Subtext

01/14/2013

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For those with a significant number of iPads in your room, Subtext is a free app that allows for more of a collaborative reading environment.  The basic use of it is for students to read books, articles, etc from the ipad and contribute comments and discussion to the document that then all others can see.  Quizzes and Discussion boards are also available but differ little from Blackboard et al.  The app does allow you to create groups to manage what different periods or reading groups are looking at which would probably be most helpful to elementary school or ESOL teachers who have a significant disparity of reading levels in the clasroom.

I'm  considering using it for my Academic Decathlon classes because of Subtext's ability to read epub files and comment on them.  Subtext will load books or documents from email, dropbox, and your google account.  Registration is required but is free for all.
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Maps, Timelines, Research? A History Teacher's Dream

11/21/2012

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Myhistro allows students to create a story that places events on a map and on a timeline.  Students will get not only the historical context, but also the geographic context as well.  This site offers a wide array of uses for both history and language arts.  The site does require an email and signup. Creations can be linked to in an email or embedded as below.

An Example from the site:
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Socrative

08/22/2012

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I requested a classroom response system from my district this year, but after discovering this tool I'm questioning whether I even still need it.  This is an amazing tool for getting responses from students electronically especially if you're one of many schools that does not have access to 1:1 ipads or laptops.  As a teacher you create quizzes, review activities, or exit ticket activities for students.  Students then go the student Socrative website, it asks them for your room number (permanant number that is created for you), and then waits for whatever activity you send them.  Students are required to enter their name, and the greatest thing is when they are finished it offers the option of allowing another student to use the same device to complete the activity.  The results are updated live to the teacher device.

Socrative is free and only requires a teacher login.  Students do not have to create logins or input an email address; only their name and answers.  Socrative also offers free student and teacher iPad/iPhone apps to make accessing activities easier.  This is a great substitution for classroom response systems.

Socrative
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Thinglink

08/22/2012

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I ran across an interesting site on another blog that allows users to embed links,media, other pictures into a picture of your choice.  This would be a great tool for teaching specific art pieces in history.  Much like the example below you could require students to pick apart the different aspects of the painting or old map by linking explanations they find online.  Students can also include their own text describing the importance of a part or a summary of their media link.  Teachers can also create these for units, choosing a singularly important image for the unit and then providing resources that assist students to learn the content.  The basic service is free which should be adequate for most teachers, but there is a upgrade available that allows more functionality.


Thinglink

The example below uses wikipedia as sources for the tags.  I wouldn't allow my students to use wikipedia as a source, but this is just an example to show the potential.
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Tombstone Generator

07/27/2012

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Picture
Having students create tombstones or eulogies for historical figures, literary characters, and even themselves is a popular teaching device.  This site adds a bit to these assignments by allowing students to easily create a tombstone.  The difficulty for students will be  in coming up with a pithy saying that fits within the character limits.  The developer also has a streetsign, warning sign, warning label, and church sign generator.

Tombstone Generator
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The New Qwiki

07/21/2012

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Qwiki had previously been a search engine site that presented users with an AV presentation of their search term including an audio reading along with corresponding subtitles of the information.  This was great for ELL and younger students who could hear the information as well as see the words.  Lately they have even done a better job of ensuring that the visuals more closely correspond to what is being read.

Now though, Qwiki has added a Web 2.0 feature that allows users to create their own Qwiki like presentation.  Students can add visuals, video, and text to create the presentations.  Students can add their own audio or allow the computer to read the text they've inputed.  This is a nice feature for elementary/middle school students to not only research but also create.

The only issue, but a big one, is that it requires the latest version of the internet browsers to work. My district doesn't use the latest version of Explorer due to issues with using it with district web resources.  I have a feeling I'm not the only one.  For this to be a tool either your district has to already be on top of the latest browsers, have students use an alternate browser than Explorer, or wait for our districts to catch up to Qwiki.  The example below is one a news station is using to present quick stories.
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Spreaker

07/16/2012

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Using podcasting has been a goal of mine for awhile, but the difficulty of the software has impeded my or my student's use.  I tried it once with a PBL, and it was my first PBL disaster.  Technology is fickle when you're dealing with complicated software and unreliable district hardware.

Spreaker is an iPhone app (usable on the iPad)  that allows users to create podcasts easy.  It only has a few functions: two music track cross fade, a few basic sound effects, and an on/off for the mic.  Podcasts can be recorded or performed live, though I imagine the record function will be most useful to teachers.

Spreaker also has a web base too that allows you to broadcast, listen and manage your account from your PC. The online (non-app version) is still a simple console but does offer more sound effect options.

The basic free plan allows up to 20 hours of audio storage and up to 30 minutes of a live broadcast.  If you use Facebook with your classes it also allows easy integration with your Facebook account. 

Spreaker
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iMotion HD

07/14/2012

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I've been looking for an easier way to do stop-motion animation and common craft videos easier.  This new app for the iPad is pretty close to what I've been looking for.  iMotion HD takes video at intervals of your choosing. To make this most effective you'll need some apparatus to hold the iPad still.  One of the most interesting functions of this app is that if you  have a second iOS device, you can have one device as the camera and the second as the remote. This is a free app with no sign up required.
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AppMakr

06/08/2012

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Most teachers today have a web presence, but do you have an "App" presence?  AppMakr will allow teachers to create their own apps based on their web presence.  Essentially the app created shows a RSS feed of your blog posts on your site, but also can include photo albums and even a function that allows users to post messages back to you.  You will need to register with Apple as a developer before you can publish your app and have it available for students to put on their phones (Apple or Android).  Now for the bad news, Apple requires $99 a year to be a developer. Yeah it's steep, but if several teachers want to do this and can pitch in it can be not as steep.
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Creating your personal "Siri"?

03/15/2012

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I stumbled on an exciting program that is ideal for both Middle School and High School students.  It requires research, critical thinking, and creativity. 

Virsona, allows you to upload a picture and then fill in a database of questions about every aspect of an individuals life, history, and personality.  The avatar can then be interacted and chatted with, and it will give responses to questions and statements.  The site has a set of basic questions that will require a good amount of research.  Then students will have to come up with a good amount of  other questions tailored to the person and any question that someone might ask along with the answers to fill out the virtual personality.

This is a great project for history and literature classes.  There is no way to publish your creation  on a website but the student can put your email in the invite field and an invitation to chat with the character will be sent.  The basic account is free, but a teacher account that will allow all your students to interact with every other students' character is available for $100 a month or $1000 a year.

Virsona

Screen shot of a sample chat with a Virsona character available after the jump.
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