QR Codes & Augmented Reality

In looking at QR codes I found that there was a lot more that can be done with them than I thought. There's so much that can be done with them in the classroom/library.

This QR code is for a book trailer, and was made using i-nigma



This QR code was made using QR Voice.



And this one is just because I can't wait for football season to start, and was made using QR codemonkey.

Of all the video sites I looked at the one I liked the most was Animoto. Creating a video using pictures and sound was done relatively quickly and easily. I think students would be able to put projects together without too much fuss using this site.

Here is a video I made using Animoto:

http://animoto.com/play/LauegHylHBj1Yt5easwDDA

The next site was Pixiclip. I liked this site because you can use it as a whiteboard and write or type text too. Here is a video created using Pixiclip:

http://www.pixiclip.com/beta/e/ezwz

I also looked at Jing and played around with that and it is very useful for making screen-captures. The only problem I had with it was that you had to download the program. I know in some school systems the computers in the classroom aren't allowed to download and install programs.

Wideo is an interesting site to use because it allows student so present their videos using one of the many cool templates they offer such as iPad/iPhone app or infographic.

POWtoons is another one that students would find fun to use as well. The site allows you to create a cartoon presentation for you project.

There were also a few phone/tablet apps that were cool.

My favorite was Sock Puppets, because it was sock puppets. It was pretty easy to use to make a short video with some sock puppets talking.

Videolicious was pretty easy to use and making videos was done with little trouble.

This week I looked at school library websites created using Weebly. There were several sites that caught my eye.

The first was the site Stowe Middle High School Library. I liked the simplicity of the layout and the useful links that were on the page. I liked how it included a QR code, a map, and comments section. The links included a lot of useful tools and information for students and parents.

I also liked the site for the Brookline High School Library. I t had a simple uncluttered layout and, like the site for Stowe MHS, made good use of white space and an easy to read font. What really intrigued me about this site was found at the bottom of the page. There was a link soliciting students for the Library Advisory Committee and a link for students to post their music playlists for what they listen to when they study or relax.

I've seen a lot of elements that I would like to include in my website. Now the fun begins of putting it all together.

Audio!!!!

Audio Pal – I liked this one because it gave you the options of "phoning it in," or typing the text and having an automated voice read it.

Voki – I liked this one because students can create an avatar to go with their voice.  The only drawback I see would be the time it takes to set the audio and avatar up.

Vocaroo - I found this one easy to use and the audio can be sent directly to social media or other applications which make it perfect for classroom use.

All three of these would be useful in a classroom. I used a Samsung Google Chromebook, which some of the school systems nearby are issuing to their middle and high school students. These computers have built in microphones and were compatible with all sites. These could be used for students to narrate reports and create their own podcasts for weekly discussions on what they've been reading, current events, or brainstorming projects. As far as the other tools I explored, I was already familiar with Audacity and have used that to record via PC before. 

#NerdyCastI liked this podcast because it's a teacher talking to other teachers and covering nerdy things. The particular episode, episode 3, I listened to showcased a good discussion on teacher blogs. The conversation was interesting as the two educators discussed how they use their blog and other blogs to come up with ideas and chronicle their successes, and importantly, as they point out, their failures.

Hello!!!

Vocaroo Voice Message

Infographics...

I spent most of the week trying to come up with ideas of what to make an infographic about. My ideas were either too complicated or not interesting. Anyway, I tried using easel.ly and found the designer had a simple interface and the tools were easy to use. I like piktochart a lot more because the interface was more user friendly and reminded me of the type of interface in a word processing program or even this blogging site. I can see students in upper elementary through high school using infographics to make posters, create book reports, and other projects.

I tried my best to stick to some design principles and keep the infographic simple. I'm sure there is a lot of tweaking I can do, but I will save all of that for the next one.

Image Tools

I looked at the image editing tools available on several different sites: BigHugeLabs, Image Chef, Foldplay, Tuxpi, and Dumpr.  I wasn't really impressed with much on these sites. Most of them seemed to gimmicky and I don't see much use for them in the classroom other than giving students a way to "mess with" pictures. The one site that I did like was Big Huge Labs. They have several projects that students can use to create maps, a newspaper, posters, magazine covers, and other projects. Foldplay has tools that can be used to make fold books, puzzles, or other projects that could be used in the classroom. Image Chef seemed like a way for students to make their own memes, which has limited use in the classroom. I couldn't really find anything of value in Tuxpi or Dumpr, as they seem to only offer photo effects.