Alternative Publication Ideas
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VokiVoki is a free online tool that allows both teachers and students to create avatars of themselves, or someone else. The avatars can talk and can be embedded into a website, blog, or wiki. Creating the avatar and recording the voice is super easy, and a lot of fun. I recommend using this tool with students who have difficulties writing a story or report. Voki will also translate text to speech, so it is great for non-verbal students. I also recommend using this as a means of delivering instructions to students when having them do an online task. |
BookRBookR is a site that uses images from Flikr to create digital photo books. The students would search for free images from Flikr that correspond with the topic they are writing about, then they add their text, and publish their book. The interface is very easy to use. This site is good for students who struggle with story composition and want to include pictures to help with their stories. This site also will help students tell a story about themselves with photos. |
MyStoryMakerMy Story Maker is a tool that allows students to create stories using pre-made characters, objects, and settings. The tool allows the students to choose the actions, emotions, and interactions of the characters. As they make selections, the story maker creates the story text to match what they have chosen. This tool is beneficial for students who struggle with composing their own stories using words. It is also a great tool for teaching story concepts to students. The graphical interface makes this resource appealing to students. You can even print the story at the end! |
Knovio.comKnovio is a tool that allows you to create video narration for PowerPoint presentations. In a few quick steps you can create a video narrated PowerPoint presentation to share with your students, or for your students to share with each other. You only need a webcam and a microphone to use this. I recommend this tool for students who have difficulty giving presentations in front of groups. I would also recommend this for students who are ELL and need an interpreter to read a presentation. This would be a great tool to help with fluency deficits as well. (Note: This tool is still in beta.) |
WallWisherWallWisher is an interactive Web 2.0 tool that allows you to leave short messages on a "wall." The messages can include multimedia, and text. I use this with my students as a collaborative way for them to show their knowledge and collaborate with others. It is very simple to use, and the walls are easy to access. I recommend using this site as an alternative to having students create a written product to show what they know. Students with writing disabilities can benefit from the ease of publication and the ability to embed multimedia to support their message. For students who get overwhelmed by text, the site can be manipulated to look however is best for them. This is one of my favorite tools! |