Wordle is an online tool for creating word clouds from passages of text. The more frequently a word appears in the text, the larger it shows up in the word cloud.

Uses of Wordle in the classroom

• Can be used teaching vocabulary.
• Can be used as a previewing/introduction activity in all content area - KWL activity for students.
• Can be used to review learned concept - teacher can create wordle for a lesson and have student guess the wordle.
• Can be used to create character traits or historical figure character trait.
• Can be used as a reflection tool.

Advantages of Using Wordle:

• It's a free educational tool, no need to open any account.
• Allow teachers to incorporate technology in learning text.
• Super easy to use.
• Has the option to customize fonts, color, layout.
• Can be used for different activities in the classroom to create meaningful projects (as shown above)
• Can be used to decorate room as well.

Disadvantages of Wordle:

• Internet connection required.
• Students can misuse wordle by using inappropriate languages so guidelines should be discussed and taught before having students use them.
• Cannot save your wordle directly as an image

How to use wordle:

First, go to wordle.com

Then press the create button to begin process.

You may begin typing your text or you can copy and paste a text of your choice in the box.

Once text is typed or pasted, click go.

Below is my created wordle for Declaration of Independence:

Toondoo is a comic-creating tool that allows you to create, personalize and publish your cartoons.

Toondoo  allows teachers to create a rich, creative illustrations for lessons that may be too difficult to understand textually such as science concepts.  Adding pictures or illustration will help get the attention and emotional interests of the students.  Teachers can use this also as extension projects so students can express what they learn in a more creative way.  For example, they can create story characters or make historical characters alive in their cartoons.  For students who have difficulty drawing, toondoo allows them to create a cartoon using their templates.

Advantages:

• Has a variety of character, background and props options
• Has DoodleR and TraitR tools that allow users to create their own drawings and characters.
• Includes social features such as friends comments, ratings by others.

Disadvantages:

• Takes time to render.
• Has to be connected to the internet
• Rights of your creation belong to Toondoo
• Once work is shared to the public, students are vulnerable to outside comments that can be deemed inappropriate.

How to use toondoo:

1. Go to http://www.toondoo.com/
2. Choose Register in the top right corner to set up an account.
3. Go to Tools > ToonDoo Maker or Book Maker (a bookmaker uses the same process as the cartoon, it just puts it in a book format with turnable pages.
4. Select your layout.
5. Go through the process of viewing the available characters, backgrounds, props, texts, clipart, etc. Drag your choices down into the template. 
6. After creating your cartoon, go to the Toon Doo Start Here button and choose Save. 
7. Create a title and tags.
8. Choose whether you want others to be able to “Redoo”
9. Publish based on your preferences.
10. View and share your new toon! 

Here's my toondoo:http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/9892976

What is Pinterest?

It’s a website that allows you to “pin” or bookmark things that you find useful, interesting and inspirational on line.  It stores all these materials and resources for you so you can access them anytime you want or need them.

Uses of Pinterest in the classroom:

• To get inspiration on presenting lessons, decorating classrooms, fun ideas for a new project.
• To organize ideas by creating different boards or folders within Pinterest.
• To create a class board where students can post interesting articles, images, videos
• To swap lessons and ideas from other teachers.
• To get updated as far as new tech resources, innovative teaching methods and new educational products
• To use as research boards where students can create boards for different classroom topics, assignments and pins relevant articles, images, videos or materials from Pinterest.  They can work in groups or individually.
• To use Online bibliography – have students use a board as an online poster with pins to online contents and images.

Advantages of Pinterest

• Very visual
• Easy to use
• Can easily organize your material
• See above  for more advantages

Disadvantages of Pinterest

• Doesn’t protect copyright
• Can be addictive
• Can only be accessed with internet connection
• No Android app
• Have some privacy issues 

How to create a board in Pinterest

1. Sign into your Pinterest account.
2. Click on your profile on the left side corner of the board.  You will be directed to all your pins. 
3. Click the “Create A Board” option
4. You will be asked to enter basic information about your board such as name, category and who can pin on this board.  Once, information is properly filled out, click the “create board”.

   5. Then begin looking for materials and start pinning

Below is the link to my pinterest board.

https://www.pinterest.com/jrtm68/process-of-writing/

Blendspace is a web tool available for teachers for free.  This tool allows teachers to create a lesson and collates all resources he/she would like to use from the introduction of the lesson until the end of the lesson. It creates a collage of interactive lesson for your students as it allows you to pull resources from You Tube, Google Drive, Gooru, OpenEd and even your own power point presentation or resources from your computer.  You can embed videos, PDF files, word documents, picture/images, slides into your blendspace lesson giving your class a rich and creative presentation of lessons. 

Blendspace is very useful in introducing a lesson or even as a center activity.  You can also use blendspace to teach the lesson for your when you are unable to come to work, much like your substitute teacher.  This is also very useful in flipped classrooms.

Advantages of Blendspace:

• Free web tool.
• Connects teachers to a variety of sources to present lessons from You Tube to Google Drive, Gooru, etc. allowing teachers to easily create rich multimedia lesson
• Supports flipped model classroom
• Easy to use
• Allows teachers to create an assessment/quiz
• Gives immediate result of the quiz so teachers and tracks student progress.
• Students can leave their feedback on the lessons so teachers can improve or reteach the lesson if needed.

Disadvantages of Blendspace

• Focuses on presentation of the lesson.
• Allows limited interaction from students
• Quiz format is limited to multiple choices 

How to use Blendspace:

• First sign-up for your free Blendspace Account as a teacher.

• After signing up, you will be brought to your dashboard.
• Then create your first lesson by putting the title of your lesson.

• To add for your first resources, look to the search area along the far right side where you have a quick access of your sources for resources.

• Type the information or material you’re looking for and select the service (sources) you want to use.
• Once you selected your material, just drag it over to your board
• You may add as many materials you want for your lesson.
• You may also create a quiz for your lesson by just going to the next box and click add quiz so you can start typing your questions and the choices.

Below is my link for my Blendspace Lesson.

https://www.tes.com/lessons/QzrNpjC96HG9WA/edit