Showing posts with label ipad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ipad. Show all posts
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Back to Mac
I'm fortunate to be a chameleon who can adapt easily to change and I believe this is one of the reasons I have been successful at using technology as a tool for learning. I'm happy to be able to have learned to work seamlessly between platforms to facilitate tech integration, but I'm really glad that my school district is going back to Mac!
Although I have always preferred Mac over PC, I do recognize some positive changes that resulted from our 3 year long switch to Windows 7. We were able to put cost efficient mobile carts of netbooks into our schools, greatly increasing our student to device ratio. We have had a sufficient supply of netbooks to be able to launch the implementation of Google Docs as an efficient and effective collaborative instructional tool for students and staff. Cost efficiency of the netbooks allowed us to increase the number of projectors in classrooms too. Although we had the best of intentions when we tried to save a few trees and encourage teachers to grade papers online through comments in Google Docs, the enormous and heavy Dell “laptops” teachers were given for their use were much heavier than a pile of papers, so that initiative has not worked so well up to this point.
But, like the title says, it sure looks like we are going back to Mac! We have provided each school with a mobile lab of MacBook Airs for use in the classroom. Teachers will have iPads and Apple TVs in classrooms this week and we are hoping to kickoff a 1:1 iPad rollout starting this fall. Teachers will get MacBook Airs and students will gradually get iPads and ownership of their own devices. Ah, this is going to be an exciting and fun challenge!
Resources for students and staff to introduce our mobile labs of MacBook Airs.
And what a great time for this! iPads have been successfully rolled out in many forward thinking districts and the process is now streamlined and efficient. Districts who have had successful experiences are eager to share their guidance and expertise with us. We recognize the need to collaborate and appreciate the opportunity to be connected .
In house, we finally have a team of instructional technology coaches in place to help teachers find their comfort zones, set goals, and have fun as they personally move through the stages of tech adoption and begin to shift instruction. It will be exciting to be able to help teachers facilitate Common Core aligned learning experiences with the help of interactivity, digital supports and multimedia.
So, I must say that I am ecstatic to be back to Mac and excited about a new journey that will ultimately lead to a lot of learning for myself and others. I am looking forward to the near future when our teachers and students will leave school at the end of the day with a lighter load and some powerful portable personal digital tools for teaching and learning to use whenever needed. This initiative will definitely help extend the walls of our classrooms.
What I will miss about Windows 7
I made the switch back to Mac a few weeks ago. Right away I noticed how comfortable the Mac feels with it's lighted keyboard and intuitive interface. But, I'd like to note a few things I do miss about Windows 7 as I put this chapter to rest.
- The snipping tool I take a lot of snapshots. I know how to do it on a Mac of course, but the process is not nearly as slick as the handy snipping tool on Windows 7.
- Snap WindowsI appreciate the ability to work between two active open windows side by side and snapped into place on Windows 7, a feature I used every day.
Podcast: Apple TV in the Classroom
All classroom teachers in our schools will be getting an IPad, an Apple TV for projection and a stand to utilize the device as a document camera. The initial goal of this one iPad classroom is to allow wireless mirroring of an iPad through the projector in the classroom. This will add some interactivity and recording capabilities
Here is a well done and nicely paced podcast by Jeff Herb to explain using the Apple TV in the Classroom. The podcast is published on Education & Technology's Instructional Tech Talk and I recommend listening to it if you are fortunate enough to have an Apple TV for use.
Enjoy the podcast!
Friday, November 27, 2015
Mange Classroom Workflow with Showbie
Showbie is an iPad app that offers a solution to help teachers distribute, collect and evaluate digital assignments created on an iPad. Showbie is simple and efficient right out of the box.
Teachers can get started with Showbie by creating a free account to try the app. The free account allows for a limited, but substantial number of assignments before requiring an upgrade to the paid version. This should provide teachers with more than enough opportunity to thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of the app within the classroom. Within the teacher account, teachers can create individual classes. Students join a class with a code, avoiding the need for an email addresses. Within each class, teachers create assignments with due dates and distribute them through a shared folder.
Assignments can be created and distribute through the shared folder using a variety of supported file types, making this a flexible tool that appeals to a variety of teaching styles and needs. Once assignments are turned in,teachers can provide students with individual feedback through voice or text notes. Assignments turned in via Showbie are stored in the cloud, which allows students and teachers to free up valuable storage space on their own devices.
A Wide Variety of Supported Productivity Apps
Showbie supports integration with many apps so it is designed to grow with teachers and students as they expand their toolkit of creativity and productivity resources. Currently there are 48 supported apps, but the list is likely to expand through feedback and requests from teachers in the Showbie community. The folks at Showbie have created quick video tutorials to help teachers and students learn to turn in assignments created with the supported tools. View the current list of apps that work with Showbie on the Showbie website.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
SAMR - Teaching Above the Line
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| Image created by the amazing Janet Barnstable |
For as long as I can remember I have been an advocate for helping teachers understand the stages of technology integration in order to effectively use tech as a tool for learning.
I've adopted a few different tech integration models over the years, discussed the ideas with administrators for use as a starting point for tech integration, and kept the ideas front of mind as I invent and discover new ways for using technology as a tool for learning.
Discussing the stages of tech integration has led to some thought-provoking and inspiring conversations, but the ideas have not gained a lot of momentum in my face-to-face teaching environment until now. As many districts jump on board with iPad implementation, Apple's use of the SAMR model as a framework for tech integration presents a consistent, clear and powerful message that is spreading!
In my teaching this summer I see the need to create examples to demonstrate how to design learning experiences that are at the redefinition stage. Teachers need to see examples to understand what to strive for as they progress through the stages. There needs to be something concrete to discuss as we walk lessons up the line.
So, since I have been playing around with the Wagon Wheel activity, I thought I would mention that this is an example of redefinition.
Redefinition
Take a sneak peek here or click the link to contribute to this work in progress and watch it grow!
View on Padlet
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
The Instagrok iPad App is Here
instaGrok is an intelligent visual search engine and interactive learning tool that collects content and displays it in the form of a cloud of related words. The tool is very appealing because it offers a variety of multimedia features to meet the unique learning needs of students.
Students use the the visual mode to collect content, then they use the integrated journal to sort through collected content and take notes. Click on the push pin to add content to the journal then add original thoughts and ideas as notes. The journal can be emailed or printed for convenience.
instaGrok Integration with EasyBib
The last time I shared instaGrok through this blog I included a wish list. On that wish list was a suggestion to integrate the tool with EasyBib. I am very excited to announce that the teams have worked together to build information literacy and digital citizenship into the instaGrok interactive learning process.
- instaGrok collects sources pinned to the concept map.
- The web based version exports sources with one click and imports them to EasyBib for creating citations.
- The iPad App launches a screen requiring students to evaluate the credibility of the source.
Final Thoughts
Students with 1:1 iPads will most likely find this app extremely useful as they dig deeper into content through research and improve their ability to express learning through writing.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Pulse for iPad: A Gorgeous News Feed Reader
Pulse is an iPad app that collects multiple sources of your favorite news feeds and displays them in a convenient and attractive way to create a highly enjoyable reading experience.
News sources you select are arranged as a stream. Just drag the screen vertically to scan all your sources, then drag it horizontally to view particular articles within each source. Tap the screen to read an article in text view or view it as a full webpage. Pulse will even collect and display your Twitter stream. Sharing is as easy as a couple of taps.
To get a glimpse of what Pulse can do, please watch the video below and try Pulse for yourself, available from the iTunes store.
To get a glimpse of what Pulse can do, please watch the video below and try Pulse for yourself, available from the iTunes store.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Mastery Connect - An Essential Tool for the CCSS
Without a doubt, the most useful reference tool I use when planning CCSS aligned technology powered learning experiences is Common Core, by Mastery Connect.
I have the widget installed on my websites and wikis. I have the app on my iPad and iPhone. I use MasteryConnect when designing learning experiences to provide me with quick and easy access to snippets of the information I need. With that information at hand, I can fine-tune the learning experiences I design to target skills necessary for success in school and beyond, as identified by the CCSS.
If you haven't tried CommonCore, you should. Get the Common Core Standards App in the iTunes store or visit MasteryConnect.com to learn more and get the widget.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
3 Engaging Note-Taking Apps
As a teacher and life-long learner, I take a lot of notes. One of the best changes for me has been taking notes on my iPad because now I often find myself having fun trying to create attractive and useful notes. The note-taking process keeps me amused during meetings and the task keeps me challenged and attentive as I try to draw and explain the ideas being shared.
Here are 3 engaging apps to try to help put a little fun back into note-taking sessions.
Live Notes
Live Notes is a colorful note-taking and sketching app that allows for simultaneous audio recording. Draw shapes and doodles during a lecture or meeting. Type text and choose from a variety of fonts and bright colors. Tap parts of a sketch to hear the audio that was recorded at the specific point in time when the sketch was drawn.
Live Notes is a paid app, but you can try Live Notes Lite for free.
Note Anytime
Note Anytime is an app for taking notes, sketching, and annotating PDFs. Caligraphy tools support improved letter formation providing assistance with sloppy iPad penmanship. Use the app to easily import and markup PDFs. Export notes to popular social media sharing sites, like Twitter, Facebook and Drop Box.
Note Anytime is currently a free app available in iTunes.
ScratchWorks
ScratchWorks is a note-taking app that allows users to take notes on one side of the screen and browse the web on the other. Type text notes or insert a sketch area into the notes for doodling. It also provides a custom math keyboard.
ScratchWorks is a free app, available in iTunes.
Pixntell - Create Narrated Photo Slideshows in a Snap
Pixntell is free app that allows users to quickly create and share a narrated slideshow of pictures. Just add photos, record narration and share newly created videos via DropBox, FaceBook, YouTube or email. You can even apply special effects to photos if desired. The app couldn't be simpler to use!
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| Common Core App |
Uses in the classroom
The Common Core is filled with writing, speaking and listening standards that can be incorporated into learning experiences through the use of this simple tool in the classroom, especially if a script writing element is included. Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Students can take snapshots of work samples and write a script to demonstrate learning, then narrate and share the final project for use as an authentic assessment tool.
- Students can capture photos of everyday classroom learning activities and write a script to record reflections about the experience.
- Teachers can use the tool to front-load the learning by creating a photo slideshow for viewing as homework prior to class, to provide a starting point for classroom instruction.
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| Get Pixntell from the iTunes Store |
Friday, November 13, 2015
Digital Differentiation - QR Codes on the iPad
Managing a classrooms full of students with 1:1 iPads presents the challenge of getting them on the same page, literally. Trying to manage differentiated groups requires a good tool for organizing resources. QR codes are one quick and easy solution.
Use a QR scanner on your iPad to quickly jump to any website
Here is an example I created with informational text at three different reading levels. To use this with students, simply project the graphic to a screen, point a QR scanner app at the appropriately colored QR code, and watch the device jump right to the designated page.Just think about how many ways you could use this in a 1:1 iPad classroom.
QR Code created with qrstuff.com
Thursday, November 12, 2015
2 Games for Learning: Alge-Bingo and Remembus
Alge-Bingo
Alge-Bingo, created by Kevin Scritchfield, won the 2012 National STEM Challenge in the High School Educator Division. Named appropriately, it is a game that helps students master algebra while playing Bingo. The game grows with students as they make progress, offering them more challenges and requiring them to develop mental math skills that are faster and more automatic.
Users have the ability to self-select their entry level and also the difficulty of the bingo game itself, making this game fun, flexible and leveled. The game can be addictive as students gain confidence and build skills. Students who are trying to improve their skills should try this game.
Watch this video created by Kevin to learn more about Alge-Bingo.
Users have the ability to self-select their entry level and also the difficulty of the bingo game itself, making this game fun, flexible and leveled. The game can be addictive as students gain confidence and build skills. Students who are trying to improve their skills should try this game.
Watch this video created by Kevin to learn more about Alge-Bingo.
Remembus
Remembus is an app created by Tad Scritchfield, a high school student. This app combines a Concentration memory game with a rebus puzzle. Here is how Remembus works.Players select can one of four subject areas to reveal a Concentration type game board. Players begin by selecting a number on the game board which reveals a question or an answer. Players must remember where the questions and answers are located on the board while testing their knowledge of the content to find a match. Once a match is found, the cards disappear to reveal part of a rebus puzzle. When all of the matches are found, players are rewarded and challenged to solve the rebus puzzle.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
One iPad Classroom Resources
Here is a playlist of resources for getting started in the One iPad Classroom. Watch it grow!
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ThingLink Mobile App - Capture and Share Teachable Moments
Now you can create and share multimedia rich interactive images on the go with the free ThingLink Mobile App for iPad and iPhone. Just take a photo, tag the image with video or text, and instantly share it through email, Twitter or FaceBook. The new ThingLink App provides mobile users with the ability to quickly embed video and text into any photo for a quick snippet of life as it is happening.
Twitter - Powerful Bursts of Information
Many people don't understand how Twitter can work efficiently. Many people don't think they have time for Twitter. Perhaps they don't. We all have different learning styles and preferred methods of information gathering. We must all choose the tools that work for us and Twitter is in my toolkit because it works well for me as an efficient and effective tool for collaboration!
Twitter has allowed me to connect with many amazing, talented and connected #EdTech stakeholders across the planet. Twitter is efficient. Words are well chosen, the language is constantly reinvented, and of course links to resources are the treasures.
I recently had a quick Twitter conversation with Naomi Harm, a talented innovative educator and EdTech consultant from Minnesota. Naomi and I have never met face to face, but we are certainly connected. We learn from each other, we share each other's resources and ideas, and we collaborate quickly and efficiently. I've known Naomi to be an iPad expert for many years and since I have just jumped in to the iPad journey in my school, I grabbed the opportunity to ask Naomi for her for guidance.
Here is our 15 minutes conversation, filled with treasures. Ah, yes...the things I can do with this information! Thanks Naomi. Keep on Tweeting!
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Exploring Apps Today
Today I get to collaborate with my peers to explore and share iPad apps for teachers. With so many apps, so little time, and so many contributors, the decision about which apps to share could get complicated so I tried not to over-think it. Here are some apps I've chosen to share.
Watch this list grow as I add the ideas of others to my playlist!
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