Big Huge Labs

Today's Tuesday Tech Tip is a resource that I've been using for a long time.  I must tell you my history with it.  About six years ago, I attended a conference in which the presenter shared how she created a summer film making camp on a non-existent budget.  She showed the movie that she and her students made and although it was very impressive, what really struck me was how they marketed their movie.  Using tools from the website called Big Huge Labs, the students created these fabulous movie posters and entry tickets. From time to time I've had my students use that website for the same purpose.  However, recently Big Huge Labs has been updated and has become even more spectacular.  Here's a screen shot from their home page:

As you can see, the options are rich with possibility.  All of these tools can be used to fit your curriculum needs.  Oh yes, and did I mention that it is free?

You Mean I Can't Use That?

Today's tech tip is focused on another great resource for locating images that are not restricted due to copyright.  The site is called Pics4Learning.  What's great about this site is that unlike Creative Commons, it is super kid-friendly so that students can easily search for images, which are organized by subject.  Even better, students can upload their own images and have them posted on the Pics4Learning website.  This would be a rewarding activity for emerging photographers to do and would help them understand copyright and why it is important.  Currently, Mrs. Friedman's students are using this website to locate images for the digital stories that they are creating. As you can see from the picture below, they are clearly enjoying Pics4Learning!

Not only is this a great site for locating images, but it also includes additional teaching gems, such as "Recipes for Success" and hot topics under the "Creative Educators" tab.  

PhotoPeach

Given that we live in the Peach state, this is an easy tech tool to remember.  It is called PhotoPeach. PhotoPeach is a presentation tool that allows you to instantly upload photos, select music, add text (if you wish) and voila, you have a lovely presentation to share.  This one took me all of one minute: #MakerMonday on PhotoPeach

Best of all, it's free!  This would be a fun, simple, creative, and easy way to share class highlights of spirit week with parents. PhotoPeach is also a great way to highlight student work, create writing prompts, and/or share field trip adventures.

New Apps on the Carts and A New Feature in Padlet

We just added a few new apps to the iPad carts that I'd like to share.  The first one is called Bookabi and can be downloaded from this link.  

Another is called 30Hands and can be downloaded from the link here.  

We also added SoundCloud, which allows you and/or students to record audio and share it via the iPad.  Soundcloud.com is a website as well.

I'd also like to mention a new feature on Padlet.com, which is great for group projects.  Padlet now has a wallpaper that users can select that is entitled "Tasks".  It is a great way for students to assign tasks, keep track of completing the tasks, and link to other multimedia that impact the tasks.  Here is an example:

http://padlet.com/sbrown/example

Three Things You Won't Want to Miss...Seriously!

Edheads.org  is a great resource for Science-related activities in the classroom.  I've highlighted two of my favorites below (Weather and Design a Cell Phone).  Each activity under the "choose an activity" tab includes the appropriate grade levels, as some of these are more age-appropriate for middle school.  This would make a fantastic center choice.  

Another great center activity or whole-class activity is to take a virtual field trip to Plimoth Plantation.  Scholastic offers so many amazing Thanksgiving learning opportunities that are definitely worth experiencing with your students.  Click here to go on a pilgrim adventure!

The final website I'm sharing today is one that really deserves it's own stage.  However, several of you told me this morning that you are looking for strong online activities so I didn't want to wait on this one.  It is called turtlediary.com  and you and your students will absolutely love it.  Created by other teachers, the homepage offers different sections that are divided by topics: science, language arts, biographies, math, and more.  This website makes for another great center or whole class learning experience.  

As a reminder, you can reserve the computer lab by going to the Library Calendar:  

Happy Tuesday!

Get Sketchy at School with AwwApp

I've been reading and thinking a lot about doodling and sketching as a learning tool.  In particular, I was inspired by Silvia Tolisano's recent blog post about sketching for learning.  It is definitely worth reading.  This would be such a fun, meaningful way for students to digest their learning.  I was trying to think of the best tool for us to implement this into a class lesson when I remembered that I learned about an oldie but goodie at the GaETC conference last week.  It's called Awwapp and can be found at https://awwapp.com/.  It is a virtual whiteboard that allows you to sketch and share the link with someone else and they can join in on your sketch.  Here's mine if you want to add a sketch of your favorite tech tool:

https://awwapp.com/draw.html#86296bc1

Awwapp can be used on any device that has internet access.  Not only is it device agnostic but it encourages creativity and collaboration while learning.  What could be better?

Snapguide

Today's tech tip is awesome!  The reason it is so fabulous is that as I sat down to type this I was thinking about how the students could create their own SnapGuides, which are virtual "how-to's" that are created through the SnapGuide website.  However, after I started to make my own, I realized this site is actually wonderful for teachers because it is such an easy way to share with your students step by step instructions or "how to" information that includes visuals.  Here are a few examples (the last one I quickly put together):

https://snapguide.com/guides/turn-your-smart-phone-into-a-wi-fi-hotspot/

https://snapguide.com/guides/turn-an-old-book-into-tablet-case/

https://snapguide.com/guides/browse-for-a-book/#published

Next time you need to send home instructions, think about sending them home via SnapGuide.

Enjoy!

TeachThought: What Can It Do For You?

Today's tech tip is a place.  Not a real place but a virtual place.  It "lives" on a blog called Te@chThought.  Often times, I am so lucky to indulge in thought-provoking conversations with many of you about technology usage in the classroom and what it can look like in an ideal world.  It's tricky because one thing that I struggle with is when you (the teacher) feel that technology usage is replacing something else, like math or reading.  It is at this moment that I realize I am not doing what I have set out to do, which is send a clear message of technology integration as opposed to technology usage.  Technology should not replace the learning but can reframe the learning so that it is relevant to our students, efficient (once we get the hang of the technology), and of course fun.  Learning should be fun.  In fact, I tell my students that if they aren't having fun, then they are doing it wrong.  Now not everything is going to be fun to everyone all of the time.  However, we hope that students are having fun the majority of the time that they are here in school enriching their minds. 

Having shared these sentiments, I'd also like to share with you a blog that I mention above called Te@chThought.  This particular blog stretches our thinking and is an honest look at technology integration including the good, the bad, and the ugly.  A recent post caught my attention in that it shares a chart from another blog called TeachBytes highlighting the differences between technology usage (in which a teacher probably would feel that their curriculum is suffering from having to replace core learning with a tech tool) vs. technology integration (in which tech usage enhances the learning making it more relevant and efficient). 

You can see the TeachBytes chart here: 

The larger blog post, can be found at this link.  For those of you who struggle with the idea that technology is out to replace the important teaching that you do, I urge you to subscribe to the Te@chThought blog.  It provides such thought-provoking insight into technology integration and will encourage you to rethink the approach to technology.  

One of the nine core components of digital citizenship is digital literacy.  How can we teach our students to be digital citizens if we ourselves are not digitally literate?  If we could not read, could we teach someone else to read?  I bring this up because when I hear educators ask, "What is the point?", if nothing else, I think the point is to be able to speak the same language as our students.  Without a doubt, most kids today are getting a hold of technology one way or another throughout their day.  The question is, will we learn to navigate these tools and coach them through their usage or will we be left behind while they are literate in a language that we do not speak?  

Technology integration is not about replacing one thing for another but it is about teaching our students how to respectfully and proudly navigate in a brave new world.   Although this post is not meant to be about me, I do feel so proud to work with a group of teachers that challenge themselves everyday to discover what tech integration vs. tech usage can and should look like in their classrooms.  Next time you are struggling with the idea of technology, please indulge me in sharing your thoughts. Hopefully, together we can make it make sense (with a little help from outside sources, like Te@chThought).

Genius Scan

Genius Scan is an app that could be extremely useful to you.  It is a scanner app that allows you to digitize anything.  SO, for example, if you have a worksheet that you would like to send home electronically, you simply take a picture of the worksheet with your iPad and it turns it into a PDF that you can share any which way you would like.  You can email it, print it, upload it to Dropbox, upload your document to Evernote OR if you download the free GeniusFax app, you can fax it from your device!   For a super quick demonstration about how it works, click here.

Best of all, it's free!

Something for Everyone

Amazingly, today's Tuesday Tech Tip includes something for every age.  The website that I am going to share was first brought to my attention by Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers. ARKive.org is a website that includes free lesson plans, videos of wildlife, and games, all of which are broken down by age level:

ARKive.org is an amazing website for learning about animals, habitats, plants, and climate.  Here's a quick view of some sample activities for Mechina through 2nd grade, for example:

Not only is this a great all-class activity in the computer lab, but it is great for independent work within your classroom on either class computers or laptops (for the older grades). The activities incorporate not just science, math, writing, and reading, but also involve design thinking, presentation skills, creativity, and whatever else you may decide to throw into the mix:

SO, the next time you feel like starting a movie on a rainy day like today, remember this website.  Consider heading down to the computer lab for a fun and engaging adventure in which you may find yourself on safari, in the jungle, or frigid in the Arctic region and please invite me!

MathChat

Like you, I feel over-saturated with the influx of so many tech tools.  In fact, so much so that I've been thinking I will start sharing "old" tech tools but include the smart ways that you all are using them.  I have a few ideas about this but more on that later.  

For now, I'm going to share a new app that I do think is worth knowing about because it is really very different.  The app is called MathChat.  As a parent who often does not know how to help with her child's math homework (yes, I did just admit that on the Internet), this app appeals to me.  

MathChat allows students to collaborate on solving a math problem using a "special" math keyboard. Each step of solving the math problem can be reviewed and guidance can be given along the way.  Teachers can set up a class so that students can enter a code and collaborate among classmates.  I love that this can be done at home or at school.  What a fun, collaborative center activity!

 

Scratch Jr. App

Today's tech tip is all about highlighting a fabulous app that requires students to tap into their creative side while using their problem-solving skills to create a masterpiece.  The app is called ScratchJr. and it was created this summer as an alternative to Scratch, which can be downloaded on computers.  ScratchJr. was created as an "easier" alternative to Scratch as a coding tool for young children BUT the beauty of this app is that it is appropriate for  anyone from the age of 4 to adult.  

Here's how it works: students create sprites (or characters) by either selecting and editing the sprites already built into the program or creating their own from scratch (no pun intended). See here for an example.  The cat is the sprite that was already in existence and the blue girl is one that I created from my own wild imagination:

As you see above, the blue girl is highlighted in orange on the left side.  This means that I am ready to program that sprite to start moving.  In order to do that, I would click on the blue icons at the bottom and move them to the bottom of my screen.  The blue girl sprite will start to move in whatever direction I program her to do so.  I can also create an original background or use one of the awesome backgrounds built into the app:

It is probably more exciting for the students to draw or take a picture of their own background but you get the idea.  

Anyway, why would you use ScratchJr. in your classroom?  Well, the reasons are endless but here's a few to think about: 1) Digital Storytelling.  Students can create many different scenes and they will play together back to back to tell one long story and Scratchjr. has a microphone built into it so that they can record their voice.  2) Teach a concept: Students can create a story in ScratchJr. to teach something that they learned, such as how to solve a math problem or the characteristics of different landforms.  3) Vocabulary: Students can use their vocab words in a script that is told through ScratchJr. and share the definitions of those words through their script.  Not to mention, the students are practicing programming skills, flexing their creativity muscles, and sharing a story of their invention.  It's an app to meet many needs but regardless of how or why you use it, one thing is for sure...students love it!

This app has been downloaded onto each of the iPad carts and can be downloaded onto your iPad 2's within your classroom for free.  Enjoy!

Are you in Kahoots?

The gamification of learning is nothing new.  However, it doesn't seem to get old.  It simply makes learning fun.  While at EdCamp Atlanta this past weekend, one of my favorite tech tools was Kahoots.  Kahoots allows teachers to very quickly and easily create games for their students.  You throw in the questions and it provides you with a pin for your students to input and start playing and competing against each other.  The goal is not only to get the answer correct but to get it correct fast.  What better way to review for a test and discover which content areas are still foggy?  Students will be begging you for test review.  

Although not very competitive myself, I couldn't help get swept away in the fun of it all.  This led me to want to share it with you.  I put together a quick four question trivia game all about your home away from home, The Davis Academy.  Click here to try it out.  It's a little awkward using it if you are not in a classroom setting as the teacher would project the quiz on their smartboard and the students would just see the answer choices on their own device.  However, we are happy to show you how it works when you come for your tech check-in meetings this week and next.  

If you try this out in your classroom, send me the link to your quiz and you will receive a prize! (It is so fun that I'm not beneath bribery...your students will thank me.)  To set up your own Kahoots game, go to getkahoot.com.  It is free up until you decide you can't live without the added features.  Enjoy!