Boring Book Reports?!?!

Do you despise the traditional book reports? Do your students?

Richard Byrne's Free Technology for Teachers (If you don't subscribe to his blog, you must!) had a post about entertaining alternatives to book reports.

He lists a few:

1) Animoto

2) Memoov

3) Google Lit Trips

4) ZooBurst

5) Glogster

What do you use with your students?

Presentation Tools

I was recently asked by a friend to create a document describing free, web applications his grad class could use for presentations.

I came up with this list:

1) Animoto (animoto.com)

A free, web application designed to create professional slideshows using your choice of pictures and music. It’s extremely simple. You decide on pictures, music, text, and themes, and Animoto does the rest.

**Similar online tools: slide.com, 123-slideshow.com

2) Blabberize (blabberize.com)

This free, web application allows a user to upload pictures and create audio to go with the picture. It even has tools to edit the picture to add movements or decorations.

3) Prezi (prezi.com)

Tired of the same old power points? This free presentation tool creates a zooming effect within your presentations. It allows a user to zoom in and out on uploaded pictures and text.

4) Glogster (glogster.com)

With Glogster, you’ll never need to buy poster board again. This free, web application allows users to create posters online using the tools to upload images, videos, and decorations.

5) Voicethread (voicethread.com)

Voicethread is a collaborative slide show presentation. It allows users to upload images, documents, videos and comment over the presentation. The user can then invite others to view and comment on the presentation using voice (mic or phone), text, or webcam. Users can also doodle on top of the presentation as well.

6) Weebly (weebly.com)

Weebly allows users to create a website or a blog for free! It’s an easy step-by-step process in choosing you page’s theme, content, links, and more. You can share your thoughts, ideas, and creations with the world.

**Similar online tools: Webs, Google Sites

7) Jing (http://www.techsmith.com/jing/)

Jing is free software allowing users to create images or videos of your computer screen (called a screencast). The image or video can be dubbed over with audio using a microphone (most computers have internal mics), and the user can instantly share the image or video through a link or email.

**Similar online tools: Screencast-O-Matic, Screentoaster

Blabberize

Mr. A's 8th grade US History class created projects using Blabberize. The projects centered around the American Revolution.

Blabberize allows a user to upload pictures and create audio to go with the picture. It even has tools to edit the picture to add movements or decorations.

He added the students' projects to his wikipage. Check 'em out!

How could students use Blabberize in your classroom???

Welcome Back!

Welcome Back all Morey students!

It's officially the 2010-2011 school year!

On the first day, I already had students asking me, "What do you do all day besides check out books?"

It's a great question, which I wasn't at all offended by. I'm sure many people outside of schools often wonder what we do all day.

The librarian at Olathe East High School created a blog to explain this complex question.

A library is like a gast station...GENIUS, pure genius!

Any other great library analogies out there????

Screencast

I just created my first screencast. I used Jing to create it. Jing is free software you can download from their site. I highly recommend it. My students can use my screencast in the library. How can/have your students use screencasts? How have you used screencasts?

ISTE conference

Here I am at the 2010 ISTE conference in Denver. I'm trying not to wander aimlessly but this place is huge! So many great things to see, discover, and learn. It's an adult Chucky Cheeses without the creepy robots!

Anyway, I'll try to update as I come across intriguing ideas, tools, or all around fun stuff. I'm about to watch Will Richardson and his ideas on saving the world through social networking. Hmmmm.....

Shelfari

I just added my Shelfari shelf=========>>>

I've used Shelfari in my library to create book groups for students to discuss books outside of school. Students seem to really take to it.

How do you use Shelfari in your class/library/life???