I Heart (Easy to Use)Technology Tools
Published on Dec 28, 2015
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I Heart (Easy to use) Technology Tools
Technology Tools for Middle Schoolers
Photo by Stuck in Customs
Welcome!!
Good morning! I hope that everyone is having a great time and learning a lot of new ideas here at the VAASL Conference. I am excited and nervous about presenting as it my first time doing anything like this!! I hope that you come away from this session with some new ideas to incorporate into your classroom for you and your students.
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Photo by Jens Gyldenkærne Clausen
Who is the woman?
My name is Heather Colley, and I am a 6th grade teacher in Virginia. I have been teaching for 8 years at the same school and the same subject. My dream has always been to become a librarian, so I am currently in the Library Science Master's Program at Old Dominion University. I have a 5 year old son, and I'm happy to say that he has taken after me and loves books!!
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Photo by Scott McLeod
Let's get started!!
Today, I am going to be telling you about some tools that will help you in your classrooms to make your and your students' lives easier. The ideas are fun, up-to-date, and, most importantly, easy to use. I am not a technology whiz by any means, but these examples I'm going to show you are easy to use, will not leave you frustrated, and most importantly are fun for the students.
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Photo by Rob Swatski
Infographics
Infographics are exactly what the name says. Information with graphics. Infographics is more appealing to students because the page is based on graphics and the information just fits right into the graphics. The information is easy to read vs. giving a hand-out with just text. The students will associate the information with the graphic that was associated with it.
Infographics can be used in any subject to make hand-outs more interesting. Now, we are going to discuss a few of these examples.
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Infographics can be used in any subject to make hand-outs more interesting. Now, we are going to discuss a few of these examples.
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Photo by USDAgov
Untitled Slide
This is an example of an infographic that I did in my Master's class!!! I am going to Walt Disney World in October for the first time!!!
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Infographics in History
History class is the perfect place to use infographics because, as we all know, history is FACTS!! This example of a history infograhic is appealing to the eye and easy to read. The visuals pertain to the certain topic, and the students will associate the picture with the information.
This would be a great way to introduce amendments, wars, key people in history, etc. You could make an infographic as a review sheet for an upcoming test.
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This would be a great way to introduce amendments, wars, key people in history, etc. You could make an infographic as a review sheet for an upcoming test.
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Photo by Mark Fidelman
Infographics in Science
Infographics in science can be used for planets, the periodic table, weather changes, and clouds.
Using an infographic to show the different cloud patterns and weather changes would be easy for the students to differentiate on from the other.
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Using an infographic to show the different cloud patterns and weather changes would be easy for the students to differentiate on from the other.
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Photo by PaulH51
Infographics in Math
Infographics in math can be used for introducing a new skill. The new material can be displayed in fun and memorable ways for the students to remember and understand.
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15 seconds
Photo by Mr Stucke
Infographics in English
The possibilities for infographics in English is endless. SOL 6.2 b in Language Arts says to, "Compare and Contrast." This inforgraphic is comparing Batman to Superman. I think this would be a great way to give an assessment on two things that have been discussed in class.
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Photo by GDS Infographics
Piktochart
- www.piktochart.com
- Free trial, but you can pay to go Pro
- Has great templates by themes
- Easy to use
Piktochart is my favorite site for making an infographic. The site is easy to use, and you can try a free trial. You can also pay and get more benefits, but I think the free version is just as good as the Pro. The templates that are on Piktochart are fun and colorful and would be very easy for you or your students to create. Has anyone ever used Piktochart or any other site to make infographics?
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2 minute
Photo by marcp_dmoz
- www.pinterest.com
- Great examples
- Different ways to express what you want
- Another excuse to get explore Pinterest :)
I had to create an infographic for a class, and I immediately went to Pinterest to get come ideas. Pinterest is FULL of examples of infographics. As teachers, we all know that sometimes we just can't get out exactly what we want to say and need a little help, and Pinterest is a great place to find ideas. And who doesn't like to get on Pinterest and just EXPLORE!!!
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1 minute
Photo by Sprengben [why not get a friend]
Animoto
When I think of Animoto, I think of FUN!!! You or your students can create fun videos using pictures, audio clips, and music. Animoto is a new and exciting way to create presentation that students will enjoy doing. They will still have to do the research, but the end product will not just be a written report, but something that can be shown to other classmates and people at home.
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Photo by Chrismatos ♥90% OFF, sorry
Animoto in History
U.S. History 1865-Present SOL USII 8 (WW2) says student will discuss the effects of Pearl Harbor. Animoto would be a perfect presentation tool to put what is learned into a presentation. A rubric could be made to make sure that the pictures, music, and audio clips are appropriate and correspond with the assignment. The students will really enjoy the time in the computer lab doing something fun, but also learning something in the process. SSHH!! That will be our secret!!
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Photo by guy with cameras
Animoto in Science
Some ideas for science animotos would be predator vs. prey, life cycles, cells, science projects, weather, etc.
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15 seconds
Photo by downhilldom1984
Animoto in Math
Animotos in math could be used for introducing new material in a fun and interesting way. Using audio clips to tell about a new formula or new way to complete a problem.
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15 seconds
Photo by fung.leo
Animoto in English
The English classroom will be a great place to incorporate Animotos. They can be used for a number of skills including: author studies, book reviews, figurative language, and character reviews.
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15 seconds
Photo by kennymatic
animoto
- www.animoto.com
- FREE or you can upgrade
- The free version only allows 30 sec. videos
- Video styles are limited
- Simple and Easy to use for you and your students
Animoto is free to use or you have the option to upgrade. The free version only allows you to create 30 second videos, but this is plenty of time until your students get more comfortable with the format and functionality of Animoto. Also with the free version, the video styles and music is limited, but it still offers more than enough options to choose from. The best part is Animoto is easy to use and easy to teach someone to use. I hope you will experiment with Animoto because your options in the classroom will be endless with all the activities that you can create.
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Photo by SergioTudela
Public Domain Sounds
My next examples of technology tools will aim more toward Language Arts because an English teacher for 9 years, my mind is always trying to come up with interesting ideas for journal entries or story starters. Imagine being able to get on your computer and pick almost any sound that you can think of and play it for your student. That is what you will be able to do with Public Domain Sounds. Has anyone ever used Public Domain Sounds in your classroom or library?
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Photo by Derek K. Miller
The Rainforest
The other examples of technology tools have mostly dealt with the visual learner. This tool deals more with the auditory learner. I cannot begin to explain all the sounds that are on this site. One of my favorites is called, "A Walk through the Rainforest." I heard this and thought it would be a great way to introduce a unit on animals, the Rainforest itself, or write a story about living in the Rainforest.
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Photo by ozjimbob
SOL's that you could use
- Writing in grades 6, 7, and 8
- SOL's 6.7, 7.7, and 8.7
- Write narratives and descriptive essays
As an English teacher, I know how important for a student to be a good writer. Having students write everyday is a necessity because it seems that the Writing SOL gets more difficult every year. By using Public Domain Sounds, the student will be interested in writing about a sound and making up his/her own story about the sound. That's the wonderful thing about using sounds is that there isn't a wrong answer because almost everyone will perceive the sound in a different way. Switching between writing narratives and descriptive paragraphs essay will help you to cover the SOL's that need to be covered.
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Photo by TempusVolat
Public Domain SOunds
- www.pdsounds.org
- Can be used for Writing SOL's
- Uses imagination
- Easy to use
- Search the sound you want and click play
Public Domain Sounds is very simple to use. Just go to the website and search what sound you want and click play. If you don't know what sound you want to hear, then a lot of sounds are displayed on the homepage to help you pick something you might like. Pick a sound and let your students' imagination run WILD!!!
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Photo by szeke
Vocabulary.com
For students to become better readers and writers, their vocabulary needs to improved and constantly worked on. Vocabulary.com is an awesome website to help. The site is up-to-date and has features that appeal to middle schoolers. The words are presented with pictures, definitions, and fill-in-the-blank. Teachers can also enter their own vocabulary lists to correspond with what curriculum you are teaching.
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Photo by Dave Edens
Sol's that you could use
- English 6.4, 7.4, and 8.4
- Math, Science, and History Vocabulary
This site is probably more appealing to English teachers, but can be very beneficially to math, science, and history teachers. Vocabulary is important is EVERY class not just English. We know that all the SOL tests are basically "Reading Tests" and if the students don't understand the subjects vocabulary, then it is going to be hard to pass the SOL test. Vocabulary.com is a great site to help students broaden their vocabulary.
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1 minute
Photo by FulgentKlutz
Vocabulary.com
- www.vocabulary.com
- Can be used in ANY subject
- Great way to review
- Use when students are finished with classwork
- After-school, library, or study hall
Vocabulary.com is a great tool for all teachers. Students can work at their own pace. When you type in the website, the word automatically pops up and then you just click your answer and go!! This site would be an option for students that get finished with the classwork early, for the after-school program, library, or study hall. We can all stand to freshen up or learn some new vocabulary!!
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2 minutes
Photo by muha...
Weebly
Weebly is one of my favorite technology tools that I learned about this summer in my class. Weebly is more for you, the teachers, to help post important messages, lesson plans, make-up work, and any other information that you need to post for your students/parents/community.
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Photo by bubbo.etsy.com
Ways to use Weebly
- Parents can look at HW for their child
- Calendar of School Events
- Teacher contact information
- Look at student work
- Links for students to use at home
Weebly can basically be your communication to parents/guardians and students. Your school can link your Weebly page to your email. When parents ask their children, "What did you do at school toady?" and the child says, "NOTHING," then the parent can get on the teacher's webpage and see exactly what happened in class today. Most middle school students do not tell their parents what is happening at school, and Weebly will be a great communication tool for parents and teachers.
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Photo by jeanbaptiste maurice
Weebly
- www.weebly.com
- Free, but can upgrade
- The free version works for basic needs
- Easy to use and update your page
- Don't forget to PUBLISH!!!
The best thing about Weebly is that it is FREE!! You can upgrade, but the basic version has met my needs, and I didn't feel like I wasn't getting something that I didn't have with the free version. Once you get your page set-up, which is very easy. You will basically drag and drop what you needs and type what text you want. One of the most important things to remember about Weebly is that you have to push PUBLISH after you have your website the way you want it and each time you change something on your website.
Weebly will not disappoint you and will make your job a little easier!!
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Weebly will not disappoint you and will make your job a little easier!!
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Photo by bengrey
Final questions and comments about any of the tools?
Does anyone have any questions or comments about any of the tools??
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5 minutes
Photo by Pilottage
The End!!
Thank you all for your time and attention. I hope you will try some of these tools that we have discussed today. Have a good rest of your day!!!
Photo by Stuck in Customs
