Sep 27, 2015

Get Ready for El Nino!

With all the news about the upcoming monster El Nino, I thought I'd provide you with two really cool rainy day schedule ideas to add to your database of ideas.

Numero Uno:


Go Noodle.  Are you ready?  To what?  To pop.  Pop what?  Pop See Ko! (My favorite!)  Okay.  I know you already know how to Go Noodle in class, but did you know Go Noodle has indoor recess videos?  There are 10 indoor recess videos from 7 to 19 minutes long that will keep your students moving and motivated! I used some of these videos in my class last year on rainy days, and the kids really liked them!

Numero Dos:

Quiver Vision.  You're gonna love this!  (Thanks for showing me this, Adina!) Quiver is an example of augmented reality.  What is augmented reality, you ask?  According to whatis.techtarget.com, "Augmented reality (AR) is the integration of digital information with live video or the user's environment in real time. Basically, AR takes an existing picture and blends new information into it. One of the first commercial applications of AR technology is the yellow first downline in televised football games."


Quiver has free pictures that you can print out for your students to color.  Then using the iPad/iPhone/Android app, you can bring that picture to life!  Watch the video below to see how it works:




My favorite pictures are the Murphy and Friends soccer one where you can actually guide the lamb to kick the soccer ball into the net, and you totally have to check out Pudsey's 3D Doodle Disco! There are also coloring pictures that you could also use to fit into your curriculum.

So hopefully these two ideas will help to keep your students happy and busy during the upcoming rainy day schedules of El Nino!

Sep 13, 2015

Thinglink

Have you ever heard of Thinglink?  Thinglink.com/edu is a website where you can make images interacttive.  You can take a photo - the thing - and make it interactive with videos, text, audio, and documents - the link! Just imagine all the ways you can use Thinglink in your classroom! You can also create a free teacher account so you can add students, and they can join with a class code.  And...you can also search for other Thinglinks that have already been created, and if you like them, you can share them and use them!

Here is a Thinglink that I created for teachers who want to know more about some iPad apps you can use in the classroom:




Here is a Thinglink that I found when searching the keyword "education."  This teacher created an entire lesson on endangered animals using Thinglink.




Thinglink also has a blog, and here is a link to a post about how to use Thinglink in your classroom: Build Your Thinglink Classroom.

Isn't Thinglink cool?

Sep 4, 2015

Ideas for a 1 iPad Classroom

One question I received from a teacher this week was, "What can I do with 1 ipad in my classroom?" Well, here is a great idea from Laura Sugano, a fellow Ed Tech TOSA.


App of the week:  Choose an app that you would like students to use, and show students how to use it.  Place the iPad in a center-like location in the classroom along with a class list.  As students finish a turn on the iPad using the App of the Week, they can check off their name on the class list.  If the App does not produce a product that can be shared with the teacher, create a Google Doc or a handout to print to show evidence that they used the app.  If the app produces a product (such as Educreations), the teacher will be able to see the evidence on the iPad.


Here are some suggested apps that would be great for App of the Week:

Sushi Monster
Door 24
Math v Zombies
Spacecraft 3D
Virtual Manipulatives
Number Pieces
Educreations
Make Beliefs Comix
Brain Pop Jr
Haiku Deck
Tellagami
Kidblog

QR Codes - Create your own QR Codes that link to websites you want students to go to for research. You can also create QR Codes that show answers to math problems. If you are a Teachers Pay Teachers fan, there are many pre-made QR code activities. 

Pinterest also has many ideas for a 1 iPad classroom.

 iPad Apps for School is a great blog by Richard Byrne that showcases popular educational apps. You can sign up to and receive updates on apps.  I really found this blog useful when I used iPads in my classroom. Most of the featured apps are free or are very low cost.

So have fun checking out new apps for your students!