Essential Web Tools for Project-Based Learning

By Daniel Kruger

Course: Cur/538Instructor: Melinda Medina

Date: 2/1/2016

VoiceThread

• VoiceThread is a great tool that allows an individual or a group to add their voice into their presentation, whether it is a slideshow or a video.

• VoiceThread gives students or employees the opportunity to explain what the audience is seeing by using their own voice to explain.

• This is a great tool for presentations that can not be presented in person.

Distance Learning Classrooms• VoiceThread can allow students in distance learning classrooms

the opportunity to use their voice or input their video when discussing their project, instead of typing all of the information out.

• VoiceThread allows groups the opportunity to add all of their voices or videos into a project so everyone in the group can hear their thoughts and ideas. This tool can also be used on several different devices, including a laptop and Ipad.

• According to voicethread.com (2016), “VoiceThread bridges the gap between real-time discussions and standard video lectures or online presentations. This makes VoiceThread the platform for teaching, learning, training, and collaborating, on-demand”.

Capzles• Capzles is a great web tool that allows students create

timelines using pictures, videos, their voice, and text. • This tool can be used by teachers, used for individual

projects or used for group projects.• Capzles can be used on the computer, Iphone, or Ipad,

making it a mobile tool. • According to “Creating Timelines with Capzles” (n.d.),

“Capzles is a refreshingly unique take on a timeline creation tool that goes far beyond what you may have seen previously”.

Distance Learning Classroom• This tool can be incorporated into distance classrooms to

allow students the opportunity to be creative when creating timelines and moments they can share with the class or employers.

• Groups can work together to create timelines and can share their progress as they work on the assigned portions.

• Students can use their own voice, videos, photos, and text to create this time line, which allows them to have multiple ways to create the timeline and allows them the opportunity for their voice to be heard, instead of text.

Animoto• Animoto is a web tool that students/employees can take

their videos, pictures, text, and music and create a slideshow or video.

• This tool allows students/employees to take information from their experiences or information from research and present a visual to other employees and classrooms.

• According to Mossberg (2014), “Simply put, Animoto lets you pick photos and videos from your iPad’s camera roll and choose a visual theme and a soundtrack. Then it creates a short movie based on your choices, which it stores in the cloud for viewing, sharing or downloading”.

Distance Learning Classroom

• Animoto can be incorporated into distance classrooms to help students work as an individual or work in a group.

• This is a creative opportunity that can help students challenge themselves and use different sources to create projects.

• Animoto gives students multiple choices on how they would like to create their video/slideshow.

References

• Creating Timelines with Capzles. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/tomorrowtoolkit/capzles

• Higher Ed. (2016). Retrieved from https://voicethread.com/products/highered/

• Mossberg, W. (2014). Animoto Makes Quick Work of Creating Movies on an Ipad. Retrieved from http://recode.net/2014/07/01/animoto-makes-quick-work-of-creating-movies-on-an-ipad/