When I first started teaching, PowerPoint was all the rage, but over the years, many of us have died a slow death from boring PowerPoint presentations in which presenters have read every bit of text on their slides to an audience that has already read ahead. I have been guilty of this crime myself and have learned to abide by Guy Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule for presenting information. I have also moved away from PowerPoint, using Prezi and Google Slides as an alternative.
Recently, however, PowToon has caught my attention. PowToon is Web-based animation software that allows you and your students to create animated presentations by manipulating text, scenes and objects from the PowToon gallery, imported images, background music, and user-created voice-overs for an engaging, animated video with a professional look and feel. It is easy to get started as PowToon will allow you to sign up for its service with your Google account. Further, PowToon has an outstanding support page with helpful video tutorials. Click here to learn more.
I love it when teachers start a conversation about instructional technology that begins with "I wish there was a way my students could..." Much of the time, there IS a way that some kind of instructional technology tool can meet their needs. More often than not, Seesaw is one of those tools.
Seesaw empowers students to document their own learning by putting a variety of versatile content-creation tools at their fingertips, provides families with a window into their child's school day and a medium to communicate with teachers, and helps teachers assess student work and foster 21st-century skill development in a safe environment.
With Seesaw, students can "show what they know" using photos, videos, audio recordings, drawings, text notes, files uploads, and links. Teachers can also create activities to assess student work.
View the video tutorials below to learn how you can leverage Seesaw in your classroom:
Every technology company has its own branded vocabulary for the products and services it offers. Google is no exception. Most of us are familiar with Google Apps like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. These tools help us be productive on the Web without having to buy and install software. Many of us are less familiar with Chrome Apps and Extensions and are confused about what they are and how they work.
Chrome Apps are simply applications that can run inside the Chrome browser--think of them as shortcuts to Web sites that easily integrate with Google (i.e. you can use your Google username and password to sign-up and log-in to the service). Some of my favorite Chrome Apps include WeVideo, PowToon, Canva, Seesaw, and EDpuzzle. Each of these apps is available in the Chrome Web Store and puts content creation in the hands of students. If you are reading this blog on your laptop, look at the top left corner of your browser on the bookmarks bar. You should see a colorful "waffle" icon. If you click it, you will see what Chrome Apps you have installed on your account. (If you are on a Chromebook, the apps launcher is on the bottom left of the "Shelf" and looks like an open circle).
Check out the video below for a brief tour of the Chrome Web Store. In the coming weeks, I'll be taking a deeper dive into some of the aforementioned Apps and Extensions to help you and your students get the most out of the Chrome browser. Note: At the elementary level, the district has disabled the students' ability to install apps and extensions. However, we can create a custom page on the Chrome Web Store to make pre-selected Apps and Extensions available. Please contact Barb Ritch or me if you have a request to install an App or Extension.
