Kubbu and Classtools

I originally started this blog as part of an education class and did not think I would ever expand on it. However, I have decided to keep posting about Web 2.0 tools that I have found useful and wish to share with others. Two sites that I recently discovered were Kubbu.com and Classtools.net. Kubbu is a site which has a free teacher account and allows you to make matching, crossword and other activities that students can access via the net. I think this has great potential as a review tool. Students can either log on as individuals where their progress and statistics can be monitored or the teacher can create anonymous groups where the students can access the materials without being tracked.

Classtools.net allows you to create interactive fun games, among other things, that you can embed in a website or blog and students can access via the web. Again, this would be a great tool for review or learning purposes. I plan on using both of these with an educational project that I am working on and I will post links here and on an educational website that I am currently developing. Hopefully, someone will find these as useful as I did and if anyone knows of other sites where teachers can create their own interactive materials, please comment here.

Text 2 Logo

This Web 2.0 site is more of a fun one that students can use to create their own personalized logo. Text 2 Logo (http://www.text2logo.com/) has six different styles of logos to choose from: Logo with background, 3-D, Animated, Texture, Simple, and Majuscule. Students go to the page, choose a logo type, choose font, colors, background (if applicable), and add text. They can then get the html code or download for free. If they wish to have the logo without any site tags on them they may pay $1.00 or $2.00 and purchase them. This could be a great way for students to introduce themselves and show off their personalities while utilizing technology.

Chartle

Chartle (www.chartle.net) is another site that can be used for creating graphs and charts. Simply click on create when you navigate to the page and then pick the type of chart you wish to create (you can pick from bar, pie, line, plots & diagrams, etc.). Add in your own title, data, edit the font, and choose your colors to make the chart the way you wish it to look. Then click on publish, share, or embed to complete. The chart will then be published on Chartle and can be embedded in a website (as I have done below). This site is an awesome alternative to Excel. It is a free and easy way for students who may not have Excel at home to create colorful and eye catching charts for reports or presentations.

Gliffy

Gliffy is an interesting site that enables users to create different types of charts. No signup is required and it can be used with students of all ages who need to create flow charts or similar types of charts. It is very easy to use and has many shapes to choose from. Teachers could use the flow chart option to have students visually depict the chain of command within the government (local, state, or federal) or add visualizations to steps within a recipe.

This site can also be used to create floor plans and would be a great way to revamp the old standard "draw a scale picture of your house/room" lesson and integrate technology at the same time. Gliffy can be found at http://www.gliffy.com/.

Visual Thesaurus

The Visual Thesaurus (http://www.visualthesaurus.com/) is an interesting website that creates a visual model of the entries that you would find in a thesaurus. It lists entries by nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs and color codes the listing in the visual representation. In order to get full use of the site one must either purchase the software or subscribe to the site. Subscription costs are $2.95 per month or $19.95 per year and the software (either by download or on CD) is $39.95. The site does have some free features such as a word of the day and a Spelling Bee feature where you can see how good of a speller you are. One of the features that I found interesting was the Vocab Grabber (which you need to be a subscriber to access). It allows you to take any text and paste it into a box and then "grab" vocabulary words from the text. You can then make word lists for study with your students. I think this site would be a good asset for teachers of English who may want to do something different with their students. If it is something you think you will only use occasionally, the price per month is very reasonable for the options the site has.

Evernote

Evernote (www.evernote.com) is another organization website that allows you to type and keep notes on just about anything you would like. It has a web clipper that allows you to "clip" web pages and add them to your notes. You can also take pictures of items with your cellphone and save them to Evernote. You can download it as an app to your cell phone or to your computer. One of the great things about this organization site is that it will search any and all text from all of your notes, even handwritten notes. So if you are in a meeting or class and take a picture of the board for your notes, you can then go back and easily find the information, no matter how many notes you may have saved.

Scribblar

Scribblar is a free online site where you can create a private chat room. In addition to chat capabilities you also have white board space where you can type text, write problems, add shapes. As the moderator you can invite people to join the room or set it as a public room for anyone to join. As a teacher, the ability to have a private chat room is wonderful as it ensures that you have complete control over who can access the site. What I like about this site is that it gives teachers a way to interact with students who may have questions about assignments after class time. teachers can set times when they will be available and students can go to the room and ask questions. It could also be used by students working together on a project or paper. I think this site has a lot of possibilities for educational use.

Comic Sketch

This comic was created at Comics Sketch (www.mainada.net/comicsketch). It is a fun site where you can draw and create your own comic strips. Once you create an account (which is free), you simply click on draw strip and you are taken to a page which allows you to create your strip frame by frame. You have a color palette to choose form and can use your mouse to draw pictures. I created a simple comic strip below but the more talent one has the better it will be. This site would be fun for students to try and draw their own comics for a class website or other project. I know I had to draw comics for my US History class in 11th grade. Using this site would have been a lot more fun and easier to share with others.

Wordle

Wordle is a fun site where you can enter text and create a "word cloud". The word cloud is formed by words from the chosen text and those words that are used the most are bigger than the other words of the text. Any text can be used. When you get to the site, click on create and then paste the text you wish to create a word cloud for in the box. You then click go and you are taken to the completed word cloud. You can then change the font, colors, and shape of the cloud to suit your tastes. You may either print it or publish it to the Wordle site. This site would be a great to use with students and their original compositions. In this way you can show them what words they are using the most when they write.

I created a word cloud by using the text from "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes. (If you choose to capture by using screen capture software (as I did) you will need to be sure to credit the image as coming from http://www.wordle.net/.)

E-Learning for Kids

E-Learning for Kids is another educational website for students in grades K-6. This site has several academic areas to choose from rather than just one or two. You can either choose a grade level or a subject area to work from. Each subject area has several activities to choose from. This site would be great for introducing new topics to students or as practice material after a topic was covered. With a broader range of subjects students will have many new things to learn about, such as epilepsy and diabetes, as well as reviewing material they may already know.

There is no sign up or account required. Once you go to the site you simply click on an area (grade or subject) choose an activity and begin. It is very easy to use and will appeal to any students who use it.

The URL for E-Learning is www.e-learning.org.

TrackClass

Track Class (www.trackclass.com) is a student organization website. It has areas where students can list exams and assignments. It also has an area where students can copy their classroom notes and link them to assignments or exams. It has a calendar which shows the month and what is due on each day. It also has a place for files that can be linked to assignments. Basically, everything a student may need to complete an assignment or study for an exam can be placed in Track Class and accessed at any time. The site also allows students to keep track of their grades for assignments and exams.

Sign up is free and the site is very easy to use. Once items have been added to exams or assignments they will appear on the Dashboard for the user to see whenever they sign in. This site would be great for any student but especially for students who have problems keeping their papers and notes organized for assignments or exams. Track Class can be used by students of all ages that need to be organized.

Masher

Masher is a Web 2.0 site that allows you to mix and "mash" pictures, videos, and music to create your own shareable videos. Sign-up is free and easy. Once you have activated your account you can upload your own photos, music, or videos by going to My Stuff, choosing what you want to upload, and then browsing your computer for the files. Once you have uploaded your own content, go to the Studio to create your video. You simply choose your content and drag it to the timeline. If you do not have your own videos or music that you can use, Masher has free music and video clips that you can incorporate into your video.

This would be a great way to share your personal videos and pictures with family and friends. It would also be a great site for students to create their own videos, maybe after a digital photography class. This site is a lot of fun and I was able to create a sample video using pictures of my cats when they were smaller, a free video clip and music from Masher.

You can view the video here: http://www.masher.com/player.jsp?key=a605dbc7-aab9-b103-9995-0000cdd3fae8&adscheme=0

(Please be patient, it may take a couple of minutes to load.)

Game Classroom

Game Classroom (http://www.gameclassroom.com/) is a Web 2.0 site for K-6 students and focuses on Math and Language Arts exercises. This site was created by educators and has information and games broken down by grade level and topic. Game Classroom has items for both students and teachers. Once a topic is chosen you can then choose a specific activity. When you are taken to the activity screen there is a very basic lesson plan with sample problems and links to Online Resources, Learning Tips, and Extra Help Problems. Then at the bottom of the screen there are several games that are listed that will reinforce the lesson.

This site would be great for teachers who may be new and looking for ideas on how to present specific information or experienced teachers who are looking for extra resources on a topic or even a new way to teach it. The games on the site are also great for reinforcing the skills taught within the classroom in a way that is fun and appealing to students.

Graspr

This is a Web 2.0 site that has nothing but How To videos on it. It is similar to YouTube in how it is set up. You can either pick from a list of topics (ranging from Music to Arts & Crafts to Pets & Animals) or you can search for a topic such as crochet or origami. After you find a video you want to watch you simply hit play and voila! you see how to fold a paper bird or how to crochet a double half stitch.

This site is great for both personal and educational pursuits. If a teacher was covering world cultures and wanted to introduce something like origami to their class, but was not sure how to do it, they could pull up a video or two and show them to their students. Also, it is a great way to explore possible hobbies for one's personal use or to have students explore new hobbies for themselves. I really like this site and am happy I found it.

The URL of Graspr is www.graspr.com.

Carrotsticks

This is a Web 2.0 site that I found that would be great for younger students. I made a PowerPoint presentation to walk you through how to use the site.

Carrotsticks

View more presentations from SRoss2.

7 New Things

For a class assignment I will be reviewing Web 2.0 Sites that I find useful and/or interesting and which you will not cover while doing APSU's 23 Things. (I completed the 23 Things in another course.) I will be posting information about the sites as well as how to use the sites. I am looking forward to doing this and hope that the sites I discover may be of use.