Bonus Tools
"Fake" Social Networking
Students are desperate to use Facebook at school so here is there chance. Higher level processing in a simple program that students are used to. Example.
Historical Tweets | Tweet Builder
What would they have tweeted if they were alive? Example of what your students could do with 140 characters.
Mind Mapping
Graphic organizers, charts, wireframes, storyboards etc. Use for individual organization or collaborative pre-writing. Most can be shared and some charge after three creations.
Mind Meister / Mindomo / Lucid Chart / bubbl.us / ExploraTree / Popplet
Word Clouds
Paste your text (essay) into one of the following programs. It will create visual representation of the text used. The most prominent words, those used most often, will be larger than those used less frequently.
Digital Storytelling
Use artwork from professional illustrators or create your own. It's very easy to use because each page of art is already completed. This program is more about your storytelling ability than your visual artistic design skills. If you really want to manipulate the visuals of your story, then you might want to try another program. Storybird for Schools = Free teacher and student accounts
High School - Everyone's Different
Elementary School - I Like Monsters
Teacher Example - Alien Attack
Use your own artwork or photos to create books, or simply use the site's characters, clips and scenes. It's easy to use and allows for visual artistic creativity as well as storytelling. It has an excellent "StoryStarter" worksheet to guide writers. A special feature on this site is that you can also purchase copies of digital books (your own or those created by other writers). StoryJumper Classroom Edition = Free teacher and student accounts
High School - Molly's Hair | I'm Not Scared of my Potty | My Day At Mission Trails
Elementary School - Ms. Harris Rocks!
Single page comic maker with the option for preset templates or designing from scratch. Collaborative with mobile app options. Move characters in any pose, use your own photos, and create speech bubbles in any language. Many sharing options. Platform that could be adapted for the creation of infographics.
Think time capsule. The site creators bill this tool as a place to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. Users can add text, images, and video.
A collaborative presentation that allows you to share documents, images or videos. The idea behind this tool is that everyone has a voice and should be allowed to express their thoughts. People can comment five different ways and all of the collaborative ideas are displayed on the same page. Voice Thread K-12 = Accounts for teacher and students.
26 Interesting ways to use Voicethread in the Classroom
Elementary - Letter From The Mayflower
Example - Poetry Slam