TrackStar

The resource for today is called TrackStar.

What is TrackStar?

TrackStar allows teachers to find and organize websites for annotation purposes. Teachers simply collect websites, enter them into TrackStar, add the annotations for student use, turning the website into something similar to a Webquest. If you are low on time, TrackStar also has the ability for teachers to search created Tracks. Teachers can find resources by grade, subject, or theme and standard(s).

Is it free?

TrackStar is free for all users. You need a username and password in order to log in to create Tracks, but that is it!  

What will TrackStar 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 information about favorite authors to using it in 7th grade classrooms to finding and annotating information about a famous American inventor to a college student creating a Track for a course as a demo. This tool brings an easier way to create annotated sources for students to use in research projects or for simply browsing. 

How do I use TrackStar?

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

Here is the dashboard for when you first log in. It shows the tracks you have, the pack you have of other Tracks, your name and e-mail address, messages, and track groups.

Step 1: Once you log on to your account to create a new track, you will be brought to this page. Type in the title, description, and keywords. Check the type, subject area, and grade level this track will be used for. You can assign a "keep until" date as well as a password, but both of these are optional.

Step 2: This page is for your annotated websites. Type in the title, URL, and the annotation. In order to move on, you must have at least TWO webpages.

Step 3: Write down the Track # for your Track you created to pass out to others. On the main page, students can type in the Track number to find your TrackStar, otherwise you can pass out a link to the Track.

The following two page snapshots are the types of searches you can do for the different Tracks in the system. The first one is your search by themes & standards while the second gives you a search by subject, grades, and formats. You can also search by Tracks that have received awards.

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How can I use TrackStar in my classroom?

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

-Use for group projects
-Use for virtual field trips
-Create web based projects
-Use for annotation practice
-Use when doing research projects
-Use for extensions on a basic lesson
-Use in search for ideas in your classroom
-Have students create webquests for simple projects
-Use when finding websites that are reputable or not
-Use to find webpages based upon a book for future use
-Use for locating websites you need to complete other work
-Create a Track report on an animal, containing pictures and text
-Allow students to show their understanding of a topic in the classroom
-Work as groups of teachers to create webquests in the classroom environment
-Virtual field trips of different websites about countries being studied in a foreign language classroom

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

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

Voki

The resource for today is called Voki.

What is Voki?

Voki is an avatar creation program. Each avatar is actually a speaking avatar that can be used on blogs, profiles, or in e-mail messages. It can be used for many different reasons and within many different lessons.

Is it free?

Voki is free for all users. But, if you want some upgraded resources or tools, you can sign up for Voki Classroom. This service is $29.95 for a year or $44.95 for TWO years. Below are the perks for each account:

What will Voki 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 an avatar to support their reading skills to using it in 6th grade classrooms for students to do a 60 second presentation on a famous American to a college student doing a quick reading on pedagogy. This tool brings an easier way to create a safe representation of yourself by using a character instead of your own face, giving the avatar a voice to use in presentations. 

How do I use Voki?

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

Step 1: Begin customizing your avatar. Select your character, customize the looks, add your own voice via voice, text, or phone, and then add a background.

Step 2: Publish and share with friends.

Here's my example!

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How can I use Voki in my classroom?

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

-Use when giving speeches
-Inquiry or inferencing questions
-Summarize a story in 30 seconds
-Use when discussing family trees
-Identify the rules for new students
-Use to share spelling words for the week
-Use when working on persuasion projects
-Use to answer daily questions in the morning
-Have students use when working on phonics or reading
-Presentation on oneself to allow others to 'get to know' you
-Create different movie trailers for books that have been read
-Use to share foreign language phrases in foreign language classrooms
-Allow students to show their understanding of a topic in the 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.

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

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

BiblioNasium

The resource for today is called BiblioNasium.

What is BiblioNasium?

BiblioNasium is a book recommendation service for kids by kids. It's also provides online reading logs for students to use when reading and working on books. If you need a specific book in a specific reading level, this website can be of service, as well.

Is it free?

BiblioNasium is free for all users. In order to sign up as a student, you must put in your name and your PARENT'S e-mail address. Then, a message is sent to your parents to get them to agree. As a parent or teacher, you must have an e-mail address, first name, last name, and a password. You will receive a confirmation message in your e-mail, allowing you to use the program. As a teacher, you CAN CHOOSE to put in your school name as well as the address in order to use the program OR skip straight to the homepage and input that information later on.

What will BiblioNasium 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 find books by their favorite authors to using it in 7th grade classrooms as a challenge to increase outside reading to a college student looking for books for pleasure reading. This tool brings an easier way to locate books for students that are related to books they already like. It's also an easy way to hold onto reading logs without having to worry about paper book logs.

How do I use BiblioNasium?

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

First, select who you are in order to sign up. There's profiles for parents, teachers, and students. 

When you first log in, you'll see this page pop up. It allows you to manage your classroom book lists, set up a challenge for your students, generate reports, or manage your class itself.

Step 1: Add a classroom to your page. This will then generate a CODE for your students to enter when they are signing up.

Step 2: Manage your classroom. You can change the reading system, e-mail a list of students' usernames or passwords, e-mail letter to parents, or print a letter to parents. That's it! Begin assigning work or books and use search features for books you're looking for. Explore the page and use what you would like and don't use what you DON'T like.

 This is the search feature. I did a search for "Toy Story" and it pulled up all these books. The nice thing about BiblioNasium is that they bring up a synopsis of the book and what it's about, as well as the cover, title, and author. It also shows the genre.

The following are the different pages you can access along the side as a teacher. Above each picture, I'll state what page it is and I'll explain what you can do with each one.

My Books - this page gives you the books that you have in your class. You can sort them as favorites, recommended, required, or the classroom wish list. The wish list can be made available to parents, giving them an idea of books you would like to see in the classroom.

My Classes - this page is about your class. It shows the books you have from above, the students in the class, and the challenges you have set up for your classroom.

Challenges - This page is where you set up challenges for your classroom. It can be to read a specific amount of books based upon category or genre OR you can create a challenge based upon your own choice of books as the teacher.

Reports - this page is for the reports of your classroom. You can see the different amounts of time spent reading, pages read, books completed, and then can select students to see a more detailed report PER student.

Suggested Reading - this page suggests reading to your classroom. It can be based on favorites, popular serieses, book prize winners, or fun books. Like the search feature, if you highlight over the books, it gives you the title, author, a synopsis AND the Lexile reading measure.

Resources - finally, the resource page. This is where you can find out information for notable articles, book lists, fun stuff for kids, and reading resources and organizations. This could be very useful for the works of students and teachers.

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How can I use BiblioNasium in my classroom?

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

-Use for reading logs
-Use for author studies
-Use in research projects
-Use for monthly reading projects
-Use when working on genre studies
-Hold competitions between students
-Share book recommendations with parents
-Hold competitions between various classes
-Create lists of books to be read for families
-Use when working on book recommendations
-Creating posts on your favorite books or authors
-Have students create wish lists for their own classroom library
-Create different movie trailers based on books that have been read
-Use to hold children accountable for reading over extended breaks
-Use as a group chat room for students to communicate about books with one another

Honestly, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

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

Penzu

The resource for today is called Penzu.

What is Penzu?

Penzu is an online journaling program. Students' creations are ALL protected with each entry being private. Students are also allowed to share their works of art with others by e-mail or a public link and add photos. The program automatically auto saves you work, comments are allowed, and entries can be deleted.

Is it free?

Penzu is free for any user. You don't even have to log in to work, BUT in order to have it save, you must log in. There is an option for the PRO account, which is $19.00 a month. Below are the details of what each account gets:

Penzu Classroom is also available for $49.00 a year.

What will Penzu 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 two sentence response to a daily question to using it in 8th grade classrooms to write a story about their families to a college student using it as a journal reflection of their time in their internship daily. This tool brings an easier way to create journal while adding a Web 2.0 element to the projects at hand.

How do I use Penzu?

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

This is the beginning of your Penzu page once you log in. You can see when it was last edited, the settings, and whether or not this journal is locked or not.

Once you click on your journal page, you are brought to the page below. The buttons along the top stand for the following (in order from left to right):
New entry / Save / Print / Insert Photo / Share / Lock Entry / Format / Tag / Customize / Versions / Comments
Begin typing where it says ENTER TITLE and go from there. Write away! Save and you are good to go.

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How can I use Penzu in my classroom?

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

-Peer review journal entries
-Use for note taking purposes
-Use Penzu to create assignments
-Write small or large group stories
-Work on punctuation and grammar
-Work on writing stories about families
-Have students respond to daily questions
-Use to have students journal daily their thoughts
-Work on collaborative journals with your students
-Use for research projects by writing information down
-Presentation on oneself to allow others to 'get to know' you
-Allow students to show their understanding of a topic in the classroom
-Compare student writing at beginning of year to end of year to check for growth
-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 Penzu in your classroom? Answer in the comments on this post!

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!

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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.

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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.

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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!