Using the iPad with Free Applications in the Classroom

A colleague, fifth-grade teacher Monica Burns, just tweeted a link to an excellent and comprehensive slide show archived in SlideShare that addresses the many ways in which the iPad can be used in the classroom. All of the ideas presented use free applications. In addition, I also want to point out the beauty of a site like SlideShare, which is an excellent site for storing slide presentations, finding slide presentations, and networking with others to share presentations.

Although this presentation is long, if you do use iPads in your teaching or are at a stage right now of exploring the options, it is worth going through the entire presentation. Numerous applications covered also can be used on a regular computer, so there is a lot to gain from viewing the presentation.

After viewing the presentation, please come back and comment on what you found useful and what you plan to explore further or are already using.

Using an iPad with Free Applications in the Classroom from Monica Burns

Wordle, Tagxedo, and now WordFoto

WordFoto is an app that I just learned about that functions like Wordle and Tagxedo.  If you have tried these tools and like what they do, you might even like WordFoto more. It configures both words and photos. Here is an example a colleague, Denise Krebs shared. After she created the WordFoto, she uploaded it to Flickr, where I was able to grab the embed code for the image and attribution.




cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by mrsdkrebs

Here are two others Denise created.



cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by mrsdkrebs



cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by mrsdkrebs

This last one was based on the poem, "And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—"

Here is another one that she created, and offers this description of it:

"Children's Literature is Central to Children's Literacy

Read to a child. It will build literacy.

This photo, "Child Reading, by Dihl et Guerhard Manufactory (Boston, MA)," was taken by takomabibelot on Flickr, shared with CC BY 2.0 license. I edited it with WordFoto on my husband's iPod." [http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsdkrebs/5913123665/in/set-72157628988824805/]

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by mrsdkrebs

To learn about WordFoto visit the site and the gallery of examples available at the site.

Here is a direct link to the app at the Apple Store, where it is priced at $1.99

To learn more about Denise Krebs, a junior high school teacher, I am including a video her students created about the concept of the Genius Hour, an exciting approach to student learning that a host of teachers have begun to implement in their classrooms.

Doodlecast App for Promoting Literacy

Today, I came across a tweet from a kindergarten teacher, Matt Gomez, whom I follow on Twitter that caught my attention, particularly the words "reading," "writing," and "documenting." Knowing, Mr. Gomez maintains a resourceful blog (My Hullabaloo), I clicked on the link in the tweet, which brought me to his post.

The post explains how he uses the Doodlecast Pro app with his kindergarteners to document their skills as readers and writers.  Mr. Gomez granted permission to use videos of his students using the app, but I encourage you to go directly to his blog post, Documenting Reading and Writing with Doodlecast App for detailed information. While you're at his site, look around. You'll find a host of ideas related to digital literacies, information literacies, and reading and writing. The first video below documents a student reading, and the second, a student writing.

Reading

Writing and Journaling

Here is a screenshot from the Doodlecast page at the Apple Store to help you visualize some of the organizational options. One option allows for uploading to YouTube, a feature that facilitates the sharing of students' accomplishments. 

Image: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/doodlecast-pro/id469486202?mt=8

 Note that although Mr. Gomez uses the pro version, there is a free version with more limited options, but a good choice if you want to try the app for yourself.

What are some apps or websites you use to promote students' literacies skills?  What are your thoughts on how Mr. Gomez uses Doodlecast with his students?

Powerful Video on the Effects of Bullying

Not only is this an ingenius digital story, but it also carries a powerful message.

A colleague, Susan Spellman Cann, who is a school counselor and registered psychologist, recommends that all teachers and school counselors should view this video and share it.

The creator, poet Shane Koyczan, garners 4,400 YouTube subscribers, and his video has 350,000 hits. (Maybe, you've seen it already.)



Do you think teachers should view and discuss this story? What's your reaction?

Did You Know You Can Record a Video Right to YouTube?

The YouTube Upload feature has several options. An earlier blog post reviewed How to Upload Videos to You Tube, but you can also use the Upload feature to record a video, assuming you have a webcam or built-in camera on your computer. Many newer laptops come with a built-in camera for recording. Here is a screen capture to let you know where to find the Record option in YouTube, so you can record right in front of your own screen with YouTube capturing the video for you.

So get into your favorite outfit, grab the props for background scenery, and know what you want to say before you begin. You can also try the feature on a mobile to allow for moving about as you record.

If any of try out the process, let us know what you think.

Why We Need Common Core: Is Digital Storytelling the New Persuasive Essay

This Xtranormal digital story has been circulating at professional educational conferences and the blogsphere. I thought I would share it.  Interested in your reactions. Do you think the message of this digital story would have been as effective if written in the form of a persuasive essay?

Digital Story Telling is the New Persuasive Essay

Watch these third graders from Bismark, North Dakota advocate for a new school playground. Do you think they would have been as persuasive if they wrote an essay? Why do some claim digital storytelling is the new persuasive essay?

The third graders created the video on their own using iMovie. What do you think of their skills as digital storytellers?

PixNtell: App for iPad for Digital Stories

Recently, I learned about the PixNtell app for the ipad. I am often on the hunt for new tools for creating digital stories using photos, especially missing PhotoStory, which runs on just PCs. PixNtell looks to be a simple. You insert photos and then narrate the photo sequence. I have yet to try the app, but if you have an iPad, you might. It also runs on the iPhone and iPod.

Screen capture: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pixntell/id532075424?mt=8

I read two reviews of the app, one on Free Technology for Teachers, written by guest author Mr. Kelly Rexine, who has also been tweeting me (@mrrexine) about the success of implementing the app with 3rd graders. His post on Free Technology for Teachers also includes an embedded video 3rd graders produced with the app; while you at the post, look at the video. The good news is that you can embed and share the videos that students create on Blogger and other sites. Here is a link to Mr. Rexine's post, PixNtell in the Third Grade: Guest Post.

I also learned about the app's integration in the classroom in this blog post from Columbia, Missouri schools. Check out the post here: iPads in CPS: Review of Pixntell. Based on this review you can only upload a handful of photos, but the pro version is just 99 cents, so if you like the app, you might want to explore the variety of features in the upgrade.

Will Richardson at Renbrook School, Feb. 19, All Welcome

Renbrook School To Welcome Noted Educator Will Richardson

Maribeth, West Hartford Cohort, just alerted me to the news that Will Richardson, author of Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, our course text, will be at the Renbrook School in West Hartford this coming Tuesday, Feb. 19, 7 pm, in a free event open to the public. The title of his evening presentation is, "The Steep Unlearning Curve: Reframing Schools in an Age of Abundance."

If you can make the engagement, RSVP to the Renbrook School by Monday, Feb. 18. You can use this handy link to do so: http://www.renbrook.org/willrichardson.

Richardson will be working with the Renbrook teachers throughout the day, but the evening event is for the general public. Read more about the event in the Hartford Courant article.

Richardson's new book, Why School? How Education Must Change When Learning and Information are Everywhere, has received lots of praise from educators who have urged everyone in the education field to read it. His TED Talk, Why School? is another source of information on his provocative ideas. Come to the session, and see and hear Richardson in person.

For additional information on Richardson and his ideas about transforming education, check his website: Powerful Learning Practices, co-founded with Sherry Nussbaum-Beach. Here is a link to read about the both: Co-Founders. There is also plenty to explore on their Wiki: PLP Community Wiki.

Recently, I participated in a Twitter chat focused on Richardson's book and attended his workshop at the National Council of Teacher Convention in November. He is a provocative and lively speaker, so I hope you can arrange to be at this event occurring locally in our own background.

Here is a link to the archive of the Feb. 14 Twitter Chat on Richardson's book Why School? #whySchoolBookChat (with Will Richardson), which will give you an idea of educators' interest in discussing his book.

If you are on Twitter, follow him at @willrich45. With close to 35,000 followers, Richardson's reach    is extensive.

Have You Ever Forgotten Your Password

It's the weekend, so thought I'd pass along this video for your entertainment and reflection.




On a more serious note, what strategies do you suggest for remembering passwords?  What strategies do you suggest for keeping passwords secure? Do you teach your students about the importance of safeguarding their passwords?

Go Animate: Fun Digital Story Site

If you're looking for an easy-to-use digital storytelling tool that allows for animation, dialogue, selection of scenery, and other options, look no further than GoAnimate. I suggest everyone try it out this week or next. Here is a quick one that I created to send to my niece, whose birthday is today, Feb. 15. If your students can type even a few short sentences, they can make use of this digital storytelling tool. It can be used to assess student learning in a variety of disciplines or for students to make quick videos reflecting on books they have read or lessons they have learned.

I used the free version to make a 20-second video, but longer ones with more options can also be made with the free version. It is easy to embed the videos in blog posts and to share in other ways. Go ahead, and try out the site, GoAnimate, and post your video in your blog or on your wiki to share with others.

I am thinking that just like Animoto, a GoAnimate should be a required project in the Integrating Technology and Literacy course. What do you think after trying the tool?


Birthday Wish by Judy A on GoAnimate

Animated Presentations - Powered by GoAnimate.


Here's another short one I just made.

Digital StoryTelling by Judy A on GoAnimate

Video Maker - Powered by GoAnimate.


I am actually thinking of upgrading to a pro account, but for now, my purpose was to introduce to you to this tool for making simple digital stories. Although I did not record my own voice, there is an option to do so in the program. If students were working together, they could easily role play a character and take turns doing the narration.

Experimenting with Embedding Rough Draft of Digital Story into a Blogger Post

When your digital story is completed and processed, you have several ways to embed it in a Blogger post. To demonstrate two methods, I quickly made a rough draft of a digital story that still needs lots of editing. Because we need to embed an early draft for feedback, I decided to use this rough cut to demonstrate the process.

I created the draft with iMovie using photos that I had stored in a file. After I created the story as a project in iMovie, I exported it to Media Player, thereby creating a file I could upload. Because this is a rough draft, I used the saved file with the lowest resolution for uploading.

Method One: I uploaded the video to my YouTube account. (Another blog post contains a tutorial of how to upload to YouTube. See that post: How to Upload Your Video to YouTube.) Once the video was uploaded, I got the "embed code" from YouTube's "Share" option. I copied the code, returned to this post, and used the "HTML" view to paste the "embed code" into the post. While I was in the HTML view, I changed the width and height of the video, though you can skip that step if you like. I then switched back to the "Compose" view. Here is the video embedded from YouTube.




Method Two: Blogger has a Video upload feature. The icon to upload is located right next to the icon for inserting a picture. I clicked on the Video icon and used the first option: Choose a file to upload. I located my saved iMovie in Media Player and clicked on the filename. Then clicked to begin the upload process. It took a few minutes for Blogger to upload and insert the video.

When your digital story is ready, let me know if you have questions about embedding it in a Blogger post.

In addition, I would remind you, thanks to Kelly (see comments), to use Vimeo for uploads. You can embed videos uploaded to Vimeo to into blogs, but also once you save them there, you can easily access them in school. Fewer schools block Vimeo than YouTube.

If you have a few minutes, please complete the feedback form. Scroll through to see the entire survey. Thanks.