Technology Tidbits: Thoughts of a Cyber Hero

Pult

2012-02-17T15:52:00.000-06:00

Pult is a nifty little site that I just found out about from David Andrade's blog. This site allows a person's smart phone to stream videos, presentations, etc. to any web enabled device (think smart tv for a giant display). It's rather easy to use, just go to Pult's website on a smart phone, enter the 4 digit code and hit connect. That's it.

I recommend checking out Pult by clicking here.

Below is a brief demo...

Pult from Pult on Vimeo.

Worth Ave. Group

2012-02-17T08:18:00.001-06:00

Worth Ave. Group is a company well known for insuring electronic devices for education. Most districts that I know of use WAG to insure their 1 to 1 laptops or iPads. Also, they have lots of educational giveaways and will be giving out the new iPad 3 when it becomes available (no purchase necessary).

I highly recommend checking out Worth Ave. Group by clicking here!!

WAG is a paid advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Chalkable

2012-02-16T10:41:00.000-06:00

Chalkable is a new site that I found out about on Twitter from Audrey Watters. This is an ambitious new site that reminds me of a cross between Powerschool (for grading, attendance taking, parent/student portals, etc) and an App store. For me, the coolest feature is this App store which is a one stop shopping place for schools when needing to purchase educational apps.

For more info and pics click here!!

For my top 10 sites for finding educational apps click here.

PollHut

2012-02-16T09:17:00.000-06:00

PollHut is a nice site for creating on polls or surveys. This is done via a simple user interface, where a person can create a multiple choice question and add a picture. The poll can be set to public or private and even allowed to let other users add to it. My only gripe would be the ability to embed a poll into a site but a person can only share it w/ a unique URL.

I recommend checking out PollHut by clicking here.

For my top 10 sites for creating a survey or poll click here.

Spelling City

2012-02-16T09:01:00.000-06:00

Spelling City is one of the best sites out there for vocabulary and spelling help. This site through the use of a teacher portal allows for: student creation (no email address necessary), student tracking, reporting, word list creation, etc. These games are educational and help students learn and retain the meanings of words while improving their spelling.

I highly recommend checking out Spelling City by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review click here.

Spelling City is a paid advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Gamestar Mechanic

2012-02-16T08:10:00.000-06:00

Gamestar Mechanic is a wonderful site to teach kids how to design their own games. Designing games builds up a lot of educational skill such as: problem solving, storytelling, and 21st Century Skills. There are different account options for teachers, but paid versions offers more features and student tracking.

I highly recommend checking out Gamestar Mechanic by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review check out iLearn Technology.

Fifty Sneakers

2012-02-15T11:30:00.000-06:00

Fifty Sneakers is a site I just learned about from the award winning Free Technology 4 Teachers. This looks to be a great site for creating online quizzes. These quizzes are then automatically graded by predetermined data setup by the teacher. Also, being part of an online community educators can search/share for other resources.

I recommend checking out Fifty Sneakers by clicking here!!

Kubbu

2012-02-15T09:23:00.000-06:00

Kubbu is a site I reviewed around 3 yrs ago (click here) that I decided to revisit, and am very glad that I did. This is a site for online teaching that a teacher can sign up for free and create student accounts w/out needing an email address. This is ideal for CIPA/COPPA compliance where teachers can monitor everything students are doing and where students don't need an email address to sign up.

A teacher can create up to 30 student accounts and store 15 online activities at a time. These activities could be quizzes, crosswords, games, etc and a teacher can view and analyze their results at any time. Also, Kubbu has wonderful resources and shared activities that teachers can search through as well as lots of screen shots to view.

I highly recommend checking out Kubbu by clicking here!!!

Gnowledge

2012-02-15T08:27:00.002-06:00

Gnowledge is one of my favorite sites for creating quizzes. This is all done through a very easy user interface and is done in an online community. This allows for users to collaborate w/ others, share quizzes, store online, etc. Also, there are wonderful online tutorials to help teachers get started. Finally, Gnowledge has a variety of free give-aways where a person can win a new iPad 3 (when it becomes available) or an iPhone 4S (view here).

I highly recommend checking out Gnowledge by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review click here.

Gnowledge is a paid advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

enThread

2012-02-15T08:11:00.000-06:00

enThread is a simple site for editing a photos. Through drag-n-drop a user just uploads a photo and then edit the follow features: brightness, colors, hue, filters, etc.

I recommend checking out enThread by clicking here.

For my top 10 sites for photo editing click here.

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog for the tip.

Comments4Kids

2012-02-14T16:29:00.000-06:00

Comments4Kids is an ambitious site/blog that I found out about through Google+. This is a site designed to find blogs for students & teachers to comment on and get posts on their own. Also, this site goes over good etiquette and rules for leaving comments. This is important when having to abide by CIPA/COPPA compliance.

I highly recommend checking out Comments4Kids by clicking here.

For my top 10 blogging solutions for education click here.

Google Apps for the iPad

2012-02-14T15:25:00.000-06:00

Google Apps for the iPad is a wonderful site that I found out about on Twitter. This site breaks down exactly what Google products have apps and how best it can be used. There is an effective chart that shows how Google Docs can be used on an iPad since their is no app. Also, there are suggestions for other apps that integrate nicely w/ Google Docs.

I highly recommend checking out Google Apps for the iPad by clicking here!!!

Word Cloud Generator

2012-02-14T15:18:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog, I found out about a new animated Word Cloud generator. What I like about it, is that the site supplies you w/ the embed code (it is a bit robust) which allows users to customize it and use the generator anyway they see fit.

Give Jason Davies Word Cloud generator a try by clicking here.

For my top 10 word cloud generators click here.

Pipe Dreams

2012-02-14T12:11:00.000-06:00

Pipe Dreams is a blog I just became aware through Twitter which is written by educator, Zoe Branigan-Pipe. This is a wonderful blog that is ideal for technology integration as well as lots of great insights on leading technology trends such as social media and networking.

I highly recommend checking out Pipe Dreams by clicking here!!

DimensionU

2012-02-14T09:18:00.000-06:00

DimensionU is a site I've blogged about in the past that is a wonderful educational gaming site. This site offers a innovative 3D virtual world that allows user to practice and strengthen their math skills. Best of all there is an educational portal which allows teachers lots of options such in depth game reports and more.

I highly recommend checking out DimensionU by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review click here.

DimensionU is a paid advertiser for Technology Tidbits.

Cackleberries

2012-02-13T21:54:00.000-06:00

Cackleberries is a fun educational site for kids ages 3-7 yrs old. This site takes place in an online virtual world called Oville. In this safe environment kids can play games, read along w/ books, and more. This is really a great site to help students w/ many subject areas such as reading, math, art, etc.

I highly recommend checking out Cackleberries by clicking here!!

Below is a brief demo...

Teachers w/ Apps

2012-02-13T17:40:00.000-06:00

Teachers w/ Apps is a site I've covered before in the past and put as one of the Top 10 places to find educational apps. After collaborating w/ them a bit, I wanted to give them another shout out to those looking for educational apps. From their site, "Our goal is to be a credible resource for quality educational apps. This site was created to help parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators and anyone else, wade through the vast number of ”educational” apps being introduced on a daily basis. Teachers With Apps was founded by two lifelong educators and is dedicated to the idea that quality mobile educational apps are the tools of the future but they need to be used responsibly. Remember, not all educational apps are created equal. Also, TWA has very detailed reviews w/ pics and nice section for app videos as well.

I highly recommend checking out Teacher w/ Apps by clicking here!!

Digital Classroom

2012-02-13T15:12:00.001-06:00

Recently, I received an email from one of my readers sharing a wonderful infographic that shares a "digital classroom". This graphic focuses on textbooks vs ebooks, tablets, and more.

I highly recommend checking out the infographic below...

Via:

19 Pencils

2012-02-13T08:29:00.000-06:00

19 Pencils is a site I blog about quite often. It is really one of the best places online to share educational content. This is ideal for teachers who through the use of an educational portal can create an online class w/ student tracking and assign quizzes, assignments, share links, etc. It really is an all in one solution for education.

I highly recommend checking out 19 Pencils by clicking here!!!

19 Pencils is a paid advertiser for Technology Tidbits.

Spelling Connections

2012-02-13T08:21:00.000-06:00

Spelling Connections is a wonderful site that for spelling and vocab that I just found out about from Larry Ferlazzo's blog. This has an educational portal that focuses on vocabulary, proof-reading, and spelling through the use of educational games.

I highly recommend checking out Spelling Connections by clicking here!!

For another excellent site for spelling and vocab check out Spelling City.

Top 10 Apps for Digital Storytelling

2012-02-12T09:52:00.003-06:00

A while back I did a post on top sites for Digital Storytelling. This has been a skill that is being taught in school districts all around the world, and is a key for developing technology literacy. With the recent wave of mobile devices and technologies, a giant step has been taken in how students develop these skills (via touch screen) in a brand new way .

Top 10 Apps for Digital Storytelling

Toontastic - A wonderful free iPad that allows children to create animated cartoon stories. They can choose from stock characters or draw their own while animating them and recording their voice for narration. Also, w/ Toontastic's built in story arc it takes students step by step up on how to create a story.
i Tell a Story - A excellent free iPad that works very similarly to how Garageband creates a podcast. A user uploads a photo and then can record their voice for narration while adding stock sound effects.
Voice Thread App - A great free iPad/iPhone app that compliments the Voice Thread very nicely for storytelling. A user can manage their Voice Thread account as well as make digital stories by uploading photos and drawing/recording their voice.
Story Patch - Is a iPad app ($2.99) that is ideal for digital storytelling. A person can create a story from scratch or use one of their well designed templates to complete all the parts of a story.
Sock Puppets - A free iPad/iPhone app that is a lot of fun for kids to create animated stories. This is done by selecting your sock, background, and props and then recording your voice as the socks talk.
Art Maker - A wonderful free iPad app that allows children to create a digital story from scratch. A user selects their background, characters, and props and then moves them around the screen while recording.
Puppet Pals - A excellent free iPad app that lets users create a story by adding characters or their own photos to a selected background. Once the scene is a setup a person can move the characters around while recording their voice.
Storyrobe - A fun little iPad/iPod/iPhone app ($.99) that allows a user to upload a photo and then record their voice for narration.
Strip Designer - An app ($2.99) similar to Comic Life for the iPad/iPhone/iPod. A user can create a digital comic by selecting a layout, adding pics, and then stickers and speech bubbles to enhance their digital story.
Comic Book - Another digital comic creator app ($1.99) for the iPad/iPhone/iPod that is similar to Strip Designer. A person selects their layout, adds their photos, select some effects/stickers/speech bubbles for their finished product.

Others: StoryKit, Cartoon Studio, Comic Life

Bag the Web

2012-02-11T09:41:00.000-06:00

Bag the Web is a great site for curating the web and then sharing it w/ others. This is done by collecting links, videos, presentations, and then adding them to your "bag". These bags can then be shared w/ others, linked together, or even embedded into a site. Best of all, Bag the Web has an educational portal for finding and sharing educational content.

I highly recommend checking out Bag the Web by clicking here!!

Kitzu

2012-02-10T15:11:00.000-06:00

Kitzu is a wonderful site for finding educational resources packaged into a "kit". These kits are zip files that can contain images, audio, or videos. A kit can be searched for by subject or by typing in a search. A great feature is that each description of a kit tells you what grade level they are for, what state standard it is aligned to and what type of media is included.

I highly recommend checking out Kitzu by clicking here!!

Thanks to David Andrade's blog for the tip.

Qwips

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

Qwips is a new (beta) site for adding a 30 sec voice clip to any number of different online content (photos, video, etc). This is a very cool site that is easy to use. A person records their voice and then has the ability tag a photo, add it to an email, tweet, etc. A feature soon to come is the ability to respond back to a "qwips" w/ a voice recording of your own.

I recommend checking out Qwips by clicking here.

DocumentaryZ

2012-02-10T08:15:00.000-06:00

DocumentaryZ is an excellent place to find free online documentaries. A person can search by subject, most popular, or best rated.

I recommend checking out DocumentaryZ by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review check out Free Technology 4 Teachers.

Other suggestions: