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[CollaborizeClassroom.com] Technology in Schools

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As the name suggests, CollaborizeClassroom.com allows for the integration and extension of the physical school, online as a portal that allows for the integration of various aspects of the school and the classroom. Teachers are able to monitor students’ activities online and they can use students’ levels of involvement to assign participation grades.

Collaborize Classroom.com

DemocraSoft

4

As the name suggests, CollaborizeClassroom allows for the integration and extension of the physical school, online as a portal that allows for the integration of various aspects of the school and the classroom. Teachers are able to monitor students' activities online and they can use students' levels of involvement to assign participation grades.

collaborize-classroom

 

What are Some things that I can do With Collaborizeclassroom.com?

Robust Platform

Teachers can create  a site for their classrooms with their own URL, such as [mysite.collaborizeclassroom.com].

Topic Library

  • Teachers from all over the site can upload or embed files and videos from all over the internet. Teachers can then use those lessons to enhance their own instruction or create discussions within their group or groups about those topics.

Reports

  • Track students' activity and use their activity on the platform as a part of their participation grades.

Groups

  • Segment your school or classroom into various groups so that activities can be more targeted.

Attachments

  • Bring the best resources from the Internet into your online classroom by attaching pictures, videos, PDF or Microsoft Office® Documents
  • Make conversations more fun and interactive by accommodating different learning styles
  • Connect lessons and assignments to real-world issues, in real time

Structured Conversations

  • Streamline conversations and drive to specific learning outcomes with structured topic types
  • Take a poll, hold a debate, post a practice test, or let your students support their arguments
  • Launch student-driven projects and challenge-based learning
  • Let your students be heard and support each other in dynamic conversations

Conclusion

I think that  CollaborizeClassroom.com can be a very useful tool for the classroom, or the entire school community. Your site can even be extended to include parents of students in your class so that they are kept "in the loop". [visit]

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[Prezi.com] Create Eye-Popping Presentations

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Are you tired of boring presentations that fail to capture your audience? Well, look no further. Prezi is a possible reprieve. Prezi is a hugely popular web-based presentation software that will make your presentations appear as though they are literally jumping at you and your audience.

Prezi

Prezi

5

Are you ready to make your presentations great? Well, Prezi is a great tool to help you on your way.

prezi

Are you tired of  boring presentations that fail to capture your audience? Well, look no further. Prezi is a possible reprieve. Prezi is a hugely popular web-based presentation software that will make your presentations appear as though they are literally jumping at you and your audience.

Prezi can be created and viewed in all major browsers and viewed on your Apple Ipad. If you upgrade to the pro version you will be able to download Prezi to your computer, thus allowing you the ability to create and view your presentations offline, especially, if you are operating on a slow or insecure internet connection.

What are the main features of Prezi?

Prezi has many features, too many to name them all here. Some of the key features include customizable templates (saves time), importing your PowerPoint slides, prezi meeting (collaboration), and the insertion of media just to name a few.

How easy is it to work with Prezi?

I have not used it extensively as yet, but I plan to use it in my classroom to help me bring my presentations to life. From what I have seen so far, it seems easy to use.

Can Prezi replace PowerPoint?

I don't think that it will ever replace all the capabilities of PowerPoint. As a matter- of - fact,  you can import your presentations from PowerPoint into Prezi. However, Prezi is sure to add some much needed variety to your presentations.

Conclusion

I think that Prezi is a good way to present information in a graphical form and it allows for the integration of various media files effortlessly. My only suggestion is that you should take it easy with the effects that can be carried out in Prezi. Give it a try, you and your audience will be happy that you did.

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Canvas LMS, the new, open learning management system | Instructure

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Learning Management Systems are very important in this day and age. LMS’s save a lot of time, money and in general are much more efficient than the traditional pen and paper only classroom.  The Learning Management Systems market is dominated by Blackboard and Moodle. Moodle being the most widely used self-hosted free Learning Management System (LMS) and Blackboard being the market leader for paid LMS services. Canvas is definitely looking to disrupt the market place and their product and is proving to be a hit in the marketplace with some institutions already migrating their data over to the Canvas by Instructure platform.

Canvas by Instructure

Instructure

5

Canvas LMS is definitely looking to disrupt the market place and their product and is proving to be a hit in the marketplace with some institutions already migrating their data over to the Canvas by Instructure platform. This is a great product that could potentially lower the cost of administering courses.

canvas by instructure

What is Canvas by Instructure?

Canvas is an easy to use Opensource Learning Management System geared primary for educational institutions.  However, this platform can be used by any organization that needs an online collaboration space. The navigation is similar to what you will find on popular social networking sites. If you are familiar with other LMS's such as Desire2Learn, Moodle, or Blackboard you will find yourself at home with Canvas by Instructure because of its ease of use and intuitive navigation. Also, they have a free Ipad App in the AppStore.

What are the Key Features of Instructure?

Some of the main features of Canvas include, but are not limited to, the following:

Connections: Canvas makes it very easy to share your current social media profiles within your learning community. Teachers and students are able to join and create groups  so that they can participate in classroom and course discussions.

Notifications: Configurable notification settings allowing you to choose whether you want to be notified via email or text messages (SMS).

Assignments/ Tests: Teachers/instructors can create assignments and quizzes and students can turn in and complete assignments and quizzes right through the Canvas interface. Built in rubrics creation allows for easy grading of assignments and tests.

Instant Messages: Members of classes or groups can communicate instantaneously using Tiny Chat's IM platform built into Canvas.

Analytics: Administrators are able to access usage statistics or analytics on the account and have super admin priviledges over all users.

 Cost?

Canvas is free for individual teachers/ instructors, however, schools, districts and other organizations will have to contact Instructure for more details. It is important to note that Canvas is running Ruby on Rails, therefore, expertise in that area will be necessary  to effectively run the platform if you are going for the self-hosted education package. Individual teachers can just create an account and get started.

Conclusion

Canvas by Instructure is definitely a Learning Management System to watch out for and I would urge you to give it a try if you looking for an online home for your course or courses. If I were Blackboard, I would be shaking in my boots. Canvas may not affect Moodle as much, because it is totally free and well supported. However, for organizations  subscribed to (Blackboard or Desire2Learn) would definitely want to take a look at Canvas by Instructure.

What do you think about Canvas' Learning Management System?

 

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Redbeacon.com Get Connected With Service Providers

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How easy is it for you to discover local service providers that have a solid reputation? We have been trying to have the front of our house painted for the past 2 years. Trust me, it is hard to find the perfect provider when you are most in need of getting something done.  We never seem to have enough time in our days to get around to calling local providers to get quotes. I suggest that you get a minimum of 4 quotes for your projects. Well, suppose I tell you that there is a website that allows you to securely post your projects and local providers will bid on your project..

Redbeacon

RedBeacon

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RedBeacon is a tool that allows you to easily find help for projects big and small. You simply create a profile, list your task and the bids will start rolling in. Based on the bids and the bidders profile you will select the worker to complete your task.

redbeacon_logo

 

What is RedBeacon?

RedBeacon is a marketplace that allows you to list your projects securely online and service providers will bid on your project.

 

How can I post My project?

Posting your project is very easy. All you have to do is capture a video or picture and post your project on the website along with your requirements. Also, you can download the IOS App and submit your projects right through the App's interface.

How will I know when Service Providers have Placed a bid on my Project?

You will be notified via emails and text messages to alert you that service providers have placed a bid on your project.

RedBeacon will select service providers, based on their reputation scores, then contact you through the site and they may ask you more questions or request that they be allowed to visit the project site to take a closer look,  in an effort to give you a more accurate quote.

From The Publisher


Have you ever used RedBeacon? Would you use such a service?  I will update this post and let you know how it is working out for you.

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[WatchKnowLearn.org] Organized Educational Videos From Multiple Sources

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YouTube is one of my favorite channels when it comes to browsing educational videos. However, there are some major flaws with using YouTube for educational purposes, in the classroom and beyond. One flaw  is that students can easily end up watching videos that they have no business seeing in the school setting or anywhere for that matter. Also, the videos on Youtube are not very well organized, so you are left carrying out many searches, thus wasting time.

Watch Know Learn

Watch Know Learn

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Watch Know Lear is a platform that acts as an archive for educational videos that are safe for the entire family. The Videos are sorted into categories making it very easy to find the type of video that you are looking for.

educational videos

 

Introducing to you, WatchKnowLearn.org. WatchKnowLearn.org  takes the hard work out for you and allows you, the user, to play an active role in curating videos from all over the internet that are educational in nature. Below are some of the organizations that have partnered with WatchKnowLearn.org

WatchKnowLearn.org  is an educational website that curates educational videos. The videos are well organized and they are currently updating the site to integrate the Common Core Standards.

How Are Videos Added?

Adding videos to the site is very simple. You simply click on the add video link when you have logged in and follow the directions provided. You will be asked to enter information about the video source, so it is a good idea to have information about the video that you are adding. As an alternative to simply linking videos found elsewhere, your own videos can be uploaded when you are granted permission to do so.

How many Videos Do they Have?

WatchKnowLearn.org currently has over 30,000 videos placed in over 3,000 categories. All videos are categorized and can be searched by subject, age level, video titles, and descriptions.

Conclusion

I think that adding educational videos from various sources and bringing them all together under one safe roof is an excellent idea. To make it an even sweeter deal, the videos are categorized and they are from top quality content providers, all for the cost of zero. [visit]

What do you think about WatchKnowLearn.org?

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Cool Math Games [ABCYA]

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What does the application do and what is this application all about?
Abcya.com is an educational website that has some cool math games  that you definitely should bookmark. The design of the site is very colorful and attractive aimed squarely at the kids. The games are based on different educational topics such as grammar, mathematics, and general knowledge.

ABCYA

ABCYA

4

This website is for children K-5th grade levels. The games and their difficulty level are well suited for the targeted users. I have used this website in my classroom and my students love the games.

abcya

What are the main Features of ABCYA?

One of the main features of this website that makes it stand out from other educational games websites is that the site is very well organized.   They have managed to merge entertainment and education in their colorful creations which children will absolutely love. They also have applications (apps) in the Apple App Store starting at .99 cents per app.

This website is completely free and requires no registration, however, they have ads that will not be too intrusive when the kids are playing.

Conclusion

This award winning site is fantastic for children and the creator has done a wonderful job exposing the kids to educational concepts in a fun and engaging manner. It is included in American Library Association’s Great Web Sites for Kids. It is informative and educational and very simple and easy for kids to use.[visit]

What do you think about Abcya.com? How do you use it at home or in your classroom?

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