PhotoPeach

I used to use Animoto for Educators, but I received an e-mail last semester saying my free educator's account had expired and Animoto was "rethinking" its view on those free, premium educator memberships. Boo.

So I turned to Google to find another option.

I tried a few other websites before I finally settled on PhotoPeach.

Photo from the PhotoPeach website

At the moment, I think it's the best free program for creating photo slideshows. Here's why:

• Sign up for FREE
• Don't download anything -- all creations are made via the web
• Add up to 30 photos to each slideshow
• Choose from music provided by PhotoPeach or search YouTube for music to use
• Add blank slides wherever you want --> add blocks of explanatory text this way
• Reposition photos to appear in whichever order you prefer
• Insert multiple choice quiz questions on any picture
• Add captions to photos
• Choose to keep your show private or make it public
• Ability to embed your slideshow {I embedded it on my class blog}
• Choose to display your show as a "story" or a "spiral" {click HERE to view the demo to see the difference}
• Ability to make the show full screen

Of course, there are options to upgrade to a premium account {$3/month} or a premium educator account {$9/month+}. Each of those accounts come with other options, like the ability to download your slideshow your computer, manage a group of students' accounts, or upload your own music.

 Click HERE to view a demo slideshow made by PhotoPeach.

If you're interested in using PhotoPeach but aren't sure how to navigate your way through the website, here's a help page provided by the company that provides step-by-step instructions.

Trading Cards

Constructing a biography is a fairly common school project. I know that, for instance, both the first and second graders at my school have to write a biography for their research project. The Trading Card function from Big Huge Labs might be a way to spice up that report!

The Trading Card function allows students to upload a picture of a person (or animal, I suppose... the website doesn't monitor what you upload), add a title, facts about that person or object, customize the color of the "trading card," and even add a couple of fun icons to the sides.

There are just enough options to keep things interesting, but not so many that it becomes an overwhelming project. 

One of the best parts is that students do NOT have to have an account or e-mail address in order to use this. Another great thing about the Trading Card project is that students can download their project as a .jpg (picture file). From there, you can incorporate it into a a FlipSnack book to share with parents or store in your Dropbox account for easy access later.

Here's an example I made. Mine is over Albert Einstein:

Try the Trading Card feature from Big Huge Labs for yourself by clicking here.

Map Maker

Big Huge Labs has a lot of cool {and free} tech tools. 

Logo from the Big Huge Labs website

 One of them is called Map Maker.

 

The idea is that you can display a map of the whole world or a specific part, and then you can place "pins" on the map. From there, you can embed the code on a website or, of course, take a screenshot of it. Here's an example of a map I made:

Places I've Visited

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

Ideas for Use:

1. Mark places where students have visited as a "getting to know you" game.
2. Social studies students can mark a place they're researching. 
3. Elementary students who are participating in a Flat Stanley project can mark where Stanley has visited.
4. If your class is connecting to other classes or professionals -- pen pals? Skype chats? -- mark the places your class has reached on the map. 

I'm sure there are more ways to use it in class, but those are just a few to get you started. :) Click here to start making your map.