Eclectic Technology

The tools covered in this post by Richard Byrne are:

* eduCanon

* Teachem

* VideoNotes

* Blubbr

* Zaption

* EdPuzzle

* Blendspace

You will find a video tutorial both eduCanon and Blendspace. Bryne describes each tool in detail in his post, making it easier for you to choose which ones will meet your needs.

Summertime...a time to recharge and to think about what we might do in our classrooms next year (at least for the folks who are now out of school). Have you been considering learning some new tech tools? This website is a great place to start. They have short tutorials on nine "emerging tech tools" and more will be added. The tutorials include:

* Create a Flipped Lesson with TedEd

* Easily Create Private Digital Online Content Discussions with Tackk

* Using Movenote to Create Custom Video Lessons

* Create Powerful Lessons in Minutes with Blendspace

* Remind 101 - A Free Tool for Text Messaging Students

Two more tools are available and you might want to bookmark this site as they will continue to add new tools as they become available.

Here is a new tool (at least to me) that allows you to create online content. In fact, you can get an educator account and have students also create content (but make sure to have permission from parents for students under the age of 13).

You can get an educator account or your school may want to sign-up. School wide features include:

• Lesson tracking (allowing you to see students progress)
• Lesson sharing and collaboration
• Common Core, NextGen Science and custom standards – helping you align lessons

You can easily

• Add, insert and delete resources from the web
• Group resources, lessons and organize your students
• Add questions to videos

Take a few minutes to click through to the website and check it out. You may find yourself creating a new lesson!

Blendspace is joined Wikispaces and TES and now offers their premium services for free to educators! Why use Blendspace?

* It is easy to organize and share materials.

* The format is visual (which appeals to many learners).

* You pick the topic and you pick the materials: videos, links, images, files, etc.

There are additional features and you may use Blendspace to assess and track student progress. You might consider using Blendspace as a component to introduce blended learning into your class.

This post from Richard Byrne also includes a video that teaches you the basics of Blendspace as well as Flipping and Blending the Classroom.

Five resources are shared in this post, with explanations about how to use them in your classroom. All have free versions available.

* LessonPaths (http://www.lessonpaths.com/) allows you to put together groups of web resources and other digital resources in one location. (This was called MentorMob.)

* Blendspace (https://www.blendspace.com/schools) is similar to LessonPaths but with a different look to it. Check them both out to see which fits your needs.

* Geddit (http://letsgeddit.com/) provides a space where you can ask questions and students can respond using most any digital device that can access the Internet.

* TED-Ed (http://letsgeddit.com/) is a resource that provides lessons that include a video, questions, resources and a discussion forum and allow you to flip any lesson you find. Additional videos are added frequently.

* Powtoon (http://www.powtoon.com) allows you to create videos using templates. It is a little more complex to learn and you will be limited to five minute videos unless you subscribe. There is an educational version available.

Have fun exploring these tools and creating content to engage your students!