Tech Tuesday

Finds and Thoughts about Tech Integration

Everyone Can Create

October23

If you are using iPads, you must check out Apple’s Everyone Can Create series.

Five, free guide books were released this month:

I attended a session by Apple and did some of the step by step “lessons” in these books… there are so many ideas of how to harness the power or drawings, photos, videos and music into the content area.

What I like is they are utilizing their core, free apps, such as iMovie, Garageband and Camera in many of the suggestions.

For example, one “trick” that I learned has to do with a feature in Photos that I didn’t know existed in the new iOS.

Snap a photo using the Camera app. Then open the photo. Choose Edit. There are the usual options such as cropping and color adjustment, but did you know that if you tap on the … (three dot menu) you can choose Markup? You then can use a marker to draw or choose text to annotate on the photo. It then can be saved and used in another app or shared elsewhere. What a simple way to add a title, labels or point out something in a photo for kids. It then can become a part of a bigger culmination of work (like a PicPlayPost media collage).

Here is my attempt at using Markup:

Using an iPad, I took a pic in the Camera app and choose to edit in Photos.

Tapped on … in edit tools and then Markup.

Used the writing utensils to draw an arrow on the photo.

Clicked on the + for more options! Like, Text.

Added a text box and made a caption.

The final result of how it will look when shared.

(Special thanks to the “I Spy School Days” book by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo at a center outside my office today.)

I seriously am thinking about making a study group to explore the Everyone Can Create guides… would you join?

 

New School Year – More Chromebooks – Lots of Questions

September25

We’ve had Chromebooks at Abbot for several years; however, with more devices now being deployed to classrooms as dedicated learning stations this school year, lots of questions are popping up.

I’ve started an FAQ for us at Abbot to help, and I’m going to add to it as needed.

Are there any questions missing? Please comment below, and I’ll do my best to find an answer!

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Keep Up-to-date on Google Classroom

May15

One thing that I appreciate about Google Classroom: it’s constantly evolving. If you are an avid user, I’m sure you have noticed the “pop ups” from time to time explaining new features. Unfortunately, if you’re like me and in a hurry, you may dismiss those “pop ups” without a single thought in order to do what needs to be done at that moment. (We’re never busy, right?!)  And then life happens… and you forget to explore the new feature… cycle repeats until a colleague mentions it, and better yet, shows what s/he is raving about.

Well, I found something that may help keep you in the loop  even if you are an impulsive dismisser: The “What’s new in Classroom” page from Classroom Help. This page is updated monthly by Google itself, giving links that lead to clear visuals on how to use a new feature.

Other ways to stay “in the know”…

So check these out and, perhaps, you’ll be THAT super, cutting edge colleague who now helps everyone else out.

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Noodle Tools with Google Docs

February6

I have been assisting a colleague recently on having students meet a science objective, specifically for space exploration. The students have completed research and have been walking through the steps of how to cite  sources and make a Works Cited List online that will be included in a student choice final project. We have used NoodleTools once again at our school, but needed to figure out the navigation of using the service with our Google accounts. I documented our managerial findings in the following screencasts.  I decided to share them this week via this blog in hopes that they may help others who are teaching the important work of citing sources. These videos are rough, but I love the spirit of working with a teacher to figure something and then documenting it via video as a reference… as we all need those reminders, and even copious notes don’t always give us the full picture.

How to export a NoodleTools Works Cited List to Google Docs

How to cite an image in NoodleTools

I’m sure there are many more things that could be captured via video.  NoodleTools has some of their own resources here that answer many how-to questions, like using it for the first time through G-Suite. Of course, I am happy to help, too.

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Video Tutorials for Sharing Resources with Colleagues

January16
I wrote two blog posts this school year with ideas on how to share resources with colleagues: Use the Google Classroom Reuse Post Feature to Share Assignments and Resources with Colleagues and Team Drives – What’s That?

I since have made these ideas into video tutorials for a professional development day in my district. Please check them out here. And of course, if you have questions, comments, more ideas, etc. please let me know!

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