The+Tools

Here are some of the tools we love to use in our classroom:

=Blogs= There are lots of good blogging platforms for classrooms. Some of the best are:

Blogger - Amanda uses this Classblogmeister - Kathy and Maria use this KidBlog - a grade one example 21Classes -

Children like to have an avatar for their blogs. Children can draw themselves, or create an avatar at one of these sites: > You can find some other blog examples and cool things to put on your blog here.
 * [|Build Your Wild Self]- Students will have lots of fun creating an imaginary animal. See one [|here].
 * [|Doppelme] - Create an avatar that you can put on your blog as a "self-portrait." There are lots of options for hair, clothing, expressions, etc. When you have finished creating your avatar, instead of clicking "I'm done" and registering, use a right click to save it to your files. See an example in the right hand corner of [|this blog].
 * Voki - Create a talking avatar here.
 * Want another option? There are others in this list.

= = =Skype= Skype is an internet based phone service that is free! It allows instant messaging and phone service with or without live video to any other computer that has Skype installed on it. If you are interested in using Skype in your classroom, you can Skype an author,or find [|other classes] that are interested in talking with you. This site also has lots of other ideas for using Skype in your classroom. = = = = = = =Wikis= A wiki is an online, editable webpage. There are an infinite number of uses for wikis in the classroom. You can see examples of primary wikis here. Be sure to sign up for a wiki on the Wikispaces for Educators page so that you can have an ad-free wiki.

= = = = = = =Twitter= Yes, [|Twitter] can be a useful classroom tool! Check out the K-3 Teacher's Guide to Twitter and these Interesting Ways to use Twitter in the Classroom.

= = = = =Audacity = Children can record in Audacity or you can import audio and edit it for other uses, such as in video.

=Primary Pad= Children can do real-time collaboration using Primary Pad. Each participants contributions show up highlighted with a different colour to allow you to easily monitor each child's comments. There is also a back channel and a "paint, sketch, draw and whiteboard" tool that you really should explore. It is something like Elluminate.

=Twiducate=

This site creates a closed, twitter-like network for just your classroom. Students can "chat" with each other inside and outside the classroom. As the teacher, you have total access to all tweets, including the ability to delete tweets. Twiducate is developed by teachers.