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Cool Tech Tools Even Digital Immigrants Can Use 

Alone we are smart, together we are brilliant!  
Steven Anderson, educator
Featured Review     Sway
This presentation tool offers many advantages to educators

  • Visually appealing

  • Microsoft compatible 

  • Exisiting PowerPoint presentations or word documents may be converted directly into Sway presentations                                     

  • Easy to add a card ( what each new "page" is called)

  • Cards may be grouped in any combination

  • Easy to insert images, video, and tweets

  • Suggested insert sources include One Drive, YouTube, PicHit, Flickr, and Bing

  • Powerpoint slides can be directly inserted from Onedrive

Sway does have disadvantages, however.

  • It requires Microsoft email

  • Converted PowerPoint presentations lose their pagiation   

  • Mp3 files or any other audio files cannot be added, so there can be no background music or narration to cards

  • The cards are diffciult to edit, so if they do need editng it is easier to send a card to the trash and start form scratch

 

 

Here is an example of a presentation I made using Sway: 

https://sway.com/yDOITNygLkCf0AM1

 

Overall rating *** (3 out of 4 Stars)

More Reviews & Some Lesson Ideas

   Make Amazing Interactive                Visuals in Minutes
         Thinglink
To read my review
click on this button
 
 
Overall rating **** (4 out of 5 Stars)
 
 
Other Apps I Have Tried
iSpeech-Is a text-to-speech application. The free version allows only 1 minute of text to be read to the user.  Text may be copied and pasted or typed directly.  The paid version costs $30 and allows for 30 minutes of text to be read to the reader.  I onlu used the free evrsion with a student.  It was easy to use but the 1 minute of text requires multiple copy and pastings . Overall rating ***   
 
Padlet (padlet.com)- This is a note making app that is veryu easy to use.  You set up a wall and then  Students post their comments on the wall by double clickinging on it. You can simpley add a sticky note with text, or an image, voice recording, or video.  It has limited applications, but for what it does it does well. Overall rating *****
 
Kahoot (getkahoot.com)- This app allows you to make interactive polls or quizzes studnet amy access on their smart phones, tablets,Chrome Books or other laptops or computers.  There is no need to have an account. My students love it and the fact that I may add images to the poll/quiz and download the data to Drive is great.  
Overall rating *****
 
Poll Everywhere (polleverywhere.com)- This app has students connect via text or web address to polls, quizzes, etc. using their own devies.  Students do not need special log ins for this app either. Kids love seeing the graphs change as their results are tabulated.   Adding images is not as easy as it is with Kahoot. The free version allows 25 responses per poll. Overall rating ****
 
Todaysmeet (todaysmeet.com)- This is a basic way to hold a chat with a group of people. There is no login required.  The overall look is bare bones, but it easily does what it is meant to do. Overall rating ****
 
WingClips (wingclips.com)- This is a source for short video clips from a wide range of sources. Although the selection of clips you can choose from each search is numerous, it was frustrating that they charge for the use of the clips. I found the same clip that I was looking for, for free on YouTube. Overall rating **
 
Write About (writeabout.com)- This classroom writing app allows teacher to assign writings inspired by incredible visual images.  Students do not need email accounts to log in.  They may share writings wth eachother.
I found it a little tricky to use. Overall rating ****
 
Storybird (storybird.com)- This picture/poetry book writng and sharing app is easy for students to sue, but has a limited type of images.  It is probably best suited for younger elementary school students, or older student who are writing picture books for a young reader. 
Overall rating ***
 
Mural.ly (mural.ly)- This is like Padlet on steroids.  This visual orgaizer allows mulitple contributors to add their posts to a board. It woudl be ebst used to brainstorm and orgainze ideas.  It is highly visually appealing to the tech crowd, but I found it to be a bit more challenging to manage than Padlet, so for my purposes, it was not really worth it.
Overall rating ***
​
Emaze-  A new presentation tool- the funky backgounds are cool but perhaps too cluttered to make clean presentaions.  Changing the font sizes is a a challenge too.
Overall rating ***
Head Up- a fun game to paly with ipads.  This is not widly applicable, but it is fun and easy to use.
Overall Rating***
​     A Presentation Tool
               I Fell in Love With!
           Zaption
To read my review
click on this button
 
Overall rating ***** (5 out of 5 Stars)
 
 
Other Presentation Applications
Nearpod (app.mnearpod.com)- This presentaion app is very versatile.  It can be a souped up Power Point or what I liked it for best was for interactive quizzes.  The reports are easily accessed and easy ot read.  Nearpod works very well with GoogleClassroom.  Overall rating *****
Here is an example:
https://app.nearpod.com/#/?pin=HUNRQ    Vernal Pools
https://app.nearpod.com/#/?pin=HMCUW    Math Mutiplying Fractions
 
Versal (versal.com)- Though many others love this app, I
 
found it to be difficult to navigate.  I also had trouble making
 
the presentation in one continuous loop, my content form
 
one screen to the next would overlap for example. It does
 
have many options you might include in a presentation.
Overall rating ***
 
Zeetings (zeetings.com) - I found this app to be easy to use to create and share presentations.  Slides may be created in Powerpoint and added, or video may be included, etc.  Interactive elements with polls and questions for studens can be interspearsed between slides.
Overall rating ****
Here are two examples of simple Zeetings:
https://www.zeetings.com/hamilton27/0001-0410-0003​
https://www.zeetings.com/hamilton27/0001-0682-0001​
 
Prezi (prezi.com)- I have used Prezi in the past and found it to be fairly easy to use, but not quite as versatile as some other presentation apps. Using a premade template make it much easier.  It is easy to change the order of the images by dragging the connecting lines.
Overall rating ****
Here is an example of a Prezi completed a couple years ago:
​http://prezi.com/66rrpljuivgu/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
 
 
 
Click the Icon to view Sample Lesson Plan 
About Density That
Incorporates several Tech Tools
 
 
 Website Design
Wix (wix.com) - Since my current class website is an extremely outdated Wordpress siote and since I tried Weeby and was not impressed, I decided to try out Wix and Gogglesites.  Googlesites was very easy to use from the start, but I selected Wix for the attractiveness of the site.  I have had  great deal of trouble with this program.  It took me forever to get the sound file to play on my About Me page.
This page of reviews and lessons had needed reformatting dozens of times as Wix seems to have a mind of its own. Each time I open the site lines are moved from where they were intended and icons are not correctly placed.  I have heard that Googlesites is soon to be adding more options, so I may wait a coupel months and retry Googlesites to rewamp my class website. Overall rating *** 
 
Touchcast
This green screen video production application is easy to use and works with iPads.  The newsbroadcast aspects of the app are excellent.  Scripts may be typed in directly onto the teleprompter, or documents may be uploaded -using the Docs app not Google Drive. Overall rating ****
 
Diamonte Poem
This simple app provides a template for typing up and formating diamonte poems.  It is not avaialable on Chrome books, but works well on iPads. Please note: Students must add commas and capitalization without prompts from the app. Overall rating ***
_________________________________
Weo
A mix between Pinterest and Nearpod is a hit.  Create interactive lessons and they are graded for you. Pin the ideas of others and the possibilities are endless!
Overall rating ****  
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What's Next for me in Tech?
 
The next leg of may adventure will be to try out
iBooksAuthor with my class and our interdistrict
grant partners in Middletown.
​
I also want to try out Anomoto.
​
Finally, I still want to do some videoproduction with my students, so Avidemux or Wevideo.
​
​
 If you happen to find any new apps you love, please let me
  know about them!
                            Until next time, 
                                     Maureen Hamilton
​
                                                 
 
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