EdCanvas: Presentation Tool Extraordinaire

EdCanvas is one of those neat tools I stumbled upon after meeting the dudes at instaGrok. They said (basically) if you like instaGrok, you should really check this out, too! I did...it it is awesome! My work has me in a lot of schools around the world (both physically and telepresence) and I work with a LOT of teachers K-12...and sometimes all K-12 together (always good fun). Inevitably, a great instructional tool will be loved by elementary but hated by middle and high school, or vice versa. Is difficult in that kind of setting to please everyone and/or make everything (specifically) relevant to everyone (the usual extremes of "hard to please" are high school math and early elementary teachers). Rarely do I find a tool that pleases everybody...EdCanvas is one of those rare tools.

Why is that? For most teachers there are 5 things they want to see:
#1: Free
#2: Easy to use
#3: Applicable to their curriculum
#4: Easy to Track/View/Store projects
#5: Free (just making sure)

EdCanvas is all of these things. There are wonderful online presentation tools out there like Prezi, Google Docs, etc, but EdCanvas is different. Not better...different. It is ANOTHER tool that can be used in the classroom. As a former speech teacher (among other things), I LOVE presentation tools. PowerPoint, Keynote and on and on (I was an original Aldus Persuasion user, too...yes kids...I am old). Way back I was a HyperStudio "power user" and used it with elementary, middle and high school kids. Teaching it to educators, it was the only multimedia tool that I ever used where all (okay, most) K-12, multi-subject teachers loved it and saw the relevance for the classroom. That was until EdCanvas. Doing workshops around instructional strategies using technology are pretty fun...love showing teachers technologies they may or may not be using, but linking it to best practices. Sometimes the tech takes over more than I would like, though, as some people don't quite "get it" as fast as others. Not so with EdCanvas. Many workshops and many diverse tech levels...one common denominator: teachers LOVE EdCanvas. The best part is they learn it, create with it, and present with it...all in under 30 minutes.

So let's do a quick tour...head on over to www.edcanvas.com

 

Register for a free login...make one, or use a Facebook or Google account. 

Realizing that my last post (instaGrok) was a little TOO descriptive on using software, EdCanvas's Amy Lin (who is very helpful & responsive, btw) already has a nice tutorial:

This program is RIDICULOUSLY EASY. It will create multiple slides with clicking and dragging from Youtube, Google (images and web), Flickr, web links, files...even linking to Dropbox and Google Drive accounts! There is a place to save bookmarks, too, although would love to see another button to link to my Diigo account (in case you are listening EdCanvas). 

I love EdCanvas. (Have I said that?) I can create separate areas for each class (or workshop, division, etc) to keep a portfolio of student work. Plus, can send out the links (via Twitter, Facebook, etc) so parents can easily see what is going on, too. As a teacher, I can use it to create resources students can watch inside/outside of class (or Flipped Class). Most important to me, I can use it with students and let them express themselves by creating. Great stuff.

I would love to hear what you think about EdCanvas so please leave a comment or hit me on Twitter. I am sure EdCanvas would love to hear what you think, too. Shoot them an email or connect on Twitter.

Here are some cool EdCanvas projects to check out, too:
Photosynthesis
2012 Elections (for Flipped Classroom)
Parts of Speech Review (School House Rock)

instaGrok: Great Classroom Research Tool

instaGrok! 

instaGrok? instaWhat???

This is my favorite new search engine tool for the classroom. A search engine that graphically displays the data AND creates an automatic journal for students. Nice. Yes, the classroom component is $35, but there is also the free component, too. I would like to say I stumbled upon it with one of my many forays into educational technology...but I didn't. My boss sent a group of us an email asking if we had seen it. I had not. Within seconds I was hooked, as it is so multi-sensory and engaging. Perfect for an ADD instructional technologist with a short attention span.

So what is this thing?  How do I use it? Pretty dang simple. The website is www.instagrok.com Although a registration is not required, it is free (and keeps your stuff). The search bar asks me politely, "What would you like to learn about?" Hawaii is one of my island homes, so I did a search for Hawaii...

It then works on it...the process called, "Grokking"...

...and Voila!

 

On the right there are a series of descriptions (let's blow that up a bit to see it better). Notice the targeted advertisement for Hawaii, too. Hey, it is the free section of the site...people gots bills, right? Pay the cash and get rid of it ;)

This is more of the traditional search engine display, but still organized in a very easy to use format. Key facts are listed, but so are websites, videos, images, etc. What I really like about instaGrok is the graphic search feature.

The big yellow ball is Hawaii...the little yellow balls are the main points that came up under Hawaii. Surfing. Each ball is manipulable and can be dragged around the screen. They are also clickable, too. I like surfing, so I clicked on the yellow surfing ball...

BAM! New key facts, and the graph splits off into into a new subset. Now I can use the pin tool to add websites, key facts, videos, etc to my graph.

That can get overwhelming pretty quick (only images are on this image). Now how I can pull all this information together and make sense of it? The Journal! The second tab at the top takes me into an online word processor that has automatically added everything I pinned.

I can move things around, add my own information, and when I am finished can email to myself, print it, even add to social media. With the classroom account, students can send direct to Edmodo, as well. WOW! 

Very cool stuff...and was all way faster than what it took you to read this far (which hopefully wasn't long either). I would really recommend giving this a try. No, it is not for the "in-depth, serious, find obscure information on the web"person, but it is great for students learning to research. I like to use it when presenting information to colleagues, as well. Can just send a instaGrok link. The company founders, Kirill Kireyev and Andrew Bender are great guys and very responsive to suggestions on how to improve instaGrok for the classroom. Check out their intro video...
...and some cool user created instaGroks;
Nano Technology
Black Death (Bubonic Plague)
Google Glass

Let me (and them) know what you think! Follow instaGrok on Twitter, too