Cool Tools for Cool Kiddos
Animation
http://fluxtime.com/animate.php
free animation activities for children - animate and play online, share clipart and collaborate with other animators
http://www.moovl.co.uk/
Moovl is a unique online tool which teachers and pupils can use to draw, animate and apply physical properties
to objects in order to bring their pictures and words to life.
http://www.blender.org/
3d animation
Avatars
http://www.shrinkpictures.com/create-avatar/
http://www.tektek.org/dream/ dream avatar creator
http://whuddle.crystal-dreams.us/whuddletar2.php
http://www.doppelme.com/create/step2.asp These look alot like a the Wii characters
http://www.funnypics.cc/media/create_your_avatar.php
http://www.meez.com/home.dm THis has been my favorite because you can animate them
http://www.gizmoz.com/create/head With gizmoz you upload a photo and using facial recogntion software you
can create a cartoon character of yourself
Biography Tool
This tool allows students to develop an outline of a person whose biography or autobiography they have just read; it can also be used before students write their own autobiography. Specific prompts ask students to describe a person’s significance, background, and personality. The finished printout can be folded into a fun cube shape that can be used for future reference.
Book Cover Creator
The Book Cover Creator is designed to allow users to type and illustrate front book covers, front and back covers, and full dust jackets. Students can use the tool to create new covers for books that they read as well as to create covers for books they write individually or as a class.
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Book Cover Guide
Explore the parts of book covers and dust jackets with this online guide, designed to to allow users to review the content that appears on each portion of these artifacts.
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C.A.D.
for Kids
http://sketchup.google.com/download.html
Google SketchUp 6 is a 3D modeling software tool that’s easy to learn, simple to use, and lets you place your models in Google Earth. Are you remodeling a kitchen, landscaping your back yard or adding a deck to your home? Google SketchUp makes it faster, easier and a lot more fun. From simple to complex, from conceptual to realistic, Google SketchUp helps you see your vision before you build it.
Once you've built your models, you can place them in Google Earth, post them to the 3D Warehouse.
http://www.ldraw.org/ LDraw™ is an open standard for LEGO CAD programs that allow the user to create virtual LEGO models and scenes. You can use it to document models you have physically built, create building instructions just like LEGO, render 3D photo realistic images of your virtual models and even make animations. The possibilities are endless. Unlike real LEGO bricks where you are limited by the number of parts and colors, in LDraw nothing is impossible. You can download
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Step 1 |
Download the following file: ldraw_setup_2006q3_full_J.exe
NOTE: The file is protected by a Captcha image. Please type in the letters you see in the picture. |
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Kids who like to be challenged
Anim8or is a 3D modeling and character animation program . You can download here http://www.anim8or.com/main/index.html
Be sure to follow the tutorials here to learn how to use the program http://www.anim8or.com/main/index.html
http://www.cadstd.com/ C.A.D studio CadStd is a general purpose, easy to learn CAD/drafting program for creating professional quality mechanical designs, house plans, blueprints, schematics and charts utilizing ANSI drawing standards. Free download here http://www.cadstd.com/lite.html
Character Trading Cards
The interactive Character Trading Cards tool is a fun and useful way for students to explore a character in a book that they are reading or as a prewriting exercise when creating characters for original stories.
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Circle Plot Diagram
The Circle Plot Diagram can be used as a prewriting graphic organizer for students writing original stories with a circular plot structure as well as a postreading organizer used to explore the text structures in a book.
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Comic Creator
The Comic Creator invites students to compose their own comic strips for a variety of contexts (prewriting, pre- and postreading activities, response to literature, and so on).
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Compare & Contrast Map
The Compare & Contrast Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for different kinds of comparison essays.
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Comparison and Contrast Guide
The Comparison and Contrast Guide outlines the characteristics of the genre and provides direct instruction on the methods of organizing, gathering ideas, and writing comparison and contrast essays.
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Bookmarks
Del.icio.us: Social bookmarking site where users can save bookmarks and organize them with tags. Users can also take advantage of their del.icio.us network allowing them to add friends to their account and keep track of bookmarks left by each friend.
Building on Line
Brio Track Builder Virtual Brio Train design http://brio.knex.com/customer/TrackBuilder.php
Built track and neighborhood http://funschool.kaboose.com/time-warp/games/game_all_aboard.html
Citation Machine
Click the link below to use the Citation maker from Calvin College. You can enter your reference information in, and the cite
maker will put it in proper order for you.
http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/
EasyBib: An “automatic bibliography composer” that lets users enter sources and fill out a simple forms to be given MLA style bibliographies. I’ve used this multiple times in the past for research papers.
Ottobib: Similar to EasyBib, Ottobib is a simple bibliography tool that allows users to enter multiple ISBN numbers for books at a time and retrieve the bibliographies in MLA, APA, AMA, or Chicago/Turabian format.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
- classroom tools that span the needs of Students, Parents, Teachers and School Administrators
My Note It - http://www.mynoteit.com/
Schoopy - http://www.schoopy.com/
School Tool - http://www.schooltool.org/
Teach Learning - Free K-12 curriculum materials on any topic
Engrade - http://www.engrade.com/ - online grading tool
Moodle* - http://moodle.org - open source course management system
Create Comics
at the sites below
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/ line comics
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/starslp/missionz/comic.htm Garfield Comic
http://www.stripcreator.com/make.php Comic strip creator
http://www.boyslife.org/games/online-games/235/comic-creator/
http://disney.go.com/surfswell/comiccreator.html disney comic creator on line
http://plasq.com/ Comic Life free 30 days
DATABASES only - those I don't think any of the Virtual Office have this feature
- Lazybase - http://lazybase.com/
- My Own DB - http://www.myowndb.com/
Drawing
http://flashface.ctapt.de/
face generator
http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html
picasso's head and face
http://artpad.art.com/artpad/painter/
On-line drawing and art program
http://www.imaginationcubed.com/Imagine
draw pain and stamp right on line
http://www.izhuk.com/painter/
J-Painter is an image editor that allows drawing within a browser. You can install it on your website or embed it in your web application. The editor can be easy configured for many applications:
Sketchcast - Talk about creativity, you can sketch a drawing with or without voice or write content and save it to your PC.
Skrbl - It's like a virtual space. Simple and easy online multi-user whiteboard, Sketch, text, share files, upload pictures all in one common shared space.
Encyclopedias On line
The old reliable Britannica can be accessed online, but of course there is a fee once the free trial period ends. You can read more about the services they offer at their website: http://www.eb.com/index.html
Another example of an online encyclopedia but this one is free. It also includes a dictionary, atlas and many other features. It is supported through advertising so prepare yourself for some distractions. http://encarta.msn.com/artcenter_/browse.html
This easy to use reference website is familiar to most students. This site also includes a
Thesaurus,
Encyclopedia and
web
search engine. You can check it all out for yourself at: http://dictionary.reference.com/
This website offers you a whole list of additional online encyclopedia resources including the ones listed above. It also has it's own search engine and plenty of catagories to browse. Check it out here: http://www.ipl.org/
Family Tree
Geni
This tool lets you instantly start building up a family tree and you can invite people you add by email so they can also start adding to the same tree. This was used in a school as part of an 'All About Me' topic and apparently it really got the community involved and families found it a really easy to use and useful tool.
Another similar tool to Geni where you can easily start setting up family tree information
http://kindo.com/
family tree maker
http://www.thefamilypost.com/
family tree with pictures
http://www.myfamily.com/
add news videos pictures and text
Games
http://supertux.lethargik.org/
SuperTux is a classic 2D jump'n run sidescroller game in a style similar to the original SuperMario games
Samorost Two
Created by Amanita Design, these lovely point and click games are guaranteed to enthrall all who play them. They would be awesome for using to prompt creative writing or instructional writing. The problem solving skills needed to play are also great brain gym. The first game features a smoking character who seems a little 'out of it' so may not be suitable for kids but the second game has no such issues. It is called a 'Point and Click' game as that is how you play - by clicking on areas of the screen to make things happen. This might seem to be an easy thing to do but finding the right places to click and in the correct order is no easy feat! Not all the levels of Samorost Two are included in the free online version and you need to pay to download the full version (but not very much).
Questionaut
This is a game specifically designed for the BBC education website and is to help children learn facts about English, Science and Maths. You still have to point and click in order to get the characters on each screen to ask the questions. Each correct answer means that you move to another level as your hot air balloon fills up. A great game.
Rooms
This is a game I tripped over one day on the web and spent an engrossing number of hours making my way through the levels (and I am not someone that is a gamer as a rule). The game is set in a mysterious mansion with rooms that move and that contain magical items to help you make your way through. Using both mouse and keyboard, use the items you find and slide the rooms into the correct configuration to make your escape. It starts off deceptively easily and then gets quite difficult. A great problem solving game with excellent graphics. The only draw back is the large file sizes for it to load
Graphic Organizers
http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/
kwl flo charts venn diagrams
http://www.simpleseating.com/
seating chart
Graph Makers
Graphic Map
The Graphic Map assists teachers and students in reading and writing activities by charting the high and low points related to a particular item or group of items, such as events during a day or chapters in a book.
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http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/
Graphs and charts are great because they communicate information visually
http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/grapher.html
http://www.schools.ash.org.au/stkierans-manly/Graph/graph.html
http://www.handygraph.com/free_graphs.htm
blank graph paper
Handwriting Maker
http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/
Make custom handwriting worksheets at the click of a button !
Select a handwriting style below and watch the magic unfold !
Free from your friends at TampaReads.com
Images Resources
images.info.com
freedigitalphotos.netbarrysfreephotos.com
dreamstime.com/free-photos
yotophoto.com
corbis.com
freestockphotos.com
bigfoto.com
jupiterimages.com
istockphoto.com
freephotobank.org
image.baidu.com
photos.com
public-
domain-photos.com
Morguefile, big size pics, organized by topics, of high quality. They are copyright free, and with very original content.
ImageAfter, all kind of pics. You can find textures, nature...
Free High Resolution Photos, very original photos that you can use freely.
Copyright Free Photos, maybe they are not too big, but they are useful and nice.
http://www.inmagine.com/ Watermarks the images
backgroundsarchive.com great background images
BestAnimation's Backgrounds, allows to make really amazing backgrounds.
All Free Backgrounds, you can choose a background by color, texture...
bgMaker, has a gallery of designs and you can pick a background color that you like.
Maps
Google Earth
This is a free download that you can get for your home computer here.
EarthCam
Don't forget you can also see what's going on all over the world too.
Google Maps
Online dynamic maps with all kinds of search features.
Yahoo Maps
Same basic idea as Google Maps
Live Search Maps
MSN’s version of Google Maps
Math Blocks
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/topic_t_3.html
Virtual
http://www.e-tutor.com/et2/graphing/
pn line graphicing calculator
http://www.aplusmath.com/
on line math tools
http://www.geogebra.org/cms/
GeoGebra is a free and multi-platform dynamic mathematics software for schools
that joins geometry, algebra and calculus.
Mind Mapping
http://www.mindjet.com/us/
http://www.exploratree.org.uk/
thinking guide
http://www.thinkature.com/
mind mapping with sketch
http://www.mindomo.com/
more mind mapping
Mind Mapping
ReadWriteThink Webbing Tool
The Webbing Tool provides a free-form graphic organizer for activities that ask students to pursue hypertextual thinking and writing. The tool provides a quick way for students to trace out options and rearrange connections in prewriting and post-reading activities.
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Mystery Stories
Mystery Cube
The Mystery Cube is a useful tool that helps students identify and summarize story elements in this popular genre. It can be used as a postreading activity for mysteries students have read or as a prewriting activity for students writing their own mysteries.
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Persuasion Map
The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.
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Puzzlemakers
http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/ Puzzlemaker is a puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and print customized word search, criss-cross, math puzzles, and more using your own word lists.
http://www.puzzle-maker.com/ Create word searches and crossword puzzles
Photograph Puzzle Maker
Choose a picture from your computer (jpeg, png, gif, and bmp formats supported). You can use a photograph you took with your camera. ... |
Photo Stories
http://www.scrapblog.com/Scrapblog is the best place to share your digital scrapbooks with your friends, family, and the world. Enhance your photos, and express yourself
Photo Story 3 from Microsoft is great for making slide shows with music.http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx PhotoStory- free program creates photo slide shows . You can add effects, transitions, captions, and music.
http://www.dl4all.com/2007/11/21/wondershare-photo-story-platinum-v2.6.0.html Wondershare Photo Story Platinum offers a whole new way to create and share gorgeous animated picture albums. Built-in templates / themes, intro / end movie, and decoration make it unprecedented on designing your masterpieces. Easily publish it as any popular format – flahs, iPod / iPhone / Zune video, even author DVD.
Photography-Digital Editing
Flickr: Explore, upload, and share photos online. Includes commenting and neat note functionality where users can add blocks of notes on the photos themselves for others to see.
http://www.splashup.com/
http://morph.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk//
morphing
http://www.xiberpix.net/SqirlzMorph.html
Sqirlz Morph allows you to mark features on several images, and the program mixes the images so that each feature on one image moves smoothly to the corresponding feature on the other images - a technique widely used in the film industry
Presentation
http://sketchcast.com/
Record a sketch with or without voice. Explain something, have fun, or create art.
http://animoto.com/
slide shows
http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/register?
on line slide shows
http://www.debugmode.com/wink/
Wink is a Tutorial and Presentation creation software, primarily aimed at creating tutorials
Zoho Show Zoho Show is an online tool to create, edit, publish, and show presentations. It's web-based. So, you don't need to download or install anything. All you need is a browser (Firefox 1.0 + or IE 6.0+ or Mozilla) and internet connection.
Printing Press
ReadWriteThink Printing Press
The interactive Printing Press is designed to assist students in creating newspapers, brochures, flyers, and booklets. Teachers and students can choose from several templates to publish class newspapers, informational brochures, and flyers announcing class events.
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ReadWriteThink Webbing Tool
The Webbing Tool provides a free-form graphic organizer for activities that ask students to pursue hypertextual thinking and writing. The tool provides a quick way for students to trace out options and rearrange connections in prewriting and post-reading activities.
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Podcasting Resources
Podcasting Tools - http://www.podcasting-tools.com
Podcast Alley - http://www.podcastalley.com
PodcastBunker - http://www.podcastbunker.com
Podcasting News - http://www.podcastingnews.com
Take notes and save them on the web.
- Webnote : Write a quick note - whereever you have a browser. Free.
- Zohowriter : Online word processor. Free.
- Sproutliner : Write and store projects and ideas online. Free.
- Thinkfree.com : ThinkFree Office is an online replacement for Microsoft Office. Free.
- Jotlive : Live multi-user note taking for groups. Free. Jjot - take notes online, fast.
<p class='title'>Jjot helps you take online notes</p> <p>Think of these as online sticky notes. They're simple, fast, and you can access them from any ...
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Publishing
http://scrapblog.com/
Import pictures add stickers, backgronds, text, even video
http://www.letterpop.com/
newsletter on line
http://www.picaboo.com/
create on-line photbooks and cards
http://www.memorymixer.com/
Digital scrapbooking software
http://www.glogster.com/
images, video pictures stickers to create an on-line poster
http://amaztype.tha.jp/US/Books/Title?q=KAYLEE
Create a word with books that have the word in the title
Search Engines for Kids
Safer Ways to Search
click here for easy search techniques
The internet is not regulated for content. Because of this we have to be careful about where exactly a student’s internet search might take them. Creating the perfect, kid friendly search engine has been a goal for some time now. Above are links to some of the best attempts so far.
Sight Words
http://www.sightwordswithsamson.com/sw/sight_words.asp Sight Word Practice
Simulations-interactive
Sound/Music Files we can Use
http://odeo.com/ ODEO
http://educationalsoftware.wikispaces.com/Garageband Garage Band
Space
Google Moon& Mars
You can explore other planets too
Explore the Universe for free. Try it at school or download it at home
Celestia
More than just the Earth, check out the rest of the universe. Another free download here.
SPREADSHEETS only
- EditGrid - http://www.editgrid.com/home
- iRows - http://irows.com
- Tracker (Jotspot) - http://tracker.jot.com/
- wikiCalc - http://www.softwaregarden.com/wkcalpha/
Storymaker Programs
http://www.kerpoof.com/
Digital storytelling program. Kae a picture, make a story make a movie 2-4
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-writing-storymaker.htm
http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com/WritingCorner/StoryBuilder/LittleLostDog.html
Have fun making your own stories using Squigly's story builder. Squigly and his friends have written some stories that you can personalize with your own words.
http://pbskids.org/sagwa/stories/storymaker/index.html make a picture and then write about.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/colour/gingerbreadman.shtml create a story with pictures about the gingerbread man.
Study Tools
http://www.studystack.com/
Study and play with data online as flashcards, hangman game, crossword puzzle, matching, word search, or word scramble.
Text Maker
http://www.3dtextmaker.com/image_editor.html
Time Lines
http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/materials/timelines/
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/timeline/ interactive time lines
http://www3.canisius.edu/~emeryg/time.html
A collection of timeline links on the web for history, science, arts, literature, popular cultures, science fiction. |
Video and Movies
Microsoft Movie Maker 2.1 is a great, easy to use download for editing simple videos
TVnima.com - TVnima is an online real time 3D application that allows anyone to create a TV news program using their personal media (photos, images, videos).
Eyespot - This tool is like iMovie, you can upload, edit, and mix your videos.
Terragen- create photo-realistic landscape images
Writing Tools
Diamante Poems
This online tool enables students to learn about and write diamante poems. Examples, definitions of parts of speech, and elements of the writing process are also included.
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Doodle Splash
Doodle Splash combines the process of drawing with analytical thinking by pairing online drawing with writing prompts that encourage students to make connections between their visual designs and the text.
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Drama Map
Students analyzing a play can map out the key elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution for a variety purposes. An updated version of the Story Map, this interactive is aimed at secondary students.
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Essay Map
The Essay Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for an informational, definitional, or descriptive essay.
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Eye on Idioms
Eye on Idioms can be used to introduce students to idioms. The activity includes a series of exercises, in which students view the literal representations of seven idioms and then examine the metaphorical meanings of the idioms.
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Fact Fragment Frenzy
Fact Fragment Frenzy provides elementary students with an online model for finding facts in nonfiction text, then invites students to find facts in five sample passages.
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Flip Book
The Flip Book is designed to allow users to type and illustrate tabbed flip books up to ten pages long. Students and teachers can use the flip book for taking notes while reading, making picture books, collecting facts, or creating question and answer booklets.
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Flip-a-Chip
Flip-a-Chip is a novel approach to word study that promotes vocabulary development. The activity provides hands-on practice with affixes and roots, and also promotes comprehension through structural analysis and vocabulary in context.
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Fractured Fairy Tales
Fractured fairy tales are traditional fairy tales with a twist – for example, telling the story of Jack and the Beanstalk from the giant’s perspective. The Fractured Fairy Tale tool encourages students to create their own fractured fairy tales.
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Hints about Print
Hints about Print demonstrates the process of evaluating a nonfiction print resource to determine its appropriateness for a research project.
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Letter Generator
The Letter Generator is a useful tool for students to learn the parts of a business or friendly letter and then compose and print letters containing all the essential elements needed for both styles of correspondence.
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Letter Poem Creator
The Letter Poem Creator provides an online model for the thought process involved in creating poems based upon a letter; then, students are invited to experiment with letter poems independently.
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Line Break Explorer
The interactive explores the ways that poets choose line breaks in their writing. After viewing the demonstration, students are invited to experiment with line breaks themselves.
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Literary Elements Map
Students can map out the key literary elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution as prewriting for their own fiction or as analysis of a text by another author in this secondary-level interactive.
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Literary Graffiti
Literary Graffiti, a high school version of the Doodle Splash student interactive, also aims to teach students to visualize what they are reading to help them develop as readers.
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Multigenre Mapper
Teaching multigenre is a natural way to incorporate reading, writing, and research into the content areas and other disciplines. This interactive invites students to create original multigenre, multimodal works—one drawing and three written texts—and allows writers to name the genres for each section, making the tool flexible for multiple writing activities.
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Mystery Cube
The Mystery Cube is a useful tool that helps students identify and summarize story elements in this popular genre. It can be used as a postreading activity for mysteries students have read or as a prewriting activity for students writing their own mysteries.
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Persuasion Map
The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.
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Picture Match
Picture Match is a matching game that reinforces the concept of beginning-letter and short- and long-vowel sounds by prompting students to identify a series of pictures and match them to the first letter or the vowel in the words they represent.
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Plot Diagram
The Plot Diagram is an organizational tool focusing on a pyramid or triangular shape, which is used to map the events in a story. This mapping of plot structure allows readers and writers to visualize the key features of stories.
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Postcard Creator
The Postcard Creator helps students learn to identify all the typical parts of a postcard, and then generate their own postcard messages by typing information into letter templates. After printing their texts, students can illustrate the front of their postcards in a variety of ways, including drawing, collage, and stickers.
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ReadWriteThink Notetaker
Useful for a wide variety of reading and writing activities, this outlining tool allows students to organize up to five levels of information, choosing bullets, Roman numerals, or letters.
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Riddle Interactive
The Riddle Interactive outlines the characteristics of riddle poems and provides direct instruction on the prewriting and drafting process for writing original riddle poems.
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Shape Poems
In this online tool, elementary students can write poems about shapes in four different themes: Nature, School, Sports, and Celebrations. Elements of the writing process are also included.
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Stapleless Book
Designed for teachers and students alike, the Stapleless Book can be used for taking notes while reading, making picture books, collecting facts, or creating vocabulary booklets . . . the possibilities are endless!
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Story Map
The Story Map interactive is designed to assist students in prewriting and postreading activities by focusing on the key elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution.
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What's the Newest thing...things?
Create-A-Scape is a website that provides resources for creating digitally-enhanced learning experiences, using mobile technology to experience location-sensitive sounds and images that have been ‘attached to’ the local landscape. Free web tool: all ages/subjects.
Go to: www.createascape.org.uk
Iya-ola is a collection of language learning games with a difference: the player can only progress through collaborating with a learner in a different country. Initially focusing on English and Spanish, it has the potential to be developed for other languages. Prototype: KS2 languages
Go to: Iya-ola download page
The Language Train aims to create engaging tasks for students aged between 5 and 11 to practice phoneme recognition, by modelling different versions of words in Spanish. Prototype: KS1/2 languages.
Go to: Language Train download page
Developed by Immersive Education with research support from Futurelab, MediaStage is a fully immersive 3D production studio that puts control of scenery, props, actors, cameras and lights into the hands of learners. Commercial product: KS3/4 media studies, English, drama.
Go to: www.immersiveeducation.com/mediastage
Moovl is an interactive unique online tool which allows children to create images that move according to the dynamics of a simple set of physics rules. Working demo and commercial product: KS1 science, literacy, creativity.
Go to: www.moovl.com and www.moovl.co.uk
Racing Academy is a racing videogame built on an advanced physics simulation engine. This prototype version has been trialled with older teenagers, and there is scope for it to become a multi-generational learning environment. Prototype: KS4 engineering, physics.
Go to: Racing Academy download page
EarthCam
Don't forget you can also see what's going on all over the world too.
Visit this interactive tool at: http://readwritethink.org/materials/bio_cube/.
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