Go Animate in the Classroom

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

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!

Go Animate

Pick your scene, characters, prop, text, and music

My Practice Video

Scholastic Story Starters in the Classroom

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 Starter

Scholastic Story Starters

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.   

Scholastic Story Starter

Pick your grade

Spin the wheel

Choose your writing type

Story Jumper in the Classroom

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

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. 

Story Jumper

Already created story that you can purchase 

Hippo Story

The story I created

Make your own story

Popplet in the Classroom

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.  

Popplet

Popplet

Popplet is an organizational web tool used by students.  Students can capture important facts about something both visually and in written form.  Popplet is very similar to Kidspiration however it is a free program.  It is available on both a tablet and the web.  Popplet has options for writing text, searching for images, drawing an image, or uploading videos.  This is a great opportunity for students who struggle with both reading and writing.  

Popplet

Brainpop in the Classroom

Brainpop is a great video tool for students to use in the classroom! It is highly engaging and students enjoy watching the educational videos.  One benefit of using Brainpop is that students can watch the video as many times as they need until they understand the topic.  There are many ways that you can use Brainpop in the classroom.    

- Introduce a new topic
- Reinforce a skill
- Flipped classroom: students can view the video at home or at a rotation in the classroom
- Take quizzes and play games on a topic

 

Brainpop

Never know how to start a lesson?  Are you stuck on how to introduce a new topic? Are your students bored with hearing you talk? Brainpop and Brainpop Junior is what you need! Brainpop provides educational videos for students in the intermediate grades while Brainpop Junior provides videos for students in Kindergarten-3. Students are highly engaged with the characters Moby and Tim! Many times students will say "oh yes Brainpop!"

The Brainpop tools are a subscription based program.  If a school purchases one of the Brainpop's it costs $1,200.  Both Brainpop and Brainpop Junior have videos for all subject areas and easy or hard quizzes that relate to the video. There are also games that students can play that relate to the topic.  There is also a section where educators can search for videos that relate to the Common Core Standards.

Welcome

Welcome to my Web 2.0 tools blog.  I hope you enjoy reading about the various Web 2.0 tools that you can use in your classroom!