Tech Resources

Helpful Resources

Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace that it is hard to keep up with the advancements. I spent this summer learning about technology by following chats on twitter such as #ISTE Institute for Science and Technology which was all about using technology in education. Through this experience I met a lot of amazing technology enthusiasts and continue the conversation. I learned a lot through trial and error, and have created this page to help you navigate through some of the most powerful apps to help create engagement, organization, and quality products in and out of the classroom.

LATEST TECHNOLOGY DISCOVERIES

81 DASH

It is too early to tell how powerful this app can be because I just found out about it in the last few days. From my initial interaction with the app and those who shared 81 Dash, it seems to be a backchannel type app. This maybe similar to Today'smeet.com where students with devices can share ideas during activities, or discussions to allow all to participate. What I could tell from it, was that students have to create a user account to sign in, thus illuminating the anonymity that Today'smeet.com can sometimes foster in a negative way. There are times when anonymity can be a good thing in discussions, but more often, we want students to take ownership for their ideas and work. I am still looking for feedback from other teachers to see how they are using it and their thoughts about ease of use.

QUICK KEY

I have had this app downloaded for months, but never used it because I don't use a lot of multiple choice questions to assess students, but when I do, I tend to use Google Forms and Flubaroo to grade them. it wasn't until the end of the year that I was looking to wrap up my unit on the Renaissance. Students had researched and presented information about an important person in the Renaissance. I wanted to check their knowledge on the various people and topics we had been studying in a fairly quick manner. Of course my first thought had been to do a form, but the issue is limited computer access. The end of the unit came about the same time as another round of standardized testing was rolling out. So how do you give a quiz to almost 90 students and grade it in minutes? The answer is Quick Key!

Here is a quick break down of the app- You create your quiz and print or provide access to students the way you have always done it. Step 2 download and print copies of the Quick Key Answer Key- can be found on the Quick Key Site. So far just like the old scantron tests. The next steps are what make the app spectacular and worth the time it takes to make it a reality. If you want to analyze the data, and see how well individual students did, as well as how the class did on each question, you have to create classes and add students. The cool thing about the app is it allows you to upload student rosters via an excel document. This takes seconds to upload. Once you have done this, students will be assigned a student ID number that the app will recognize.

So a quick check on our progress, app is downloaded, quiz is written, answer sheet copied, and student roster is made. You are almost ready. You need to make an answer key either online or on the app so when app can grade your quiz. Once this is done, hand out the quiz and tell students to fill out their student ID number, then let the students rock their knowledge and get ready to review the results. Once students complete the quiz it is time to grade. This is where the magic happens. Open the app, select the class and quiz and scan the quizzes using the phone or device's camera. Results are instantaneous and if there is an issue, you can manually enter responses to allow the stats to be calculated for each student.

My own experience found that it wasn't perfect, but it worked very well. I would recommend using this especially when access to computers is limited. Walter Duncan the creator is also a teacher and an amazing resource for any issue you may have with the app. As I mentioned, it didn't work perfectly, but when I had an issue I posted to Walter on Twitter and within minutes he and I were troubleshooting. In the end my issue was solved by reloading chrome.

PLICKER

I haven't used this yet, but much like Quick Key, it is an app that fits the void between no tech and 1:1 computing. Poll EV, Socrative, infuse learning, Quizlet, etc. are all apps that allow you to check student understanding and provide instant feedback to where they are in relation to their peers. They all allow for the potential to show results publicly depending on your purpose. They allow you to poll for understanding, or to use as an exit ticket, or a quiz. They also all require all students to have a device to participate.

Plicker is different, it allows students, all students to actively engage in the activity with no devices. Students are provided a printed sheet with several QR codes. You ask the question, this could be written on a presentation slide, verbal, however you provide the information. Next students hold up the answer sheet with the codes and a webcam or phone camera scans the sheets and compiles the data. There is a short video demonstrating this at Plickers.com. I haven't used this app yet, but wish I had it this year in a BYOD class with few students having access to devices every day.

GAFE OR GOOGLE APPS FOR EDUCATION

Google is attempting to be the dominant provider of technology in schools much like Apple tried decades ago. With finite budgets, and ease of use, GAFE is a viable, useful and practical alternative to the more costly Microsoft software bundle. So on a page dealing with technology, I think it is only fitting that we start with the apps that are going to be used most often.

I am currently working on my certification as a Qualified Google Educator. I am working through the training resources Google has provided. You can begin your journey, or just learn from their instructional videos at Google Training.

GMAIL

Gmail has replace Microsoft Outlook in many school districts and that number is growing. Gmail is not only a useful communication tool, it can also be a hub for managing all things Google. It provides access to your calendar, emails, Drive, and much more. Google has created a synchronous relationship between its applications that allows for more efficiency and better organization.

DRIVE

Aptly named, this is essentially your hard drive, only instead of being on your computer it is now in the cloud. You can also download Drive to your computer and use and access it the same way you would previously have used and managed your files with an internal drive on a computer, or an external flash drive. Drive is your headquarters, it is where all of your files are stored. The cool thing about Drive is it allows you to create a multitude of documents similar to Microsoft Office, as well as convert files from Office to Google and the other way around. It has amazing functionality and ease of use that make it a tremendous asset. Drive also makes sharing, and organizing documents and files easy. You can simply click on a file or even a folder to share that with others. You can control what editing or viewing access those people have all from your Drive.

SPREADSHEETS and FORMS

Have you heard of the the paperless classroom? Have you wondered how people could achieve such a thing? Well I am about to share with you some apps, scripts and extensions that have allowed me and many others to achieve this paperless utopia. I use the word utopia because no longer will you have to cart home stacks of papers, or have a student tell you they turned it in already, only to find they were less than truthful with you. You will be able to locate papers, files, videos, and projects of all kinds using these apps. You can also cut down on the amount of time spent grading by using Forms, Spreadsheets and Flubaroo.

Forms and Spreadsheets go hand in hand. Typically when you create a form, Google automatically creates a corresponding spreadsheet. It is possible to create a form without a spreadsheet and then the data collected stays with that form. Forms and spreadsheets also allow you to analyze data quickly and easily. Another feature of the connectedness of forms and spreadsheets is that you can choose to instead of creating a new spreadsheet, you can create a new sheet within an existing spreadsheet to allow for better data comparison or organization.

I use Forms and Spreadsheets almost daily to collect and organize student assignments and projects. For every project I assign, I create a form that allows students to submit their assignment. They simply fill out the information I request, typically; name, hour, and the URL of the project, or Google Document they have created. This information is then compiled into one spreadsheet where I can then access all of the assignments for an entire class from one central location. I used to have students submit all things through Drive, but there were still some organizational issues that I didn't like so this system works well for me.

Form and Spreadsheet Assignment Example

SCRIPTS

Flubaroo is a script or Add-on to a Spreadsheet that turns a normal spreadsheet into a self grading quiz. You begin by creating a Form with multiple choice or short response questions. You give the students access to the form through an email, or via your website. Once students have completed the quiz, you take it to create an answer key. Next you go to the corresponding spreadsheet and either add the script for the older version, or with the new sheets, you click on Add-ons and choose Flubaroo. it will walk you through the rest of the process and when you are done, the quiz is graded, and as a bonus, it analyzes the data. This is a tremendous time saver.

Doctopus I had heard about this a few times, and was able to see it demonstrated during an edcamp this year. I think there is great potential here for organizing, distributing and collecting documents. I will admit however that during the presentation, the amount of upfront work seemed daunting, and so thus far I haven't spent much time probing deeper into this script or Add-on. I do have to say that the concept of creating groups, or classes and being able to share information specifically for those groups is a great idea. This tool is an organizational gem and is worth examining.

EXTENSION

Chalkup - This is one that I just learned about, and signed up for. I watched the short video below and thought I have to find out how to use it. It seems similar to the overall concept of Doctopus, however it is an Chrome extension instead of an Add-on. What is the difference? Well from what I can gather thus far, it seems like Doctopus has to be added to each individual document, while Chalkup can be accessed as a connected piece to your Google Drive. You can manage any and all documents with Chalkup from your Drive, by accessing Chalkup as you work with your documents to make them part of the class or classes you want to share them with. Again I am still very new to this and need to investigate more to see the pros and cons.

I must admit I feel pretty cool having Google Classroom on my tech page. It is so new that they are still looking for teachers to test it out. I am planning on signing up to be a tester for this upcoming school year. I can't write a review of this one yet because it is still in its infancy, but it is worth noting that Google has seen the market for such a product and has created its own version to compete with the likes of Doctopus and Chalkup. This may even pull some educators from LMS like Edmodo or My Big Campus or others. I will elaborate when I am able to see more of this intriguing product.

SITES

I can't say enough about Sites- it is the answer for anyone who ever wanted to have a presence on the web, but didn't want to deal with all the HTML coding. Now there are other platforms such as WIX, Wikis, Blogs such as WordPress and Weebly, but Google Sites is connected to student's school accounts and allows for the creation of more privatized sharing of information and content.

For teachers- I have created a google doc that I inserted a table and use it as a calendar for each unit I teach. This allows students to see the daily activities, assignments, and upcoming projects. They are able to access class materials and submit their assignments.

Substitute materials- ever have the issue of not being able to do all of the things you want because your sub won't have access to your materials? Well I create a sub document where I outline the activities and lessons for the day, and also link the documents, videos, and other resources right on the sub lesson plan. I keep this on my google site, and update it each time that I will be absent. The sub simply goes to my site, clicks on sub resources and has access to any materials they need for the day. I can change or add comments to help the sub throughout the day if necessary.

DOCS

Google Docs is in many ways just like Microsoft Word, but in other key educational ways, it is way cooler! Both allow you to word process, add images, edit text, make comments on other people's work, etc. There are things that Word can do that Docs can't, but those tend to be the functions that the minority ever use. When I read reviews of technology that is really technical, there always seems to be the emphasis on those high end functionality that again most people never use. So what is so good about Docs for education? First and foremost the most significant difference is the ability to share your documents with other people and simultaneously edit the document. Docs allows you to have up to 50 people at anyone time access the same document. This has been an amazing tool for me as an educator. I can have students collaborate on the same project all being able to contribute to the completion at the same time. They can use a chat function or comments on the side to converse with each other inside the document to help the editing process. Another cool feature is the revision history. This has benefits two fold for education. First, unlike Word, if you accidentally delete something and save the document, or it crashes, it is at times impossible to get the work back. If you delete the file, there is no coming back from that unless you are a member of the IT department, or smarter than I am. With Docs, the revision history is essentially a list of auto saves that Google has made of your document. You are able to go back and revive an earlier version of the document, or just copy and paste the parts you wanted to the newest version. The second benefit as a teacher is to help teachers deal with the issue of individual contributions to a project. The revision history not only shows earlier versions, but it also designates who made contributions and what they actually wrote or added to the project at different times during the completion of the task. This has helped my students delegate work, hold each other accountable, and have conversations that are closely matched to the real world. I could go on and on about Docs, but I hope you will check them out yourself.

DRAWING

This image is an example of what can be done using Drawing in just a few minutes. The annual ISTE conference, or International Society for Technology in Education is held every June, and the past few years I have connected with the educators who are there as well as those who were not at ISTE. This year we created a badge challenge to design your own ID badge for those not at ISTE but learning together on Twitter and Google Plus. I added a few images, QR codes that link to my sites and the final results are above. Drawing is a simple tool that allows you to add images into Docs and other Google applications, or create an image in isolation. Students in my class have used it to create collages, enhance projects, and even as a comic strip to demonstrate their content knowledge. It is a fun and easy to use tool that can be powerful when used in the right setting.

PROVIDING FEEDBACK

When Students ask, "How am I doing on this?" You can now easily provide feedback in a number of ways.

The first two I am including via a blog post about useful webtools for providing feedback. I haven't used Kidblog before, and while I use Diigo, I haven't used it in the way I will discuss. The information is paraphrased from the post I read by Mark Barnes Blog is Brilliant-Insane.com

Kidblog

Kidblog like other blogs discussed on this page allows students to share their ideas, reflect on their learning, and enhance their writing. The advantage here is not only the ability to comment on the student's work, but to also be able to choose if the comments are public or private. In my opinion, gives teachers a great opportunity to share positive comments that celebrate the student's work, but also private comments to guide their progress and future endeavors.

Diigo

I use Diigo almost daily, and know it is a powerful tool for organization. A great feature about this organizational tool is that you are able to share your web resources with others. Diigo has taken this feature a step further by allowing others to comment on the resources you or students have compiled as they are working on their projects. There is also an EDU platform that apparently would turn this into the equivalent of a Learning Management System similar to Schoology, or Edmodo, or My Big Campus.

Kaizena

Although it may have a strange name, this is a great Add-on to Google Docs where you can provide feedback to students via voice comments. You can already provide comments to student work that is shared with you, but now you can add audio comments to provide clearer, more detailed feedback. You open the doc, and click on the Scripts or Add-ons and then search for Kaizena. Once opened, click on text and leave your comments.

The image above I find amusing because when I decided to start blogging, I went through the process of researching which site to use. I read reviews, and listened to experts. In the end, however like most things technology, I had to dive in. I created accounts in each of these and tried them for myself. Each has some great features, but I decided on Weebly for my own personal blog partly because of the ease of use. I like Wordpress for the overall look of the blog, it seems more professional than the others. Blogger seems also has some great features, and its ability to collaborate stands out. In the end a blog is personal, and your own preferences and needs should guide you to your final decision.

KIDBLOG

I actually don't have any first hand experience with kidblog in my own classroom. I have this in my recommended tools because of the wonderful things I have heard from other teachers who has used it in their classrooms. There are countless middle and elementary school teachers that I have encountered that discuss their students blogging efforts using kidblog. The advantage I have heard most is that there is the ability to create more privacy settings for students on this site.

BLOGGER

What I really like about Blogger is the fact it can be utilized as a collaborative platform to engage teachers and students from across the country. I connected with educators this year who had the idea to discuss the events of 9/11 early in the year. They asked students to interview people who experienced the events of 9/11 anywhere in the US during that time. What came about was the 9/11 blog which my students and many others not only learned about the experience of the person they interviewed, but also discovered a pattern in those experiences and connections to the events surrounding 9/11.

Caution:

Be aware of the share settings when you end your combined blogging project. I just looked at the 9/11 blog and there are hundreds of posts added after the activity was completed by people spamming the site.

WEEBLY

This is my personal choice for my own blog. It has a simple interface of drag and drop to content. You can add videos, images, text and arrange the layout very simply and still get a good looking blog.

Cool Features:

I like the Chrome extension that allows quick access to the blog to edit update. What is really great is the Weebly app that allows you to edit posts on the go. You can easily edit basic posts from your phone or tablet with the app. I use this for my weekly Twitter chat.

WORDPRESS

Wordpress is a more advanced blogging site compared to Weebly or Blogger. I still found it relatively easy to use, but decided to go with Weebly for sure time savings. I created accounts for bother sites and spent some time working with both.

Cool Features:

More customizable, you aren't as limited in the format as you can be with Weebly. It has a more professional look to it. Most of the educational bloggers I follow use Wordpress.

Disadvantage:

It takes more computer/technology skills to use it as seamlessly as Weebly. It is still a pretty straightforward and easy to use program, just more advanced in comparison to others.

BYOD or 1:1 Classroom

Looking for ways to utilize the devices that students bring, or enhance your 1:1 classroom, here are some links that will help create a more engaging classroom.

Discuss Amongst yourselves...Discussion tools...

TODAY’S MEET

Telagami - the app used for my #sstlap announcement tellagami.com/gami/UFMX3B/

Picture Editing and Creation

Thinglink- see @chucktaft for a great example from WWII project

Pixlr - online editing similar to Adobe photoshop that helps create amazing looking images.

Stand and Deliver

Designing and delivering a presentation...

Ever wanted to present something to your students that is on your iPhone, but not sure how? Well there are 3 apps or services that can help with this. Each has its own awesomeness and issues or limitations. Each allows you to share some content that is found on your iPhone or iPad with the entire class by linking your phone or tablet with your computer via WiFi.

Air Server

You are able to access Air Server via a paid subscription. This can be purchased by a district for a license fee and then installed on individual computers. I had learned about this awhile back but the cost for the service made this a option that I didn't pursue. That is until discussing it with a colleague who was looking at Apple TV. He bought and installed the Apple TV, and after having some connectivity issues discussed his intention with our IT department and learned we have had an Air Server subscription for the past 2 years. Now he has returned his Apple TV and is rocking Air Server sharing lots of cool apps in his Anatomy and Physiology class.

Air projector

Air Projector is an app for your phone or tablet that allows you to share images from your phone to your computer. It connects via WiFi and like Air Server allows you to engage your students to content instantly.

Apple TV

This is Apple's answer to the Roku box. Apple TV allows you to connect to a multitude of TV stations, and subscription services like Hulu, Netflix, and many others. Apple TV also allows you to connect your iOS device to the Apple TV and share content via Air Play.

PowerPoint

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that you need not choose just one of these services...I actually subscribe to all 4 (for free), as I believe each of them have their own strengths that I like to take advantage of!

Google Drive

Advantages:

15 GB of free storage, boasting the most free storage of the "Big 4 Cloud Storage Options."

School account increases storage space and ease of collaboration amongst peers.

Integrates Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms for productivity in the cloud.

Allows for easy, real-time collaboration amongst fellow students.

Recently announced "Add-Ons" pave the way for a very exciting future...

Disadvantages:

While Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are excellent, they do not work seamlessly with Microsoft Office files. Formatting and other functional characteristics are lost when converted.

DropBox

Advantages:

2 GB of free storage, with opportunities to earn extra free storage.

Works amazingly well with all platforms and operating systems. Whether you want access on a PC or Mac, or any mobile device, DropBox has you covered. And the interface is incredibly simple to use.

Disadvantages:

Offers the smallest amount of free storage of the "Big 4 Cloud Storage Options."

While the UI is incredibly simple to use, it's almost too simple at times, and DropBox doesn't allow for collaboration on documents or to even create documents in the cloud at all like the other services do.

One Drive (formerly "Sky Drive")

Advantages:

7 GB of free storage, with opportunities to earn extra free storage.

Works amazing and integrates fantastically if you're already immersed in the Microsoft/Windows ecosystem.

You can actually use their simple and intuitive web interface to create Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote documents ONLINE, even if you don't have Microsoft Office at home!

Allows for easy, real-time collaboration amongst fellow students.

Disadvantages:

Unless you're heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, it doesn't integrate quite as nicely.

As of now, LCASD does not allow students to use this storage option at school since it opens the door for students to access Outlook Mail (formerly "Hotmail"). Nonetheless, that's not to say that you couldn't still use the online interface at home to edit Microsoft Office files.

Box

Advantages:

10 GB of free storage

Integrates Microsoft Office to edit Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files for free, even if you don't have a subscription to Microsoft Office.

Allows for easy, real-time collaboration amongst fellow students.

Disadvantages:

No options to earn more free storage.

Designed more for business than education.

Editing a video...

The first link is to the site created by our Technology Integration Specialist. It is filled with great technology content. LCASD Technology Page.

Link to Professional Develop Day Resources

Link to Spreadsheet I created for Technology Resources

Using WeVideo Tutorials The following are done by a colleague in San Diego

Getting Started with WeVideo (screencast)

• WeVideo Basic Features (screencast)

Editing WeVideo (screencast)

Creating, sharing Google Docs

Creating and changing share settings to allow teachers to have access (Screencast)

Collecting Google Docs for Teachers

Collecting and Organizing Assignments Using Google Docs (Screencast)

Technology is an area I am very passionate about. In education it can be a powerful tool. It can connect people from around the world in such a way they will forever be changed by the encounter. It allows for instant access to knowledge. It can be a bridge between information and application of knowledge. Technology can provide opportunities to demonstrate ideas, concepts and learning in ways never before dreamed of. I truly believe technology in many different forms helps to enhance the learning experience. I do however need to caution you that there is a hidden truth to technology. It is not the end all be all of educational reform and student engagement. Technology is simply a tool. It is not a magic bullet or the answer to all the problems facing student engagement or learning. The technological tools at our disposal are only as good as those using them and the training they have received.

When I speak of training, I don't mean that teachers have to sit through hours of instruction on how to use an app, site, or device. We learn by playing around with the tools. My young daughters know how to use our phones and tablets to take pictures, play their games, even send text messages. We didn't spend hours teaching them, they were curious, explored and learned. The training I am referring to is how to best use the tool. How and when to use the technology for optimal results. I have seen teachers who use minimal amount of technology have very engaged students and dynamic learning environments. I have also see where students are bombarded with technology and there is little real learning engagement happening. I say this to reiterate the fact that while I get very excited about using new technology and exploring with it in the classroom, I know that choosing the correct situation to use technology is as important as picking the correct technology to create the learning experience within the lesson.