Evernote Peek

With Spring approaching standardized testing looms on the horizon.  How do you prep your students for the test?  Do you make reviewing the content you've worked on all year fun?  Evernote Peek is a great app that turns reviewing into a fun activity!

Evernote Peek is a fun tool that takes your notes and turns them into flashcards...but not just any flashcards. This app uses your iPad's Smart cover (if you have one) or an on screen version (if you don't have one) to display the content in sort of a game style format. It's very cool!

It's really easy to set up*.
1. Take notes in Evernote (on your computer, iPad, or phone)
2. Open Evernote Peek and sign into your Evernote account
3. Select the notes you wish to turn in to flashcards and it does it for you. Here are some tips on how to set up your notes.

One of the really cool things about this app is that it has the capability to add voice notes! You'll see a great example in the video below. There are also a bank of notes already created for you to draw from (like the periodic table, world capitals, etc.), or you can create your own. This app would be a great way to review as a whole class, or for independent practice.

If you were going to use this in an Elementary classroom for independent study you could set it up this way:

• Create a class Evernote account
• Prepare the notes ahead of time
• Have your students sign into the class Evernote account when they open the app
• Have students download your notes to begin using Peek

In a secondary classroom for independent study you could use Peek like this:

• Have students create their own Evernote accounts using their CSDdocs accounts
• Have students take or copy notes on the topic of study
• Have students sign in to Peek and download their notes to begin studying

*Click here for more detailed instructions on how to set up Evernote Peek.

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere allows an educator (or anyone for that matter) to create a poll where the audience can participate in real time.  When creating a poll, you type the question you want to ask in the poll creator, choose what kind of poll you want to create, and then click on create.  The types of polls that can be created are true/false, multiple choice, free response, "clickable" images, discourse and you also have the option to generate a "creative" poll. Any device a teacher or student can text from is how answers are submitted.  Using a web browser is also another option to submit answers if "texting" is not available. Poll results can be displayed from any web browser, presented as part of a powerpoint or keynote presentation, or embedded into a webpage.  Results can also be published from Facebook and Twitter.  

There is a Basic K-12 account that is free.  Some of the features include 40 student responses per poll that is created, the poll can be embedded into a powerpoint, and unlimited number of classes can participate.  There is a $50.00 yearly premium account that is an option if Poll Everywhere is used  daily in the classroom.  There is an institution wide plan for $500.00.  Here is a look at the different K-12 plans.

Give Poll Everywhere a try with your classroom today.  Your students will be engaged in your question and curious about the responses to your poll.

Social:
Facebook:  Poll Everywhere
Pinterest:  Poll Everywhere
Twitter: @polleverywhere

Forget about clickers, make your own Plickers

A classroom set of clickers, aka Student Response System can cost anywhere from $1000 to $3500 depending on the brand you choose, yet most of the teachers I have worked with use their clickers for quick multiple choice and true/false assessments.

My first set of 40 Plickers. Printed on white card stock and laminated.

I recently discovered a new iOS app and website (and Android app) called Plickers, short for Paper Clickers, that allows teachers to create and collect data from multiple choice assessments for little to no cost (provided they have a smart phone, iPod, or tablet.) Here's the basic idea: each student in class gets a paper card with a unique matrix design similar to a QR Code. When asked a question, students hold up their card with the correct answer positioned at the top of the card. The teacher scans the room with a smart phone or tablet (iOS or Android) and answers are recorded.

This is what it looks like in action:

As you can see, as I scanned the classroom, each student's name appeared on my screen to confirm that their card had been read and their response recorded. When that process is complete, I then get aggregate scores from the class displayed as graphs as well as individual scores for each student. Here's what the data looks like in the app and on the website:

This video shows what the results look like in the app. Scrolling through students, I can quickly see who answered correctly, who answered incorrectly, and who didn't answer the question.

Aggregate and Individual Scores via the Plickers website.

It's a pretty simple process to set up. The steps I followed are all listed below. The only trick is to remember that you need to visit the website to set up your classes and then you have to use the app to set up your questions. The other thing to remember is that when you create your quiz, you can't enter the responses for A, B, C, and D. So, I built my quiz as a PowerPoint presentation listing one question and possible responses on each slide. This way students could easily see the options for their responses.

When I was teaching with Plickers and sharing how to use them, I wrote these steps for setting it all up on the board.

One additional note, I added an answer key to the back of each card. I thought this would help students identify their answer while holding their card up for the teacher to scan. I made the letters for the back of the card in a thin font and used a light gray color so that the answers wouldn't be readily seen by a student's neighbors.

Here are all of the files that I used and created to make a set of Plickers and to get started.

• Set of 40 5-1/2" X 5-1/2" Plickers (recommended, scannable from 20-25 feet.)
• Set of 40 8-1/2" X 8-1/2" Plickers (scannable from 30-40 feet.)
• Set of 63 5-1/2" X 5-1/2" Plickers (for large classes or groups.)
• Plickers Answer Key (these were cut out and glued to the back of each card before laminating.)
• Plickers Instructions (from their website.)

Additional ideas:

• If you use small whiteboards in your classroom for student response, Plickers could easily attached to the back of those whiteboards and used for quick response questions. 
• Because the cards are so easy to make, you could make one set of each class and students could keep them in their binder or notebook for your class. 
• If they get lost or damaged, it is very easy to print new Plicker cards. 
• The biggest limitation is that you can't currently track and export data for a class or track student progress directly in the app. But the website says, "Online tracking/reporting tools coming soon," so hopefully that functionality is added soon. 

So, now that you can make your own set of clickers for next to nothing, how will you use them?

Animoto

Animoto is an online program that allows you to create videos using photos and video clips.  It’s fast and very easy to use.  Creating an Animoto account is free.  With the free account you are limited to creating 30 second videos.  However, educators can apply to upgrade their subscription to the Plus package for free.  With the Plus account you can create videos up to 10 minutes in length, choose from 51 templates, and have access to more than 300 music tracks.  

To create an Animoto:

1. Choose a style
   
2. Add pictures and/or video
   
3. Add text
   
4. Adjust the order of pictures, videos and text by clicking and dragging
   
5. Preview and save your Animoto
   
6. Share the final product.

             

Texting School?

I had a conversation with my 2nd grade daughter that went like this on Sunday: 

Rylee:  "Mom, when will I get to go to texting school?"

Me:  "Texting school? What do you mean?" (Bewildered)

Rylee:  "When will I get to text in school?" (She asked me seriously.)

I wasn't really sure how to answer that question.  Rylee has her own devices and likes to text people and it has been a good way for her to work on her spelling.  I worry about her not being engaged enough at school because she often doesn't complete her work and I will often find worksheets stuffed in the back of her desk as I go in to see what missing work she needs to turn in.  She only gets to use computers once a week during her school week and that is about the extent her of technology use during the day.  The entire second grade class just completed a project that was labeled the The Great Brain Report.  Rylee's report was about how ice cream was made and if it was nutritious or not.  She had to write a two page report, create a project, and then share it with the class.  There was a celebration at the end of last week where family and friends were invited to come and observe the projects and celebrate with the students.  The list of ideas for projects that were sent home did not include anything technology driven.  Rylee loves to use her iPad to take pictures and videos.  She decided that she wanted to create her project using her iPad.  So she created an iMovie trailer that showed how ice cream is created.  She did her own videoing and added her own text.  She was very "engaged" with her project and actually enjoyed creating it and learned a lot.  Learning became fun!!! Why aren't teachers suggesting these types of ideas for their students to create in the classroom? I have been thinking about Rylee's question, "When will I get to go to texting school?"  I sure hope that she doesn't have to wait until middle school before she can use a device as part of her learning.

Ice Cream: It's Delicious and Nutritious

Save Money with RetailMeNot

Whenever I shop for home or school, I always check the Retail Me Not iPhone app or website for discount codes to stretch a dollar.  Depending on the store, coupon codes are available for in-person and/or online shopping.   Start saving today!

Turn your iPad into a Document Camera

For about $45 you can purchase an iPad stand that will allow you to use your iPad as a document camera. You can use the Camera app to show work to students just as you would any document camera. Or you can use an app like Stage to record and annotate over live images captures with the camera on the iPad.

When you pair this stand with AirPlay or AppleTV, you can project these images to your students in class.

This iPad stand can be moved around your room to a lecture stand or a student desk. That way you can teach from any location in your classroom and share your own images, student work, or have students share ideas with the whole class.

Make managing images and videos on all of your devices easy.

If you are like me, you have a camera, a phone, and an iPad loaded with images and videos. Over the years I have found that the easiest way to manage these files is to use Image Capture.

Image Capture is a free program that comes with all Mac computers. It can be used to import photos and videos from just about any phone, camera, tablet, or SD card. It will also delete your images from your device once they are uploaded to your computer or hard drive. Just connect your device, open image capture and you are ready to go.

If you have an iPad or iPod lab, Image Capture makes it easy to collect all of the photo and video projects your students have created on those devices. Just connect your computer to your iPad or iPod storage cart or tray and import all of the photos and videos on all of the connected devices. When you are done collecting the files you need, you can use Image Capture to delete all of the images and videos from all of your devices. It's a great way to clean up classroom iOS devices.

Simplify your life and make managing photos and videos on all of your devices easier with Image Capture.

Find My iPad

If you have an iPad or other Apple device (iPhone or Macbook Pro), knowing how to find it if lost is a MUST!  This is a great tip to know even if you misplaced your device in your house, bag/purse, car, or pile of papers on your desk.  

Even though the app and demonstration video use an iPhone, the app and features function the same way.  Watch the video or follow the written steps below:

1. Install Find my iPhone app on your iPad. 
2. Enable Location Services for Find my iPhone app in Settings> Privacy> Location Settings> Turn On AND Settings> iCloud> Log in with iCloud or Apple ID> Turn on Find my iPad.
3. Log onto icloud.com with your Apple ID on your computer or other internet-accessible device.
NOTE: You can use different Apple ID's for your different devices, just remember which is which.
4. Click the Find my iPhone button and select the device you would like to find from the device drop-down menu.  
5. After clicking the green button on the map, you can choose to play a sound, lock the device, or erase the device.

Turn your iPad into an Interactive Whiteboard

Recording a video lesson has never been easier! 

There are several apps that will let you share a presentation (photos, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) and record your live annotations and voice notes. I want to share information about two of these apps below, but there are several others available in the app store.

First up is Explain Everything. This is a paid app ($2.99) but with all of the recording and import/export options it is well worth the money. When you create a new project with this app, you are given the option to import a PowerPoint, PDF, or photos from your iPad or from your online file storage program, like Dropbox. You can also start with a blank screen and add your own notes and annotations. Once your recording is completed, you can save the movie file to your iPad or share it via Youtube.

Another great app is Educreations. It is free and they are adding features all the time. Any presentations you record are saved to your iPad and can be shared via email or via a link to your video on their website. The Educreations website is also a community of other teachers who are creating and sharing their videos, so you may be able to find other presentations that work for your lessons.

See the images below for a comparison of the recording screens in Explain Everything and Educreations: 

In Explain Everything, the primary controls and settings are listed to the left of the recording screen. The page selector, playback, recording and saving options are listed at the bottom.

In Educreations, the controls for recording and other controls are displayed above the recording screen. You can use the controls at the bottom of the screen to change the paper, duplicate and add pages.

Both of these apps work do a great job of presenting and sharing information live or creating screen recording from your iPad for students to review concepts or to share information with students who may have missed your class. From math instruction to annotating parts of the anatomy, class reading projects to professional development, these two apps have application for almost all teaching situations.

BONUS App: Knowmia Teach is also Free, has a database of teacher-created content similar to Educreations and has a ton of great recording tools like Explain Everything. It also allows you to use the front-facing camera on your iPad to record your face while you are teaching to make the videos a little more personal. See more about Knowmia Teach, including some great screenshots on the Knowmia website or in iTunes.

My Story

Today I am spotlighting My Story-Book Maker for Kids. This fun and engaging iOS app allows students to create and share ebooks.

Students become authors as they add text, drawings, photos, and stickers to each page. Then, they can record their own voice on each page and share the story with friends, family and classmates via email, iBooks, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.

My Story is very teacher friendly because you can add multiple authors to the app and sync across multiple iPads. You can have all of your classroom iPads sync to one teacher account via a free Bright Bot Classroom account. It is a perfect app for the classroom and well worth the $3.99 purchase price!

View the video below for a demonstration of how the app works.

Tales2Go

Tales2Go is a kids audiobook service that streams books to computers and mobile devices.  Parents and teachers have unlimited access to thousands of name-brand audio titles that can be used in the classroom and even in the home.  Titles are available from pre-school up to eighth grade.  Tales2Go is a paid service, but a free 30-day trial is offered for those who are interested in trying out the service.  There is a monthly subscription of $9.99 a month or a yearly subscription of $99.99. Audiobooks are used in the classrooms to teach reading, build critical vocabulary, and to help with fluency and listening skills. Student achievement can be improved when adding a listening component to reading instruction.  This is a great resource for kids to have and another way to get them involved with reading. 

Information:
Tales2Go

Link to free app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tales2go/id458539653?mt=8