Let the Learners Mix it Up!

Are you looking for ways to mix up the types of products your learners create?  Check out these examples of web 2.0 resources that are sure to engage the learners.  (I know what you're thinking - no, they are not blocked).

With Capzles, users can create interactive digital products that incorporate images, video, audio, and text.  Users can even upload Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF files.  A learner could create a capzle that combines images, articles, PowerPoint presentations, and audio, which could consist of background music, narration, (or both with the help of Audacity). 

This has the potential to be used to present any kind of information, so it would work well in a variety of projects.   It is obviously great as an interactive timeline, but it's also an excellent digital storytelling tool, which lends itself perfectly to presenting many different types of content.  Check out this example on Apple:

______________________________________

Another site you should check out is Stixy.  This site allows users to present image files, documents, notes, and lists, on a type of digital bulletin board called a Stixyboard.  Users can also create task lists, appointments and bookmarks using the Stixyboard.

Stixy is a great collaboration tool, but it could also be used for presentations and final products.  Learners can use it to collaborate on projects, as a presentation tool, to organize information such as during research, to display photos, share files with each other, and much more. 

The Stixyboards can be shared in several different ways.  You can invite certain people to view the Stixyboard, share with large numbers of people with a password, or open it up for all the world to see.

I whipped up a quick example of a working Stixyboard on Immigration that shows how kids could compile visuals, share files, and keep track of tasks.  This is just a rough example that still needs some design work.  I'm sure our kids could come up with some amazing products!

There are an infinite number of ways you could use Capzles and Stixy.  Be sure to share your ideas and experiences by emailing me or (better yet) by placing them in the comments section of this post.  Have fun!

I crack up just thinking about it!

This site is hilarious! I was cracking up before I even left the home page. That video is hilarious! Even if you aren't going to use the site, you need to watch that video. Ok, let's get serious. Blabberize allows users to upload photos of people (or animals, apparently) and make their mouths "move" to whatever audio you submit. You can record dialogue or upload it from a file. It's really fun. I couldn't get Brian to give me back my laptop last night, once I showed it to him, because he kept recording funny messages over and over. Thanks, Lori, for sharing this site!

Indexed: "Making Fun of Some Things and Sense of Others"

Indexed is a project by Jessica Hagy through which she explains some of life's issues on index cards in graphical form, using Venn diagrams, bar graphs, and such.  Her representations are very insightful and can be entertaining.  Thanks, Gail, for sharing.  Check out some of her work on the site.  Here are a few examples:

Calling in sick?

Better than a poke in the eye.

Even if she's got a screw loose.

Stop the Printing: Publish with issuu!

Have you seen issuu?   This site allows users to upload documents and convert them into digital publications that look like magazines with pages you can flip through.  They even have virtual shelves, so it looks like real magazines or newspapers sitting on a shelf. 

Learners could upload any files they create and turn them into professional looking publications.  They could thenshare them with you, so you can view them, too.  There are tons of other features, such as adding “friends” or creating groups.  You could create a group for your class, or you could have your learners befriend you on the site, so you could easily browse through your publications.  Take a look around at some of the publications others have created.  Many of them look amazing – I know our learners could create some awesome publications.  This could be an alternative to having the learners turn in a hard copy. 

Let me know if you want me to come teach your kids a workshop on using this tool.  It would be a cool way for kids to maintain a digital library of some of their projects.

Cool and Weird at the Same Time: Futuristk

Check out the site Futuris.tk.  This cool website allows users to send messages to themselves or others in the future.  Users can create multimedia messages that incorporate text, audio, video, or images, and then choose a date for the message to be delivered.  They can be sent to yourself or to others.  I smell project...

http://www.futuristk.com/

(The weird part is that you can have the message sent to people only after you have passed away...)

Another Way to Be Green...

If you ever need to print information from websites, printfriendly is a cool site that will format it to minimize the amount of paper used.  Even better, it will also allow you to save the information as a pdf file.  Check it out at the URL below:

http://www.printfriendly.com/

Lingt: Not Just for Foreign Language Classes

Even though Lingt is a tool intended for Foreign Language classes, any class could benefit from it's awesome features.  With Lingt, users can build assignments that incorporate all kinds of media: video, spoken dialogue, images, or text.  Students can record themselves speaking, allowing them to respond to prompts orally.  This makes it easy for teachers to review, provide feedback and even administer oral exams.  The best part about this awesome, web-based tool is the cost: it's free!  

Check it out at the following URL:

http://lingtlanguage.com/lingteditor/

    

inSuggest: Cool Search Tool

Have you seen inSuggest? It's an awesome search tool that returns website, image, or bookmarks results personalized just for your interests.



Web inSuggest
With Web inSuggest, the user enters in a couple of websites they like, and the site returns suggestions on other websites they may like.

Images inSuggest
Using Images inSuggest, you can easily browse images from Flickr by selecting some images you like. inSuggest then displays similar images for you.

Bookmarks inSuggest
With Bookmarks inSuggest, just enter your delicious username, and the site will analyze your bookmarks, suggesting other bookmarks that are similar to your taste.

Free Classroom Response Tool

Check out this awesome way to poll your class. The learners can submit answers via text, twitter post, website or blog, and you collect all of the responses. The results are updated live within a browser or PowerPoint slide. You can also download the responses from multiple polls into one spreadsheet. This would be a great way for informal assessments or soliciting any kind of input from the learners. As long as you are polling 30 people or less, it is free!

http://www.polleverywhere.com

Copyright-Friendly Image Resouces

Check out this link for a list of resources that our kids can use when looking for images for projects. We need to encourage our kids to follow copyright and fair use guidelines for projects. instead of suggesting Google Image search, toss out some of these sites instead, to protect our learners and our school from committing copyright infringement.

http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/12-essential-sites-for-great-free-photos-624818