Apps to Explore - VoiceThread CloudWord & Pic Collage

As I worked in Alissa Gray's 3rd grade classroom at Orchard this past week, I realized that I need to highlight a few more apps! Alissa was having her students create a project that highlighted different Native American traditions and/or games. These projects will be part of a Native American Museum exhibit in their library.  The projects were created on her 2 classroom iPads! The students did research, wrote scripts and narrated a multimedia presentation.

The first tool her students used is called CloudWord. The students used this tool to create collages and/or add captions to pictures. Although the students used this app with ease, I thought, "there has to be something easier to use out there." Alissa and I spent 3 minutes with the app, and still don't quite know how to use it. Says volumes about her students.

Pic Collage is a really simple tool at first glance, but once you learn the different input options, you realize this is a very powerful tool. You can add pictures, rotate, edit, enhance, crop (free form)...layer and more. Then add text, stickers, borders...and again...more! This is one of those tools you will lose track of time using.

Alissa's students finished their project by inserting their decorated images into (our favorite tool) VoiceThread and adding the narration from their scripts. Each student in a group recorded their voice as they read what the picture represented. The great thing about VoiceThread...they could "doodle" to illustrate exactly what they were talking about on the screen.




What a great way to use a collection of apps and the ipad. This lesson can be adapted to fit any grade level and any subject! Thanks Alissa for letting me come into your classroom and work with your students.