Inspiration Project, Relationships within the Ecosystem

Podbean

Podbean: I love the idea of using Podbean as a pre-class introduction to a topic. I can also see using Podbean to introduce projects, therefore enabling parents (for lower grades) to view the podcast and better understand the assignment there child must complete. I enjoyed the use of the podcast within the music classroom to show students music-center vocab words. I think Podbean is a useful classroom tool and I can definitely see using it to give more specific instruction!

Scavenger Hunt : ABC's

Slideshow of Kittens!

Picnic and Smilebox

Picnic:    I enjoy Picnic as a website and it is an excellent tool for editing and improving pictures! The site is easy to use and the free tools and applications seem to be enough. However, I can certainly see the appeal in the premium (paid) version. Unfortunately, I do not see this be an extremely helpful tool within the classroom. Yes, of course it would provide fun editing for student pictures, but I am not so sure as to how it would be as great of a tool in the classroom as the others we have learned about.

Smilebox:    Smilebox seems very similar to Picnic. However, with the video capabilities I can see Smilebox being much more useful. I really like the idea of using Smilebox to create interactive news letters and presentations. There seem to be several different options and hundreds of personalization opportunities! I really like Smilebox and can definitely see myself using this within my own classroom.

Wordle and Timetoast

Wordle: I like the concept behind wordle. The uses within the classroom seem almost endless. Using a word cloud to display information bout specific event or to spice up historical information is a brilliant idea! I can see using world not only for educational and teaching word cloud but also fun little "star student" awards and things of that sort. Wordle is fun to play around with and I think students would really enjoy using it within the classroom.

Timetoast: Timetoast is a virtual timeline. I LOVE the idea of using a timetoast with in a classroom. Having students research individual topics and create a timeline that can be done quickly would be a great in class activity. Additionally, because your timetoast can be save to your timetoast account, it could be accessed at home as well, this enables student to work in multiple location before sharing. I fully plan to implement timetoast as a classroom tool within my future classroom

Delicious and Glogster

Delicious:    I really enjoy the concept of Delicious. It seems incredibly simple, almost a "duh" website...as in "duh, why didn't I think of that." I especially liked when Vincent and Bethany explained that students could use the site as a research tool. It seems to completely simply the process of research at home and at school. The site would be incredibly useful within both high school and elementary aged classrooms. I am slightly uneasy about the freedom the site provides, just in the first seconds of signing up there seemed to be a few racy stacks that were suggest. I see this as the only con.

Glogster:   The digital poster concept that is Glogster is fantastic. The site seems like a great solution to the messy hassle that scissor and paste posters can often be. The possibilities that are provided for uses of a glog seem endless. I will definitely try and implement use of glogster within my classroom. Even if students cant get the hang of it (which is not likely) it will be a great tool to use as a teacher!