Bubblr

This is a lovely little app that could prove to be very useful. As the site suggests Bubblr is:

…a tool to create comic strips using photos from flickr.com. Begin searching images and add bubbles to them. So easy! Just type a tag and and press go!

The specific aspect I really like is the way that you can search for a username in flickr so that you only see those photos. If a class has an account it then allows a classteacher to direct children to a certain resource and certain images to use.

The comic strips are very simple to create as you drag images to a dynamic timeline structure and this linear style scrolling comic book is what you would get when published. Bubbles for speech, thought and just text are available to add and move, add text to. I found it really easy to organise and it could have many uses – for example it would be a good way to illustrate a historical timeline.

bubblr

Once again the published resource can be embedded into other sites including a wikispace – unfortunately I cannot embed it into a learnerblog for the class blog which is a great shame and I am finding that there are seemingly too many limitations to what can be achieved in the learnerblog environment.

EditGrid

After exploring a whole raft of web 2.0 applications I have been thinking about the application of EditGrid‘s spreasheets that can be shared online. I certainly think that they have the capacity to change the way that spreadhsheets are taught or at least to add an extra collaborative strand. And I suppose I started to think how could the primary ICT curriculum be covered in the use of Web 2.0 apps? Probably pretty well!

Anyway EditGrid allows you to create a spreadsheet (which by the way is a simplified version of excel) and then share your work as you would a Wikispace – I suppose it is a wikisheet; or a spreadwiki or a sheetwikispread!! These spreadsheets can then perhaps be embedded into a class wiki – using the embed media button at wikispaces.
The obvious use would be to deliver much of the spreadsheets curriculum for Year 5 and 6 – but I really like the RTU or Real Time Update feature of it that allows you to see real time changes. I think that simultaneous maths lessons with either whole classes or small groups working together on the same workspace may be an interesting option. There is also the possible use of the spreadsheet between schools in different locations.

Maybe there is someone out there willing to do that ?

Flickr notes tool

Strangely enough I only discovered this very useful little tool of Flickrs yesterday. Adding notes is far more visual than I imagined – I suppose it was a bit daft of me to miss it. But nevertheless this morning I decided to use ti with the children in my Year 6 class and we revised some maths we have been doing. I scanned a good example of the grid method for multiplication and then simply labelled what we saw, this really helped to consolidate the different features. Check it our here.

Such a simple tool – I must make more of it.

My class wiki

I have begun a class wiki over at wikispaces.com. I have already added a few tasks that came to mind – something about the RE work we have done, something on the Local History study [I imagine this being linked with some internet based research] and also a literacy task I have called “Let’s write a Biography together”.

I have also joined a couple of Google groups to keep tabs on what educational wikis are doing – I think that it will be an interesting resource for the class.

Based upon the number of comments and posts on the class blog I think that I will offer a time during the week at school to blog using the school computers.

Wikipedia and wikis

Today has been Wiki Wednesday!

I have had some time at school to get a few jobs done out of class and I have been exploring the use of wikis. Initially my thoughts were regarding there application in a classroom – children sharing their writing etc. Today I have been exploring the use of wikis as a professional development or management tool. So I have set a wikispace for school where I have added some content regarding the school’s SRF and also the SEF. To me the use of a wiki has some important advantages:

  • Access the document where ever you can get online.
  • Collaborate with lots of people in different places.
  • Track the history of the document changes.
  • Revert back to previous versions.
  • Key members of staff can monitor the changes of a document.

So for example every year certain school policies have to be reviewed and often changes have to be made – I think that using a wikispace would be a simple and easy way to do it.

I then read John’s blog about his lesson on Wikipedia and it reminded about an idea I had. Essentially anyone can author content for the resource so why not set it as a writing task – it would involve research and in depth writing skills. I wonder if any schools have ever successfully contributed to it?