February 7, 2017

Three Android Apps for Creating Whiteboard Video’s.

From the blog: Android 4 Schools comes this post about android apps that can be used to create whiteboard videos.

Know Recorder is a free Android app for creating whiteboard-style instructional videos. In only four steps, you can create a video on the app and upload it to youtube to share with your students.

To watch an video how to use Know Recorder, click here: https://youtu.be/2f_VnLvi1qI
Know Recorder also uses what it called a Know Lounge in which you can store and share your videos. Here is Richard Byrne show you how to use it: goo.gl/83NwnH

Clarisketch is a very easy to use app that has been around since 2014. You simply take a picture, highlight the details while recording your voice, and share it with others.

To watch a video on how to use Clarisketch, click here: https://youtu.be/njKSAu2ilDY

The last one is one that has also been around for a while but is till good to mention
and that is Explain Everything. The problem with Explain Everything is that is it really good.....but does cost. However, it might be worth the $3.99 if you use it over and over again. 

February 7, 2017

Reminder about Thinglink and Haiku Deck

After reading the post about apps for Androids....I started thinking about other apps/websites that have been around for a while that we forget to use. In particular, two of my favorites: Thinglink and Haiku Deck.

Thinglink is so very easy to use. You simply start with a picture and then you can layer on text, video, graphics, links, and more.

To find out more, please watch this video: https://youtu.be/SlEAmtuR4Do

What is great about Thinglink is there are so many already created by other educators. All you have to do is remix to add in your own content or edit what is there. Here is how: https://youtu.be/SbhdEXZ_Jkw

Another one that I absolutely love due to how easy it is to use is Haiku Deck. Haiku Deck lets you add pictures and text to create an amazing presentation. It is now available on the web as well as an iPad app.

To see how to create a Haiku Deck, watch this video: https://youtu.be/5crVTsJk9QE 

January 31, 2017

Is this website/ online source CRAAP?

An easy to way to check to see if the source you found online is trustworthy is to use the CRAAP test. This acronym was developed by California State University Meriam Library and is a sure way for students to remember. It stands for the following:

• C - Currency: what is the timeliness of the information?
• R - Relevance: does it fit with what you need?
• A - Authority: who is the author/ publisher/organization. Can you trust them?
• A - Accuracy: what is the reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content? Can it be verified by other sources?
• P - Purpose: Why is the information online? Is it to sell, inform, or persuade you?

For more information: goo.gl/fBQub7

For younger students, have them use the F.A.R.T. test: goo.gl/p2j5F7 

January 31, 2017

FAKE NEWS!

Lesson to use to teach students how to detect it.

Think critically!

There has been a lot of talk lately about the effect fake news has on people’s opinions and all aspects of their life. It is important to teach students how to detect fake news and to think critically about the sources they use online.
There are many wonderful lesson plans already made to help combat this trend. Below are some of my favorites:

C-Span Classroom: Lesson Idea: Media Literacy and Fake News

goo.gl/K7vqGj

Ted Ed Lessons Worth Sharing: How to Choose Your News

goo.gl/KHvF5M

SLJ Article: Truth, truthiness, triangulation: A news literacy toolkit for a “post-truth” world 

(Full of great resources) by Joyce Valenza

goo.gl/QspB8I 

January 24, 2017

CK-12 Foundation is a FREE open-source website that provides teachers and students with many resources to use in Science and in Math.

There are science and math stimulations, study guides, lesson plans, videos, and even Flexbooks (digital textbooks that can be customized).
CK-12 was designed to work anywhere on any device. It is interactive with Google Classroom and Edmodo as well as other platforms. Although the site is free to access, teachers and students will gain even more by signing up for a free account. It’s easy to do as you can sign in with your Google account.

Take a look at ck-12.org

To learn more about CK-12 and Google Classroom, watch this short video: https://youtu.be/2aF8gqhEYxs

To see a more detailed video on how to use the features, CK-12 has created a series of video’s. You can access them here: https://www.ck12info.org/about/ck12-webinars/ 

January 24, 2017

From BetterCloud Monitor:

5 Secret Google Drive Shortcuts To Impress Your Friends With

To get the most out of Google Drive, there are a few little-known keyboard shortcuts you can use. Here are five shortcuts for common tasks that’ll power up your productivity (and impress your friends).

n – Rename a file/folder
The typical way to rename a file in Drive is to right-click on it and select Rename. However, you can do this with a single keystroke instead. When you have a file selected, just hit the n key and the rename window will automatically open.

. – Share a file/folder

If you’re sharing a file, you usually click on the Share icon up at the top, or right-click the file and choose Share. But again, you can do this with a keyboard shortcut instead. This time, just select a file or folder and hit the period button. Then, the share dialog window will open and you can share it with others.

z – Move a file/folder

Moving a file or folder in Drive is an important tool for staying organized. Select the file or folder and hit the z key, and it’ll open up a window where you can decide where you’d like to move it.

s – Star a file/folder

Another organizational tool is starring items in Drive so that you can quickly pull up a list of the most important files you have stored. Typically, you’d right-click on the file and click Add Star. (These files are then easily accessed by clicking on the “Starred” list on the left-hand side of the screen.) You can star files even more quickly by just selecting them and then hitting the s key. To unstar the file, hit s again.

qq – Adjust the display density

Do you like seeing a lot of space between your files? Or perhaps you like a more compact view? To adjust the display density of your Drive file list, just hit q and then q again. You can toggle through the settings (just hit qq again) to choose the display setting that you like best.


Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

January 17, 2017

Using the Highlight Tool Add- On in Google Docs

There are many wonderful add-ons available to be used within the Google Suite. One that is making a lot of news lately is called the Highlight Tool.
What this tool does is provide a way to highlight different text within a Google Doc using a variety of colors. But what makes it such an asset comes afterwards.... you can export the highlighted text into a separate document by either sequence or color.

This may sound familiar as there are other add-ons that do the same but the difference here is the Highlight Tool is FREE!

To see how it works, watch this short 6 min. youtube video from Josh Harris: https://youtu.be/tGRRCvbY3kw

There are many ways this add-on can be incorporated into Language Arts, Social Studies/History, or anywhere else that requires research and using information. But that is not all, Eric Curtis shows how youcan use this add-on for Math problems.

Be sure to check out his blog post to see how using the highlight tool add-on can help students solve story problems in math:
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/01/math-highlights.html