LogoTypeMaker makes it very easy to create your own logo. It's as simple as entering your brand name, and waiting a few seconds while it generates a selection of different logos, rather than just one.
I came across this while researching resources for an Apprentice unit that I'll be doing with my learners soon. This will give them the opportunity to create their own brand visual for use in their pitches and presentations. Here's one I created in less than 30 seconds.
Sidevibe is a useful tool which is now totally free making it eligible for a slot on this blog. It takes the idea of a shared notepad that floats on top of webpages and enhances it with the ability to add links, discussions, prompts and much more. Other tools might be alternatives to some of the features, but it negates the need to click between two media e.g. a webpage and a note-taking tool, thereby saving time and keeping the 'flow' of work going.
Having a test-run with it, I found out that it is not currently supported by Chrome or the latest version of Safari so you'll have to use another browser such as Firefox or Explorer when creating 'vibes.'
Here's an intro below which gives an overview, but really you need to go and experiment with it yourself, and perhaps explore the forums, before its potential applications become fully clear.
Integration: Sidevibe can be used for many activities; below are just a few:
turn any webpage into an online activity by providing questions or instructions to follow when visiting a specific URL;
collaboratively collate websites related to a topic;
prove discussion / thinking prompts for a webpage containing any type of media from print to video;
take notes on a research topic as learners move through various websites;
structure / plan / write an assignment with the criteria / rubric open on the page in front of them;
receive immediate feedback at the side of a presentation by using Sidevibe as a backchannel.
Againbutslower.com puts Wikipedia and Simple Wikipedia side-by-side so you can compare the results from each. If used for differentiation where the (EAL?) learners are making the choice, rather than the teacher, it has great value. Also, as much of Wikipedia has not yet been simplified (information on my hometown for example) there are opportunities for learners to create their own entries which will then be accessed by the rest of the world.
I decided to go ahead and publish this post so you could explore the resource yourself, but once I've had a bit more of a play with the software, I'll update it with more details and ideas. In the meantime, feel free to add your own via the Comments section below of course.
This is hardly a click-and-go type resource but because of its potential, I just have to share it with you. Tim Rylands presented this at the ASB Unplugged conference in Mumbai last week and it was simply mind-blowing. The free software can be downloaded from here and the rest is up to your imagination and creativity as you create your own landscapes on a planet of your choice. While it might be time-consuming, just think of the possibilities!
I can hardly begin to list all the uses Terragen could have for extended project work or PBL, but here's a few to kick things off. In my ideal world, I'd use it for a long-term cross-curricular project with various groups coming back to the created world through the year for various learning activities. Anyway, individual subject teachers could create a world and then fill it with anything relevant. For example:
Historians could produce areas which are portals to the past and use the backdrops as green screens for recording events
Geography - countless ways to interact with landforms and other geographical features before exploring the impact that the peoples you decide to populate the planet with; combine with Google Sketchup for even more
Art - use your eyes and imagination!
English / Language Arts - lots of opportunities for descriptive and narrative writing; if non-fiction's your goal, is there anything in the world that couldn't be linked to an entire planet?
Visuwords has been around for a while and I used to use it extensively so I was very happy to be reminded of its existence at the ASB Unplugged conference last week. With all the benefits of a dictionary and thesaurus rolled into one, Visuwords will appeal to those who prefer to see connections as a concrete pattern. Try it out - there's no sign up so it takes less then 10 seconds to see what it can do. Click here.
Lexipedia offers another word-defining visual of a similar nature. The benefit of this one is you can choose the word class by ticking various options such as synonym, noun, adverb etc. And the greatest is bonus for MFL - you can search for words in not only English, but also Spanish, German, French, Dutch and Italian. Click here.
Should you be looking for something a little different, Wordnik might be of more interest to you. Entering a word into this search engine will offer a variety of different definitions from different sources and alongside these appear many examples of the word in use - very handy for those who get the meaning but not grammatical usage. Add in the usual synonyms, antonyms and even a 'reverse dictionary' which shows you definitions containing your search term, and you're almost there...but not quite. On top of all this, you can hear pronunciations from at least 2 dictionaries as well as find out your word's Scrabble score - now that's comprehensive! Click here.
I've never been into 3D virtual worlds; my initial fumblings with Second Life were rather underwhelming (no doubt due to my own impatience in mastering the tools), so when I came across Edusim I didn't have high expectations. However, after watching a couple of the videos on their site and then finding a couple more on Youtube, I began to get excited. Why? Well, the videos show primary kids using the interface with ease and the examples given immediately sparked off ideas of how I'd use this in my own classroom. At the moment, I think primary teachers have the advantage in being able to launch the use of Edusim through a concentrated block of time, but secondary teachers could create cross-curricular collaborative projects to really take this to a whole other level.
Integration:
Colonise an imaginary world and then fill it with everything from:
Libraries holding histories, myths, legends and other texts related to the world (English/Language Arts)
Fill the terrain with interesting geological features (Geography)
Environmental management systems (Geography, Economics, Maths)
Creatures based on life forms studied (Sciences)
Galleries showcasing works (paintings, illustrations, film, song) from this other world (Art, Music, Media)
Buildings created from Google Sketchup (Art, Design Tech, ICT)
Additional villages where they speak other languages (MFL)
The possibilities are as limitless as your learners' imagination!
Tildee is a site that offers everyone a space to share what they know. You can add videos, voice and pictures to create your 'how to' and then share it with anyone by sending the link.
Integration:
Learners, groups and teachers can create tutorials on many things to demonstrate understanding or provide instruction for others. For example:
how to tackle a particular math problem (or anything else that requires 'working out')
how to be a great learner
how to deconstruct a character from a work of literature
CosmoLearning is a platform where anyone can access free video lectures from the University of Houston. Subjects are wide-ranging and as diverse as 'Development of the Novel' to 'Darwin's Legacy'.
You may already have heard of the Khan Academy which is based on the same principle, although the academy focuses on the areas of Math, Science and Humanities. The material on this site is probably more suitable for high school learners although some of it is undoubtedly beyond the level expected in an average school.
Or how about some courses from top-class educators from the likes of Yale, Harvard and Princeton? Academic Earth offers such courses for those who are just looking to touch up their knowledge of a particular area, but also provide (presumably paid) courses for credit from Bachelors to Masters. All these sites offer high quality materials for anyone to further their knowledge in their area of interest so it's worth browsing to see how you could use them to supplement your own teaching and learning.
The Learning Network from this popular newspaper is jam-packed with teaching resources and materials. From lesson plans to discussions, it is worth exploring to see what you can find to enhance teaching and learning in your own context.
Integration:
Sign up to receive weekly lesson plans for your subject area via email; a different learning area each day
Access the Lesson Plans categorised by subject area
Use the Test Yourself page to improve vocabulary in a quick 3-minute activity
Guide your over-13s to express their thoughts on Student Opinion
Use the Poetry Pairings to get your learners making links between the creative medium and the world around them
Have groups take part in the Reading Club to extend their exposure to non-fiction readings and other media
History groups may be interested in following On this Day as a starting point for any lesson
The daily News Quiz could be used to encourage the skills of skimming and scanning large quantities of text
Jellycam is a simple program that allows you to make stop-motion animations quickly and easily. The creator says it is a work in progress so there are no fancy effects or anything available yet, but it seems these are in the pipeline. Have a look at the video below which gives a quick intro to the program.
Integration:
Another tool that can be used for digital storytelling, whether related to literature, history, social studies or any other subject
Learners and teachers can use this type of media to explain abstract concepts which are more easily understood with objects, pictures, etc rather than just text
Lots of examples from a (paid) software producer here to inspire your learners in getting started
You might also be interested in SAMAnimation (free version) or Scratch for creating interactive animations.
Explania is exactly what the logo claims - a collection of animated explanations on a range of topics. The videos can be viewed without registration and embedded by anyone on any site. Have a look at the example below and if you like what you see, browse the site for more useful media for teaching Sport, Ecology, Health, Economics (Money) or ICT (Technology).
Integration:
Use the videos to liven up delivery of content
Learners could watch different videos in groups and then peer teach to change the interaction away from being teacher-focused
Use the animations as models for learners to create their own for future/younger year groups
Embed the videos on your shared online learning platform for revision purposes
