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=**Welcome to the CHS Media Maven's GEEKTASTIC Wiki!** =

This wiki is a place to share my favorite Web 2.0 tools and all things digital! It is maintainted by the CHS Media Maven, Deborah Jordan

 Turn your photos, video clips, and music into stunning video masterpieces to share with everyone. Fast, free, and shockingly easy! I have been using this Web 2.0 tool for several years now and it is still one of my favorites! You can make 30 second slideshows for free or you can purchase a yearly subscription and make full feature slideshows. Students love using Animoto and teachers do, too! Check out the animoto video I created for Teen Tech Week!

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Do fun stuff with photos by creating personalized motivational posters, calendars, movie posters, etc.

A Blabber is a talking picture. It is free and easy to use! Blabberize may be used to demonstrate content knowledge in any subject area. It is especially beneficial for students who are more visual/artistic learners in that it provides a creative outlet for them to use. Check out the Blabberize tutorial below.

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(School accessible tutorial below) media type="file" key="blabberize-tutorial.flv" align="center" width="360" height="270"

Brainstorm online with //bubbl//.//us//. Easily create colorful mindmaps to print or share with others! Below is a bubbl.us I made for The Big6. ALSO...check out the bubbl.us tutorial!



Bubbl.us Tutorial media type="youtube" key="6TP62aNlVu0?rel=0" height="315" width="420" align="center"

(School accessible tutorial below) media type="file" key="Bubbl-us - YouTube.flv" align="center" width="360" height="270"

Croak.it lets you easily record a thirty second message with a computer microphone. You then get a unique URL address that you can share. No registration is necessary.

Dropbox offers an online backup service, free file syncing, and the ability to share files with others. It will also allow you to access stored files on your computer or on the go with an iPhone/iPad and android app. So put away your flash drives and use Dropbox instead! This is an awesome tool and you get 2G of space free. You may add more storage by inviting others to use Dropbox, too or by paying a subscription fee. I have been using Dropbox for over a year and still have plenty of storage. Check out this excellent Dropbox review by Jonathan Wylie, Top Tips for Using Dropbox at School.

Dropbox Tour: A Dropbox Tutorial media type="youtube" key="NVKSfBG1jPo?rel=0" height="216" width="397" align="center"

(School accessible tutorial below) media type="file" key="drobox.flv" align="center" width="360" height="270"

Easel.ly is one of the easiest tools on the Web to create infographics. You just “drag-and-drop” a variety of themes, type in your data, and you’ve got a great infographic.

[[image:chsmediamaven/edmodo.JPG width="372" height="88" align="left" link="@http://www.edmodo.com/"]]Edmodo aka Facebook for educators!
It is a Web 2.0 tool that allows teachers to safely share ideas, files, assignments, videos, projects, etc.with students and with other teachers in real time. It is a safe and secure social learning site for classrooms. I use Edmodo for "We're Booked @ CHS!" to keep members informed about upcoming events. Edmodo is also great tool for homebound students to be able to keep up with missed assignments. Teachers have access to personal learning networks and the ability to share and receive great ideas for the classroom and other professional development opportunities. Learn more about Edmodo in the video below and if you are Interested in joining Edmodo as a CHS faculty member, access the following Word document for step by step instructions. media type="youtube" key="TzPHQr1ONaA?rel=0" height="287" width="387" align="center"

(School accessible tutorial below) media type="file" key="Edmodo Demo Video - YouTube.flv" align="center" width="360" height="270"



Flickr is a site where you can upload your photos and share them with the world or you can make groups that are private for your class or school. Uses in the classroom might include Virtual Field Trips, Story Telling, used as an alternative to powerpoint or way to teach about creative commons and copyright... the ideas are endless! Basic accounts are free or you may want to take advantage of the premium account for $25 a year.

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Downloadable program which allows you to edit photos. It is sophisticated and contains tutorials.

Create FREE multimedia posters! I LOVE GLOGSTER!! I use glogs to share information about our SC Young Adult book Award nominees, our International Fair, and other projects that we are doing in the media center. Glogster enables students to use their creative juices to demonstrate knowledge in any content area. Below are links to some of the glogs we have created at CHS. 2011-12 SCYABA Nominees, [|2012 CHS International Fair], Media Literacy, Child Labor

Check out the Glogster EDU Tutorial below!
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Google Docs is an easy-to-use online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor that enables you and your students to create, store and share instantly and securely, and collaborate online in real time. You can create new documents from scratch or upload existing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. There's no software to download, and all your work is stored safely online and can be accessed from any computer. Take a Google Docs tour now.

Hear what teachers and principals are saying about Google Docs in the video below. media type="youtube" key="TYPjJK6LZdM?rel=0" height="315" width="420" align="center"

(School Accessible tutorial below) media type="file" key="googledocs.flv" align="center" width="360" height="270"

**[|Hello Slide]** lets you upload a PDF of your PowerPoint. You can then type in the narration and it will use a text-to-speech feature to provide audio to your slideshow.

**[|ikiMap]** lets you easily create maps and you can insert images off the web just by using their URL addresses.

**ImageSpike** is a new web tool that is supposed to do just about the same thing as Thinglink.


 * [|In Focus]** lets you, without any registration required, literally “highlight” a section of any webpage and provides a unique URL address linking to it.

Infogr.am is an easy tool for creating infographics that can be linked to or embedded. You can register with an e-mail address.

**inklewriter** is a free tool designed to allow anyone to write and publish interactive stories. It’s perfect for teachers and students looking to mix computer skills and creative writing.



Jing is a free software program that allows you to capture images and video (up to 5 min) of your computer screen. Check out the video below to see how one teacher uses Jing in her classroom:

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**[|Kl1P]** lets you create a webpage without any registration required. You can paste text or images into it, and is a great way to publish student work — you get a custom URL address for your page and can paste that on a student/teacher blog.

**kwiqpoll** lets you easily create a poll — and no registration is required. You’re given the poll’s URL address, but it’s not embeddable.

**LearnClick** makes creating online tests quick and easy.

**[|Loose Leaves]** lets you write or paste images and automatically creates a webpage. You’re given two URL addresses — one where you can edit it again and a second where others can view it. No registration is necessary.

[|MarQueed] is like a Thinglink and ImageSpike on steroids and allows collaborative annotation.

School Library Journal's January 2013 issue highlighted **Mastery Connect** as one of their "Cool Tools" to help teachers align their plans to the common core standards. **Mastery Connect** is an assessment tracker and teachers and administrators can monitor students' progress toward meeting selected common core standards. Teachers can share common assessments with others via an online network. Another neat feature of the application is that it offers an app for the iOS or Android. Check out the video below for more information about this "Cool Tool" ! media type="youtube" key="jwAU25T5C3A?rel=0" height="315" width="420"

**Memplai** is an online video editor that can incorporate photos and videos.

**Mentormob** lets you very easily create a slideshow. Webpages, videos and photos can be grabbed from the web and added, along with notes.

Lets you drag and drop images and links (and the links appear as thumbnail images on the screen). It also lets you write on it or add speech bubbles — it’s basically a pumped up Wallwisher.

**[|Pandamian]** is a very simple and free tool to create an ebook. Sign-up takes a few seconds, and you’re given your own URL address for all your future books. Click on “create a new book” and you’re off! You can easily copy and paste images, and readers can leave moderated comments. They can also subscribe to an RSS feed if they want to be updated on newer chapters and it can be embedded.

Photopeach is a slideshow tool that allows you to add music, photos and captions. My favorite component of photopeach is the quiz feature!

Did you love Picnik and sad to see it closing? NEVER FEAR! PICMONKEY is here! PicMonkey is an online photo editing tool created by former Picnik engineers and it is AWESOME! VERY user friendly!





Pinterest is an online pinboard where you can make visual collections of your favorite things. This is an excellent way for visual learners to create projects! Give students a topic, let them create a board where they find pictures that relate to the topic and then let them present it to the class. This allows them to use their visual intelligence and improve their speaking skills! WARNING: Pinterest is addicting!

Poll Everywhere is a free tool for teachers to use to do a quick assessment, gather information or check the pulse of your students. The results are displayed in real-time, so students and teachers see the feedback immediately. Open ended responses can be displayed as a live text wall or Word cloud (such as Wordle, Tagxedo, or Tagul). Results of multiple choice questions display graphs in real-time.

[[image:chsmediamaven/prezi-logo.jpg width="364" height="151" align="left" link="@http://www.prezi.com/"]] Powerpoint is SO passé! :)
Try //Prezi,// a cloud-based presentation software that opens up a new world between whiteboards and slides.

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(School accessible tutorial below) media type="file" key="prezi-tutorial.flv" align="center" width="360" height="270"

Livebinders is a great way for teachers and students to create a 3 ring binder on the Web and share websites, documents, videos and more. It is a wonderful way to keep content organized! You may also share / collect livebinders to use as resources! Create your own! It is EASY and you will love it! LIVEBINDERS, A GREAT way to share knowledge! Check out the LIVEBINDER Tutorial below.

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(School accessible tutorial below) media type="file" key="livebinder-overview.flv" align="center" width="360" height="270"

Online photo editing tool. Free App also available for download.

**[|QikPad]**is a nice online collaborative writing tool that has an embedding feature.




 * SAS Pathways: FREE!** This fantastic resource provides a wealth of lessons, activities, tutorials, and interactive tools in all core disciplines in grades 6-12. SAS focuses on topics where doing, seeing and listening provide information and encourage insights in ways conventional methods cannot. The Science component contains virtual labs. Math provides practice in key concepts and fundmental skills. Interactive and immediate feedback can mean the difference between comprehension and despair. The Algebra course provides lessons designed around common core and state standards. ELA audio and video materials enhance reading comprehension and writing proficiency. The award winning "Writing Reviser" helps students ask the kind of questions experienced writers ask automatically. The Social Studies component provides a unique approach that encourages critical thinking about complex issues. Spanish students enhance their reading, listening, and writing skills in a specific cultural context.

Record MP3 lets you, without having to register, create an audio recording that you can save on your computer and/or save on their site (a link is provided).

Online photo editing tool much like Pic Monkey.

"Share Ideas that Matter" Scoop.it is like Pinterest except you are curating information. It has a magazine-like look and feel and is a great way to collect information on your favorite topics and passions.

Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web. As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

**Six3** lets you send a free video message via iPhone, PC or Mac. Registration is required, but it takes seconds.

**Slide.ly** is very similar to Animoto. You can search for photos online or use your own, and easily combine them with music to create musical video-like slideshows.

Symbaloo allows you to create a tiled mosaic of links. When adding tiles you select the color, text, and icon to display. You can also include custom images for your tiles. These features allow for a much more visually appealing experience than a list of links.

There are many possibilities for Symbaloo in the classroom. Students can use it to collect websites while researching online, or they can use it as a digital portfolio linking to materials they may have published on different websites. Teachers can use it as a webquest tool or to share important links and websites with parents. Symbaloo is a great tool for any occasion that requires multiple links. Below is a link to a webmix I created on Evaluating Websites:

Sharing some Symbaloo ♥: Evaluating Websites Webmix

Create colorful word clouds with custom fonts in abstract shapes or uploaded pictures

Tagxedo turns words -- famous speeches, news articles, slogans and themes, even your love letters -- into a visually stunning word cloud, words individually sized appropriately to highlight the frequencies of occurrence within the body of text.



TED unveiled a new education website, [|TED Ed]. This new site lets teachers create interactive quizzes. Students can also take the videos and create their own quizzes to share with others in the class.

**[|Themeefy]** lets you grab pretty much anything you want off the Web, and add your own materials, to create a personalized magazine that can be shared/embedded wherever you want.

**Thinglink** lets you upload or grab an image or video off the web and easily annotate items with the image or video.

With VoiceThread, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world. All with **no software to install**. A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds [|images, documents, and videos] and allows people to navigate slides and leave [|comments in 5 ways] - using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). [|Share] a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too. Users can [|doodle] while commenting, use multiple [|identities], and pick which comments are shown through [|moderation]. VoiceThreads can even be [|embedded] to show and receive comments on other websites and [|exported] to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies. //(@https://voicethread.com/about/features/)//

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**Wallwisher is an online notice board or bulletin board.** Anything you can do with Post It notes can be replicated in Wallwisher. Tom Barrett (@tombarrett) provides some great examples of how Wallwisher can be used in the classroom. Check out this Power Point by Tom!



Wordle

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

ZOHO Sites is an easy drag-and-drop website builder that allows anyone to build a professional website in minutes without needing to know HTML or CSS.