Writing Re-Launched: Teaching with Digital Tools

These websites and apps are popular with tech-savvy teachers who incorporate digital elements into their writing instruction.

Animoto

Select photos, video clips, text, and music, and Animoto will produce a short video—similar to a movie trailer—with the material. From there, users can upload the video to YouTube, Facebook, and other sites. Making 30-second videos is free and teachers can apply for a free Animoto Plus account, giving them access to more features.

Glogster

Students can make interactive posters and collages that combine text, audio, video, animation, data, and other multimedia elements. The platform allows students to collaborate on projects. The basic teacher account, with limited features, is free.

Google Docs

This free document-sharing program allows users to create, store, and share documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online. Multiple users can work on the same piece at once.

Puppet Pals

This iPad application allows users to create and record their own animated story. Choose characters, a setting, and a title and narrate the story into the microphone while moving the cartoon “puppets” manually. The app with a “Wild West” theme is free, but additional characters and scenes cost extra.

Wikispaces

Students create wikis, or collaborative websites that are managed and edited by groups of people, through Wikispaces. Teachers regularly use wikis for group projects. On the K-12 plan for educators, wikis are free and private.

Padlet

Wallwisher calls itself an “online notice board maker.” Build a “wall,” or Web page, and others can contribute their own short messages, which resemble Post-it Notes and can include videos and images. Teachers use Wallwisher for any number of reasons—to display assignments, generate discussions, review facts, and share links, for example. It’s free and there’s no registration required (which means teachers should be extra vigilant about monitoring what goes up).

Read more:

---

Source:

http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2011/04/04/02digital.h04.html