Tuesday, April 17, 2012

AudioViator


AudioViator is a website that allows users to create audio tours of cities, museums, etc.  This website could be used to create tours from field trips that students go on or to create tours of cities or attractions in geography classes.  Would also be a great way to create audio tours of places and attractions in your local towns.  There are several tours already posted on the website that could be used in the classroom as well and you can find those by clicking on various continents and countries.

Each tour can provide points of interest, maps, and pictures that will help visitors get a better understanding of the audio tour that they are listening too.  Each tour contains the placement on a map, a description, the subjects it will cover, and data about each one (visitors, downloads, date, length, etc).  There is also a section for writing comments which could be utilized in the classroom as well.  For each tour you can download it or stream it...although the stream took quite a while to load.

Snaggy


Snag.gy is a website that allows users to copy and paste images to the web from their clipboard.  Snag.gy comes with an editor that allows you to easily crop and annotate images on the web.  Once you have pasted the image, it provides users with a simple URL that can be shared with others.  Could be a simple way to share images with students and also add students to web based projects. 

Loupe


Loupe is a fun website that allows you to easily take your photos and place them in various collages.  Something fun that students might do with their favorite photos of friends.  Could be a software used by yearbook classes as well.  You select your shape or block letters from a provided list and then, upload your photos and then create your collages.

Screenleap

Screenleap is a website that allows users to instantly share your screen with anyone for free.  Screenleap requires the latest version of Java to run.  The way this screen sharing service is different from others is that you can share your screen on tablets and mobile phones as well.  Other than Java, there is no software needed to run the service and you can share your screen with as many people as you need.

I tested this out on my phone and was amazed at the speed that the movement translated from my laptop to my phone.  Not sure if distance would make a difference, but the possibilities would be pretty intriguing for districts using Smartphones/iPods/iPads in their classrooms.  The software allows users to share the entire screen or just a section.  You can also pause sharing the screen whenever you feel necessary.  When you share the screen it provides a generic URL or a code that can be entered on Screenleap.
  

Stratocam

Here is a quick post of a website that takes the best images from Google Earth and shares them in full screen.  Stratocam is a great way to share interesting aspects of our planet.  From cities, to deserts, to oceans, and everything in between.  A great activity would be to have students try and guess where the picture is on our planet by asking yes or no questions.  You can zoom out from the location as well.  The pictures are truly amazing.  A fun activity as a reward for elementary students or a way to test geography skills of middle and high school students.  See a sample image that I found while searching through them.