Seesaw

Seesaw is a great resource to help students document their learning. It gives them the option to capture pictures and videos of their work and load it to their folder where they can track their progress. Their work can be shared with parents and teachers and basically gives an eye into the classroom and their learning.

WeVideo

WeVideo is a great way to create and edit your video. It allows for collaborative video editing and uses cloud-based technology which makes access to your video fast and convenient. Your work is accessible anywhere at anytime and across a range of devices.

 
Strengthen your 21st Century Classroom student collaborative skills with WeVideo. Encourage student creativity and storytelling and motivate them to use their skills to create worthwhile videos on a variety of topics. Join the WeVideo Education Channel to access free educational resources.

Blendspace - Plan Lesson with Digital Content

Blendspace is an excellent resource for planning your lesson with digital content. Your lesson can be created in just 5 minutes. Incorporate text, slides and videos from multiple sources including, YouTube, Educreations, uploading from Google Drive, Dropbox and more. This is one of the easiest lesson planning tools to navigate.




With Blendspace you can include a built in quiz in your lesson set up and monitor the progress of your students. Additional blendspace resources can be accessed from their website. Another free tool which can be used to engage your learners.

Setting up a Flipped Classroom

I want to share this resource with you from Keith Hughes on how to set up a flipped classroom. Remember to check out the resources he shares.

EDpuzzle

An excellent tool for your flipped classroom is EDpuzzle. With this tool you can crop a video to only use the portion you need for your specific class. Another feature is you can add your own voice by inserting audio notes or recording over the video. The embed quiz feature allows you to add questions at random points in the video to engage students and check their understanding of the material.

With EDpuzzle you can locate video from a number of sources including Youtube, Teacher Tube, Khan Academy, TED and LearnZillion. Once complete you can upload your completed video to the EDpuzzle library.

Click here to visit the site.

INTRODUCING EDpuzzle

Edpuzzle Demo Playlist

Edited Video Created with EDpuzzle

                                        I have uploaded both my edited video and the original for you to see the difference between the two and get an idea of the options available to edit your video with EDpuzzle. 

 Below is the original video from My Smart Hands.

TED ED LESSONS

Consider using TED Ed video resource bank to organize your flipped classroom lesson. Videos from a wide range of topics are available and you are given the option of customizing the lesson to suit your specific class. Once complete you can share your lesson for other users of the TED Ed community to use or share.

FLIP YOUR CLASSROOM WITH AUDACITY

The flipped classroom model has been considered one of the 'hot topics' in education supporting the blended learning environment. This model changes the traditional method of instruction allowing teachers to engage students indirectly outside of the classroom. Teachers use short video lectures which students view at home or wherever they choose and further discussion or follow-up is done in the classroom.  This gives the teacher more time to address key issues with students. There is no set formula for using the flipped classroom model and teachers cannot see this as an end in itself. 


A plethora of easy to use technology tools makes the creation of learning resources less daunting and challenging than in previous years. For those who feel their creativity has waned or needs a dose of inspiration, a wide range  of resources are also available online for free download. Learning must be fun and engaging. 


Audacity is a free open source software tool that can be used to record and edit live or pre-recorded sounds which can be downloaded for playback in several formats.  This tool is very easy to use and available for download across multiple platforms. 


Using Audacity
The classroom teacher can get very creative with Audacity:

• Record live audio for playback to students
• Create audio story, poetry or narration with or without background music
• Record an interview 
• Creating a mashup - blending several tracks by a process of overlaying 
• Change the speed or pitch of a recording which can be useful in creating a dramatic dialogue
• Record your own podcast which you can upload to your blog or website
• Give students the tool to explore and spark their inventiveness 

Remember: Every child can learn.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  You can access additional information from the official audacity website. For a free download of this software click here. 

@TechTeacherJSam

SHARE MY LESSON

SHARE MY LESSON

Share my lesson offers educators a platform to share ideas, resources and best practices. The website was created by teachers for teachers to collaborate and  access quality resources. Click here to get more information on how this excellent tool works.

Click on the image to take you to the website.

VIDEO RESOURCE FOR KIDS

VIDEO RESOURCE FOR KIDS

Are you looking for age appropriate videos for kids up to 10 years old? Why not try kideos? Kideos is a video resource site geared specifically towards children.  The videos are carefully selected to be viewed by children which they can find very entertaining.  Videos are grouped according to age, subject material or channels. Think of Kideos as a resource similar to Youtube without the risk of inappropriate video suggestions or popups.  Click below and check it out.

NO TEACHER! CLASS STILL IN SESSION

NO TEACHER! CLASS STILL IN SESSION

Technology is absolutely fascinating and is totally changing the way we engage our students. Teachers have no choice but to embrace technology in order to maximize their effectiveness in the classroom today.  I was totally elated to tune in to CNN and actually see this all at play.  Imagine being stuck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike due to a major crash and still being able to engage your students for regular class session.  Thanks to technology there really is no excuse to missing class.

SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE CLASSROOM

Teachers can find unique ways of integrating Twitter in the classroom. The fact is, social media is here to stay.

BUSINESS STUDIES - FRANCHISE MODEL

Here is a simple video I created on the Franchise model of business ownership. This was created using PowToon. It is free and simple to use and you can use it to enhance any presentation.

INTRODUCING POWTOON

Powtoon is a free software tool you can use to add life to your lessons.  It is quite easy to use and can bring life to your presentations.  Check it out.