Research: Find five instructional web tools that offer a variety of opportunities for learners. Link to each web tool considered in your blog.
Answer: What is the intended use for each tool? How might you use each tool in online teaching? How might a student use the tool? Is there a cost associated with the tool?
1. Screencast-o-matic - This freemium screencasting software makes it easy for students, teachers, or anyone else to capture a video of part or all of their computer screen. It available as a web tool, a download, or a Google Chrome extension. According to the website, education plans are available that integrate with major LMS providers and that provide single sign-on (SSO) student accounts where students can create and curate their content.
Users on the free plan get 15 minutes of recording, including their computer screen and/or webcam, if desired. A paid plan gets you more recording time along with a suite of editor tools like transitions, text overlay, blur (great for FERPA compliance), cut/trim/insert video, audio overlay, and more. This has a number of potential applications, especially in asynchronous learning.
For students: Explain a concept or technique, present a project, narrate a storyboard, describe how to solve a problem.
For teachers (all videos I've created with SOM): Asynchronous lectures, explain a tough concept, detail criteria for a project, explain how to access/use a tech tool, provide feedback on a student's assignment, recorded PD or tutorials for other staff members.
2. Prezi - This presentation tool allows students to create interactive presentations. Prezi's are typically much more engaging than the traditional PowerPoint. Using features like zoom and pan, presenters can draw attention to important content when presenting their Prezi like a slideshow. Alternately, viewers can navigate freely through the visual content using what Prezi calls "free movement."
Prezi has free and paid versions of their web-based tool. The final product is hosted online and shared through a direct link or embedded in another website. Paired with tools like Screencast-o-matic or web conferencing tools, this would for an effective way to deliver synchronous or asynchronous instruction.
3. Symbaloo - This social bookmarking tool is a great way for teachers, students, and other users to curate online content. Instead of a traditional bookmark saved to your computer, Symbaloo users have an account and create bookmark boards called "webmixes" like the one below. These webmixes arrange links as "tiles" and can be customized in various ways. Change the background image; resize the webmix; share it with others via a link, or embed it in a website.
Symbaloo would be a great way for a teacher to curate resources to share with students or colleagues. Students could create their own webmixes for learning tools or as a portfolio to demonstrate their learning. A division of Symbaloo, SymbalooEDU also uses a variation of the webmix tool called Learning Paths to create game-like webquests, like this one I created for my anatomy students when we were students bones and forensic analysis. (Adapted from "Mystery Bones" on BiologyCorner)
4. Lino - Lino is a free web-based tool (app available) for creating a board of virtual "stickynotes" that contain text, images, video, or attachments. This would be a great way for students to plan a project, brainstorm ideas, or collaborate with others on a topic; this would be less formal than a discussion board. For teachers, this would be a great way to create a random set of images, text, or other items and have students work to sort it into categories.
5. AWW board - Aww board is a virtual online whiteboard with tools similar to what would be included in a hardwired interactive whiteboard/SMARTboard. These tools include pen and marker tools, shape tools, and textboxes. Other tools include "post it" notes and the ability to upload images, videos, files, and links. It is touch responsive, so it would work on a touchscreen device. Various templates are included, including Venn Diagrams and coordinate planes.
The really cool thing about this whiteboard tool is that it can be shared. Got an idea you want to share with someone? Need help working a problem? Create a whiteboard and "invite" another user -- no app, no account needed! Via a link or embed code, teachers and students collaborate on their own device by adding content to the board. Paid plans integrate with LMSs like Google Classroom, allowing teachers to share one collaborative whiteboard or push out individual copies of the whiteboard. With a custom API, users can tailor the tool to their individual needs.
I can see this being a great way to collaborate synchronously or asynchronously with students. Being able to visualize students' problem solving methods and being able to make real-time interventions are invaluable factors made possible by the simple, free tool. Finally, since the site collects no information from users (unless they choose to create an account), content created on the platform is compliant with FERPA and COPPA.
Definitely adding this to my bookmarks!
Answer: What is the intended use for each tool? How might you use each tool in online teaching? How might a student use the tool? Is there a cost associated with the tool?
1. Screencast-o-matic - This freemium screencasting software makes it easy for students, teachers, or anyone else to capture a video of part or all of their computer screen. It available as a web tool, a download, or a Google Chrome extension. According to the website, education plans are available that integrate with major LMS providers and that provide single sign-on (SSO) student accounts where students can create and curate their content.
Users on the free plan get 15 minutes of recording, including their computer screen and/or webcam, if desired. A paid plan gets you more recording time along with a suite of editor tools like transitions, text overlay, blur (great for FERPA compliance), cut/trim/insert video, audio overlay, and more. This has a number of potential applications, especially in asynchronous learning.
For students: Explain a concept or technique, present a project, narrate a storyboard, describe how to solve a problem.
For teachers (all videos I've created with SOM): Asynchronous lectures, explain a tough concept, detail criteria for a project, explain how to access/use a tech tool, provide feedback on a student's assignment, recorded PD or tutorials for other staff members.
2. Prezi - This presentation tool allows students to create interactive presentations. Prezi's are typically much more engaging than the traditional PowerPoint. Using features like zoom and pan, presenters can draw attention to important content when presenting their Prezi like a slideshow. Alternately, viewers can navigate freely through the visual content using what Prezi calls "free movement."
Prezi has free and paid versions of their web-based tool. The final product is hosted online and shared through a direct link or embedded in another website. Paired with tools like Screencast-o-matic or web conferencing tools, this would for an effective way to deliver synchronous or asynchronous instruction.
3. Symbaloo - This social bookmarking tool is a great way for teachers, students, and other users to curate online content. Instead of a traditional bookmark saved to your computer, Symbaloo users have an account and create bookmark boards called "webmixes" like the one below. These webmixes arrange links as "tiles" and can be customized in various ways. Change the background image; resize the webmix; share it with others via a link, or embed it in a website.
Symbaloo would be a great way for a teacher to curate resources to share with students or colleagues. Students could create their own webmixes for learning tools or as a portfolio to demonstrate their learning. A division of Symbaloo, SymbalooEDU also uses a variation of the webmix tool called Learning Paths to create game-like webquests, like this one I created for my anatomy students when we were students bones and forensic analysis. (Adapted from "Mystery Bones" on BiologyCorner)
4. Lino - Lino is a free web-based tool (app available) for creating a board of virtual "stickynotes" that contain text, images, video, or attachments. This would be a great way for students to plan a project, brainstorm ideas, or collaborate with others on a topic; this would be less formal than a discussion board. For teachers, this would be a great way to create a random set of images, text, or other items and have students work to sort it into categories.
5. AWW board - Aww board is a virtual online whiteboard with tools similar to what would be included in a hardwired interactive whiteboard/SMARTboard. These tools include pen and marker tools, shape tools, and textboxes. Other tools include "post it" notes and the ability to upload images, videos, files, and links. It is touch responsive, so it would work on a touchscreen device. Various templates are included, including Venn Diagrams and coordinate planes.
The really cool thing about this whiteboard tool is that it can be shared. Got an idea you want to share with someone? Need help working a problem? Create a whiteboard and "invite" another user -- no app, no account needed! Via a link or embed code, teachers and students collaborate on their own device by adding content to the board. Paid plans integrate with LMSs like Google Classroom, allowing teachers to share one collaborative whiteboard or push out individual copies of the whiteboard. With a custom API, users can tailor the tool to their individual needs.
I can see this being a great way to collaborate synchronously or asynchronously with students. Being able to visualize students' problem solving methods and being able to make real-time interventions are invaluable factors made possible by the simple, free tool. Finally, since the site collects no information from users (unless they choose to create an account), content created on the platform is compliant with FERPA and COPPA.
Definitely adding this to my bookmarks!
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