My Favorite Apps (September 2012)

Continuing the list of my favorite apps from the previous post, let’s take a look at a few more:

6.  Storybird

This is a great app for creating your own online storybooks.  You provide your own story, then illustrate it using the unique and original artwork provided by real artists.  You can read your books (and others’ books) online.  You can also pay to have your book turned into a printed version, or you can choose to print and fold your own mini-books at home for a small fee.  Storybird is a great app for encouraging students to create and write their own stories and books.  For a sample, take a look at one of the “storybirds” I created using this app (click on “Was That Me?” below):

Was That Me? by jamersontd on Storybird

7.  Prezi

Tired of creating traditional slide show presentations?  Try out Prezi for a creative, non-linear approach to the slide show.  You can collaborate to create a presentation with other users, share your presentation on social networks, and even download your presentation for offline viewing.  The zoom-in/zoom-out feature adds a dynamic feel to the more static and linear slide show.  With Prezi you can also upload multimedia files such as images and video clips to your presentation.  Click on the following link to see an example:

http://prezi.com/8t9kli63w56s/parlez-vous-web-20/

8.  Learnist

Learnist has quickly become one of my favorite web apps.  With this tool, you can bring together resources from all over the web to create “learn boards”, then share these boards with other users.  You can also use your own original images (such as slides from a slide show or photos you’ve taken) to create boards.  You can share your boards through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.  In addition, you can easily add new “learnings” to your boards at any time, thus making it a more dynamic experience.  What’s also nice is that you can follow other users and learn about new topics.  Take a look:

http://learni.st/users/tamara.jamerson.7/boards/5331-ancient-rome-in-the-news    

9.  Animoto

Animoto allows users to create their own videos by combining images and music.  There are several themes/backgrounds from which to choose, as well as a wide selection of music tracks.  You can also upload your own audio tracks to use.  There is an educator’s version of this app, as well as paid subscription plans.  You can share your finished videos on Facebook/Twitter, as well as download and save a copy to your computer.  Here’s a link to a short video created by some of my Latin students:

http://animoto.com/play/Z44q9QTWLfVcgR05mieTRg

10.  TerraClues

Send your students on a geographical scavenger hunt with TerraClues.  This app uses Google maps to take your students on scavenger hunts anywhere in the world.  Write your own hints and upload images to help your students zoom in on the correct location.  You can map the migratory patterns of birds for a science class, locate major battles of the civil war for history, or visit the landmarks of ancient Rome for Latin class!  You can also locate and use scavenger hunts that other users have created.  Check out this TerraHunt about ancient Rome:

http://www.terraclues.com/PlayHunt.aspx?HuntID=2574

 

 

My Favorite Apps (September 2012)

Since this is the end of the first full month of school for many, I thought now would be a good time to share a list of the apps that are currently my favorites.  Let’s take a look!

1.  Piktochart

An Infographic showing the types of languages (other than English) spoken in the US.

A great site for creating infographics.  In fact, the image above is an infographic I created using Piktochart for incorporation into an educational technology conference proposal.  There are several basic templates to choose from if you register to use the site for free.  You are allowed to upload up to five of your own images to incorporate into your infographic.  You can customize your infographic by changing fonts, color themes, shapes, etc.  Even more templates and options for customization are available for paid members.

2.  Popplet

A “Popplet” of an instructional design case story map.

Popplet is a terrific app for mind mapping activities.  You can even incorporate multimedia features such as images and video clips.  This tool also allows you to brainstorm with others by adding them as collaborators to your popplet.  You can work either synchronously or asynchronously.  Once you’ve finished, you can also share your completed popplet by sharing a public link on Facebook and Twitter, or link it to an existing web page or blog.  You can also export as a jpeg or pdf document, or go “old school” style and print it out.

3.   Lucidchart

This is a Venn Diagram created with Lucidchart.

Lucidchart allows users to create flow charts, Venn diagrams, mind maps, wireframes, etc. quickly and easily.  You can sign up for a free account, which is sufficient for anyone who has an occasional need to create diagrams.  Also, all documents created are easily shared through social media such as Facebook and Twitter, via e-mail, by exporting as a PDF or png file, or even by printing.  And, the really great thing about this app is that it allows users to collaborate in real-time on diagrams.

4.  Go!Animate

Go!Animate is a fun site that allows users to create their own animated videos using character collections and backgrounds.  Users can choose to select a computer synthesized voice for their characters (simply type in the dialogue and the selected voice will say them), or they can even record their own voices!  The process for creating videos is quick and easy, and the user interface for this app is quite intuitive.  Your finished video can be shared via a link, embed code, or can be uploaded to YouTube as well as shared on Facebook and Twitter.  You can also download and save your video for viewing offline.  Here’s a short Star Trek themed video I made.  Simply click on the “Return of the Gorn” link below to view.

GoAnimate.com: Return+of+the+Gorn by jamersontd

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It’s free and fun!

5.  Dipity

Dipity is a timeline creation tool that allows users to incorporate multimedia features such as images and video clips.  So, instead of a timeline that contains just words, a Dipity timeline can show images and clips as well.  You can view your finished timeline in the timeline format, or you can choose to view it as a flip book or as a chronological list of events.  Dipity also has a social aspect in that you can follow others’ timelines, you can “like” timelines, leave comments, as well as share your timeline on Twitter and Facebook.  Check out this timeline I’ve created by clicking on “Star Trek”:

Star Trek on Dipity.

More of my favorite tools will be shared on the next post!

Learnist: Create Your Own Learn Board

Now that we’ve discussed what Learnist is, let’s make our first learn board.

1.  First, click on “+Add” at the top right of the toolbar on the Learnist site.

This image illustrates how to begin creating a new learn board.

 

2.  Next, select “Create a New Board”.

This is the “Create New Board” command for Learnist.

Nota Bene:  If you already have an existing board on Learnist, you can add learning to these boards by either selecting “Add from a URL” or “Upload Your Own”.

 

3.  Give your board a name, select the category to which it will belong, list your collaborators (if applicable), and write a brief description.

This is the pop-up window where you will include information about your board, such as title, description, and collaborators.

 

4.  There are three basic ways to add content to your learn board.  You can click “+Add” at the top right of the toolbar on the site (as you did to begin creating a new board); you can drag and drop the boomarklet “Learn it!” to your browser toolbar and click it each time you want to add a site, video, map, etc.; or, you can click the “re-add” button while browsing Learnist to add learnings from other users’ boards.  For my part, I used option #2 (the “Learn it!” bookmarklet).  I have found this to be the easiest way to add new content.

Here are the three basic options for how you can upload content to your learn boards.

 

5.  Here’s the “Learn it!” bookmarklet once it’s been dragged and dropped to the browser toolbar.  You can simply click on it whenever you find something on the web that you want to add to your boards.  A separate small dialog box will pop up and will prompt you to choose an image to represent your learning, as well as ask you for a description to accompany your image.

Here’s the “Learn it!” bookmarklet once it’s been dragged and dropped to the browser toolbar.

 

6.  Here’s the “Add from URL” option for adding content.  It’s as simple as copying and pasting the URL of the site you’d like to include.

Here’s the “Upload from URL” option for adding content to a learn board.

 

If you choose to add your own content, you’ll be asked to upload an image from your computer:

The Learnist option for uploading your own learning content.

Once you’ve uploaded an image from your computer, you’ll be asked to include a description/explanation to accompany this image on your board.

 

7.  Once you’ve either chosen to upload content by URL or through the “Learn it!” bookmarklet, the Learnist site generates a group of thumbnail images from the site/video/map, etc.  You will then need to select one image to represent this learning on your board.

The Learnist site gathers images from the site you’re adding and prompts you to choose one image to represent your learning.

 

8.  Now you will need to write a caption/description to accompany the image you have chosen.  You can give a general description of the image/site/video clip/map, etc. and/or you can include interesting facts or anecdotes that will be memorable to your readers and pique their interest.

Once you’ve chosen your image, you will need to write a caption/description to accompany the image on your board.

 

9.  Now here’s a preview of the learning you’ve just created for your board.

Here’s a preview of the learning you’ve just created for your board.

 

10.  Once you’ve finished adding all the learnings for your board, you will be returned to your “dashboard” page.  Here you can see a thumbnail representation of each board, complete with stats such as # of views, “likes”, and # of comments.  You can also easily and quickly edit and add learnings to your boards at any time.

Here is where all your learn boards will be visible; you will be able to see stats such as # of views, comments, and “likes”. You will also be able to quickly edit and add to your boards as necessary.

 

I am very excited about Learnist because it allows users to teach what they know (and are passionate about) and share it, but it also allows users to learn about subjects they don’t know by exploring the boards created by others.  This is  a great tool for classroom use, because it allows teachers to share additional resources with students for the purpose of enrichment.  Speaking from personal experience, there are so many sites, video clips, and other resources I’d like to share with my students, but class time is limited.  This would be a great way to share those resources with students.  Also, this would be a great tool for students to use to group, organize, and share their learnings with one another.  The ability of a learner to arrange his/her own learning and to engage in meaning-making with the material is one of the best ways to approach the learning process.  After all, the best way to learn something is to teach and explain it to others.

If you’ve used Learnist with your students, how have you used it?  Please do share!

 

 

Interactive Whiteboard Apps

I am devoting this posting to the topic of interactive whiteboard apps and how they can be used in the classroom.  I ran across several of these types of apps while searching the iTunes App Store, but I will limit my discussion to just one, namely ShowMe (www.showme.com).

ShowMe allows users to share with the world what they know about any subject or topic by recording their voice, incorporating writing and drawings, and even importing images.  The result is a dynamic, multimedia presentation that can be accessed anytime, anywhere.   This makes ShowMe ideal for educational use, since teachers can record a lesson, upload it to the ShowMe site, and students can access it whenever they need it.  This is a real plus for the student who may need additional explanation or enrichment on a topic at home or, at the other end of the spectrum, the student who is ready to advance in their studies.

The user interface for ShowMe is so simple and intuitive that students will be able to begin creating their own ShowMes in a matter of minutes, with little to no instruction in how to use the app.  This is an ideal tool for millennial generation learners, since they prefer active, creative experiences to being passive consumers of content.  Also, students can share ShowMe with their peers, which fulfills another need of this generation — the need for social connectivity and interaction.

ShowMe can be accessed on mobile devices, such as iPad and iPhone, but it can also be accessed via the web on desktop and laptop computers.  This versatility allows access for individuals via mobile devices, but also allows ShowMe projects to be shared with an entire classroom of students through a computer projection unit setup.  This brings “show and tell” into the 21st century and, since it’s a free app, there’s no concern over software compatibility from one computer to the next.  My personal experience with this is having students who create slide show presentations at home using OpenOffice, but not realizing that these files are incompatible with Microsoft Office software apps such as Power Point (which is what is used on school computers).

Now that I’ve explained a little about what ShowMe is, I’d like to show you step-by-step how easy it is to create your own ShowMe on iPad:

1.  When you first open up the app, you’ll see the toolbar along the top of the whiteboard (if you’re holding your iPad in landscape orientation).  See the illustration below for an explanation of each icon on the toolbar:

Detailed explanation of icons on the ShowMe app’s toolbar.

As you can see, the toolbar is very basic and straightforward, which allows for an intuitive, user-friendly experience.  You spend little to no time up front learning to use the app; instead, your time is better spent on the topic you’re interested in sharing with others.

2.  I’d like to briefly show you the options for the “Add Image” button, since this is the most complex function on the toolbar (you have three options here!):

ShowMe Screen Shot, “Add Photo” function

As you see in the screen shot above, you can incorporate photos/images from your own collection on your device, you can take a photo using your device, or you can search for images on the web using the search tool provided within the ShowMe app.

In creating a ShowMe project, I decided to include a picture of a jellyfish I had taken while at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.  Since the photo is on my iPad, I selected “Choose Photo” (the first option in the menu from the above illustration).

3.  Next, I selected “Camera Roll” (again, the first option on the pull-down menu):

ShowMe Screen Shot, Add Image Tool

4.  After selecting “Camera Roll”, you’ll see thumbnails of your photos.  Just make your selection, and the image will appear on the whiteboard.

ShowMe Screen Shot, Camera Roll Image Thumbnails

Here’s the result below:

Illustrates the result of importing an image from iPad’s “Camera Roll”.

5.  At this point, you can rotate your image, move it to the foreground/background, or even delete it.  Just start by holding your finger down on the image.  This will bring up a small toolbar at the bottom of the image, containing these options:

Shows the image control menu in ShowMe, accessed by holding the finger down on the image.

Also by holding your finger on the image, you can move the image around on the whiteboard, as well as reduce/enlarge it (to reduce/enlarge, simply slide your thumb and forefinger together/apart in a pincer position; this is the same motion you would use to reduce/enlarge images/web pages anywhere else on your iPad).

6.  Finally, you can write anywhere on or around the image that you’ve inserted into your ShowMe.  So, you can record your voice to explain your topic while you write on/around your image to enhance your explanation.  Nota Bene:  I advise you to add the images you will use first before you begin recording your ShowMe.  As I was experimenting with the app, I noticed that when I tried to add an image while recording, the action of selecting this toolbar function paused the recording.  However, you can still write/erase/change font colors while recording.  You can also reduce/enlarge/move your images around on the whiteboard while recording.

Illustrates the app’s ability to combine images and handwriting as the user explains the topic.

Now that you’ve seen just how easy it is, start making some ShowMe’s to share!

Ideas for Classroom Use:

Math:  Illustrate and explain mathematical problem solving step-by-step; use to graph equations

English/World Languages:  Explain parts of speech; diagram sentences; perhaps even tell a short story

Science:  Make presentations on animals, weather phenomena, geology, anatomy, etc.

I’d love to hear about your ideas for using this app.  Add a comment to this posting, and share!