Tech+Tips

Tech Tips from our Tech Tip Tuesday E-Mails

[|Wallwisher] allows anyone to set up an online wall in minutes, which can be customized via different themes. A wall is basically the ‘web page’ where people/students actually post messages. Students, colleagues or friends can then post written text, images, videos or links to your wall in a matter of seconds, without having to log on. There are a few more options like choosing your own wallwisher url, adding a picture and making the wall public for everyone or private for your eyes only. Your wall updates in real time, meaning that anyone else who visits your wall is able to see all posts and contribute themselves.

Wallwisher would be an excellent tool for preassessments or exit tickets just set the URL address as a link on your SharePoint or embed it on your wiki.

To see a review, a demo and suggestions of how to use it in the classroom link here []. There are 19 different recommendations on how to use the wall in the classroom. Scroll through the PowerPoint of walls and see how they can be used. Some great ideas!

[]  - A slide show application that allows you to import a variety of images, select music to play during show time, and download, embed or email your work. At any time you are able to access the project and make changes. You do have to login but your email address is not validated.

 eBooks from the Public Library Click here for instructions

 Using eBooks - You may already be familiar with accessing eBooks with an eReader (Kindle Nook) or through the public library and now is the time to check out what the district provides students and staff as patrons of your school library. I have attached a list of eBooks available through destiny (the library software linked from any shortcuts folder) []) and a list of instructions on how to use these resources. The key is to search titles using the school online catalog and linking from there.

__//Wordia //__ - [] Having a hard time explaining to your students what exactly a hyperbole is? Don't tell them, show them! At Wordia , words and definitions are brought to life through fun and informative video clips that give the word a much deeper (and more understandable!) meaning. If you want to take your students to the next level, you could even have them create their own Wordia videos on classroom vocabulary words and submit them to the site. Sent March 24th.

__**NBC LEARN **__ [] - The district recently purchased a subscription to this online resource and some of you may already be hearing about it from your curriculum coordinators. To access the first time your username is your complete email address and the password is your birth date (ex. Mary.Vartabedian@vbschools.comand 12/24/1989). Use the link above to access as this puts you to the subscription resources you will want to browse. [] links you to VA curriculum resources and [] <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">links you to tutorials and help for using the resources. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Sent out on March 15, 2011 Our school system subscribes to an awesome database of sound clips that can be used for digital projects: [|Soundzabound] . <span style="color: black; display: block; font-family: 'verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">It’s perfect for podcasts, PowerPoint™, videos, news shows, video yearbooks, digital storytelling, presentations, TV broadcasts, web design and more! This resource offers a wide variety of music, audio themes and sound effects that you and your students can use without concern for copyright violation. You can search the database, or you can browse by category, time cuts, volume, artist, or title. Downloading is easy as well. Check out the short (2 minute video) on their home page for a tutorial on finding and downloading clips.

Users may now access this resource from school as well as from home. Username: vbsoundz Password: vbcps

Users of Soundzabound files should cite the source in the following manner: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">Title / Artist / Soundzabound Royalty Free Music, [|www.soundzabound.com]. AN EASY ONE – just what we need at this point in the year! [|Dabbleboard] is a free online tool that allows for the creation of drawings and graphic organizers, and it is collaborative as well!!! You don’t even need to create an account to use it unless you want to. Check out the attached instructions for using it (created by a colleague at Salem HS), or take [|the video tour]. Enjoy!

I know some of you have participated in live videoconferences using Skype or more sophisticated videoconferencing equipment, such as the Videoconferencing on Wheels setup that the school system provides on request. With [|Wetoku] , you can record the audio and video of these sessions and share the recordings online! You can even choose to make your recordings private. FYI – if you are interested in videoconferencing with a remote classroom or an expert in a remote location, we can help to arrange that for you.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'verdana','sans-serif';">Creately is a free web-based software for creating interactive graphic organizers - **Venn Diagram, Storyboard, Mind Map, Cycle Diagram, Fishbone Diagram, KWL Chart, T Chart, Y Chart and more.** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Easy to use fully interactive web interface. Filled with Easy Start Graphic Organizer Templates Share and collaborate on Graphic Organizers with Friends Easily organize your Class Assignments in shared Projects 1-Click to Export your Graphic Organizers in PDF format No Downloads necessary. Works in your web browser. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'verdana','sans-serif';">Check out the [|Creately K-12 Education site] for details, to take a tour, and to try it out.

[|Chartle.net] Create charts, graphs, maps, and more using this simple and interactive site. Totally free and no login required, and you can even save the products (rather than having to embed them). Check out the one minute tutorial video at []. Government students at Salem HS recently used this site to map and compare the states’ electoral votes in two recent presidential elections. They promise that it’s easy to use, and that the resulting products look really attractive!



<span style="color: #1e1e1e; display: block; font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 90%;">[|LiveBinders] is your 3-ring binder for the Web! This free site allows you to easily… · <span style="color: #5a5a5a; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">Collect your resources · <span style="color: #5a5a5a; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">Organize them neatly and easily · <span style="color: #5a5a5a; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">Present them with pride All of the files you upload (Word and PDF docs, videos, images, etc.) are organized by tabs and subtabs. With LiveBinder, you could take all course-related documents, organize them by unit, and go paperless! Students can make their own binders as well – perfect for digital portfolios! See the short overview video [|here].

Have you ever wanted to revise a document that you could only find in PDF format? Well, even if you don’t have Adobe Professional, you can do it for free, using the site [|PDF to Word Converter] . Here are the three easy steps. 1. Browse to the saved file. 2. Decide whether you want the document in .doc (Word) or .rtf (Rich Text Format). 3. Enter the email address to which you want the converted file sent. I converted a three page document, and the file was in my inbox in under a minute. I could then modify the text and pictures. So easy!

Looking for an easy way to share a bunch of links with students or colleagues without having to make your own website? Use [|Sharetabs] ! It is the easiest program ever. Just type in the addresses of the web sites you want linked, and the program will make a new site that your students can visit that includes those links. See my “Some New Tools” Sharetab page: <span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: 'verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">[]. Enjoy!

<span style="background-color: #00b0f0; color: #000080; display: block; font-family: 'courier new',courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">Blabberize.com !! A fun way to give voice to an image. Blabberize works similar to a Voki but instead of creating an avatar, students find an image they want to use and give it a voice. It is a free online service. Once created, you can share these as widgets or links on your wiki, blog, profile and email messages. Go to [|www.Blabberize.com] Have FUN!!!

[|www.slideshare.net] is a great, free, application which allows you to load a variety of documents and PowerPoint’s, save them in your gallery and set links to them for access from other applications or computers. It is easy, there are no fees and it takes multiple formats. You can save them as private with secret links that you can share or you can make it public so that others can see it. You can also determine if you want it to be downloadable by others. Here are two examples of a Power Point and a Word document I loaded into Slide Share, set as private but downloadable. These are resource [] Slide show [] Word Document

http://fchslibrary.wikispaces.com/Getting+Started Sample Glog with links to tutorial

[|CoverItLive!] is a free online group chat site. Think of the possibilities! You could pose a question in class, and each of your students could “text” in a response in real time – with no refresh, preview, or save. Or, you could pose a question for your students to answer at a later time – like a blog. Groups of students could communicate from remote locations – classroom to classroom, perhaps? You can publish polls and get responses immediately. Users can insert multimedia (pictures and videos) into their replies, and the whole conversation can be easily inserted into a web page as easily as a hyperlink. Check out the chats going on right now by clicking on the “Live Now” tab, or ask Ryan Schubart how he is planning to use this application during his World Simulation Day ! For a demo, go to [], and click on “Learn How to use CoverItLive!” A truly unbelievable tool…



Introducing Prezi – A Modern Twist on the Stale PowerPoint. Prezi is a free presentation tool where you can __easily__ create non-linear presentations rather than slides. Simply choose the images you want to include, type the text you want to include and link items in the order you want them to display in your presentation. Best of all, its FREE and can be downloaded and shown offline. As a student or educator, you have 500MB of storage space!

CHECK OUT THE TOOL AND THE SHOWCASE OF COMPLETED PREZIS AT [|www.Prezi.com]

[|LibriVox] provides free audiobooks from the public domain. You and/or your students can download books from this site and listen to them – for free! This is an excellent site for auditory learners. Alternatively, you or your students could contribute to this project by recording a reading (part or all of a book) and uploading it to the site. (English teachers, I’m thinking extra credit for that idea.) Just click on the LibriVox Catalog button to find one of thousands of recorded books, download it, and enjoy!

[|Mixbook] is a free tool that allows you to create an ** online scrapbook **! You pick a theme and page templates, and you can insert your pictures (photos or saved images from the web), text on each page, and stickers. Once your book is complete, you can email it, share it on a wiki or other web site, and / or (for a price) get a physical copy sent to you. It can be use for any project for which you’d use Photo Story when you do not plan to incorporate voice-over narration. I’m thinking… Any course – Student biography in September (getting-to-know-you) · English – Summary of a literary work or overview of a specific character’s life. · History – Overview of a significant historical event. · LSA Senior Project – Documentation of all of their project work. · Foreign Language – Collection of pictures with text captions for such things as morning routines. · Science – Documentation of a process or lab · And on and on… A Library Media Specialist friend at Salem HS (Kristi Patton) made the mixbook on Shiva, the Hindu god, at the following site as a sample: http://salem-library.wikispaces.com/World+History+I. Those Salem students are creating baby books for the Greek Gods, including all of their “family ties” and powers – and they’re having a blast. What a creative, real-world tool !

Visit [|http://www.lulu.com], a self-publishing site! Users upload their files to create professional-looking products, such as //paperback books, hardcover books, comic books, dissertations, cookbooks, product manuals, sales proposals, travel guides, presentations, brochures, yearbooks, directories, textbooks, training manuals, course outlines, portfolios, photo books, and digital media//! You can use their formatting tools to get everything set up just the way you want, from size to binding to cover art, and... well, that's it. You're the proud parent of a brand new digital creation, ready to publish and cherish. You can not only publish it online, but you can also purchase print copies of your work for a nominal price. No set up fees - the publishing process couldn't be easier. You'll end up with a professional-looking finished product that's a match for anything you'll find on the shelf at your local bookstore. Check out this short tutorial video to see how easy it is: [] !

// Want an activity to assess student knowledge before you start a new unit? // Two really great sites for creating surveys are [|www.surveymonkey.com] and [|www.polldaddy.com]. Both of these are free and allow you to follow a template which you can edit and modify as needed. Both sites create a link which collects the data that can then be retrieved by you to assess student learning. These make an easy exit ticket or pre-assessment with which to evaluate subject knowledge.

<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[|***GLOGS** *] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Maybe you have heard the term but not known what it was. Well a GLOG is an interactive poster easily created and shared on your wiki. With a glog you can create a personal look by selecting from a variety of backgrounds, decorative graphics and images while establishing links to a variety of media including WebPages, audio files, videos and more. Link here to view an example of one I created for the FCHS Book Club. Be sure and roll your computer mouse around the page and you will find links out. Create your own at [|glogster.com]. It does not provide a lot of help tools on its home page so if you need some help setting links let us know. It does require and email account. Have fun with this!!


 * **Animoto** **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Animoto automatically produces beautifully orchestrated, completely unique video pieces from your photos, video clips and music. Fast, free and shockingly easy. Just ask Paige Scherr – she just discovered this application and loves it! A hint: upload only a few pictures at a time. Check out the Animoto video I made featuring the 2009-10 Faculty and Staff Book Club titles – it took me no more than 10 minutes! **

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[|Wordle] media type="custom" key="3860643" media type="custom" key="4438485"

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif;">If you are looking for a quick new web tool with which to engage your students, check this out.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 13pt;">Wordle is a tool for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with friends and students. A word of caution, our filter system does not filter on this site so that means your students could find or use language which might be objectionable. I have yet to see an example but it is possible. This could be a great quick product following a poetry/book/unit assignment – selecting key words and building a wordle. These can be embedded onto Wikis or other websites.

[|www.bighugelabs.com] <span style="display: block; font-family: calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Here’s another way to play with your images. Use flicker toys from [|www.bighugelabs.com] to create calendar pages, motivational posters, badges, movie posters, magazine covers, mosaics, slideshows, billboards, and so on and so on.This flicker site allows you to import photos to edit and create tools using flickr toys.

[|http://www.visualthesaurus.com/vocabgrabber/#] <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Here is new site that you might like to try. It is called [|Vocab Grabber] and is a visual thesaurus. For those teachers who now have text books online students/teacher can take a difficult section put it in vocab grabber and have it define and explain difficult concepts and terms. For students doing research using a technical journal article they can copy and paste a section and find an explanation for difficult concepts and terms. Check it out.|Vocab Grabber]] and is a visual thesaurus. For those teachers who now have text books online students/teacher can take a difficult section put it in vocab grabber and have it define and explain difficult concepts and terms. For students doing research using a technical journal article they can copy and paste a section and find an explanation for difficult concepts and terms. Check it out.

OUR STORY!!! This is a fun and free new tech tool for creating an interactive timeline! <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Write a 'story' about what happened on a series of dates. Add pictures and video if you like, and OurStory creates the timeline. Limitations: email addresses are required when creating an account, and users can only have one timeline at a time per account. How it Works: <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">1. Make your timeline about anything. 2. Collaborate with family and friends – they can add to it! 3. Share it with whomever you want. 4. Add your timeline to a blog or a wiki. Go to <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">[] to check it out!

For those of you who have used the flip cameras and then imported the files to Windows Movie Maker for editing it is now easier than ever. No longer do you have to follow the special instructions for saving as a .wmv file type, now you can import directly into Windows Movie Maker as an .avi file type. This means no special save instructions, just import from the camera to the computer and then import into windows movie maker. EASY!!! Open this file for directions.

<span style="color: #1100ff; display: block; font-family: 'arial black',gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">​Voki - media type="custom" key="4438381"

Tricky With WIkis - For all you wiki users! 1. Individual pages within your Wikispace can be locked so that no one can modify them. This tool is especially useful if you have a page to which you are loading resources for your students to use, and you do not want your students to add or delete anything. Click on “Manage Wiki” in the toolbar, and click on “Pages.” Find the page that you wish to lock in the list of all pages on your space, and click on the “Actions” link on the right. Select “Lock,” and then you will be the only one who will be able to modify that page! 2. For MANY more awesome wiki tips, go to Tricky With Wikis ! You’ll learn how to make scrolling textboxes, add a background image to a page, add a scrolling banner or a rollover, embed a web page, incorporate columns, and much more!

<span style="color: #1f497d; display: block; font-family: 'arial rounded mt bold','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Resources/Media files available for public use:

Looking for a place where you can search for images, videos, and audio files, without having to worry about violating copyright? Try [|Wikimedia Commons], a web site at which (unlike traditional media repositories) everything is //free//. Everyone is allowed to copy, use and modify any files here freely as long as the source and the authors are credited and as long as users release their copies/improvements under the same freedom to others. I know we all use Google Images and You Tube videos, but in most cases, we are not legally allowed to do so. Because we want to encourage our students to be mindful of copyright laws and restrictions, we should make them aware of sites such as this one, in which all included files are licensed under the [|Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License] . Enjoy!

<span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">For Music Files - VBCPS has purchased a licence from Soundz Abound which allows our students access to thousands of music and sound effects clips from their online database. To access link here Soundzabound (Music Clips)Username: vbsoundz Password: vbcps. As with any other resource students do need to cite their sources and this is the format they should use: <span style="color: black; display: block; font-family: 'cambria','serif';">Title / Artist / Soundzabound Royalty Free Music, [|www.soundzabound.com]

Check out these two different search tools! When searching a document, article, or web page for a particular piece of information depress the control key + letter f, input the term and press enter. The term will be highlighted in blue and your curser will be placed at the first location. You will then be able to scroll through the article moving from term location to term location. When using Outlook, if you are like me, you often know last names but not first and your school faculty list is not in front of you. To quickly find a list of persons from the school address book sorted by last name and first name go to the send input field and key in the first several letters of the name(first or last), depress the Control key + letter K. A list of names sorted by last and first names will be displayed. Select the name of the person to whom you are sending the email. media type="custom" key="7225981"media type="custom" key="8707220"