Thursday, February 28, 2013

YouTube Capture: Teachers Capture Learning Moments (iPod/iPhone/iPad)


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Teachers can capture and share student learning moments easily and quickly with YouTube Capture. Its newest update (version 1.1) now allows teachers to upload 1080p video. 

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The app can automatically enhance your video with color correction and stabilization. You can also edit your video with a trimming feature and by adding music tracks. 

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Many of us have multiple social media accounts for our classrooms. You may communicate with your students on Facebook or Google+, and use Twitter to communicate to parents. With YouTube Capture, you can share your video simultaneously to these sites. That is probably my favorite feature of the app.


Make sure you have permission from parents to record and share video of your students. I also recommend sharing your video as "unlisted" instead of "public."










Wednesday, February 27, 2013

@ClassDojo is now available on @Android

Kid's Zero Footprint Calculator for Environmental Science Unit


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Have your students calculate their carbon footprint with iEARN's  Zerofootprint Youth Calculator. The site asks students questions on their travel, diet, and home habits. It will also provide you with information on how to decrease your footprint, and provide you with a specific goal you can meet. This would be great tool to utilize in any environmental upper elementary science unit. 

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As you can see my carbon footprint is above the average person's footprint. I need to work on decreasing my footprint score.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Kindergarteners Create Animal Ebook with StoryKit


Idea from Molly Rance of Korea International School

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The bookshelf showcases all your eBooks. StoryKit provides you with a couple of examples (Three Little Pigs, Humpty Dumpty, and Three Bears).  The numbers indicate the number of pages each eBook has. 
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After tapping on "New Book" in the bookshelf, you will find yourself on the "Details" page. You can type the title and author of your eBook. Tap on Edit to start your story. 
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"Edit Pages" is where you will see all the pages of your eBook. It also indicates whether or not your pages have text, images, or voice recordings.
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After you create a new page, you will be able to place content using the toolbar at the bottom (camera, camera roll photos, text, voice recording, and paint). The screenshot above is a page from my student's dinosaur eBook. You can see that she included text, audio, and an image. 
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After completing your eBook, you can go back to the "Details" page and tap on Share. The app will load your ebook to the StoryKit server. You can then attach your eBook to an email and send it to any recipient. 
The recipient will receive a link to a webpage that is similar to the screenshot above. The voice recordings are active on the webpage. 

Sunday, February 24, 2013

#IfIhadGlass in My Classroom...


Screenshots from the Google Glass site
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Google Glass is an augmented reality eyewear that displays computer-generated data to enhance the user's perception of reality. According to its official website, you can command the head-mounted display (HMD) device to: 
  • take pictures
  • record video
  • share live streaming video
  • give directions
  • send messages
  • answer "Google" questions (ex. Where is the Louve located?)
  • translate languages
It also uses Google Now to present you with relevant information without you even asking. You can apply for this Google device by answering the following question,  "What would you do if you had Glass?" Use Twitter or Google+ to answer the question with the hashtag #ifihadglass.
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#IfIhadGlass I would use it in the classroom. 

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Share Priceless Learning Moments

Hands-free picture-taking and video recording will allow me to never miss my students' priceless learning moments. I would easily share these moments with the teachers in my professional learning community. Creating a network of teachers that shares quality teaching practices is the best way to contribute to our students' lives.  
These images and videos can also be shared with parents. The hands-free capability of the device will allow me to communicate with parents frequently on the learning that goes on in the classroom. I can take photos of student work or capture footage of collaborating students creating a product for a project. 
Additionally, I would record my lessons to reflect on my own teaching pedagogy. This feature would provide informative footage of my teaching strengths and the weakness that I would need improvement in. I can focus solely on my teaching, instead of taking notes and evaluating myself while I teach. 
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Absent Students Will Never Miss a Thing

With Google Glass's live video sharing capability, my absent students will never will a thing. They can comfortably recover from their sickness at home while watching live streaming of what is going on in my classroom. This will end the frustration teachers get when students fall behind because of numerous absences. 
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Informed Students & Parents


I would quickly send messages that contain important information to parents. These messages could contain information on upcoming school events, classroom projects/tests, or even a quick "report" on the progress of a student.  Parents will come to parent/teacher conferences already informed of the day-to-day activities in my classroom. Instead of the teacher listing the things that goes on in the classroom, parents and teacher will come together to discuss the next steps in improving the students' academic, social and emotional development. 
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The True Know-It-All Teacher

Elementary school teachers need to cover a wide range of academic subjects in one day. We don't always have the answer. In these instances, I would be able to ask Google a simple question, retrieve the information, and have more time facilitating learning. 

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Language Won't Be a Learning Barrier

Our school receives many students who speak English as their second language. The lack of vocabulary is a huge obstacle ESL students struggle with in all academic subjects. Quickly translating difficult words from English to my students' native language will allow them to learn and understand important content.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Everything is a Remix by Kirby Ferguson


Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4











Teacher App Starter Kit for 1:1 iPad Program

This is the Google Slide presentation I created for our elementary faculty who are thinking about purchasing an iPad. Some of the apps are recommended for international school teachers. 



Create a link on your classroom website to your education Instagram web profile. I use the radial or linear blur on the students' faces.
Our elementary school uses Blogger as the students' blogging platform. Feedly does a great job presenting blog posts with its attractive, Flipboard-like interface.
Creating an iMovie to document classroom projects literally takes a few minutes with the iPad.


 Our school uses Google Apps. These apps will give your iPad a great Google experience.




Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Research About Animals with WWF Together App

What is WWF Together?

The World Wildlife Fund, a nature conservation organization, has created an iOS app that lets students learn interactively about different endangered animals (rhino, whale, giant panda, jaguar, marine turtle, elephant, polar bear, bison, tiger, shark, snow leopard, and gorilla).

Implementation Example:

3rd Grade Animal Unit (Life Sciences)

This app would be a great research tool for 3rd grade students to learn about the physical and behavioral adaptions animals make to better survive in their environments (CA Science Contant Standard 3.0). 
Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism's chance for survival.

WWF Together

First you will need to download the app onto your iOS device. 
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After you choose an animal, you will see 9 cards that contain different information. You can navigate the cards by swiping. 

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Title Page: Includes an Adjective that Describes the Animal 

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Introductory Fact

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Photo Gallery

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Threats to the Animal image

Where the Animal Lives image


Additional Fact: Students need to swipe away objects to find a fun fact.


Additional Fact: Students can elongate the bar to find an additional fact. 

Alternatives: This card teaches students what WWF has been doing to help these animals.

Facetime: Contains a video interview of an expert