Getting Extra Dropbox Space Free

Since I started using it, Dropbox has become absolutely invaluable to me. (See my earlier post for an introduction to the joys of Dropboxing). It makes it difficult to remember a time when I had to bring a USB flash drive around everywhere with me and pass it around to share lesson plans and whiteboard files with my colleagues. Now, if I save a file into my Dropbox, I know it will be available the next day- even if I do not have access to my own laptop. It even saves different versions of files to avoid the nightmare saving over your own work scenario.

Anyway, if you are running out of space in your free Dropbox account (and the average teacher would probably find it difficult to justify the expense of a paid account) then there are a couple of ways you can get a few extra bytes of storage quite easily.

Social media connections

Go to this link (you will need to then log into your account) and you will be presented with a list of tasks, such as liking Dropbox on Facebook, that will earn you extra free space.

Refer-a-friend

Log into your Dropbox account and look for this icon:

You can then recommend Dropbox to your friends and colleagues (I am sure they will be grateful) and earn yourself some free storage space.

Exciting blog presentations

Uploading individual pictures of children's work is time consuming and might end up creating a long page that is a chore to scroll through. In this post, I hope to share a few easy ways in which you can make easy presentations of children's work.

Capzles

Upload a bunch of masterpieces to your Capzle account and it will display your photos in a fun, floaty filmstrip. You can scroll through the pictures using the bar at the bottom.  Zoom in on individual pictures by clicking on them. You can also customise your presentation add text and audio to your Capzle. By clicking on 'share' you can get a link to your work, or some code to embed it on your own website or blog. Capzles are best viewed in full screen.This Capzle was created by user 'R2D2', so all credit to him/her.

It was very easy and free to create an account.

Animoto

If you are feeling really adventurous, or want to impress with your slideshow, then look no further than Animoto. You upload the files for the slideshow, and it creates a really exciting video with lots of dramatic animation. When I made my slideshow, it took a while processing, but the results were worth the wait. Here is an example Animoto for you to gawp in wonder at. This time it is my own creation:

Animoto takes a little bit of setting up to start with as you have to register for a free educator account (or put up with the extremely limited capabilites of the standard free account- and why would you do that?)

Dropbox- share folders and files between computers.

Dropbox is a free program that makes it easy to back up and share files and folders between computers and access them on-line from any computer. Once it is set up on your computer a Dropbox folder sits in your My Documents folder and you save files in it as usual. Dropbox automatically synchronises the files between computers as you update them.

This video from the Dropbox website explains it quite simply:





 As a teacher, I have found it very useful for making sure I can access lesson plans and resources on my home computer and on my school computer. I also installed Dropbox on my fellow year 3 teacher's laptop so it is very easy for us to share documents and resources. It means I don't need to carry a memory stick around with me because even if I don't have my laptop, I can get my files from the Dropbox website.

If you decide to install Dropbox and want to be nice, you could download it through my referral link, This will get me some free bonus Dropbox space. Thanks!

Sketchcast- sketch out ideas with narration

Sketchcast lets you make videos by drawing using a simple Paint-style program and recording your voice over the top. So for instance, you could use it to create a video explaining how to use blank number-lines to complete subtraction. You simply press record and start drawing and talking at the same time. This is quite tricky to get used to but is a simple and quick way to create videos.

To get started, you just complete the registration form and then click 'create'. The interface is very clean and easy to use.

When you are finished drawing and talking, you click on publish. Once published, Sketchcast creates some code which can be used to embed your video into a blog or website.

VoiceThread- share comments on a picture or text.

VoiceThread allows users to add their comments and annotations to a picture or piece of text. The comments can be typed or recorded using a microphone. If you type a comment, then it pops up at the side of the page in a speech bubble. Multiple users can look at and comment on the same picture at one time, and can read and listen to each others comments as they appear. The way comments pop up in real-time makes it a very engaging and fun way for children to collaborate and learn from each other's input.

VoiceThread takes a little bit of setting up before it can be used effectively in a classroom setting. First you need to register for an Educator Account by clicking here and filling in the forms. You will need to create password that the whole class can use to log in.

Identities
Once you have created the account, you need to create an 'identity' for each user you want to use VoiceThread. To do this you need to log into your account, click on the 'Myvoice' tab and then click on the arrow next to your email address:

Once you have done this you just click on 'Add an Identity' and then type a name. It will also ask you if you want to add a picture. If you do not want to put photos of the class on the website (although by default your VoiceThreads will be private), you could get your class to draw their own pictures to use for their identity. Adding a whole class and uploading their pictures can be a little time consuming, but it makes VoiceThread much more fun for them to use.

Creating a VoiceThread
Once you have done the boring parts- registering, and adding your 'identities', creating a VoiceThread is very straight-forward. You need to click on the word 'VoiceThread' at the top of the page. Then click on 'create'.

On this page you need to choose a picture file to upload for  your VoiceThread. You can also use pdf files, which is useful if you want your class to comment on some text. When the file is uploaded, you need to add a title and description.

Possible uses
Here are a few ideas of how VoiceThread could be used in the classroom. I have found that one of the main benefits is that it takes away the apprehension that quiet members of the class have when joining in with a class discussion.

• Descriptive or factual writing about a visual stimulus.
• Commenting on an extract from a book.
• Identifying text features.
• Collaborating to solve a problem.
• Peer assessment of written work or art work.

Please add your suggestions and comments below.

Myths and Legends: Create your own myths

On Myths and Legends you can watch and listen to a selection of myths and legends and then use the myth creator to make your own.

The website has a wide selection of myths told using a voice-over, text and a partly animated slideshow. It is especially good because it has lots of Myths and Legends from all over the UK. Some of them are a bit strange and a few might be too gruesome for younger children- so definately watch them before showing them to your class. I really liked the story of The Glass Knight (from Saffron Walden, Essex!).

You can search through a list of Myths or choose one from the interactive Myth Map.

Myth Maker
The most exciting part of the site is the Myth Maker tool. Children can create their own myth-stories by dragging and dropping settings and characters. The tool is really intuitive and easy to use. They can add text in speech bubbles and text boxes.

If you register your school on the site, then children will be able to save their work to continue later, and eventually to be published on the site.

Advanced Features
The site also has an option to create and upload your own to use as backgrounds or characters. This gives it the potential to be used for any literacy text type. If you have a microphone, you can also add audio commentary to each slide, so it could become a great speaking and listening excercise.

Wallwisher: collaborative notice board.

Wallwisher lets you create online noticeboards. It is very quick and easy to create a wall with a custom web address. Users can then log on and comment on the wall.

To create a wall, you need to choose a little picture to represent the topic (or upload your own). You also need to choose a title, pick a background colour and choose an address for your wall. You need to put in a name and email address. Wallwisher will send you a password to this address so you can log in and manage your wall later.

Once you have created the wall you need to give out the address. It might be a good idea to create a bit.ly shortcut so that children do not have to type in a long address.

 

Visitors to your wall, contribute by adding comments. These can be just text or could include images, audio or video they have found on the internet.

Fellow educational blogger Tom Barrett has put together a slideshow bringing together interesting ways of using wallwisher in the classroom.