Zocial Books

The resource for today is called Zocial Books.

What is Zocial Books?

Zocial Books is a search engine for books. Rather than logging on to Amazon, log on here to get a quick review of the book, the bibliographic information, book dimensions, and a potential book preview.

Is it free?

Zocial Books is free for all users. There is no log in required or a password, therefore the services are provided free because of the partners that are intertwined with this website to make it free for us to use!

What will Zocial Books 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 locate books by your favorite authors to using it in 12th grade classrooms to work on creating citations to a college student looking for books about a specific topic such as accounting. This tool brings an easier way to locate favorite books or new books for a research project and so much more.

How do I use Zocial Books?

Below, I will show you the short steps of using Zocial Books.

This is the front page of Zocial Books. This website is REALLY easy to use. Type in your topic or title in the search bar and hit the magnifying glass.

You can choose filters. I chose history in categories to limit my search of "history." As you can see, my results went from 1,565 books to 598 books. Other than adding filters, it's really simple to use!

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

How can I use Zocial Books in my classroom?

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

-Work on research skills
-Summarize a story in 30 seconds
-Incorporate the search in research projects
-Write a wish list for books students want to read
-Find books that are related to your favorite author
-Look at books to decide whether it's fiction or non-fiction
-Create different movie trailers for books that have been read
-Write out a shopping list of books to purchase based on student searches
-Name 10 books for students to look up and put in order by date published
-Look at books to determine genre by title, description, and picture of cover
-Have students do a search for their top favorite 10 books and write out why
-Point out different book titles and have students write a story using the titles
-Get together as teachers to come up with ideas for new books for the classroom
-Have groups find books about specific subjects to work on their researching skills
-Look at covers of books and write thoughts about what is going to happen in the story

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

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

Class Dojo

The resource for today is called Class Dojo.

What is Class Dojo?

Class Dojo is a tool for the classroom that helps teachers work with students on classroom behavior and behavior management. This tool also allows teachers to share data that has been generated and captured from the program with parents and administrators. With the fun animations, the program captures the attention of students.

Is it free?

Class Dojo is free for ALL users. But, the trick to this is that this program is still in the Beta stage so only a certain amount of people get the program for free currently. 

What will Class Dojo 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 provide positive reinforcement to using it in 7th grade classrooms to monitor behavior management to a college student working on a project using data from a single classroom based on behavior. This tool brings an easier way to monitor behavior management and behavior patterns instead of writing down each and every behavior issue. Instead, it's all readily available to teachers, parents, and administrators online. 

How do I use Class Dojo?

Below, I will show you the steps of using Class Dojo.

This is your dashboard when you first log in.

Step 1: Start your class.

Step 2: Give students point by clicking on their names. You can either do POSITIVE points or NEGATIVE points.  

Positive                                                                  Negative 

Step 3: End your class once you've added all points you've wanted to add.

Step 4: View your class report or student reports individually. This will detail the points they have received (what for) and whether they were negative or positive. Repeat this daily to monitor behavior.

You can also share these reports by e-mailing to parents or downloading a hard copy of the reports.

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

How can I use Class Dojo in my classroom?

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

-Show the rules to new students
-Use for behavior analysis with class
-Use the graphs for interpretation skills
-Use as your behavior management tool
-Create a graph using the "fake" students
-Inform parents of behavior in the classroom
-Create a friendly competition in the classroom
-Work with students on developing expectations
-Incorporate Class Dojo into a classroom economy
-Use for showing behavior management to students

-Create a graph using the behavior of random students
-Use to work on a behavior plan for children that do not improve
-Use to identify new ways to reward good behavior in the classroom
-Work on analysis skills for upper grade students using data provided
-Give reward time to make own classroom avatar (positive reinforcement)

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

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

Build Your Wild Self

The resource for today is called Build Your Wild Self.

What is Build Your Wild Self?

Build Your Wild Self is a self-building program sponsored by the New York Zoos and Aquariums as well as the Wildlife Conservation Society. The main focus is how your animal adaptations fit in with the surrounding habitat.

Is it free?

Build Your Wild Self is a totally free program. There is no signing up required to use. In order to save your creation, though, you would need to print it out or screenshot and save it to your desktop. I am mentioning this because since you don't have to log in, the program has no way of "saving" your creations.

What will Build Your Wild Self 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 discuss habitats to using it in 4th grade classrooms to communicate understanding of habitats to a college student working on learning how a Web 2.0 tool works. This tool brings an easier way to go over habitats and adaptations as well as the characteristics of animals, all by the click of a mouse.

How do I use Build Your Wild Self?

Below, I will show you the steps of using Build Your Wild Self.

This is the first screen you see when you are attempting to build your wild self. It has ALL the directions you need.

Step 1: Begin building your wild self. Choose your body, hair, eyes, mouth, clothes, head gear, ears, face, arms, bottoms, backsides, tails, and backgrounds. The background can either match your person's characteristics or it can differ, it's up to you!

When you highlight each part of the animal, it tells you what it is. For example, the first arm over to the right side is SPIDER CRAB CLAWS. This can be useful for figuring out the adaptation portion of the assignment if you so choose.

Here's my final product! On the right side, it tells about the different things your body parts do for you. For example, the Fennes fox ears help you hear better. This is good to know when discussing the different adaptations.

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

How can I use Build Your Wild Self in my classroom?

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

-Use for inquiry projects
-Use for inferencing questions
-Write a story using the character
-Write poetry using your character
-Create a play based on your creature
-Use when studying animals in science
-Use for card templates to send to parents
-Create research projects based on your character
-Relate this activity to Where The Wild Things Are
-Use for research projects about animals and their adaptations
-Extend by building your wild self out of products from your home
-Write a paragraph about your character and what he/she does daily
-Use a new character each day to inquire about adaptations students see
-Create a fun writing prompt with a beginning that's mandatory to start with
-Create your character to reflect your personality, add to a passport for classroom work

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

How would YOU use Build Your Wild Self in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!

Teacher Planet

The resource for today is called Teacher Planet.

What is Teacher Planet?

Teacher Planet is a resource provided to teachers of all areas. There are tons of resources available from lesson plans to rubrics to worksheets. There are also ESL tools, new teacher tools, job searches, and grant locators.

Is it free?

Teacher Planet is free for all users. Some of the areas are not as developed as other, but all is still free.

What will Teacher Planet 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 locate a lesson about the colors to using it in 7th grade classrooms to find a worksheet to use in Algebra to a college student in their internship for early childhood education. This tool brings an easier way to find resources all in one place that vary in usability. 

How do I use Teacher Planet?

Below is a description of how to use Teacher Planet.

This is what the main page looks like when you first put it in your webpage bar. The website is easier to navigate than it is to explain, but here's a few things for you to take a look at:
Certificate Builder - build your own certificates
Lesson Plans - find lesson plans for all subject areas
Lesson Templates - set up a template for your plans
Rubrics - find rubrics for your classroom needs
Worksheets - find worksheets to go with any subject area
Posers - find posters for your classroom
New Teachers - this area is to help out new teachers that need some hints and tips
Jobs - locate jobs for yourself as a teacher
Find Grants - find grants to apply for

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

How can I use Teacher Planet in my classroom?

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

-Use in the music classroom

-Create your own certificates
-Locate units for the classroom
-Locate posters for your classroom
-Use for ESL students when needed
-Find lesson plans for all subject areas
-Find rubrics for your classroom needs
-Work on resume writing in older grades
-Use to find books for teachers or students
-Create and set up a template for your plans
-Find worksheets to go with any subject area
-Search for grants to apply for in your classroom
-Teach about polls with the daily question on front page
-Put it down as a resource for substitutes to resort to if needed
-Use for locating extra resources when you run out of activities that were planned

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

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

Cramberry

The resource for today is called Cramberry.

What is Cramberry?

Cramberry is a flashcard creation service. It's users can create, study, and share the flashcards that are added to the website. Topics range from Italian to geology to english. There are millions of pre-made cards by other users already on the website that you can use or you can create your own to share with others.

Is it free?

Cramberry is free for up to 30 study cards per day. There is also an option of a Pro account. This account gives you unlimited studying daily, CSV imports, and an auto-translate feature. This account is $9.00 per year. When you do sign up, though, you receive 14 days of FREE pro account perks. 

What will Cramberry 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 help identify numbers and number words to using it in 4th grade classrooms to work on math vocabulary to a college student studying for anatomy. This tool brings an easier way to create flashcards to use as visual aids without having to hassle with the purchasing of notecards, writing each one out, and then hoping to not lose them!

How do I use Cramberry?

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

Here is the Dashboard that pops up when you log in to your account. You can click MAKE YOUR OWN or BROWSE PRE-MADE SETS. Once you have sets created, they will be loaded under "Your sets."

Step 1: When creating a new set, type in your title and give the permissions you would like.

Step 2: Begin adding your cards. You can type in your cards, do a bulk import, or create "long cards" which is the same as regular cards, just allows for more writing to be done. There's also an option for you to create reversed cards to go along with the cards that are all facing the ONE way (alternate fronts and backs, so definitions and words for example). Click FINISH and your cards are ready to use!

If you want to BROWSE cards, here's what the page looks like. There are 3 pages of featured cards and then topics are listed to the left. If you're looking for a specific group of cards, type the words into the SEARCH bar to find sets you would like to use.

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

How can I use Cramberry in my classroom?

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

-Partner work
-Create memory games
-Use to study math terms
-Study science definitions
-Use for sequence of events
-Use at centers for center work
-Create cards for a sorting game
-Use to help study theorists in college
-Create story plot cards to place in order
-Definitions of words in academic studies
-Spelling words with the word on one side to use as flashcards
-Use as a new class job to have students type in words each week that you're working on
-Use to help remember events that happened in history by looking at events & naming dates

-Vocabulary words - describe the word, definition, how you could use it, part of speech, etc.
-Use to have students express their understanding of a unit by making cards for important parts

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

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

Tagxedo & Wordle

The resource for today are called Tagxedo and Wordle.

What are Tagxedo and Wordle?

Tagxedo and Wordle are word clouds with creativity. Words are individually sized and will be larger the more the word appears in your text. The fonts, colors, and backgrounds can be changed to your liking. With Tagxedo, your word clouds can take the shape of different things such as an apple, Africa, a Christmas tree, and so forth. Wordle is a basic word cloud, where words can be placed horizontal, vertical, or a mix between the two.

Are they free?

These two programs are free for all users. There's no pro plans or any paid plans for users to select. That's what makes this great.

What will Tagxedo and Wordle bring to your classroom?

These products can prove to be beneficial in all different grades throughout the education system. From using them in the Kindergarten classroom to create a cloud about their favorite authors to using them in 7th grade classrooms to tell about a famous American inventor to a college student making a word cloud about their time spent in college and what they learned. These tools bring an easy way to create concise pictures with words to represent what students are doing in the classroom. 

How do I use Tagxedo and Wordle?

Below, I will show you the steps of using Tagxedo and Wordle.

TAGXEDO

Step 1: Enter your text. This can be from a webpage or your own text

Step 2: Choose your theme (otherwise known as colors).

Step 3: Choose your font.

Step 4: Choose the orientation. This is the word layouts.

Step 5: Choose your shape. This is where you get to choose many different styles depending on what you're writing about. Save and share, and it's yours!

WORDLE

Step 1: Enter your text. This can be from a webpage or your own text.

Step 2: This is what it looks like after your text has been entered.

Step 3: Select your font.

Step 4: Choose your layout. This is where you can pinpoint the exact number of words you want, types of edges you want, and the way your words should face.

Step 5: Choose your font colors and whether you want variation or not. 

THESE ARE EXAMPLES I CREATED FOR A PROJECT IN MY UNDERGRADUATE CAREER. Both use the same wording and colors, just different shapes:
Tagxedo

 Wordle

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

How can I use Tagxedo and Wordle in my classroom?

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

-Show the rules to new students
-Create poetry from your word clouds
-Summarize presentations or speeches
-Summarize a field trip report/reflection
-Advertise a product that your students have "created"
-Make thank you cards from your class to go to others
-Presentation on oneself to allow others to 'get to know' you
-Use with current events (using Tagxedo to take shape of the event)
-Allow students to show their understanding of a topic in the classroom
-Compare documents, paying attention to the words that stand out most
-Create gifts using the shapes with Tagxedo (for parents, grandparents, etc.)
-Work on inferencing skills, remove words that are common in English, and ask for topic
-Make a self portrait of your character/personality using the silhouette feature of Tagxedo
-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 Tagxedo and Wordle in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!

Glogster

The resource for today is called Glogster.

What is Glogster?

Glogster is a program to create interactive posters that are loaded with text, graphics, music, videos, and  more. You can then send or embed these posters on blogs, Wikis, and other sorts of social media sites.

Is it free?

Glogster has three different EDU pricing amounts. There's the Educator Free, Educator Light, and Educator Premium programs. The pricing and perks are listed below:

What will Glogster 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 poster on their favorite author to using it in 9th grade classrooms to tell about a famous American inventor to a college student writing about an assistive device for education. This tool brings an easier way to create "poster type presentations" or visual aids, in the classroom environment without having to hassle with paper and pencil. 

How do I use Glogster?

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

Step 1: Choose your template. You can either start a classic glog (empty template) or a template that has spots for things already filled out.

Once you choose your template, scroll down and you will see these tips. They're good tips for helping students create their glog.

Step 2: Begin creating. Add graphics, text, images, videos, sounds, data, drawings, or a wall. You can add or subtract things as you go. Once you've got what you'd like on your glog, you can preview or save/publish. Then, you can share your glog or embed it.

AN EXAMPLE GLOG I CREATED FOR A COURSE:

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

How can I use Glogster in my classroom?

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

-Use for book reviews
-Summarize a storybook
-Use for weather exploration
-Use when studying ecosystems
-Create a poster on current events
-Express their poetry using posters
-Use for a famous people, time, or era page
-Use glog in solar system studies, one on each planet
-Presentation on oneself to allow others to 'get to know' you
-Create different movie trailers for books that have been read
-Create a poster report on an animal, containing pictures and text
-Explore the various wars and create a poster depicting each war
-Create a glog on a group project basis, encouraging collaboration and communication
-Create photo brochures of countries that are being studied in a foreign language classroom

-Vocabulary words - describe the word, definition, how you could use it, part of speech, etc.

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

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