FMS Tech

Yesterday at 9:20 PM

NCESD Summer Workshops

from Pete Phillips:

Good Afternoon, I wanted to send along our updated summer workshops again. As you will see we have expanded the classes to include new topics as well as iPad’s and Apps. We have a great lineup that includes Social Networking, Common Core, Flipping your classroom, Administrator use of iPads, and Cloud Applications.

Attached is the list of these summer offerings in technology. All of these classes are in esdWorks.

Please fwd to any applicable staff in your district.

Thanks,

Pete Phillips

Associate Executive Director Technology Services

North Central Educational Service District

Phone 509.667.7109 Fax 509.662.9027 Skype pete.phillips2

PO Box 1847 - 430 Olds Station Road - Wenatchee, WA 98801

Download file "NCESD Summer Technology Workshops 2013.pdf"

June 7, 2013 8:13 PM

Google Forms, Now With Images

I love Google Forms and use them all the time. I gather information from staff and students and also use them to make my life simpler. One example is my students use a virtual bathroom signout instead of a clipboard. They just go to a website, put in their name, and the form records their name and the time they are leaving, so I have a record of whoever leaves my classroom. Today I found out that you can now add images to Google Forms. It's pretty simple to do and it will be a nice touch to make them look better. When you create your form there's a new drop-down box on the bottom left that lets you put in an image. Very simple.

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June 7, 2013 7:21 AM

Collaborative YouTube Chat

I know that kids learn when they collaborate so I'm always on the hunt for tools to get students to work together. Here's a great website I stumbled across called watch2gether.com that shows a YouTube clip on one side and gives you a chat window on the other. Students can watch a video with their peers and have a chat at the same time. The person that creates the chat finds a video or pastes a URL and the video appears. Then they can get the link to their collaborators to join the chat room and view the same video. Each user can have their own unique ID and I would have each student put in a name that the teacher can identify easily. My suggestion would be to have each group send the teacher the link to so the teacher can go back and quickly review the chat for content and also for participation. Give it a go!

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June 7, 2013 6:56 AM

Free Engineering Games

Math and Science teachers have a lot of resources on the Internet and iPad and here are a few more I read about. TryEngineering.org has compiled a list of 29 engineering games that students can play. There are also 114 lesson plans too! Wow.

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June 6, 2013 11:20 AM

Google Drive for iOS Supports Comments on Docs

This is a great move for teachers with iPads, Google now allows you to comment on shared documents right on your iPad. Honestly, I do most of my Google Drive stuff on my laptop but it's always great to have expanded features on my iOS devices and this one is big. Great job Google. Now where's my driverless car? Oh, probably out driving somewhere without me. Duh!

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June 2, 2013 8:25 PM

Learn Spelling & Feed Kids

I've always appreciated websites like freerice.com that not only help kids to learn but also help them to learn to help others by donating grains of rice for every correct answer. But it's online only and there's no iPad app for it. But a new app I just read about called Sproutster HD helps kids to learn the spellings of 3-5 letter words and also donates rice to the UN World Food Program. Here's a blurb from their app description:

All the proceeds from advertising are donated to the UN World Food Program to feed malnourished kids. In Sproutster, you’re a little sprout-dude who is running around catching falling raindrop letters. After you spell a word in your bucket, you dump it on a rice plant and the plant sprouts a word leaf. You travel the world growing rice and we donate the rice you grow to feed real kids. The more you play, the more we donate!

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May 29, 2013 9:15 PM

iPad Workshops at NCESD

NCESD announces our NEW 2013 Calendar of iPad Workshops

I Want an iPad Beginner Workshops

June 20 9:00 – Noon Session ID: 2613595

This is a BEGINNER BASICS LEVEL CLASS. If you are a BEGINNER, and have your own iPad, and would like to take this class - Please contact Nancy Zahn for registration information. - 509.667.3631 nancyz@ncesd.org

Includes a NEW Retina Display 16 GB Wifi iPad with Smart Cover for $685.

Take advantage of our 3-hour workshop to learn what the newest iPad is all about, and then take one home!

Register through ESDWorks, and pay with a credit/debit card or a Purchase Order.

Using iPads in the Elementary Classroom

June 20: 1-4 pm Session ID: 2613593

In this hands-on class, you will learn how free, or very low cost, iDevice applications can support student learning. You will also learn about applications to support you, as an instructor. You will have an opportunity to explore a variety of applications and resources, as well as share some of your own. Come learn how these devices can support the Common Core Standards for elementary level students.

This class is intended for K-5/6 teachers.

It is strongly recommended that participants have at least a working knowledge of how to use an iPad/iPod in order to gain the most from this class. Please make sure to bring an iPad or iPod that can download apps and photos. If using a district device, be sure to check with your tech support person to get it unlocked.

All classes will be working in iOS6. Please have iOS6 already installed on your device.

Thanks,

Pete Phillips

Associate Executive Director Technology Services

North Central Educational Service District

Phone 509.667.7109 Fax 509.662.9027 Skype pete.phillips2

PO Box 1847 - 430 Olds Station Road - Wenatchee, WA 98801

May 30, 2013 7:13 AM

iPad File Transfer Again

I recently wrote about the trials of getting information off of the iPad easily, especially when my kids are doing movies and need to get them to a more powerful computer for using iMovie. Today I found a paid app (it's free for a little while) called USB Flash Drive that does a really good job of linking your iPad to your computer and vice versa. You can transfer files via WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB. The easiest for me was WiFi because I just added a file to the app and went to the website it told me to go to and I was able to download it lickety split. If you have a class making videos or you have larger files you need to retrieve or push to your iPad then USB Flash Drive might work for you.

If your iPad is on the WSD Filewave system let me know and I can push the app to you.

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June 8, 2013 9:57 PM

AnyList App

Any app that can bring families closer together is great by me. AnyList is one of those apps and although I've used 'list' apps before this one just does it right. What it allows you to do is create lists and then share those lists with other people. For example we have one for shopping that my wife and I can both add to. Then whomever is lucky enough to be at the store can just look at the app and see what needs to be bought.

We also used it while packing for our Memorial Day Weekend camping trip and whenever something made it's way into the van we just checked it off the list. Then it disappears (or has a red line through it on the other person's list). I also like it because too many times I'm trying to make a list for the store and can't remember the things I knew we needed four days ago. Another great feature is that it syncs with your Reminders app so you can add things to a list by using Siri. Their FAQ has a lot of great information.

This app makes life easier. Jetsons here we come!

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May 16, 2013 7:25 AM

Technology in Education Presentation

Technology in Education Showcase & the Wenatchee TED Talks

Thursday, May 23, 2013, 04:00pm - 07:00pm

Join teachers and administrators from local school districts, current and former students, and community leaders as they present some of the best methods for integrating technology in our classrooms and plans for the future.

The Technology in Education Showcase will feature a combination of open house style presenters and speakers:

4:00-5:00 Open House
5:00-6:15 Speakers
6:15-7:00 Open House

More information is here

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May 14, 2013 10:41 PM

Quick Mail Quota Check

Sometimes you have to delete your Sent Mail and empty your Trash so you don't go over your allotted quota of 100Mb on the mail server. I used to login online to check my quota but I just found out a quicker way. If you right-click (control-click) on your Apple Mail Inbox and choose Get Account Info it will show you how much space you have available and where that space is being used up.

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May 12, 2013 10:44 PM

Word Clouds on the iPad with Word Salad

I like word clouds and I've written about them a few times. There's something appealing about the the way they look and the idea that you're creating a piece of art, of sorts, with your words and they can also show trends in text. Sorta like a poor man's Twitter. I read about Word Salad today which is a word cloud creator for the iPad. It's somewhat basic but it works well and does the job it's intended to do. The only odd thing about it is that you have to make your list of words in some other app and then cut and paste them into Word Salad to get it to work.

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May 9, 2013 10:38 PM

Bai Board - Collaborative Whiteboard

I don't know why I love collaborative whiteboards but I think the technology is cool and it's one of those things that makes me say, "How'd they do that?"

I wrote about Whiteboard Lite yesterday and my kids tried it out today and really liked it. They love seeing their drawings show up on someone else's iPad and they immediately used it to write/draw messages back and forth to each other. Oh boy.

Today I found another with what happens to have a semi-weird name, Bai Board, but has a ton more features than Whiteboard Lite. It allows you to add text, speech bubbles, highlight, snapshots, web sharing, and much more. One of the coolest features is the chat feature, which allows you to record your voice and post it to the canvas. In all honesty, Bai Board blows the doors off of Whiteboard Lite so give it a try. There's no sign up necessary and students can create a board in seconds and even password protect it.

I like to use these when my students are working collaboratively on a project or responding to a read aloud. Not only does it get them to have to work together but more importantly it helps them to create some working norms within their group, sort of a self-policing mini-classroom.

Another cool feature is that there is a Mac app that allows you to collaborate on a Mac and iPad at the same time. Even better.

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May 10, 2013 7:28 AM

Pointer App

One trick I know you can use with Keynote is to bring up a laser pointer on the screen by pressing and holding your finger on your iPad when you're in presentation mode. This will show a red dot like a laser pointer would, on your screen. It got me wondering if there was another app that would do the same thing but in different apps besides Keynote. I found Pointer in the App Store and it works like I wanted it, with some limitations

For example, it allows you to use the pointer in a web browser (it also has a draw feature) but if you want to do it in another document, like Pages, you have to go to Pages and send the document to Pointer. What I wish is that I could have it running in the background on any app and I could use some gesture to get it to turn on when I wanted, but that might not be possible with the way the iOS is setup. But if I was giving a presentation outside of Keynote I would definitely use this app.

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May 9, 2013 11:18 AM

Scholastic Reading Timer

Here's another app I'm excited to use with my 5 year old, who is just starting to love to read. It's called Scholastic Reading Timer and it's basic goal is to promote daily reading practice by giving kids weekly reading goals and also using a timer so they can time their reading sessions. Here are some of the features:

TIME AND LOG READING MINUTES WITH AN INTERACTIVE STOPWATCH
This feature operates just like a real stopwatch, so kids can start/stop, pause to take a break, and watch their reading minutes add up! Once they’re finished reading for the day, they can enter their minutes into a personal weekly log. Parents can track kids' daily reading activity and see how many total minutes they have logged.

BOOST MOTIVATION TO KEEP KIDS READING WHILE SCHOOL IS OUT
During the summer months (May 6 to September 6), the Scholastic Reading Timer app will be tied into the Scholastic Summer Challenge, where kids can win virtual rewards when they log their reading minutes. Once they have reached their reading goal for the week, kids who are registered for the Scholastic Summer Challenge can spin the wheel of prizes. Prizes include downloadable virtual badges of beloved storybook characters like Captain Underpants and Geronimo Stilton! Kids can download their virtual badges and store them in their personal prize center.

HELP SCHOOLS BREAK THE READ FOR THE WORLD RECORD
If kids are registered for the Scholastic Summer Challenge, their reading minutes count toward the total minutes read for their school. Kids can browse school rankings to see which schools have logged the most minutes right on their mobile device. As part of the Scholastic Summer Challenge, schools are helping to Read for the World Record and break last year’s record of 95,859,491 total minutes read! The 20 schools that log the most minutes will be recognized in the 2014 Scholastic Book of World Records and will receive a congratulatory plaque. Plus, the school with the most minutes read will win a school visit from Captain Underpants author Dav Pilkey!

DAILY TIPS, ARTICLES, AND BOOKLISTS FOR PARENTS
Support growing readers by reading daily tips, interesting articles, and age-appropriate booklists designed to help parents choose the right books for their kids, build a successful home library, engage their reluctant readers, and more!

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May 9, 2013 8:55 AM

US Geography iPad App

My students study geography in 6th grade and they have iPads so I'm always on the lookout for apps that will help them to learn maps, spatial relationships, and geography. There's a paid app ($1,99) that is currently free called U.S. Geography * that gives them flashcards to study the states, US capitals, and also landmarks and landforms. I downloaded it and gave it a spin and I was semi-impressed. It's basically non-interactive flashcards about the states, etc. It asks you to find a state and instead of tapping on the map where you think the state should be you just tap a button to see where the state is and it shows you. It would be much more interactive the other way, but who am I to complain about a free app. It does keep track of how many of the cards you've seen and how many you've mastered. You keep track of what you get right and wrong by the honor system by tapping on a continuum bar from 1-5 on how well you know the state. It will then bring that card or more or less frequently by how well you tell it that you know it. Maybe not the best way for kids who really need to learn them but may not want to be honest about if they've learned them, but again, not complaining. So give it a whirl and see what you think.

For WSD users who have their devices enrolled in Filewave, I've put the app there, so if you need it sent to your device let me know (email).

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May 9, 2013 8:40 AM

iPad Synonym Practice

Another cool app for iOS that I downloaded and played with today is called Find the Synonym. Don't be fooled by the name, though, because it also does Antonyms! Yippee! Plus there is a game called Test 20 where you have to find 20 synonyms and score as many points as you can. The best thing I like about this game is that it's one of those apps that kids will love to do and they may not even realize they're learning. Give it a spin...er should I say whirl.

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May 9, 2013 7:42 AM

Flashcards* on the iPad

I've played with a few flashcard apps on the iPad but most of them have you create the cards on the device. But one that I've used with my daughter to study her Kindergarten sight words takes the cake. Flashcards* is an iOS app that allows to easily create your flashcards on your laptop using Quizlet then anyone can search for them on their device and download them. As you can imagine there are a lot of flashcards created so I found it was easiest to search by the creator's name.

The steps are pretty simple:

1. Download the app here

2. Go to Quizlet and register for a free account

3. Create a 'deck' of flashcards

4. Go back to the app and search for the deck by creator's name and it should show up

5. Select it and start studying!

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May 8, 2013 10:20 PM

Story App from Disney

Since my classes have been going to the elementary school to read to the kids I've been looking not only for interactive book apps but also ways for them to show their comprehension. Today I found the Story app from Disney. It's a great app that works on your iOS device. What it allows you to do (like many of the create-your-own-book apps) is add pictures and text to create a scrolling book. My hope when we got to read on Friday is that after the kinders read to my kids the two of them can write a book together with their own pictures. I'll let you know how it goes.

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May 8, 2013 9:44 AM

Clear: iPhone To-do App

Clear is an app that's been out for awhile that is a to-do app for your iPhone. It's supposed to be pretty good so when I saw it was free today I jumped on it. It does have a neat interface and once you get used to the swiping and pinching it's pretty easy to use. I don't usually keep my to-do list on my phone, it's usually my Mail inbox and Desktop, but if there's something that's cool and easy-to-use (and free) I'll give it a shot. You should too, but I think it's only free for a short time.

You can't download it directly from the App Store (it's $1.99) but you can use this link to download it.

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