Module Five - Tools

Module 5.1 Information Mapping Software

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Inspiration (cross platform)

Inspiration and Kidspiration are mind-mapping, concept webbing, outlining software that are excellent for pre-writing activities, brainstorming, project organizing, and developing graphic organizers. These easy to use applications have a very short learning curve, yet are robust enough to collect graphics, text, video clip, sound clip, and hyperlink resources for an entire research project. The Kidspiration package has more primary grade graphics and easy to follow bigger button menubars, whereas Inspiration has more graphic categories reflected in the upper grade and high school curriculum. Final products can be exported in a number of formats including .jpg, .gif. .doc, .ppt and to handheld devices.
There are many education related templates included and curriculum development ideas by grade level and subject on the website.

Freemind (cross platform)

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FreeMind is a freeware program that can be exported to a .jpg, .html, .pdf or Open Office file. It is more complicated than Inspiration to learn, but is a great tool for mind mapping, idea organized or work flow diagrams. There is an online manual and a sample diagram of ideas for the various ways it can be used. Besides brainstorming, FreeMind is good for essay writing, project management, small database activities, annotated bookmarks, and compiling internet research Freemind Download - It's free, so go ahead and try it!

Picomap (Palm Os or Windows)

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PiCoMap allows users to create and exchange concept maps using a Palm Os or Windows based handheld. The strength of this application is that students can brainstorm then beam their maps to other students, merging the two documents as they share ideas. Online support is available.

Module 5.2 Presentation Software

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PowerPoint (cross platform)

PowerPoint is both an industry and classroom standard application that allow users to create interactive multimedia presentations. An excellent tutorial, PowerPoint in the Classroom, shows K-12 teachers how to use PowerPoint to present many different forms of information. A collection of websites for using PowerPoint in the classroom can be found in this Google search for “PowerPoint in the Classroom”. PowerPoint can be exported as a web file and also as a quicktime movie.

PowerPoint 2001 Videos [Flash Player 6 is required]

Keynote (Mac OS X only)

Keynote is part of the iWork software package. It is a multimedia presentation tool which has a media browser that is tightly integrated with other iTools such as iPhoto & iMovie, giving you easy access to your photo and video libraries. Some of the cool features include: review notes which are like sticky notes and can be used for collaborating on a presentation, 3 D transitions and effects, and the ability to animate all of the objects on a slide in whatever order you choose and for whatever duration you want. You can perform basic spreadsheet-style calculations within the program and turn tables into eye-catching 3D charts. For tips, tutorials, themes and information, try Keynoteusers.com

Multimedia

Interactive Media

  • Creator by Stagecast - Brain research is telling us that kids will learn more if they like what they do. Connections to the real world are very important for the engagement of students.In his book Game-Based Learning Marc Prensky suggests that having students create games is a learner-centered approach. Look at some projects using the tool called Creator by Stagecast http://www.stagecast.com.  See teacher lesson plans at: http://www.stagecast.com/cgi-bin/templator.cgi?PAGE=School/MATRIX
  • Microworlds EX - http://www.microworlds.com/solutions/mwex.html - MicroWorlds EX is so versatile it can be used to create:
    • science simulations
    • mathematical explorations
    • interactive multimedia stories
    • robotics
    • anything you can imagine…

Module 5.3 Web Publishing

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Dreamweaver is the industry standard authoring application for building web sites. It provides a powerful combination of visual layout tools, application development features, and code editing support. It has features for both professional and novice web masters alike and even though it has a steep learning curve, a beginner can function easily in the wysiwyg or design view. The site management capabilities of Dreamweaver helps to insure that when files are changed, the program automatically updates and warns of broken links. Dreamweaver was has been bought by Adobe and is part of the Adobe CS3 pack (Dreamweaver 8).

Adobe GoLive (cross platform)

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Adobe GoLive is another web authoring program which is popular and powerful. Adobe dropped GoLive when it purchased Dreamweaver and added it to their CS3 pack. Adobe has a support website for tips and tutorials on GoLive.

iWeb (Mac OS X only)

iWeb is another web authoring program recently introduced by Apple as part of their iLife suite. The application has beautifully designed, ready-to-go templates with easy drag and drop features. If you possess a .mac account, uploading is a simple single-click process. iWeb pages can be uploaded to other servers as well.

Frontpage (cross platform)

This is a web page builder from Microsoft. Very popular because it is easy to learn and use.

FireFox Mozilla-SeaMonkey Project (cross platform)

NEW SOFTWARE IS MOZILLA SEAMONKEY

omposer is a free application that is a component of Mozilla Firefox's suite of applications called SeaMonkey. It is a web authoring program that is free, easy to use and has the ability to view pages in html or word processor like views (wysiwyg). For these reasons, and the fact it is cross platform and free to download, this is a popular choice in the classroom. The links below will transfer to the new version of Mozilla Composer found in SeaMonkey.

Wikis (internet-based)

Wikis are a type of website that are editable, where content can be edited, romoved or added to by anyone viewing it. A popular term for wikis is the read/write web. The name wiki is shortened from the Hawaiian word wiki wiki, which refers to something quick or fast. Wiki is software that simplifies the creation of webpages and keeps a record of the collaborative changes made to the wiki site. Wikis represent the tools of learning. A resource for getting started with wikis, is For Teachers New to Wikis.

Blogs (internet-based)

Blogs are websites where messages are posted and responded to. They are generally focused on a particular subject and contain text, images and links relevant to that subject. Users can register and subscribe to blogs, and they can use a software application or website such as bloglines to organize and keep track of their blogs. Teachers and students often use blogs as online journals. A site that offers free blogs for teachers and students is Edublog.

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language is the scripting language developed to allow information to be displayed in a layout and text to be formatted on the Internet. Layouts are constructed using a series of tags that tell the Internet browser how and where to display text and images.

Module 5.4 Image Editing

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Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard graphics editing application used for editing and creating images for the web, print media, and digital publications. It is expensive, very powerful and has a steep learning curve. It is the software of choice for professionals in the field of graphics and photography.

Photoshop Elements

PhotoShop Elements is the consumer version of Photoshop. This inexpensive, yet powerful image editing program has many of the same features and capabilities of Powerpoint at a fraction of the cost. Sometimes, it comes bundled with scanners or digital cameras.

iPhoto

iPhoto is one of the applications in the iLife suite of Apple iTools. It is one of the more popular image editing software in the schools because it usually comes installed on new Apple computers and is so easy to use. iPhoto is also popular because it is seemlessly integrated with other Apple products used by students and teachers such as iMovie, iTunes, Keynote, iWork, iWeb and .Mac accounts.

Photo Deluxe

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Photo Deluxe was one of the first digital editing applications developed for consumer use. It frequently was bundled with scanners and some of the early digital cameras. It is not sold anymore, as it was the predecessor to PhotoShop Elements.

Fireworks

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Macromedia Fireworks is used for creating, editing and optimizing images for the web. It is one of the applications in the Macromedia Web Publishing Suite and is highly integrated with Dreamweaver and Flash, two of the top web publishing tools on the market.

Working with Scanners

Image Scanners are devices that “analyze a physical image (such as a photograph, printed text, or handwriting) or an object (such as an ornament) and converts it to a digital image”.

Capturing Images

Capturing images means to convert a picture or object into a digital image. Scanners, digital cameras, document cameras, cell phones, and interactive whiteboards are just a few of the devices that are capable of capturing digital images.

Other Image Editing Programs and Tips

Module 5.5 Sound Editing

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iTunes

Garage Band

Audacity

Internet Sound Resources

Module 5.6 Movies and Animation

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Video Tutorials

  • Media College - online tutorial for all aspects of professional video

iLife

iMovie

Windows Movie Maker

Flash

Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro

Photo Story

Video Capture

  • Vixy.net- Capture video from YouTube for Window or Mac [free]
  • SnapzPro - Create your own video tutorials by recording your screen [includes audio capture]
  • MPEG Streamclip - Powerful video format converter

Module 5.7 Podcasting

Module 5.8 Conferencing Tools

Free Email Sites and Tutorials

Conferencing

  • New TappedIn - Tapped In, version 2
    This is the online workplace of an international community of education professionals. K-12 teachers and librarians, professional development staff, teacher education faculty and students, and researchers engage in professional development programs and informal collaborative activities with colleagues. Has new features like groups, threaded discussions boards, file sharing, and chat with private messaging. (I strongly recommend you join this new Java based system. The interface is more intuitive and there are new tools the old system doesn't offer.
    TappedIN - is a very active and full featured virtual environment. I think of it as a somewhat foreign country in cyberspace. You have to learn a lot of vocabulary, but once you speak the language, you will be surprised at the power offered by this free service. TappedIN provides a lot of value added, with regular interest group meetings and a fine network of innovative tech enabled educators.
  • Groovenetworks
    Groovenet is a PC only application that provides a very useful collaborative environment for small groups. Groove works through firewalls, and uses shared space on your local drive as the common ground for your meetings. Document sharing, and 'walkie talkie' style voice communications, make this product a very nice solution for collaborative work.
  • WebEx Meeting
    at http://www.webex.com/ WebEx Instant Meetings. Meet on the Web, LIVE! Real-time meetings right in your browser. Share documents and applications. Its easy and its FREE! Attend a live demo Come and see how WebEx works. Let them guide you through this amazing FREE meeting service. The free service is limited in number of participants, obviously the pay-per-meeting allows more participants.
  • My E-Coach
  • Gaggle.net
  • Yackpack

Message Boards

  • World Crossing
    A free service for discussion groups offered by WebCrossing. This site has a number of advantages: spell check, html can be used in posts, edit after posting, graphic flags on new posts, highly flexible and customizable.
  • AssemblyPersonalized Bulletin Boards
    Create a place on the Internet where you and your family, friends, clients and co-workers can get together and meet! An Assembly is your own personal place to post, respond to and organize messages.
  • WWWBoard
    A Perl script-based message board with some of the features found in higher-end products. WWWBoard is a threaded World Wide Web discussion forum and message board, which allows users to post new messages, follow up to existing ones and more.
  • Google Directory of Message Board Software
    If you have your own server and want to install a message board this is the directory for you!
  • Amazing Free Forums
  • Runboard.com
  • Quicktopic.com
  • Bravenet Web Tools
  • Education Message Boards

Instant Messaging

  • AOL Internet Messenger
    Works on both MAC & PC platforms allowing you to chat in real time. Couple this up with a well trained speech recognition software and you could have something! You can download the software from this site.
  • ICQ.com
    ICQ.com bills itself as the worlds largest Internet online community (their counter boasts 94 million plus world wide). (This page can be slow to load.) This system requires downloading software and plug-in specific to your machine. Here we're talking propeller beanies and pocket protectors. Ah but the power of the thing! Check it out!
  • MSN Messenger
    This useful chat system that is tied to the Hotmail system. I use this system frequently and find it a useful tool. Warning: there is quite a bit of spam sent to Hotmail accounts, some of this spam is rather objectionable. Hotmail does provide a filtering system, but it isn't particularly effective. The 'spam' (junk mail) is easy to delete, but you might not want some of this junk coming to any 'school based' account.
  • Yahoo!
    When you create an account with Yahoo you get free access to Yahoo Messenger, webpage hosting, message groups, and an email account.
  • iChat AV - Macs version of messaging can be used on a local network or online with .Mac and/or AIM accounts. Support video conferencing.
  • Yahoo IMessenger
  • ICQ
  • How IM Works

Chats

Many courseware systems offer a synchronous chat room service. The webtools mentioned below will help you set up chat rooms of your own, bringing a degree of interactivity to your Instructor Homepage. Chat rooms can be quite useful when working in small groups on collaborative projects. Others find it quite difficult to stay on track once a group grows beyond 3 or 4. A strong moderator can usual keep things on track.

  • ParaChat
    ParaChat is software for web sites. It has been developed entirely in Java and has been translated into 11+ different languages. They can help you setup a chat room on your web site in less than a minute. You do not need to worry about scripts, servers or any sort of installation. Simply insert a few lines of code into the your web page and we will take care of the rest.
  • Talk City
    Individuals, as well as business and organizations, can now link a Talk City chat room into their Web using our EZTalk chat technology. People enter your chat room through your own web site, through Talk City, or through one of hundreds of linked Web sites around the globe. And best of all, the program is free!
  • EveryChat
    EveryChat is the premiere freeware perl CGI chat script specifically designed to work on every browser available, from Lynx to Netscape! It requires absolutely no special software on the client side and doesn't require plug-ins such as Java, Javascript, or ActiveX. The the only software required on the server side is perl, and most servers already have it installed. Furthermore, its simple lightweight design minimizes script usage to make it easy on your server and easy to use. You must install the program on your web server to use it.
  • Horizon Live
    The Horizon system lets an instructor or expert speak live audio while simultaneously "pushing" pages to participants located anywhere else on the Internet, or company intranet. Participants can type questions or responses back to the instructor, and toeach other, just as in a real classroom. How can I use Horizon? Horizon can be used to give live classes, for product roll outs or for presentations. Content for a class can be anything to help strengthen your class or presentation, in any internet-ready format. Possible formats include Microsoft PowerPoint or Word bullet points, graphics, animations, forms that students fill in anything that could be on a web site.
  • ICQ
    I Seek You - ICQ is a revolutionary, user-friendly Internet tool that informs you who's on-line at any time and enables you to contact them at will. No longer will you search in vain for friends or students on the Net. ICQ does the searching for you, alerting you in real time when they log on. The need to conduct a directory search each time you want to communicate with a specific person is eliminated. With ICQ, you can chat, send messages, files and URL's, play games, or just hang out with your fellow 'Netters' while still surfing the Net.

    ICQ lets you choose the mode of communication you wish to employ. Regardless of the application, be it chat, voice, message board, data conferencing, file transfer or Internet games, ICQ will get your entire message across in real time. ICQ supports a variety of popular Internet applications and serves as a Universal Platform from which you can launch any peer- to- peer application (such as Microsoft NetMeeting or Netscape CoolTalk). It can also be used in a multiple-user mode, so groups can conduct conferences or just 'hang out' on-line. The program runs in the background, taking up minimal memory and Net resources. While you work with other applications, ICQ alerts you when friends and associates log in. Among the functions available are: chat, message, e-mail, and URL and file transfer. All these functions are consolidated into one easy-to-use program that integrates smoothly into desktop systems. I use ICQ as an office hour, when I am online working, ICQ can alert me when my students want to 'chat'.
  • Volano Chat The leader in Java based Chat? Check it out.
  • Google's Directory of Chat Systems
    There's more to chat than Yahoo and MSN. Look here for a variey of instant messaging and chat systems.
  • iChat AV
  • Internet Video Communication
  • Protecting Teens in Online Chat Rooms
  • Google K-12 Chats and Forums

Module 5.9 Quiz Builders

  • Quiz Center at Discovery.com
    Quiz Center is a powerful tool you can use to create, administer, and grade quizzes online. Without any Web development background whatsoever, you'll be able to make online quizzes that provide instant feedback to you and your students. This on the fly tool is a free service for teachers involved in distance education and Internet instruction.
  • FunBrain.com
    FunBrain is part of the Learning Network. FunBrain is for grades K-8 including special sections for Parents, Kids, and Teachers. We will concentrate on using their Quiz Lab this week. The Quiz Lab includes a bank of ready-made tests. I have created a Quiz Lab edition of the Easy E-mail quiz for you to take.
  • Quiz Star
    Quiz Star offers a number of useful features including e-mail notification, variable font sizes, a quiz timer, and a variety of login schemes. The quiz making system is flexible, allowing you to choose from matching, multiple choice, and fill-in styles. This system is part of a series of useful teacher tools from HPR*Tech (High Plains Regional Technology in Education Consortium).
  • Quia
    Quia is an acronym for Quintessential Instructional Archive. Quia is no longer a free service. However Quia allows you to create games and quizzes over the Internet and share them with others for a nominal yearly fee. When you create an activity on Quia, you get your own personal URL (web address) that you can share with anyone--your students, your colleagues, or anyone else in the world!
  • Google's Directory of Test Authoring Software
    Here's a good list of online test authoring software. These aren't freebies, but this directory gives you a good sense of the state of the art!
  • StarQuiz - Great computer quiz building software. Quizzes can be given on a single computer, in a lab environment or on the internet. Must purchase but worth every penny.

Module 5.10 Survey and Form Builders

  • Zoomerang
    This commercial site will let you develop and publish your own surveys. Their free service will mean that ads are served as part of your poll. On the plus side, they offer a number of templates and some good advice.
  • Survey Monkey:
    A basic subscription is totally free and includes all of the basic features of SurveyMonkey. There are no annoying banner ads on your surveys. In addition, all of your survey responses remain absolutely private. Please note that basic subscribers are limited to a total of 10 questions per survey.
  • Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG)
    This online survey form is designed primarily to garner online student feed back. It is simple to set up an account. A well designed 'wizard system; will allow you to modify or create new surveys. From the MERLOT website listing: "The Student Assessment of Learning Gains Instrument is designed for instructors from all disciplines who wish to learn more about how students evaluate various course elements in terms of how much they have gained from them. Feedback from the instrument can guide instructors in modifying their courses to enhance student learning. It may be used at any point during a course (for formative feedback) as well as at the end. The Web delivered instrument allows you to Step 1: Modify the SALG instrument to fit your class Step 2: Implement the SALG Step 3: View and analyze the data"
  • SurveySuite
    This site is offered commercial free by the University of Virginia. Data can be downloaded in text delimited format that translates nicely into Excel. As of December 2001, the site went from free to a yearly fee of $59.95. Well worth the price if you are going to do a lot of online survey work!
  • Profiler
    Profiler is a tool provided by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. This program is particularly helpful for organizational needs-assessment. Profiler's unique graphic display makes this a good way to survey and display information about group skills or attitudes. The concept is to help organizations identify talents and promote collaboration. This is by far the most powerful noncommercial tool available to us. If you work for a school district, university, or nonprofit organization, you can apply for your own account. Be sure to ask for administrative privileges when you apply.
  • VantageNet WebPolls
    FREE, fast, and easy way to get instant feedback from website visitors. Everyone has an opinion, and Web Polls can track those opinions with the simple click of a button. Pick one of our preset color schemes OR use your own graphics, backgrounds, colors, fonts and images. You don't have to have your own server or know how to program in CGI. Free polls, and message boards that are interactive and created on their site.
  • Response-o-matic
    I have enjoyed Response-o-matic for sometime. I like the clever graphics and the relatively simple format. This site will help you create a form using an automated 'form wizard'. The page you build can be customized if you are familiar with HTML editing software. The customization process can be complex, but effective. You certainly can learn a bit about HTML programming by working with this tool. Survey responses are automatically sent to your email address.
  • Coolsurveys
    This site will help you generate cut and past code for quick surveys. They host the survey and store the data for you. This tool is best suited for one question 'vote oriented' polling. Results are instantly displayed on your webpage, along with an e-commerce add.

Module 5.11 Hardware Tools

Interactive White Boards

Hand-helds

iPods

Probes

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Alphasmarts

Operating Systems

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Module 5.12 Tools and Tutorials for Differentiated Instruction

Technology and Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated Instruction refers to the startegies that teachers use to meet the learning needs and styles of all students in their classroom. There are 4 elements is the learning environment that can be differentiated:

  • Content - what the student needs to learn and how the information can be accessed
  • Process - the activities which students engage in to make sense or master the content
  • Products - the projects that students create to extend, apply, and practice the concepts learned
  • Learning Environment - the way the classroom works and feels

In addition to these 4 ways that the teacher can impact and manage the learning process, the studens bring their own conditions which determine how and why they engage in the learning process: readiness, interest and learning profile (learning style, intelligence, preference, gender, culture and experience).
Technology offers a unique opportunity for teachers to address all of these factors. Digital text, enhanced websites, text to speech, word processing and webbing software, internet resources, digital cameras and camcorders, ipods and handhelds are all tools that can be used in the quest for equal access to education.
In this module, we will see how free and low cost technology which is already available in most classrooms can be used for effective student learning.

Activities:

Using Microsoft Word:

  • Readability
  • Summarizing
  • Highlighting
  • Adding comments
  • Tracking Changes
  • Linking to images, definitions, supporting files
  • Notetaking worksheets
  • Visual worksheets
  • Creating Cornell Notes

Using Inspiration / Kidspiration / Kidpix

  • Venn Diagram
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Using templates
  • Talking Software

Using Talking Text

  • Mac OsX Built in Features
  • PC using Read Please

Activity: Enhanced Websites and Online Tools

Resources:

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Recipes for how to use various software and hardware tools to teach to multiple learning needs.

Module 5.13 Office Tools

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Word Processing

Spread Sheets

Databases

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Office Graphics

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