This document provides an overview of top digital tools for teachers in years 0-4. It describes the digital camera as a simple yet amazing tool that allows teachers to teach students how to safely handle cameras and tips for taking great shots. It then summarizes various free online tools for creating mind maps, digital diagrams, social bookmarking, blogging, comic making, word clouds and more that are excellent resources for junior and middle school teachers. It concludes by asking teachers to share their ideas for how they could use these digital tools in the classroom.

1. Digital
Toolkit
Top Tools for Years 0 - 4 Teachers
Rachel Boyd,
Waiuku Primary School
http://rachelboyd.com
July 2010

2. The Digital Camera
A simple, yet amazing tool that most teachers have
access to.
Teach students how to safely handle cameras and
tips for taking great shots.

3. http://mic-tiritea.wikispaces.com/Junior+Goals+and+Examples
Ant’s perspective

4. What am I? function

5. My Class: http://room9nelsoncentral2009.blogspot.com
My Class: http://room4waiuku.blogspot.com
The blue screening effect!
Digi Art
Putting students IN the picture!

6. My Class: http://room9nelsoncentral2009.blogspot.com
Examples of how digi art is made

7. Inspiration
Mind Mapping Software Kidspiration
Facilitate higher order thinking and show an
understanding of concepts.
Mind/concept mapping software is excellent for use in
the junior/middle school.
http://mywebspiration.com/
Mindomo Mind42 Bubbl.us Mindmeister
www.mindomo.com www.mind42.com http://bubbl.us/ www.mindmeister.com/

8. My Class: http://room9nelsoncentral2009.blogspot.com
Holidays Double Bubble Map

9. Visual Recount

10. My Class: http://room9nelsoncentral2009.blogspot.com
What we enjoyed this term

11. Digital Paint Programmes
Paint programmes on the computer are something
most teachers have access to.
They are excellent for use with junior/middles.
Kid Pix ArtRage MS Paint Tux Paint

12. My class: http://room9nelsoncentral.blogspot.com
http://mic-stmarys.wikispaces.com/Senior+-+Goals+and+Examples
How Sealord process Fish
The Water Cycle
Digital Diagrams

13. Te Reo Classroom
Objects labels
My Class: http://room9nelsoncentral2009.blogspot.com
Save student ‘paint’ drawings as a picture (jpg) file and get them printed
at your local photo kiosk. Then simply display around the classroom.
Alternatively, print them to create a hanging display.

14. Free, online social bookmarking
tool that allows your
‘bookmarks’ or ‘favourites’ to
be accessible online from any
computer.
http://delicious.com/

15. My Class: http://delicious.com/room9nelsoncentral/
Games Online
Bookmarking Educational

16. Free, online journal or
website for showcasing
learning with parents/
whanau and a possible
global audience.
http://www.blogger.com

17. My Class: http://room9writing2009.blogspot.com
Children as authors
Expressive Writing

18. My Class: http://room4waiuku.blogspot.com/2010/06/21-awesome-mathletes.html
Sharing Achievements

19. My Class: http://room9reflects.blogspot.com/
Learning
Reflecting on

20. Linking School/
Home Learning

21. A comic desktop publishing computer
programme developed by plasq for
Mac & Windows.
http://plasq.com/comiclife/

22. Letter of the Week
http://mic-whakarongo.wikispaces.com/Junior+Goals+and+Examples
+ Older classes could
adapt this and take
photos to show blend
knowledge.

23. Free, online tool that
generates ‘Word Clouds’
from text you provide.
http://www.wordle.net

24. Reflecting on holidays

25. http://www.slideshare.net/JenniferW/wordle-ideas?
from=ss_embed
Day Adjectives
Mothers’/Fathers’

26. http://www.k-3teacherresources.com/using-wordles-for-
classroom-polls.html
Which colour was the most popular?
Classroom Polls

27. Credit: Gina Yelchich http://room1waiuku.blogspot.com
letter of week brainstorm

28. Free, online tool that allows
you to create an
online notice board
where people can add their
ideas as ‘sticky notes’
http://www.wallwisher.com/

29. • http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_436f8kscmdc
Pre-Inquiry Questioning

30. My Class: http://room9nelsoncentral2009.blogspot.com/2009/08/introducing-nina.html
What do you think about...?

31. Free, online
collaborative website for
presenting or
co-constructing content.
http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers

32. My Class: http://room9nelsoncentral.wikispaces.com/
Hub
Class Learning

33. http://ms1001tales2009.wikispaces.com/
Collaborative Stories

34. Voicethread
Free, online collaborative, multimedia
slide show that holds images,
documents and videos and allows
people to navigate pages and leave
written/aural comments.
http://voicethread.com/

35. Sharing Published Writing
http://voicethread.com/share/16094/

36. Inquiry Learning Findings
http://voicethread.com/share/583987/

37. Software application that allows
free voice/video calls over the
Internet.
http://www.skype.com

38. http://2kmblog.globalstudent.org.au/2010/06/08/skype-show-n-tell-breakfast-party/
Breakfast
Skype Buddies

39. http://moturoa.blogspot.com/2007/06/skype-call-with-rod-waddell-in-valencia.html
& Interviewing
Learning from others

40. Storybird
Free, online tool that allows you
to create a illustrated story using
pre-designed characters.
http://storybird.com/

41. Can you solve it?
http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?
blog_id=1164768&mode=comment&blogger_id=1337

42. http://www.classroominthecloud.net/2009/11/student-examples-storybirdcom-part-ii.html
Creative Stories
http://storybird.com/books/monster-in-the-clostet/

43. Free, online photo software tool that
allows you to manipulate, enhance
and change your digital photos.
Includes the fabulous “smart scissors” for the green-screen
effect.
http://fotoflexer.com/

44. Example from Suzie Vesper: http://educationalsoftware.wikispaces.com/Picture+Editing
Creative Photos

45. http://mic-stmarys.wikispaces.com/Senior+-+Goals+and+Examples
+
+
Examples of what could be achieved.
Student Goals

46. What ideas have you got for how
you could use the tools from your
digital toolkit in the classroom?

47. Thanks! Feel free to email
me if you have any
questions or queries.
Hopefully you have gained lots of
new ideas about some eLearning
tools you can add to your
“Digital Toolkit”
Have a play with the tools and think
creatively about how you can
integrate and use them in your
teaching and learning
programmes.
rachelboyd@xtra.co.nz
http://www.rachelboyd.com

48. Image Credits
Image: 'Drilled'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17731548@N00/2221656599
Image: 'patient'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10687935@N04/2376359338
Image: 'Tools'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23626319@N00/3552992113
Image: 'My Swiss Army Knife'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80516279@N00/2274372747