Clay Yourself! Claymation Made Easy!

Clay Yourself in the Classroom

I learned about this handy tool from a teacher in the Edmodo community. If you, or your students love creating avatars, they will enjoy this site! I posted his video above and it is as simple as it seems. The cool part is the interface with social media. You can download it, tweet it, or share it on Facebook.

How I Used It

After finishing Theme 2 of the Harcourt series, I had my students choose one of the characters. (I am also going to use this as a wrap up for the book they are reading as well.) They wrote "I Am" poems for the character they chose. Then they were allowed to create the character using Clay Yourself using the text and their imaginations.

My students downloaded their avatars and then inserted the image on their poem. They then published the "I Am" poem on Kidblog.

Drawback

When you download the image, the Hotel.com brand name shows. I opened my image in Microsoft Picture Manager and cropped it. If it doesn't bother you, than you won't have to take that extra step.

Great Resource
Creating the avatar helped bring their characters to life! Mt students really enjoyed this activity! Please let me know how you would use this in the classroom.

The Newspaper Clipping Generator

I learned about this one from a retweet.

 "Jerry Blumengarten ‏@cybraryman1

RT @lisamonthie: I really like newspaper clipping generatorhttp://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp … great for creative writing or summarizing#engsschat"

The snippet you see is something I made just to try it out. Very cool! :)

I can think of a  million creative writing activities I can do with this one!

There are ads on the page. Also, he kids have to be careful of how much they write because it won't all fit.

SymbalooEdu

I always heard people talk about it, but never really bothered to check it out.
Our presenter, John Kuglin, introduced me to it this morning, and I LOVE it!
Here's one I started. Still have a lot more sites to add to it!

12 Awesome Ed Tech Tools for 2012-2013!

12 Awesome EdTech Tools for 2012-2013 via FreeTech4Teachers!

Animate Your Math Problems! GoAnimate4Schools!

I wanted to share one of the math videos my students made at the end of the year. They wrote their own word problems and then animated them using GoAnimate. I intend to use it earlier in the year this time, we were kind of rushed at the end of the year.



GoAnimate4Schools.com: Hotdog Problem by Taviayn M

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate4Schools. It's free and fun!

"Virtually Voki!"

Click the Play button.

Don't you just love it!? It's an avatar that has so many uses in your classroom. Voki or Voki Classroom allows you and your students to " create personalized speaking avatars and use them in your blog, profile, and email messages."

What I love about Voki is that it is a tech tool that is so simple to use. I had so much fun customizing my avatars, I played with the hair, eyes, skin tone, accessories, and even makeup! Adding a voice is as easy as making a phone call, text-to-speech,  recording with a microphone, or uploading an audio file. They also give you a vast assortment of backgrounds,and you can even download your own. (I found this out from my students)

 You are not on your own. Voki for Education wants to make sure that you use Voki  in a productive manner. Their website offers  a Teacher's Corner, a Voki Community, and even a Lesson Plan Database to help get you started. I already used it for a lesson that I was asked to add to the database. I  used it on our class blog, reminded students about upcoming events, created avatars and posted them on Edmodo to our Cali pen pals, and presented our African-American History projects.(See an example below) What a way to change a project that had become tedious for the students.  They worked on it at home and in school, and there's not one student who did not participate!

You can use it with any topic and it can be embedded on blogs, Edmodo, you name it using a code or a link. There is so much more I can do with Voki, the possibilities are virtually endless!

Chirp: Using Sound to Communicate!

"Engage Me": Students Use Video to Explain How and Why Educators Can Engage Them!

This amazing video was posted on Edupln by Tom Whitby! Watch as the students explain, through video, how and why, we can engage them!

How do you think you measure up to these students' expectations?

"FotoBabble" Make Your Pictures Talk!

Came across this cool tech resource from The Alice Mercer Daily!

Fotobabble, I like this idea. I already have so many uses for it knocking around in my head! But for right now, I am going to use it as a "Getting to Know You" exercise. The one below will be embedded on our class blog and Edmodo. The kids will make one as well. I will create a slideshow and have them post them on their blogs on Kidblog.

Here's a tutorial that can help!

PLEASE SHARE!!!! IndieGoGO Campaign! Can Anybody Say Chromebooks?

Cool Apps for Your Classroom!

Super Book of Web Tools for Educators!

Found this on "A Teacher's Life" Facebook page! An "oldie but definitely a goodie"!:
Super Book of Web Tools for Educators

Tech Tools! Postagram,TimeToast,Gooru, and Inklewriter!

• I was watching Good Morning America while running on the treadmill.  I caught site of this tool, and my mind immediately went into teacher mode. Postagram allows you to send real postcards from your Iphone or Android. How cool! Imagine taking a pic of your class and sending it to your pen pals. Please share any other ideas you come up with!

I fell behind in my Edsurge readings, but I caught up yesterday, and found some goodies;

• Timetoast - You can use Timetoast to create timelines and share them on the web. When I went to sign up I found out that I had signed up a while ago. So this is a rediscovered goodie that I will be using this year. Besides having students create their own timelines for various subjects, I could also create a virtual timeline to post on our blog throughout the school year.

• Gooru - a powerful search engine for learning!

Inklewriter (Beta) via FreeTech4teachers via Larry Ferlazzo - A tool for writing interactive stories. I played with it a little and it seems simple enough. But don't worry, they have a tutorial you can watch.

Scoopit on Edmodo!

Want to learn how to use @Edmodo? Need new ideas for the upcoming school year?Check out this Scoopit on Edmodo!scoop.it/t/edmodogottal…
— Lisa M. (@BriteEyes49) July 11, 2012

Skype in the Classroom!

Introducing Skype in the classroom from

Google Drive and Documents for Teachers

Google Drive and Docs for Teachers 2012

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011!

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011

View more presentations from Jane Hart

Quadblogging: Making Global Connections!

Looking for a chance to create an authentic audience for your student bloggers? Try Quadblogging!

I participated in Quadblogging during the 2011-2012 school year. We blogged with schools in Australia, New Zealand, and England! I used Kidblog, other teachers used their class websites, you choose. What a wonderful, learning, experience!

I added my name to the list (see link), so that I can participate during the upcoming school year! I hope to get my class more involved using Edmodo, Skype, videos,etc... Looking forward to another exciting year of Quadblogging!  

This video does an excellent job of explaining Quadblogging!

ImageSpike! Make an Interactive Image!

Go ahead, click the circles! So many possibilities!:) Check out ImageSpike! (via FreeTech4Teachers)

REMIND101! Parent/Student Communication Without Exchanging Phone Numbers!

Remind101 is the best! It's free! There's an app for it and the customer support is excellent!
What is Remind101? It's a safe way for teachers to text message students and parents without giving out your phone number or requiring theirs! And that is the beauty of Remind101!



 I began using Remind101 this year, and just like ClassDojo, I used it the entire school year.  I will use it again next year.  The process for setting it up is very simple, and sending out messages is a breeze.
I know teachers who have used it with their students, especially higher ed. I didn't, but since my school is incorporating BYOD, I will get parent permission to include my students.

Here's how it works. You set up a FREE account and name your class, or classes. Invite subscribers.You have the option of sending messages using email and text message, only email, or only text messages. Whomever you invite gets a phone number/ special code which will allow them to receive your messages.(See tutorial video above)

I sent messages to my parents about events, tests, and notices sent home.  We had an emergency closing and I was able to send messages to parents with one message.  A Twitter colleague used theirs to send out vocabulary lists every week. You can even schedule your messages to be sent out at a later time.

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No one has your phone number, and you do not have theirs! It is web based, as you can see in the picture above. 2011-2012, I had about 50% of my parents signed up. I plan to have parents take out their phones at Open House and subscribe this year.

This is something the entire school should take advantage of! Looking forward to next year with Remind101 and all the new things I find to do with it!
Update-July 19, 2013- Remind101 has updated their site and made it easier to create more than one class, invite students and parents, and there is a widget that you can embed on your sites or blogs!

BYOD in the 21st Century!

My district is moving towards BYOD! Yeah! This is an 8 minute video that helps explain the BYOD concept. What do you think about BYOD? Do you incorporate it in your classroom already? Are you willing to give it a try?

Engaging Students Using QR Codes! on @scoopit bit.ly/NeKWJ4 Lots and lots of great websites,links, and generators all in one spot!
— Lisa M. (@BriteEyes49) June 19, 2012

Class Dojo-Behavior Management That Works!

ClassDojo worked, and it worked all year! Another good sign, I used it the entire school year! Whether I used it on my smartphone, standing at the door, my laptop, desktop, or just let students put their own points on the Smartboard, it worked!

You can create your own list of behaviors, positive or negative. When you award a point, it makes a distinctive sound.
"Dojos", as they became affectionately known, were worth their weight in gold in my classroom. :)
The students are able to choose their own avatars. (Point system works great with this option.)
The video above gives a basic explanation, but new features were added throughout the year.
The students were given codes to access their accounts online, this  made them invested in their behavior.
("Wow, look at how many Dojos I got for "Working quietly!", as they read their pie graph)

You are able to email reports to the parents. I was also able to print an End of the Year performance charts for each student.  The kids were begging me to print the reports at the end of the year.
I would begin the school year with this. I presented this at a meeting in my school. Days later, the most reluctant teacher was using it, it is really that simple!

I used positive behaviors the most with my class last year, and gave out a prize from Five Below to the student with the most points. But teachers use what is best for them.

The customer support is stupendous!They are on Twitter @ClassDojo. If you are a member of Edmodo, they have a ClassDojo community, so any questions you have can be answered immediately.

All I know is that it will be on my Smartboard again next year!

WordItOut- WordCloud Creator

I know what you're thinking. I can do this with Wordle or Tagxedo.
But take a look at it, there are options available that you can't do with Wordle.
For example, embed it on your website or blog.
Just another option out there!
Word cloud made with WordItOut

101 Web 2.0 Tools ...

101 Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers That You Should Know About

View more PowerPoint from GoEdOnline

Cool Apps for Your Classroom!

Skype in the Classroom Sliderocket Presentation

Teaching Channel's 5 Days-5Ways Giveaway!

More "Twitter for Teacher" Tutorials!

Twitter for educational purposes -A tutorial

View more PowerPoint from Maggie Verster

Google Documents for Teachers 2012 : Richard Bryne

Google Docs for Teachers 2012

My Own Qwiki!

Want to create your own Qwiki? Do it »

Twitter for Teacher 102 for educators/Josh Stumpenhorst

Twitter for Teachers 101/Erin Klein

Twitter as Backchannel

InstaGrok:An Education Search Engine!

This site is so cool! InstaGrok (How did they choose that name?) via a RT by Rina via Edudemic. It is a search engine for educators. You input what you are looking for, (I already signed up), and it gives you a graphic organizer of information AND a journal. key facts, websites, videos, images, quizzes on the information you requested, and concepts. Get this! It even has a section for Student Groks! I haven't finished playing with it, but I wanted to share it!

Using GoAnimate to Create Math Word Problems!
GoAnimate.com: Simon's Dilemna!:How Much Food Does He Need? by Lmims

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

"Techtastic" Resources!

If you are a Pinterest fan like I am, then you will love this site, Url2pin,it!  Have you ever tried to pin a site, and a message appears, "No images for this site"? And you get really frustrated because you really, really, wanted to Pin this site. Well, grumble no more! I have already pinned a number of sites to my Pinterest ! It does work! (via Larry Ferlazzo)








I also wanted to mention two sites that I have come to rely on heavily.
One is Dropbox, I don't know how I ever did without it. I don't even carry a flash drive anymore, thanks to Dropbox. It's just what it says, it's  a box you can drop your files in. The best part, you can pick them up from wherever you have Internet access. An educator's dream!!! Think about it, how many times have you created something at work, and wished you had bought it home? You can share files in your box with others by inviting them to your Dropbox. There is an app for this! Try it, you'll like it!

The other one is Evernote. LOVE it!  They say it the best. Remember Everything. Capture Anything. Access it Anywhere. Find things fast. So, you come across this website about Ipad Apps and you want to make sure you get a chance to read it, even though you won't be back on the computer for hours. You can clip the page or the URL and save it in your Evernote account.  Your account is web-based, so you can see your information anywhere you have Internet access.  PLN(Professional Learning Network) if you like.There is an app for this! Another tool I don't know how I did without!

Isn't technology amazing?!

ZITE: Personalized Magazine for Iphone and TouchPad

This is a wonderful app and it's available for Iphone and Touchpad. It's just what is says, a personalized magazine. They "evaluate millions of news stories a day". You let them know what you like, and they take it from there. It allows you to say whether or not you liked an article. You can add your own recommendations.
You know how sometimes you have a magazine, you leaf through i,t and you put it down?  Zite is made based on the information you want, so the chance of that happening is at a minimum.
Of course, the topics I have chose are teaching, education, tech in the classroom, etc... I find myself tweeting most of the articles they provide.  The cool part is that many of the articles are written by educators whose work I am familiar with.
I try to read Zite at least once a week, and I have not been disappointed yet!

BeatBlaster!

I like the sound of this app, Beat Blaster.It reminds me of the boomboxes people used to carry. How technology has changed, huh?
I use my Ipad in the classroom.  One thing that bothered me were the speakers, because they really don't project across the room.  I had priced some of the speakers I could use with my Ipad, but did not want to spend that kind of money on something I was just going to use in my classroom.  I was also worried about remembering to put it away everyday.
Yesterday, I read about the app Beatblaster on Zite.  I loved it! It turns your Ipad into a hi-fi music system, and you can use your Iphone as a remote. I uploaded it, and it is wonderful. Simple to use and the sound is fantastic!
I am sure you can think of many situations where you can use this in your classroom. Now when I play "Waka,Waka" by Shakira to let my students know it's time to pack up, we can all hear it loud and clear!

Digital Media:New Learners of the 21st Century:PBS

Watch Full Show on PBS. See more from Digital Media - New Learners Of The 21st Century.

Appsolutely Amazing!

Finally, I have an Ipad!


 I already had an Iphone, but this Ipad, I am just loving it!  Of course, being a teacher, I can barely contain myself with all the appsolutely amazing ways I can use this Ipad in my class! Here are a few resources I have found!



65+ Ipad Apps Perfect for Elementary Schools/ Edudemic


Quick List: Ipad Resources for the Classroom / TeachHub


APPitic - a collection of 1300 + apps for education/ Apptic

Ipad Apps for Teachers / Cool Cat Teacher Blog

Ipads in Education / Exploring the Use of Ipads and ebooks in schools and colleges

#Edapp


I had to add one more:

FreeTech4Teachers - Just put Ipad Apps in the search bar (search the site, not Google) and you will get a list of apps Richard Byrne has written about.



Any resources to add to my list?