learningIT

Thanks to Video in the Classroom where I discovered One True Media. It allows you to mix photos and videos into slideshows. Themes are provided with some special effect tools as well. As slick as Animoto but some of the themes may become tiresome after a few uses (it also adds extra length to your slideshow). It’s web based so no need to worry about Mac or PC. The only gripe I have is that it didn’t handle portrait sized photos well. A lot of mine were cut off. Perhaps there is a settings option for this? I have embedded my trial below (or click here).

I have also blogged and compared other photoslideshow tools here that may be of interest as well.

P.S. Do readers know if Animoto has taken down their educator’s pass? I can’t seem to find it on their site. UPDATE: here it is

FreeTechForTeachers created this short guide to 15 tools and strategies for helping your students (and your colleagues) improve their Internet search results. Have a look.

Beyond Google – 15 Tools and Strategies for Improving Your Web Search Results –

10 Killer Content Sources for Your iPod Learning Mix (via Mission To Learn)

Improve Your Browsing Sessions with SuggestRSS (via WebAppStorm)

More Challenges with Wikis: 4 ways to move students from passive to active (via The Journal)

Have a look at Matthew Needleman’s Video In The Classroom (Digital Storytelling in the Elementary Grades and Beyond) site to view student films, film techniques, tutorials, tips and rubrics.

A Missing Piece in the Economic Stimulus: Hobbling Arts Hobbles Innovation - an excellent article on why art education matters and how it leads to innovations in other areas. (from Psychology Today via Journeys in Art)

The 3 Best Sites To Read Manga Online (via Daniel Pink on Twitter)

File2.ws may be of interest to both teachers and students as an alternative way to showcase student/teacher work.

File2.ws is a free website that converts any of your own files into a public online web page. Every converted file to a web page has a unique web address so you can share it with friends, or other people on the internet. This allows information to be shared quickly and efficiently to a large audience.

I’ve been seeing a lot of good photo related stuff on the blogs that I subscribe to and they reminded me of this one, which I keep forgetting to post. Why not David Hockney yourself with Hockneyizer? It’s free.

We are a Mac school. Some students are not. We use both Keynote, PowerPoint as well as other options. Another one has caught my attention. 280 Slides looks like it was made for Mac, but is actually web based. It’s free but requires you to create an account to save. It looks and feels similar to Keynote and has a clear and user-friendly interface.

When finished creating your presentation, you may download it as a PowerPoint, PDF or as an Open Documet file. Heck, you could even simply leave it online. Share features allow you to publish to Slideshare, email and embedding. It’s worth a look. Quickly are the days going when students will no longer be able to say “I don’t have that (software) at home.” I am continually amazed at how much stuff is entering the cloud. Can’t wait for the day when all I need is a wireless keyboard and my TV to do everything.

You may also be interested in Presentation Skills.

Bored of PowerPoint/Keynote? Try presenting with these tools instead.

Not about IT or art, but I thought I’d share anyway.

KenKen Puzzles: “Invented by Japanese math teacher, Tetsuya Miyamoto, KENKEN® allows you to test your puzzle acumen and improve your math skills at the same time.”

(Thanks to my colleague Elliot T. for the tip)

(via DemoGirl)

FastFlip

I found out about Picturing America through a tweet from kenfar. Though I do not teach American History, I applaud the site for integrating Art into other subjects. What I like most is how the gallery is viewable through themes (leadership, freedom & equality, democracy, courage, landscapes, creativity & ingenuity). The galleries are not large, but it may give teachers ideas on how to present using visuals and art history.

Edutopia released the pictured PDF, which is available for download here. (However, you will need to enter your details to access it.)

What’s Inside the PDF:
1. Break the Digital Ice
2. Find Your Classroom Experts
3. Get Off to a Good Start
4. Think Globally
5. Find What You Need
6. Make Meaning from Word Clouds
7. Work Better, Together
8. Open a Back Channel
9. Make It Visual
10. Use the Buddy System

(thanks once again to Shane M. for the tip)