CreativeTools

Creative Web 2.0 Tools //Tools are inspiring and motivating, but how you use them makes a difference. //

Do's and Don'ts For Effective Creative Products
 * ** Do's ** || ** Don'ts ** ||
 * Provide example products to inspire and build the vision. || Assign the project for homework without class time to build the project. ||
 * Provide opportunity to learn content well. || Expect creativity with a fragile knowledge base. ||
 * Provide incubation time. || Expect creative products in a short amount of time ||
 * Provide ways to gather and organize ideas and content. || Expect students to plan and organize without any scaffolding. ||
 * Provide clear expectations (Rubrics are helpful for this). || Assign ambiguous projects. ||
 * Provide an audience. || Have the only audience be the teacher ||
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Allow students to collaborate with others. ||  ||

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">There are hundreds of web 2.0 tools and iPad apps that can be used by students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of your content. Here are some of my favorites:


 * <span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%; text-align: center;">Comic Strips: ||
 * [[image:Bitstrips.png link="http://www.bitstripsforschools.com/"]]

[|try it!] Class Code: MayMurr || [|Bitstrips] for Schools provides flexibility. Students can reposition the characters, and they have plenty of choices.The finished projects can be embedded into a web page. Teachers can see their students' work and follow their progress. Students can collaborate and comment on each other's strips.

media type="custom" key="10255533" align="center" ||
 * [[image:ToonDoo.png link="http://www.toondoo.com"]] || [|ToonDoo] is a fast and simple. Students can make strips or books. They can create their own characters and draw their own scenes. Finished products can be embedded on a webpage or emailed. ||

<span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">Animations and Videos: ||
 * [[image:goanimate.png width="173" height="66" link="http://goanimate4schools.com/public_index"]] || [|Go!Animate] is a resource which allows students to create animations. There is a great management piece for teachers to view the products and provide feedback for the students using comments. Finished products can be embedded on a webpage. ||
 * media type="custom" key="10260431" align="center" ||
 * [[image:animoto.png width="216" height="61" link="http://www.animoto.com"]] || [|Animoto] allows students to upload images and videos, add text, music, and special effects to create a video which will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding about a concept. Students can embed, download, or export their videos to Youtube. ||
 * [[image:Zooburst.png link="http://www.zooburst.com"]] || [|Zooburst] is an augmented reality resource which allows students to create a virtual pop-up book that can be viewed using a computer with or without a webcam. The end products can be viewed on the website or embedded into a webpage. ||
 * media type="custom" key="10255625" align="center" ||
 * [[image:kerpoof.png width="220" height="84" link="http://www.kerpoof.com/#"]] || [|Kerpoof]is a kid-friendly resource which allows students to create digital storybooks, movies, pictures, drawings, and more. Products can be viewed online or emailed.

[| Frequently Asked Questions from Educators] ||
 * [[image:Blabberize.png width="237" height="57" link="http://blabberize.com/"]] || [|Blabberize]is a funny resource which allows students to upload or select an image and make it talk using their own voice. Finished products can be embedded onto a website or viewed on their website. ||
 * media type="custom" key="10255493" align="center" ||
 * [[image:voki.png link="http://www.voki.com"]] || [|Voki] allows students to select and avatar and make it speak by typing in the words or speaking into a microphone. The finished product can be embedded onto a webpage. For a fee, Voki Classroom account now lets you manage your assignments and view your students' projects.

[|Student Example] ||

<span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">Image Editing:
 * [[image:picnik.png width="167" height="54" link="http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome"]] || [|Picnik] is an user-friendly web tool which allows students to edit images and add text and special effects. Finished products can be downloaded as jpeg images and placed on a webpage, used in other multi-media projects, or printed out. ||
 * [[image:pixlr.png width="179" height="60" link="http://pixlr.com/"]] || [|Pixlr]is an online image editing software which is very similar to Photoshop. It has many of the same tools as Photoshop, and it is free. There have been some freezing issues with this site, but the tools are amazing. Finished images can be placed on a webpage, used in other multi-media projects, or printed out. ||

<span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">Websites (Wikis and Blogs)
 * [[image:kidblog.png width="206" height="58"]] || [|Kidblogs] is a great student blog website with a management piece for teachers and very easy log-in for students. Students can include text, video, and images in their blogposts to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.
 * [[image:kidblog.png width="206" height="58"]] || [|Kidblogs] is a great student blog website with a management piece for teachers and very easy log-in for students. Students can include text, video, and images in their blogposts to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.

[|Student example] ||
 * [[image:wikispaces.png width="197" height="49"]] || [|Wikispaces] is a great wiki tool for teachers to create class websites. Students can have their own webpage to demonstrate their knowledge.

[|Student example] ||

<span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">iPad Apps:
 * [[image:photospeak.png width="86" height="89"]] || Photospeak allows students to use any image and make it speak. The image actually comes to life with blinking eyes and head moving. The finished product can be emailed or uploaded to youtube.

[|GeorgeWashington.mov] ||
 * [[image:storybuddy.png width="96" height="95"]] || StoryBuddy allows students to create e-books which can be viewed on devices such as the iPad. Students can create their own books and then read them on their personal device. Why not create a virtual classroom library so that students can read each other's books on the iPads or other personal devices. ||
 * [[image:wordfoto.png]] || WordFoto allows students to use any image and add a series of words which then are combined to make a word cloud in the shape of the image. Finished products can be saved as images and emailed to be used in multi-media projects or placed on a webpage.

||
 * [[image:showme.png width="98" height="91"]] || ShowMe turns your iPad into an interactive whiteboard. Students can create tutorials for other students. The tutorials can be made available through a webpage for other students to view. ||

<span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">Electronic Idea Bins:
 * [[image:IdeaBin.png width="107" height="44"]] || [| Linoit] web tool allows students to collect images, notes, and videos in one place to be organized later for creative projects. ||
 * [[image:evernote.png width="148" height="45"]] || [|Evernote] website and iPad/iPhone app allows students to capture resources (images, notes, video, weblinks, audio... ) and access them anywhere in the world. Items are easily searchable for use in their creative products. ||
 * [[image:ideawallets.png width="71" height="74" link="http://www.ideawallets.com/"]] || [|IdeaWallets]and related tools are great iPad/iPhone apps for idea bins to gather and organize ideas for student creative products. ||
 * [[image:iBrainstorm.png width="92" height="94"]] || [|iBrainstorm & iBrainstorm Companion] allow your students to brainstorm using virtual post-it notes. The iBrainstorm Companion app allows all the iPads/iPhones in the room to connect so groups can all brainstorm at once. ||