OnLine Tools are meant to help make life easier. They are tools that are online that are used to aid you. It also allows us to do activities virtually instead of on paper. I have found a lot of online tools that I would use in my classroom. These tools include:
Video Candy: I chose this one because it has a lot of great features. The website also features a video and audio converter. Compared to a lot of other video editing tools I have seen, this one has a lot more features. Plus, you can do a lot for free unlike a lot of apps on the iPhone. When using this program, I found that it was very easy to use. If we were doing some type of craft, I could film myself doing it and edit it with this app so the students can have an example. I could also make slideshows with this website that I could use in class. I could also use a lot of the tools on this website to edit my videos for my website. I could film myself doing examples of some math problems and I can use this website to edit the video so I can put it on my website for the students and parents to view.
Be Funky: I chose BeFunky because it is super user friendly. It was super easy to use and it was not hard to figure out. There are many layouts that you can choose. You can do a collage in a certain shape, a photo wrap, or a Facebook cover. I wish that you did not have to upgrade to get more features but it is hard to find apps that do not require that. You can also change the background color and the spacing between each picture. I could use this website in class by having them make collages in a project. For example, if it was a science project and I wanted them to do research on an animal, I could ask them to make a collage of the animal. I could also use the website while teaching. I could be teaching about a concept and make a collage. For example, I could be teaching about an important historical figure and I could make a collage of them and things that relate to what made them famous. I could also use this to have my students make a collage on whatever they want as a brain break or a fun activity.
Kahoot: I chose Kahoot because it would be pretty helpful in the classroom. I could use it to review for a test. I could also use it as a feedback tool. I could also use it as an introduction to a lesson to see what the student’s might already know. You can create your own game or there are premade games you could choose from. If you used Kahoot as a survey or feedback tool, it is anonymous. You can also assign Kahoot’s in different ways. You can make it to where the students can do the kahoot at their own pace or you do it “live” where the teacher can show it and the class does it together.
MindMaps:I chose Mindmaps because it could be helpful for the students. It is a great tool for students to use to get their thoughts and ideas organized. I could use this in the classroom by having them write a short story and have them organize their ideas with this website. We could also use this by listing things we know about a certain thing. For example, if we were talking about animals, we could use this website to list off all the different things we know about a particular animal. We could also use this to organize what we just learned about a subject. For example, if I just taught about something in history, we could list off everything we just learned about it. The website was very easy to understand and even gave step by step instructions. The lines and the bubbles of the mind map can be customized to whatever color you want. It is also very easy to add, delete, or copy the bubbles. There is also plenty of space so you can make the mind map as large as you want.
Jeopardy Labs: I chose Jeopardy Labs because it would be great to use as a review game to review what we just learned. You can customize your own jeopardy game or there are millions of templates to choose from. You can choose as many teams as you want or you can choose no teams. This could also be good for a brain break for the students. We could also use this as a study guide before a test.
Wheel of Names: I chose Wheel of Names because this could be a great tool for me to use in the classroom. If I needed some class participation, I could put all the students' names into a wheel and spin the wheel. I could also use the wheel to choose who will be class helpers and a line leader. I could also put vocabulary words into the wheel and spin it and have the students define it. It is great because once you make the wheel, you can save it so you do not have to make it again. You can customize the spin time and add images.
Draw Island : I chose Draw Island because it can be used for a few things. It could be used as a brain break for the students. They could draw and color whatever they wanted. It would also be a great tool to use to have them draw shapes or numbers. If I was teaching my class shapes, I could ask them to draw me a square and they could draw it and I could go around and see if everyone drew the correct shape.We could also use the website to practice handwriting. I like how you can make the canvas as big or small as you want. You could also download the image you drew and turn it into a GIF. You can also upload whatever image you want into the canvas. I found the website to be very easy to figure out and I think elementary students could figure it out easily too.
Voice Thread: I chose Voice Threads because I thought it would be a very helpful tool for me. I could use it to teach a lesson to the kids and make the lesson very interactive. I can add comments to each slide that can help aid my teaching. I could also have a premade lesson and put my voice over it and have the substitute show the slideshow to the students in case I was absent and have the substitute show it. In older grades, you can have students make their own presentations about a certain subject matter. It took some time to figure out but once I did, it was easy. I would not recommend elementary students using it but it would be great for teachers to use.
Some tools that we used in class were Canva and an online tool that did surveys.