Haiku Deck

Do you have a presentation coming up?  Of course you do...everyday you present information to your class in a variety of ways.  For your next presentation, why not try Haiku Deck?  Haiku Deck is an app that is available for the iPad and essentially it is a presentation application but not from the same mold as it's predecessors.  Haiku Deck is a quick and easy way to create beautiful and effective slidedecks (presentations) with very little text...which is why I love it for students.  Another great selling point for Haiku Deck (don't worry...the app is free) is that you can find crisp, clean Creative Commons licensed images for your slides right in the app and it happens on each slide as you type your words.  Each image then fills up the entire slide with your words displayed over it and you can choose a layout for the text.  If you can't find an image that you like in Haiku Deck you can always import your own images from your gallery or Facebook/Instagram.

Now What?

If you have the luxury of iPads in your classroom definitely check out the Haiku Deck app and get started by transforming one of your old PowerPoints or whiteboard lessons.  Once you've modeled it for your students set them free to explore and create their own presentations for class.

Smart Notebook App for iPad

Yes...it's true.  There is now an app for that.  Recently, Smart introduced their long anticipated iPad app for Smart Notebook.  The app is not meant to replace Notebook entirely but to supplement it's use in the classroom.  Using this app, you can create and edit Notebook files as well as download from the Smart Exchange.  Currently the cost of the app is $6.99 and it is only available for the iPad.  For more information about the app check out the video demonstration created by James Hollis of Teachers Love Smartboards...

UPDATE:  Check out the Smart Notebook app review by James Hollis which details the successes and shortcomings of the new app.

Now What?

If you have a Smartboard in your classroom then you know all about Smart Notebook and how valuable it is when using the board.  Although this app is not designed to take the place of the program (no access to the gallery and lesson activity toolkit) it is a great way to edit on the fly.  Don't forget that you can also access the Smart Notebook Express website which will allow you to create and edit your Notebook files on a computer that does not have the Notebook software.

Summer Learning

As the school year winds down, parents may be asking you if you know of any good resources for their children to use over the summer.  In a recent blog post by Kevin Hodgson he references Common Sense Media and a 16 page guide to summer learning activities.  In the guide there are reviews of apps and games for elementary, middle and high school students.  You can download the guide here.

Now What?

Parents are always looking for resources to use with their students, post this up on your classroom website or review with your students before they leave for the summer.

H/T to Free Tech 4 Teachers

Subtext

Subtext is a cool app that is currently available for iPad only and it's purpose is to provide a place for students (and teachers) to have digital book talks.  Once you install this free app you can read and annotate ebooks, create questions about the books and even write blog posts as you read.  As a teacher or group facilitator you can create bookshelves for your members as well as set your group as public or private.

Now What?

For those schools who have deployed a 1:1 iPad solution, this would be a great tool for encouraging students to engage in meaningful discussion while reading books.  The teacher could also facilitate this discussion by creating questions and highlighting content.  Subtext is currently offering a contest for users who supply suggestions on how they would use this in the classroom.  If selected you could win 10 iPads for your classroom.

Pinnion

Pinnion is a site which claims to be different than most survey sites.  I tend to agree.  I created a quick questionnaire using Pinnion incorporating each of the different questions types and content areas and found it easy to use and full of features.  Many teachers have asked me about a web-based classroom polling tool which has an app and allows for open-ended responses.  Pinnion has both.  It also generates a terrific data report that you can download and review.  Below is the Pinnion that I created...





Now What?

Using Pinnion was very quick and easy and I was happy to see that you could offer open ended questions to students.  This could be a great way for your students to take a CFA on a phone using either the web or the Pinnion app which is available in the App Store and Google Play Market.  You could also choose to allow students to complete a Pinnion anonymously and use the feedback to inform your next lesson.  One great feature for teachers is the ability to create "Channels" which can be used as separate classes.

Popplet

Popplet is an interesting site which is a cross between Inspiration and Wallwisher.  After creating an account it was very easy to start to publish thoughts to the blank canvas.  Creating on Popplet allows you to enter text, images, YouTube videos and drawings.  You can then link those Popplets together to form an integrated idea or concept map.  Inviting collaborators to Popplet will allow them to edit and create their own Popplets on your canvas although not in real time.  This could be a great tool for classroom discussion if all of your students have accounts.  Sharing a Popplet is simple using Facebook, Twitter or the traditional link or embed method.  If you would like to edit your Popplets on the go there is currently only an iPad app available for download.

Now What?

This could be a nice change of pace for your students as lesson presentation medium.  I can see this being very useful for introducing a new unit and some of the stops along the way.  Students could also create their own Popplets for homework or in the planning of a project.

Show Me

Cross-posted on Free Technology for Teachers

As the technology integration teacher for Seymour Public Schools in Seymour, CT, I get to spend a lot of time exploring new tools which make teaching and learning more engaging and ultimately more successful for students.  Earlier this year, I discovered one of these tools called Show Me, which is an online learning community for students of all ages.  My initial thought was that it was just another Khan Academy.  The difference, I quickly discovered, was that on Show Me you can also create your own lessons...not just watch.  This makes Show Me a very powerful educational tool.

As a student looking to learn about a particular topic you can search Show Me by topic and subject.  As a teacher, you can create your own videos or assign one from the community for students to view.  If you would rather share your knowledge with your class (or the world) a la Khan Academy, you will need to download the free iOS app.  Currently there is not an app available for Android device but Show Me has plans to develop one in the future.  Once you have created something on Show Me you can share it with the world or keep it personal.  Sharing is made easy with one click posting to Facebook and Twitter as well as through the use of the embed code for websites.

Moving foward, Show Me seems to be in the initial stages of building a database of SAT preparation videos.  This would be a tremendous resource for high school students and also can be used as an exemplar for how to create an effective tutorial on Show Me.  On the website there is also a link to their blog called the Show Me Voice which has some great information for teachers looking to integrate Show Me into their classroom.  I found a “How To” section and some featured videos from the public community to be very useful.

Using Show Me, teachers and students have the ability to both teach and learn from the community of videos.  Used as a student directed activity, Show Me empowers students to think about a topic and how it should be presented.  As educators, we know that the highest level of understanding is achieved when a student knows the material well enough to teach it.  Show me give students that opportunity through the use of technology.  Below is an example of a simple lesson on the parts of the tuba created by a Seymour High School student in @Brandt Schneider’s class:

Now What?

If you have some iPads in your classroom it’s time to get recording!  Use Show Me to assess your students rather than using a paper and pencil.  Creating an account on Show Me is free and will have you up and running in seconds.  A tip for beginners is to use a stylus with the iPad to have more control over your drawing.  Also, In order to create more advanced videos you can pause your recording and then clear the canvas which will simulate a multi-page file.  Have fun!

Quixey

If you are using tablets or iOS devices in your classroom then you are constantly looking for new and exciting apps to share with students.  There are soooooooo many apps and so much to sort that it can be very frustrating and time consuming.  In the past, I reviewed a website which recommends apps for special needs students and also a website called Smar Tots that reviews apps by age and content and also provides you with reports based the student's use.  Today I found Quixey which is a search engine for apps.  Pretty unique idea (darn should have invented that!) and I found Quixey very easy to use and the search results were excellent.  You type in a search string or what you want the app to do and then voila you get your app results and you can then filter by free/paid or the platform (android, iOS, facebook, etc.).

Now What?

Quixey seems like a great time saving tool for teachers who are looking to find apps for their class but don't want to search around the market.  Quixey could also be a great tool for students and parents as well.

Tablet Quiz

Tablet Quiz is a website which allows you to create a survey or quiz and then turn it into an app for an iOS or Android phone or tablet.  I found creating a quiz on Tablet Quiz very simple and you can even include images, audio and video in your questions.  In one quiz or survey you can have up to 20 multiple choice questions with four answers for each.  Currently the app runs on iOS but not Android although it is in the works.  You can also run it in browsers such as Safari and Chrome which will run apps.  When your app is completed you will receive an e-mail from Tablet Quiz with a download link and code.  You can then send that along to those taking the quiz or survey.

Now What?

This seems like a quick and easy way to create a quiz for students in your classroom if they have access to an mobile device.  Being that the format is multiple choice only...this would have to be used as a quick assessment and not a check for deeper understanding.

SnaPanda

As we continue to move forward with 21st century skills and tools, the use of smartphones in the classroom will become a highly debated topic.  Some teachers at the high school are already venturing down that path and will prove to be the trailblazers for our district.  While reading about some of the apps that students can use in school, I came across this android app called Snapanda.  It is basically a dictionary app that uses the phone's camera feature to allow the user to select the word they don't understand from a piece of print text.  Very cool app and of course free.  Check out the introductory video below.