Thing+11

= Welcome to Thing 11! =

You will be learning:
 * alternatives to Power Point
 * suggestions on how to use these tools to make presentations for your students
 * ways your students can use these tools as a part of their education

Overview
During the last thing we talked about ways to improve your PowerPoint presentations, but if you are ready for something new...today is your day! The websites you will be introduced to provide presentation options for your classrooms. Your students will be engaged by the posters, videos and other presentations you begin to implement in your classroom. Visit the websites and watch the tutorials to begin using these new presentation tools today!

Prezi is a zoomable canvas that is a mix between a whiteboard and slides. The zoom feature makes it fun to explore ideas and their connections with each other, and you will be able to show details as well as the bigger picture. You can use Prezi as a creation for your classroom, and your students can create their own Prezi to show what they have learned. Prezi is also compatible with the iPad! Watch this Prezi to learn the basics on getting started. media type="custom" key="10565026"

Now that you know how to get started, watch this Prezi to learn how to create the most effective presentation possible. media type="custom" key="10565348" Animoto is a web tool that allows you or students to turn your pictures into a video that includes music or audio. The free version allows you to make a 30 second video with your own photos or photos you downloaded from the internet. The videos you create can be embeded into your blog, sent to others through email or posted on social networking sites. Animoto also has an iPhone, iPod and iPad app!

This .pdf ﻿ gives you step-by-step instructions on how to get started using Animoto.

Watch this SchoolTube tutorial if you prefere to watch a video. media type="custom" key="10566428"


 * Ideas for the Classroom **
 * Use Prezi as an alternative to PowerPoint presentations
 * Take pictures of your students and put them into Animoto to highlight great things that are happening in your classroom
 * Students can use these tools to create presentations for class assignments

Your Task
For this thing you will be exploring web based presentation tools. Choose one of the tools listed above, create an account and familiarize yourself with how the tool works. Create a presentation that could be used in your classroom with tool you selected. Post a a link to your creation on Edmodo.

Extra Credit
Create an account and explore one of the other presentation tools. Brainstorm ways that you could use this tool in your classroom.

-Kristen Hearne