Free Resources You Can Use NOW!

Cameron McKinley February 2007

Today’s Outcomes  Demonstrate some useful free software  Participants leave with at least 1 idea they can use in the classroom now  Participants motivated to learn additional software to give digital kids a voice

Skype      Connect Kids Collaborate by combining Skype with Google Docs Share Links Chat up to 100 people-keep the history It’s FREE

Google Earth     Measurement Tours – From a novel – Of your city/state – Add Video – Blog Tour with photos and notes (ex: Gombe Chimpanzee ) Historical Overlays Create a Geography Quiz

 Excellent Tutorials-cover everything you need to know  http://www.bteducation.org/img/lib/dialogics/schoolradio/index.htm

Podcasts online

Sample 1 st Grade Podcast

Celestia  http://www.celestiam

otherlode.net/catalog/ educational.php

CMAP Tools      Collaborate with others Export as web page, pdf and more Non-linear thinking Record map creation Make presentation from map

Microsoft Producer

AN Flash Slideshow Maker

Star Office

Tux Paint

Drawing for Children*

Photo Story

Primo PDF

MwSnap  http://www.mirekw.co

m/winfreeware/mwsn ap.html

Crocodile Clips

Scratch

Alice

(Block Cad) Lego Building

Sketch-Up

UnFreez  Create animations for Visualizing Literature

Switch-a-roo Zoo

Community Signs

Movie Maker

ReadPlease

 GCast  Scrapblog  Writeboard  Google Docs Online Tools

Google Docs 

Writely and Google Spreadsheets for Students

Students can work on their assignments from any computer -- the school lab, the library, at home, at a friend's house, etc. Kids who use Writely and Google Spreadsheets don't have to remember to save a copy of their homework when they go from one location to the next – their work is always online, and thus accessible from any computer with an Internet connection. Students also find the sharing aspect of Writely and Google Spreadsheets valuable. Getting feedback on an assignment from a busy parent, a grandparent who lives in another town or a writing tutor is much easier when you can share the document or spreadsheet online and check back periodically to see the reviewer's comments. Being able to share online is also helpful for group assignments where several students need to contribute. You can enter updates anytime, from different locations. And through the Revisions history, you can clearly see who contributed what to an assignment, and when.

Writely and Google Spreadsheets for Teachers

Teachers are using Writely both to publish announcements about upcoming assignments and to monitor student progress on assignments and give feedback along the way, rather than only when the final assignment has been handed in. Writely and Google Spreadsheets both enable an interactive process which gives teachers far more insight into how students are progressing on an assignment, enabling them to give guidance in the middle of the process, when it might be of maximum benefit.