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For the past two years, I've created an infographic showing some great webtools for the classroom. So, if you have time and want to try out new tools, try these! Click on the icons to take you to the sites listed.
And if you missed the last two here are the links:
Techmas 2014 edition Techmas 2015 edition
The amount of webtools out there are astounding, sometimes to the point of being overwhelmed. In an area filled to the brim and overflowing with sites, sometimes all we need is a few sips. There are two suites online that I ABSOLUTELY love. Why?
1. there's only one web address to type
2. the options are there to choose from instead of only have one tool, one choice
3. the built-in functions for each tool has so many options that doesn't limit personal style or creativity.
So let's get to it!
The best part about this suite? It is COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY FREE! You don't have any hidden premiums that will bum you out and put a damper on your creativity mindset. All you do is go in and start creating! The pure simplistic approach to creating a digital project is what makes this tool my go-to. The only downside is because of its simplicity, projects can tend to look the same unless the user really goes the extra mile to create and upload images, text, and audio that's been self-created. The three tools within Spark are:
Spark Post (social media and online banners and posters)
Spark Page (webpage creator)
Spark Video (online video creator)
With a little practice anyone can make an amazing digital project. What helped me a lot was watching what others created and mixing and folding them to create something different. What's even better is that once you create something, you can use the link to put it into a different Spark project. App smashing WITHIN in an app...now that's different!!
Visme is free to use and have very intuitive tools that are easy to manipulate, edit and create. That is what makes Visme a site students enjoy. You have the option of creating from scratch or creating from a template. The user needs to be aware that this is not a completely free site and there are certain areas (such a graphics, music uploads etc) that are premium and can only be used with a paid monthly subscription. But educators, rejoice! Visme works with non-profit entities to provide a discount, so look into that as well. The three tools in Visme are:
1. Presentation
2. Infographic
3. Banner (to make a free one use the custom design dimensions)
Some options allow for advanced creativity, which is nice for those who want to build a more tailored project, but the simplicity of using any of the tools is great for all users. The infographic tool is a great addition to any suite, and this one has some meat on its bones. Even the blank template has parameters beginning users will find helpful. Once done, you are given a link to share, an embed code AND a download.
Almost everyone uses powerpoint, but to what degree of success is hard to tell. The beauty of online presentation tools is the fact they add a little pizzazz and sparkle to a presentation already built into their platform..well most of them do :)
Here's a list of 15 free presentation tools to integrate and use in your classroom but wait, there's more! Give students these options too and sitting through an hour of classroom presentations will be a little more interesting too!
It was during a #yalove Twitter chat one night that I happened to notice one tweet from author Will Weaver. I always have an open invitation for authors to join, and we have had a few tweet with us, but to me, this man is a LEGEND! He's been writing for well over twenty years. He is also the author behind a new website entitled LitWeaver (http://www.litweaver.com)
I had the chance to do and online interview with Will Weaver to learn more about this site pairing e-books, authors, and reader's guides. After reading the interview, please take a look at the website to get the full experience of the awesomeness of what these authors are doing.
How did LitWeaver come to life virtually?
WW: I do lots of school visits, and over the years have seen the increasing pressure on ELA teachers and school librarians. Budgets always seem in decline– especially for classroom sets of novels and new acquisitions for libraries. Some principals and superintendents believe “technology is the answer”, and find money for tablets—but none for staff support or even curriculum. The Learning Management Systems from big publishers look cumbersome and expensive—so it hit me that there has to be a better way. A middle ground, you could say, as schools transition from print textbooks to digital learning
Give a brief description of what LitWeaver does
WW: LitWeaver is designed to be a bridge from your five pound lit anthology to iPad and tablet-style reading and learning. We’ve purposefully focused on shorter, contemporary young adult lit—short stories, essays, poems, and plays—that teachers can “weave” (get it?) into their ongoing curriculum. Teachers need a break from the same readings every year! LitWeaver also includes a short lesson plan with with discussion questions and reading prompts.
How did you get the authors on board with this idea?
WW: You mean Katherine Paterson? Jerry Spinelli? Ellen Hopkins? Rene Saldana? Nikki Grimes? Those kinds of authors? (Shameless name-dropping here, ha). Actually it was easy to get our 50+ authors on board. They (we) have had such amazing support over the years from teachers and librarians who have bought our books and invited us to their schools, and here was a chance to give back.
Teachers and students will have access to e-books. Are these all free to read and download?
WW: We believe in free stuff for schools, and we’ll always have a nice batch (about 20 titles to begin) of free reading. But our website has bills to pay, so we’ll eventually add a low-cost subscription option for “more”—that is, access to our whole library plus some other cool teaching and learning tools. FYI, LitWeaver will never have a huge library—that’s exactly what we don’t want. We are curating (buzzword nowadays) a select group of really good readings for grades 5-12 so you don’t have to spend time looking online or through huge, publishers’ catalogs. Our editor, Don Gallo, and the authors themselves have picked pieces we know students will read—and maybe even like.
Each book comes with a reading guide. Who created those?
WW: Current classroom ELA teachers. We have a great, small team of lively teachers dedicated to keeping kids reading and thinking (a big focus on the latter)!
Currently LitWeaver is in beta stage. When do you anticipate it becoming a full site?
WW: Within 5-6 months, that is, in time for the new school year. Our beta release is to gauge support. If we get a lot of teachers signing up (for free), we’ll get investor funding. If we get investor funding, we can build out LitWeaver to provide LOTS of free and low cost YA lit for schools. Nothing not to like about that.
The cost of becoming a LitWeaver user is free right now. Will free users be able to keep this status after LitWeaver is fully functional?
WW: Yes. We’ll always have a rotating section of “free stuff” by top, contemporary authors. If you only want to use these free readings, that’s fine. But we hope you’ll find enough value and excitement in LitWeaver to eventually subscribe as a paid user. As I mentioned, websites like our are expensive to build and maintain. Looking ahead to new features, we’ll be adding a student writing component, which will be a fun complement to the reading side.
Thank you so much Will!! I've already gone to the site and demo'ed it out and it's really pretty intuitive. I'm SO glad there are authors like you and the several others who contribute their time and energy to create passionate readers!!
WW: One last thing. LitWeaver doesn’t assume that all schools have 1:1 tablet technology. If you don’t, no problem. You can select readings and print them out for distribution in class. We believe in access first, technology second.
And please remember that our site is in open beta right now, which means we’re still working on it–so we’d love to hear your ideas. And very important: if you like where LitWeaver is headed, please sign up and help us get there.
Keeping up with tools is an ongoing pursuit because of the amazing turn-around (or turnover) of web tools. Some are designed for the classroom, and those that aren't can be harnessed and adapted to use in the classroom, with the right amount of ingenuity. Today, instead of talking about web tools, I'm going to direct you to three great sites instead.
1. wikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com
This site has saved me from wasting time trying to find out information from technology to making scones. You put in a topic, and more often than not, wikiHow will have a step-by-step tutorial (along with images) to get you to the end. What I like about this site is that it isn't as bulky as Youtube, where trying to find out information can sometimes be like pulling a tooth. How many of us out there besides me gets frustrated with the length of time to watch it, only to find out that it's not the actual information you may need. And to top if off, I have to wait for adverts to pop in at the beginning...You can avoid ALL of that unnecessary waste of time by using wikiHow. Try it...you may find it's your first go to when you need a quick answer
2. Top 100 Tools for Learning 2014: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/
I typed this in to search for new tools to try and lo and behold! The Brits have uploaded their top tools list! What's so great about this list is that it's a compilation of tools voted on by over 1,000 learning professionals from over 60 countries. That's what I call global collaboration!! You may know several of them, you may know a few. It doesn't matter which side you may rest on, it's the fact that these ARE amazing tools and ones educators should get to know on a more personal level
3. Discovery Education Web 2.0 Tools: http://web2014.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools.cfm
We all know the amazing abilities Discovery Education has had on education for years. The best part of Discovery Education is that it is constantly evolving right alongside the classroom to provide seamless integration. This particular site is all about web tools but in different categories:
Presentation tools
Video tools
Mobile tools
Community tools
Related links
Each of these categories only have three or four sites except Related links, which has more, but that's MORE than a mouthful for anyone who wants to use them individually or in a mash-up (using two or more tools to create a product).
So when you have some time (break is just around the corner!!) hop on over to these sites and stay awhile...you'll love what you see :)
At an academy I went to not quite so long ago, someone said something that resonated with me deep inside. What was basically said was that in the past, it was easy to keep up with the newest and shiniest tech tools online. Now, it simply can't be done. There is too much out there In today's edutech world, we now work at reinventing the tools we know and spend more time doing that than finding the latest and greatest (with different shelf lives to boot).
I'll always be a tech hound, sniffing out some really useful tools and sharing them on this blog, but I also believe in small portions that's more palatable. So, here are three cool tools you may like:
1. Snapguide:
www.snapguide.comThis is a website or an app and is a great way to create those "how to" guides with text, images, links and most of all...imagination! Snapguide is great in the classroom or with educators to help make navigation easier. If nothing else, check out this website - SO many possibilities!!! Simple sign-in and start procedure. Here's an example of one:
https://snapguide.com/guides/turn-an-old-book-into-tablet-case/
2. Cacoo:
www.cacoo.comThis site allows users to create diagrams, flowcharts and mindmaps from scratch or via a template. Yes, there are others like that out there, but Cacoo goes one step further by allowing users to create them in real-time and chat with them while working. You can open them to the public or keep them private and even export them as a pdf or png There are premium versions, and the free one allows 1 shared folders with up to 15 users at the same time and a .png download. SO many possibilities and works well with all types of curricula.
3. Showbie:
www.showbie.comThis is both a site and an app and is pretty cool! I test drove this as a student AND teacher. Okay...what happens is a teacher creates an assignment/class and gives students the code. Students log in and upload their work. The advantage is the simplicity of the interface, the different types of products students can submit, and being to check and grade on your iPad OR laptop.
And as a side note,
www.canva.com is a GREAT poster/infographic/presentation creator, is now an app, making it the first infographic tool that I know of you can use to create with iPad. THANK YOU!! :)
So, what are the newest books out there? How can I find book-alikes? What about series books? As Mighty Mouse said, "Here I come to save the day!"Here are a few sites I'd like to share with you that were previously shared with me. I absolutely LOVE networking!! Another great network is #yalove, which is all about YA books from all publishers, genres, and librarian read-aholics from around the nation! http://www.yalovechat.wikispaces.com
NEW BOOKS
YA LIT:
http://yalit.comWith a simple interface, this is my go-to to find the newest releases for YA books. This is an independent site created and updated by a librarian, Keri Adams and web developer Stefan Hayden.
The site opens to upcoming books being released as well as the release dates, but has a list of published books by month, from newest to oldest.
YALSA BOOKLISTS: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbookFrom the definitive machine on children's and young adult literature, go to this site not only to find out the most current lists, but also to look at the nominations lists to consider future titles you may want to purchase. I always try to pick at least 10 winners on the nominations list from a personal POV :)
STATE BOOK LISTS: http://www.txla.org/groups/yart and
http://www.txla.org/groups/CRT-awardsCall me biased, but I absolutely love the Texas Library Association's booklists for young adults. Not only is the annotated current list available, but also the current nominations. The different lists include Lonestar: middle/junior high schools; Maverick: graphic novels for YA; TAYSHAS: high school readers; and the Spirit of Texas book awards, celebrating the best authors from the state. Texas also has booklists for children: the 2x2 for children aged two years old to second grade; and the Bluebonnet list: elementary school booklist.
A BOOK AND A HUG: http://www.abookandahug.com/index.phpI wasn't really sure where to put this site because it does SO MUCH!! Created and updated by Barb Langridge, the site contains book reviews, What's New, searches by category, searching by reading levels and more - all for children's and young adult books.
WHAT TO READ NEXT
BOOK SEER: http://www.bookseer.comThis is a very simple fill in the blank question: I just finished ______________ by __________.What should I read next? That's it...once you type in your book, it gives recommendations based on amazon recommendations. Some of the recommendations may be skewed (Michael Northrop's newest book, Surrounded by Sharks and Diary of a Wimpy Kid?? Really?) but it's fun nonetheless and does come up with some solid recommendations.
WHAT SHOULD I READ NEXT: http://www.whatshouldireadnext.comSimilar to Book Seer, you type in the title of a book or name of an author and the site gives you similar recommendations. What is different about this one is that every book listed also has subjects as well, which could make searching the recommended list easier. The info button takes you to....you got it... Amazon. You can also join and create lists that you can add or delete from and also have the option to share your lists....hmmmmm....I like that!!
YOUR NEXT READ: http://www.yournextread.comOhhhhh....this is my dream site! The front page takes you to featured booklists, but also has tabs, including children's books, a leaderboard of top readers, and a "My Map" tab that will simply blow your mind as they create an awesome map of recommendations and how they all tie in. This site is affiliated with goodreads.com. You can create your own sign in and get even more personalized (although this took awhile to get a confirmation email so be patient)
SERIES FINDERS
MID CONTINENT PUBLIC LIBRARY SERIES FINDER: http://www.mymcpl.org/books-movies-music/juvenile-seriesUpdated by real librarians, these is a VERY large collection of series titles and which books are in that particular series. You can view four different ways: series title, subject, book title, and author. I did a quick search of one of the newer series out there (Darren Shan's Zom-b series) and didn't find it on their database, but that doesn't mean I'm going to rule out this audacious series finder, which are few and far to come by!
MANGA PANDA: http://www.mangapanda.com/alphabeticalI admit defeat...there is NO way I could possibly keep up with this genre and I freely admit it. So with that said, a student told me about this website and I'm so thankful!! I'll never have to worry I have the latest or which ones are out - this list makes it EASY PEASY!
OLD SCHOOL IT
There are also others out there and you can go old-school by asking a friend or librarian. In fact, that may be the best way yet because not only do you get great recommendations, but you also create relationships in a face-to-face environment, which we need more of.
All of these sites will satisfy any reader's thirst for more of the newest, brightest, best so stay thirsty, my friends :)
I love Kahoot! ( www.getkahoot.com ) because it's interactive, kids love to play it, it's quick to make and easy to reuse. But as with all things, I like having a variety and some options, so I started looking online for a jeopardy game. The first one I went to I couldn't get into, and then I stumbled on this website:
http://www.jeopardylabs.com
So easy to use!! So I went to play with it, and created a jeopardy game based on YA authors and novels. Here's the link:
jeopardylabs.com/play/ya-books-and-authors
Please use it with small groups, during lunches, with book clubs...however you'd like. And if you create one, please share it as well!!
One other thing - You can create an account, but it'll cost 20.00 for a LIFETIME membership, which isn't much. It will allow you to save your games & other bells and whistles. If not, you need to remember the URL of the games you created and the URL for the edits, which can be tedious.
So, have fun and quiz on!!
There are tons and tons and TONS of websites out there so look at and use, but it can become very overwhelming. I have gone there and it seems like the first day of school is those times my mind and list grow and become frenetic. So, after I've sifted through everything, here are three of my favorite sites this year:
1. Photosnyth:
https://photosynth.net/Using your phone and the Photosynth app, take multiple pictures to create a 360 image. After saving it, go to the website to edit, publish and save. Think of the many things you can use with this app, including a tour of the facilities, posting where you are (famous places are great!), as a virtual field trip for those who couldn't go or to take a class with you.
2. Easel.ly:
http://www.easel.ly/ I've always loved Piktochart, but sometimes it can get a little cumbersome. I also love Smore, but it can be too elementary. Easely is the perfect balance of the two! It's definitely more of an infographic than a poster, but has the ease of use without all the bells and whistles you may need to know with Piktochart. Easy to teach, it creates great infographics students and educators can share!
3.Duolingo:
https://www.duolingo.com/ Want to learn a new language without having to spend a lot of money on a program? Why not try this site? You choose the amount of time you'd like to spend with Duolingo and the further you go, the more difficult it becomes. Contains 8 different languages. There's an app for that too
Okay, I'm stopping with the ones I've used (for now) and love! Try one or all of them out - I recommend them for K-12.
Taking a cue from a popular show in the sixties, Gilligan’s Island, I re-wrote the intro to reflect today’s school libraries (so sing it with the music in mind):
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
A tale of some really good reads,
That started on the very first page
Aboard the library.
You really need to integrate
Technology brave and sure
Soon teens will start to pick up books
Fav books won’t be obscure… Fav books won’t be obscure
Trying to get students to look beyond a textbook and read for pleasure is a situation that occurs frequently in high schools. One librarian vs. many teachers on campus isn’t a well-balanced scale, but it’s not so much the tipping point as much as it is the approach. Understanding the expectations of academics and being able to integrate pleasure reading into this can be the start of a symbiotic reading relationship where both the library and the classroom understand how important both types of reading are to a student. One way to attract both students and teachers alike to build interest in pleasure reading is by integrating technology for a 21st century makeover.
Why use technology in the first place? There are several reasons why, but the first reason is to create relationships with both students and teachers. Both of these populations use online resources not only for research and academia, but also to collaborate and most importantly, to communicate. By using something simple as everyday email, you can create interest and even stimulate conversation. Here are a few examples how you can use email:
- Create and email out a survey of what books they’d like to see in the library (creates a sense of ownership so it’s more about THE library instead of MY library)
- Send out advanced information on author visits, book talks, new books coming in, new programs or collections in the library
- Send out a weekly book review to share with staff and students.
- Send out emails to teachers asking if they have time for a genre-based booktalk that goes along with their particular unit they’re studying.
If an email doesn’t catch their eye, perhaps an online poster will. Create these using any different type of poster creator like
Smore or Canva and send out the same information in a more pictographic way. Embed these onto websites or email out the link (make your message and title catchy!). This type of technology-laced information is based less on words, more on design, but is used to convey the same meaning.
- Use this to let students know what hours the library is open
- Advertise open houses and let everyone know the library will be there, ready to check out books to students while their parents are talking to teachers or even accompanying them to the library
- Create a poster of book pairs to send out to educators showing them the correlation between pleasure and academic reading on a visual scale
Nothing attracts more attention than a great book trailer. These add spice to a book before it may even be picked up, and more often than not, it has been (personally and statistically speaking) the most checked out and popular books. Pictures do tell a thousand words. Here’s how to use book trailers to stimulate pleasure reading:
- Put them on a digital picture frame and set it on the circulation desk. If you don’t have one, try converting an old desktop computer screen into one.
- Send them to your school’s video announcement system, if you have one. This will reach the widest audience and all you have to do is sit back and watch them come through the library doors
- Use them in your booktalks. Create a 3:1 ratio to not only create interest, but also break up the monotony of a spoken booktalk.
If you don’t try differentiation through various formats, you’re missing the mark and a potential reader, especially in high school, may slip through the net. Making not only books, but e-books available is becoming a more standard practice in libraries. Although they may be a little more expensive to buy, a librarian has to personally ask and answer the hard question of price vs. student access. But there are other alternatives:
- Let students know about Project Gutenberg. Most required reading, if it’s a classic, can be found here, or there are books for students who want to lose themselves in the Bronte sisters or a great gothic like Frankenstein.
- There are apps that also access free e-books. Free Books – 23,469 Classics to Go is one such app that allows readers to access all types of digital books by genre or author
- iBooks is a common app for phones or iPads. The beauty of online reading is that students can find interesting articles online and download them as PDF files to read later.
Sharing booktalks via social media is another way to catch readers, especially those that don’t come often to the library. It’s a given that most students are on Twitter, Vine, Facebook and Instagram, so grab this opportunity to “talk” to students about great books!
- Take a picture of the books you may be booktalking and send it out as a picture on all types of social media
- Take a 15 second video of yourself talking about a great book and put in on the library Instagram page.
- If you have a PowerPoint, upload it in Google Drive and share it with all the teachers in your building. Share the link further by posting to Twitter and Facebook.
This isn’t a world of hardcopy vs. technology, but one that accommodates both and creates excitement! In the library, one of the most important things a young adult librarian can do is think like a teenager. See how they view the world, how they communicate, and why they read (or don’t) and hone in on those ideas to create a bigger, better and well-grounded library program for teens to enjoy reading for pleasure.
**Republished from a post I wrote for nerdybookclub.wordpress.com
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Because of the technology that educators and students are using as well as the infrastructure being provided by school districts for devices, libraries and classrooms, more and more, are embracing the paperless society. Although advertising with paper posters can still bring buzz, more and more people are looking at websites, both personal or professional, and what is posted on them. With that in mind, here are the top 10 online poster creators you can use (in no particular order)
Posteroven
www.posteroven.com Create your own poster to share, save, or print with already provided templates you can custom design.
Incorporates QR codes as the main theme in all templates.
No registration required.
–
Keep Calm-o-matic –
http://keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk We all know the familiar Keep Calm posters.
Here’s a place you can create your own.
After creation, it is part of the many other public Keep Calm posters created.
You can post it on social media outlets as well as save it as a pdf.
Login only required if you’d like to keep your posters private.
Poster My Wall –
www.postermywall.comCreate a poster by choose a background, and
adding anything from text to photos to clipart.
Also has a flickr search function.
Download it or share it on Facebook.
You can purchase higher quality downloads if you’d like to print.
No registration required
Canva –
www.canva.com This site not only allows you to create a poster, but you can also create many other things including a blog graphic, presentation or a card.
Choose from hundreds of different options but be aware that there are higher quality options that cost (typically $1.00 per graphic).
Share on social media outlets or save and publish online.
Registration required.
Picmonkey –
www.picmonkey.com This isn’t just a photograph editor, it can create beautiful posters as well.
Add text, background, images and frames, then take it to the editor.
You can save to your desktop or share via social media outlets.
There are parts of the site that are premium and require payment but the free parts are more than enough to create beautiful posters.
Registration required.
Lucid Press -
https://www.lucidpress.com/pages/examples/free-online-poster-maker This is the more sophisticated poster maker that looks a lot like MS Publisher.
It allows for more freedom of creativity with many
different functionalities.
You can share it via social media, share the link or publish it online.
Registration is required.
Flyer Lizard -
http://flyerlizard.com/ Easy to create posters that already have the templates and backgrounds to work with.
All you need to supply is the text and photo if you choose to.
There’s an option to add a QR code or even an audio clip from SoundCloud.
You can share via social media or save it.
Registration required
Motivator -
http://bighugelabs.com/motivator.php We’ve all seen the motivational posters with the black frame and a motivational saying at the bottom (usually with a soaring eagle as a picture).
Here’s your chance to create your own motivational poster.
Upload images from your own photos, Facebook, or Flickr Account.
This is a premium account and registration is required
Bannersnack -
http://www.bannersnack.com/ With a free account you can create a banner and download or embed it.
With the free account, you get 1GB of storage, gif only download, and no more than 10k views a day.
Registration is required and premium plans are available
Recite This -
http://www.recitethis.com/ Choose from an assortment of poster backgrounds by sliding through your options.
The only thing you need to create is your text.
Share it via social media, a permalink or email.
No registration required.
Muzy (app) is available for Andoid, Iphone, Ipod, or Google Play. Create a poster using your own photos from Facebook, photo album, or Google Images (be careful with this option...it doesn't differentiate between Creative Commons and copy written images) and add text to create an online poster. Share it via Instagram or Facebook. Registration required.
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By: Naomi Bates,
on 12/2/2016
I love this! Fantastic!