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Diigo:

Tool purpose and capabilities: multi-tool for curating and organizing online information; cloud storage; web-page retrieval; archives websites, searchable, highlighting and annotation; sharing and collaboration

Platform use: available from PC, Mac, any browser, Android, i-devices

Target audience: anyone who uses and references online information; broad user base

Access details and cost:

Account on website: Yes, accessible anywhere with internet access

Cost: free version, free teacher version, basic ($7/year), standard ($40/year); professional ($59/year)

Email account: required

Age requirements: none given, but can share links with people who do not have an account

Professional Edition: Yes; free teacher edition with increased number of outliners, image/screenshots, multi-color annotations, and pdf annotations, sharing options; Professional version with unlimited access to all capabilities

Rationale for tech selection:

Why selected: I have used this tool for two weeks and have found it incredibly useful for storing, marking, and accessing online research and             information.

Use with students/patrons:

•Can bookmark online research and mark for self or share with others

•Can tag search and organize by projects

•Highlights and annotation are saved and can be shared

•Way to store online research for later use:

- i.e., students: could use for personal learning or for research
assignments

- teachers: could archive online information for lessons and/or share
individual article links with students (link could even be posted in
Google Classroom) or entire collections/outliners

- library: with professional version, could create groups or reference
banks for teachers/students on subjects for a course; if outliners were
shared, teachers could help curate what their students may need

Screencast Link: http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cD1ZIfiZzq

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Storyboard That

A.   Tool purpose and capabilities: Storyboard that is a great app that offers templates to create stories. It is very user friendly so that users can easily select scenes, characters, text bubbles and more. You can create templates to share with your students and also view what they are working on.

B.    Platform use: Storyboard that will work with any computer or device. You will need an internet connection to use it.

C.   Target Audience: Educators, once they get the hang of the app they will be eager to teach it and use with students. Great for grades K-12.

D.   Access details and cost: This app will give you a free two- week trial. After that you may pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly. You pay by the amount of students you have in increments of $50. For a class of 50 students the cost would be $59.95 a year. There is also School and Department Pricing so if you coworkers that would like to use it with students you can share the accounts- that would cost $74.95 per teacher. If you buy it for the whole school, the cost is $1.95 per student (this is the most popular).

E.     Rationale for selection: I chose Storyboard That because I love how you can use it with any subject and any grade level. There are lesson plans for all grades and subjects that teachers can use or get an idea from.  It has ten different choices for graphic organizers that you can make with your students. You can view student assignments and provide feedback. You also have different printing options to work with. I think this is a valuable tool for the 21st century learner.

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cD1Zn5iZZZ

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Tool Purpose and Capabilities: This tool is called SketchUp and you are able to create 3D models like buildings and houses. There are different tools to use for designing. With this tool you able to create a lot details to the designs. You first select what template you would like to use and then you can start your design. It takes a little practice at first, but it is a lot of fun.

Platform Use: This tool is best to use on Mac and Windows computers.

Target Audience: The target audiences are people or students who would like to do a career in designing or building. It is perfect for them and excellent practice. It is like drawing on the computer. I know that adults and teachers would enjoy this tool as well.

Access Details and Cost: This is something you need to download and it is free. You do not need to create an account. However, there is a version called SketchUp Pro, which has a lot more features and it is very expensive costing around $695. Students and teachers are able to get a very nice discount that is extremely cheaper.

Rationale for Technology Selection: I selected this tool because it was something new to me and I wanted to learn more about it. This is an excellent way to make 3D models and the user is able to add a lot of detail. I would use this tool with my students by letting them create and explore different models they can make.

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I will be using Quizizz for this assignment.

a.) Tool and Purpose of Capabilities: Quizizz is a tool you can use to create quizzes, reviews, survey's, or homework. The Creator of Quizizz will write as many multiple choice questions as they deem fit for the activity, each question can include text, images, or video.  The game works best in a group setting, individually or in pairs. Each person or group will need a smart device to play the Quizizz.

b.) Platform use: Quizizz can be played on any device connected to the internet, which makes is easy for every person to access the activity. This includes desktops, laptops, any iDevice, and any Android device.

c.)Target Audience: Quizizz can be used by anyone for anything.  It works well in education for quick formative assessments.  However, it can also be used in business settings, get together with friends, or any training.

d.) Access, Details, and Cost: Quizizz is free, all a user needs to access it is a email account. When setting up an account, the user must pick a role (teacher, student, other). Once account is set up the user will need to log into their email to verify the account and when account is verified user can start creating a Quizizz. There is no account required of the user's audience to play the Quizizz, only a smart device.

e.) Rational for Technology Selection: I choose Quizizz because it is a simple tool to create questions and fun for students to play in a classroom. I know this tool sounds almost exactly like Kahoot, but there is one feature of it that makes it different from Kahoot. In Quizizz, the creator can determine if students are going to wait for the entire class to answer before moving on.  The creator can also assign the Quizizz like homework and allow students to work at their own pace through the assignment, they do not have to wait for everyone to answer before moving on. I have used this in my classroom and I love the ability to assign them homework on it and reduce the amount of paper I use.

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I will be using Kahoot for this assignment.

a. Tool purpose and capabilities: Kahoot is a tool you can use to make quizzes, surveys or discussions.  The creator of the Kahoot will write a series of multiple choice questions.  Each question can include text, images, or even video clips.  Kahoot can be used as an icebreaker activity, information review, or to start a discussion.  The game works best when used in a group setting.  Hashtags can be used to help others find your Kahoot easily.

b.Platform use: Kahoot can be played on any device connected to the internet.  This would include desktop computers, laptops, iPads, Android tablets and smart phones.

c.Target audience:  Kahoot can be used by anyone.  It works well in education, but can also be used in business meetings or other events where a group is in attendance.

d.Access details and cost:  Kahoot is completely free. In order to create a Kahoot, users must set up an account.  When you sign up for an account, users will need an email address and must choose a role.  These roles include teacher, student over 16, student under 16, business or social.  Students under 16 are unable to post public Kahoots which serves a safety feature for younger users.  However, there is no account required just to play a Kahoot. Anyone with a device connected to the internet can play Kahoot. This fact makes it very easy to use with any population.  There is no professional version available of Kahoot.

e.Rationale for Technology Selection:  I chose Kahoot because it is an easy to use, fun tool for learning.  It is very simple to create a basic Kahoot to review information.  For users willing to invest a little more time, images and videos can be added with just a few clicks.  I believe one of the best features of Kahoot is that players do not need an account.  The presenter simply invites players with a game PIN and the fun begins!  I have witnessed students playing Kahoot in the classroom and they really enjoy the experience.  One way I could use Kahoot in the library is to review procedures with students.  In a public library, Kahoot could be used to survey participants in a new book club meeting.  A library trivia game would be another fun way to use Kahoot with my patrons.

F.link to screencast tutorial   https://youtu.be/U-KKGGaW-Kk

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a) Tool Purpose and Capability:

Glogster is a multimedia poster website. You can create interactive posters with videos, images and text.   They have a number of templates or you can create your own. It can be used for all subject areas to create timelines, reports, sequencing  or any number of informational summaries.

b) Platforms: it can be used on a variety of platforms: computers and tablets.

c) Target Audience: anyone. This is designed for use in classrooms or personally for pictures and videos.

d) Access: You register online. There is a 7 day free trial, but after that there are a variety of packages one can purchase. The personal license costs $29.99/year whereas the elementary license is $35/year to be used with 30 students. The secondary license is $95 for use with 125 students. There is a Faculty license which is good for 10 teachers and 250 students at $390/year. District licenses are also available.

e) Rationale: I chose Glogster in thinking of a variety of activities in my classroom from endangered animal reports to creative reading response activities.  It is easy to use and beautifully designed.
https://omahaps-my.sharepoint.com/personal/eschmil365_ops_org/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspxguestaccesstoken=V%2fiePwJKNmFyJZZiRvT0hCUdmWZdDoVQ7eulC8t1pnU%3d&docid=1fef90256964947a88e7ae145e15b13f1&rev=1

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Popplet
Tool purpose and capabilities:
Popplet is an educational technology tool that can be used to create mind maps, timelines, and graphic organizers. Using “popples” or boxes, to connect thoughts and ideas, Popplet helps to visually organize information clearly. You can share popplets with others in order to collaborate and expand on ideas. Users can save popplets as .pdf and .jpg files, along with printing them. There is also a presentation mode, which can present a walk-through of the information a user wants to share. Users can also upload information from online (such as videos) and can upload items from their personal computers to add to their presentations. There is also a "timewarp" function, which will show a play-by-play of how a popplet was created.
Platform use:
Web and iPad
Target Audience:
teachers, students, professionals
Access details and cost:
Popplet is a free service to register for and use online. You can create up to 10 popplets with an online account for free. Anything beyond that requires a $3 payment per month or $30 per year. You must be 13 years old to sign up for an account with a valid email address. You must have an account to save your popplets. Popplet does not have a professional version, but it can be set up for schools. Cost can be as low as 50 cents per student account in a district of over 1,000 students. Popplet is available online and through iPad. There are two iPad apps: Popplet and Popplet Lite. Popplet Lite is free, but you can only create one popplet. The Popplet app is $4.99.
Rationale for Technology Selection:
I chose to present this tool because of its ease of use. Popplet can be used with younger and older students and can help those who learn best more visually. This particular tool helps students use technology and critical thinking skills and can also be a great tool for collaboration. With students, I would have them utilize this tool in creating graphic organizers or mind maps for comprehension of information (social studies, reading, science, etc.), as well as for pre-writing activities and during the writing process. For library patrons, I would encourage them to also use this tool to organize information. Patrons can organize items in a way that seems visually accurate to themselves.
Screencast URL:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByJwixrX3HaDa2lDTURrQkZ4cXM/view?usp=sharing

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Tool purpose and capabilities:
Google Slideshow Introduction to Evernote

​Evernote is a cross-platform and web based application that is used for writing, recording, organizing, and archiving notes. For this project, I chose the web version as it is widely available and the screencast will appear the same on any web browser. Evernote allows users to create notes, which can be in the form of typed or written text, photographs, audio recordings, webpages, webpage clippings, handwritten notes, and notes with attachments. Evernote notes can be saved and organized into notebooks. In turn, notebooks can be organized into notebook stacks. All notes collected in Evernote can be given keyword tags, annotated, edited, searched, exported and printed. All notes saved in Evernote can also be shared with others.

Platform use:

Evernote supports a number of operating system platforms including MacOS, iOS, Chrome OS, Android, and Microsoft Windows. It also offers a version that is accessible on any web browser.

Target audience:
Evernote can be extremely useful for anyone that wants or needs to organize digital content and share this information with others. It can be used as a repository for almost any type of digital file. Because notes are stored across platforms and devices, any saved note can be taken on one computer, viewed on a phone, or accessed through a tablet. This makes it a useful tool for professionals, students, and individuals that want to organize or share work documents, recipes or journal entries.

Access details and cost:
Evernote is accessible via any web browser but can also be downloaded as an app for Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS . The program is a service that requires an account. The free version can store up to 60 MB of new uploads per month. Evernote Plus costs $24.99 per year can store up to 1 GB of new uploads per month and provides offline access to notes, the ability to save emails, and a passcode lock for the mobile app. Evernote Premium costs $49.99 per year and can store up to 10 GB of new uploads per month. In addition to the features offered in Evernote Basic, the premium version provides the ability to search word documents and attachments, to turn notes into presentations, to digitize documents, and to restore previous versions of notes.

Rationale for Technology Selection:

I selected Evernote because it is a tool that I use every day at work and at home. It can be used by students to take notes, save research, or store pictures of notes on a whiteboard or scenes from a field trip. Because it works well across any device or platform, Evernote is available to virtually anyone with a connected digital device.

Screencast URL:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bzveyz_KgHYUZGFUcUN3UmlnTkk

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A.    Tool purpose and capabilities:

Newsela is a free online tool that publishes high-interest, nonfiction articles for teachers and students. Articles are published daily and fit into one of the following nine categories: opinion, war and peace, science, kids, money, law, health, arts, and sports. Each article can be adjusted to meet the reading level of students between grades 2-12. Additionally, several articles include quizzes and writing prompts to assess comprehension.

Articles can be shared in several different ways. The first way to share an article with students is to set up a class and have the students access the website. As the teacher you can monitor student progress. The second way students can access the articles is in Google Classroom. Additionally, each article can be shared on social media or printed through the app for a low-tech solution to providing the article for students.

B.     Platform use:

·         Web 2.0

·         Chrome Extension

·         Google Play

·         App Store

C. Target audience:

The target audience for Newsela is teachers and students in grades 2-12. Teachers can set up classes within Newsela for students to access a set article or students can peruse the site and choose an article to read independently. The power lies in the teacher setting the Lexile for his or her students. This modifies the content of all articles, helping students to comprehend their chosen text.

D. Access details and cost:

As a teacher you will need an account on the Newsela website. In order to set up your account Newsela will ask for your school name, email address, what subject(s) you teach, your grade level, the primary language spoken in the classroom, and the level of technology available in the room. The basic account is free to use for both teachers and students. The PRO account is on a sliding scale based upon access for a district, one school, a classroom, or a select group of students. With the PRO account, teachers can monitor their students reading activity by assignment, class, and standard. In addition Newsela will curate data over time and present it in an easy to read chart. The most important benefit to the PRO account is the addition of advanced writing tools which allows the students to annotate within the article.

For students to sign up teachers will share a class code and link provided by Newsela. When a student access the site under a “Learner Code” this signifies that the students is a part of an educational classroom and allows students of all ages to use the site under their terms and conditions. If a student would like to use the site, but does not have a class code, they must be at least 13 years of age.  Students will need to input their first and last names, create a username, and generate a password. Students do not need an email address to participate on Newsela. Articles placed in the teacher’s class will automatically show up in the banner area of the screen for the student’s perusal.

E. Rationale for Technology Selection:

With the changes and modifications to the Nebraska State Standards as well as the NeSA-ELA test, nonfiction reading strategies has become a staple of many classrooms in my district. Teachers need access to a number of high-quality nonfiction articles that are accurate, timely, reliable, and span across many content areas. Newsela’s five adjustable levels will also assist my resource teachers in modifying the chosen articles. In the future I can see myself teaching students how to annotate articles, use nonfiction reading strategies, and analyze a text for credibility using Newsela. The articles would also be a great resource for a current event reading station in the library as well.

F. After finishing your screencast tutorial (see below), include the screencast tutorial URL.

https://youtu.be/Wbu99Dozbvk

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I'm going to screencast Diigo basics.

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Using Proofreading Tools in Microsoft Word
A.  Users choose Microsoft Word for the purpose of typing documents; the Spelling and Grammar Check tool points out possible errors and suggestions for fixing them, and the Readability Statistics tool indicates such things as word count and grade level of the writing.

B.  MS Word can be purchased as either a stand-alone word processing program or as part of Office Suite. It is available for Windows (PC) or Mac (OS X) including iPad and smartphones (iOS).

C. The target audience for MS Word is everyone who needs the most popular form of word processing. The audience for proofreading tools is the same.

D.  MS Word software must be installed in the device, either as part of an Office 365 subscription or through direct purchase for download. Subscription costs for a single PC or MAC begin at $7 per month (or $70 annually) for Office 365 Personal 2016 and includes free upgrades. The subscription for Office 365 Home version provides access for up to 5 PCs or MACs for $10/month or $100/year. Office Home and Student downloaded to one PC is $150; Office Professional 2016 costs $350; the advantage is that it includes Publisher and Access. Students can receive online Office for free. A download key can be purchased for MS Word 2016 by itself for $80.

E.  I made this selection because my middle-school students seldom know how to use MS Word for proofreading. Other users often do not understand some of the features available in MS Word, either. I will use this screencast to assist students who work at home or require immediate assistance when I am unable to provide it. My screencast shows the common MS Word version for PC that is installed on laptops at my school, but I also intend to make another screencast covering the same topics for the latest MAC version.

F. http://screencast.com/t/RfBo4Ro3LLb

After clicking “Play” arrow, be sure to click “Full Screen” (square icon at lower right by volume control).

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InstaGrok

Tool purpose and capabilities:  InstaGrok is an online educational research engine,  that allows you to research any topic with an interactive concept map, that you can customize and share.  Results are displayed on an interactive content map which includes images, videos, and text resources.  A journal feature allows student to take notes, pin resources to their Grok, and create research papers and cite them.  Students are able to share their journal and Grok via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and e-mail.

Platform use:  iOS and Android

Target audience:  Early Elementary - High School (K-12); students will need to be able to read to use it on their own.

Access details and cost:   To use InstaGrok, you will need to set up an account on the website using your e-mail, Facebook, or G-mail account.   If a student would want to sign up for their own account they would need to be 13 to use their own e-mail.  Core research functionality is free.  Teachers are able to upgrade to InstaGrok classroom for $45/year.  Librarians are able to upgrade to InstaGrok classroom for $65/year.  Features of InstaGrok classroom include:

Teacher Dashboard

Assignments

Bibliography/Credibility

Safe Content

Priority Support

No Advertising

Students privacy - When students use your class code, InstaGrok does not collect their names, emails or any other personally-identifiable information. (Students under 13 would then be able to sign up under a teacher account)  Their journals are also kept private (e.g. not displayed in the InstaGrok gallery). Up to 200 students can connect to each teacher. (Librarian accounts enable 800 students to connect.)

Rationale for Technology Selection:  I chose InstaGrok because I liked how it narrowed searching down to a more manageable process for students.  It is meant to be used for academic purposes, helping them to find and make sense of information.  It challenges students to engage in critical thinking and helps them to organize thoughts and information in a way that is meaningful to them.  It also has a wide target audience.  I liked that you could use it with younger researchers.  It was also named one of the Best Apps for Teaching and Learning in 2014 by the American Association of School Librarians.

I would use InstaGrok in my classroom or library for students to find out more information on a topic of their choosing, as well as when creating research projects or papers.  I love this site to use with my preschool students, even though they will need to have teacher help.  What a great way to show how concepts are related, to find great images, and videos of topics that kids love and want to know more about.  We could create a classroom Grok on the projector!  I could also see using it in the same way as a KWL chart.  We could start with the topic and concepts that come up on the Grok, talk about what we already know and put those into notes on our map, what we want to know(add those notes into our map), and then at the end of the unit add all the  information that we learned.  We would be able to have a visual content map to determine if we learned everything that we wanted to know more about.

Screencast of InstaGrok:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxTrGs9zh7DpMndISjc4M1E1eDg/view

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I am going to do my screen cast on Storybird.

1. Purpose and Capabilities: Storybird is a tool used to create a story based on pictures, read stories created by others, and allows readers to connect with authors about their stories.  One can create a picture book, longform book, or a poem.

2. Platform use: Storybird can be used on the web.  There is an Android app. There is an iOS poetry app called Lark.

3. Target audience: The audience is anybody. Families, Educators, Authors, Illustrators.

4. Access details and cost: Storybird requires an account on the website.  You can have an email address, but you don’t have to.  Storybird has three versions; free, educator, and premium membership.  The premium membership is $149.99 a year.  If one wants to print downloads from a story or make hardcover or softcover books, there is a fee. Premium membership has special apps, features, and tools that the other memberships do not have.  Educator with memberships can add a class.  Classes can create stories.  Parents can see their child’s work.  Teachers can manage their classes work.

5. I selected this tool because I thought it would be a different way to get students to write and create stories.  I think that even reluctant writers could find artwork that they would be interested in writing about.  I also think that the students can learn about the illustrator of the story.  Teachers can also use the Educator membership to assign and keep track of student work privately or publicly.  They can share the student work with parents.  I would use the educator membership to have students write and create stories.  I would have them learn about the illustrators too.

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cD1ro5i3wI

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Pear Deck
Tool purpose and capabilities:  Pear Deck is a media sharing web 2.0 program.  Its purpose is to make interactive slide presentations for classroom use.  The idea is to allow all students to participate in the class and allow shy students to take part without being identified by other students.  However, the teacher can tell who responded to each question.  The capabilities vary depending on what type of plan your purchase.  All plans have Google Drive integration and will link with your Google Drive account.  The number of deck creations are unlimited, but the features of the slides vary for the paid and free accounts.  Free accounts can use number slides, multiple choice slides, and  text slides; but you have to pay for a plan if you want draggable or drawable slides.  In a draggable slide, students drag something to submit their answer to a question.  Student takeaways are also a pay feature.  This allows the teacher to give each student a Google Doc with his or her responses and notes from the presentation.  For the free account, you get only five PDF or Google Slide imports and for paid, it is unlimited.  The number of participants for each session is 30 for the free account and 50 for the paid account.

Platforms:  Pear Deck works on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.  They do not support Internet Explorer.  The devices they support are iPhones, iPads, iPods, Chromebooks, laptops (Macs, PC, or Linux) and  Android devices such as phones and tablets.

Target Audience:  The target audience is students, but you could use this with older learners too.  Pear Deck does offer their program for professional use.  It is more expensive than the educator accounts.

Access Details:  Educators need access to a projector and screen to present the presentations.  All users need a Google account to use this program.   This means you need a Google email address and password to login.  There are three pricing levels:  free, group or individual , and school.  Each plan has a professional price and an educator price.  The group or individual pricing is $249.99 a year for professional or $99.99 a year for an educator.  You must contact them for a price on the school plan.  There is no age limit.   The professional version is the same as the paid school plan as there is no difference in capabilities with those versions.

Rationale for Technology Selection:  I chose this web 2.0 tool because I think it is a good way to engage students in activities.  I could use this in the library with students to teach digital citizenship, citation, or how to find resources.  Each student could receive a sheet for notes of the presentation to refer to later if they forget something.  I also think this would be a good application to share with the staff so they could use it with their students for other activities in the classroom.

Link to screencast: https://youtu.be/nf_gO5ol0-g

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quizizz

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glogster

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I will screencast SketchUp

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Piktochart

a. Piktochart is a web-based application which allows users at all experience levels to create infographics, posters, presentations, and reports using ready-made templates with content that can be easily manipulated to suit individual needs. Once Piktochart content has been created is easily shared for online viewing or download. More advanced users can publish content using HTML and all users have the capability to utilize tools to create interactive maps, charts, videos, text, images, and hyperlinks.

b. Platform use: Piktochart can be used on a Mac or PC and the site includes instructions to download an app for use on an iPad. The site works best using the latest version of either Google Chrome or Firefox. Internet Explorer, Safari, and older versions of Mozilla are not known to work well with Javascript, which is required for Piktochart to function correctly. Additionally, though the site can be accessed on any platform with internet access -due to the interactive features on the site - it is best to not work from a mobile phone.

c. Target audience: The target audience for this application is any person who has a need to organize digital content in a visually appealing format. This tool will most likely be used by students, educators, or business professionals.

d. Access details and cost: Piktochart has several account options. The free account allows for unlimited creations, full editing functions, access to all icons and images on the site, and enables users to download and share in the original creation size. There is an account option at a minimal monthly fee that allows access to all templates (not just those offered on the free account), image upload limit increase of 400mb, high resolution image exports, high-quality PDF exports, removal of the Piktochart watermark (present on free account creations), and integrated export platforms. There are also special discount options for Non-Profit Organizations and Educators. In order to sign up an e-mail account is necessary for subscription for either type of account but there are no age requirements for use.

e. Rationale for Technology Selection: This tool was selected for its ease of use and due to the fact that the free account was one of the most generous I have seen in terms of functionality without having to pay for the service. This tool could be used with students in a school library in a number of ways: to create a presentation (as an alternative to PowerPoint) that could easily be shared to an entire class, to organize information for a report into an infographic that is both educational and visually appealing, to create a poster for a book report or other project, and so on. It could also be used for teachers to present information to their students that does not follow the traditional method of a multi-slide presentation. There are endless possibilities for sharing content with this tool.

f. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwzGzcs1wniAR1kzNDRHbFYtd1k/view

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I am going to explain how to use proofreading features in MS Word.

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Schoology

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I am going to screencast Storyboard That.

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FlipQuiz

Purpose and Capabilities: FlipQuiz is a website designed for creating game-show review games, similar to Jeopardy.  Games can have as many as 6 categories, with up to 6 questions under each.  Images and links can also be embedded in questions and answers, and the background can be altered.  Users can reuse or share their games and browse the FlipQuiz community for other quiz boards.

Platform Use: FlipQuiz should be used on a computer and projected for students to see, because it’s meant to be played with the whole class.

Target Audience: The website is targeted at educators, although they advertise that students could access the quiz boards on their own and review them like flashcards.  FlipQuiz could be used with any student age group because the content is determined by the teacher and students don’t need to operate the game.

Access Details and Cost: To have a FlipQuiz account, all you need is an email address to create a log-in.  There are no age requirements.  If you sign up for the free membership, you are able to create your own FlipQuiz boards and access other shared quiz boards.  For $7/month or $70/year, you can get the “Pro” edition, which has many nice features.  It includes: tracking team scores during the games, flash cards to share with students, the option to upload images from your computer, and a few other customization or privacy options.  If you plan on using FlipQuiz frequently or are buying the more expensive license for your school, these features might be worth it.  If you only plan on using it no more than once a week, the free version is plenty.

Rationale for Technology Selection: I selected FlipQuiz for my screencast because it was recommended on the list of AASL Best Websites of 2015. I have used this website in the past as a novel form of review with my students and would recommend it to my colleagues.  It could be used to review content of almost any subject, and I thought that one fun way to use it as an extension would be to have students write the questions that are used on the quiz board.

Screencast link: http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cD10nwi0pd

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I am going to screencast Canva.

Tool purpose and capabilities:

Canva is a web-based graphic design program that was created to make graphic design simple and easy.   It allows users to choose from hundreds of professionally designed layouts or create their own designs from scratch, for use in presentations, posters, infographics, social media, business cards, and much more. Canva combines a stock library of over 1 million photographs, illustrations and graphics with a drag-and-drop design tool – making it the ultimate visual content creation resource. Including over 140 free fonts to choose from as well as the ability to edit and enhance images, Canva allows you to create designs with professional results – even if you don’t have any graphic design experience.  Canva is all about empowering the world to design.

Platform use:

Canva can be used in any web browser.  Design platform Canva, when first launched offered an easy to use, drag-and-drop interface anyone can master, and has brought its technology to the iPad.  The app gives users full access to Canva’s design tools and library of images. It can be accessed across the spectrum of platforms from almost any electronic device.  You can sign into Canva with Facebook or Google +, and there are social features of the tool as well. There are also sharing capabilities you could use for students to do group projects. Canva requires users to create an account, and an e-mail address is required.

Target audience:

Canva isn’t competing against professional level tools like InDesign or Photoshop, but is rather marketing itself to those who may not have considered themselves “creative types” with a simple tool that lets you quickly build things like flyers, slideshows, invitations, posters, Facebook Covers, cards, photo collages, documents, blog graphics, and more, without needing much in the way of special skills. Many of their instructional resources seem to be targeted to a business audience, but the graphics that you can create in Canva would also be useful in an education setting.

Access details and cost:

Some of Canva’s elements are free to use, or you can purchase premium images for $1 each. The company operates on a freemium business model, providing free design tools and access to their library of images and offering additional paid designs, a marketplace for designers and tools specific for companies.  There are plenty of free templates, shapes, and photos to use. You can also upload your own photos.  If you do choose to pay for premium elements, your card will not be charged right away. You will only be charged once you accumulate at least US $10 in payments, or one month after your initial purchase (whichever happens first).

Rationale for Technology Selection:

I chose this piece of technology because it rescued me.  When we were given the assignment to create an infographic, I not only didn’t know how to do it, but wasn’t even sure what one was.  Finding Canva to create my infographic was perfect.  Even if a person has as little clue as I did, it will get the job done.  In the future, I can see several uses for Canva.  In the school setting, in or out of the library, there are always times that posters and graphics of many types must be made.  Canva allows for the creation of multiple types of graphics for use both on and off line.

Screencast tutorial URL.:

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cD1ZiwiZvM

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I am going to screencast Evernote

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1. Tool purpose and capabilities- The purpose of Hypothes.is to allow people to annotate information and respond to the annotations of others. Hypothes.is users can annotate any website, and those annotations can be public for any other person with Hypothes.is, or they can be made private to specific groups of people or even just the annotator himself. Annotators can respond to the annotations of others; they can also link to other pages in their annotations, which is good practice of attributing ownership of information and avoiding plagiarism.

2. Platform Use- Hypothes.is has a bookmarklet available, which makes it quite easy to use on a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. It does not, however, work well on an ipad, tablet or cell phone, and some of my students had issues with older PCs.

3. Target Audience- This tool is perfect for anyone middle school age or older.

4. Access details and Cost- This tool is completely free. You do need to have an account with a user name and you must provide an email address. There are no upgraded versions available.

5. Rationale for Technology Selection: With regards to school use, this tool could be used in every single class. Getting students to interact with information and each other is one of the main goals of school. Allowing students to select and comment on specific pieces of text, allowing them to link their comments to other information on the web, and allowing them to respond to one another are some of the most important opportunities our students need to have to learn how to have thoughtful and diverse discussions. This tool can be used to provide students with an opportunity to discuss anything; I have used it when reading literature, and I taught a social sciences teacher how to use with current events. You could have students annotate lab reports or math problems as well. With regards to patrons, it would be a helpful tool when/if you were trying to gather the opinions of the public with regards to a number of civic texts such as bond issues or proposed legislation.

6. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxEqOGfqatdVNHFZazdLUVBwX1U/view

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I am going to screencast Class Dojo.
Purpose and Capabilities - ClassDojo is a tool that can help build a positive classroom environment.  Students are able to practice building skills such as teamwork and perseverance.  Teachers are able to share information with parents about a student’s day in several ways; instant messages, behavior updates, photos, videos, and announcements.  As a bonus, teachers and parents can translate into 35 different languages if needed.

Platforms - ClassDojo works on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and on any computer.
Target Audience - The target audience is the classroom teacher, students, and parents.  The folks at ClassDojo have a mission “to bring teachers, students, and parents closer together.”
Access Details and Cost - This is a free tool.  Their site states that it will “always be free to teachers”.  To get started, you sign up and create a free account.  You will supply your email address and you will select your school.  There are no age requirements.  There is one edition available for all to use.  Teachers create their class and add parent emails.  Teachers are able to send messages to the entire class, a small group, or individuals.
Rationale for Technology Selection - I chose this tool because I have heard other teachers talking about it and how much they love it.  I’m always looking for new ways to improve my communication with families and build a better classroom community.  I plan to use ClassDojo in my self-contained classroom this year.  I will message parents and update them when their child is making positive choices or needs to change their behavior.  I’ll send photos and class news as well.  Looking ahead to life as a librarian, I could see myself creating classes and even grade level groups.  This would be a great tool for letting families know about special events in the library as well as sharing photos and news about what we are doing each week.

To learn how to edit your class on ClassDojo, click on the link below.  http://screencast.com/users/klentz/folders/Jing/media/9df041d8-d73c-4fae-ac62-cc5bdf1e5d1a

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Purpose- emaze is online presentation software. It's able to turn your presentations from boring basic, to exciting.

Capabilities- Emaze adds graphics, movement and even 3D images to any presentation you need to put together using an easy slide format. You can also "emazify"  your Powerpoint presentations. Which means those old PP you made years ago can be given a facelift and put back to use.

Platform- Works with any type computer, most tablets, I could run it on my phone. Web based.

Target Audiences- Everyone. I could see business people needing it, as well as teachers and students. Everyone has to do a presentation at some point, emaze makes it look professional.

Access Details and Costs- This software is free to use the basics, but has two other levels that have extra features you pay for. The "Pro" level cost $9 a month. They bill you for a year at a time, although you can buy just one month of "Pro" for $39. The "Pro" level gives you offline presentations, video capabilities and collaboration possibilities.The next level is called "Business" and it gives you the "Pro" extras plus custom brand templates and other things that a business could use more than a personal account. The "Business" level is $19 dollars a month. For what educators use it for, the free account would be just fine. You will need to sign up and give them an email address, they will not ask for a credit card.

Rational for the Technology Selection- I picked emaze for a simple reason, I was thrilled that I could repurpose my old Powerpoints. I found that I wasn't the only one who thought that was great, every teacher I told about this wanted to know the name of the site and wrote it down. I had two that sat down and started playing with it right away.
I also like using presentations for small groups while I'm working with another group. I like how this makes my slide presentations look. It makes me look like a professional, while I really have very little experience at this.
It's an easy to use site that makes you look great, what more could you ask for?
http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cD10Y4iZlp

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I am going to use Screencast Newsela.

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Purpose Zaption is a cloud based app that allows users to create interactive videos. The purpose is to engage students in the videos instead of watching passively.

Capabilities | Users can upload their own videos or search the internet for relevant content. There is also a database of lessons already created on a number of topics. Users are able to insert videos and interactive elements like: text boxes, images, multiple choice questions, short answer questions, drawings, check boxes, etc. The lessons can be shared with students individually or used for whole group instruction. Zaption also allows teachers to track viewer interaction with the video and responses to teacher created questions.

Platform | Web-based, works best with Chrome and Firefox, can use desktop, laptop, or mobile devices.

Target Audience | Teachers, trainers, and content publishers. Students can also create Zaption lessons.

Access Details and Costs | 3 levels of membership: Basic-Free, Teacher $8 per month, Team-$35 per month,  School- $125 per month. Users need an e-mail address.

Rationale for Technology Selection | This tool is ideal for anyone who uses online video content in their classroom. I love to use Crash Course and other videos to front load information and support learning during the learning process. This tool allows me to engage students at a deeper level and to track the effectiveness of the videos I show. Classroom teachers can use Zaption to create interactive videos on any topic. In the library, Zaption can be used as a training tool for teachers and students. Interactive lessons can be made for library procedures, technology used in the library, etc. Students can also use Zaption to create their own interactive lessons on any topic.

https://drive.google.com/a/bpsne.net/file/d/0B0vmc6je1YQwSkxhRlVmVldkUkk/view

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I am going to screencast Animoto.

A.  Tool Purpose/Capabilities:  Animoto is a 2.0 web tool for making online videos.  Animoto users create slideshows including text, images, music, and video clips.  Videos can be created for educational, business, and entertainment purposes.  Videos are stored in the cloud.  A variety of backgrounds and themes are available.

B.  Platform:  Animoto is a website.  Animoto Video Maker is an app for Android, iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

C.  Target Audience:  Animoto is for anyone wanting to create online videos.  It is rated for ages 7th grade and up.  Although, it is very user friendly and I’m aware of it being used with intermediate elementary students.

D.  Access Details/Cost:  Animoto offers free accounts with limited resources.  With the free account you can create 30 second videos with certain backgrounds/themes.  Animoto also offers personal ($8 per month), professional ($22 per month), and business accounts ($34 per month) with features such as longer videos as well as more backgrounds and music options.  Animoto for Education ($0)  allows educators to create student accounts for classroom purposes.  Resources for the education account are comparable to the personal account without the cost.  You will need an email address along with a username and password to begin an account with Animoto.  Once you have created an account you can apply for an education code for the educator account.

E.  Rationale:  I chose to present Animoto for a variety of reasons.  It is user friendly, private, and free for educators.  Videos can be easily created and shared (email, Facebook, Twitter).  Animoto can be used in the classroom to present content information as well as reading and writing projects.  I intend to use Animoto with students for online book trailers, book recommendations, and book talks.

F.  Screencast Tutorial:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_7cDJdhf8w7SjlXSWtCcF9hekE/view

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I am going to screen-cast Popplet.

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I am going to introduce bubbl.us

Ann Pfeiffer

Teaching and Learning in Digital Environments

Tech Tool Screencast Assignment

June 24, 2016

TOOL:  bubbl.us

a. Tool Purpose and Capabilities:  Bubbl.us is a mind mapping application used to aid in visual thinking.  A way of representing thoughts and ideas graphically.  Another word for it might be “Brainstorming.”  With bubbl.us, you can list new ideas, analyze information, bring together thoughts and ideas, and share information with others.  It is easy to use even for younger students and work can be shared through email, blog posts, or websites.  On the down side, students cannot insert images into bubbl.us and each student needs their own log-in information.

b. Platform Use:  Bubbl.us is an online application, so there is no need to download any software to use it.  It is a Web 2.0 tool. You can open bubbl.us in Google Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer.

c. Target Audience:  Bubbl.us is an easy-to-use concept-map making tool that can be used with any age of student or class subject.  You could use it with your youngest students or adult patrons for a presentation in the public library.

d. Access Details and Cost:  Bubbl.us is free for up to 3 mind maps.  Beyond that, it is $6 per month or $59 per year.  There are no contracts and you can cancel at any time.  There is no age limit.  A team edition is available.  The pricing for team is $6 per month for up to 50 members.

e. Rationale for Technology Selection:  I selected this application because it is new to me, looked like it might be fun to try,  and looked fairly simple to use.  I would use it with my 3rd through 5th grade students.  My students worked on writing a poem using words to describe the sounds an April shower makes.  I think this would be an excellent way to list and share the descriptive words the students came up with for that project.  Students could also do peer editing for writing projects with this application.

f. Screencast URL

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cD1ZcCiZYJ

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I am going to introduce Grammarly.

Tool Purpose and Capabilities-Grammarly is a writing enhancement app that has spell check, grammar check, and plagiarism check capabilities. Grammarly also offers free web extensions for different search engines to correct over 150 types of errors while working online.  There are also online communities and resources available, as well as a blog, Facebook page and Twitter account that all members can access.

Platform Use-Web-based app.  Available on Chrome, Safari and Firefox as well as an app used with Windows and OS X.

Target Audience-Grammarly is available for anyone using the internet, but there is a special education edition that is geared towards schools.

Access Details and Cost-Grammarly is free to download with an e-mail address.  There is a premium subscription which costs $11.66/month with a year-long subscription.  There are also business and education subscriptions, but those costs are available only by request.  The premium content offers an additional 100 grammar checks, a vocabulary enhancement tool and a plagiarism checker, as well as access to a professional proofreader.

Rationale for Selection-I chose this app because I was curious to see how this would benefit teachers and students.  It is more detailed than just spell-checking a document, as it teaches the students what their error is and why it is incorrect.  I thought the plagiarism checker would be very beneficial to teachers, even though it is only available with a premium subscription.  I could still install the app on the computers in the lab and students could upload documents for grammar and spelling checks.  If I was able to purchase the education subscription, teachers could upload student assignments to help with grading, or to plan reteaching grammar lessons if multiple errors are noted in one area.

Tutorial- https://youtu.be/UpQRVHD9IOE

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Tool: Edpuzzle.com

1. Tool purpose and capabilities: Edpuzzle allows users to add audio and written content into existing video allowing it to become interactive and for the instructor to receive feedback from the students in how they answer questions inserted at points throughout the video. This tool is also integrated with Google Drive and Classroom. There are mentions on the site of additional features being added in the near future including a gradebook component.

2. Platform use: This tool can be used on any device with internet access.

3. Target audience: The target audience is teachers.

4. Access details and cost: A free account is needed to use the tool which requires an email address. Having a Google account allows the different components involved in assigning and receiving feedback to work more easily. Students will also need an account to use the tool. This tool is free. Students under 13 will need to be in COPPA compliance.

5. Rationale for Technology Selection: I selected this tool because a colleague shared it with me at the very end of the school year and I had not yet had a chance to explore it.  Edpuzzle could easily become a station in my classroom adding pieces of accountability to help me monitor student understanding.  This would also be an excellent resource for preteaching or reteaching as well as for students who were absent.

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I am going to introduce the tech tool Kahoot.

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I am going to introduce you to a new tech tool I found called Padlet.