Technology for Teaching
DIGITAL STORYTELLING
Cartoons and Graphic Novels: Looking for a fun way to get students to create stories? Having trouble motivating reluctant writers? Try Toondoo or Comic Master. Toondoo offers the look of a comic book while Comic Master resembles a graphic novel.
Digital Booklets: Tired of doing the same old paper brochures and booklets? Try Simple Booklet, a flash-driven website that will help students create a sharp booklet and allow them to publish it online or post it to social networks. It can be used for stories, poetry, advertisements, reports and much more.
Digital Slideshows: With Animoto, you can combine videos, photographs and music to create a stylish slideshow. Educators can apply for a free Animoto Plus Account.
VIDEOS
Need a video for the classroom? Visit WatchKnow and find videos for all subject areas. You can search by keyword, age level and/or subject area.
Looking for a simple explanation of wikis, podcasts, twitter or other new technology? Common Craft provides three minute videos that break down these complex subjects and others like them in a very simple way. You can search by keyword or browse the list of videos that are available.
School Tube allows you to upload videos and share them. Visit and watch videos other classes have created about various topics like zoo animals, the Declaration of Independence and caterpillar metamorphosis. These videos may inspire you to create your own! (Please do keep copyright law in mind when using music with your videos.)
PHOTO FUN
Big Huge Labs has many fun tools to explore, including ways to make magazine covers, pop art posters, CD covers and maps.
RESEARCH
Search Engine: Qwiki is a unique search engine finds specific topics and plays an informational video about it. This is a great resource for younger children and struggling readers because they can listen to the information while reading the words on the screen.
PRESENTATION SOFTWARE
Want an alternative to PowerPoint? Prezi is a great tool for creating presentations. Not only is it more visually interesting than PowerPoint, it requires more thought on the part of students. Plus, it's fun!
Tripline allows you to create trips anywhere in the world. You can add images and a small amount of text, create a list of links, add fictional or historical characters and even a soundtrack.Consider having your students map Lewis and Clark's journey westward, the Trail of Tears, or the Silk Road. This is a great tool for students to learn and to show what they know.
SMARTBOARD RESOURCES
SMART Exchange provides Smartboard lesson plans by subject, grade level or file type.
Do the Math offers interactive whiteboard tools that support instruction in addition & subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions.
WORD WALLS
Wordle allows you to turn a list of words into a colorful word wall jumble. You can also enter the URL of a website to create a word cloud. Students will enjoy manipulating the colors and the fonts of the word clouds they create.
WEBSITES AND WIKIS
On Weebly you can create a free website--no knowledge of HTML required. Choose from a bevy of attractive design options and add links with ease. Our media center website is hosted by Weebly.
Google Sites is another free option for creating a website or a wiki. It has fewer bells and whistles than Weebly, but is perhaps even simpler to navigate.
PB Works is a great choice if you want to create a wiki for classrooms or your PLT. Wikispaces is another option.
Cartoons and Graphic Novels: Looking for a fun way to get students to create stories? Having trouble motivating reluctant writers? Try Toondoo or Comic Master. Toondoo offers the look of a comic book while Comic Master resembles a graphic novel.
Digital Booklets: Tired of doing the same old paper brochures and booklets? Try Simple Booklet, a flash-driven website that will help students create a sharp booklet and allow them to publish it online or post it to social networks. It can be used for stories, poetry, advertisements, reports and much more.
Digital Slideshows: With Animoto, you can combine videos, photographs and music to create a stylish slideshow. Educators can apply for a free Animoto Plus Account.
VIDEOS
Need a video for the classroom? Visit WatchKnow and find videos for all subject areas. You can search by keyword, age level and/or subject area.
Looking for a simple explanation of wikis, podcasts, twitter or other new technology? Common Craft provides three minute videos that break down these complex subjects and others like them in a very simple way. You can search by keyword or browse the list of videos that are available.
School Tube allows you to upload videos and share them. Visit and watch videos other classes have created about various topics like zoo animals, the Declaration of Independence and caterpillar metamorphosis. These videos may inspire you to create your own! (Please do keep copyright law in mind when using music with your videos.)
PHOTO FUN
Big Huge Labs has many fun tools to explore, including ways to make magazine covers, pop art posters, CD covers and maps.
RESEARCH
Search Engine: Qwiki is a unique search engine finds specific topics and plays an informational video about it. This is a great resource for younger children and struggling readers because they can listen to the information while reading the words on the screen.
PRESENTATION SOFTWARE
Want an alternative to PowerPoint? Prezi is a great tool for creating presentations. Not only is it more visually interesting than PowerPoint, it requires more thought on the part of students. Plus, it's fun!
Tripline allows you to create trips anywhere in the world. You can add images and a small amount of text, create a list of links, add fictional or historical characters and even a soundtrack.Consider having your students map Lewis and Clark's journey westward, the Trail of Tears, or the Silk Road. This is a great tool for students to learn and to show what they know.
SMARTBOARD RESOURCES
SMART Exchange provides Smartboard lesson plans by subject, grade level or file type.
Do the Math offers interactive whiteboard tools that support instruction in addition & subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions.
WORD WALLS
Wordle allows you to turn a list of words into a colorful word wall jumble. You can also enter the URL of a website to create a word cloud. Students will enjoy manipulating the colors and the fonts of the word clouds they create.
WEBSITES AND WIKIS
On Weebly you can create a free website--no knowledge of HTML required. Choose from a bevy of attractive design options and add links with ease. Our media center website is hosted by Weebly.
Google Sites is another free option for creating a website or a wiki. It has fewer bells and whistles than Weebly, but is perhaps even simpler to navigate.
PB Works is a great choice if you want to create a wiki for classrooms or your PLT. Wikispaces is another option.
