2016's Twelve Apps of December

The past two years I have posted 12 apps of December to introduce various apps to use in your classroom.  Typically, I have posted an app daily for each of the 12 days leading up to our break.  This year I decided to put the 12 apps of December in one post...here you go!  I hope you find something that can be of use in your classrooms:

1. Edynco: This application allows you to create learning maps or multimedia presentations that are "zoomable" (similar to Prezi).   Use all sorts of multimedia in your learning maps such as audio, video, images, and quizzes.  Completed maps can be shared via a URL or embedded into a site/blog.   Use the learning maps to share your lesson resources or have students create presentations using a learning map.  The following link is an example learning map explaining how to use Edynco learning maps (https://gallery.edynco.com/show/learning-map-about-edynco-523)
2. Credo-This is an online library resource for curated educational content.  Credo provides students with a reliable, credible, and easy to access resource when they need to conduct research, allowing students to focus on their research and not navigating multiple databases. This online reference library provides access to encyclopedias, subject dictionaries, biographical sources, reference tools, and thousands of videos, high resolution images and audio files.
3. Help Teaching: This site offers printable and online tests, activities, lessons and games for PreK-12 grade levels.  There are three levels of membership from free to paid offering different levels of use. 
4. KidzType: I know we use TypingClub at the JS, but this site is another resource for teaching students how to type.  Students can choose from games, lessons, exercises, and more.  Please share this app with parents who are looking for more resources for learning how to type.
5. Learn Zillion: Improve classroom instruction by providing high-quality instructional materials (lesson plans and videos).  Teachers use it to give students an extra learning boost, provide review on topics already covered, or as a springboard for new exploration.  Also use it to find new lessons, provide inspiration or learn how to explain a concept a different way.  Lessons can be used as a whole class, small groups or individually.  
6. Prep Factory: A free interactive site for ACT and SAT prep.  Prep Factory uses a variety of educational videos, texts, games, and more to help students prepare for their standardized tests. 
7. WriteReader: This learning tool helps students in K-4 with reading and writing. WriteReader provides resources such as tutorials, lesson plans, etc.  Students can create digital books in a safe environment and share them with others.  Students take pictures of family, friends, things or situations and write about them in their actual level of written language.  Teachers/Parents then "translate" the child's text to conventional writing and by comparing their own attempt to the edited version the child will step by step improve their writing and reading capabilities.
8. Yash Math Adventure: This is a mobile app (iOS, Android) to help students with basic math skills.  It is a game geared for grades 1st-4th grades where they must find their way through the game using logic and solving math puzzles while collecting coins.  There are 36 levels through 6 wolds so students can select the skills they want to practice.  I know we have been using Reflex Math at our LS/JS to help students increase their Math Skills, but this may offer another fun resource as well.  Please share this resource with parents who are looking for additional math resources for their sons/daughters (The app cost $2.99).
9. Sketch Nation: This free app (iOS/Android) and website allow students to create their own games.  Students select a game category then draw their backgrounds/characters/items and let the application do the rest.  Students can create more complex games using the advanced level editor to assist in building their STEM Skills.  Sketch nation has an education section that provides examples of games students created around what they were studying.  In addition, it recently updated its lesson plan section providing more options on how to integrate the application into your classroom.  These lesson ideas focus on a wide variety of subjects such as: Coding, History, Math, and more. 
10. DimensionU: Creates engaging and interactive multiplayer video games that focus on core skills in mathematics and literacy.  These games are designed for kids grades 3rd-9th and are aligned to Common Core Standards.  They have a free 3 day trial period if you'd like to test it out.
11. Vocabulary Spelling City-This application provides tools, resources and training for spelling and vocabulary.  Teachers can implement research based vocabulary learning techniques that lead to word retention and improved reading comprehension. There are more than 35 interactive, engaging activities that allow students to read, hear, speak, write, break down, and play with words.  The application offers teacher resources, writing practice activities and mobile apps for mobile learning.  Spelling city offers a free membership with limitations or a premium membership with more robust features.   We currently have about 15 teachers using the premium membership.  
12. Level it Books: This is an app (Android/iOS) for scanning a book's ISBN and getting a Reading Lexile/Level, guided reading, grade level equivalent, and/or DRA levels for the book. Use it to keep a virtual library of books, manage students reading levels and more.  The app features well liked books ranging from K-8 on a weekly basis and also has high school level books as well.  Be sure to share with parents. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Looking for Ways to Boost Student Listening Skills...Try Podcasts

"Listening...the neglected literacy skill."  This comes from an Edutopia article I recently read that was written a few years ago.  The article went on to explain that often times the primary literacy focus is on the measurable skills--reading, writing and speaking.  However, we all know the importance of good listening skills.  They are important when it comes to career and college readiness and play a vital role when we talk about collaboration and communication.  

Podcasts can offer a great way to strengthen students listening skills.  Podcasts are audio recordings (or sometimes video recording called Vodcasts) used by individuals to share their thinking around a specific topic.   Many of us may use podcasts to influence our own learning, so why not find ways to use them in our classrooms for our students learning.  Not only can they help provide educational knowledge, but they can also provide listening skill development.   Here are some thoughts I recently gathered from a respected educator in regards to using podcasts to strengthen listening skills:

1. Listen with partners- Have students group together to listen together.  This allows the students to have others to share the story with.  Similar to reading together, students listen to the podcast to gather information together or experience a new story
2. Response to the Podcast-just as students would share their thinking about an article/passage they read, students can respond to the information or story presented in a podcast.  Talking about topics helps students set a purpose for listening
3. Teach students to replay/re-listen-Students today use a wide-range of media to learn new information, so it is important to help students understand how rewinding a podcast to re-listen can improve their comprehension...similar to how we teach students to reread.
4. Teach students to use podcasts at home-This is a great way to extend a learning activity.  Share podcasts/episodes  with families in an email, on the portal, or in a newsletter to help connect learning in the classroom to activities at home.

When selecting your podcasts, here are a few things to think about:

• Screen any podcasts you plan on sharing with your students to get a feel for the kind of content presented in the podcast...listen to more than one episode
• Ensure they fit the values for your classroom, DCDS, and our community
• Ensure they are fit your curriculum goals

If you are interested in some suggestions for K12 Podcasts, let me know and I can provide a handful of resources.

2016 Computer Education Science Week (December 5th-9th) is here!

Next week is Computer Science Education week (December 5th-9th), which is an annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take an interest in computer science.  Computer science drives innovation and career growth. A study performed shows that by the year 2020 we will have 1 million more programming jobs than students prepared to take those jobs.   The goal of Computer Science Education week is to expose students to computer science helping them develop important skills for the future.

Being a former teacher I understand the difficulty of having to adjust your weekly schedule, but finding time to promote computer science would provide a benefit to our students.  I know last year many students were exposed to computer science through Hour of Code and understand some may be doing it again this year.  I think that is great, but I am also providing some other activities and resources you could try:

1. Participate in Hour of Code: 
• code.org
2. Go Beyond hour of code: 
• Elementary Coding Apps/Websites:  Scratch, ScratchJr, Kodable, Tynker
• Secondary Coding Apps/Websites: Hopscotch, CodeCombat, Kodu Game Lab, Google CS First
3. Webinars: Participate in live webinars that show different opportunities in computer science. Seesaw is an awesome digital portfolio app I have discussed before and they are providing live webinars during the week showing how coding and design thinking come together (Click this link to learn more and register: Seesaw Coders).  The webinars are 20-30 min in length and are intended to be attended live with your whole class.  Topics:
• How do you build an app?
• Product Design 101
• Jobs in Computer Science
• Girls Who Code?
4. Videos: Show TED Talk or Youtube videos related to computer science or technology.  Here are a few to consider:
• The Math Behind Basketball's Wildest Moves
• The First Secret to Design is Noticing
• Toy Tiles that Talk to Each Other
• The Future of Flying Robots
• How a Driverless Car Sees the Road
• New Bionics that Let Us Run, Climb, and Dance
• A 12 Year-Old App Developer
5. Use Makey/Makey Kits: kits need to be purchased...we may have a few in our buildings (MS STEAM and LS Makerlab that might be able to be used): http://makeymakey.com/
6. Connect computer science to students interest: Have students research how technology plays a role in their favorite hobbies. 
7. Get away from the computer: Promote the mental skills needed to be successful in computer science (logic and creative thinking skills): CS Unplugged provides activities designed to help students develop critical thinking skills without using a computer. 

If you are interested in finding more resources to help bring computer science into the classroom, visit code.org and the Computer Science Education Week website 

Resources for Students to Avoid the Summer Slide

I can't believe how quickly this school year went by.   It just dawned on me that tomorrow will be the first day without students in all our buildings and it feels like we just started the school year yesterday.  My intent was to get a post put together earlier in the week with a small list of educational resources students/parents can use this summer.  Unfortunately, time slipped away from me and I am just getting around to it now.  I guess better late then never.  Feel free to share with your students/parents if you find any of these resources useful:

Now that summer is upon us, it will be about 3 months before our students are back in our classrooms.  "Summer slide" is the term used for what happens when young minds sit idle for 3 months.  As parents and educators we are constantly trying to find ways to avoid summer slide and to ensure we keep young minds engaged educationally during the summer.  

Last night as I'm listening to Glen, our Headmaster address our 2nd graders in their moving up ceremony,  he reminded them of the importance reading has on the success of students.  He mentioned one great gift our elementary teachers instill on our elementary students is learning how to read and he asked our 2nd graders to read each and every day this summer.  This is obviously a message that carries over to all our students... reading everyday is a great way to avoid summer slide. Other ways may be to participate in online education camps or using web/app based programs to engage students this summer in learning.  Here are a few links that you may want to use this summer to avoid the "summer slide":

• DCDS Library Resource page: A comprehensive list of reading resources for all grade levels provided by our Librarians...Ensure to participate in the DCDS Summer Reading Challenge!!
• Camp Newsela:  I wrote a previous post about Newsela a few that referenced Camp Newsela in it (click here to read the post).  Camp Newsela is an online summer reading club hosted by a team of educators from Newsela tied around current event articles.
• Camp Wonderopolis:  Free online summer-learning experience full of fun, interactive STEM and literacy building topics boosted by Maker experiments
• LibriVox:  fantastic online resource for free audio books of classics.  LibriVox uses volunteers to record passages for books that are available in the public domain...students can read already created audio files of classics, or join in on the fun and read and record a book/passage to be shared on the site (This may be something that can be incorporated in your class as a project next year as well) 
• Start with a Book:  At this website you will find themes that match your child's curiosities and interests-and new and exciting things to explore this summer!  Get ideas of what books to read, activities to do, videos to watch, and apps to try
• Lego Juniors Create and Cruise:  app that allows children ages 4-7 to create their own LEGO vehicles and minifigures using their imagination (Get the app at the App Store, Google Play Store, and Windows 10 store)
• Learn to Code:  There a all sorts of resources available so I will provide just a few: 
• Code.org
• Codecademy
• Scratch 

Have a great summer!

Newsela: An innovative way to build reading comprehension with nonfiction that's always relevant: daily news

Over my past 2 years here at DCDS, I have had conversations with some of you about Newsela:  a online library of current event articles.  Newsela became an instant favorite of mine when I was introduced to it many years ago at a training I attended.  The goal of Newsela is to improve reading comprehension in students 2nd through 12th grade using current events.   Newsela offers over 1,000 articles which are pulled from over forty different media publications (sources include papers like the Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Washington Post and the Associated Press).  One great feature of this site is that the articles can be adjusted to 5 different Lexile levels (reading levels), allowing all students to share in the same content regardless of their reading ability (or set the article to be in Spanish).  In addition, most articles have a comprehension quiz. to test the students comprehension.

Here are 5 easy ways to to use Newsela in the classroom (click the links to learn more):

1. Getting to Know Your Students
2. Creating Newsies
3. Predictions from Pictures
4. Compare and Contrast
5. Uncovering Unknown Words

Summer time bonus:  I also recently received an email regarding a reading club hosted this summer by Newsela called Camp Newsela.   Students can join Reading Clubs tailored to their interests. A team of educators at Newsela will host seven different classes and assign two articles per week for 10 weeks beginning on Monday, June 13 and ending Friday, August 19.  Click this link to learn more about Camp Newsela.

Newsela Website:  https://newsela.com/
Newsela Learning and Support:  http://support.newsela.com/hc/en-us

Create, Share, and Grade Reading Assignments Online Using ReadWorks Digital!

If you are not familiar with www.readworks.org,  it is an online resource that provides educators with research-based units, lessons, and authentic, leveled non-fiction and literacy passages free online for use in class.    Readworks.org has a "zillion" free reading passages in many subjects available for download and use.  Recently ReadWorks has added a new feature...ReadWorks Digital

ReadWorks Digital is a free platform allowing teachers to distribute ReadWork articles and assignments to students online.  Each article assigned has reading comprehension questions, vocabulary lists and discussion questions.  Once the articles are assigned through ReadWorks Digital, teachers can track students progress on assignments, see responses to questions, and grade those responses.

Below is a short video introduction to ReadWorks Digital:

2 New Features in Google Slides

There are 2 new features to Google slides.  Both features are accessible in the presentation mode enhancing the presentation experience of Google Slides:

• Laser Pointer: The new laser pointer feature overlays a red dot with a trailing line that can be controlled by touch (if your display allows for touch...SMART boards, tablets, etc) or with the trackpad or mouse.   Turn the laser pointer on or off using the presentation toolbar while in presentation mode:  

• Live Q&A session: This feature will allow presenters to start a live Q &A session with an audience during a presentation with Google Slides.  You can then present the questions at anytime and participants can ask questions from any device:

Google Slides-More Than Just Presentations

Many of us think of Google Slides as just an application for creating slideshow presentations. However, with its great design tools and collaboration features it can be used for more than just presentations (I provided a few examples below).  Within Google Slides, you have the ability to customize the page size (See video below:  select file>page setup>customize size),  opening up the possibility to create a variety of other documents...newsletters, books/magazines, infographics, bookmarks, etc.  Once the page size has been determined, add text boxes, shapes, images, and hyperlinks just as you would've a slide presentation.   Easily add new pages and move content around the page with little formatting required.  Having the ability to post the link allows you to instantly share your creations online.  

Here are a few examples/ideas for using Google Slides other than as a presentation tool:

• ONLINE NEWSLETTERS: Set the page size to 8.5 x 11 inches to make each slide the same size as a piece of paper.  Add your content (images, text boxes, shapes, etc) and post the shareable link.  Add new editions of the newsletters as the first slide.  This will allow the latest issue to be the first slide that is read, but allows for viewers to see previous posts in later slides. 
• COLLABORATIVE BOOKS/MAGEZINES:  Set the page size to 8.5 x 11 and add collaborators to the Google Slide.  Each collaborator will contribute to the book by adding their own slide(s)/page(s) to that one Google Slide presentation.  Post the link of the completed book to easily share online or print copies to distribute hard copies.  They will look great because of the page size you selected. 
• BOOKMARKS:  I have not tried this one yet, but the idea stemmed from a conversation I had with our librarians on a summer project they were working on regarding summer reading. Set the page size to the size you would want your bookmark (i.e-1"x 6").  Add your content (images, text boxes, shapes, etc) and post the shareable link.  Easily add a two sided bookmark by adding an additional slide.  

Kahoot! Cool New Features: 1 New and 1 Sort of New

As we approach the tail end of the school year and exams are looming, many of you are beginning to think about reviews.   Kahoot! could lend itself as a nice resource.     I know many of you have already used it in your classroom and others of you have at least seen it and have shown interest in using it.   Over the years, Kahoot! has made a number of updates to their application...two of which are worth checking out:

• Ghost Mode (Semi-New Feature launched earlier this school year):  Allows students to play games multiple times against their first (or second, etc.) attempts.   Once a game of Kahoot! is finished you will now see a "PLAY AGAIN" button that contains a ghost icon.  Once you click this button, the same game is launched which now includes your live class as well their ghost from the previous session (the ghosts play alongside live players and the ghosts answers and answer times will be exactly the same as those the players entered in the previous game).   What a great way to reinforce learning through repetition. 
• Team Mode (New Feature just launched this month): Allows students to play a Kahoot! session as a team.  Students get into small groups and sign in with one device per team.  They create a team name and type in all the names of the players on the team.  Team mode differs from the Classic mode in that  it allows time for teams to discuss after the question and response options are displayed on the board before the answers get displayed on their device to answer.  This mode seems to provide a fun way to create reviews while also focusing on collaboration, teamwork, leadership skills, and good communication.  

Website:  https://getkahoot.com

5 Free Teacher Tools from the Library of Congress

I recently read a blog post about 5 free resources available from the Library of Congress and thought I'd share them:

1. Student Discovery Sets:  These are ebooks that bring together historical artifacts and one-of-a kind documents on wide range of topics, from history to science to literature.  Interactive tools let students zoom in, draw to highlight details, and conduct open-ended primary source analysis.  Each set has full teaching resources available 
2. Shadow Puppet EDU:  This is a free app that allows students to create video slideshows, adding their own narration and text.  The videos can be up to 30 min long and can include up to 100 images.  Shadow Puppet EDU has partnered with the Library of Congress to give students access to a collection of images.  
3. Aesop's Fables:  This is a free Android or iOS app that provides access to a collection of Aesop's Fables. 
4. Primary Source Sets:  The Library of Congress provides plenty of primary source resources (from topics like Baseball in America, Jamestown, Jim Crow Laws, etc.
5. Lesson Plans: The Library of Congress provides teacher created lesson plans using the Library of Congress primary sources.   Lesson plans range from elementary school to high school 

New Feature in Quizlet (quizlet.live)

For anyone not familiar with Quizlet, it is a free website providing learning tools for students, including flashcards, study and game modes.  It was created by a high school sophomore in 2005 and currently has over 40 million study sets.  If you haven't used Quizlet before, you may want to check it out.  Our Junior School teachers are using it extensively in their classrooms.   The purpose of this post however was not to introduce Quizlet, but more to introduce a new feature Quizlet recently launched that may get more of you trying this application...this new feature is Quizlet.live

This new "Live" feature allows you to gamify any Quizlet review study set.  Here is how it works: Students enter a game pin and their name on quizlet.live.  Once students have joined a game, they are randomly assigned to an animal-themed team of 3 or 4 students (teachers are able to reshuffle the teams if they'd like).  Once your students organize themselves around the room near their teammates (for easier communication), the game can begin. 

Teammates work together to match correct answers faster than the other teams. For each game, twelve possible answers are spread across each teammate’s screen. Everyone on the team gets the same question but only one student has the answer. And so, they need to communicate with each other to find the correct answers in the least amount of time.

WOW!! Sounds like a fun way to run a review in class and promote mastery learning.  Not only are students working together to learn the hard content, but they are also learning skills such as communication and collaboration!!  I would be intrigued to hear feedback from anyone who tries using Quizlet.live in their class.

Quizlet website: https://quizlet.com/latest

Learn more about Quizlet live: https://quizlet.com/features/live

To join a session visit: https://quizlet.live (students do not need to have an account to play)

3 Ways to Use Video in the Classroom

Using video in the classroom can be powerful and allow us to make meaningful learning experiences and connections.  I am sure at some point you have all used video in your classrooms.  Here are 3 ways you can incorporate video projects in your classroom that I gathered from an EdSurge Article:

1. Flip your classsroom:  Lessons are recorded ahead of time and students can watch lessons as many times as they need at at their own pace.  Create your own videos using Screencast-o-matic, QuickTime, SMART Recorder, etc. or supplement using existing content from Khan Academy, YouTube, PBS Learning Media etc.  Flipping your classroom will allow you to free up time for in class discussions, projects, etc. 
2. Jazz up student assessments:   Allow students to show mastery by having them record themselves showing their learning in unique ways (i.e.-have them record themselves reading passages, labs/science experiments, or responses to a topic/question).  In addition, use platforms like EdPuzzle which allows you embed quizzes directly into video clips.  Better yet, have students demonstrate mastery by creating their own assessments in videos.  
3. Bring video into student projects and storytelling:  Incorporate more storytelling into the projects you are currently using in class.  Present.me is a free online website that allows you to upload content (PDF, PowerPoint, etc.) to an online platform and record video of yourself presenting the information. Another good application is Videolicious.  This is a free user friendly tool for taking pictures to tell stories.  

BONUS:  Add excitement to a parent weekly newsletter or email by creating a video.  Using green screen apps like Touchcast or Do Ink will allow you to create amazing video projects.  

5 iPad Apps that help students learn how to read music

As I sat and read my boys' report cards this week, I noticed how many opportunities they are provided on a weekly basis to learn something I never did...music.  There schedules involve weekly courses in keyboarding, music, violin (for one of them).  I am extremely happy they are exposed to this at an early age.  I was never musically talented nor was I exposed to it early in my education.  I would say reading music is all Greek to me, but I am Greek so that wouldn't make sense ;-). However, I never learned to read music but wish I had.  This brings me to the main point of this blog post. Technology today can offer some great opportunities in music education.  I recently read about 5 iPad apps that help students learn to read music.    The apps provide exercises, challenging quizzes, tutorials and several other materials for music learners.

1. Name that note: This is a note spelling quiz to help learn note names on a staff (there are 3 different levels)
2. ClefTutor Free:  Includes a number of helpful tutorials teaching music fundamentals from musical alphabet to the staff and more.  It also features challenging quizzes.  
3. Music Note Sight Reading Trainer: This app is designed to mimic the look and style of real sheet music.  An important feature of this app is to read from left to right while having multiple notes on the staff at the same time as it would be with real music.
4. Tenuto: A collection of 15 customizable exercises designed to enhance musicality (from recognizing chords on a keyboard to indentifying intervals by ear.  It also includes five musical calculators for accidentals, intervals, chords, analysis symbols, and twelve-tone matrices
5. Music Tutor Free: Improves sight-reading skills by practicing between treble clef, bass cleff or both for a duration of 1, 5, or 10 min. 

Theses apps can be put on our iPad carts to be used in whole class settings, load it on your teacher iPad for station work, or pass them along to parents of your students for additional practice at home.

Pindex-"Pinterest for Education"

Pindex is a pinboard (similar to Pinterest) for education.  It allows students and teachers to create and curate educational videos and infographics.   Pindex has a feature where you can award digital badges for watching videos and completing short quizzes on a particular board.  Badges are awarded to viewers after they check off each post on the board.  If you post a quiz to a board, viewers must score 100% to progress and earn the award (the quiz can be taken as many times as they like).  What a great way to create and share playlists of educational videos.  In addition,  earning digital badges provides a great way to monitor student progress. 

This application is currently in beta and is only available through an invitation. You can request an invitation through their site and should receive confirmation within a few hours.    Learn more about Pindex by clicking here

2 Google Docs updates released last week that might be useful for your classroom

Google is constantly updating browsers, apps, etc and the updates are instantaneous (no need to manually force the update).  Without knowing the updates are coming, the new features can often times go unnoticed.  However, these updates could have potential benefits for you or your students. Here are 2 recent updates that might be useful in your classroom:

• Document Outlining Tool:  If you are working in a Google Doc, your browser now has a document outlining tool.  The outline tool will recognize headers within your document and automatically create a table of contents for easy navigation within longer Google Docs.  To access the outline tool, select "Document outline" from the "Tools" drop-down menu within your doc.  NOTE:  The heading is not recognized by the tool if there isn't anything written underneath the heading.  See video cast below for how this works

• EPUB Publication:  Creating an EPUB file allows you to create ebooks which could be shared to eReaders (iPads, Kindles, etc).  If you or your students are looking to create ebooks, using the EPUB feature in Google Docs could be a good option.  To create an EPUB file, select "download as" from the "File" drop down menu in your Google Document then choose "EPUB".  Once you have the file in EPUB format, the challenge is getting it to your eReader.  To learn how to do this select the following links (they are links to google searches):

• How to add EPUBS on your Kindle
• How to add EPUBS on your iPad

Turn your phone or tablet into an optical grading machine to grade assessments in a flash (similar to Scantron)

Do you currently use Scantron sheets in you classroom? Are you currently looking for a system where you can administer multiple choice assessments more effectively than you do now?

If you answered yes to either of these, you may want to take a look at ZipGrade.  ZipGrade is an iOS or Android app that turns your phone or tablet into an optical grading machine.   The app scans answer sheets, grades them automatically, and organizes the results for later review.  The answer sheets are available in multiple sizes (up to 50 questions) and are free to download from the app or website.

Download the app for free which allows 100 free scans.   The free scans provide you a test run to see how you can best use ZipGrade in your classroom.   After the 100 free scans, the full version can be purchased for $6.99/year. Use it in your classroom to provide instant feedback to students by grading

• exit tickets
• Warm-up activities
• Summative/Formative Assessments

In addition, the app allows you to easily self reflect the topics that need to be retaught since you have the ability to do an item analysis which provides immediate feedback and statistics on class comprehension.

To learn more about ZipGrade visit their website or check them out in the app store:

https://www.zipgrade.com/
iTunes Store
Google Play

Evernote Web Clipper...a remarkable button that saves anything to Evernote (Evernote Tip and Trick)

Are you an avid Evernote user?  Well according to Evernote themselves if you are not using Evernote Web Clipper you aren't using Evernote.  So what is Evernote Web Clipper?  It is a tool used to clip articles, text, images, PDF files and more all from your browser.   By adding the Evernote Extension to your web browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc), you will have the ability to clip web based content to Evernote.  

Once the extension is added, an icon will appear in the browser toolbar.  Simply click the icon when you want to clip something to Evernote (capture full-page articles, a simplified article (gets rid of ads),  the full web page, images, selected text, important emails, or even a screenshot).  If the web page is a PDF file being viewed, it will clip that.  Links in the page are kept live too.   Once the clipping is in Evernote, you can annotate the clipping and/or add comments to the clipped selection

What a great way for saving web pages, and articles for research, curating (great for web pages that disappear after a while), future use, bookmarking, etc.  Also, use it to gather additional resources to share with your students who may need or want them.   Better yet, teach students to use it.  It will become a valuable resource for them now and in the future.

Save everything in one place....Evernote... and keep it forever.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO USE EVERNOTE WEB CLIPPER

Turn websites into engaging lessons with DocentEDU

I recently read a review on a new application and after taking a deeper look, I instantly fell in love with it.  The new application is called DocentEDU.  This simple to use application allows you to turn almost any website into an engaging lesson by adding questions, discussions, insight and more into the text of the website. Below are a some great features of the application and an introductory video highlighting some of them:

• Create discussions around the text of a website (these discussion are live and always updating)
• Add youtube videos to the webpage to enhance the content being presented by the web-page.
• Embed HTML widgets to add interactive content like flashcards, 3D models, animations, etc.
• Tracks student responses to assessments that have been embedded (filter responses by class, student, question or docent (term for the webpage lesson) when reviewing responses
• Export grading reports as .csv files (helpful for easy import into gradebook systems)
• Multiple choice responses allows for students to get multiple guesses, but they loose a fraction of the total points each time in order to keep them from blindly guessing (all of this is tracked in the reporting function)
• Turn old word doc and PDFs into online interactive docents.  As long as you can copy and paste your old doc/pdf into a google document, then you can publish the google doc on the web and create a docent from it.

Unfortunately, DocentEDU is not free.  It costs $40 per year for teachers which includes unlimited student access and an unlimited number of Docents.  Although I have not looked into it yet, they also offer school licenses.  There is a free trial which allows you to create up to 5 Docents.  Please test this application out and let me know if it is of interest.  Depending on the requests, we can look at a site license for next school year or individual licenses on an as request basis.  

Create rubrics for any subject area quickly and easily with Quick Rubric

Quick Rubric is free tool that allows you to create, edit, and print rubrics online.   This tool was created by the same company that created Storyboard That and Photos for Class.  Using Quick Rubric, you can create a rubric that is tailored to your points/scoring system, the quantity of descriptors that you need, and utilizes the exact language that you specify.  The user interface is very simple and easy to use.  Once an account is created, you have the ability to save as many rubrics as you'd like.  You can also copy and modify your existing rubrics so you don't have to start from scratch. This is a great tool that allows a simple and fast way of creating rubrics.  

Website:  https://www.quickrubric.com/

Over App for iPad: Blend photos, text and artwork into one image

Over is an iPhone and iPad app that allows you to create graphic designs from existing photos.  This app lets you add text, shapes and clipart to an existing photo with ease.  An added bonus to the text feature is drop shadows which helps the text stand out when it is placed over a photo.  Use the app to create enhance images in a presentation or have students create a stand alone graphic image for a project demonstrating mastery of a topic. Use the app to create flyers for your classroom, clubs or sports or use it to create an image as a discussion starter  for your classes.  The possibilities are endless, just use your creativity.

TO LEARN MORE CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING LINKS:

iTunes link to app
Over app website

Technology in the classroom...its not about what you use, but more about how you use it?

When it comes to integrating technology in the classroom, many people often think it is about what you use.  I'm often asked by teachers to provide suggestions for new cutting edge software/hardware they could use in their classrooms.  Although there are so many great solutions available, my response has always been "what is it that you are looking to do?"  No matter what I propose, at the end of the day it is not about what you are using, but more about how you are using it.

As you begin to think about integrating technology, it would be beneficial to know and understand the SAMR Model.  Dr. Ruben Peuntedura developed the SAMR model as a method of seeing how technology impacts teaching and learning.  SAMR stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition and is a great framework for assessing and evaluating the technology you use in your classroom.

The SAMR model talks about 4 levels of integration, two of which enhance the educational experience for the student (Substitution and Augmentation) and two that transform the experience (Modification and Redefinition).  Below is an explanation of the 4 levels with an example of integrating technology at each of those levels in a science curriculum:

1. SUBSTITUTION: Technology acts as a direct tool substitute with no functional change
• Students use a word processing application (as a substitute for hand writing a report) to discuss global warming and how they can prevent changes in the atmosphere
2. AUGMENTATION: Technology acts as a direct tool substitute with functional improvement
• Students use a word processing application to discuss global warming and how they can prevent changes in the atmosphere, using spell check, the thesaurus and clipart/images to enhance their report
3. MODIFICATION: Technology allows for significant task redesign
• Students will design and present a document/flyer that publicize actions individuals can take to positively impact the environment.  They will create and import graphs, charts, and graphics from different programs. 
4. REDEFINITION:  Technology allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable and is usually 
• Teams of students collaborate to create a blog or webpage that promotes positive environmental change.  They would need to include student written articles, research, video, links, and feedback opportunities for readers

To explain this further, when you are using technology in the Substitution and Augmentation levels, the education experience is being enhanced, but it is not providing high levels of student engagement with  limited impact on student learning.  When you move above the line into the Redefinition and Modification levels you begin to transform the education experience.  This will provide the opportunity to modify and redesign tasks in ways that weren't possible without the technology, increasing student engagement with better learning outcomes.  

It is important to understand that it is ok to teach in the Substitution and/or Augmentation level and for certain content/lessons it may be unavoidable.  However, it is equally important to find ways to teach at the Modification and Redefinition levels to engage students providing transformational experiences.  So when it comes to integrating technology in your classroom, don't use technology just to say you use it...find ways to use it to transform student learning...find ways to teach above the line!!

Looking for Digital Content? Look no further with Edcite!

Whether we like it or not, we live in a very digital world.  Students enter our classrooms with a thirst for digital content.  We often hear that students learn differently today and in order to engage and meet their needs we need to make our classrooms more digital.  Teachers are asked to provide this, but often times are provided little time, guidance or resources. So the question often times asked is "Where do I start?"  A great place to start is with Edcite.

Over my past 10 years of working in educational technology, the best resources are ones provided by teachers...it provides comfort knowing they have been field tested by the experts in the field.  That is why Edcite is a great resource.   It is a free website that allows teachers to find, create, or share interactive digital assignments and assessments.  There are over 11,000 digital assignments across all grade levels that are engaging for students.  My philosophy has always been--why reinvent the wheel. Edcite allows you to take an assignment from other teachers to use as is or customize it to bring your own curricular touch. If you are interested in learning more about it watch the "Edcite: What will you create?" video below and also visit their website.  In addition, be sure to read this blog post, which provides sample assignments.

Edcite: What will you create?

Websites for Music Teachers

This week has been a busy week for our music department.  I believe 4 of the 5 nights have had musical performances.  All though I was not able to attend any of them, word on the street is all the performances were wonderful and very well done.  Some of our buildings have been awarded a casual day in honor of the performances and the student body was asked to "thank a musician!" Congrats to all our faculty and students involved.

With music being on our minds as we wrap up this week, I thought it might be good to provide a few websites for music teachers that I came across on a tech blog I follow (you may be aware of some, but hopefully there are a few that are new):

• Music National Arts Centre
• Music Theory
• Interactive Music Sites
• National Association for Music Education

More music resources for specific devices to come in the future so "stay tuned" (pun intended...ha!ha!)

Kid Friendly Search Engines

Next week we are offering up a digital citizenship seminar to our JS students about internet safety, proper computer use, etc.   As I started to think about the seminar it dawned on me that as we begin teaching our younger students about internet safety and how to properly search the internet, it might be easier to do with search engines we know would provide a safe environment and are kid friendly.

One great resource would be Kiddle.  Kiddle is a kid friendly search engine that provides a safe learning environment.  Here is what Kiddle offers:

1. It uses safe search, which means there is a filter monitoring content.  
2. Searches yield both text and images for the students
3. The font size is larger to assist in readability for kids
4. Personal identifiable information is not collected and logs are deleted after 24 hrs
5. You can request additional keyword blocking or additional site blocking by using the form at the bottom of the site. 

Here is a list of a few more kid friendly search engines that would also provide a safe learning environment as our younger students learn to search the internet:

• KidRex
• Safe Search Kids
• KidsClick

Please note:  These would be great resources to provide your parents. I am sure some of our younger students are on the internet at home, so this might  provide a level of reassurance for their parents.