ThingLink

I have admitted I am not much for Twitter, but I will have to go on and reTweet this link out. I read about ThingLink on two different websites this morning so I had to check it out. ThingLink is great! I see so much use for the classroom, whether by a teacher and students or teacher alone. You do need an email to use, but I have not seen a Privacy Policy nor do I see anything in Terms of Service about under age 13. Someone correct me if you do, please.

Basically, ThingLink lets you upload pictures and tag them. You can then share with a link or embed the image. I created one and then put it on my class wiki. One of the tags in the image is a link to a website with more information for my students. This would be great to use in foreign language classes labeling things with the translations. Anything where you could label something- maps, artwork, parts of speech, the list is endless. Love it! Here is an example on the parts of speech.


Richard Byrne apparently talked about this a month ago (how did I miss it?!) and has a great tutorial/video about creating the images. Larry Ferlazzo also makes a post on ThingLink.

Definitely a site worth exploring. Below is the one I created for my class wiki.

Animoto

Animoto is a web based video slideshow creator. I remember first experiencing Animoto when I was getting my master's degree in instructional technology. At that point we were evaluating websites for the use in the classroom. Animoto does what MovieMaker and PhotoStory can't do and that's create a very professional looking video in a very short time. With features already built in like slide transitions and even music to use, you can't go wrong with Animoto.

Recently at the TCEA conference, I attended a session on using Animoto to create book trailers. It was a great session and even though I had some experience with Animoto, taking the extra time to play with the site was time well spent. Animoto videos could be used for many things such as introducing yourself to your class, highlighting events throughout a school day, month or year, sharing a students work, the list is only limited by your imagination.

This is not to say that MovieMaker, PhotoStory or iMovie are not as useful or any better or worse. These are all great programs to use. But give Animoto a look. You can create an educator account which gives you a longer length for your videos plus added features. You will also be able to give your students a code so they too can have access to the longer length and added features.

My compadre, Carol Mayo, and I will be sharing a session on Animoto at the Region X Technology Planning Conference on May 8th.

Here is the book trailer I created at TCEA.

Blooms Taxonomy

While looking at my Google Reader this morning, I was perusing Larry Ferlazzo's post about the Seinfeld video on YouTube on Bloom's Taxonomy. Very funny :-) YouTube always gives you a list of video suggestions similar to the one you are viewing. Not sure how many links in I went but came across this one:

It might not reflect the updated version of Bloom's for the 21st century but the SmartNotebook game idea is great and others might find it a useful resource. I did a quick search in SmartExchange hoping to find her lesson but haven't found it yet. However, there are some other lessons there using Bloom's that might be helpful. Remember you have to create an account to download a Smart Notebook lesson from this site.

Smarty Games

Saw this in my Google Reader just a bit a go and had to re-post here. Smarty Games interactive site with educational games like math, counting, money, reading and time. What caught my eye on the original post, InTech Insights, was that Smarty Games is free of ads. So many sites unfortunately are overrun with ads, some of which you would really rather your students never saw. Even the most innocuous ad is distracting for most students. The games are a simple design, but will give your students some extra practice.

Virtual Museums

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/12/5-interesting-virtual-museums-and.html?m=1

This link is an a post from December on Free Technology for Teachers. I have recommended this site before and again I must reiterate what a fabulous resource it is for teachers.

Richard Byrne provides links to just about anything under the sun to use in the classroom. This link to virtual museums is definitely a keeper. He posted this on Twitter the other day and it caught my eye. I think virtual museums give your students that first hand look at authentic items. With budget cuts everywhere, field trips are not high on the priority list. Please checks these out.

Happy Pi Day!

In celebration of Pi Day, McGraw Hill Education is offering 5 math apps free of charge through March 14. The apps are:

• Addition Top-It
• Equivalent Fractions
• Beat the Computer Multiplication
• Monster Squeeze
• Divisibility Dash

Motivation low but have a happy Pi Day. Be sure to check out http://www.teachpi.org/ for fun ways to celebrate.