows students to compile customized spelling lists by entering individual words. The program recognizes over 42,000 spelling words. Once students input their spelling words or access a featured list, they have three options to choose from: "Teach Me", "Play a Game", or "Test Me". The "Teach Me" feature pronounces, spells, displays the word, and uses it in a sentence. There are 12 games available to play with weekly lists. The "Test Me" feature repeats each spelling word and uses it in a sentence. After completing the test, students can print a progress report. There are teacher training videos to show teachers and parents how to use the program and access the customizable features. Spelling City has received many awards, including: AEP Golden Lamp Finalist, Teachers' Choice and Parents' Choice. Kids can access this award winning site from school or home to make spelling practice fun. http://www.spellingcity.com/

StoryJumper

StoryJumper is a Web 2.0 application that provides a safe and educational place for kids to write and illustrate stories. Children/adults can use available templates to build a book from scratch, build a treasure map, or create a personalized calendar. You can explore stories already published by adults and children and there is an option to buy a hardcover copy of published books. There is a classroom edition specifically for educators which provides: an interface to manage and review students' work and allow stories to be shared between the classroom and home with strict privacy controls. Online tutorials, in a workbook format, are available for teaching students the creative writing process by building seven primary components of a story (character, challenge, motivation, setting, obstacles, climax and closing). All materials can be adjusted to individual classroom or student needs. Explore this site and all it has to offer at http://www.storyjumper.com/.

Fodey

Fodey.com allows users to make a newspaper clipping. This site can be used with students in all curricular areas to provide a creative way to publish a finished piece. Students would name their newspaper, date the clipping, create a headline, and provide the text of the story. Finished newspapers can be downloaded and printed or embedded into a class website or blog. In addition to newspaper clippings, students can create animated, text generators and talking objects, such as a ninja, wizard, squirrel, tomato, flower, etc.

Photostory 3

Microsoft's Photostory 3 for Windows allows you to be creative with your photos. You can create slideshows using your digital photos, add special effects, sound tracks, and your own voice narration. You can touch-up, crop, rotate, and personalize your photos with titles and captions. You can share your photo story through email; by uploading it into a wiki, blog, or web page; and by creating a video CD or DVD. For a Flat Stanley project with 2nd grade students, we created a photostory of Flat Stanley's adventures on the school's playground and of his road trip to Columbus, OH for a regatta event. Students in 5th grade created a photostory as a culminating activity for their Duck Project. They took digital photos of their rubber duck being involved in different activities at school and home, and then put them together, added a title and captions, and created a soundtrack to play throughout their slideshow. They were also able to make their projects unique and creative by adding special effects. Photostory 3 is a free download, is easy to use, and allows students a creative outlet for completing projects.

Jing-Zotero Tutorial

Powerpoint in the Classroom

Microsoft's Powerpoint program is a great presentation tool for students in any classroom. In addition to the usual Powerpoint slides that accompany a verbal presentation, the program can be used as a creative way to publish written works, create study aides, create educational games, and much more. A few ideas for using Powerpoint in the classroom (my focus is elementary) include: accordian books, mini books, paper chains, post-its, flip charts, Twenty Questions, Jeopardy, advertising tents, totem poles, WordArt poetry, greeting cards, and flash cards. In working with students in grades 2-5 on creating Powerpoint projects, it always amazes me how quickly and easily they are successful in mastering this program. In a short time they become experts at layering clip art and formatting slides in a creative way to showcase their knowledge on a given topic. Sometimes we are "Powerpointed" to death in the classroom and workplace, so it's important to provide different means for students to publish their work, even though Microsoft's Powerpoint continues to be a powerful tool.

Glogster

Glogster EDU is a Web 2.0 application that is a fun and creative way to integrate images, video, and audio into interactive lessons. It can be used with the whole group to introduce a concept or with small groups and individuals to reinforce or enrich a concept. Students can use Glogster EDU to create literature discussion projects, subject posters, or to highlight a topic in a unique way. It's often called digital scrapbooking, and is easy for students of all ages to use. I had two first grade students create a glogster to publish information they learned through an independent study of a topic of their choice. We worked for two enrichment periods (30 minutes each) to upload images and add text. They were very successful in creating their posters with little difficulty. Glogster is also a great medium for putting images together with student created videos for display on the school's website. Give Glogster a try: http://edu.glogster.com/.

Audacity

Audacity is a Web 2.0 Tool that provides free, open source software for recording and editing sound. You can use Audacity to record live audio; cut, copy, or splice sounds together; add effects; and much more. All you need is an external mic and the downloaded software. Since April was Poetry Month, I had 5th grade students use Audacity to record two voice poems from Paul Fleischman's collection titled, Joyful Noise. It took some practice for each set of partners to record successfully, but they had a lot of fun. After each pair recorded their voices, I edited and spliced the individual recordings into one performance and posted it on the library website. Audacity is a great motivator for students to perfect their performances, in order to use this great tool. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Wikispaces

Wikispaces is a Web 2.0 tool that educators can utilize to set-up a safe environment to facilitate student communication and collaboration. Public wikis allow large communities to communicate, while private wikis limit the community to invited-only individuals. As the manager of your wikispace, you set-up the pages, edit pages, and manage the space. I created a Flat Stanley wikispace for 2nd grade students to communicate with students from other districts and/or states about their Flat Stanley's adventures (adapted from the Flat Stanley project). The pages include photographs of the students with Flat Stanley on the playground and in the classroom, video of Flat Stanley's road trip to Ohio, and discussion posts about their school environment and community between students. I monitor the site and students' discussions, editing or deleting any inappropriate content. Wikispaces are an easy way for students to participate in a wider community. http://www.wikispaces.com/

Wordle

Wordle is an application that generates “word clouds” from provided text. Greater prominence is given to words that frequently appear in your text. Wordle allows users to format their cloud with different fonts, colors, and layouts. This is a versatile tool that can be used by anyone.

I used Wordle with a group of first graders to publish their rhyming books which they created using word families. We used WordleAdvanced to weight each line of their poem so they could read their jumbled poem by following the text as it gradiates from largest to smallest font. The students were able to use the program with ease and were very excited with their finished product.

If you’d like to play with Wordle, go to http://www.wordle.net/.

Jitney by August Wilson

If you're looking for some entertainment this weekend, I highly recommend Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company's production of Jitney by August Wilson. The seventh play in Wilson's ten-play cycle on the black experience in 20th century America, Jitney is set in the 1970s in Pittsburgh's Hill District. Many relateable stories are told by the jitney cab service drivers and neighbors, as the building is scheduled to be demolished by the city in the name of urban renewal. The play has something for everyone - it's humorous, thought provoking, and touching. The acting and direction are perfect, making the production amazing. The theatre is very intimate with only 91 seats. The tickets are sold with open seating, so arrive early and get a seat practically on the stage. It was the first play I've attended that my feet actually touched the stage. If you get a chance to visit the cultural district, the play is in production through May 30, 2010 and is definitely worth the visit.