This is a blog I have read before and really liked. The topic the teacher had that I read for this was the EdExpo 2015 Top 10 Products. The teacher who writes this blog, Lacey, walked around an expo that she attended and made a list of the top 10 products she thought would be the most useful in a classroom today. Looking at these products made me excited to use some in my future classroom. I am going to share a few of my favorites.
The first product was the Touchtronic Numbers and Letters. Touchtronic Letters combine the physical and digital worlds of learning. Includes 26 letters color-coded with consonants and vowels. The supporting free app has games for teaching letter recognition, phonemic awareness and word building. This is a tool where the students can learn their letters with visual aid. It is a lot more engaging then worksheets. I would definitely use this in a kindergarten classroom.
The next product that caught my eye was the Math Bands. These math bands are a fun way for students to practice their multiplication. I liked this product because it is a simple but effective way for students to learn. They can do it at any time of the day because it is right there on their wrist.
The last product I am going to share is the Kapla Blocks. These blocks let students be creative and collaborate as a team. They get the chance to be engineers and think critically about how they are going to build a certain project. As a teacher I would use problem based learning with these blocks. For example, say here is this many blocks now I want you to come up with a plan to build a boat and then execute it.
There are so many great products and tools for teachers out there to engage students and enhance their learning. It is a great feeling to know when I get out into the field all of the resources that are available to help me on my journey as a teacher.
On the iTunes U app there is a lot of great collections and courses for educators on how to implement iTunes apps into the classroom. There are literally apps for every subject and this collection called Using Apps in the Classroom on iTunes U app. To get to the Using Apps in the Classroom collection first download the app iTunes U from the iTunes App Store. Then once the app is downloaded go to all categories on the app. Then click the For Educators icon under the learning resources category. After this step go click see all under the Using Apps in the Classroom section and it will show the 18 collections that are available. I chose to read Scoodle Jam Lesson ideas which can be found at https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/scoodle-jam-lesson-ideas/id1003453563?mt=11. The cover image of the course is pictured below. I also found three other titles that caught my eye that I would like to read later on. The first is Hopscotch Lesson ideas which can be found at https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hopscotch-lesson-ideas/id939801491?mt=11. The second is Aurasma Lesson Ideas which can be found at https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/aurasma-lesson-ideas/id1003451913?mt=11. The final one that caught my eye was Skitch Lesson Ideas which can be found at https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/skitch-lesson-ideas/id1003451827?mt=11.
Scoodle Jam caught my eye because of its unique name. I had to see what this was about. This book gave me all sorts of ideas for a teacher and I downloaded the app to my iPad after reading it. This app provides teachers with a few ideas on how to integrate apps into the classroom that enhances learning. It is also a great tool and a lot of fun for students. Students can demonstrate their learning in all the core subjects and even art. This app enhances problem based learning because the students come up with their own ideas through the interactive whiteboards where they can illustrate their ideas and explore concepts. Students can also sync their canvases to collaborate on the same page. I can integrate this into my classroom by giving students projects where they are able to run the show. This makes the classroom more students-centered and students will be more engaged. I also like the ideas this book gave me because apps like this will make our students more technologically advanced and they will understand how far technology can take them. This book was a great tool for me and could be a Greg tool for other teachers as well!
This course was about students getting the chance to review animal classifications and to learn more about endangered and extinct animals. Students will share their knowledge they gain by creating ebooks that will be published on a public site. They will also get the chance to interact with organizations that are trying to save endangered animals. This idea of students being able to take what they learn and then do something about it inspires me to connect my lessons to the real world. This shows students what they learn matters and that they can make a change in important matters. I could use this in my classroom not only for endangered animals but for any topic my students feel passionate about. I also like how this course uses technology to expand the students knowledge and to allow them to interact with organizations. This shows students that they can deal with global issues inside the classroom.
I read the One Best Thing iBook called iPad in Physical Education: Enhancing Station Activities with Apps. It can be downloaded For free at the iTunes book store found at https://itun.es/us/b3jPY.l.
I chose this book to read because I had never heard of using iPads in P.E. I was interested in this teacher’s use of iPads in her physical education classroom. The author of this iBook is Anne Wendstrom, an elementary physical educator in Singapore. She values healthy lifestyles in children. I was blown away by some of Anne’s ideas on how to use iPads to encourage fitness. Wendstrom combines technology and traditional P.E. activities to create a positive mixture of discovery while also staying active. She also uses this techno flog to better herself as an educator. She has the students use their iPads to review the activities they did that day and to give their feedback. I love this idea because it gives kids a voice. I could use this in my future classroom not only for physical activities we do but any lessons I may teach. Also she uses apps on the iPad to check their heart rate, muscle recognition, and exercises for keeping the body fit. I could easily integrate this into my classroom. If we have a health unit, I can teach the students about these apps and the importance of them. Then we could use them throughout the school year. Wendstrom incorporates iPads into her P.E. classes by having stations. Some kids do the traditional P.E. activities while some are learning in the apps provided. So why is technology important? Why not stick with the traditional P.E. methods? Wendstrom says that kids need to move but they also need to be educated about healthy lifestyles. They can educate themselves by using the iPad to research and monitor their health and fitness. If students are going to be on technological devices a lot then why not be in healthy fitness apps that get them moving.
I think health and fitness is so important. Technology is used for great things in school but also is the cause of why so many are not active enough. If we educate students in our classrooms about these fitness apps and explain the importance of them then these students can benefit and become healthier students. This is something they connect to their lives forever. The most important thing for me as a teacher is to make sure I am a positive role model and that they can follow my example.
To make my digital storyteller I used Adobe Slate which can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store. The app icon is pictured below. I chose this app over the other storytelling apps I also looked at because it had a professional look to it and was also easy to navigate. All you had to do was scroll down and add the pictures and text you wanted. I liked the app because I could make projects look like a newspaper which I think would be really awesome for kids. I would recommend this app for teachers or presenters. I also preferred this app over the other apps because it has a LOT of examples to look at and allows you to explore so that you understand how to use the app. There was a lot of good ideas and gave a lot of ideas of what all a person could use the app for. I think that with Adobe Slate one could present a topic that would engage its audience. For teachers they could present their content that would get their students interested and allow them to see the information a new way. Students could also use this app if the school had iPads available and could make their own presentations about a certain historical topic, English content, math concept, science projects, and more. They then could present their projects to the class and teach about the topic they chose.
I have always been interested in the history of one-room school houses and thought it was amazing how they operated. All those grade levels and only one teacher? I thought it would be beneficial to hear about the school houses from someone who experienced it. It is always good to hear the history from someone close to you because you forget that want they experienced was completely different than what I experienced.
I used iMovie to make my movie. This is the only app I used cease it met all my needs. I could add photos, videos, text, and voice overs. This app can be purchased for $4.99 at the iTunes App Store. I liked using this app because it was easy to delete something if a mistake was made and also could move around clips or photos if need be. I would recommend this for any teacher to use and also for students. I think a fun project for students would be to make their own movie on a topic they are interested in.
This week I read a blog about inspiring creativity in the classroom written by a first grade teacher. She has a lot of great ideas on her blog which can be found on her website, The Polka Dot Apple. She has a lot of great tips on making the classroom creative and this blog specifically talked about technology tools to use. I will talk about some of my favorites!
I’ll start with my favorite idea first! It is a website called ZooBurst and can also be downloaded at the iTunes app store. On this app students can create his or her own 3D pop-up books. She says that this app is user friendly and easy to use. I think this would be so fun for kids to create their own stories especially ones that are pop-up. It would be a creation that students could really be proud of. Below is an example of a pop-up on ZooBurst.
The next tool that would be especially beneficial for me as a teacher and help with planning is called Livebinders. Instead of having multiple folders and filing cabinets that hold all of the resources a teacher has, here is a website that can do all of that online. It is also free and can be downloaded as an app too at the iTunes app store.
Teachers are always needing tools to make their jobs easier and less stressful. The more we use technology, I think the less stressful our careers can be!
To make my screencast I used the app Doceri which can be downloaded for free at the the iTunes apple store. The app icon is pictured below.
This app allows one to screencast, have desktop control, and has an interactive whiteboard. It allows you to save and edit and also record over your videos. I liked this app because there was a lot you could do and if I did mistake it was easy to backtrack and correct that mistake. It was easy to navigate and I think students could even make their own projects with this app. Teachers could use this if they wanted to flip their classroom so that students can hear the lecture part of the lesson at home. It is also a good visual for students and is a different approach then just regular lecture in the classroom. I just think that creating these presentations would take a lot of planning and would be time consuming. Teachers would have to build up their collection; it is not something I could do everyday. It is definitely something students of all ages would most likely enjoy, especially the visual learners.
The first tech edge video I watched was about using vocabulary games on the iPad to help in expand student’s vocabulary. Vocabulary if not taught an engaging way can be boring for students. They learn a a new word and its definition and then are expected to memorize it. For example when I was in school, we would learn a word and then have to give its definition in our own words and then use that word in a sentence. This is what we did for every vocabulary unit. These apps that he talked about in the video above would help kids learn their vocab in a new way and connect it to other experiences. The first app he talked about was called 4 pics, 1 word and can be downloaded at the iTunes app store. It can be downloaded for free but once downloaded one can buy more coins. The game shows four pictures and the player has to find the one word that is in common with all four pictures. I used to actually have this app on my phone and I loved it. It was challenging but so rewarding when you figured out the puzzle.
Social studies apps video above:
Social studies is another subject that can be boring for students if it is just lectured about for the full time. The history video I watched gave a lot of apps that would make social studies more engaging and get kids interested in learning. The first app he talked about was history atlas. I love the idea of this app and I know I am going to use it in my classroom. I would use the app for older elementary because I think they would understand it better and be able to navigate on the app better than younger students.This app has a globe and students can move across the globe and it will give facts about what was happening in that part of the world during the time period it is on. It shows when certain civilizations were on the rise and when they fell. Students can choose any time period and look at any part of the world they want and this app will tell exactly what was going on during that era. This app shows not only the local perspective but the global perspective. It allows students to explore the different dimensions of the world over time. Social studies is a subject I have always loved but I know for some students it is their least favorite and I think this app would get the kids who don’t love history interested in the content. History atlas can be downloaded at the iTunes app store for $3.99.
Fun Math Apps video above:
The last video I watched was about technology apps and math. Math can be a hard subject for students so I think if there is a way to make it more fun and not seem like work then kids would do better with it. This video gave a lot of fun math apps that I can see myself using in my classroom. All the apps in the video are free as well and can all be downloaded at the iTunes app store. My favorite app that he talked about is OhNoFractions. Fractions were always a pain for me and I hear a lot of students at my job complain about fractions. This app allows students to compare, add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions. It will give a problem an answer and the student can answer it. It will then tell the student if they are right or wrong. If they are incorrect, they can tell the app to prove it. Then it shows the fractions in a drawn out form so then students can actually see that one fraction is bigger than another for example. This visual part of the app is what I like best about the app because when students can see where they went wrong it will make more sense to them. There is a full version that costs 99 cents where students can learn even more about fractions.
These tech edge videos are a great resource for teachers who need ideas to make their classroom more engaging and fun for students. There are hundreds of videos on his YouTube and iTunes.
I thought making this trailer was a lot of fun. I could see myself using movie trailers for presenting a lot of topics to my students or to get the interested in what we will be learning about. The iMovie app was 4.99 and can be bought at the iTunes app store. The iMovie trailer was easy to use and I like that it was already preset so that time was not an issue. If one was wanting more freedom with the trailer, they might have problems with that. This is an app I would definitely take advantage of in my classroom. I think it would grab student’s attention and they would really enjoy it.
