Free Resources You Can Use NOW!

Cameron McKinley November 2010 cmckinley@hoover.k12.al.us

Todays Outcomes
Demonstrate some useful free tools Participants leave with at least 1 idea they can use in the classroom Participants motivated to learn additional tools to give digital kids a voice

Shortcut to GSHCoolSchool

DIGITAL KIDS

Shortcut to essay winner interview and reading2

Skype
Connect Kids Collaborate by combining Skype with Google Docs Share Links Chat up to 100 people-keep the history Its FREE

Google Earth
Measurement Tours

From a novel Of your city/state Add Video Blog Tour with photos and notes (ex: Gombe Chimpanzee )

Historical Overlays Create a Geography Quiz

Excellent Tutorials-cover everything you need to know

http://www.bteducation.org/img/lib/dialogics/schoolradio/index.htm

Podcasts online

Sample

st 1

Grade Podcast

Celestia

http://www.celestiam otherlode.net/catalog/ educational.php

CMAP Tools

Collaborate with others Export as web page, pdf and more Non-linear thinking Record map creation Make presentation from map

Microsoft Producer

AN Flash Slideshow Maker

Star Office

Tux Paint

Drawing for Children*

Photo Story

Primo PDF

MwSnap

http://www.mirekw.c om/winfreeware/mws nap.html

Crocodile Clips

Scratch

Alice

(Block Cad) Lego Building

Sketch-Up

UnFreez

Create animations for Visualizing Literature

Switch-a-roo Zoo

Community Signs

Movie Maker

ReadPlease

Online Tools
GCast Scrapblog Writeboard Google Docs

Notes

Google Docs

Writely and Google Spreadsheets for Students Students can work on their assignments from any computer -- the school lab, the library, at home, at a friend's house, etc. Kids who use Writely and Google Spreadsheets don't have to remember to save a copy of their homework when they go from one location to the next their work is always online, and thus accessible from any computer with an Internet connection. Students also find the sharing aspect of Writely and Google Spreadsheets valuable. Getting feedback on an assignment from a busy parent, a grandparent who lives in another town or a writing tutor is much easier when you can share the document or spreadsheet online and check back periodically to see the reviewer's comments.

Being able to share online is also helpful for group assignments where several students need to contribute. You can enter updates anytime, from different locations. And through the Revisions history, you can clearly see who contributed what to an assignment, and when.
Writely and Google Spreadsheets for Teachers Teachers are using Writely both to publish announcements about upcoming assignments and to monitor student progress on assignments and give feedback along the way, rather than only when the final assignment has been handed in. Writely and Google Spreadsheets both enable an interactive process which gives teachers far more insight into how students are progressing on an assignment, enabling them to give guidance in the middle of the process, when it might be of maximum benefit.