PodOmatic

The resource for today is called PodOmatic.

What is PodOmatic?

PodOmatic is a podcast creation tool. Users may search, create, and share podcasts and minicasts with other users. For each user, PodOmatic walks you through step-by-step on how to use their podcast creations. 

Is it free?

PodOmatic has two different plans, one that's free and one that's called PRO. The free version allows the users to follow podcasts, create and share podcasts and mini-casts with the publication tools provided, interactions with the community, bookmark your favorites, and share with your friends. But, with the PRO, you receive four times more storage (2 MB) than the free account and 100GB of bandwidth. You also get better design tools, high quality playbacks and downloads, and it removes ads from the pages. This plan costs $9.99 per month. 

What will PodOmatic bring to your classroom?

This product can prove to be beneficial in all different grades throughout the education system. From using it in the Kindergarten classroom to create podcasts to show reading skills to using it in 12th grade classrooms to detail their future plans to a college student working on a project for a course using Web 2.0 Tool descriptions. This tool brings an easier way to create podcasts for free to share with others around the world. 

How do I use PodOmatic?

Below, I will show you the steps of using PodOmatic.

This is your dashboard. This website is very easy to navigate, so it's easy for all students to understand.


PodOmatic walks you through step by step. At the top of your page, it'll show you which step you are on as it is highlighted BLUE.

Step 1: Write a title and description for your podcast.

Step 2: Select an audio or video clip. You may also elect to skip this step.

Step 3: Select a photo. You may also skip this step, too, if you would like.

 Step 4: Tag your podcast. This allows for search processes to be easier. Also, choose the search filtering that you would like on your video. This makes it easier to find, too!

Step 5: Publish your episode. After this step, you can then promote it if you would like BUT this costs a fee to do.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

How can I use PodOmatic in my classroom?

Below is a list of ways that this tool can be utilized in the classroom:

-Use for book talks
-In an art classroom, use for critiques
-Use for "meet the author" productions
-Use for recording information for science logs
-Word of the day or week podcast presentations
-Summarize a story in 30 seconds using the podcasts
-Use for interviewing those in the community projects
-Presentation on oneself to allow others to 'get to know' you
-Create different voiced trailers for books that have been read
-Allow students to show their understanding of a topic in the classroom
-Use for identifying how to find good websites using your students' voices
-Create a voiceover about a science project showcasing the scientific process
-Use for literature circles when discussing books that might be difficult to understand

-Use as a teaser of what the days events will hold - specific subjects you're going to go over
-Vocabulary words - describe the word, definition, how you could use it, part of speech, etc.

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

How would YOU use PodOmatic in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!

TubeChop

The resource for today is called TubeChop.

What is TubeChop?

TubeChop is a video chopping service. You place the URL of the video you would like to cut up to show in the box, find your place, then share with friends. This service is relatively simple, but absolutely great to know if you find a video that you want to show a single part to your classroom.

Is it free?

TubeChop is free for ANY user. There is no sign up fee or an upgrade to another program type fee. Since all you are doing is chopping a video, it's a free provided service for you.

What will TubeChop bring to your classroom?

This product can prove to be beneficial in all different grades throughout the education system. From using it in the Kindergarten classroom to chop a video to show the first three numbers in a number video to using it in 9th grade classrooms to chop a video about the digestive process to a college student chopping a video on a sign language phrase to focus on one sign. This tool brings an easier way to locate the right part in a video for your educational use.

How do I use TubeChop?

Below are the steps of using TubeChop.

Step 1: Find the video you want to chop.

Step 2: Begin to figure out where you want to chop your video and select it.

Step 3: Share with friends!

THIS IS THE FULL VIDEO.

THIS IS THE VIDEO AFTER I TUBECHOPPED IT!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

How can I use TubeChop in my classroom?

Below is a list of ways that this tool can be utilized in the classroom:

-Provide a good visual aid for parents
-Use on songs to show just the chorus
-Use for presentations in the classroom
-Cut videos up to combine with one another
-Provide clips for other teachers in the school
-Use to split up video segments each day of a lesson
-In using educational videos, chop to show a "teaser"
-Cut to shorter videos you want to show to your students
-Provide a teaser video on an introductory lesson for a unit
-Have students use to find the most important part of a segment
-Create a short clip to advertise a product by only showing a segment
-Use to chop down videos to show single signs in sign language videos
-Allow students to use for their research projects once they have created a video
-Pinpoint the exact locations you want to watch to get rid of the unimportant parts
-When watching a video, cut to the middle to have students use inferencing of what is happening

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

How would YOU use TubeChop in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!

TeacherTube & SchoolTube

The resources for today are called TeacherTube and SchoolTube.

What are TeacherTube and SchoolTube?

TeacherTube and SchoolTube are programs similar to the popular YouTube. Rather than have to scan out videos that are appropriate for the classroom, these two websites provide videos that are safe for the classroom environment. SchoolTube is also endorsed by the National Education Association, or NEA.

Are they free?

TeacherTube and SchoolTube are both free programs for all users. When signing up, TeacherTube just requires a simple username, password, e-mail address, and your age as well as designation (teacher, student, parent, administrator, etc.). But, when you sign up for SchoolTube, you must input your school, city, state, and country to prevent people that are NOT in the classroom from signing up for an account.

What will TeacherTube and SchoolTube bring to your classroom?

These tools can prove to be beneficial in all different grades throughout the education system. From using them in the Kindergarten classroom to view videos about counting to using them in 10th grade classrooms to create and upload videos portraying famous Americans to a college student viewing videos on anatomy to help review for a class test. This tool brings an easier way to find videos that are educational versus trying to ween out the videos with poor language, disrespectful images, and all the other poor tastes of those videos that can be found on YouTube. 

How do I use TeacherTube and SchoolTube?

Because I am not part of a school, I am just going to show you the details of using TeacherTube. It's relatively simple and related EXACTLY to YouTube, only you can upload specific things such as documents, too.

Step 1: When you first log in, you will head to the top right and click on the drop down menu to upload your own documents. You can upload a video, audio, photos, or documents. This is unique to TeacherTube, as it's to be used in the classroom or for professional development.

Each form has it's own upload rules. The uploading is relatively easy, but I am going to show you the forms. The nice thing about TeacherTube is that they ask when you upload to make sure that what you decide to upload is NOT classified as pornography, copyrighted material, harassment material, or spam. This is especially great because that's the difference between using YouTube and TeacherTube in the classroom - you will NOT have to worry about scanning videos prior to showing them, unless you so choose.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

How can I use TeacherTube and SchoolTube in my classroom?

Below is a list of ways that these tools can be utilized in the classroom:

-Create a step by step video on a recipe
-Show a video on how to use a timeline
-Use to create a video on the phonics dance
-Create a commercial for a book and upload
-Create a video portraying a famous American
-Tell about the rules in a classroom environment
-Use a video to portray students work each month
-Make a rap video about the scientific process and upload
-Record a video of students demonstrating the water cycle
-Work on vocabulary through a presentation uploaded to one website
-Create a video of a book review for other students in the school to view
-Upload videos using American Sign Language to showcase sign language skills
-Make a video of a play to help students identify the emotions of the actors/actresses
-Create videos on math processes and upload to either website for others to learn from
-Use video to create a how-to process for any sort of process you want students to know about

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

How would YOU use TeacherTube and SchoolTube in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!

SlideShare

The resource for today is called SlideShare.

What is SlideShare?

SlideShare is a large virtual community for sharing presentations (especially PowerPoint presentations). SlideShare also supports PDF documents, Word documents, videos, and webinars (by syncing mp3 audio to make it like a podcast). Individuals can also comment, favorite, and download presentations from the website. Organizations also upload documents to share ideas, connect with one another, conduct research, and generate leads for business purposes. The fun thing about SlideShare is that you can download each presentation and either reuse or remix the presentation, allowing you to use a bit of the information, but not all of it.

Is it free?

SlideShare is free. There's an option where you can choose the entire program to be free. With this, you receive just BASIC settings, uploads and shares. But, if you want to go beyond this and get extra perks, there are different tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The descriptions of each plan are listed in the picture below:

But, if you are a teacher, this are also EDU pricing. The breakdown for the pricing is 50% off the pricing listed above. The chart below details the full amounts and how to get the upgrade:

What will SlideShare bring to your classroom?

This product can prove to be beneficial in all different grades throughout the education system. From using it in the Kindergarten classroom to create a presentation about family members to using it in 4th grade classrooms to discuss the scientific process of the life of a pumpkin to a college student creating a webinar on the reasons why we should invest in mutual funds. This tool brings an easier way to create "PowerPoint type presentations," visual aids, and slideshows in the classroom environment, all while giving the ability to share with others around the world.

How do I use SlideShare?

Below, I will show examples of how to use SlideShare.

Step 1: Upload one or more of your own files by using either button - upload (for one upload) or upload+ (for more than one upload).

Step 2: Begin to enter your information for your upload.

Step 3: After you have entered your details, hit "SAVE DETAILS." This saves all your information.

Step 4: That's it! Your file is now uploaded and can be downloaded, shared, embedded, and anything else you would like to do to it!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

How can I use SlideShare in my classroom?

Below is a list of ways that this tool can be utilized in the classroom:

-Show the rules to new students
-Share student work that's the best each week
-Peer editing or review of presentations by classmates
-Presentation on oneself to allow others to 'get to know' you
-Create presentations for various academic subjects for 1:1 learning
-Collaborate with other classrooms on presentations through SlideShare
-Conference presentations for parents when they have to come in and see you
-Have students research using the topics on SlideShare for their own research projects

-Create photo brochures of countries that are being studied in a foreign language classroom

-Use as a teaser of what the days events will hold - specific subjects you're going to go over
-Vocabulary words - describe the word, definition, how you could use it, part of speech, etc.
-Find slideshows that are out there about a topic & create a Wiki embedded with presentations
-Assign a famous American to each student and have them research & upload their presentation

-Assign groups and have each group do a presentation on a chapter from the book you are reading

-Embed presentations on a specific time period into a class blog, creating a timeline with presentations

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

How would YOU use SlideShare in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!

Dipity

The resource for today is called Dipity.

What is Dipity?

Dipity is an online timeline service. Users input real-time sources from social media outlets, traditional search engines such as Google or Bing, and RSS feeds to aggregate them into one interactive timeline presentation that anyone can view and use. Users may also use the search feature to search for events in various timelines, allowing them to find the information they need. Dipity allows the user to be engaged in their work while they create it, as well as be engaged after publishing their timelines.

Is it free?

Dipity is free for anyone who registers. But, this free comes with a price. You're allowed up to 3 timelines, 150 events between the three, 5K/month embedded views, 50MB upload space, and have a standard branding and design. Of course, as with other programs, you can upgrade your account. The chart below will detail the other plans available should you want to upgrade:

What will Dipity bring to your classroom?

This product can prove to be beneficial in all different grades throughout the education system. From using it in the Kindergarten classroom to create a video about the alphabet to using it in 7th Grade classrooms to tell about a famous American inventor, to a college student identifying their time and what they have learned in their internship. This tool brings an easier way to create "PowerPoint type presentations," visual aids, and slideshows in the classroom environment without having to hassle with the transitions between slides, text, and adding your own music (finding it, as well!). 

How do I use Dipity?

Below, I will show you the ideas behind Dipity.

 This is your dashboard. This is where you create a timeline, find hot topic timelines, and access any other information within your account.

STEP 1: Create your timeline. Enter the topic name, description, choose the category, timezone, upload a thumbnail, and choose the permissions. Once you've done this, click continue to go to the next step.

Step 2: Begin adding events to your timeline. This can be done by words, search feature, photos, videos, blogs, music, messaging services (Twitter, for example), other timelines featured on Dipity, and other places. I chose to add a regular event.

Step 3: Here's what the add event page looks like. Enter in your title, date, description, picture, webpage URL (link), the location, and a potential video URL. This will then upload onto your Dipity timeline.

And that's it! You continue this process until your events are all uploaded. Below is an example of a Dipity timeline.

Example Dipity Project I participated in during one of my ASL courses in my undergraduate college career.

Deaf International Community on Dipity.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

How can I use Dipity in my classroom?

Below is a list of ways that this tool can be utilized in the classroom:

-Create a timeline of your life
-Create a timeline of your family's lives
-View the hot topics to identify current events

-Use for creating timelines of Shakespeare's life

-Create a timeline of the lives of famous Americans
-Create a timeline for the works by a favorite author
-Use for creating a timeline of the time spent in the classroom
-Identify the varieties and evolution of car models over the years
-Create timelines to illustrate changes in technology over the years
-Create a timeline of the various wars (WWI, WWII, Korean War, etc.)
-View other timelines to discuss the events happening around the world
-Create a classroom daily timeline with the tweets you compose in your classroom
-Create a timeline for a research project, print out, place on poster board, and present
-Create a goals list for the future in college classrooms (graduation date, job dates, etc.)
-Identify the various earthquakes that have happened on the West Coast (when, where, how long, etc.)

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

How would YOU use Dipity in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!

Google Drive (Formerly Docs)

The resource for today is called Google Drive.

What is Google Drive?

Google Drive is a cloud storage system. You can store documents, photos, music, videos, and all sorts of other things on this drive. You can also create documents (like Word), presentations (like PowerPoint), spreadsheets (like Excel), forms (which are where kind of like surveys), drawings, collections, fusion tables (which are experimental), and scripts. 

Is it free?

Google Drive is free for up to 5GB of space. It's best to have a Gmail account for this, but it's not required. If you would like to upgrade and receive more space, it's $2.49 per month for 25 GB, $4.99 per month for 100 GB, OR $49.99 per month for 1 TB. 

What will Google Drive bring to your classroom?

This product can prove to be beneficial in all different grades throughout the education system. From using it in the Kindergarten classroom to collect information on families in a poll to using it in 11th grade classrooms to make a spreadsheet on mathematical statistics to a college student creating a presentation on a business proposal. This tool brings an easier way to create store your files in a cloud system for free, giving you access to your files from school to home to on-the-go. 

How do I use Google Drive?

Below, I will show you the various features of Google Drive.

On my own Google Drive, I have lots of files that I have accessed. Therefore, I have a wide variety of types of files. I have documents, forms, spreadsheets, PDF documents, and presentations. Below, I will show the front page of each type of file for you to see what it looks like. How to use each document is relatively simple and (at least, I do not believe) does not require a walk through description of how to use each one. Therefore, I will only show examples rather than detail how to use each type of format.

This is an example document.

This is an example PDF.

This is an example presentation.

This is an example spreadsheet.

This is an example form. The first one is what we see, the second is what they see (those who fill it out).

------------------------------------------------------------------------

How can I use Google Drive in my classroom?

Below is a list of ways that this tool can be utilized in the classroom:

-Allow pier editing with the documents
-Create a presentation on a virtual field trip
-Assign homework using the document feature
-Collect website evaluations in a spreadsheet format
-Use documents to create a brainstorming document
-Presentation on oneself to allow others to 'get to know' you
-Use the drawing feature to brainstorm for a research project
-Use google forms for surveys on what students want to read next
-Write a poem in the documents section to share with other classmates
-Use spreadsheet to share data on fitness (heart rate, blood pressure, etc)
-Use spreadsheet for reading response documents for student questions during reading
-Create a commercial about a new product that you want others to buy using presentation
-Assign homework that is collaborative due to the ability of Drive being accessed anywhere
-Vocabulary words - describe word, definition, how you use it, part of speech, etc. using spreadsheet

-Work on phonics/grammar instruction by creating a document with many errors for students to correct

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

How would YOU use Google Drive in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!

Storybird

The resource for today is called Storybird.

What is Storybird?

Storybird is a website where you can make your own stories using images provided by other artists. You can create your own stories and then publish them for others to see. Students can use this website to read stories, make up their own, or work with a peer to develop a storybook as a group.

Is it free?

Storybird is free for all users. Each account requires a username, password, and an e-mail address. BUT if you are a teacher trying to create a class account, you can host up to 30 different people. Students will also be signed up via one e-mail account, not requiring them to have one in order to sign in. There are other options for the plans, though. This chart is below with all the information and perks:

What will Storybird bring to your classroom?

This product can prove to be beneficial in all different grades throughout the education system. From using it in the Kindergarten classroom to create a short story about a pet to using it in 8th Grade classrooms to tell a story about a fictional character to a college student creating a story for their younger siblings or cousins. This tool brings an easier way to create stories while adding a fun aspect to the activity of creating. The images also provide a great starting point for those who do not know what they would like to write about. 

How do I use Storybird?

Below, I will show you the steps of using Storybird.

Choose how you want your art to look for your story based upon your ideas OR based upon others - you can choose by art, themes, or challenges.

 

For my example story, I chose to use the art by Paul McDougall. Now, I have no idea who he is, but I liked his work!

Here is ALL of his work in one area. As you can see on the webpage, there's step by step directions.
Step 1. Start writing here.
Step 2. Find artwork here.
Step 3. Add or remove pages here.
Step 4. Invite others here.
Under the #4, this is also where you publish your finished story.

After you've completed your story, you then publish it. But, there's some things you can choose about the publishing. These details are:
~The summary
~Tags
~Whether the Storybird is private or public
~The age range for your story

Here's the example I created for another course:

The Christmas Present by ventres on Storybird

------------------------------------------------------------------------

How can I use Storybird in my classroom?

Below is a list of ways that this tool can be utilized in the classroom:

-Use for prewriting
-Create comic strips
-Work on poetry using the images
-Work on reading skills with younger students
-Use as social stories for students with disabilities
-Write a story about what you want to be in the future
-Practice writing stories in a foreign language classroom
-Presentation on oneself to allow others to 'get to know' you
-Use for writing a fairy tale or fable when studying those in units
-Create different movie trailers for books that have been read in real life
-Use for inferencing and have students look at pictures ONLY to tell a story
-Create a story using the 5 W's and How to encourage critical thinking skills
-Assign a group story for students to work on together to bounce ideas off one another
-Use as a teaser of what the days events will hold - specific subjects you're going to go over
-Create a series of stories (representing chapters) to create a novel in upper grade classrooms

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

How would YOU use Storybird in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!