Thing #2

Tired of the same old titles and printed words? Wordle is a great alternative. I can see using this for vocabulary words - a more interesting way to give students a word list. Or let them create their own flashcards. I like the links in Wordsift, which would be great for research. I do think that ESL students would have a difficult time with both of these. I can see my PreAP/GT students getting so wrapped up in the links that they would forget what they were doing.



Voicethread would be a good tool for group presentations and for recording lessons for students that are absent or need more help at home. Students could post problems and help each other. I especially like the DVD capability. About half of my students do not have a computer at home or do not have internet access, but almost all of them have a DVD player. I can also see an application for stations, with a different lesson or activity at each station. All a teacher would need is a laptop at each station. This past year a few of the teachers at Spring Woods used Scriblink (interactive online 'whiteboard' for multiple users simultaneously) to do online, real-time tutoring in the evenings, and we also recorded lessons on the Activboard. Voicethread could be used for some of the same things.

Animoto and Voki need to be unrestricted by the district filter! Some of my PreAP students used Animoto to do presentations this past year and seemed to enjoy it, although I think they might enjoy VoiceThread as much or more. The math teachers at Spring Woods have an assignment blog. If the district lets Voki through, I can add voice messages. I think the students and parents would get a kick out of my 'talking head'. A talking avatar would certainly be more powerful than just text. I could add it to my webpage also.

I can see a lot of potential for Bookr, both personally and in the classroom. What a great way to review for a test or quiz! Students could use Bookr instead of posters, or a powerpoint presentation. At least once a year I have groups of students teach a lesson and I think students would get a lot more carried away with Bookr than with Powerpoint. I am going to take pictures of the grandkids when they come to visit this week and do a Bookr for their parents.