MY Class!

The other day we got an assignment to review 10 technological tools that we could use in our classrooms when we get into the field. However, the assignment is pretty strict... so I don't really have too much personal creativity. So bear with me, I'm going to attempt to make this as entertaining as possible!
P.S. I am an aspiring English teacher so my lessons should be applied in a high school literature standpoint.

Cool Tool Reviews:

1. Animoto- Animoto is an interactive slideshow tool. It can be used to link your favorite photos and videos together in a single collage. Animoto is easy to use and a great presentational tool. In MY class room I would use this tool as a introduction project into the class! A group of three students will make one slide show compiling photos and good times they had in the previous summer. This will be a good class bonding assignment.
2. Crocodoc- Crocodoc is a document embedding tool. This app allows you to take segments from any given article and compile it into one newsletter. These newsletters are also accessible on line and can be downloaded in any style format making it ideal for information sharing. in MY class room students will use Crocodoc to work in groups on research projects. Students can work individually as well as collaboratively.
3. Audacity- Audacity is a audio editing software that allows you to create, cut, and process any sound files. This tool is a little more difficult to use. Audacity also requires a software download. In MY class room students will be in groups of four and create their own basic simple language. They will record the alphabet of their new language and say a few sentences in context.
4. Comicbrush- Comicbrush is an interactive application that allows you to create a comic strip. This online tool promotes creativity in a fun way. You are also able to publish and sell your work. In MY class room students will individually create a comic strip about a certain Greek figure. The students will then present their work to the class.
5. TikaTok- TikaTok takes any formatted document and allows you to create your own book. This application is good because it lets you steer away from MLA essay assignments and give the students a different experience. TikaTok is very easy to use and is sponsored by Pearson's. In MY class room students will write a short story using word, pdf, etc. and use TikaTok to create their own story book. Students will be required to add pictures as well to make their work pop!
6. Penzu- Penzu is a personal application that is similar to blogging. This tool allows you to write journal entries online that can only be viewed by yourself and those you allow. Penzu is a easy to use site that keeps your memories, pictures and thoughts safe and alive. In MY class room students will use Penzu to write weekly journal entries and add me as a viewer. Every Friday I will check Penzu and grade students on completion. This gives me good feedback on class assignments and gives me a better idea of what's going on in the life of my students.
7. Songza- Songza is primarily a music site that resembles Pandora. Listeners can choose a mood or time of day and Songza will play the perfect music for the moment. However, this application also allows you to play any song on demand. In MY class student will choose a song and write a two to three page analysis paper. They will present paper and using Songza play it for the class.
8. Bubblus- Bubblus is an interactive site that allows you to put your ideas out on the table. This is an effective tool for brainstorming! Users can link ideas and make graphs and charts using Bubblus. In MY class room students will be given a group assignment. To stay organized and show their slow of thought students will use Bubblus to brainstorm and then turn their finished brainstorm into me. Its like showing your work... For English.
9. Hot Potatoes- Hot Potatoes is a quiz generator. This application allows you not only to make multiple choice quizzes but matching, free response and true-or-false. This is an easy to use teacher software. In MY class room I will use this software to quiz the snot out of my students! Haha evil teacher status.
10. What2Learn- What2Learn is another interactive quiz making application. However this tool is easier to use than Hot Potatoes. This allows your to make various quizzes quick and easy and save them to the web. In MY class room students will be in groups of two or three. The students will create quizzes for the other groups! I will check the quizzes to make sure they're reasonable.

Okay, that was terrible I know! Thanks for reading yo!