Video Editing

http://www.wevideo.com/

Super online platform for collaborative video production in the cloud.  Works with Google Drive.  All files and edits are stored and accessible online. 

Lite version is free, reasonable education pricing available.

Google Docs at School

Sometimes, someone writes such a good tip that there is just no way to improve on it other than sharing it with more and more people.  Such is Susan Oxnevad's post on Back to School with Google Docs. 

Read, learn, promulgate!

PicMonkey

Do you miss Picnic? and are you looking for a simple, easy to use photo editor?  Well try PicMonkey. Online photo editing. No login required. Draw on photo, resize, create collage, add frame.  

Here is a simple collage created using it.  Catherine decided to smell the flowers and got pollen all over herself!

Resize a Picture

Have you ever wanted to just 'resize' an image? Nothing fancy, just do it! Then Picture Resizer is just perfect.   Upload an image, then - resize / crop / rotate - as desired.  Choose quality and download.

It's even possible to choose the exact width in pixels. (Height will adjust automatically.) The image is stored on the site for 20 minutes, so it is there if you want to go 'back' and make a change.

Evernote in Class

Now, with sharing available, Evernote is a great app to share class notes and links with students. Share links, images, discussion starters...

Here is a great video to help you get started with Evernote!


Evernote can be accessed from the web or downloaded as an app for your Mac, Windows machine, or mobile device.

Publish PDFs in a 'flippable book'

" Within minutes, youblisher will turn ...presentations and all other pdf documents into publications with flippable pages!

Totally free and tutorials for use in both English and Spanish.

See a great collaborative publication created by the FLAT CLASSROOM project about "The View from Our Windows".

Flipping Books

Create interactive flipping books free with FlipSnack.

FlipSnack is a page flip software that enables you to create stylish digital flipping books out of your PDF documents. You can use it to share or embed into your website or blog all kinds of documents, from books to newspapers and magazines.

From the website:
"The page flip software is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. 1. Add your PDF documents. You can add one or more PDF documents from your hard disk or from the Web.
2. 2. Customize your flipping book. Here you can choose cover type, set the flipping book's size, color scheme etc.
3. 3. Publish. Once published, your flipping book collection can be shared on the web in every way imaginable."

Example by an amazing young woman who spent the summer between her high school graduation and college as a volunteer in Africa.

Google Chrome - on the go...

Ok, so it's just another browser, right?  Not so.  Google Chrome is unique in that you can log in and find your bookmarks, etc. no matter where you are or which computer you are using.  You can also log in with multiple accounts (for example if you have a work account and a personal account), and have them open at the same time!  No more multiple browsers to check 'the other' email account.

Best of all are the Chrome Extensions for Education.  Check out this blog post of 21 Time-Saving Google Chrome Extensions for Students.

Room with a Vyew

Vyew is an online java program that allows you to meet and share content in real-time or anytime. Upload images, files, documents and videos into a room. Users can access and contribute: white boarding, video conferencing, screen sharing, Voice-over-IP.  You can save your "rooms" so any document or video window or image open in a room will still be there when you come back.

"The most basic Vyew is free. It has all the same functionality as the paid packages. There are some usage limits, such as less people in a room at a time, and the free version includes advertising in the interface. The free version is NOT a time-based trial. It is always free forever."

A Simple Timer

Have you ever wanted a timer to help you keep on track?  Well if you have a computer in your classroom, office, kitchen, etc. want no more. Online timer: http://timer.onlineclock.net/ has just what you are looking for.  Time from a 5 second "test" to one hour, or anything in-between.  An alarm goes off when the time is up.  Just don't close the browser window while you are depending on it! Recommended by Gabe Oetjens.

YouTube for Schools

Create a YouTube School account http://www.youtube.com/schools and guide your student access to appropriate YouTube content. Many videos from recognized educational sources (including Khan Academy.)

"School admins and teachers can log in and watch any video, but students cannot log in and can only watch YouTube EDU videos plus videos their school has added. All comments and related videos are disabled and search is limited to YouTube EDU videos."

Available also are playlists created by other educators.  Videos are aligned to common educational standards and organized by grade level and subject.

YouTube also has created a page for teachers, YouTube.com/Teachers, to help them learn to use the site as a powerful educational tool.