EDpuzzle : An Interactive Video Resource

A lesson containing a video I've facilitated many of times typically went like this:  teacher will project the video in front of the class as the entire class watches the video, with those in back squinting because they forgot their glasses, in a darkened room because the lumens on a projector aren't strong enough to provide a bright enough video thus students start nodding.  Wake up I say. 

What about assigning videos that are interactive, where students watch them at their own pace with periodic engaging questions and activities throughout the video? 

EDpuzzle is one of several online free tools that allow teachers to create these video environments for their students.

Teachers can choose to import videos from a wide range of websites hosting videos, or even upload your own video if you show choose.

 

Whichever video you select, you are do not need to force the students to watch the entire video, but just the portion that is meaningful for your lesson using the crop tool.

You may insert your own audio intro and/or concluding remarks at the end of the video.  Maybe you would like to record over a video using your own voice.  This creates a more personalized feel of the video for your students.



You may insert questions, either multiple choice or free response, at any point within the video.  These questions can be self grading, or graded at the end by the teacher.

Teachers set up a class, then students create an account and join the class.  The teacher assigns video tasks to the class, and students in that class complete those tasks.  All work is saved so the teacher can monitor student understanding and progress through the material.

For a higher engaging type of assignment teachers can have students find a video themselves and use the appropriate tools, crop, add audio, or embed questions to demonstrate their understanding of a topic and submit this finished video back to the teacher.  The teacher can then save this video into their My Video section, and share it back out with the rest of the class.

EDpuzzle is a great tool if you are looking to flip your classroom, or just to provide more engaging personalization of videos for students in your regular classroom.  Teachers can embed their video lessons onto other platforms, including Edmodo, Schoology, Moodle, and more.

Another interactive video resource to check out would be eduCanon.

No Time for Leprechaun Traps?

Did Leprechaun Traps fit into your lesson plans last week?  No?  Why not?  What can students learn from making a leprechaun trap?

It's the perfect project to hit the Four C's; creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, as well as hitting on some key CCSS and teaching engineering and science.  Lots of ideas are on the web, from kindergarten through higher grades.  Here are just a few I came across:

• Leprechaun Traps:  Addition Within 100  and from the Teaching Channel
• Persuasive Writing  in 2nd Grade - Leprechaun Traps from Hands-On Happiness Blog 
• To Catch a Leprechaun from Teacher Created Materials 
• Leprechaun Traps, Spud Races, and Engineering from One Extra Degree Blog 
• Short Video from a Lego Engineering Class - Leprechaun Traps 2  

So if you missed out on this year, put it in your plans to revisit for next year.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Curriculet - Create your own online reading curriculum

Curriculet is a free site that allows teachers to add their own questions, annotations, links, and quizzes to books, pdfs, blog posts, or other online reading passages.

Creation of a class and adding students is all free, as well as many already uploaded free domain books and reading passages from ReadWorks.org.  In addition, uploading articles from blogs and other websites was simple by URL. Once uploaded, Curriculet changes the formatting, taking away all the ads and additional links, and allows for the adding of the teacher's own questions and quizzes.

Add Content via Files or URL or from the Curriculet Store

Example from TeenTribune article:

Add questions, annotations, or quizzes by click and holding.  Students can add their own annotations for their own notes as well, view able only to themselves. 

Student View of the book Call of the Wild

After assigning a book or passage to a class, teachers can monitor student progress by student or by question.  Adding students to a class requires adding by URL or a class "token" that they enter when signing up.  Students are required to use an email and teachers do not have access to change their passwords.   If students use Google, they can use a quick Google Sign In.

Curriculet is mobile friendly, working on any device that can access the internet.  This is great from BYOD situations, iPads, tablets, chromebooks, smartphones, etc.   More information about accessing newer titles, not just free domain, recently was posted on the their blog here.

It was easy to use and has a great guide for quick questions.  I personally would like to see the ability to have the text read aloud, but for the features it currently has, this site would be highly useful in any class!  

  

Celebrate Presidents Day with Online Tours and Great Resources!

Here are some great sites to visit in honor of Presidents Day!

My favorite is the Lincoln Memorial Interactive from the National Park Service .  This online interactive has amazing clarity, panoramas, and great video reflections from Park Rangers about the meaning and importance of both Lincoln and the Memorial.

Under His Hat is a website devoted to exploring who Lincoln was by using only primary sources.  By choosing "In the Classroom" you can pick a topic and click further to find lessons and activities to do with your students.  Great photos with 360 views and easy to understand information.  This is great for upper elementary on up!  

EarthCam of the Washington Monument

For Research and Fun Facts Elementary and Middle School Students can visit America's Story from the Library of Congress, Meet Amazing Americans    Check out the resources for  Abraham Lincoln  and George Washington.



For older students using primary source documents the Library of Congress Web Guide for Abraham Lincoln and George Washington  gives students access to amazing research tools.

If your class is studying George Washington the Mount Vernon Virtual Mansion Tour  is a fun spot to visit to see inside his home.

The History Channel has a nice history of Presidents Day with lots of fun links, from the evolution of the White House to our modern Presidents.  

CC Betterlesson - Aligned 'Road Tested' Lesson Plans

Need fresh ideas for your 6th graders in geometry?  Looking for supplements for your old textbook adoption to help you through the Common Core aligning?

Better Lesson in conjunction with NEA just rolled out the beta version of their new site cc.betterlesson.com on Jan 15th.  This site will continue to grow in free resources as the 138 teachers chosen, ranging from K - 12,  work together to complete a Common Core aligned courses for each area throughout this school year.

 

Each Standard will show the number of lessons that have already been uploaded for use.  



Easy to use lessons give the teacher an initial overview along with number of resources.  Lessons give time details, samples of student work, as well as possible video explanations, and/or reflections.

 

This is an impressive beginning to what will hopefully continue to be a growing resource.