Geonames is an interesting little site where you can type in your name to see if there are any places in the world called the same. I tried it and was surprised to find 6 places called Abena, including one in Spain.
When considering the educational value of this service, I though it might be an nice way to get learners exploring a range of possibilities. Rather than spinning a globe and pointing a finger, this could be an engaging way of launching a topic. It could be used as part of a research project, a writing prompt, a starting point for exploring any data on landscapes, populations or anything else that is to be the subject of study.
Hello Slide offers another way of presenting information. It's similar to other platforms, such as Voicethread, but it incorporates a text-to-speech function which means that you don't need access to recording equipment. Here's an example:
Integration:
Use to create self-access instruction whether for flipping the classroom, learning stations or a 'help yourself' section of a website or VLE.
Learners can produce their own presentations for sharing with peers or paired schools.
Learners could create stories with narration, explain mathematical/scientific concepts, illustrate geographical events or profile historic figures - consider applications for your own subject area.
Volcano Explorer from Discovery offers learners the chance to explore the different types of volcanoes before choosing settings to create their own to watch it explode. After the explosion you can see the consequences of the eruption with clear explanations. It certainly beats the 2D presentation from a textbook and even if presented on a whiteboard makes the learning experience that much more engaging - the sound effects are great!
If you're looking for something really different to engage your learners, Inanimate Alice is a fictional hypertext novel following a young girl as she grows up and relocates to various places around the world, beginning in China with her parents. The story is episodic and requires various levels of interaction although the whole experience is an on-screen one.
There are suggestions for how to get started with this in the classroom, but you can also register for access to a much more comprehensive educational pack containing lessons plans of a full exploration of the genre.
The video below introduces the novel as one teacher gives an overview of her "epiphany."
Integration:
Use with younger teens to give them a new way of experiencing texts and use as a model for creating their own
I see this having applications for post-16 courses such as English Language A-Level and IB; the educational pack explores the idea of multi-sensory, multimedia texts so it's a very guided route into this genre for those who are unsure or just looking for some additional materials to add to their repertoire
The cross-curricular links to be exploited make this a potential project to span several subject areas
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.
Since attending a Creativity workshop with Tim Rylands at ASB Unplugged 2012, I've been interested in using panoramas to inspire stepping outside of the classroom - at least in a a virtual sense.
The first of a few resources to help with this is Autostitch, the gallery of which is here. With Autostitch you simply input the pictures you've taken and it automatically detects the overlaps and stitches them together in one seamless panorama, which can be navigated with your mouse or keyboard to turn up to 360 degrees. Unfortunately, the demo software is only available for Windows at the moment, but you can still make use of those in the gallery.
CleVR also offers a free service for stitching pictures. The great thing about this site is that you can embed the results into websites, blogs and wikis when you're done. Again, no specialist equipment - other than a digital camera - is needed and the results can be impressive. What's more you can "add interactive hotspots to your panoramas. These let viewers
click areas in the panorama for more information. They can display
notes, photos or video. They can also be used to link panoramas together
into a full virtual tour."
Airpano offers 3D panoramas to move around and explore. I would have
embedded one but as soon as I tried, the audio played automatically. Check them one for yourself here.
Photosynth is yet another online platform for creating static and interactive panoramas that can be shared a number of ways including by embedding. There is a comprehensive public gallery available if you don't have the time or means to make your own.
Integration:
There's no substitute for the real thing, but if you can't take your class to a place of interest let it come to you via an interactive panorama; projected or displayed onto a whiteboard with the lights dimmed, learners can be transported to another place entirely - let their imaginations soar
As a prompt for creative writing, use one of the high res panoramas to zoom in on a smaller object of interest in the background; as you pan out ask learners to note the detail that is added before looking left, right, up and down to complete the picture and the subsequent writing
Learners can create their own panoramas to accompany projects on places or topics; add audio and text to create interactive webpages to engage audiences on almost any subject
If you're a bit of a techie - immerse learners in a fantasy world of their own creation; use the background panoramas for green-screen shooting
This is such a worthwhile project that I just had to share it. The My Hero project has been around for a number of years, and aims to "use media and technology to celebrate the best of humanity and to
empower people of all ages to realize their own potential to effect
positive change in the world."
The project is a great way to expose your learners to a range of inspirational people (and animals!) and the site is packed full of lesson plans and resources to get you started. If you are looking for a project that really makes a difference, this could be your answer regardless of your subject area or target age-group.
Learners can contribute short films, artwork or essays on the heroes of their choice so it lends itself to cross-curricular approaches and bonus...it's open to absolutely everyone from nursery to university and beyond. Teachers may well feel inspired to contribute themselves and that's all good. Below is one of the short films produced for the project to give you an idea of the moving stories involved.
Switcheroo Zoo is bound to be a hit with your young learners, but I'm already thinking up ways to use it with my teens. The site contains lots of activities related to animals and their habitats. It's a mine of useful information, but the fun starts in the 'Switch Zoo' where it's possible to create new animals from the composite parts of existing ones. Here's a picture of my 3-minute creation: Bengal Gizard!
Learners can mix up their own animals and then use the animal facts to write profiles for their creations - let their imaginations soar as they practise their writing skills
Build a habitat most suitable for the animals met on the site
Let learners take a guided tour to find out more about the animal kingdom
Use as part of a larger project where learners create a world using Terragen and then visit this site to populate their planets
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.
Sometimes it does take a bit of time for things to filter through, no matter how many times I read them on the numerous blogs I subscribe to. Backchanneling tools definitely come under this category. If it's news to you here's an overview from TodaysMeet:
What finally convinced me to sit up and take notice of this resource was witnessing its use in an inspiring lesson where learners were watching a film and using TodaysMeet to express their thoughts and ask and respond to queries. The teacher was following the stream and was able to feed in comments to alert them to important upcoming sections that they should pay particular attention to or things to listen/watch out for.
TodaysMeet was the tool of choice, and although there are alternatives (for example Twitter or Google Moderator could be used in a similar way) it's the very simple, no-signup, streamlined interface that lends its appeal. Furthermore, transcripts of the backchannel can be saved as a pdf for future reference.
Each new topic is assigned a unique url and the backchannel remains open for up to a year.
Simple Booklet offers a very straightforward way of publishing a range of formats from reports to newsletters, portfolios to presentations and more. What's worth blogging about is the incredibly clean-lined and intuitive interface. It may not have the whistles and bells of (for example) Prezi, but you can see how quick and easy it is to use without the distraction of lots of features.
Integration:
Learners can publish any written work (stories, explanations, presentations etc.) and then embed it anywhere they like from blogs to websites to wikis to social networks...
The published booklet is tablet-friendly so it can be accessed from laptops, PCs and 'pads' - even younger learners will be able to use the interface
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.
Voicethread has been around for quite a while and has a user-friendly interface. Learners can upload pictures and add voiceover, as well as doodling and other features. I've used it a few times with different groups as an alternative way to present and my learners have given positive feedback on the experience. Now you can also find inspiration on how to make the most of Voicethread from the project library which is organised by subject area. The resulting Voicethreads can be shared, embedded and commented upon. Additionally, there are lots of ideas of how to make the most of it in the presentation below.
(As an alternative, Yodio is another free, easy-to-use service that allows users to upload pictures and then add voice to them. Voice can be uploaded from MP3 files or you can call the (US) number to send your voice straight to your account.)
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
"Jobs, Worksheets, and Flashcards for the ESL and
TEFL Teacher. The new home for bogglesworld.com"
This site is
packed with outstandingly good resources, many of them cross-curricular. While
sometimes it can be difficult to locate the best of what's on offer, taking 10
minutes to wander through and discover what's available definitely turns up
some gems. If you've got EAL/ESL learners in your classes and you're struggling for materials, there is plenty on here to help you.
Integration:
The ESL
Science section contains a few resources including common
language patterns for discussing and writing about scientific exploration
The Writer's Workshop will be of use to teachers from a range of subjects and year groups
Reported Speech Soccer will help even native speakers perfect their skill of changing direct speech into reported speech
A Business section is more geared toward preparing learners for business transactions than theory but very useful for role-play and communicative practice in general
And if none of the above floats your boat, the extensive menu of boardgames can be used 'off the peg' or downloaded and customised for your needs
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.
This free digital storytelling kit from tech4learning.com is available for immediate download and includes articles, examples and lesson plans. The articles are surprisingly convincing in describing how digital storytelling can really improve narratives. As mentioned, lesson plans are provided but there are lots more ideas to be inspired if you take the time to read through the (not very long) articles. The whole kit opens a world of possibilities across the curriculum so certainly worth the 2 minutes it takes to get the materials.
You might also like to have a look at the document below compiled by Richard Byrne of the excellent Freeteach4teachers.com.
