This afternoon in the AT&T Classroom the Streetsboro first graders explored a new tool for animation and avatar creation. Talkify is a web-based tool for adding voice to photos. Students are able to use their own images or select from an avatar in the tool’s gallery. The tool guides students through a series of prompts to select and size a mouth and record voice-over for playback. The students loved exploring the tools within Talkify to create their own avatar and then recorded themselves reading a writing sample they drafted previously in their classroom.
Also this afternoon the first graders were introduced to a new writing and collaboration tool. Padlet is a free web-based tool that functions as a virtual wall or bulletin board where students can exchange thoughts on a common topic. Students are able to post several forms of content including text, images, and videos. Building from a lesson on adjectives, this afternoon the first graders worked together on a class Padlet wall where each student wrote a post listing examples of descriptor words. The collaborative nature of the wall allows students to share and view one another’s posts so they can learn from each other.
Later this afternoon the first graders were introduced to a new app for practicing their addition facts. Butterfly Math is a free iOS app that uses butterflies as manipulatives for practicing counting and addition. Players are challenged to drag butterflies in and out of baskets to count and add. As students solve problems within the game they are able build up their supply of colored tiles to use in a Tile Fun reward area.