What was Susan’s favorite session? Of course (Cool Tools), it’s challenging to choose just one, but Susan appeared to enjoy Leslie Fisher’s remarks. Leslie, who has previously guested on the Shake Up Learning podcast and was her usual cheerful self, praised the teachers for doing an outstanding job in these trying times. Her speech demonstrated her desire to interact with others in person once more.
Know
MIT students created a “new to her” tool called Know, which is meant to help students take notes from class more efficiently. They wanted an easier way to engage with their course notes and take notes online. Know gives you the option of creating a text area where you can type your thoughts in addition to all of the essential word processing tools.
The platform then generates a quiz for the students to study the subject after they’ve finished writing their notes. Students may also access some public notebooks on the forum. Know also links to Google Classroom.
Video Candy
Video Candy, a tool that Leslie had never spoken about before, was one of her favorites. Video Candy is similar to PDF Candy in that it allows editors to modify videos in a variety of ways without charge.
Flippity Word Master
Naturally, the main topic was Wordle. If you have hasn’t played, go try it out! Try Flipity to integrate Wordle into the classroom. A fantastic new option for encouraging or reviewing language words. Elementary instructors looking for spelling and sight-word practice suggestions should check out Flipity.
Chrome Bookmark Folders
We often hear about a tool, but we soon forget because it hasn’t become a habit. Susan was brought back to using Chrome Folders in the Bookmarks Bar to save time by opening all of the daily websites required by teachers every day.
Kasey produced a Quick Tip Video detailing how this works. It’sIt’s also possible to categorize and color-code tabs to make online work easier.
Experiments with Google
Google Experiments is a community for people to share their ideas and coders for Google experiments. Susan shares an exciting investigation that would be appropriate for any music course. To see how manipulating the numerous cartoon character blobs changes the singing voice assigned to each chunk, try Search Blob Opera.
Book Creator + Canva (and Giphy)!
ACERCA now works well with Book Creator, a program that lets you make e-books using templates (for more information, see here) and Giphy (here). Work created in these tools can now be included in a Book Creator project.
Book Creator continues to add new features, so if you have hasn’t looked in a while, go check it out.
Photopea
Photopea is another fantastic website for graphics design. Susan refers to it as a lighter-weight version of Canva or Adobe. Perhaps an excellent place for kids to make graphics.
If you’re a Bloxels fan, there’s a new gaming platform called Pixicade to check out. Children use the Pixicade app to take photos of their game concept and have it come to life. This technology does have an upfront cost of $20, so it’d be an excellent addition to any Makerspace or even a present for your child.
Some of the tools and ideas shared in the conversation include:
1. Knowt – a tool for taking notes and creating quizzes to help study material
2. Video Candy – a tool for editing videos
3. Flippity Word Master – a tool for introducing or reviewing vocabulary words
4. Chrome Bookmark Folders – a way to organize online work
5. Experiments with Google – a place to share ideas and coders for Google to experiment with the ideas
6. Book Creator + Canva (and Giphy) – tools for creating digital books
7. Photopea – a tool for graphic design
8. Pixicade – a tool for making games
Benefits of Cool Tools You Didn’t Know!
There are many benefits of using the excellent cool tools mentioned in this article:
- They can help save time by organizing online work.
- They can help engage students in learning by providing interactive quizzes and games.
- They offer an easy way to create digital books that can be used for assignments or projects.
- They offer a fun way to experiment with different ideas and concepts.
Overall, these incredible tools can benefit both teachers and students alike!
Conclusion:
These are just a few of the great ideas and tools shared in the conversation. Check out the whole discussion for more great ideas and resources.
