TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Feb 9, 2025

Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to go to the Featured Sites Archive

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Podcast- Adobe - Adobe

Grades
3 to 12
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Adobe Podcast offers a platform for recording podcasts with high-quality audio. This tool is ideal for teachers who want to incorporate multimedia projects into their classrooms due...more
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Adobe Podcast offers a platform for recording podcasts with high-quality audio. This tool is ideal for teachers who want to incorporate multimedia projects into their classrooms due to its ease. The website provides tools for clear audio enhancement, automated transcription, and easy editing, making it simple even for beginners. Teachers can use Adobe Podcast to guide students in creating podcast episodes for assignments, sharing research, or building communication skills. The ease of use makes it an excellent resource for all learning levels. When the podcast is complete, it can be downloaded and shared.

tag(s): digital storytelling (154), multimedia (48), podcasts (104)

In the Classroom

For younger students, Adobe Podcast can be used for storytelling, oral reports, or fluency checks. Middle school students can conduct interviews, record debates, or use it for research-based assignments. Book reviews, investigative pieces, or class discussions can be recorded for older students.
 

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Short History Of... - Paul McGann and John Hopkins

Grades
6 to 12
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Short History Of... is a weekly podcast that takes listeners back in time to learn the stories behind historical events. Hear about diverse topics like Elvis Presley's rise from a ...more
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Short History Of... is a weekly podcast that takes listeners back in time to learn the stories behind historical events. Hear about diverse topics like Elvis Presley's rise from a working-class truck driver to one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the cultural and economic factors leading to the French Revolution of the late 18th century. Each podcast runs about an hour long and is available on most podcast streaming sites.

tag(s): africa (142), american revolution (81), artists (83), authors (105), churchill (8), colonial america (93), colonization (20), d day (11), dickens (10), dinosaurs (42), disasters (37), diseases (68), england (52), explorers (65), great depression (29), greece (28), india (27), industrial revolution (22), korea (21), lincoln (66), listening (93), martin luther king (45), native americans (96), olympics (41), pearl harbor (14), podcasts (104), presidents (136), pyramids (17), renaissance (38), rome (22), roosevelt (14), rosa parks (9), russia (35), shakespeare (99), st patricks day (12), underground railroad (15), vietnam (38), westward expansion (39), womens suffrage (50), world war 2 (160), wright brothers (16)

In the Classroom

Add this podcast to supplement your current list of history resources. Organize and share resources with students using Wakelet, reviewed here or Padlet, reviewed here. Wakelet and Padlet offer tools that make it easy for students to collaborate and share information. Enhance learning by sharing a podcast as an introduction to a new unit and asking students to discuss what they learn. Consider using Project Zero's Thinking Routine Toolbox, Padlet, reviewed here to encourage student understanding and develop critical thinking skills. For example, the Step-in, Step-out, And step-back routine can help students view people and events from different perspectives. Extend student learning by asking them to develop a script and share a podcast as a final assessment of your unit using a free tool such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here or Spotify for Podcastors, reviewed here.

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Solve It!- For Kids - Chloe K. Williams

Grades
3 to 6
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The Solve It! Science Podcast for Kids is an excellent resource for teachers to spark curiosity and engage students in hands-on scientific inquiry. The podcast is designed for elementary...more
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The Solve It! Science Podcast for Kids is an excellent resource for teachers to spark curiosity and engage students in hands-on scientific inquiry. The podcast is designed for elementary and middle school students; it follows young detectives as they solve real-world science mysteries, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Each episode introduces students to different scientific concepts, making it a fun and interactive way to support STEM learning. The website also offers downloadable resources and activities that teachers can use to extend lessons, making science accessible and exciting for young learners.

tag(s): critical thinking (121), listening (93), podcasts (104), problem solving (225), STEM (287)

In the Classroom

Have students keep a "Science Detective Journal" where they write down the problem, clues, and how the characters solved the mystery. Pick a scientific concept discussed in an episode and have students conduct a simple experiment related to it. Have students research a real-world scientific mystery and create presentations or reports using Genially, reviewed here on their chosen topic. In small groups, have students write and act out their own science mystery.

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Molly of Denali Podcast - GZM Shows

Grades
3 to 6
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The Molly of Denali website by GZM Shows provides teachers with an engaging resource to introduce students to diverse cultures, storytelling, and problem-solving through the adventures...more
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The Molly of Denali website by GZM Shows provides teachers with an engaging resource to introduce students to diverse cultures, storytelling, and problem-solving through the adventures of Molly, an Alaska Native girl. This podcast series is targeted toward elementary students, and is perfect for exploring themes like community, tradition, and environmental awareness. The site includes episodes that teachers can use to increase listening comprehension and cultural awareness, and supporting activities to extend learning in subjects like social studies, geography, and science.

tag(s): alaska (20), environment (246), listening (93), podcasts (104), stories and storytelling (52)

In the Classroom

In groups, students can create their podcast episode using a resource such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Have students create a character profile for Molly and her friends. Students can make a video presentation using a resource such as Canva, reviewed here comparing and contrasting the traditions, values, and challenges of that culture's with those depicted in the podcast.

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What if World Podcast - Eric O'Keeffe and Karen Marshall O'Keefe

Grades
2 to 5
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This podcast is a weekly storytelling program that answers "what if" questions submitted by kids. Questions include, "What if it snowed even in summer?" and "What if cats could be ...more
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This podcast is a weekly storytelling program that answers "what if" questions submitted by kids. Questions include, "What if it snowed even in summer?" and "What if cats could be astronauts?" Episodes are approximately twenty minutes long and feature lessons to learn, such as facing your fears and pursuing your dreams. Visit the resources section to find valuable educator materials that accompany the podcast. Resources include stories sorted by lesson, a what-if question generator, kid-friendly transcripts, and an episode-listening worksheet. Transcripts for all episodes are available to read online or download as a PDF. Listen to the podcast online or with Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

tag(s): listening (93), podcasts (104), questioning (35), social and emotional learning (98)

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this site to find entertaining and informative podcasts for elementary students. To reinforce listening skills, include a podcast as part of a listening center. Use Diffit, reviewed here to create comprehension questions and learning activities using the transcript of any episode to enhance understanding. Diffit's free activities change monthly; after creating an account and comprehension questions, look for materials that state they are free this month. Use Diffit's what-if format as a model for students to begin creative writing projects. Use the what-if generator to create questions, then ask students to write a story with their answers. Share students' stories by creating digital books using Book Creator, reviewed here, including drawings, video recordings, and images.

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Smash Boom Podcast - American Public Media

Grades
3 to 5
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Smash Boom Best is a podcast designed to engage and educate kids and families through fun debates. Each episode features a lively matchup between two fascinating subjects, where debaters...more
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Smash Boom Best is a podcast designed to engage and educate kids and families through fun debates. Each episode features a lively matchup between two fascinating subjects, where debaters present facts and passionate arguments to help listeners decide the winner. The site offers access to all episodes, interactive extras like listening party kits and scoresheets, and additional educational resources.

tag(s): debate (42), listening (93), persuasive writing (58), podcasts (104), speech (68)

In the Classroom

In the classroom, you can engage students in critical thinking by using episodes as a starting point for debates, encouraging them to form teams and defend their positions using facts and persuasive arguments. Enhance learning by integrating tech tools like Padlet, reviewed here for students to post arguments and gather feedback. Extend learning beyond the classroom by assigning episodes as homework and encouraging students to discuss the debates with their caregivers, friends, and community. Students can present their debates at family gatherings or community events, fostering a broader dialogue and involving others in their learning process.

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Noodle Loaf - Dan Saks

Grades
K to 4
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Noodle Loaf is an interactive podcast incorporating music education with art, rhythm, and social awareness. Each episode is approximately fifteen minutes or less and is available to...more
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Noodle Loaf is an interactive podcast incorporating music education with art, rhythm, and social awareness. Each episode is approximately fifteen minutes or less and is available to listen to on the website or save on a Spotify playlist.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): listening (93), podcasts (104), preK (266), rhythm (21), social and emotional learning (98)

In the Classroom

Include this podcast with others for use at listening centers as an engaging way to develop listening and comprehension skills. Find many other suggestions for podcasts at TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Educational Podcasts for Students, reviewed here. Ask students to share their favorite podcasts; after reviewing their suggestions, use a curation tool such as 3x3 Links, reviewed here to share ideas on classroom computers and with parents on your class website.

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Julie's Library - Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton

Grades
K to 5
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Julie Andrews (yes, from The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins!) and her daughter share and read their favorite children's books in this engaging podcast filled with music and activities....more
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Julie Andrews (yes, from The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins!) and her daughter share and read their favorite children's books in this engaging podcast filled with music and activities. Select any episode link to begin playing the podcast, read additional information about the authors and illustrators, and find the weekly activity accompanying it. Podcasts are available on the site or on several different podcast players, including Apple and Spotify.

tag(s): authors (105), book lists (165), listening (93), podcasts (104), preK (266)

In the Classroom

Include these podcasts and others as part of listening centers to engage students in reading and model how to read with expression. Find additional podcasts for students at TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Educational Podcasts for Students, reviewed here. Encourage students to practice reading using Animate from Audio, reviewed here that lets students choose an animated character and create a recording. For example, ask students to select a favorite part of a book, choose a character, and personalize a background before creating a recording to share with others as a way to practice reading in an engaging manner. Share students' recordings on your class website or learning management system to celebrate their reading accomplishments.

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Coffee Break Languages - Radio Lingua Ltd

Grades
3 to 12
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Learn a language with free short, coffee-break-length (15-20 minute) podcasts. First, scroll down the home page to select a language from the ten options provided. After selecting a...more
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Learn a language with free short, coffee-break-length (15-20 minute) podcasts. First, scroll down the home page to select a language from the ten options provided. After selecting a language, choose the link to the free podcasts and select one of the four learning levels starting with absolute beginners up to advanced learners. Then, subscribe to the language podcasts on your favorite streaming platform, including Apple, Google, or Spotify.

tag(s): chinese (44), cultures (163), french (75), german (47), italian (29), multilingual (70), podcasts (104), portuguese (22), spanish (108)

In the Classroom

Use this resource in world language classes and with ENL/ESL students. Include this site as a resource when students are working on a project about another culture. If you have students in world language, world cultures, or even language arts classes who need enrichment - send them to this site to learn the basics of a new language or to look for roots that show in English. Self-motivated advanced students or those planning a semester abroad can learn language basics independently here. Finally, include this site for "Children of the World Day" or family heritage day activities. As students practice and learn a new language, share an online recording tool such as Vocaroo, reviewed here, for students to record and playback conversations.

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Podbean - Podbean

Grades
6 to 12
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Podbean offers free podcasting creation and publishing tools, including a free podcast website. Use the streaming features to broadcast live or record and edit your podcast. After creating...more
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Podbean offers free podcasting creation and publishing tools, including a free podcast website. Use the streaming features to broadcast live or record and edit your podcast. After creating an account, create a new podcast or import one from another location. Then, follow the guide to add essential information and a podcast description. Next, upload your podcast, follow the links to publish your episode, and distribute it to major sharing sites. Free accounts include up to five hours of monthly storage space and 100GB of monthly bandwidth.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): podcasts (104), sound (72)

In the Classroom

Learn more about ways to incorporate podcasting in the classroom by viewing the archive of the OK2Ask: Podcasting 101: Using Podcasts in the Classroom, available here. Engage students in upcoming lessons by creating and sharing short podcasts as a preview for books to read or about historical characters featured in an upcoming unit. Use Podbean to create videos for flipped or blended learning lessons. Enhance learning by asking students to create podcasts to share their learning and understanding of topics in a new way. For example, instead of writing a report about George Washington, ask students to create a multi-episode podcast that features important events in his life. Share student and teacher-created podcasts on your class website. Find several free and easy web page makers on TeachersFirst Edge.

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Pinecast - Pinecast

Grades
6 to 12
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Pinecast is a podcast hosting service that offers a free option and helpful tips for creating and sharing podcasts. The free option includes uploads of up to 48MB, two free ...more
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Pinecast is a podcast hosting service that offers a free option and helpful tips for creating and sharing podcasts. The free option includes uploads of up to 48MB, two free shows with up to ten episodes, and no time limit. First, use your email to create and verify an account. Once logged in to your account, select the link to set up a podcast from scratch. Then, complete the information boxes to provide your podcast's name and description information. After completing the basic information, it is time to upload a new episode by following the steps that include providing a title, adding an MP3 file, date and time of the episode's release. Save when ready, then share your podcast using the custom URL provided.

tag(s): editing (92), podcasts (104), sound (72)

In the Classroom

Use Pinecast in a variety of ways in your classroom. First, let students become familiar with how to create audio files by practicing creating and sharing voice recordings of read-alouds. Then, as students become familiar with this tool, use it as a simple tool for uploading and sharing audio productions. For example, ask students to use Pinecast to record interviews with parents or other family members. For example, when studying immigration, ask students to record the story of a family member who immigrated to the U.S. Include student-created podcasts as a link within larger multimedia projects such as those created using Sway, reviewed here, or within an interactive map project made with Google My Maps, reviewed here.

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Buzzsprout - Tom Rossi

Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites 2  Comments
  
Buzzsprout offers free, easy to use, podcast hosting. Sign up to receive two hours of hosting per month. Uploads remain available for 90 days. Buzzsprout's dashboard walks you through...more
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Buzzsprout offers free, easy to use, podcast hosting. Sign up to receive two hours of hosting per month. Uploads remain available for 90 days. Buzzsprout's dashboard walks you through creating and sharing podcasts and provides information on the time remaining in your current cycle. Copy and paste one line of code to include your podcast directly on any website. Attractive features include scheduling episodes for a specific date and time, adding links, lists, chapter markers, and a "Support the show" link to your podcasts. New on Buzzsprout is How to Start a Podcast: Complete Step-by-Step Guide (in only 10 steps!).
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): communication (139), digital storytelling (154), podcasts (104)

In the Classroom

Even if you aren't ready to create podcasts, share the How To Start a Podcast page with your students with excellent tips for creating any type of speaking presentation, create regular or special podcasts to share on your class web page or wiki to read/listen to in class AND from home, adding a touch of blended learning to your classroom! Have readers (perhaps older buddies) enhance their learning by building fluency and recording selected passages for your non-readers. Don't forget to have them listen and critique their podcast! Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Have students create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events. Make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News." Have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!). Have students write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings. Language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages and listening to themselves. Allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Have your Shakespeare students record a soliloquy. Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person. If you have gifted students who lean toward the dramatic, this tool is simple enough for them to create dramatic mini casts without needing a video camera.

Comments

Great resource for podcast novices like me! I love the step-by-step instructions to help with creating a podcast as well as the helpful tips and ideas for a podcast. Can't wait to begin using with my K-5 students. Christina, , Grades: 0 - 8
The podcasting 101 information is incredibly helpful for anyone wishing to begin podcasting. It also establishes tips that can be helpful for any speaker (as the description says). Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12

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Spreaker - Spreaker Online Radio

Grades
1 to 12
6 Favorites 0  Comments
  
Create a live Internet radio show -- free -- with Spreaker! This super easy online tool creates podcasts instantly for you to share with your own URL, on Facebook, Google ...more
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Create a live Internet radio show -- free -- with Spreaker! This super easy online tool creates podcasts instantly for you to share with your own URL, on Facebook, Google +, Soundcloud, Twitter, or add to the Spreaker website. Follow others, or invite others to follow your podcasts. With a click of a button you are creating a live podcast. There is a free version and a more deluxe premium version. This review is for the free version.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): communication (139), podcasts (104), radio (20)

In the Classroom

Enjoy a live radio show from your classroom! Publish written pieces of writing, science reports, social studies reports, and any other reports you would like to share. Create a New Book or Book Review podcast for the media center. Link to your podcast URL on your class website. Publish directions to projects, explanations for difficult concepts, or even a radio show of you reading your favorite books for your students. Have upper elementary students take turns reading aloud for a podcast aimed at little reading buddies in kindergarten. Allow students to podcast to "pen pals" in faraway places. Record your school choir, orchestra group, poetry club, or drama club doing their best work or dramatic readings of Shakespeare soliloquies. Take your school newspaper to a new level with recorded radio articles. Be sure to include interviews with students, teachers, principals, parents, authors, artists, and almost anyone. In younger grades, use to save an audio portfolio of reading fluency, expression, or to aid with running records or even include writing. Be sure do this regularly throughout the year to analyze growth. Have fun at Halloween with your Halloween station filled with favorite spooky stories! Welcome your students to a new school year by sending them your message. Create messages for classmates who move away. Bring your foreign language classes an extra resource of your pronunciations whenever they need more practice. ESL/ELL, special education classes can often benefit from the extra explanations, practice, and elaborated instructions given at their own pace. The possibilities are endless! The site itself is a "web 2.0," social networking style site, so some schools may have it blocked. Ask about unblocking just YOUR teacher account so you can have students access it while at school and under your supervision.

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podomatic - podOmatic

Grades
1 to 12
17 Favorites 1  Comments
  
Create simple audio podcasts using this online tool and the free space they provide. Simply put, this tool lets you create and place sound recordings online for people to listen ...more
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Create simple audio podcasts using this online tool and the free space they provide. Simply put, this tool lets you create and place sound recordings online for people to listen to and/or download from the web. There are MANY free podcasts in a variety of subject areas (art, health, technology, music, business, and more.) We have linked this review directly to the K-12 area within the site. The site includes some social networking tools, so some schools may have it blocked. The site is a "general public" site, so the home page has links to recent podcasts that may not be appropriate for young people. Find the home page by clicking the logo "podOmatic" to find directions for creating a podOmatic podcast. Essentially you will attach a mike or use your built-in computer mike; create the podcast by clicking a record button, (you may have to tell your computer to "allow" the site to access your mike). Choose a background for your podcast page. Share it with others using one of several sharing options on the "My Podcast" tab, including copying the link. Listeners can listen to it online or download to their MP3 player. You can also create a "minicast" with a simple upload of images and audio that turns your images into a short video. Transitions are also available for your minicast. Share through a blog, twitter, a link or directly to Facebook. There are limits to the amount of file storage for free accounts. The site will tell you how much space each podcast takes and how much you have left. podOmatic does not allow memberships for those under 13. podOmatic now has a free iOS and Android apps.

tag(s): communication (139), DAT device agnostic tool (146), digital storytelling (154), podcasts (104)

In the Classroom

podOmatic does not allow memberships for those under 13. Teachers using this tool with younger students should do so under supervision and with a teacher-controlled account. You will want to supervise or establish consequences so students do not spend time on the public areas of the site and instead proceed to creating their podcasts. This is an opportunity to teach about digital citizenship and safety, such as steering clear of interaction and avoiding sharing any identifiable information about yourself in a podcast. You may want to share the links to class podcasts only with your students and parents. If you have students record podcasts as assignments, you may need multiple accounts because the free accounts have limited file space. An elementary teacher might have enough space for 25 students to keep a limited number of products on his/her own account, depending upon length.

Create regular or special podcasts to share on your class web page or wiki. Create a mini cast of images taken during a lab or a portfolio of images from a photography, art, or any other class. Add music and share as part of a digital portfolio. More ideas: record class assignments or directions, record story time or a reading excerpt for younger ones to listen to at a computer center AND from home, adding a touch of blended learning to your classroom! Have readers (perhaps older buddies) build fluency by recording selected passages for your non-readers. Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Have students create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events, Make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News." Have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!), Have students write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings; language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages. Allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Have your Shakespeare students record a soliloquy. Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person.

If you have gifted students who lean toward the dramatic, this tool is simple enough for them to create dramatic mini casts without needing a video camera. They can collect images at Vecteezy and write a drama to accompany them, showing what they have learned in independent learning beyond the regular curriculum.

Comments

I can see this resource being fun and interactive, while also offering a technology tool that does not rely on video for some of our students that struggle with that. The only thing that gives me pause is the age limit/appropriate level of other "public" pods on the site. Arielle, IN, Grades: 0 - 8

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