I am not sure (yet) how I would use this idea but it is absolutely intriguing. The use of toys for instruction can be as low tech or high tech as you want.
Using tools for story telling It is not a totally new idea but one worth exploring.
Further perspectives can be found in Jennifer Valley's Elearning Toybox post,
Inspiration can be found in the results of an elearning challenge
What's hiding in your toyroom?
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Monday, October 26, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Wordle be gone?
Wordle has been a popular way to illustrate an idea with words for several years. Butler Online instructors who have taken INTON may remember using it as part of their final project. They may possibly include its use in their own courses as well.
Sadly, it appears that this free tool is longer supported and may disappear altogether. Never fear, there are a number of other tools that produce similar results. Check these out if you are a Wordle fan or just curious - and let us know what you think.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Make your own meme!
Add a touchy of whimsy to your class with your own meme! (It rhymes with dream!)
Imgflip is a simple, free, and fun source to make your own meme. Once you're done, use the html code to embed it in your Canvas course. Here's a few I made just for fun:
Imgflip is a simple, free, and fun source to make your own meme. Once you're done, use the html code to embed it in your Canvas course. Here's a few I made just for fun:
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
iPhone fun
Making your own iPhone ringtone
You have always wanted to do this, right? It really isn't all that hard to take a clip from your iTunes account and make it into a custom ringtone (and then assign if you want to a particular person).You could even make your own recording and save it to iTunes. The post is dated 2010 but I think the instructions will still work.
You have always wanted to do this, right? It really isn't all that hard to take a clip from your iTunes account and make it into a custom ringtone (and then assign if you want to a particular person).You could even make your own recording and save it to iTunes. The post is dated 2010 but I think the instructions will still work.
Friday, January 11, 2013
eQuizShow
Back in my public high school teaching days, my students enjoyed reviewing for tests Jeopardy-style. I used a neat PowerPoint template and spent plenty of time building questions and answers. It was effective for the students but a bit time consuming to create. Henry Wilson, a junior year high school student from New York City, has developed a free online tool called eQuizShow. The easy-to-use tool generates Jeopardy-style games online with no need to download or upload PowerPoint files. Check out the eQuizShow gallery to use a quiz that has already been created or just to get some good ideas for your game. Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
LEAP!
I missed the most exciting (at least to me) presentation at last week's SIDLIT.
I am providing the link that will explain it in more detail.
Essentially this company Leap Motion, has designed a device for Macs that
Special needs, artists, engineers, repetitive motion issues,- this is only the beginning, I think
I am providing the link that will explain it in more detail.
Essentially this company Leap Motion, has designed a device for Macs that
- plugs into your USB port
- is roughly the size of a jump drive
- works with a number of programs
- interprets your motions into actions
- can be preordered for $70
Special needs, artists, engineers, repetitive motion issues,- this is only the beginning, I think
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Summer Treat Made Easy
Ok, this is low tech but very educational. After years of struggling to clean "corn on the cob", I have finally found the easy way. I have not tried this yet but I certainly intend to do so.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Yodio!
Yodio is a free tool that records words and visuals for future playback. As instructors, we can use it to explain a difficult concept or one with unusual pronunciations so the students can play it as many times as they’d like until they are ready to move on. For the students, we could have them explain what they read or discuss their opinions on a topic, then send us the link so we could assess them in a way outside traditional evaluation methods. What a great way to connect using something outside of the normal procedures! Give it a try and let us know what you think!
Below is an example of a student Yodio submission. Press the play button to hear what she has to say!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Put a CORK in it!
We’ve all read about the importance of group work and collaboration but sometimes getting things started is part of the challenge! One way to get students to form teams is to use corkboard.me (www.corkboard.me). You can use this tool to facilitate a brainstorming session - my example is on “healthy lifestyle choices”. They can add suggested topics to your corkboard (anonymously) then when you’re ready, they can sign up for whichever topic they want to work on.
I’ve also seen it used as a way for students to introduce themselves to the class. Play with mine and see if it might be useful in your class! http://corkboard.me/oCgczOvjhd
Friday, March 16, 2012
Time Toast
If you ever need to show a timeline or have your students create one, this tool is for you! It’s free and allows you quickly and easily create a timeline on a topic you teach. Try it out and let us know what you think! Meanwhile, check this one out on the Beatles!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Taking a Poll...
A few of us went to an E-Learning conference last week and picked up some new cool *free* tools to share with you! In many of the ones I attended, they took polls to gauge the audience (“what education level are you representing?”), check for comprehension &/or relevance (“do you feel like you could use this tool in your class?”), or provide a quick mental break (“what is your favorite candy bar?”) At first, I was the girl in the back bumbling for my phone, trying to be the first one to text my answer and see it appear on the projector, but as it continued, I realized the benefit these would serve in many classrooms! The kids want to use their phones anyway, why not turn them into an engaging teaching tool? Maybe start your class with a question to assess whether they’ve read the assigned material? Or do one halfway through to see if they’re following you? It’s easy and fun, and might be just what you’re looking for to freshen up your next meeting, whether it’s online or face-to-face! Polls can be taken via email, text or even tweet and can be embedded into a PowerPoint, ANGEL, or a variety of other options. Check them out (flisti & polleverywhere are two I saw) and let us know if we can help!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Online Resources for YOU!
80 Online Tools, References, and Resources
We all know that teachers are always looking for tools, references, and resources for classrooms. Well, here's 80 "must see" trial, free, and paid websites recommended by Edutopia community members. Keep this list in your back pocket! It might come in handy. (The list is not ranked and listed in any order.) =)
We all know that teachers are always looking for tools, references, and resources for classrooms. Well, here's 80 "must see" trial, free, and paid websites recommended by Edutopia community members. Keep this list in your back pocket! It might come in handy. (The list is not ranked and listed in any order.) =)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
QR Code, Skype, and a Funny
Hello everyone. I have a few things to share today - hopefully you will enjoy at least one of them!
The Wichita Eagle today carried an article titled, "One Person Can Inspire". It concerns Heights High students conferencing via Skype with Taylor Mali, "A famous slam poet, teacher and advocate for the teaching profession". One 16-year-old student's response (quoting from the Eagle):
“He inspired me to write,” Garceau said. “Just the things he says, the way he says it. … My heart almost stopped.”
OK, this last one is a wonderful reminder. One of our Butler instructors created an agent to send students a gentle warning if they had not posted to the discussion forum by a given day of the week. Imagine her surprise when she got the email - twice! She said it gave her a good laugh but caused her to go post to the forum. You have to love it!
| I found this post from the Spicy Learning Blog intriguing. After creating QR codes for his blog in class, a student went home and created his QR code with Legos - and it works! Give it a try. |  |
The Wichita Eagle today carried an article titled, "One Person Can Inspire". It concerns Heights High students conferencing via Skype with Taylor Mali, "A famous slam poet, teacher and advocate for the teaching profession". One 16-year-old student's response (quoting from the Eagle):
“He inspired me to write,” Garceau said. “Just the things he says, the way he says it. … My heart almost stopped.”
OK, this last one is a wonderful reminder. One of our Butler instructors created an agent to send students a gentle warning if they had not posted to the discussion forum by a given day of the week. Imagine her surprise when she got the email - twice! She said it gave her a good laugh but caused her to go post to the forum. You have to love it!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Sci2ools - Free Online Productivity Tools - Sciweavers
The Sci2ools site houses a number of useful free tools, as noted in the graphic of their site toolbar below. The i2Symbol tool features 35 categories of symbols besides those from other languages.
Included are 3 categories of math symbols such as:
≦≧≭∦∛∔⋊⋈ - Don't ask me what any of these mean!
Music symbols include: ♩♪♫♬♭♮♯
You can even get the HTML code for the symbols if you wish.
You can convert text to an image or extract text from an image, convert a web page to an image or pdf, merge pdf files, extract pdf files, etc., etc.
This site is well worth a quick - ⍥Ի η⍥☂ ṡ⍥ ҩυїḉк - look.
Sci2ools - Free Online Productivity Tools - Sciweavers
Included are 3 categories of math symbols such as:
≦≧≭∦∛∔⋊⋈ - Don't ask me what any of these mean!
Music symbols include: ♩♪♫♬♭♮♯
You can even get the HTML code for the symbols if you wish.
You can convert text to an image or extract text from an image, convert a web page to an image or pdf, merge pdf files, extract pdf files, etc., etc.
This site is well worth a quick - ⍥Ի η⍥☂ ṡ⍥ ҩυїḉк - look.
Sci2ools - Free Online Productivity Tools - Sciweavers
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Make a Gingerbread House!
(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/17 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)
OK, OK, I know some of you will have no interest in this but if you need something creative, simple, and relaxing try your hand at creating your own gingerbread house. You can add candy, frosting, eyes!, etc. You cannot enter text but you can "write" with the frosting. There is no save function but you could Jing your project.
This is a fun site your children or grandchildren will enjoy. I know mine will spend time here!
OK, OK, I know some of you will have no interest in this but if you need something creative, simple, and relaxing try your hand at creating your own gingerbread house. You can add candy, frosting, eyes!, etc. You cannot enter text but you can "write" with the frosting. There is no save function but you could Jing your project.
This is a fun site your children or grandchildren will enjoy. I know mine will spend time here!
5 Sites of Recipes
(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/11 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)
It is time to begin the holiday cooking and baking. And, here just in time, are five sites that offer traditional and not so traditional recipes. Included are Epicurious, Pioneer Woman, She Knows, Martha Stewart, and Taste of Home. And remember, Butler Online loves food!!
It is time to begin the holiday cooking and baking. And, here just in time, are five sites that offer traditional and not so traditional recipes. Included are Epicurious, Pioneer Woman, She Knows, Martha Stewart, and Taste of Home. And remember, Butler Online loves food!!
You might also want to check out blog hops. "This Christmas, many food blogs are holding a 12 weeks of Christmas cookies blog hop. This means that when you enter one food blog, you can find links to recipes from numerous other food blogs, all about Christmas cookies." ( from the Make Use Of website)
Snowline Game
(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/10 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)
Santa's reindeer had a sneezing fit and all of the Christmas gifts were scattered over the Northern Slopes. Draw "snow lines" in this fun logic game to help Santa recover the presents in time for Christmas. Enjoy!
Christmas Flash Mob
(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/5 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)
"The Carlson School of Management received a surprise visit from a saxophonist and nearly 300 of his friends from the University of Minnesotas School of Music this November." Enjoy this rendition of Deck the Halls, performed at the University of Minnesota in the Carlson School of Management building on Nov. 7, 2011.
"The Carlson School of Management received a surprise visit from a saxophonist and nearly 300 of his friends from the University of Minnesotas School of Music this November." Enjoy this rendition of Deck the Halls, performed at the University of Minnesota in the Carlson School of Management building on Nov. 7, 2011.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Electric Literature
This site may appeal primarily to creative writing instructors. But anyone who is fascinated with the evolution of technology and its impact on the arts and the creative process in general, will find this intriguing. Traditions (which are once new themselves) are twisted and bent to form something entirely new. Tweeted short stories, animations of a single sentence, and lots more.
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