The new Adobe suite, App #18--Aviary

Aviary: (for Google Apps for Education users) http://advanced.aviary.com/googlebrowser?gdomain=fatima.k12.mo.us&gdomainhash=8fe5ab898ef0b34e4e42064617b3245c for other users: http://www.aviary.com/

(This suite is available for FREE, yes FREE, for Google Apps for Education users. You just need to have your domain admin add the service to your list of services. Otherwise, the suite costs money for other users).

Synopsis: Aviary does it all from vectors, photo editing, to audio podcasts. This post will discuss the features available to Google Apps for Education users only. To begin, you have five different boxes of applications to choose from: Edit Images, Markup Images, Create Vectors, Edit Audio, and more! The Edit Images section gives you the choice to make business cards, letterhead, PowerPoint slide, or a label. In the Markup Images section, you can markup PowerPoint slides, create screen captures, add arrows/text, and annotate images. In the Create Vectors section, you can make logos, create tshirts, and create icons for your Website. With the Edit Audio section, you can mix a podcast, record audio, create audio filter effects, and remix music. And, in the "and more!" section, you can create picture filters, edit colors, edit images, and create audio loops. Any file that you create will appear in your "Aviary Files" folder in Google Docs. All applications open up in a new window. For instance, your audio screen will look like:

Be sure to click on "save as" in the upper right corner to save your project. These files will be stored in a folder in your Google Docs account. 

Due to the extensive breadth of applications, you can find tutorials on the applications here: http://advanced.aviary.com/tutorials. Or, you can access the Aviary support site here: http://support.aviary.com/home. You can email any questions to Aviary at: aviary-google-apps@aviary.com.

Integration: Since this is a service affiliated with Google Apps for Education users, all files created are automatically synced with your Google Docs main page. All files are also give a URL and an embed code so they can be placed within Websites and linked to from other pages. Rather than paying large sums for the Adobe suite, classrooms can access all necessary applications for free through their Google Apps for Education/Aviary account. And, since all work is linked to the Google Apps for Education interface, it can be shared with teachers and embedded into Google platforms easily. Work does not need to be saved on a hard drive. Rather, it can be stored in the cloud and free up hard drive space. If you don't have Google Apps for Education at your district/school, Aviary is more incentive to get it and implement it. Google Apps for Education now encompasses the Office Suite and the Adobe Suite!

Take one, App #17--Digital Storytelling trifecta

Compflight: http://compfight.com/
Little Bird Tales: http://littlebirdtales.com/
Microsoft Digital Storytelling for teachers: http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/digital_storytelling.aspx

(These three resources encompass digital storytelling for younger audiences. Please turn to the Cool Tools page on my blog for more resources).

Synopsis: Complight is similar to Flikrstorm. In the search box, you can enter in your search terms (for images only). Then, click on "show me what compflight can do."

In the new screen, you can narrow your search in the left-hand column. You can search all text or tags only. You can also search by license type--creative commons or commercial. And, you can choose to only show the original images, thereby directing you to the original source. Lastly, you can search with safety turned on or off. This feature sets it apart from Flickrstorm. When you find an image you want, just click on it and it will appear in a new window. As with all media, be sure to pay credit to the author(s) of the media. Unfortunately, Compflight does not give users the ability to save searches and store photo searches. However, the "safe" feature makes it desirable.

Little Bird Tales is designed for younger students who are making digital stories. And, it is completely free. Begin by creating an account. When creating an account, you can select whether it is a teacher or student account. You are then prompted to select the school or add the school (the first person for your school should do this). You must also give the school a four-digit code (students will be prompted to enter this in order to login, so make it easy enough). Be sure to write down the school code (again, only the first person to set up the school must create a school code; everyone else will just select the school from the drop-down list). With a teacher login, you can manage classes and manage the school (master account). You can view all downloads and create a tale like your students. With the class manager, teachers can create classes and add students to each class. They can also set permissions for the class. For instance, teachers can select who can see the class page, who can share, and if public tales can be viewed. To add students, simply click on the Import Students button. You will be asked to import a CSV file with student names, usernames, passwords, and class names (the classes you have created on your account). Simply put, Little Bird Tales is in online class space that specializes in digital stories. To create a tale, you can draw, upload a picture, or select images from the gallery. It will walk you through the steps--cover page with audio, additional pages with audio and text, and finishing the book. When you are done, you can click preview. All student books are automatically linked to teacher accounts so the teacher can see them and store them. At the bottom of the preview page, there is an embed code so the stories can be embedded into the Website. Students can make as many books as they desire. And, that's all there is to it!

Microsoft's Digital Storytelling in the Classroom has handouts (rubrics, storyboard templates, and how-to guides) at the bottom of the Webpage. These are great starting places for creating a digital storytelling unit.


Integration: Since there are three resources today, I will show how all three can be integrated at once to create an efficient digital storytelling experience. Teachers should begin with Microsoft's site in order to device rubrics and create objectives and the appropriate assessment. From there, they can create classes and import students into Little Bird Tales. When all accounts have been created, students can begin gathering materials. Students can use Compflight to gather images and correctly site them. Students can import and record their voices through Little Bird Tales and, they can share their stories through Little Bird Tales. With the public gallery available, teachers and students can search stories that have already been created. And, with the teacher/student account features, teachers can easily monitor student work. Little Bird Tales is a great site for bringing it all together.

Cartoonizing your stories, App #16--ToonDoo

ToonDoo: http://www.toondoo.com/

(This site can be used for all ages of students. It allows students to develop their own characters and place them in stories.)

Synopsis: To begin, you must "sign up." Upon clicking the "sign up" button, you are asked to choose ToonDoo (for the individual) or ToonDooSpaces (for educational institutions). ToonDooSpaces gives additional collaboration and safety features that the ordinary ToonDoo does not have. You can access ToonDooSpaces at: http://www.toondoospaces.com/. ToonDooSpaces does cost money, unfortunately, after 15 days. Therefore, if you are wanting a free application, you can stick with ToonDoo (I only used this when I taught). Since this segment is about free applications, this post will focus on ToonDoo only. Once you sign up for ToonDoo, you are directed to login. For younger grades, the teacher should sign up all students (you may create gmail accounts by adding a +1 or +2 or +3, etc to the end of a gmail account you created for this purpose).

Upon logging in you, there are several options in the far right: you can create your own comics, create your own book, make a character, upload artwork, or draw on ToonDoo. Across the top, there is a navigation bar. Under Toons, you can find all of the work you have created previously. Under Books, you can find the books you have created. Under Dooers is your profile. (Also, check out the very top of the page where you can find your messages. Also, not that Safe Search is automatically turned on.) Under tools are the same applications that you can find in the far right.

To begin, decide if you want to create a comic strip, a character, or an entire book. For this post's purpose, I will show you how to create a comic strip. However, creating the other elements is very similar. To create a comic strip, click either on the far right on ToonDoo Maker or under Tools--ToonDoo Maker. A new window will open up and you will need to choose the layout of your comic strip. It will take about a minute to load the strip. In the new window, you will see a new navigation bar. In the "Start Here" space, you will find a typical file menu with save and opening functions. In the next box, you can choose your characters. From left to right, you will find your scenes, props, text, brushmen, clip art, and previously uploaded items. To place an item in your storyboard, simply drag the item. When you drag an item into your storyboard, note the navigation bar across the bottom where you can edit the items and even develop your own character with TraitR.

With that same toolbar across the bottom, you can edit colors and import your own artwork in the scenes (my artistic students always chose this option). Continue filling in each of the boxes within your storyboard. When you are done, click on the "Start Here" button and select Save As. Give it a title and description. You can even choose if others can "redoo" this toon or purchase the toon. Before you click "Publish," choose whether you want to publish it to the world, keep it private or just share it with a few friends. If you choose the latter, you will need to enter in your friends' email addresses. Then, click "Publish." A new box will appear with options to go to your toon, print it or close out. I often had my students print their toons to share around the classroom. And, that's all there is to it!


Integration: When I used to teaching high school English and senior creative writing, I used to use ToonDoo to teach my students the art of writing Graphic Novels. Many of my students in creative writing read Graphic Novels religiously, so I implemented them into their writing curriculum. Rather than merely reading the literature, they were required to analyze its components and reconstruct it into a Graphic Novel of their own. The first complaint from my students was usually, "we can't draw...you can't grade us on our artistic abilities." Of course, I had no intent on grading them on how great their art was; I was looking for the essential components of Graphic Novels. With that in mind, I found ToonDoo, the perfect site for composing such novels without having to be an artist. And, my students took to the site immediately--yes, my 12th graders. They enjoyed it so much that they showed it to some of the students they tutored in the younger elementary grades. However, creating Graphic Novels is just one use for the app. ToonDoo can also function as an email space with its message feature. All toons can be shared and embedded as well. Even better--it defaults to turning on Safe Search.

Mapping the globe with stories, App #15--Woices

Woices: http://woices.com/

(Since Google Labs' City Tours was canned, Woices is a great replacement for creating audio stories to coincide with places/video tours.)

Synopsis: To begin, users must login or create a user account. But, don't worry--it's free! Since it does not have an education side of the site that helps teachers create multiple student accounts, students will have to create their own accounts (for younger grades, parents or teachers can do it for the students). The overlying concept is that you can create a "walk" around any locations within a city. Then, users can create an audio guide to narrate the walk. The site was taking a long time to load when I used it, so that is something to take into consideration when working with young students (or even older ones).

When you login, you are directed to your "you" page or your home page. Here, you can see your profile as well as all of your audio guides and activities Under your "you" tab, you can adjust your account settings and your privacy. To create a "walk," simply click on the Create button and select "create a new walk" (if you just wanted to record over an existing walk, you would select the "record a new echo" option. When creating a walk, you will be asked to give it a title and a description. Next, you must select the locations of your story. Finally, you will add the "echoes" or audio recordings for those locations. Therefore, you will need a headset. You can add as many echoes as you want to your "walk." To create an echo to go with your walk, you must select "record an echo" from the "Create" button. Then, you can return to your walk and drag in the echoes.

When done, students are able to comment on other walks as well.

According to Woices, you are able to:

• Record your own echoes
• Expand the echosphere with you own echoes
• Comment and rate other echoes
• Tag your favorite echoes
• Create walks from your echoes
• Create groups with your peers
• Become an echo star

 And, that's all there is to it!

Integration:  With this app, students and teachers can create tours (audio and visual) about locations in any city in the world. Therefore, students can research a specific location (history, art, literature, music, food, etc.) and narrate a walk around the city, telling viewers about the history, art, literature, music, food, etc. of each place in the city that they direct the tour. Students or teachers may also think of an existing journey or pilgrimage and narrate it. If students are researching Columbus' or Magellan's voyages, they can map it out and then, record the audio (whatever they have researched about the voyage) to coincide with the tour. This adds a real life application to research.Students can add real places to the stories they tell. Students can even tell their life stories of where they got to where they are now or where they will be going and how they will get there.

You can also "Explore" the "map" to find other walks that others have created and listen to them. This creates a digital community that is bound by sound bites. Teachers can also create groups so the walks can be shared among certain class periods.

Brainstorming 2.0, App #14--lino and wridea

Lino: http://linoit.com/ and Wridea: http://wridea.com/

(Both of these applications are similar in nature to Wallwisher--http://www.wallwisher.com/ in that they are online brainstorming spaces that can be shared with others or made private.)

Synopsis: Though these applications are displayed differently, their concepts are both the same--an online space for brainstorming.

• Lino--You may try this application on a trial basis before using it. All accounts are free. To have a full account, you just have to sign up. Once you sign up, you are directed to an opening/main page where you have the option to search recent public canvasses (their name for the brainstorming spaces), create your own or to look at your groups, tasks, and your updated canvasses. With the groups feature, you have the option to set up groups to share your canvasses with. When creating a group, you can open it up to the public (so anyone can search for it, but you have to approve their membership) or through invitation only (sent through an email to all members). Each group can even have its own icon to make it easier to recognize. Once the group is created, you will see that you have a group page, group canvasses, and group tasks. All of these are separate from your individual ones you may create. Any canvass created in a group will be shared with members of a group. That said, any canvas you create as an individual can only be made private or public. So, if you want to create a canvass for a group project or a class, you must do so through the group page. When you are ready to create a canvass (directions will be for a group canvass but they can be replicated for individual canvasses under the Main Page--My Canvasses), go to your group page (you can see all of your existing canvasses here) and click on the Group Canvasses tab. Click on create new canvass. You can enter in a specific title for it, adjust your settings, and canvass appearance. When you are ready, click create canvass. Your canvass will open up. Use the toolbox in the right-hand corner to drag down a sticky note (where you can write your thoughts), insert an image, insert a file, or insert a video (URL). Within the sticky note, you can select a due date so it appears on your tasks list and calendar. In the bottom right corner, you can see your calendar. These instructions apply to group canvasses, but can be replicated for individual/public canvasses. That's all there is to it!

• Wridea--This brainstorming site has less flare, but similar features. Once again, you must create an account first. Once you have created an account, you are given your own URL for your board. So, choose your Nick Name wisely (used for your URL) in case you want to share it with others. Once you create an account, you are directed to login. Then, you are in your own brainstorming board. Work from left to right in your tabs. If you click on the Ideaboard tab/link in the far left, you will find a drop down box. Click on Create New Page (as you create more, this is where you will go to open up other pages). You are asked to give the page a name so think of the names as different topics that you will have ideas for (like ideas for Prom). Your idea will then appear on your page. If you move your mouse over it, it will highlight it and more options will appear (details, move to, sharing, select, and delete). If you click on details, a editing box will appear where you can add more information on this idea (sub-topic). Click save when you are done adding your text about it. If you have created other pages/ideaboards, you can click on the 'move to' in order to move it to a different page. If you click on sharing, you will see that you can share it with all Wridea users, your friends only, or keep it private. If you select friends, you must first have invited friends into your friends circle. So, in the top menu, click on Friends. In the box that opens, you will have the option to add friends by email addresses and create a group. Hence, friends can be added to different groups. Lastly, if you click on the categories tab, you will see that you can add categories to your pages. So, these can be the overarching topics like Communication Arts or Vacations. Each page can be put into a category and each idea can be put into a page. And the details are attached to each idea. In the searching blank, you can search for words that you want to recall. If you click on the Tools tab in the upper write, you can use the idearain, which randomizes your ideas and puts them into placements it thinks make sense. And, that's all there is to it!

Integration: 

• Lino--With the groups feature, students and teachers can set up groups when working in projects in order to share student brainstorming ideas. For instance, students can create group pages for each of their groups in a class project. Then, they can create as many canvasses (brainstorming pages) within the group. Each canvass can be about a different sub-topic. Likewise, a teacher can set up groups for each of her class periods. Within each group, he/she can create a canvass for each unit. Students can use the sticky notes, images, files, and videos to give their thoughts on each unit. With the files feature, they can even submit their work (at the end of a unit) so all work can be on one location. This is a great space for brainstorming and sharing ideas in a safe environment. As an individual, teachers and students can have their own canvasses that they can choose to share with the public or keep private. These canvasses can include their thoughts on any topic for ideas for an art project to their dreams and goals in life.
• Wridea--Like Lino, with the friends/group feature, students can create groups for different projects and teachers can create groups for different class periods. What is different is that, instead of adding boards to a group, you make a board and just share it with a group in Wridea. The only major difference is the appearance, its Idearain tool, and its category feature. Its appearance is more plain so it is very useful in professional places and with adult learners. With the categories, users have one more overarching topic they can connect to. And, with the idearain tool, users can find other ways to connect their ideas.

 Let's get brainstorming!

Searching in 3D, App #13--SpaceTime

SpaceTime: http://www.spacetime.com/

(This is a Web Search engine that utilizes Google,YouTube, images, and Wikipedia. The difference is that it does it in a 3D fashion to help visual learners.)


Synopsis: This app does not reinvent the wheel; however, it does give it a facelift. Instead of using Google or Bing as the Web Search engine, users can use SpaceTime. For instance, I searched for "Google Privacy Settings" in light of the changes Google has made to their settings. Instead of showing the results as a list, it shows them as separate windows that move in a 3D fashion.

Using the scroll bar across the bottom, users can click to the next result. All results are numbered and give the entire window shot (as opposed to the typical abstract showing in Google and Bing). Similarly, users can click on the images, YouTube, Google, or Wikipedia tabs across the top (just like you do in Google) and SpaceTime will search for your keyword within those selections. Images and all other results are shown in windows rather than in lists. The Web address of the site/picture/video is shown in the bottom right. To select the result, simply click on the result. That's it! Again, it is a simple app, but does give a common tool a facelift.

Integration: Rather than using Google or Bing, SpaceTime is a great alternative for younger audiences and learners with special needs. With the full window display, viewers can better see the result. And, with the 3D movement, it is also more eye-appealing. SpaceTime should be shown as an alternative to the more common search engines. It searches similar sites, but gives the results in a new look. Check it out and share it with your students!

Step up to the line to end bullying, App#12--MTV's A Thin Line

A Thin Line: http://www.athinline.org/

(This is an interactive site that is filled with quizzes and videos for students and educators about when the "line" has crossed into bullying. If you want more resources on cyberbullying and digital citizenship, go to the Cool Tools page where you will find a series of tools and links.)

Synopsis: In light of the recent movie, Bully, (bullyproject.com) I think it is even more crucial to shed light on some resources that MUST be used in the classroom. We try to install basic rules in children, but do we show how those rules apply to the Web? And, as evident by the film, bullying is a problem even when it is seen in the public eye. So, what about what we don't see, what is hidden within texts, phone calls, Facebook posts, and other online communication? MTV offers a site at the Thin Line. When viewers first access it, they may sign a "Draw the line" pledge in which they pledge the following:

• I HAVE THE RIGHT TO...
  
  • Live without pressure or abuse.
  • Step in and help if I see someone getting harassed.
  • End unhealthy relationships.
  • Take control of my decisions.
  • Disconnect whenever I want.

This is called the Digital Rights project. Students are asked to give their first name, zip code, and a digital right they think all should be entitled to. This becomes part of a living list of rights. Students can also post their "action" for drawing their line in exchange for dailyfeats points. These points can be redeemed for rewards. Within the "get facts" and "take control" tabs, there are a series of resources for students seeking help and seeking for information about bullying resources. Under the "Your Stories" tab, students can select "over the line?" and enter in their stories of when they or someone else stepped over the line with bullying. Students can rate which ones they felt were over the line and discuss where that line is drawn. Under that same tab, students can take a quiz about "drawing the line":

The Website is an online collaborative space that is continually changing. Students may join the network and talk with peers about digital citizenship, digital rights, and cyberbullying. It gives a voice to those who may have not had a say before.

Integration: This Website is a more interactive tool that should be blended with other tools in the classroom. Digital citizenship and rights should be priority subjects in the classroom and should be integrated within the curriculum, specifically character education. Though this Website is not a stand-alone resource, it is a great tool to combine with others. With its sponsor (MTV) and collaborative space, it targets a younger audience and lures them into bullying discussions. However, before showing any of the interactive tools, the background and facts on digital rights should be shown. Before entering thoughts on bullying, students must have a discussion of what qualifies as appropriate talk online. Luckily, this Website provides all of those resources as well.

For more information on bullying or to see the new film, Bully, go to http://thebullyproject.com/ . This site will be updated with resources in the future. In the meantime, it contains a reading guide for the movie as well as resources for getting help and learning about "the line" between bullying and friendly banter.