How Many Languages Do You Speak?

Google Docs is Multilingual! You can instantly translate any Document into one of 64 languages!

Just create a Google Doc and click Tools>Translate Document. Check out my sample below!

ENGLISH

Dear Mrs. Jones,

Johnny had a great day today!  He was on task and completed all his work.  I’m so pleased with his progress.  Thank you for all your support.

Sincerely,

Ms. Cimaroli

POLISH

Szanowna Pani Jones,

Johnny miał wielki dzień dzisiaj! Był on zadania i zakończył wszystkie swoje prace.Jestembardzo zadowolony z jego postępów. Dziękuję wszystkim za wsparcie.

Poważaniem,

Pani Cimaroli

SPANISH

Estimado Sra. Jones,

Johnny tenía un gran día! Estaba en la tarea y completó toda su obra. Estoy muy contento con su progreso. Gracias por todo su apoyo.

Atentamente,

Sra. Cimaroli

Doodle Buddy

Doodle Buddy is a fun drawing app, similar to Kid Pix. It has drawing tools, text tools, shape tools and stamps!

Have your students...

• create patterns
• illustrate math problems
• draw math concepts
• label shapes
• respond to comprehension questions
• illustrate cause and effect
• illustrate vocabulary words
• use it as a white board during a lesson

How Much Do You Know About Google Forms?

Google Forms?

Google Forms lets you create quizzes for your students, surveys for parents, gather opinions from colleagues or collect information of any kind.  The answers/information is collected in a spreadsheet so you can easily view, sort, graph and even grade the responses.

Below are some of the frequently asked questions I get about Google Forms.

How do I create a Google Form?
Create>Form

What kinds of questions can I ask?

How do I edit a question after I create it?
Click the pencil on the right side of the screen.

How do I add questions?
Click Add Item at the to of the screen.

How do I share my survey?
On the page where you add/edit questions, copy the link at the bottom of the page.  This link can be pasted in an email, posted on the trail or shared in a Google Document .

Where do my responses go?
Google creates a Spreadsheet for you. It will appear in your Google Drive.

How do I open my form so I can edit it at a later date?

1. Go to Google Drive
2. Open the spreadsheet that belongs to your form
3. Click Form>Edit Form  
   

Can Google grade my quizzes for me?
Yes.  You can run a "script" called Flubaroo.

Watch this three minute tutorial or find easy directions on how to use Flubaroo on the Flubaroo website.

iPad Listening Center

Turn your iPad into a listening center!  With headphone splitters more than one child can listen to the story at once!  

The iBooks store has a section on the bottom of the page called "Read Aloud Books for Kids."  Some books are free or you can use an iTunes card to purchase books!

Reading Streets- Story Sort

Reading Streets has an online feature called Story Sort.  Students are asked to sequence a story using pictures and then summarize the story in an online journal.  This is an interactive and visual way to practice retelling, an important comprehension skill.  Each weeks' story has a Story Sort, generally on week 5.

Click here to get started exploring Reading Streets online now!

Reading Streets - Introduction

This short informational presentation about the online component of our new reading series, Reading Streets, was given on 4/16/13.

Toolbars

Depending on the internet browser you are using, there are different toolbars you can add to customize your surfing experience.

My favorite toolbar, when I'm using Internet Explorer or Firefox, is the Google Toolbar.   This toolbar gives me quick access to the Google search engine, my Google bookmarks and my Google account.

Here are some helpful Google Toolbar Links
Download Google Toolbar
Google Toolbar Support
Customize your Google Toolbar

Other popular toolbars are Bing and Ask Jeeves

Sometimes, when updating software on your computer a new toolbar will appear in your browser.  It is very easy to hide these unwanted changes. Just uncheck the toolbars you want to hide!  View>Toolbars

Google Glass

Now this might even be too much for me... not that I wouldn't love a pair!

Upload and Download Using Google Drive

When you upload a file, picture or movie, you are moving it from your computer to the cloud/internet.  There are many reasons you might want to upload your work.  You can upload to You Tube to share videos to the world, upload pictures to shutterfly.com and then order prints, or even upload a Word document to Google Drive so you can finish it on your home computer.

Here's how you can leave your flash drive at home and use Google Drive as a storage box for your files and pictures! 

1.  First, Choose your upload settings.
Sometimes I want to convert a Word Document into a Google Doc so I can use Google to continue working on it or collaborate with others.  Other times I want my Word Document to stay a Word Document and I just want to use Google as my flash drive in the sky.
Settings Button> Upload Settings

2.  Then Upload your file.

• Click Upload 
• Choose your file or folder
• Click Open

Download is the exact opposite of upload.  If there is something on the internet you would like to save on your computer, you would download it.  I download movies from United Streaming because they play smother and my students aren't watching a choppy streaming video.  I also download pictures for lessons and songs from iTunes.  You can also download the items in your Google Drive to your computer.

There are two ways to download from Google Drive.

1.  Download an individual file while it is open.

2.  Or download multiple files at one time.

Stop Motion!

Using the iPad for stop motion animation is a great way for students to showcase their knowledge.  Not only does it require an understanding of the concept assigned, it also integrates higher order thinking skills in the planning and execution.

Animation projects follow five (5) basic steps:

1. Develop an idea
2. Create your characters
3. Build your background
4. Shoot the shots
5. Make a movie (compile and edit)
   
   
   I used the free,  iMotion HD app to create this short video*.  (Please excuse the quality, it is just a sample) My next step would be to add narration, a title and credits.  This app has a user-friendly interface and exports videos to my camera roll.

Here are just a few curriculum ideas.

• Create a visual story without words
• Retell a scene from a book
• Recreate a historical event
• Document the life cycle of an animal
• Explain how plants grow
• Sequence a science experiment or transformation (water-liquid-gas)
• Explain how to solve a math problem

*No animals were harmed during the production of this film.

Explain Everything!

My newest favorite app!  Explain Everything ($2.99) let's you make a movie that can include photographs, videos and annotations!  Check out this quick video I made explaining how to get pictures on and off your iPhone or iPad if you use a PC.

Explain Everything is easy to use and would be great as a publishing tool in any subject.    Teachers could even use it to explain assignments to students or explain how to use classroom websites to parents!

It takes only a minute to get started... Watch this Getting Started Video!

They even have video guides and  PDF instructions.

Still Counting the Ways...... 2 More Reasons I Love Google Drive

Getting Started with Google Drive
Still a little confused about what Google Drive or Google Docs is?  Watch this 3 minute video!

Send To Google Drive
If you use Chrome, you can install an extension that allows you to save the web page you are viewing as a PDF to Google drive.  The extension installs a icon on your browser.  

This is a great tool for saving sites you want to read later or use for research.  It comes in handy if you want to save restaurant menus or on online confirmations of purchases you've made.

Just visit the Chrome Web Store and search for "Send to Google Drive" to install this handy little tool.

Google Cloud Connect

Still don't want to give up on Microsoft Word?  With Google Cloud Connect you can save a Word document to your Google Drive with just one click!  No uploading necessary.  Just install the Google Cloud Connect App and a tool bar will be added to Microsoft Word that allows you to sync/save directly to Google Drive!

4-10 Staff Meeting Tips - Outlook Calender

1.  Color-code your appointments!  

Right click on an appointment and click Categorize.  Choose a Category or customize and make your own categories by clicking All categories and using the dialog box.  

2.  Look at someone's calendar.

• Go to your calendar and Click Open Shared Calendar.
• Type a person's name and search for a calendar.

3.  Suggest a meeting time.

• On YOUR calendar create a new appointment with the correct date and time and then click Invite Attendees .  
• Type in the email addresses of the people you want to invite. 
• Click Save & Send.

4.  View your calendar on your mail screen

On the View Tab, click To-Do Bar in the Layout section.  Choose where you want your Calendar to appear on your page!  You can hide and show your calendar with a quick click.

5.  Change the reminder alert time on an appointment.

• Click the File Tab.
• Click Options.
• Choose Calendar on the left.
• Change the time for default reminders.

The Future of Magazines

This online magazine engages it's readers with animation, video, hyperlinks, audio... you name it!  Check out The Journal. (The magazine works best in Internet Explorer)

Imagine the reading experiences our kids will grow up with!  I would have loved to hear a lion roar in a National Geographic Magazine... or even better Kirk Cameron's sizzle!

Let Me Count the Ways (Google Doc Tips)

Not only do I love Google Docs because I can access my files from anywhere, but I also love Google Docs because…

• I can easily save your documents and spreadsheets to file types like DOC, XLS, CSV, and HTML! (i.e. If I create a Google Doc, I can download it to my computer and open it in Word!)
• I can drag and drop pictures from folders and on computer websites directly into a Google Doc!  That’s right, no uploading or inserting a picture needed!
• I can use the reference tool to research in a side window while I’m typing a document! 

1. Highlight and right Click on the word you want to research (or click Tools>Research) 

2.  Use the SideBar to find websites, definitions, quotes and even images!

3.  Insert a link to a website into my doc with the click of a button!

netTrekker, Skitch & the iPad

Here's a quick and easy lesson using my favorite kid-friendly search engine, netTrekker, and an awesome app called Skitch.

netTrekker has a pretty great image search feature that always finds age-appropriate pictures for students.  Use neTrekker to find an image and then use Skitch to label, add shapes or add text to the image.  Skitch is easy to use!

Here are some ideas lesson ...

• Label the frog's life cycle
• Label national parks on a map
• add facts about lions to a picture
• Explain the steps in making a peanut butter sandwich
• Circle all the "B" words in a picture
• Circle clues to solve a mystery

Why? When? How? Update my iPad?

Why should I update my iPad?

Apple's software updates for iOS (Ipad Operating System) introduce new features and improvements that let you do even more with your Ipad.  Operating system updates often fix bugs or errors the iPads are experiencing.  Many Apps require the most recent operating system to run properly.

 When should I update my iPad?

If you see I notification badge next to the settings icon.  It is time to update. 

How do I update my iPad?

Click Settings>General>Software Update.

Then click Install.

Finally click Install now.

Although optional, it is always a good idea to backup/sync your iPad before a software update.

What’s this?

If you see a badge above your App Store icon, it indicates that one ore more of your apps need an update.  These updates fix bugs or errors you may be experiencing when using the app.  Click App Store>Updates>Update All