Online message boards with sticky notes

Many people like sticky notes. I love them too and use them as bookmarks or reminders.
Today we can use virtual sticky notes on virtual message boards. The choice of the tools is rather wide. Here are my favourites - all free to use.

The simplest message board is Corkboard which is what it says it is - a corkboard with plain yellow notes.
The tool is so down-home that it does not even have its own logo.
No registration is required. Open the page and start posting your notes. It can now be embedded on your site.

Another message board which does not ask for registration (and can be used instantly) is the well-known Wallwisher. It has a small range of features (variable background, changeable colours, the possibility to add links to images, videos, music.

One more message board which uses a virtual corkboard (and looks confusingly similar to Corkboard) is Listhings but it has taken one step towards more variable notes - you can change their colour.
You have to register to use Listhings.

The site for online stickies Linoit stands a level higher with its appearance (a variety of colours and shades) and features - you can add an image, upload a video and attach a document. You can create a group and use the canvas together, embed the canvas on your blog or send the stickies by email. To use it you have to register but it is neither complicated nor tedious.

Pindax is a fun real-time alternative to the traditional message board. You have to sign up for free and start posting. It has a lot of features, like posting images, files and polls in real time. You can send your posts by email.  There are various options for using your message board. 

As the creators have stated, Pindax can be used as

1) a forum for your website
2) a collaboration tool
3) a portfolio for your designs
4) a place to chat with friends
5) a place to exchange ideas
6) an internet clipboard
7) a comment collector
8) an event planner
9) an alternative to E-Mail.

Finally, my latest "discovery"  Squareleaf is a simple and intuitive virtual whiteboard, complete with all the sticky notes. It is not as versatile as Linoit or Pindax but it is perfectly usable for the usual purpose - to remind, organise, keep up-to-date, track things etc. Registration required.
 

How to quote in style

There are some web tools that let you add a quote to your web page in an unconventional way.

One of them is Kwout which offers an add-on to your Firefox browser (which you have to download) and then you can start quoting any piece on any website you wish.

 Here is an example of a paragraph taken from the website mentioned below.

Six favourite teaching online activities – e-moderation station via kwout

Another web tool for creating and publishing quotes is Citebite which works online. You have to copy a desired piece of text from a web page, paste the URL and you are given a unique web address which you paste on your website.

See the example.

http://pages.citebite.com/g3d4o1j5tvnq

It opens directly to your selection and highlights it.

These tools allow the teacher to attract students' attention to the page or paragraph they need to read or work on. Useful for doing research or gathering material for a report.

Poll creation tools

A new poll creation tool Pollmo - simple and easy to use, is one more useful application for setting up quick polls when you are in need of a feedback or public voting.

There are many various online tools for creation of survey polls. See the Answer Garden which I have mentioned before.
Very similar and as easy as Pollmo is Micropoll which also analyzes the results.

For more reading, here is a useful post on Richard Byrne's website Free Technology for Teachers - Nine Survey Tools for Teachers and Students.
Another article on making free polls - 7 Online Tools To Create Polls For Free.

Vote here to test the tool. You can vote only once, then the poll "freezes" to prevent multiple votes from one computer. 

Snow

I got into poetic mood today while I was watching the amazing snowfall.

There was no wind. The snow was falling in slow, languid motion drifting past my eyes as I was looking through the window at the breathtaking beauty. The snowflakes were enormous and looked heavy but they landed one upon another more tenderly than the fluffy down.

Then I took some pictures of them but could not capture their ethereal beauty.

What is snow?

Snow is precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes. Since it is composed of small rough particles it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by external pressure. Snow is precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air. Snow is ice crystals that fall from clouds and which may stick together to form snowflakes.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow)

I read a wonderful poem by Robert Frost and enjoyed the fabulous winter day.

DUST OF SNOW

The way a crow 

Shook down on me 

The dust of snow 

From a hemlock tree 

Has given my heart 

A change of mood 

And saved some part 

Of a day I had rued.

Christmas time

Mistletoe

by Walter de la Mare

Sitting under the mistletoe
(Pale green, fairy mistletoe),
One last candle burning low,
All the sleepy dancers gone,
Just one candle burning on,
Shadows lurking everywhere:
Someone came, and kissed me there.


Tired I was; my head would go
Nodding under the mistletoe
(Pale green, fairy mistletoe)
No footsteps came, no voice, but only,
Just as I sat there, sleepy, lonely,
Stooped in the still and shadowy air
Lips unseen - and kissed me there.

The super book of web tools

This is a must-read book for every teacher who uses technologies or would like to start. Written by a team of highly-qualified and experienced tech profs, the e-book is a rich source of information and new knowledge.

Published on Free Technology For Teachers website by Richard Byrne, the e-book gained immense popularity overnight and I can confirm that it deserves it.


The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators

Mini-books for everyone

Mini-books are popular not only among younger schoolchildren but they are also fun for older kids. Even adults make scrapbooks or family albums. Various kinds of mini-books include pocket books, envelope books, accordion books, flip books, origami books, pop-up books and many others.

Until recently I had not paid particular attention to this kind of activity but having read several great articles and tutorials, I realised that the process of making a mini-book may result in a busy and active lesson.

Here is a mini-book I made for 12-13 year old students which has to be written, coloured and then folded into a booklet.

Download this printable from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/45227129/Christmas-Mini-book







If you are not familiar with the technique, watch this video which will show you how to prepare and fold the mini-book. You can use any paper to make it but for kids it would be better to use thinner paper which will fold more easily and the booklet will look neater. You can use coloured paper too but then the pictures won't look so good. This Christmas mini-book looks best on white paper coloured green, red, blue and gold.

Here is a fantastic collection of resources on all kinds of mini-books with tutorials, links and samples. You can download instructions how to fold the mini-books.
http://stamphenge.wordpress.com/minibooks/

Save the Words

I came across a truly fascinating site called Save The Words supported by Oxford Dictionaries (which is not new at all, as I found out later). You need Flash Player to view the site.

Its design is colourful and eye-catching, the background is a patchwork of English words which are no longer in active use and may soon be extinct. If you click the word, the site provides its meaning and gives an example of its usage.

The funniest part is you can adopt a word and get the certificate of adoption! You are asked to use the word as frequently as possible thus helping it return into active vocabulary.

The cause of the site is noble but dubious regarding its impact on saving the dying words. Yet it is a real gem for advanced students who are interested in lexicology. Might be used in classes as a fun activity.

http://www.savethewords.org

Games that teach geography

There are numerous sites which offer online games for checking your knowledge in geography.

One of the most popular kinds of quizzes is recognizing the flags of the countries like Geography Genius. You can choose the level and read the clues about the country. Great source of information!

Another popular kind of geography games is finding a place on the map. I love Geosense which asks you to identify the world countries. You can play the game alone or against someone on the net.

Finally, there are games which ask you to point at a specific location on the map as close to the actual place as possible. I love the one on the TravelPod website. Really challenging!
There is a variety of games about each continent, UNESCO sites, capitals and flags of the world in The Traveler IQ Challenge® and they even let you embed the games on your own website.
 

City Creator

City Creator is a cool application for building 3 versions of cities.

You can choose between a medieval city, a city in winter (great for Christmas) and a modern high-rise city.

The construction work is simple - you just drag and drop pieces from the palettes and arrange them on the field in the way you want. You can change the background until you get the one you like.

If you want to save your city, you need to register on the site.

Example:

How can you use it in the classroom?
1. Ask your students to build the city of their liking and describe it while showing the city on the screen.
2. Decide with your students on building the same version of a city, e.g. medieval, then ask them to describe it on paper. Give a copy of all descriptions to every student. Show each city on the screen and ask the students to guess which description fits.
3. Make a city yourself and ask the students to describe it on paper. Then choose the best description.
4. Teach vocabulary using the city image (directions, location, types of buildings etc).
5. Finally, it is great fun!