Resources
Animoto
This is a movie making online software. It is effective for creating clips with brief text. You are limited by the length of the song you chose.
BrainPop
A great site for upper elementary and lower middle school level learners. Cartoon videos engage students with brief explanations of various content topics. Students can use this for remediation of skills or review of content or for self exploration to broaden content knowledge.
GoogleDocs
I have used the form features in GoogleDocs to track parent communications and student behaviors in my classroom. The spreadsheet can be used to create flashcards using the IPod Touch or IPad app called GFlash.
GoogleEarth
This web based program is a wonderful tool that I use on a regular basis in my social studies course. I have found that the interactivity maintains the attention of the 21st century media savvy students in my classroom. I have designed several virtual field trips that I use in my 6th grade social studies class. I take my students to various places that are important to the study of the Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and Ancient Egypt.
IRubric
This is a great site I just discovered where you can design and score rubrics online. I love Rubi Star but found it was limited to just print rubric. I love the ability to weight categories and subcategories of a rubric. In addition, it collects data on a given category of a rubric for a given class.
Jing
This is a free screen capture software. I have used it in conjunction with my document camera to annotate and capture as I am instructing. I can then share what was done with students that were absent by either printing or playing the media that was captured.
Khan Academy
This site is good for extension of middle school learners and remediation for high school level learners. Most of the video overviews pertain to mathematics however there has been content added covering art, history, and science concepts as well.
Qwizdom
These student response system devices are used to provide students with instant feedback for daily practice, to administer preassessments, tests and quizzes, final exams, to conduct student opinion polls, and to make data based informed instructional decisions.
Study Stack
This is a wonderful web-site for creating online study material for students that can be accessed anywhere that there is an internet connection. I have received great feedback from students and parents on using this site to aid in the study process. This works well with an interactive white board.
Tiki-Toki
This interactive timeline creator site allows you to embed video, audio, text, and pictures. It is a easy to navigate platform to create a multimedia rich chronological presentation.
Theban Mapping Project
Enter the world of the Valley of the Kings exploring the sacred tombs of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. This site has virtual narrated tours a several of the tombs as well as detailed interactive blueprints in which you can measure the slope of various corridors in the tomb complexes at this site located just outside the city of Luxor.
Tagxedo
This site is great for creating word art in the form of a shape. It is similar to Wordle but has several different features.
UNESCO World Heritage
Another great site for social studies teachers. I love using this site for its 360 degree views of historical sites around the world. It is a great collection of panoramic photographs that make the learner feel as though they have stepped out of the traditional classroom and into another world.
APPS
Doceri
This is a great app for the IPad that will allow you to use your IPad as a tablet to control your desktop. You will need to download the parent application to your desktop. There is a free 30 day trial to see if this is the right app for you.
GFlash
This app is available for both the IPod Touch and the IPad. You can download files created in GoogleDocs Spreadsheet to have flashcards created unique to your class. I have used this with students as a station on the IPod Touch & IPad I have. I allow students to use the app if they finish classwork early to help them self assess what they have learned or need to reivew. In addition, I have loaded flashcards onto students devices if they had the app available to them. It is an excellent study tool for students that needs assistance with vocabulary reinforcement.