Free Tools Challenge #7 – Kerpoof – Get Your Creative Juices Flowing!: "
This is the 7th post in the “30 days to using the best of the web’s free tools for educators” series. Be sure to subscribe to the Teacher Challenge blog by RSS, like us on facebook, and follow us on twitter to keep up with future challenge posts as they are published.
Objectives:
Teachers will be able to create an account for themselves and their classes to enjoy the many creative features of the program. Lesson plans, help, and standards are easily found throughout the site. They will be able to see their students’ products with a touch of a button. This site can be used in many subject areas in the K-8 classroom (with stations or interactive whiteboard) and lab.
Overview:
1. How to Play:
Click the Question Mark to:
Top 10 Questions
Tips and Tricks2. For Educators:
Click the red apple to find:
Lesson Plans:
Teachers can download free lesson plans for a variety of subject areas.
Teacher Accounts:
Teachers can register their students so they can save their work, share it, chat with each other, post comments, and collaborate on the same project at the same time on different computers.
Classroom Ideas:
Teachers can find ideas to use Kerpoof in the classroom, like story starters and types of writing. Teachers can receive emails with ideas as well.
Standards covered:
The National and State Standards are outlined here.
More!
Subscribe to their newsletter, find FAQ, and contact them with any questions.
3. Activities:
Students can choose a storyline and scene to create their movie. They can choose characters to animate, move from one place to another, and “talk” with bubbles. Use the timeline to drag actions, titles, songs, and quotes in specific places.
*A Class Favorite*
My students are familiar with Kid Pix and enjoy the program. After I connected them to Kerpoof’s Make a Drawing, they choose to play Kerpoof instead!
Students begin with a pen that they can change the thickness and color. They can also change the mixture of color from the palette with the “raindrop” icon next to the pen color. If they click on the raindrop, the color will turn solid. This will make the color choices solid instead of mixed.
- They can also buy more drawing tools at the store.
- They can add a background/fill with the paint bucket tool.
- The tool at the bottom helps the students draw better circles and squares!
- The hand will move their object if it’s not in the right place.
- Students can save and share their artwork with the class or Kerpoof community. I tell my students to share with the class only.
Students chose a scene and add objects to enhance their page. These objects can be resized and flipped to where the students want them. They can make the objects “talk” with bubbles and they can draw their own objects as well!
Students can save, share, and print their products.
This is an advanced feature, but my second graders like to create their own stories!
Students can add backgrounds, characters, and create their own story or retell a favorite with their own illustrations.
Students can create a card and they can also use the “buddy feature” to collaborate and create a card together. It’s similar to Make a Picture.
4. Community Gallery:
This is where shared creations with the community are reviewed and posted. Students can rate and edit them to save in their own gallery.
5. Video Overview from YouTube:
Challenge: Try Kerpoof!
Registration:
In order to create accounts, teachers need to create their own first.
1. Sign up for a free Kerpoof account.
2. After activation, click on the Teacher Accounts icon
3. Go to the Teacher Account Application Form in the middle and add the username (knickname) and password.
4. Once approved, teachers can create their class under Teacher Tools with the hammer icon.
5. Sign up classes in the Account Tools section. I set up my students’ knicknames/passwords like this:
theresa-a (first name-last initial)
0746 (school ID)
Class id – given
6. Click “create class” and print login cards. They are a nice, easy to read size.
7. Go to Group Tools to allow you students to chat and comment. I’ve allowed my students to do these and I monitor as they go.
Avatar and Koin Store
The students love to create their avatars! Every time they create something, make a comment, or give a student stars, they earn KOINS for new tools in their collection. In the Koin Store, there are lots of different brushes to choose from. I saw NAIL POLISH brushes and ANIMAL TRACKS! Fun and it gets the students so excited and eager to continue!
Group Message Board
The students share their creations and post comments here. They click on the “envelope” icon to see other students’ work and make comments.
Kerpoof Chat and Buddy Draw
When students are in Make a Picture or Make a Card, their avatars are displayed.
How Kerpoof is Used in My Lab:
In my lab, I’ve used Kerpoof with Kindergarten-3rd graders. Through my account, they each have their own class where they can share their works of art, comment, rate the projects, and purchase new tools.
*My Goal: to create a class with another school and share works of art with each other! Please contact me if interested!
I am a technology teacher for Preschool-8th graders at a Catholic School in Joliet, IL. I have been blogging since last August, 2010, and have enjoyed the Teacher and Class Blogging Challenge. I love to involve my students in collaborative and creative projects, which of course, includes Kerpoof!
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