YouTube Tools for Sharing Videos with Students

Some tools you may find helpful if you have a YouTube video to show- simply copy the link to the video in these sites:

1. SafeShare.tv  This one will be a review if you were at our staff meeting last year when we discussed avoiding distractions and inappropriate suggested videos on YouTube. It removes all those advertised and suggested videos so you can project a video safely for your class or share a link for students to view a video safely.
2. Tube Chop   This site lets you select part of a longer video and share just that part with students, choosing start and end times. Cut out what you don't want to share. The link also cuts out all ads and suggested videos like SafeShare.

Student Attention-Getters with Technology

When we have to "deliver" information to students, usually when introducing a new concept or skill, we want students to be engaged. Here are two attention-getters you can use in presenting.

If you were a part of our last institute day and the "tech slam" you heard about Tellagami. This is a great app to add any photo as the background while a character speaks your own words. Introduce a new story, historical time period, or science concept through a "gami" video. Click the videos for student examples.

Check out this blog post from Free App Friday for a few more examples across grades and subjects.

Another app is called Chatterpix, or the kid friendly version, Chatterpix Kids. It allows you to animate a mouth on any image and record your voice. Imagine book characters, photos of actual or historical people, even inanimate objects speaking to your students!

Although these apps are not on the student iPads at this point, you could still work out a system for students to use them on your iPad, especially since they both have 30 second limits. This would allow for students to quickly rotate through using your teacher iPad, taking turns.


How would you use Chatterpix or Tellagami in your classroom?

Google Slides App: Adding Images

If you've used the Google Slides app, you've noticed there's no apparent way to add photos, rendering it fairly useless!

But there is a workaround! Thanks to Susan Oxnevad, data/tech coach at Beye School, for putting together the steps. The workaround involves saving the file as a Power Point file, which allows for adding photos. The only drawback is that this format does not allow for collaboration between users on the same file.

Click here to see the steps to add images in Google Slides.