Tech. Tuesday- Nov. 6

Ok, so technically this Tech "Tuesday" post is only coming out on Wednesday...my apologies.  Anyway, this post is a continuation of the last one that focused on Web 2.0 tools that you might like to try.  This week, my emphasis will be on tools that really lend themselves towards courses in Social Studies and the Arts.

Social Studies:

Dippity:  This is a free, online timeline creator.  The best part is that students (or teachers) can annotate, add images and videos to their timelines.  From there, timelines can be shared via the Dippity site, social media sites, or embedded into blogs, wikis, etc.
Here is a sample Dippity timeline:

Abyei Crisis Timeline on Dipity.

Application ideas:

• Students create a biographical timeline about people they are studying
• Students create a timeline depicting major aspects of a historical event
• Students create a timeline illustrating the steps they took while completing a research project 

Animaps:  I really love this one!  Animaps enable users to create maps with animated markers and images and text that pops up when cued.  Animaps can then be embedded into web pages, blogs, wikis, etc. or viewed from the Animaps site.  Here is a great sample of an Animap about the 911 catastrophe:  http://www.animaps.com/pb/328005/7934/September_11

While this is a free application, it is slightly more complicated than some of the others I have shared with you.  No doubt, you and your students will get the hang of it quickly though.  Here is a basic tutorial for creating Animaps:

To create your own Animap, go to:  http://www.animaps.com/#!home



Historical Scene Investigation:  This is a really unique application.  With HSI, students can participate in mock crime scene investigations utilizing primary sources as the evidence.  This is what they say about themselves on their site:  "The Historical Scene Investigation Project (HSI) was designed for social studies teachers who need a strong pedagogical mechanism for bringing primary sources into their classroom. With the advent and accessibility of the internet, many libraries, universities and government agencies are housing their historical documents online. Simultaneously, there has been a push in K-12 history education to give students experiences that more closely resemble the work of a real historian."

Everything is done for you:  the crime, the scene, the primary documents...and even lesson ideas.  The only downside is that this is an American site and all of the historical events are American.  Check it out:  http://web.wm.edu/hsi/index.html?svr=www


The Arts:

Pencil:  With this application, you and your students can get back to basics and create traditional animation- online.  It claims to be simple enough that anyone can use it to make 2D bitmap/vector animation.

Here is a demo of a really basic animation created with Pencil.

 
To download this free application, go to: http://www.pencil-animation.org/index.php?id=Home
Have fun!

Webcanvas:  This one blew my mind!  What can I say, it is simply the world's largest online collaborative painting.  You simply log in, find a spot, and start adding your artwork to this amazing digital mural. 

What an interesting way to incorporate social/collaborative activity to your classes!  I challenge everyone to add something!  Check out 123 East!
To Register and get your spot on the canvas, go to:  http://webcanvas.com/#46740,0,1