Scribble Maps is free online tool that allows you to draw and write on Google Maps. You can draw, label, or add placemarks to the maps. Most of the tools available on Google Maps are available on Scribble Maps including zoom and the search tool. After you create your map, you can save the file, email it to another person, or embed it into your webpage.
This tool is great for geography or social studies lessons. Students can put placemarks and write a description of important places. They could also draw the routes that explorers took.
Twitter is a microblogging service that allows people to share information in short text messages called "tweets." Posts are limited to 140 characters. Typically tweets describe what people are doing, thinking, or working on. However, tweets can be responses to tweets or questions for others to respond to.
Here are some ideas for using Twitter in the classroom:
My class creates tweets to review concepts we have learned or to wrap-up a lesson. Students create tweets to tell the most important information in a lesson. It is a good way to discuss summarizing. Our latest tweets can be found on the right-hand side of this page.
A VoiceThread is a slideshow that people can leave comments on. You can upload photos, videos, or documents in the slideshow. Then, people can leave comments on the slideshow. Comments can be made in writing, by recording your comment with a microphone, or by doodling on the slideshow. The comments are then stored in the VoiceThread and can be shared with others.
"Ed.VoiceThread is a web-based communications network for K-12 students and educators. Simple, powerful and safe, Ed.VoiceThread is a place for creating and collaborating on digital stories and documentaries, practicing and documenting language skills, exploring geography and culture, solving math problems, or simply finding and honing student voices." http://ed.voicethread.com/about/k12/
Teachers can sign up for a free educator account with VoiceThreads, purchase a pro educator account, or a class subscription. After creating a multimedia slideshow, students can log-in and add comments. This can be used in any subject area. For example, teachers can upload math problems or puzzles. Students then add comments to discuss how to solve the problem and explain their thinking. Teachers could also create a slideshow of images related to a social studies topic. Students would then add comments to discuss how the images relate to the social studies topics they have studied.
