Connect and Relate Your Ideas with Mind Mapping!

Showing pictures, reading phrases or simply deriving equations is somewhat vague or ambiguous for sometimes to our students most especially when they cannot visualize the relation of what we wanted to share or teach them. Even in a good presentation, when a presenter could not relay the topic from its context the objective will not be achieved. 

An online tool that I found in the net that somewhat can help solve this scenario is the use of Mindmeister. A tool used to create a concept map.

You can easily share your mind maps because Mindmeister offers integration of most used social network site like Twitter, Facebook Google account and Evernote. It can also be used in collaboration. It has a feature to share your work with your colleagues and students by simply inviting them via email or by giving giving them the link of your work. The good thing is, you can work with your collaborator in real time. Each color is assign to a user in order to easily identify them. Don't be bothered to open a new window for chatting since mindmeister has an integrated chatboard in it for users to use. In this way, you can have a brainstorming out of what you are doing. 

Have Your Own Soundtrack with UJam!

Having troubled looking for a soundtrack or background music for your presentation? or You seems to watch silent movie or video of your creation? Hard to find for a creativecommon audio file that fits your work? or simply, you love music? Try UJam!

I was once looking for a music that fits my presentation in my class and I was so afraid to just download music from the net or use soundtracks from copyrighted audio files. I also had problems with my students when they ask me what should be their background in their movies when I tell them that they are not allowed to use music or soundtrack which are creativecommons and not permitted to use by authors. Good to find something like this.

A Short Review and Guide to EDU2.0 E-Learning Platform:

Another e-learning platform on the net that serves as a virtual classroom is EDU2.0.

In EDU2.0, when you create your account, you will be registered as an individual that has at least four (4) positions. You can be an administrator, teacher, parent, and student. The interface of EDU2.0 is a bit complicated at first due to there are many options that you can do in it. The EDU2.0 offers almost all the works/ activity that you are going to do in your classroom (for teachers)/ school (for administrators). 

Chatzy and NeatChat: Same as TodaysMeet

TodaysMeet as I said in my previous post is the simplest chatroom that I ever used. There are other chatrooms that we can use other than TodaysMeet. Yet these other chatrooms provides extra feature that made them appealing or complicated (depending on the user). These are Chatzy and NeatChat.

Simplest Chat Room

Most of the time, people go to a certain social networking site or any instant messenger that will require you to sign up or subscribe to their site. Some offers program to be installed in order to use their product. 

There are many website now that offer instant chat room or virtual room to us. One of this is TodaysMeet.

Download Video in Different Formats

Sharing, linking, embedding, presenting video to our students is a good way to enhance learning. Students are more motivated and gain interest on lessons when they watch video. However, watching streaming video from Youtube, Vimeo or other video sites is somewhat disappointing when the internet speed is so slow and the video stops and shows buffering. The best solution is to download the video first and insert it in your presentation (make sure you are to download only creative commons).

Looking for the right format of a video you need to download is a challenge. Most especially when your media player plays a definite or only several format. Keepvid.com is a search and download engine that helps you find several format of a certain streaming video that you want to watch.

Three Great URL Shorteners

Sharing is fun and exciting! Today's generation, enjoy sharing files, media, notes, webpage, blogs, URL and other stuffs over the internet. Social networking sites are flooded with links from their various users, even in different web communities or blogsites where netizens'/ bloggers' post. However, copying the links of what we like to post and share are somewhat very annoying because of the length of these links. Especially when you have a very little space for URL add to paste on. For teacher who usually writes on the board will not dare to write too long URL address. It is very impractical to do so. URL shortener is the solution to this problem.

I would like to share with you three most often URL shortener that I use in my class or when I post something in the net. These three URL shorteners are goo.gl, tinyurl and bitly.

Jing and Screencast-O-Matic: A Great Screencasting Tools

How many times you clicked on "print screen button" in your computer just to capture an image displayed in your screen? Or, how many time you recorded a video of yourself using your webcam or simply used your video camera/mobile phone to take a video from your screen just to add this file on your presentation? Isn't it so annoying and time consuming to do this stuffs over and over again? There are two tools that I am using to capture an image or record a video from my screen.

These are Jing and Screencast-O-Matic.

Comic Master

Wanna have a new form of comic strip? In searching for other EdTech tool that I can use in my class, I found this site Comic Master which is providing a FREE service of comic creator. It only ask for your email and a password for your account. Its is supported by Read Me Sources, Words for Life and National Schools Partnership. 

A Simple Guide to Photo Story 3

One good tool to start developing our skill or our students' skill in making a movie is the use of Photo Story 3. It is a tool where you can compile your pictures, add or create music background, add narration, add titles to your pictures and a lot of more. The output of the movie using this tool depends on your creativity and concepts.

Photo Story 3 is a FREE software, however, you need to install Windows Media Player in your computer to install this tool. This tool can be used in creating simple movie presentation of lessons or reports of students after their activities. Creating such movie can be shared too through Vimeo, Youtube or simply file copying.

The link shared here is a very simple guide in using Photo Story 3. It is a step by step presentation. Again, your  output depends on your creativity. Hope you'll enjoy using Photo Story 3.

Creating Simple Movie on Photo Story 3

Rubrics Generator

One of the coolest stuff I found in the net is the use of rubrics generator. Scoring student's achievement, work, activity, recitation, media work, presentation and others is to difficult special when it is a qualitative measurement. With the new K-12 program here in the Philippines, creating a rubric score guide is the most difficult task.

and

There are plenty of rubrics generator in the internet, however....

Adding Files on Edmodo Library-A Quick Guide.

Files in the edmodo library are sources that we can view or share to our students anytime and anywhere. It is a collection of thoughts, works, videos or any that you have done or wanted to upload in your library.

Here is a quick guide that you can follow:

1. On the library, click on the button "ADD TO LIBRARY" 
2. A pop-up window will appear, you may choose between "FILE or LINK". If you choose file, take note that you are allowed to upload only a maximum of 100MB.
3. Another pop-up window will appear, but this time, it is a pop-up window of your explorer, find the file you want to upload and click "OPEN"
4. On a pop-up window, showing your added file, click "ADD" button.
5. Then your upload file will be on your library.

The use of edmodo library is very important  because your will have your access to all your data or sources anytime you want in any gadget you use. Free yourself from dangling USB drives. Be convenient. 

EdTech Tools for the 21st Generation Learners: Now used in Pangasinan

Thousands of secondary school teachers and administrators in Pangasinan I, Philippines now use EdTech Tool as their companion in teaching and learning. Recently, the Division of Pangasinan I conducted a mass training seminar workshop on the use of educational tool for the 21st century students. The tools discussed and trained in this seminar were edmodo, twitter, padlet, photostory3, windows moviemaker live, todaysmeet and much much more. The seminar workshop lasted for 12 days. Both teachers and administrators are now equipped with EdTech Tools to enhance their skills in teaching and ability to collaborate with their students and colleagues in their most convenient time and place.