As I look back over the past semester I have several favorites. The three projects/tools that I liked the most are Animoto, Prezi, and VoiceThread. I think these three tools can be used in anyone’s classroom to help make learning fun and interesting.
Animoto is a way that you can make a video very quickly and easily. All you have to do is create an account on Animoto.com, upload your photos, choose your music, and Animoto does the rest! It is free to make a 30 second video. However, if you want to make a longer one you can sign up for an educators account for a minimal fee. In the classroom, a teacher could use Animoto to introduce a topic or end a topic. She could also have her students make an Animoto to show what they have learned.
My second favorite tool was Prezi. This tool could replace boring slideshows in our classrooms! To get started go to prezi.com and create a free account. From there they give you a blank canvas. All you have to do is click anywhere to start adding text. This is probably my favorite part. You really don’t have to plan your presentation before you start to make it. It is easy to add audio, video, and photos. When you are finished create the path that you want your Prezi to move in. This tool is great for someone that is non-linear. They can just get their ideas on the page, and choose the order to present them at the end. Teachers could use this tool to present information in a fun and interesting way to their students.
The final tool that I really enjoyed was VoiceThread. All you have to do is go to voicethread.com, create and account, add photos, and record a comment to go with each photo. Even though I really liked VoiceThread there were a few things that I wish they could change. Once you start you can’t really redo a comment unless you want to completely start over. This encourages extensive planning before recording. I think every classroom in every state could use this tool to captures the words of someone influential in their community.
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