Included in the Digital Ideas Advent Calendar with a new idea each day!
Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. – Hamilton Wright Mabie
Students are excited about the holidays and celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or their school break. Get them learning and celebrating with digital devices, web tools and apps. Students can write digital stories with the resources listed below or create very meaningful gifts for friends and family members. They can also discover how others around the world celebrate. Discover how in the slide presentation below you can download for free. Keep scrolling to discover my bookmarks with free apps, tools, and ideas.
Ideas
Host a Google HangOut or Skype Session
- Connect with another class virtually and teach each other songs, carols, finger chants, or rhymes
- Host how-to sessions about traditions or recipes
- Interview experts
- Have an author read a holiday story. Find available authors at Skype an Author
- Find classes to connect with on Skype for Education
Create a Game
Students can create personalized learning games for peers or family members. Try game creation tools like Zondle, Stencyl, Scratch, Adventure Games or create a game on the iPad with TinyTap and Game Press.
Celebrate with Music
Students can modernize the lyrics to the 12 days of Christmas or any holiday song, then create a music video. Try Touchcast.
Celebrate a Digital Book
Students can create digital books. Check out my post, Creating Digital Books as Gifts for Others, to discover lesson ideas, web tools, and mobile apps for making digital books.
Send a Holiday Greeting
Students can send a special greeting either through video, with personalized pictures, or with a holiday e-card. Some are equipped with Christmas and Hanukkah backgrounds and extras!
- Buncee (Web/iOS)- Students can use this web tool and IOS app to create multimedia presentations, comics, and animated greetings. Buncee has a large library of stickers, backgrounds, audio, images, animation, and videos. Try their new free iPad app to create multimedia digital posters they can add voice recordings and drawings.
- Animoto (Web/Android/iOS)- Upload images, pick a template, and choose a holiday soundtrack from their library to make a 30-second video. Sign up for an educator account to create longer videos for free.
- Magisto (Web/Android/iOS)- Upload images, pick a template, and choose a holiday soundtrack from their library to make a 1 minute video. Sign up for an educator account to create longer videos for free.
- Fotobabble– (Web/iOS)-Quickly create and easily share talking photos in 3 steps (Snap or select or a photo, speak into the microphone to record audio, share with friends via email, Facebook or Twitter). You do get various holiday themed backgrounds. Example– Here’s Rosco, my pug’s holiday card to you!
- RedStamp (Web/Android/iOS)- send free e-greeting cards with various free holiday templates in the spirit of Hanukkah and Christmas and upload your photos
Challenge: Have your students celebrate the holidays digitally.
If you enjoyed these ideas, you may want to get your copy of The 30 Goals for Teachers or my $5.99 ebook, Learning to Go, which has digital/mobile activities for any device and editable/printable handouts and rubrics. Subscribe for FREE to receive regular updates!
December Holiday Bookmarks
Included in the Digital Ideas Advent Calendar! Scroll the image below and each day discover free web tools, apps, and resources.
