15 WEB TOOLS YOU SHOULD
BE USING IN YOUR
GRADE 4-6 CLASSROOM
Kim Peacock, B.Ed., M.Ed.
University of Alberta
Iconography

Classroom project ideas

Tool is conducive to classroom SmartBoard use
A Note About SmartBoards

Smart Technologies Web Site: Online tutorials, live
training, recorded sessions and more. There is
training here for every learning preference.
http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter/
My Personal Philosophy of PD…
Vs.
Inspiration
Perspiration
Project Based Learning







Authentic learning experiences
Grounded in critical thinking
Well scaffolded
Student-centric but teacher-dependent
Firmly grounded in the curriculum
Cross-curricular
Example:
http://www.ltspaces.com/geothentic/
http://www.polarhusky.com
Part 1 – What Is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 Is Here…





You are probably already using Web 2.0 tools in
your day-to-day online life:
Facebook
Blogs
Wikipedia
Flickr/Picassa/etc…
What Are Web Applications?





Allow you to perform tasks or create objects without
software.
Often known as “Web 2.0” applications.
Often have an element of social interaction.
Accessible from anywhere.
Usually FREE!
The Web 2.0 Lexicon






RSS feeds
Tags
Folksonomy
Mash-Ups
Widgets
AJAX
Risks




Applications go up and down.
Applications get bought out.
Web applications sometimes allow students to
interact with other people online. Most tools have
privacy settings to keep minors safe.
Students’ privacy should
be considered. Some tools
can be completely private,
but others not.
Risks


Applications may create thing
that can’t leave the confines of the particular web
site (e.g./ can’t be downloaded to a
disc/dvd/etc…)
Students with computers at home may get to spend
more time on projects than students without since
it’s easily accessible.
Logistics





Consider room setup.
Consider privacy
settings.
Consider parental
permission.
Consider school/district technology policy.
Consider e-mail addresses and sign-up logistics.
A Note On Blocking




Some Web 2.0 sites may be blocked at your
school… you can sometimes get around this.
Submit a request
to your technology
department.
Provide a pedagogical justification for the site to
be unblocked at your school during a certain period
of time.
Describe how you will keep students safe.
Part 2 – 15 Web Tools
1. Research Helpers



Diigo: Highlight and annotate
web sites for your students
http://www.diigo.com/
Trailfire: Create a path
through the Internet
and annotate web
pages.
http://trailfire.com/
Snipd: Copy and archive web content.
http://snipd.com
1. Research Helpers



Have students create a trail of good quality
research resources.
Have students use
diigo to comment on news
articles.
Have students use snipd
to research their next
research project.
2. Concept Mapping




Bubbl.us: Collaborative mind mapping
http://bubbl.us/edit.php
Gliffy: Collaborative mind mapping
http://www.gliffy.com
Mindmeister: Collaborative Mind Mapping
http://www.mindmeister.com/
Mindomo: Software
interactive mind mapping
http://mindomo.com/
3. Virtual Classroom

Ning: Create a closed
social network for
your class.
http://www.ning.com
4. Productivity Suites


Google Docs: Write, share and edit documents
online. (Video)
http://docs.google.com/
Zoho: An alternative to Google Docs. More
features and more complex.
http://www.zoho.com/
5. Blogs

Blog Tools
 http://www.blogger.com/
 http://www.21classes.com/

Class Blogs
http://www.balla.ecsd.net/
http://www.bobsprankle.
com/blog/
5. Blogs




Create a blog from the point of
of a historic figure.
Create a blog to track
observations about a
classroom pet.
Have students do scribe posts
to summarize instructional content.
http://edubuzz.org/blogs/s3scribeposts/
http://816math.blogspot.com/2006/11/scribepost-november-1-2006.html
6.Wikis



Wiki tools
http://www.wikispaces.com
http://www.pbwiki.com
Class Wikis
http://stratford78logos0607.pbwiki.com/
http://terrythetennisball.wikispaces.com/
School Wiki
http://meyokumin.wikispaces.com/
6.Wikis



Use a wiki to write a class
“choose-your-own-adventure”.
Use a wiki to showcase student
work to parents.
Use a wiki as a portfolio of student
work. Allow parents to join your
wiki so that they can comment
and provide feedback to students.
7. Cartoons and Comic Books




Pikistrips: Create comic
books using photos
http://pikistrips.com/
ToonDoo: Create online
comic books from scratch.
http://toondoo.com/Home.do
Pixton: Customizable comics (animation soon)
http://pixton.com/ca/
Toonlet: Create a character and write simple text
http://toonlet.com
7. Cartoons and Comic Books



Reasons for Exploration
http://www.toondoo.com/
toondoo/ViewBook.toon?
bookid=12301
The Importance of Squanto
http://www.toondoo.com/toondoo/
ViewBook.toon?bookid=11741
Prince Henry’s Contributions
http://www.toondoo.com/toondoo/ViewBook.toon?
bookid=11706
8. Web Spaces

Google Sites: Simple student
web sites
http://sites.google.com/
Sample:
http://sites.google.com/a/googleclassrooms.org/
mrs-richau/Home
9. Podcasts and Vidcasts



Pod-O-Matic: Find and create podcasts
http://www.podomatic.com/
Student Podcast Samples:
http://dreamextreme.us/podcast/
http://thedowns.edublogs.org/category/
podcasting/
Student Vidcast Samples:
http://www.kid-cast.com/
wordpress/?cat=12
9. Podcasts and Vidcasts





Make a podcast for http://www.kid-cast.com/
Create an “Our City” Podcast for
http://www.learninginhand.com/OurCity/
Do a weekly class podcast as a review/newsletter.
http://bobsprankle.com/podcasts/
room208vidcast.mp4
Create a “captain’s log” of a famous historic voyage.
Make a series of vidcasts
to promote DPA (stretches,
exercises, etc…)
9. Podcasts and Vidcasts






Create an old fashioned radio play.
Create a pod/vidcast debate online.
Have students create a podcast dictionary of
vocabulary words.
Have students create a series of vidcasts solving
different kids of
math problems.
Have students summarize
current events once a
week.
Create a series of podcast
book reviews.
10. Screencasting


Screencast-O-Matic: Capture and post what’s on
your computer screen.
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/
Examples:
 Assessment
/ Peer Feedback
http://www.screencast-omatic.com/watch/ciQZXIgH
 Instructional Content
http://www.screencast-omatic.com/watch/ciQlh3Ap
10. Screencasting





Capture and post Smart Board notes online quickly.
Create an archive of extra credit work that can be
used year after year.
Use Screencast-o-Matic to
orally assess student work
Create videos for
parents so that they can help
their child with homework.
Help assess student difficulties in areas like problem
solving (have students talk through their work).
11. Mapping Applications

Google Maps: Create unlimited maps
with annotated locations.
http://maps.google.ca


Example:
http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&
msid=111008165444273296600.000465931a4b0b9fad
889&t=h&z=2
Community Walk: Kid friendly maps.
http://www.communitywalk.com

Example:
http://www.communitywalk.com/calgary/alberta/my_first_
neighborhood/map/140666
11. Map Applications




Have students create a mapped
journal of an historic trip.
Have students create a virtual field
trip based on a class field trip.
Have students create a map of a science process
(e.g./ where garbage goes or the path of a can as
it goes to be recycled).
Have students complete a reflective health project,
mapping places of importance in their life.
12. Posters and Visual Representations



Glogster: Create multimedia posters
http://www.glogster.com
Example: http://metro09.glogster.com/What-I-LikeAbout-Myself/?w1
BigHugeLabs: Make posters and other multimedia
content with photos.
http://bighugelabs.com
13. Video Annotation


Bubble Ply: Add bubbles and
captions to video
http://www.bubbleply.com/
Examples:
http://www.bubbleply.com/player.
aspx?pid=b1bf700f-6f47-4364-9dd7-e413706860b9
 http://www.bubbleply.com/player.aspx?pid=EE1549C5E35B-4F64-AA80-D4C1A220102F


Note that TeacherTube is a good alternative if YouTube
is blocked.
13. Video Annotation




Use video annotation to have
students analyze speeches.
Use video annotation to have
students express an opinion
ona video or news clip.
Use video annotation for
formative feedback for
student work (e.g./ video recordings of PE).
Use video annotation to create an instructional
video (with written in steps).
14. VoiceThread


VoiceThread: Not really
like anything else…
http://voicethread.com/
Almost like a wiki/blog with audio… it allows users
to annotate and expand images with voice
recordings.
 http://voicethread.com/share/407691/
 http://voicethread.com/share/4973/
14. VoiceThread




Create an oral history
archive such as:
http://www.ourvoices.ca/
If all of your students have
internet access, do a daily homework question on
Voicethread.
Have students create a talking storybook.
Look through the many examples of teacher
projects already on Voicethread!
http://voicethread.com/#q.b409
15. Interactive Timelines


xTimeline: Historic
interactive timelines.
http://www.xtimeline.
com/index.aspx?t=
5&l=en-US
Dipity: Interactive timelines with additional
multimedia.
http://www.dipity.com/
15. Interactive Timelines



Have students create
a timeline of a
scientific process
(e.g./ the lifecycle of
an animal).
Have students create a year plan for the goals they
would like to achieve in your course.
Have students add to existing public timelines on
xTimeline.
Part 6 – Staying Up-To-Date
Some Things to Mull Over…



The Machine is Us/ing Us
http://www.youtube.com/v/NLlGopyXT_g
A Vision of Students Today
http://www.youtube.com/v/dGCJ46vyR9o
What If…
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=
-285578655070399
3653&hl=en-CA
Staying Up-to-Date - SmartBoards

Teaching With SmartBoard Teacher Tube Videos
http://www.teachertube.com/viewProfile.php?user
=dsladkey
http://www.teachertube.com/viewProfile.php?user
=TeqSmart
http://www.teachertube.com/viewProfile.php?user
=smartvideos
http://www.teachertube.com/viewProfile.php?user
=dan+everest
Staying Up-to-Date - SmartBoards

Teaching with SmartBoard YouTube Videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/
teachertrainer
http://www.youtube.com/user/
SMARTClassrooms
Two series of videos highlighting teachers’
experiences using SmartBoards. Both series include
excellent videos on classes that have won
SmartBoard best practice competitions.
Staying Up-To-Date - Pedagogy




Marc Prensky
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/
Education World: Technology
http://www.educationworld.com/
#Technology
Apple Learning Interchange http://ali.apple.com/
Classroom 2.0
(Ning Community)
http://www.classroom20.com/
Staying Up-To-Date - Tools


Webware Tools
http://news.cnet.com/webware/
Tech Crunch
http://www.techcrunch.com
Staying Up-To-Date - PD




North Central Regional Education Lab
http://www.ncrel.org/tech/tpd/index.html
ISTE
http://www.iste.org/
Edutopia Videos
http://www.edutopia.org/video
Teacher Tube
http://www.teachertube.com/
Staying Up-To-Date – Doing It Right



High Tech High:
http://www.hightechhigh.org/
http://www.youtube.com/user/hthvideo
New Tech High:
http://www.newtechhigh.org
http://www.newtechfoundation.org/
Smart Classroom Awards:
http://www.youtube.com/user/
SMARTClassrooms
Thank You!


kim.peacock@ualberta.ca
http://www.protopage.com/
web2point0forteachers/