Flipgrid

https://info.flipgrid.com/

Create a wall/page where students can share ideas and respond to questions using quick, short videos!  It's easy, fun and has more potential classroom uses that I can count... like a digital "I Wonder" wall, exit slips, essential questions, your class newsletter......

Here's my first Flipgrid... 


Flipgrid's Library of Ideas (Topics of Discovery)

Even more ways to Use Flipgrid

Downloadable instructions for teachers and students!

Getting Started Video (2 minutes)



Quick Walkthrough Video from Flipgrid on Vimeo.

New Features in Kahoot!

Kahoot! has added some great new features since my first post about it in 2015!

1.  Jumble
In this new game format students don't need to just come up with the correct answer, they need to come up wit the correct order/sequence of 4 choices.



2.  Team Play
KAhoot! added a Team mode feature so students can compete as a team using 1 device.  (Not available for a Jumble yet.)


3.  Game Options
Kahoot! has added some great game settings to help you customize your students' experience.



4.  Ghost Mode
After the end of a normal quiz, students can choose to play the game again in Ghost Mode.  In this mode a "ghost" of the player plays along side the player.  The "ghost" answers the question exactly the same way the student did on the first game.  At the end, students can compare their results with their first attempt and see if/how much progress they made.  (Not available for a Jumble yet.)

5.  Assign a Kahoot! as homework!

1. Open the Kahoot! you want, or create one as usual.
2. Click on the Challenge button and follow the instructions to set up a challenge. Choose how long you want it to be live.
3. Copy the challenge link, and share with your students – via email, google classroom, your website, etc...

Remember there are 4 different kinds of Kahoots - Quiz, Discussion, Survey and Jumble.  Need a quick reminder about each type?  Read What are the different kahoot types for?

CheckMark

 http://www.checkmarkclass.com/ 

A new Chrome extension will make using comments on a Google doc quicker! With CheckMark installed, a small keyboard with abbreviations for common errors like capitalization and punctuation pops up every time you highlight text on a Google doc.



Just click the desired abbreviation and a comment is created instructing your students what editing suggestion you are making.



Quick and easy!

C = Check capitalization
F = Check for fragment
P = Check punctuation
S = Check spelling
T = Tense
CS = Check for comma splice
RO = Check for run-on sentence
SV = Subject/Verb agreement
¶ = New paragraph needed
cla = Clarify your idea/meaning
det = Detail needed
dis = Discussion needed
evi = Evidence needed
rep = Repetitive
phr = Rephrase
spa = Spacing
​cit = Check Citation

There are plans to increase the extensions functionality in the future, but it is pretty sweet right now!

Read&Write for Google Part 1 - Read Aloud Tools

Read&Write for Google is an extremely powerful Chrome extension.  One of its many abilities is the the text-speech feature that can read aloud websites, google docs, google slides and PDFs.

The read aloud tools are super simple to use.  

1. Open any website, doc, slide or PDF.
2. Click the Read&Write Extension  to open the Read&Write tool bar
   (If you do not have the extension, search for it at Chrome Web Store and add it to Chrome.
   
3. Highlight the word/sentence/paragraph where you want to start reading.
   (Tip: To highlight one word, double click the word.  To highlight a whole paragraph, triple click any word in the paragraph.)
4. Click the play button.
   

Bt default, Read&Write is set for continuous reading.  To stop you must click Pause or Stop. However, some students may benefit from having only one sentence or paragraph read at a time. 

To turn off continuous reading, go to the Read&Write Options by clicking the arrow on the right of the tool bar.

Under Speech, uncheck the continuous reading box.


You can also change the readers voice and reading speed.









To pause a read aloud, click pause.

To clear a selection and start over, click stop.

When you click the Hover Speech Button,

Read&Write will read aloud most sentences, captions or titles you hover over.  There is a fraction of a second delay, so be patient!  To turn off Hover Speech, click Stop.


Coming Soon...
Part 2 - Vocabulary Tools
Part 3 - Highlighter Tools
Part 4 - Word Prediction and Translations
Part 5 - Audio Tools

Tinker Studio

Hands-on, engaging manipulatives and tools that inspire creativity, problem solving and critical thinking!

Tinker Studio

Symbaloo

Looking for a cool way to display and share links with your students?  Try Symbaloo!  It is super easy and helps you keep all your resources in one place!  Each tile is a link to a web site or resource.  The grids (officially called webmixes) can be shared with a link or embedded in a website.  You can also search other thousands of other peoples webmixes!

Looking for a way to publish and share your students' work?  Check out the web mix I created!
http://edu.symbaloo.com/mix/publishshare 

Staff Meeting Tips 3/11

You Tube kids!

BrainPop Game Up

BrainPop Make A Map

ICE 2015... in a Thinglink!

January Staff Meeting Tips

Google Timer

1. If you use the Google Chrome browser, you can just type, “timer 30 seconds” into the location bar at the top of any page! Then press the “Enter” key to activate the timer.

Flippityhttp://flippity.net/Sample Templatehttp://www.flippity.net/fc.asp?k=1-3cQzEGVytBGTFlN9AtdmTNOe1Jg4hNylPCkVHlFbtA

iFake Text

http://ifaketext.com
Classroom Uses

Kahoot! - November Staff Meeting

Easy, online, web based learning game that can be played on any device!

Teachers create multiple choice quizzes at https://getkahoot.com.  When you are ready to play with your class, launch and project your Kahoot.  A game pin will appear on the screen.

Students can go to https://kahoot.it  on any device, enter the pin and join the game!

Teacher screen/projection

Student Screen

After each question, results are shown in a bar graph.

At the end of the quiz, results can be downloaded and analyzed to see who need more help or harder questions!

Powtoon

Powtoon is a free, simple, web-based presentation tool.  For chrome users, there is a Powtoon app in the Chrome store!


Teachers and students can use Powtoon for book reports, tutorials, current events, research reports, vocabulary development, study guides... Just log in using your google account and get started!

My Sample: Critical Vocabulary Chapter 3

(I know what your thinking!  You hit the jackpot by reading this today! Not only do you learn about an amazing presentation tool, you can get my answers to the Critical Vocab Chapter 3 Assignment... I can't guarantee they are correct, but use them however you want!!)

iOS8

Last week Apple came out with a new operating system, iOS8.  If your family has multiple apple devices, installing this upgrade comes with many features to bring your family closer together and to help parents control purchases.  Start by upgrading your operating system (Settings>General>Software Update).  After the upgrade you turn on Family Sharing  up to 6 family members can enjoy the following features:

• Access each other’s apps, music, movies, tv shows and books
• Use the Shared Family Album and instantly update all family devices with the latest pictures and videos
• Create a Shared Family Calendar where everyone can add events to one calendar and reminders can be sent out to multiple devices.
• Pay for family purchases with a single credit card.
• Enable “Ask to Buy” to require children to get permission before making iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases.
• Make Apple IDs for children under 13 years old so they can personally be part of the “Ask To Buy” feature.

Find out more the other cool features iOS8 contains!

QR Code in Action

One of Mary Flessas' students used an app called Educreations to create a math tutorial for other students to use when they need help with double digit addition.  She laminated the QR code and put it in her math center for other students to use!  A copy of the code could also be sent home with students who struggle with their homework.

QR Codes

If you  don't know what a QR code is, or you missed the January 21st inservice on QR Codes.  Here is the presentation.
http://goo.gl/rK0KZc 

In case you need more ideas...
Here are some additional resources.

Reflection Generator (Printable Template Available!)

Scholastic's "Ways to Use QR codes for Education"
12 Ideas For Teaching with QR Codes
Around The World in 80 Days

St. Patrick's Day Lesson (From TCI)

St Patrick_Complete Lesson by TCI

Google Glass

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

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!