1. FotoFlexer is a really neat photo-editing tool online that is free to use. It allows you to remove backgrounds, add animations, resize images, and a plethora of other photo editing options.
Pros: It is a free to use product with similar features to that of Photoshop. Smart Resize is a neat tool that allows you to reduce either the height or width without distorting the image. Most products allow you to resize images, but require you to increase or decrease both height and width at the same time. But with Smart Resize you can choose to only increase or decrease one aspect by the program simply eliminating extraneous data from the image that is not vital to keeping the basic spirit of the image. Overall the product has many of the same features as more expensive products such as PhotoShop, but without having to purchase software as it is available online for free.
Cons: Unlike PhotoShop, you need internet access to utilize this tool and some of the capabilities seem to be added to give the illusion of a well rounded product, but upon closer examination, the features seem to have been rushed, and do not look professional compared to PhotoShop. One example of this is the animations feature. It has a limited number of “stickers” that you can apply to your image that show animations, and it does not allow for customizable animations like PowerPoint. Also the animations seem to look not professional, but like animations you might see a young teenager add to their self portraits on Facebook.
How I might use this in my classroom: Because I teach preschool, I would not have my students use this product. I would however consider using this tool to edit images for PowerPoints or Prezi presentations for my students.
2. I knew when I first opened up the Poll Everywhere website, that this would not be a product that I would use with my preschool class, and I probably wouldn’t use it with any elementary class. However, I felt compelled to comment on it because it was a really cool product! I loved the concept of being able to obtain instant feedback from my students during a lesson. It would be a great way to test student knowledge immediately to see if my lesson had been affective by asking a few multiple choice questions, and also a great way to encourage active and honest participation.
Pros: It allows for active and honest participation, immediately during a lesson. It also allows for students to use technology during class, and give them the opportunity to contribute even if they traditionally wouldn’t raise their hand or offer an answer in class.
Cons: It costs $15 a month to use (although they do have a free trial offer), and it could be distracting to some students. Also it would be difficult to tell who was using their cellphone or iPad for this activity vs. students using their cellphones to text a friend or check their twitter feeds. Also with the exception of high school students, the majority of your class might not even have cellphones, and the odds of you having enough iPads or laptops for each student are low depending on which school district you are in.
How I might use this in my classroom: I would not use this in my classroom, nor do I believe I will ever use this in an elementary classroom. However I would consider using similar products that allow for instant polling but use devices other than personal cellphones simply to eliminate the chances of my students using their personal phones for other purposes in the middle of my lesson.
3. Another neat Web 2.0 tool I looked at was Animoto, it’s an online video creating tool that allows you to use pictures, text, and song to create unique videos. One feature that I really loved was that while the product does cost money ($30-$249/year depending on what personal plan you purchase), teachers may apply for a free copy to use.
Pros: educators are offered a free copy, when using the product you have access to hundreds (or thousands depending on what level you subscribe to) of songs to use in your videos. Also you can have students help with the taking of unique photos for use in your videos, or you can find existing images online.
Cons: you can only use text in your videos, and not voice over. This could be a problem, especially for younger viewers and English language learners because many may not be able to read the text in your videos. The other major con for me, is that there are a number of other free movie making software available that do allow for voice over options that I might be more inclined to use if I were to create a digital storybook, or try to teach a lesson via video.
How I might use this in my classroom: I would possibly use this to create videos for use in my classroom to teach material, but most likely I would use this to create “slideshow” type videos of images for possible end of the year use.
4. ClassDojo was one of the most interesting Web 2.0 tools that I saw today. It’s an online behavior tracking tool that allows you to set up an account for your class (or multiple classes), add your class list, add positive behaviors to be rewarded points, add negative behaviors to subtract points, graph results, and invite parents and students to review their child’s progress.
Pros: It’s an easy to use, easy to set up system (I set up an account and started tracking behaviors in under three minutes). I liked that you could choose which behaviors (both positive and negative) that you wanted to track, and with a simple click of the button I could give kudos for good behavior, or mark negative behavior. It was extremely simple to use, easy to set up, and allows for eliminating paperwork. One other positive aspect of the tool is that it encourages teachers to focus on positive behaviors (it reminds teachers that while you can mark negative behaviors, that positive reinforcement is best.)
Cons: You need internet connectivity to mark behaviors, it takes more time than simply drawing a check mark on a piece of paper next to student names, and not all parents may have internet access at home to view their child’s progress.
How I might use this in my classroom: I started an account for my classroom of preschoolers and added my students and began tracking behaviors. I will most likely use this for personal tracking of behaviors, and I plan on using it for one student in particular to track his behaviors so that I may request a 1:1 aide for him in the future. I had been tracking with paper and pen, but I feel that this may be a more efficient use of my time, with the ability to show graphs of behaviors as well. I do not plan on giving my parents access to this site, simply because I plan on using it for personal tracking use as I track student progress on goals in their IEP’s and for documentation for requesting an aide for one of my students.
5. Typing adventure was a rather small, but fun web 2.0 tool that I looked at. It’s a short game that has a character that you need to help to get to a treasure chest by making your character jump from letter to letter up the screen. The object of the game is for students to practice their home row typing, while increasing their accuracy and typing rate. The game tracks both the time and accuracy as students type.
Pros: It’s a cute, short game, great for whenever a classroom might have a little extra time, or when student’s have free time on the computers. It also gives the students instant feedback on whether they are typing the correct letters through animations on the screen, and feedback at the end when they receive a rundown including their time and accuracy.
Cons: There are not different levels of difficulty so a new typer will be forced to look at their fingers to determine whether they are hitting the correct keys or not. Letters are also not introduced a few at a time, instead all letters of the alphabet seem to be free game.
How I might use this in my classroom: I would not use this game with my preschoolers, however if I ever was to teach second through eight grade, I would consider introducing this to students as a meaningful time filler between activities.