Go Animate can be used in the classroom for a multiple of purposes:
- Teachers can introduce a lesson
- Teachers can make announcements
- Students can make a video about something that they wrote or read
- Students can make a Go Animate video as an incentive
Go Animate is a fun tool that students can use to create animation videos. Students or teachers can pick characters, props, text, and music. Once the animation is finished it can be published for all to view. There are three pricing options ranging from $39- $250 a month. There is also an option to sign up for free. Students will find this very engaging because they are not just listening to your voice they are viewing it through animation!
Scholastic Story Starters can be used in a variety of ways that will engage students in writing. Every morning my third graders have a writing prompt and this would be the perfect tool for them to use instead of looking at the board and writing in their notebook. It would also be a helpful tool for the teachers because at times we need creative ideas that they can write about.
Here are some ways to use it in the classroom:
- Morning work
- Model or introduce a writing form (letter, postcard, paragraph, etc.)
- Writing topics
- Classroom job
- Incentives for students
This tool can be used in a telecollabortive setting by having students select a writing prompt and write about their topic the night before and turn it in online.
Scholastic Story Starters is gives students writing
prompts. There are four story
themes that students can choose from: adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, and
scrambler. The writing prompts are
grade level appropriate for grades K-6.
This is a very engaging tool for students to use because they have to
spin four different wheels to see what the prompt will be. After they have spun the wheels they
can begin writing on the program by choosing notebook, letter, newspaper, or
postcard. Students also have the
option to draw about their writing once they are finished.
There are many ways to use Story Jumper in the English Language Arts classroom:
- Activity after reading a story
- Creative writing assignments
- Morning drills
- Illustrating your writing
- Sharing writing
- Independent reading or writing center
I can also see using Story Jumper in a synchronous activity. If you had access to a program like Adobe Connect where people can see your screen and talk to one another this would be a great idea to use when students are sharing their writing.
Story Jumper is a mostly free account based program. Children can read and publish
stories. They are able purchase
stories that have already been created.
They also can write their own stories. They can pick a setting, choose images, and create
text. Students are also able to use audio to record their story or read the text. Once they are finished they
can publish their story to share with the class.
You can use Popplet in the classroom for many reading and
writing activities. After you read
a story students can create a Popplet for main idea and details. Prior to writing, students can organize
their ideas by using this tool.
Students with special needs may have difficulty with expressing their
ideas through writing or verbalizing what a story is about, Popplet could be
used to assist these students in those areas. It is a different way for them to express their ideas. They can use the pictures or draw their
own pictures about a story or a writing assignment.