Paint Your Lesson With Resources

In less than one week two tech persons in the know, Heather Moorefield, Education Librarian at Virginia Tech and former chair of the American Association of School Librarians' Best Websites for Teaching and Learning and Larry Ferlazzo, teacher and blogger at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites Of The Day, have mentioned a new web 2.0 tool.  The site promotes itself as:

the one place to organize and present knowledge.

Edcanvas, is a free service for persons older than 13 years of age.  Students can sign up individually or through a class created by their teacher.

Users may sign up through their Google or Facebook account or by including their first and last name, email address and entering in a password.  The Terms of Service and Privacy Policy must be accepted.  If at any time you wish to delete your account simply send an email to hello@edcanvas.com.

When you log in, in the upper right-hand corner are three small buttons, Gallery, Account and Sign out.  Within the Gallery are previously created lessons by other users of Edcanvas under the headings of Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts and ...More.  For each of those the number of views is shown.  If you click on one of those canvases you are taken to another screen where the collection can be played, shared via a variety of social networks and email, or you can click on a tab on the left side reading, ♥I want this!  Clicking on that will take you to your work space so you can adapt it for your specific needs.

If you choose to go to the Account section, information can be added such as a phone number, school, subject and grade.  This first section is also where your password can be changed.  In the second section under Account, files from Google and Dropbox can be added.  Steps for importing bookmarks is the purpose of the third section under Account.

Beneath those three buttons is a sign-carrying owl.  By clicking on him you are taken to a new window asking you to select a grade level and class name.  (There is an excellent tutorial video available.)  When that step is completed, student's can be added using their email addresses by entering them in individually or copying and pasting them from a list.  You can send these students an invitation.  Having your students together in a created classroom allows you to view all their canvases from a single spot.

Back at your canvas screen the newly created class shows up on the right along with a button to create a canvas and Featured canvases beneath.  After electing to create a canvas, a new window asks you to name your lesson, gives you three possible ideas or you can still view other canvases.  After naming your lesson you are taken to the work space.

Along the top on the left-hand side are two design tools, templates and themes.  The first is the arrangement and number of the shapes on the canvas, the second is the color scheme.  On the opposite side are options for placing items on your work.  Those options are:

• YouTube search
• Google image or web searches
• Flickr search
• URL enter in 
• Upload files from your computer
• Import Dropbox files
• Import Goggle Drive files
• Import bookmarks
• Your web search history

After you have searched, uploaded or imported a reference, it is listed under the search box.  You can then drag it into position on your canvas adding a description.   When you mouse over any of the added items, a magnifying glass icon allows you to go to "play" mode and above that an "x" allows you to quickly delete.

Click on the Play Canvas button to preview your work when your canvas is completed.  It can be viewed full screen by clicking on the small icon in the upper-right hand corner.  Or when the canvas is being played the viewer has the option of showing a grid of the items on the right or closing it up by clicking on the top arrow tab. 

Your completed Edcanvas can be shared via a URL link as well as on Edmodo, Facebook or Twitter.  It can also be shared via email.  A unique method of sharing is the creation of a QR code for your canvas.  You can choose to have your canvas public or private.

These two images, on the left, show the work space first, followed by a screen showing what your canvas looks like when it is viewed; resources are shown one at a time.    Each item is interactive working as if the user were at the actual site.

This is the link to my created Edcanvas, an author study of David Wiesner.

As a new web 2.0 application I found Edcanvas to be excellent.  The inclusion of a search feature along with the option to copy and paste a URL into the box is a plus.  Having a search history as a reference is another great feature.  Adding to this the ease of use, makes Edcanvas a web 2.0 app I recommend to place in your virtual toolbox.

Like A Squirrel...

Nearly two months ago, tech people began speaking about a new, free web 2.0 application called Bundlenut; my go-to site, Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne. In a nutshell this service allows the user to collect website URLs and then share them.  Whether the links seek to explore, collect, guide, convince, teach or help Bundlenut is the means to do so.

To begin go to the home page, enter in a title for your Bundle and click the green Go button.  Three simple steps appear on the next screen.  First you are asked to Bookmark your Bundle or log in into an account (Google) so you can modify it at a later time.  I simply bookmarked my Bundle; accessing it when I needed to make changes.

The second step is adding links to your Bundle by creating a title, adding the URL and any comments about the link.  Links can be dragged and dropped to change their order.  Entries can be deleted by clicking on the minus sign.

To change the information in any of the three boxes within the link line, click on it to reopen the text box.

After the websites are added proceed to the third step, Browse and Share.  Click on the blue link word to save the Bundle; a unique URL is created as a new screen appears.  The next page shows your bundle list with hyperlinks under the titles and your comments beneath.  By clicking on the acorn in the upper left hand corner viewers can toggle through the links.

Please note that links to YouTube videos will not display. 

The implications for using this in an educational setting are huge; the no registration requirement being a major plus.  Groups of students could create online investigations for others.  Bundles could be designed to teach research methods. 

I'm feeling a little "squirrely" at the ease of use and the great results.  Bundlenut has a new fan.  Check out the beginnings of my Bundle titled Mock Caldecott 2013.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Jog

On the 2010 list of  Top 25 Websites for Teaching and Learning, a branch of the ALA, the  American Association of School Librarians, under the heading of Manage and Organize, meeting Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, 2.1.2 Organize knowledge so that it is useful, 2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information, and 3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use and assess, a web application known as JOG THE WEB was named.  As stated on the Home page: 

JOG THE WEB is a web-based tool that allows anyone to create a synchronous guide to a series of web sites.  Its step by step approach of taking viewers through web sites allowing the author to annotate and ask guiding questions for each page is unique.

Without registration a user can try out a jog by using the form on the Home page.  Web page addresses are already in place but they can be changed.  There are also seven jogs on that home page which can be viewed.  This gives you an idea of what a jog is without registering.

By toggling right to the Explore tab, viewers can look through  jogs in the following categories:
education, news and politics, pets and animals, entertainment, film and animation, comedy, gaming, music, people and blogs, science and technology, sports, autos and vehicles, howto and style and travel and events.  If a narrower search is desired simply go to the Search Jogs box on the far right of the page.

If you locate a jog that you want to view you can click Jog it.  Prior to viewing the jog though, you can view the index, list, of items in order.  The title of each, any comments by the creator and the URL are all included along with the option of going to any of the pages individually.

To become a track-building user (create a jog) registration is necessary but it is free unless you desire the benefits of a premium account.  Enter in your username, first name, last name, email address and password as well as accepting the Terms of Use.  You will quickly receive an email which includes a registration confirmation link.  That link sends you to the My Jogs page.

Jogs can be listed by most recent, oldest, most viewed, most commented and by name.  To begin creating your jog click the green plus sign box labeled Create new Jog.  A screen pops up asking you for the title, a description of the jog and to tag it in one of the Explore categories.

Once that is complete a new screen appears asking you to enter in the first web page title, the URL link and any comments relative to that page. You can continue adding as many pages to your jog as you desire by clicking save after completing the information for each one. Page order can easily be changed.  At any time you can edit individual pages' properties or complete the editing.  When you click on complete the editing you are taken back to the My Jogs page.

Your finished  jog will be listed with the following options:  edit jog, share, duplicate or delete.  You can view it in index format or view it as others will (Jog it).  When selecting the share option a URL link and HTML code are provided which can be copied and pasted.  Duplicating your jog is only allowed under the Premium choice which has a fee. 

When viewing a particular jog navigation is very user friendly.  Small icons at the top allow the viewer to go back where they started, to the Explore section, view the jog in index format, and share it on a variety of social networks.  All finished jogs are public, to have the jog be private a Premium account must be opened.

We are in the middle of a study of the Caldecott Award winning book, Snowflake Bentley written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin illustrated with woodcut printing by Mary Azarian with our third grade students.  I set up a jog for a small online scavenger hunt that we complete. 
Snowflake Bentley

UPDATE:  As of January 18, 2015 I became aware this service is no longer available.

Annotated Websites In A Cloud

In 2011 the American Association of School Librarians included on their list Best Websites for Teaching and Learning under the Standards for the 20th-Century Learners, Manage and Organize a web 2.0 application that is more sophisticated than bookmarking enhancing your saving and sharing experience.  This site, iCyte, is free to a student or faculty member of an educational institution.  It allows users to to create cytes saving web pages and PDFs on their server, highlighting special sections retrievable from any computer.  Once made cytes can be searched and shared. 

To create an account enter in your first and last name, a valid educational email address, a password and agree to the iCyte privacy policy and EULA.  If your email address does not fulfill their criteria simply send them an email explaining your educational status.  I received a reply within 24 hours. 

A welcome page appears on the screen when your account information is completed and accepted.  At this page you are guided through installing the iCyte plug-in to your browser tool bar.  iCyte can be added to Internet Explorer and Firefox.  (According to their web site a bookmarklet can be addeded to Safari, Chrome and Firefox. When installation is complete your browser will close and when re-opened a screen appears immediately directing you in the creation of a cyte.

When you log in and are at your Dashboard you will be able to see the number of cytes, tags, projects and persons.  You can toggle between your Dashboard, Cytes, Settings or Logout.  What you are seeing is the overview.  If you desire you can click on Get Started for a simple three step tutorial on how to cyte a web page.

If you select the MORE button in the center of the page you are taken to a more detailed page which is the same as clicking on the Cytes tab at the top right of the Dashboard page.  This page allows the user to view cytes by projects, tags or users as well as sort existing cytes by date, email the cyte, copy the cyte or export the cyte into Excel or Word.  Actions can be done to individual cytes or to groups of cytes.  Cytes can be filtered by typing in keywords.

When you click on the VIEW CYTE button an individual cyte will appear.  At this point the cyte title, project title, tags or notes can be changed.  This cyte can be copied to another project already created or which you can add at that time.  Cytes can be shared via email, social network (Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn) or embedded using an HTML code.  Highlights on web pages can be hidden, headers can be expanded or collapsed and the source website can be viewed.

I decided to create a project of websites used in writing reviews.  I try to include a little information about authors and illustrators in the posts for my blog. 

When you find a web page that you want to save or specific text within that page you want to highlight do so with your mouse.  Then click on the iCyte icon located on your browser tool bar.  A small inset appears asking for for the title of the cyte, the project in which you want it placed, tags and any notes.  Then simply click save.

 At any time if you want to see a list of your cytes as you are working, click on the icon to the right of the iCyte icon on the tool bar.  Your cytes will be listed in a column to the left of your screen beginning with the most recent.  Thumbnails of each of the web pages saved, the title, project, and tags will appear.  At that time you can edit those cytes or copy them.

Here is an example of a cyte that I created for the review that appeared on this blog yesterday about illustrator, Dan Santat, and the title, Tom's Tweet for which he provided the visuals,

When you click on the thumbnail you are taken to the web page.

When working on any type of project involving research, whether professional or personal, this tool is amazing.  I most certainly would recommend this to students gathering information for individual or group assignments.  When a staff member is working on a lesson including online resources, wanting to focus on a particular aspect of a site, this is the application to use.  Collaboration is as easy as filling in an email address.