Tech Tip Tuesday ... Prezi!

Prezi is a fun alternative to PowerPoint. You're no longer limited to simple slides that move forward or back. Instead, you can add all kinds of media (text, images, videos, links, etc.) to a big, open canvas. You then create paths from object to object. The zooming and panning technique is much more interesting to students than a simple, linear presentation.

As an example, I created an "25 Things ..." presentation for you. Check it out! Click through the presentation with the arrow or click More to autoplay the Prezi or view it Full Screen.

All About Me on Prezi

Prezi's are a little more involved than your average PowerPoint, so there needs to be some good planning time involved in the process with our students. For this project, I:

1. Listed my "25 things" in a Word Document. (It's much easier to edit and check over for spelling, etc. in Word than it is in Prezi)
2. Gathered picture to go with my "things", and saved them in a folder on my computer
3. Created the Prezi, and added the text and images
4. I created Paths on the Prezi
5. I then "watched" it two or three times, and made little adjustments
6. Next, I copied the embed code to add to the blog. It also gives you a URL that you can share with your students or others.

If you'd like to create your own Prezi or want your students to use Prezi for a school project, be sure to sign up today for a FREE educator account at Prezi.com

You can also read about Prezi here:
Becky Burnett's recent post on Tech Tips and Such
Prezi Academy (Step by Step Tutorial)

If you're still interested, take a look at this Thought-Provoking Prezi!

Thoughts on using Prezi as a teaching tool on Prezi

We will be offering classes on how to use Prezi in the classroom this summer. Summer Inservices Classes will be available in Eduphoria on May 1!

Tech Tip Tuesday ... Zoom.it!

Zoom.it is a fun online tool that allows you to create and share large images in a totally zoomable format. Each picture is assigned a nice short URL or you can easily embed large images in your class website, blog, or anywhere! It's almost TOO easy!

Check it out ... Click into the picture below, drag it around, use your mouse-scrolly-wheel (yes another technical term) to zoom in or out, or click the "Toggle Full Page" button in the lower right to see it full screen!

Now that you love it, I'm sure you want to know to to use this great tool!

• Find a picture online somewhere (or upload your own picture somewhere); right-click the picture and click Copy image URL
• Go to Zoom.it
• Paste the URL into the Hit Create

Seriously. That's it! 

When your Zoom.it is complete, it gives you a couple of options of ways to share it. Send someone a link, Embed it onto your webpage (like I did here), or even post it to Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Check out this additional example using a NASA photo.




And here's how I did it ... step-by-step!

If there is a full-size image available, click on it.

Right-click on the [full size] image, and Copy image URL.

 
Paste the URL into Zoom.it and hit Create.

If you create a zoomable image to use with your students, I would love to see it! Be sure to leave the link in a comment above (right beneath the name of this post).

I read about Zoom.it here!

Tech Tip Tuesday ... TCEA!!!

Today's Tech Tip will be a little different. I'm spending the week at a fabulous convention (that I may or may not have called a "Nerd Conference" once or twice before!) learning about all kinds of new technology integration ideas and lots of extra tips and tricks I can share with you. Today I attended a Google Academy. (Ooohh, how I love Google!)

Let's just say that I foresee us all moving "to the cloud" pretty soon! If you don't know what I mean by that, stick around and keep reading the blog!

For today, I want to try something using a Google Form! If you've never used Google forms, it's super easy! I created this form in about a minute and a half, and embedded it here. All results submitted through this form are instantly uploaded to a spreadsheet in my Google Docs. It's a great way to keep track of information. (It can EVEN be used to create self-grading quiz for students!!!)

Thank you in advance for your participation. I will post the results spreadsheet next week so you can see how it works!

Tech Tip Tuesday ... Mixbook

Even though we're home today (enjoying a snow day!), I still wanted to share this site with you today. In fact, maybe you'll even have some time to play with it! (You didn't have other plans today, did you???)

Mixbook is a great online tool for creating all kinds of books - digital scrapbooks, class yearbooks, personal journals, ABC books, etc. Whether you use this tool at home or in the classroom, you will love it!

And guess what??? If you create and order a book in the next two days, you can use the coupon code "BEMINE30" to get their 30% off Valentine's Day special! (Doesn't have to be a Valentine's Day book - use the discount on anything!) Offer ends Wednesday, Feb 2!

Creating the book is really quite easy - I suggest you pick one of their amazing templates. If you want to adjust anything (resize a picture, add a picture, delete a textbox, etc., just do it!)

The really, really great thing is that you have several options of how to "publish" these books! You can publish any books online for anyone to see. Send your students and their parents a link, and they can go right to your book, "flip" through all the pages, add comments, and they can even edit their own pages!

Wanna see some examples??? (I found these in the Mixbook Gallery)

2010-11 in Ms. Naugle's Classroom - cute book displaying some of the fun (and "techy") things Ms. Naugle's students have done in class

Over the Meadow - cute story book using STUDENT CREATED ART!

10 Influential American Authors - what a great idea! Instead of a simple pen and paper writing assignment, let the kids create! They will still learn about the authors!

Vertebrates - What??? Using a "language" tool to teach Science? Yep! Be sure to check out this student's book about vertebrates and see another example of how hand-drawn art can be used!

Geometry Scrapbook - what a fantastic idea! Students can use a digital camera (or the one on their phones!) to take pictures of real life examples of geometric shapes, angles, terms, etc. then create a MixBook with the pictures - make sure they use text to explain the shape. Fun idea, great final project! Look how I can even embed it on a webpage ...

| View Sample Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

Okay, as you can tell, I really like this site! I can't let this opportunity pass without showing you the MixBook I did for a Christmas present for my mom! I designed it online for anyone to view, but I purchased 3 copies of the hard-back book. I was super impressed with the quality!


Wanna see more Alaska? (fyi - it's colder HERE today than any of the current temperatures of the places we visited in Alaska!!!) Click here to see my Alaska book!