This document discusses various learning tools that can be used in different subject lessons, including Pixiclip, Blabberize, QR Code Monkey, Powtoon, and Smore. For each tool, it provides examples of how they could be used in math, civics, science, and reading lessons. It also discusses pros and cons of each tool. The document concludes with questions and a citations section.
26. Citations
• Albury, K. (2016, October 31). United States Presidential Firsts. [Flyer]. Retrieved from https://s.smore.com/ss/5813d1cc1257fa0086eada7d-screenshot-
large.jpg?_v=1477693903
• Barnes, C. (2017, February 6). Intro to Coding. [Flyer]. Retrieved from
• https://s.smore.com/ss/5895e77955f92403a760c991-screenshot-large.jpg?_v=1486219132
• Brigachtal. (2014).rainbow-rain-arch-palmer-lake-436171 [image]. Pixabay. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/rainbow-rain-arch-palmer-lake-436171/. CC Zero
• Cutting, L. (2013, June 6). QR Codes & Reading in the Early Years [Web log post]. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from https://appsadaisy.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/qr-codes-
reading-in-the-early-years/
• [Daoud, Mirna]. (2013, 8 August). How to Be a Scientist. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bObR9rq6p8&feature=youtu.be
• Gaida, M. (2016). fruit-fruit-stand-fruits-1275551 [image]. Pixabay. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/fruit-fruit-stand-fruits-1275551/ .CC Zero.
• Maria, M. (2015). Ship-boat-lake-garda-Italy-sea-952292 [image]. Pixabay. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/ship-boat-lake-garda-italy-sea-952292/. CC Zero.
• Moore, L. (2016, April 6). Fairy Tale Elements. [Flyer]. Retrieved from
• https://d1zqayhc1yz6oo.cloudfront.net/570639514060370fdeada467-screenshot-large.jpg?_v=1460025683
• Moore, L. (2016, April 13). Fractions and Decimals. [Flyer]. Retrieved from https://d1zqayhc1yz6oo.cloudfront.net/570637943b6c7403061ddc08-screenshot-
large.jpg?_v=1460025238
• NBanks8582. (2018, March 13). Native Americans [Video file]. Retrieved from https://blabberize.com/view/id/1704111
• [Old Dominion University logo]. Retrieved from https://www.odu.edu/facultystaff/communication/toolkit/current-logos
• Paper Towel Facts and FAQs. [image]. Retreived from https://bountytowels.com/en-us/tips-articles/paper-towel-science-experiments-for-kids
• Swiney, R. (2017). Self-portrait. CC BY-NC
• [SchmiggyProductions]. (2017, 26 February). Haiku Elementary Lesson. [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkiTLxIQhdw
• Vandagriff, M. (2012, September 21). M&MS and the scientific method [blog]. Retreived from https://mrsvandagriff.com/2012/09/21/mms-and-the-scientific-method/
Editor's Notes
Hello everyone, my name is Rachel Swiney and I am a Library Science graduate student at Old Dominion University. As you all know, technology is everywhere and is always changing and constantly improving. Every year we are seeing more technology being integrated into the learning environment, which makes it critical as educators to stay current and up to date. The relationship between technology and learning is strengthening every year. It can boost student engagement and motivation and readies them for the future. There is an abundance of resources out there to utilize, so during this presentation I will be going over some various web-based tools that I’ve been introduced to over the course of my education that you might find helpful. These tools can be extremely beneficial to students who are visual learners.
The examples and ideas that I’ll be sharing are based on elementary level curriculum and covering 2nd grade SOL’s, but these tools can be utilized within any grade level.
Time: 2 min
Before I get started on the tools, I’d like to take just a minute to further introduce myself. I graduated from Old Dominion University in 2010 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Human Services. I am currently working to obtain a Master’s of Education in Library Science, also from Old Dominion University. My goals are to obtain a position as a school librarian where I can integrate more technology into the curriculum, encourage students to read outside of their comfort zones, help and collaborate with other teachers and faculty members. Some of my professional experience in a learning environment includes volunteering on a weekly basis for a few years at Cool Spring Primary School in King William County as a teacher’s assistant working with all of the 2nd grade teachers. Based on my experience, I have surrounded the ideas for usage with these tools with 2nd grade SOL’s and elementary level curriculum. I look forward to the continuous learning and development that this career will provide me with in the future.
Time: 1 min
Pixiclip is one of the more interesting tools I got to experiment with in my most recent graduate class. It’s a free website that describes itself as an interactive whiteboard, or a screen recording tool. It’s also described as an online canvas that lets you communicate a message in motion. You can upload photos to doodle on, upload a voice recording with a microphone, or even record a video of yourself with a webcam. Pixiclip is very easy and simple to use. Just click “Start Doodling” and record whatever you want. This can be really beneficial in creating tutorials or different kinds of lessons for the classroom.
Time: 1 min
One of the 2nd grade math SOL’s for Number Sense focuses on rounding. Pixiclip can be used to teach lessons on number rounding to strengthen the students’ knowledge in preparation for the math SOL exam. In the example above, I’ve used Pixiclip to draw and type out a few math problems that asks students to round two-digit numbers to the nearest ten. I feel that this tool is really useful especially in teaching math lessons because you have the ability to record your voice and explain each step along the way as you draw and type. After finishing the recording, press play to start. You can then press pause to let students answer the questions before the solution is shown and then you can discuss solving the problems as a class.
Time: 1 min
There are a lot of other great ideas for using Pixiclip in the classroom. At an elementary level, the curriculum focuses heavily on reading, writing, and oral language. This tool could be used to help students creatively present a book report, use for digital storytelling, or for teachers to present vocabulary lessons. One specific example could be to demonstrate an interactive lesson about homophones, which is an English SOL for 2nd grade. Create a recording showing the homophones and their corresponding pictures to have students answer accordingly, and then discuss the differences in spelling and meaning. Again with this type of lesson, you can simply pause the recording while you wait for students to answer and then click resume and then offer the solution and explanation and then start a class discussion on the subject. Some other fun ideas for using Pixiclip is to have students use it for storytelling, or to create book trailers, or even to introduce projects they are working on. Teachers can also create flipped lessons, where students can watch the videos at home.
Time: 2 min
Of course, Pixiclip is great but is not a perfect tool. I found a few limitations when working with it. One was the lack of variety in colors and tools available to use located on the left hand sidebar as you can see here. I think if there was more of an assortment of colors and tools it would allow for more creative usage in designing lessons. I also found that if you happen to make a mistake, you can undo or erase it, but it will keep recording as you erase or move things around on the screen which can lead to the presentation appearing messy or confusing. However, this could actually be useful if you are showing students the potential mistakes that could be made in trying to solve a math problem, for example. Another constraint is the five-minute time limit on recording. You are also unable to edit uploaded videos, or go back and edit your recording once it’s finished. Some advice I would give to educators looking to use Pixiclip for teaching would be to refrain from making your videos too long, as they could become boring, but instead try recording shorter videos to incorporate into your lessons as needed. One final observation I made is that there doesn’t seem to be an option to download the finished recording, but you can share it.
Time: 3 min
Overall Pixiclip is very user-friendly, fun to use, and there seem to be a lot of uses and applications for it in an educational setting. When finished with your recording, you can simply save the link to share on various social media platforms, or to embed on a blog or website. The photo above shows an example of a finished recording where you can click Play, Pause, and Share.
Time: 30 sec
Blabberize is another free online tool where you can upload any photo and make it come to life by either uploading or recording your voice to manipulate the picture to “speak”. Blabberize can be used in the classroom to provide more interesting and creative ways to introduce or teach lessons. You can try this tool out without having to sign up, but if you do – it’s free! Just upload any picture and it will allow you to choose where the mouth is for the movement, record your voice or upload something already recorded and when it’s done you can save it, share the URL, or embed the code to a blog or other web page. It’s pretty simple and fun to use!
Time: 1 min
One of the SOL’s (2.10) for 2nd grade Civics is learning how famous Americans such as George Washington and Susan B. Anthony contributed in our history and helped improve our lives as Americans. Blabberize can be really useful in introducing these famous Americans to students by uploading a picture of them, recording your voice introducing yourself as George Washington, for example, and talk about yourself as our first president in an autobiographical manner. Blabberize can help students stay engaged in the lesson by making it more interesting and interactive. The picture shown here is just an example that I created to show you what it looks like after uploading a picture. This is the step where you can record your voice.
Time: 2 min
Playing around with Blabberize can stir up a lot of different ideas for use in the classroom. You could utilize this tool to teach lessons surrounding specific holidays, such as Black History Month or Presidents’ Day. Upload a photo of a famous African American or a past U.S. President to have them tell the class about themselves in an autobiographical manner, and then engage the students in a discussion about them afterwards. Elementary level students, specifically in 2nd grade, learn and compare the lives of different American Indian cultures. You could incorporate some recordings into your lesson plan by uploading a photo of American Indians from each culture in the curriculum to explain to students the differences between them. For example, a Powhatan chief could explain what his life was like living in the Eastern Woodlands, and a Lakota woman could tell students about living in teepees and hunting. Students can also have a lot of fun creating their own blabbers for class projects.
Time: 2 min
Overall Blabberize is a very simple and easy to use tool, but that also means there isn’t a lot of variety in what you can do with it. It is free to try and sign up, which is a huge plus for educators. When finished creating your blabber, it doesn’t give an option to share to social media platforms. However, you are able to edit it, delete it, or convert it to a video format for free. Another pro in using this tool is that you can browse or search for already created blabbers to use for inspiration. Time: 1 min
QR Code Monkey is a web-based tool that allows you to create Quick Response Codes easily in seconds. For anyone that isn’t familiar with QR codes, they are similar to barcodes but can be linked to a wide variety of information. They are used for numerous reasons and can be applied in many different ways within in an educational setting. Using QR Code Monkey, you can create a code that links to any website including social media sites. You can even send texts, emails, make phone calls, connect to Wi-Fi, and find a location using google maps. Using QR Codes in the classroom can help incorporate learning about this technology into lessons and engage students in a multimedia experience. All you need other than access to this website is a device such as a tablet, iPad, or smartphone with a free QR code reader app, such as Scan, and the possibilities are endless.
Time: 2 min
A 2nd grade level Science SOL states that students will learn the identification of storms and other common weather phenomena, as well as the importance of measuring, recording, interpreting, and tracking of weather data. QR codes could be used to create a lesson using task cards or an activity sheet. Weather cards would include a description of the phenomena, asking “What am I?” so the students can have a chance to think about it and answer before scanning the code, revealing the answer either linking to a picture or a website with more information. The photos above are just an example that I created of the weather card activity.
Time: 1 min
The importance of reading is highly stressed in the elementary level curriculum and environment. A really neat way to use QR codes in the classroom or library is to create QR Codes for books. These can be used in a lot of different ways. One idea is to label the codes on the books so that when students scan them it will lead them to more information about the book, the author, similar books they might enjoy, or even related activities. For a specific example, create a code for a book about reptiles so when a student scans it, they will get more information on reptiles and continue reading and learning about them. Another idea is to have the students make a video or audio recording of themselves reviewing the book, or giving a report, and linking it to a QR code for other students to enjoy.
Time: 2 min
Another elementary grade level lesson idea for using QR codes could be to introduce a lesson on maps. You can easily link QR Codes to various locations through Google Maps. A 2nd grade level SOL 2.5 states that students will develop map skills and learn where the equator, the seven continents, and the five oceans are on maps and globes. You could also introduce any lesson with a fun scavenger hunt using QR Codes by placing questions with possible answers around the classroom with QR codes that lead the students to a different location. Correct answers will send them to a new question, while incorrect answers can offer a hint for them to try again. Another great idea is to use QR codes to offer tutorials for homework help. This could be helpful when students are struggling with their assignments at home, it can provide them a little extra assistance and it supports individualized learning. Just have a QR code labeled on the homework assignment that links to a video or audio recording tutorial.
Time: 2 min
There are some definite pros to using QR Codes for educational purposes. They don’t take up a lot of space, they can store a lot of information, and can be used in a lot of different ways. They can add creativity and variety to lessons and teach students about technology at the same time. Younger students can have fun with them too because it just requires scanning with a device instead of having the students typing in URLs on a computer. I didn’t notice any specific cons in using the QR Code Monkey website but there are some cons to using QR codes in general. Some limitations in using QR Codes are the possibility of the code not working. However, QR Code Monkey does have a Frequently Asked Questions section on their website that includes some brief troubleshooting on why your code may not be working.
Time: 2 min
Powtoon is a web-based presentation tool. You can create a blank presentation or choose from a variety of different presentations templates using Powtoon, including infographics and tutorial videos. Using Powtoon in the classroom can be a really creative and fun way to introduce lessons to students. You can build a presentation either in slideshow or movie form. There are a ton of effects and features available to use. Some examples of how it can be used are to demonstrate an activity, introduce a lesson, or provide instructions or information.
Time: 1 min
There are endless resources for ideas for using Powtoon in the classroom. If you search on the web or on Youtube, there is a lot of inspiration to be found. The Youtube video shown here was made with Powtoon specifically to introduce the 2nd grade level SOL (2.1) for Science on the Scientific Method. It includes the details of each step involved and can inspire and motivate students to conduct their own experiments. After reviewing the steps of the Scientific Method, you could have students conduct an experiment and create a slide for each step. Some ideas or examples for this project could be testing which popcorn pops better, how many colors of each M&M there are in a bag, or which paper towel brand is more absorbent. You could have each student choose their own experiment or give them all the same one so the class can compare findings at the end. Another option could be to make the lesson an in-class project involving all the students. As the teacher you can takes photos of the experiment while it is in progress and add them to the presentation which can be shared to parents and other classes when finished! Projects like these provide hands-on experience and foster creativity which promotes learning and results in more student engagement and strengthens other skills.
Time: 3 mins
One of the 2nd grade SOLs (2.9) for Reading states that students will read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction texts. Because the importance of reading is significant in elementary level education, this lesson idea could be beneficial in the classroom. Students could choose a non-fiction book to read and create a presentation to summarize the story and describe the parts of the story such as characters, setting, notable events, identifying problems and solutions within the story, identifying the main idea of the story, and how they draw conclusions from what happened in the text. Depending on the book it could also tie into another subject or lesson. For example, if a non-fiction book such as The Magic School Bus Science Chapter Book #12: Amazing Magnetism is chosen, they could also discuss magnetism, which is a Science SOL 2.2 for Force, Motion, and Energy where students investigate and understand magnets. Another great idea is to introduce an elementary English lesson on using haiku syllables in poetry. The Powtoon video shown above is only five minutes long and uses nature images to inspire students to write a haiku. It also goes over the construction of a haiku poem including syllables and number of lines. After having students watch this video you could encourage them to try writing a haiku of their own for an assignment. An additional idea could be to introduce a lesson on weather and have students document how it looks and feels outside every day for a week, take photos, and make a presentation about it. Powtoon could also be used to explain literary terms or review grammar, demonstrate parts of a narrative, or even share a biography.
Time: 3 mins
Powtoon overall is a fun and unique tool to use for educational. There is quite a lot of variety in the diverse types of presentations you can create. Although it is really easy for educators to use, it probably isn’t something you would want to have younger elementary level students try to use by themselves. However, older students can work together which would help them increase skills on creativity, collaboration, and communication. There are a ton of pre-made templates for use, as well as a variety of features. You can share your presentations with the public when finished but they don’t automatically save. Another con I thought of was students possibly getting caught up on the animations and focusing less on the content of the presentation. You can try Powtoon for free, but several options are only available if you upgrade to a paid subscription. You also need to have internet access to watch the presentations. Overall there are a lot more pros than cons and it’s worth using to enhance your teaching!
Time: 2 min
Smore is a neat online tool that you can use to create interactive flyers for a lot of different ideas including presentations, newsletters, assignments, announcements, events and more! Not only can educators can benefit from this in a variety of ways, but when students use it they can learn digital design and it’s a form of writing skills practice as well. When starting you can pick from a variety of design templates or start from a blank one. There are a ton of options in design including the being able to change the background, font, and colors. You can also add Youtube videos, audio recordings, website links, images and more to the flyer.
Time: 1 min
One great idea for using Smore is to create an interactive flyer for a reading lesson on defining the elements in fictional stories. This covers the 2nd grade SOL 2.6 for English that states students will learn story structure. The example shown above was found through a section on Smore where educators can share their creations. This idea is subject to students using tablets or iPads with access to other technological tools and apps. The flyer has included links to different fairy tales that the student can choose from. Once they have clicked and read the story, number 2 on the flyer asks them to draw or write the elements of the story using a graphic organizer. They will then use the tablet to take a picture an record themselves talking about the story using an app called Fotobabble. This activity idea is not only helping the student learn about the different parts of a fiction story but it is helping them develop technological skills. The photo to the left is a photo of the screen where you create your flyer. It shows all the design tools and all the different things you can add to it.
Time: 2 min
In the flyers shown here, different educators have created interactive elementary level lessons using Smore. The first image you see shows an example of a 4th grade level math lesson, providing them with different games involving fractions and decimals. The second flyer introduces coding to 3rd grade students with different videos. The third flyer shows pictures of a few of our past presidents and explains some of their accomplishments. As you can see there are so many ideas you can use Smore for in creating lessons. Smore templates can also be used by 2nd grade students who are interested in learning more about design and technology. Teachers could make a year-end project for students using Smore.
Time: 1 min
Overall Smore is a reasonably easy tool to use for both teachers and students. One con that I found from using Smore is that you can only create up to 3 free flyers for free, or you can purchase for annual use. There are different purchase plans, including one for educators at $79 annually which allows for unlimited flyers to be created. Only one educator can have access to the account but up to 40 students can have access for use. One major pro I found from Smore was a special section called The Educator Hive, which is shown in the photo that you see here. It’s a place where educators can share their creations and collaborate with one another. You can browse through a ton of different flyers for inspiration here. The assignments tab will show you a lot of ideas for using Smore for different lessons. Another pro is the diverse range of things you are able to create, and the variety of design tools available to use. I love that you have a lot to work with, helping utilize your creative skills in creating things to benefit your classroom.
Time: 2 mins
Time: 5 minutes
Total running time: 41 minutes + 5 minutes for any possible questions
