Tech Tidbits videos: DigitalVaults

This week I am demonstrating the use of DigitalVaults, hosted by The National Archives Experience.  The site makes available a large amount of historical resources that have digitized for the purposes of engaging in research projects and presentations.  You can search for resources by keyword or by tag, and the results can be filtered by media type, such as documents, images, posters, videos, maps, and more.  You can view the information for each document and view links to additional resources available on external weblinks.  

Using this site, you can add resources to a collection and import those resources into a digital poster or animated slideshow movie.  To save and/or share your presentations, you do have to create a free account using a valid e-mail address.  If you are a Wake County Public Schools employee and are using this site for educational purposes, please register using your WCPSS e-mail address. Likewise, if you are a WCPSS student, please register your account using your WCPSS student e-mail address.

I created a series of two videos demonstrating DigitalVaults; the first provides an overview of the site.  The second demonstrates how to use the digital resources to create a digital poster and/or an animated slideshow video.

 

Tech Tidbits video: text2mindmap.com

What sets Text2Mindmap apart from other mindmapping (or concept mapping) webtools is the fact that you can enter the text for the main concepts and supporting concepts in the form of an outline.  There is no need to sign up for an account to use this site, although there are pay models available if you want to save and edit mindmaps later on.  There is no danger of accidentally creating concept bubbles or connecting concepts together that you don't want connected. 

     

Enter your central concept at the top and press Enter.  Indent 2 spaces for the first subtopic and press Enter.  Type in each supporting topic by indenting 2 additional spaces. To create your mindmap, click "Draw Mind Map".  See the pictures below for an example.
          

Text2Mindmap can be used for multiple purposes and subjects, including Language Arts/Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, and more.  

Tech Tidbit Video: ZoomIn

The latest Tech Tidbit video demonstrates the use of ZoomIn, a Learning Management System website designed for high school social studies teachers to enroll students and assign materials created by the ZoomIn site.  Students can enroll in a class created by their teacher by entering a specific enrollment password.  Once students are enrolled, the teacher can assign unit materials, writing assignments, and more related to a particular United States History Unit.                

The ZoomIn site allows the teacher to track the progress of each student and see how much of each assignment they have completed and/or submitted.  The site also allows the students to create notes based on each unit and it provides a template for writing an essay for each unit.  In turn, the site lets the teacher see when essays have been submitted.  They can also download students' notes and essays in CSV files.  

Teachers can also share classes with other instructional personnel such as department members or media coordinators by sharing teacher enrollment codes with their peers.  In this way, teachers can collaborate with each other in units using ZoomIn.  Administrators can also use ZoomIn to provide professional development opportunities for teachers and staff if desired.  

Tech Tidbits video: Vibby.com

Hello!  I am back from my summer hiatus with another Tech Tidbits video!  This time I am demonstrating how to use Vibby, a webtool site that enables you to select clips from YouTube videos for students to view and comment on if you want.  Using Vibby, you can select only the portions of the video you want to show and skip the parts you don't.  

This video demonstrates how to use Vibby.com

Although you can show clips of videos in Discovery Education, that function is only available for videos in their inventory.  Using Vibby, you can create your own customized and clipped videos from YouTube and embed them in your website or link them via URL address or through Twitter or Facebook (at home, of course!)