Glogster alternative

Glogster is free no More :(

Need an alternative?

If you used Glogster and would like a free alternative, you might try award-winning Biteslide

Biteslide looks a lot like Glogster. You can create what the site calls Slidebooks with images, video and text. Like the original education edition of Glogster, teachers can choose a free plan that allows them to have 30 student accounts and 3 projects. The site promises that this option is free forever. And, there are more plans are available at a price).

Give it a try and have fun out there! :)

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Easy way to enliven your Instructional Material

Looking for a new way to present information to your students? Tired of the same ol' PowerPoint or Lecture Notes that you use over and over again? With FlipHTML5 you can still use your tried and true instructional material but present them more like an e-Book in your online course.

Step 1: Download for FREE the FlipHTML5 software at fliphtml5.com. You can download the program for free by selecting the appropriate buttons. Here is what the Free version provides:

• FlipHtml5 Logo
• 100 publications per month
• Pre-designed templates
• 10GB Host
• Up to 50 MB per document

The various paid versions start at Pro Version for $15/month; Platinum Version (shown as the best deal) for $299/year or all the way to the Enterprise Version where you can pay a onetime fee of $999 and have it forever. I will demonstrate the FREE version!

Lecture Notes

Once you have the software downloaded, simply follow the instructions to add a new book and upload your PDF file so you can convert it to a digital book. Keep in mind your PDF must be less than 150 MB. Once you have uploaded your pdf, you can choose from a few templates and themes with the free version. This can then be embedded into a page in your online course!

There are a few fun ways your students can use the eBook. They can zoom in on a graphic to get a better look, they can print the book, and they can do a keyword search.

PowerPoint Presentations

If you want to convert your PowerPoint Presentations into an eBook, you will first want to change the orientation of your slides to Portrait. This will give it more of a book look. You may have to do some editing so that all your images and text are aligned correctly.

One more thing....you can place your e-books on different Bookcases in FlipHTML5 and you can actually embed an entire bookcase into your Canvas course! Your students can click on any of the eBooks in the bookshelf to view. (This is just an image of my bookshelf and is not active.)

Since you are embedding, any changes you make in the Flip HTML5 will change automatically in your course(s) as well. 

I bet you can think of lots of fun ways to incorporate this handy and FREE tool into your online or web enhanced course! Download the free software and create some eBooks! I hope you leave a comment letting us know how you and your students like this tool!

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Facilitating Effective Classroom Discussion

Do you struggle with keeping your online discussions fresh and enticing? Students are much more likely to participate actively in discussions, online and face-to-face, if the facilitator follows a few guidelines. This does not mean you should "control" the discussion but it is important to participate (so students know you value their comments) and guide the discussion.
Maryellen Weimer, PhD posted her tips for facilitating effective classroom discussions in the Teaching Professor Blog. Her article, Facilitating Effective Classroom Discussion, the Devil is in the Details, provides several tips that apply to online as well as face-to-face classroom discussion. I feel it will be easier to implement her tips in the online environment because one has the opportunity to consider more fully a response.Among others, the author suggests the facilitator consider:

• Is the discussion losing steam? If so, how might it be re-energized?
• Is it time for a summary? Do the main points need to be sorted out of the morass?
• Where did the discussion start, where is it now and where does it still need to go?

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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!

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Project Based Learning Versus "Doing Projects"

Are you wanting to create a Project Based Learning activity in your course but want to make sure it doesn't fall into the category of just another project?  I found a helpful chart on Amy Mayer's blog that breaks down the differences between Project Based Learning and "Doing Projects".  It is downloadable to your Google Drive account.

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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

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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!

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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!

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!

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/02/07/2206766/teacher-poet-taylor-mali-speaks.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

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Pinterest

Pinterest lets you organize and share what you find valuable on the web. In other words, it is a social bookmarking site. I am surprised that we have never written about Pinterest in this blog. Most likely it is because many people use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
But, Pinterest can be a useful educational tool, especially in online courses. Check out the ideas in these two posts, then share your thoughts via the comments.
Pinterest: Everything You Need To Know Is In This Massive Post and
Pinterest- My New Love for Visual Bookmarking Education and Teaching Web Content

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Free text messages to students

It is believed that traditional students often prefer to communicate through text messages rather than ‘old-fashioned’ email. With that in mind, I am piloting Class Parrot. Originally developed for K-12, this tool allows text messages to be sent to registered students’ cell phones through its website. The service is free for a limited number of messages. However, instructor users get 500 initial messages and 200 free per month. There is a monthly or yearly fee for an instructor or school who uses the program. Instructors use just the website, and students do not share the cell phone number at all. I plan to use it to use it to reinforce weekly reminders (and they can be scheduled ahead of time, too).

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Butler Online's Gift to You!

This calendar was originally posted on Dec. 1!! Since the calendar is not searchable, our team will repost all of the content to this blog, but for now, help us countdown to the big holiday with a new technology idea each day!

We have created a Technology Advent Calendar to share new ideas and information in a fun way. You will be able to open one new technology idea each day until Christmas. We hope you enjoy and find the Advent Calendar useful.

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Add a Little SPICE to Your Holiday!

(This was originally posted by Beth Cunningham on 12/9 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

There's nutmeg, pumpkin spice, and now...SPICY NODES!

What a great way to add a little *kick* to your classes! Spend a few minutes with Spicy Nodes (www.spicynodes.org) and you're sure to be hooked! They're a great way to visually demonstrate an idea or concept in an interactive and interesting way! Here's a picture of my Node on "The Seven Principles of Undergraduate Education" but it's more fun to go to their site and give it a try.

We promise, you'll love it, and it has less calories than a pumpkin pie!

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Themeefly

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/1 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Themeefly is a free web tool that allows you to easily create your own interactive magazine.

You can add text, graphics, video, audio, web links, and social media from Facebook and twitter. You can link to your magazine (or one from the library) or embed the magazine in your ANGEL page or a web site. Easily create a collection of important links, images and notes to use as in-class resources or study guides for students.

Check out this sample QR Code Themeefly.

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Email and the angry student

Angry, frustrated, upset students. We have all had them both in the classroom and online. It is SO tempting for both parties to respond emotionally in this anonymous setting. Here are a few thoughts provided by Victoria S. Brown of Florida Atlantic University in the January 2011 edition of Online Classroom together with the collective personal experiences from our Butler Online staff.

• Do not respond immediately. This is the online equivalent of taking a deep breath and thinking before you speak.
  
• Wait at least an hour or two before crafting your response. But by all means, do respond. Write your email, and then pause and reread it carefully, maybe out loud, before sending.
• Use a professional tone. While email seems impersonal, the person reading it will react very personally. Be careful that your language is neutral and free of sarcasm, condescension, and other unintentional but negative undertones. While students may get upset no matter what you say, it is better to err on the side of caution.
• Address the student by name. Beyond the positive defusing power of using a person’s name, it will help to remind the student that this is not an anonymous situation, that a real person is listening and responding.
• Limit your response to only the issues at hand. Be as brief as necessary.
• Close “Respectfully, [your name]
• Finally, make sure you keep a copy of the original message and your response(s)

Do you have any thoughts or additions? Let us know.

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Butler Online's Gift to you!

We have created a Technology Advent Calendar to share new ideas and information in a fun way. You will be able to open one new technology idea each day until Christmas. We hope you enjoy and find the Advent Calendar useful.

 

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Interactive Graphics

Do you need some cool interactive graphics for your class?

ElearningExamples offers a wide variety of interactive graphics for subjects including health, automotive, golf, tennis, and even NASA.

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Rome Reborn

I am not sure how many of you address ancient Rome in your teaching but I came across the Digital Model of Ancient Rome site and thought it worth sharing.
"Rome Reborn is an international initiative whose goal is the creation of 3D digital models illustrating the urban development of ancient Rome from the first settlement in the late Bronze Age (ca. 1000 B.C.) to the depopulation of the city in the early Middle Ages (ca. A.D. 550)."

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Piazza

It is a service that offers speedy response time and social networking. The founder shed the shackles of an arranged marriage to become an entrepreneur. What is the name of this service you ask? Piazza! Who is the founder you ask? Pooja Nath!

A recent article from The New York Times discusses the interesting background of Pooja Nath and her path to forming Piazza. At Piazza students can post questions and receive answers from both peers and instructors, and at this time the service is free.

Kudos to Meg McGranaghan for finding this article!

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Fostering critical thinking in discussions

Recently I discovered some back issues of Online Classroom and stumbled on some fresh perspectives on fostering critical thinking in discussions. The article by William Pelz in the August 2003 issue focuses on student-led discussions but the ideas transfer well to the general format. If you have been a bit frustrated by the level of engagement of discussion posts, here are some points to consider. His suggestions for a meaningful discussion question include:

• Be open-ended
• Relate to key issues or ideas in the course material
• Require that the student relate the ideas to other concepts in the course, or to his or her own experience. Examples, or comparison/contrast are two common critical thinking strategies. It helps, too, I think, to provide an example of the kind of response you are looking for.

What about the rubric? How do you evaluate those subjective responses? Pelz suggests that you look at issues such as:

• relevance and focus on the course material
• ability to provoke thought in other students
• originality
• timeliness (if you expect responses from other students, do those students have time to do so?)

I am pretty sure that these are not new issues, just framed here in a somewhat organized manner. Let us hear your own insights on the best ways to engage students in these interactions.

Pelz, William. "Student-centered Pedagogy: Student-led Discussion enhances Critical Thinking." Online Classroom. Aug 2003: 4,6. Print.

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SnackTools

SnackTools is a site that includes several tool for very quick online content creation. Once you register at SnackTools all of the tools listed below are available to you.

PhotoSnack, allows you to create an photo slideshow. I added several of the photos we have collected and created an IT Department PhotoSnack. There are several templates from which to choose.

TubeSnack is a great tool that is quick and easy to use. I was working with an instructor who wanted to include the 10 videos below in his course. Instead of embedding each we went to TubeSnack, created a new playlist, and pasted in the YouTube URL for each video. When we clicked Finish the embed code was available. The resulting product allows students to view each video from one link and easily navigate to the video(s) they wish to see. Check out the sample:




Another app is BannerSnack. View the video below to get an idea of the possibilities with BannerSnack.


The free SnackTools apps include:
BannerSnack - A high-quality app for creating professional looking flash banners.
PhotoSnack - A professional photo slideshow creator with a variety of attractive templates to choose from.
PodSnack - An online app that allows users to build audio players and playlists for websites.
TubeSnack - A video playlist creator which makes it easy for web users to share and embed video playlists.
QuizSnack - A very easy and fun to use online poll & survey tool.
FlipSnack - A stylish way to create and share PDFs as flipping books.

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