Great Timeline Tool

Capzles is one of the best timeline creators I have found. You can create a timeline that incorporates text, pictures, and/or video. The timelines are interactive and really fun to scroll through.

Students could even create a timeline of their work for the semester and add how they have grown and what they learned during the semester.

Check out this one about our president. Click the full screen button to view.

Please post some ways you might use this tool in your course.

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Be More Than Thankful - Do Something!

This week is a great time to think about all that we have to be thankful for. We might also think about how to insure that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy our world and its beauty. It is simple to add a widget to your course as a perpetual reminder of steps we can take daily to protect our environment. This is just one sample:

To add this widget to your course go to http://www.epa.gov/climateforaction/widgets/widgetsnippet.htm, copy the code and paste it into a page after selecting the "Source" link.
Contact any of us in the IT Department if you need assistance.

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Embed Content on your Blog or ANGEL Pages

Yesterday I found the site Embedit.in. I have not had much time to work with it but I did embed a graphic and a .pdf as thumbnails here on the blog. I also added embedded a file in an ANGEL page and it worked quite well.

You can embed any file you wish either in full size or as a thumbnail.

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I included Scribd in the glog I presented a couple of months ago but thought it worth an individual post. According to the Scribd website:

"Today, Scribd is the place where you publish, discover and discuss original writings and documents. More than 50 million people each month are finding or sharing fun, functional or fantastical writings and documents on Scribd.com and tens of thousands of other websites that have embedded Scribd's document reader."

I was surprised that my Use an Agent to Automatically Give Credit for Submission . . . tutorial has been viewed 76 times on Scribd. I uploaded it to Scribd so I could, in a previous post, easily provide a link for people who do not have a Butler ANGEL account.

You can find information on just about any topic. I found and linked to a Glogster tutorial posted on Scribd to show students how to create a glog for class.

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Buying Points in Middle School

It was reported Wednesday that the principal of Rosewood Middle School in Goldsboro, North Carolina approved a plan to sell test score points as a fundraiser. Students could buy up to 20 points at the rate of $1 per point. They could apply a maximum of 10 points each to two exams. The principal approved the plan after it was suggested by a parents organization.

Thankfully, county administrators put a halt to the plan. Guess we don't have to wonder where students might get the idea that it is OK to buy essays.

Read about this principal who has no principles.

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I just discovered PicLits on the Free Technology for Teachers site. PicLits allows you and your students to select a picture and begin writing. You can write freestyle or choose from some of the suggested words. This is a great way to help students visualize what they are writing about. Check this one out.


See the full PicLit at PicLits.com

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The Decade in 7 Minutes

Newsweek has created a video that encapsulates the past decade - well at least the first 9 years of 2000. It moves quickly but so - it seems - have the past 9 years. Perhaps your students will be better able to keep up with the pace.

The Decade in 7 Minutes

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ScreenToaster

ScreenToaster is a free, web based screen recorder. It is simple to use and has some useful features. You can add audio while recording or after. You can also add subtitles after. Once your video is complete you can save and download or save on ScreenToaster and link to it or embed it, as I have below. The length of your video is not limited but the size is limited to 20 megabytes.

I recorded this short video just to play with ScreenToaster and to relax a bit after work.

Record your screencast online

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Fotopedia

Do you need images for your course? Or, do your students need images for assignment projects? Fotopedia is the place to find both and more. It is sort of a photo-encyclopedia, but it also contains information about most of the photos on the site. You can also add your photos and/or information. In this way Fotopedia is somewhat like Wikipedia - on steroids.

The best part is that an embed link is readily available for the photos so you can easily and legally, add the content to your course.

According to the site, "Fotopedia is breathing new life into photos by building a photo encyclopedia that lets photographers and photo enthusiasts collaborate and enrich images to be useful for the whole world wide web."

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Photosynth

Sorry I did not get anything posted Friday - you all know what a slave driver Meg is! Anyway, I am a bit hesitant to post this site. I found that it has existed since 2007 or before, but it is new to me.
Photosynth allows you to upload a series of photos and create a tour centered around one subject. It is really amazing. Check out this tour of the Keeper of the Plains or this one of the human brain.
Although there exist a number of photosynths for your use, you can create your own for free. One of my personal favorites is the church in Pilsen, KS.
You do have to install Silverlight but the site leads you through the installation.
You can also create your own photosynth. Hope you enjoy!

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