21 Day Twitter Challenge

For this blog post, I'm actually linking you to another blog post on my Learning Commons website. It's a 21 Day Twitter Challenge! I'm challenging the McGowen staff and anyone else who feels inclined to join us. In fact, it would be much more powerful if other campuses (RJE:)) joined us so there is more collaboration and we are connecting with more people. The power of Twitter really becomes evident when you collaborate and connect with people you've never met F2F (that's face to face, but in Twitter language).

I hope we have great participation in the Twitter Challenge! It starts THIS THURSDAY, March 19 and runs through April 8, 2015. The 21 days includes weekends, because Twitter truly is anytime, anywhere learning:)

If you're going ALL IN with us, use the hashtag #21daystwitter when you post. During the challenge, I'll post to this hashtag with (hopefully) other helpful hints and links that can make you a Twitter pro!

Have fun! Reach out to Melanie Burford or Laura Bates if you have any Twitter questions.

Here is the link to more information about the challenge and your daily tasks.

Googlicious Apps, Extentions, and Add Ons

I was fortunate to go to the Google Academy at TCEA this year.  I learned sooooo much about how we can use Google tools to create engaging and authentic learning experiences by collaborating and accessing their work inside and outside the classroom!  One of the concepts I was able to explore was Google Apps, Extensions, and Add Ons.  Google Apps are software programs that you can install to your Google account, and Google Extensions are mini programs that modify and enhance the Google Crome browser.  Add Ons are features within Google products that enhance its functions.

I went to a session at TCEA where Monica Martinez (Google GURU), shared a Chrome Webstore Extension and App Database sorted by content areas.  Check it out!


At last week's Technology Committee Meeting, Denise did some further teaching on Google, then she had them spend some time in the Google Chrome store exploring Apps, Extensions, and Add Ons as well as taking a look at the above database link.  Denise shared a Google Doc for them to add apps and extensions that they felt would be useful to our students and staff.  You can access the RJE's Favorite Google Apps, Extensions, and Add Ons list and feel free to add any that you come across that you think are especially useful!

Jan wanted to share something, so she is my guest blogger!

I discovered a cool Google App called Loupe Collage.  You can create a photo collage in many different shapes using your pictures on your computer or those on your Facebook or Instagram page. You can even use photos that you upload from the web.   It is so easy.  Try out Loupe .  It's LOTS of FUN.

Jan will get 5 stars on her cape for sharing and being a guest blogger.  If you find something share worthy, you can add it to the RJE's Favorite list or write up a blurb, and I will make you a guest blogger.  Sharing is caring (and remember, every 5 stars on your cape is a chance to win a iPad mini on June 5th)!

Contact Groups in Google Drive

Hello Everyone!
I recently learned another Google Drive tip that is definitely worth sharing...it's Contact Groups. If you ever want to share folders, documents, presentations with a group of people (like your class), you can do it by sharing it with a group, rather than sharing it with individual people and having to keep up with anyone's email or Google username. Watch this video to find out how to create your own contact group within Google Drive:




If you give Contacts a try, let me know! I'd love to know how it's working with your students, your grade level, or your PLC.

Laura's New Favorite

Hello!  Last week we heard about Melanie's new favorite,
so I wanted to share my new favorite with you this week!
It is a web based design site called Canva.  It is FREE and super cool!  You can design presentations, posters, cards, invitations, photo collages, and much more!

It has a design school, tutorials...looks very professional.  After you finish your design, you can download it as an image, a pdf, or get a link to it.  There is even a free iPad app!  

I showed it to Michelle, and she was all over it!  How could you use it?  Let me know and I will give you a star for your cape!

I think I Have a New Favorite...

App for the iPad! It's really difficult for me to commit to saying I have a "favorite," but right now Shadow Puppet EDU is the winner! I am thinking of so many uses for it!

In a nutshell, Shadow Puppet allows you to create a slideshow very easily and quickly. Features of Shadow Puppet that I love:

• You can add photos and video clips
• You can overlay text
• You can draw on the screen as you're recording with an emoji or a "magic wand" (This is my favorite part!!)

Here is a video created with Shadow Puppet, demonstrating how to use Shadow Puppet:

I've been looking for a good "slideshow" app for awhile - one that was user-friendly, that didn't have "hiccups" and worked seamlessly. I've had great luck with this app! Also, be sure to look for the magic wand feature - definitely something sets this app above from the rest - IMO, of course:)

Check out the Shadow Puppet EDU website sometime. There are lesson plan ideas, sample projects, etc. You can also follow Shadow Puppet EDU on Twitter - @puppet. I've tweeted a couple of times about the app and they always reply or mention it on Twitter.

Class Dojo

Sarah Kile is our first guest blogger of the year!  She wrote this article on Class Dojo.

Class Dojo is a fairly new app that allows teachers to recognize both positive and negative behaviors in real time during class.  Good behavior, such as working hard, helping others, or participating, earns points and a high-pitched game-show chime for all to hear.  Behavior that “needs work”, like disrupting others, being off task or wasting time, results in a loss of points and a sad, out-of-tune bass sound.  I have been using this app as positive reinforcement.  Every time the high-pitched chime sounds, each student is looking at the board eager to see if it is them that earned points.  I have noticed that the amount of hard work and on task behavior has heightened since using the app.

There’s several great features of this app.  One is obviously acknowledging those students who do the right thing and behave accordingly.  Another fun feature is that the kids can choose their avatar.  They can choose a purple bear with yellow lips and a horn, a one-eyed furry gray creature, a blue fluid octopus, and many more.  This allows them to take ownership of not only their avatar, but also their behavior.

Another great feature is that parents can log into the site at any time during the day and see how their child is behaving at school.  They are able to view what challenges their child is having, as well as what they are consistently doing that is viewed as positive.  When teachers reward points and take away points, there is a comment box where teachers can get more specific in case the parent does log in and looks at their child’s behavior.  It’s a great communication tool and could come in handy during parent/teacher conferences.

So to summarize:

What I LOVE about Class Dojo:

1.  Students pay attention and try to earn points!  They are excited!

2.  Just by rewarding positive points, students exhibiting poor behaviors will usually stop them without me having to recognize the negative behaviors.

3.  I can keep track of a point system electronically!

4.  There is even an app for your iPad or phone so that you can use Class Dojo everywhere!

5.  When you award or take away points, there is a space each day to write a note about the behaviors.  This is great to keep track of behavior management records or parent conferences.

6. It's FREE! www.classdojo.com 

Year THREE of MCG/RJE Tech Superheroes!

It's time to kick off year three of Technology Superheroes! The purpose of this program is to encourage the integration of technology in your classroom, to introduce you to new tools and ideas and to encourage you to problem solve and help each other with technology-related issues. For anyone who is new to McGowen or RJE, here is a brief explanation of this blog and our program:

1. Email Laura Bates (RJE) or Melanie Burford (McGowen) to let them know you want to participate. We will put a sign by your classroom door on which stars for your superhero cape will be displayed.
2. Watch for an email with a update to our Technology Superhero blog. If you try a tech tool mentioned in our blog, email Melanie or Laura with evidence that you used that tech tool. It could be a picture of a student product, a screen shot on your computer, etc. (McGowen is also implementing another way to "turn in" projects this year via a Google Form. More information about that later and in a separate post or email.) Once you have submitted your evidence, you just earned a star for your cape! Laura or Melanie will come by to add it to your Technology Superhero sign.
3. If you help a staff member with troubleshooting a technology issue (that would have been a potential Technology Help Request), have the staff member you helped send a brief email to Melanie or Laura telling us how you were at Technology Superhero Problem Solver! You just earned another star for your cape!
4. You will earn your first star just by accepting the challenge to participate!
5. You may use the blog archive to look at posts from last year and use those ideas. (Example: I LOVE Thinglink and strongly encourage you to try that tool, but I won't write a new blog post about it...yet.) If you read an old post and implement one of those ideas, it will count for a star on your cape.

Prizes: 
5 Stars- Jeans pass!
10 Stars- Fuzzy Fingers to clean your laptop/iPad screen, or a decal for your laptop (We will have several for you to choose from.) 
15 stars - choice of a Hub Man (has flexible arms and legs with a USB port at each to allow you to use more tech gadgets with your laptop or Mac Mini) or a USB memory stick. **  

For each 5 stars collected, a raffle ticket will be earned toward a chance to win an iPad Mini*. Drawing will be held on the staff workday, June 5th. 

*The iPad will be checked out to you and it is intended for professional and classroom use. In the event of your transfer away from McGowen or RJE, the iPad must be returned.

And, have no fear, because your Technology Committee is here! Please let your Technology Committee know how we can support you. 

“If the prospect of living in a world where trying to respect the basic rights of those around you–and valuing each other simply because we exist–are such daunting, impossible tasks that only a super-hero born of royalty can address them…then what sort of world are we left with? And what sort of world do you want to live in?” ~Wonder Woman

**Prizes for 10 stars or 15 stars are subject to change without notice, depending on what cool techy goodies we can find at WalMart:)

iTunes U and McKinney ISD

The Media Resource Specialist group has spent time this year creating courses in iTunesU. If you've never explored iTunesU before, you will be AMAZED at the amount of free resources available. iTunesU is the perfect example of the "learn anywhere, anytime" mentality. All you have to do is log in to iTunes with your Apple ID and explore the iTunesU library. You can do this from an iPad or your MacBook. You can download courses or e-books to your device and read them whenever and wherever you want. I specifically remember downloading a course onto my iPad, then reading it and watching videos within the course while I waited for a doctor's appointment. That's right - it's all about time management! HA!

Here are a few more tips to get you started with iTunesU.
When you're in iTunes, look for the iTunes U link:

Once you're in iTunes U, search for McKinney ISD and you should find our courses. There are only a few courses right now, but check back often! As courses are completed OR added to, they will be added to the McKinney ISD library!

One of my favorite things about iTunesU courses (especially as a creator of some), you don't ever have to be "finished" with your course. You can add materials, lessons or activities at any time, so even if a course is published, more materials are likely to be added to it.

With summer quickly approaching, I thought this was the perfect time to introduce this amazing resource. Don't forget - it's multi-platform, so you can access iTunesU via your macbook or an iPad. If you're on an iPad, find your iTunesU app (it is an Apple app that should be on all iPads.)

If you have any questions about iTunes U and how to get going, let me know! I'd be happy to show you:)

GoNoodle-Brain Breaks

Guest blogger Jan Sullivan shared this site with us.  

It is a super cool way to give your students a brain break when they are fidgety or lethargic!  

Check out this link to the site to watch a short video intro that will help get you started!

Here's another link to a tutorial that you might find helpful.  And, did I mention that it is FREE?!?

What GoNoodle Brain Break does your class love?  

Share it in the comments below for an extra star for your cape! :)))

Vine Videos

Many of you have probably heard of the iPhone app called "Vine." Here's a little description of Vine from their website: "Vine is the best way to see and share life in motion. Create short, beautiful, looping videos in a simple and fun way for your friends and family to see."

With Vine, you create 6 second videos that loop over and over until you make it stop:) I got the idea of using Vine with Vocabulary from Twitter (surprise, surprise.) A word of caution: Vine is frequently used as a social media site, for silly, fun videos and comments that could be inappropriate for children. When I suggested that my teachers try Vine with Vocabulary, I told them to only let the students use Vine with the teacher's iPad and monitor them closely (i.e. only let them create Vines, don't let them browse the gallery.) 

Once the students' vines are created under the teacher's account, the teacher can go to Vine's website and embed their vines into their own teacher websites or wikis for student viewing and sharing. 

Using Vines for  Vocabulary is a great way for students to demonstrate their mastery of a word through words and visual representation. Also, when students view other vocabulary vines, they get another person's examples, explanations... and on top of that they get the repetition of that 6 second video looping over and over again.

Amber Evans and Marley Goodwin had their 3rd grade students make Vocabulary Vines when they were learning about geometry. Check Amber's out here and find Marley's vines here. Way to go 3rd grade!

Angela Stallbaumer, Sarah Feeney and their 2nd graders created Vines to show their understanding of suffixes. Check them out here.  Way to go 2nd grade!

There are many, many ways that Vines could be used in education. One of the greatest things about it is the time limit on the videos. If you need a quick activity and you want your students to publish something, but you don't have time to spend days on a project, Vine is great option!! I sometimes create vines just to "show off" what students are doing. Here's an example:






Hope you enjoy using Vine!! If you have any questions about it, or would like some support using it in your classroom, please let me know:)

**Please note: The Vine app is NOT downloaded onto the school iPads because of the reasons mentioned above. We don't want our students visiting the gallery and viewing public videos and comments. You can, however, download Vine onto your teacher iPad or your phone - doing it this way allows you to monitor more closely:)

More Google Chrome Awesomeness - URL shortener

A couple of weeks ago, Laura wrote a post about Google Chrome's Incredible Start page. I tried to think of a topic that was NOT related to Chrome, but gave up and decided to share my new favorite time-saving tip. One of the coolest tricks I learned at TCEA (or after TCEA really, when I took a few moments to digest all I learned), is the Google URL shortener.

If you are using Chrome, look at your menu bar on the far left and click on the "Apps" button.

Search for "URL shortener." You are looking for an extension. Once you install it, an icon for it will appear just to the right of your URL window.

There it is! I have a URL shortener icon and when I click it, I get a shortened URL (http://goo.gl.....). My favorite thing about it is the QR code! I click on the QR code and I can copy it and paste it into a word document to print, into a Keynote presentation, etc. 

This is such a time saver! With one click, I get a shortened URL (that is super easy to cut and paste into an email, for example) AND a QR code for any webpage I visit. Love, love, love this!

If you give this Google Chrome awesomeness a try, or discover another Chrome extension that you love, please share it with us:)

Incredible StartPage

Wouldn't you like an "Incredible Start" every time you opened up a browser?

I attended a couple of sessions at my technology conference last week by a gal that is a professional presenter.  She raved about Google Chrome and all of the great plug ins that it has.  So...needless to say, I am now a believer.  You will need to create a google account if you don't already have one.  After that, you can go to the Chrome Web Store and find all kinds of goodies.  A quick and easy plug in with high impact to me is Incredible StartPage.  After installing the plug in, this is what my home page looks like:

I was given the option to import all of my bookmarks from Safari, customize my theme, and write on the sticky note!  A neat feature is that it keeps a list of my recently closed sites, so I can revisit something that I may have accidentally closed or forgot to bookmark!  And, if you are on a different computer, after you log into Google, your Incredible StartPage should follow you!

You will probably need to install Google Chrome on your laptop.  After you install it, visit the Chrome Webstore to search for and download the Incredible StartPage plugin.  The sleek format of this plug in makes me happy each time I launch Chrome!

Tip for iPads: Add to Home Screen

A lot of you may know about this, but it is such a handy tip, I wanted to send this out to everyone. If your students use a favorite website, or frequently use a website on your iPad(s), you really want to do this. For instance, our 1st and 2nd graders are deep into research about polar bears and penguins. So, adding arkive.org as a weblink on the iPads will come in super-handy.

I made a Snap Guide (another cool app!) explaining the few steps necessary to make a weblink on your iPad. If you make a weblink on your iPad with a favorite website, it looks just like any other app. By clicking on the link (or app button), it will take the student directly to the website where you want them, so there's no URL typing or anything!  Take a look at the snap guide below to learn how to do this.


Check out How to Add a Web Page to Home Screen by Melanie Burford on Snapguide.

Scanning App

Penney Bell let me know about a new App that she has been using. It is called Scanner Pro and lets you scan anything with your iPhone or iPad. Then you can email it to whoever needs it. I can scan a paper and immediately send it to a parent, or print it without having to leave my classroom! It is on sale now for $2.99.  I have an app called TurboScan that I love.  Both are definitely worth the $!

ReadWriteThink

I wanted to share a site that has been around for years, but I ran across it again the other day, and I noticed that they have added some new features.

http://www.readwritethink.org

I really like the Student Interactives!  This site doesn’t allow students to save their activity, so you must allow time to complete it and print.  Some are games that won’t require printing.  From the home page, hover over the Classroom Resources Tab, then choose Student Interactives. There are many ways to explore…by grade level, by learning objectives, search, etc.  There are plot diagrams, story maps, book cover creator, and timelines.  Check out all of the poetry options on the main page on the “Featured” tab.  Cool stuff!

 Please post a comment below if you integrate this site into your instruction.  Melanie or Laura will give you a star for it!  

Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck - "Presentation Software to Set Your Story Free!"

Here is a sample Haiku Deck that I made this summer to demonstrate how you can use the app with vocabulary:



Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

It is a FREE app on the iPad. You can add lines of text on top of a picture. There are many templates to choose from and the gallery of pictures that you can use in your Haiku Deck is AMAZING!

There are many ways to use Haiku Deck - Vocabulary applications, research projects, slideshows and much more. You can easily create a Haiku Deck slideshow of your students at a field trip or working at school and send the Haiku Deck link to your parents.

Here is Angie Stallbaumer's page of Haiku Decks she recently created with her students. They demonstrated their mastery of Science vocabulary words.
Stallbaumer's Haiku Decks

One last thing - Haiku Decks are easy to get off of your iPad. Just make sure your students are logged into your Haiku Deck account while they create their presentations on the iPads. Once they are finished, log in to HaikuDeck.com and your students' projects will be there waiting for you:) You can take the web versions of their projects and email them to parents or embed them into your wiki or website.

Enjoy Haiku Deck! If you have any questions about it, or you have an idea for project and would like some support with it, please let me know! I'm always happy to help.

Posters with Quotes

I came across this on a blog I subscribe to, and I thought it had tons of possibilities!  Recite  http://www.recitethis.com Here is the link to the site, but when a backpack ad comes up, click on the button on the top right to go on to the site. It is a website that you can turn text into a poster that can be printed or saved…just right click on the image and so a “save as.”  It has many styles to choose from.  And, it doesn’t require a log in!

Ideas:

• Have students summarize a book.
• Have students reate an advertisement.
• You or your students can quote a character from a book.
• Have students design a book cover.
• You can design instructional quote.
• You can reinforce classroom management tool by designing a poster.
• You could upload your own image and have students place adjectives all over it.
• Have students design a poster with a short poem they composed.

Here are a couple more similar sites...

http://www.pinwords.com - Can upload your own image, no log in

http://quotescover.com - Has quite a few ads, not as user friendly for kids

Please let Laura or Melanie know what uses you come up with for these cool sites!

iPhone App Suggestions

iPhone App Suggestions 

by Guest Blogger.....RJE's Penney Bell

My Apps tips for saving time with my I-phone:

1.  I downloaded the Key Ring App to hold all of my shopper cards—you simply scan the card and then you can open the App on your phone at the store to use your customer number. The cashier can actually scan the barcode from your screen. Walgreens, Eddie Bauer, CVS, Ford, Kroger, Lowe's, Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples are all participants that I have added to my list. It also shows you offers and sales, and lets you put your list in the App. 
2. The American Red Cross App can be added to get weather updates/warnings for any county in the U.S. I have loaded the locations for both my kids, my parents, and my house. It also offers lots of tips on how to prepare for emergencies, and what to do once an emergency has occurred. (When a warning appears on your screen don't panic—it always shows the tornado symbol to let you know it is from that App., no matter what kind of warning it is.)

Screen Capture Videos

Ever feel like you're repeating yourself over and over? Ever want to get a message out and an email just won't do it? Try Quicktime Screen Capture videos. Since we all have MacBooks, screen capture videos are SUPER easy to make. I have used this mac tool so many times. Here are some of the ways I've used it:
- make a how-to video for fellow staff members (such as how to add a printer to your computer)
- make a how-to video for parents (such as accessing iStation or how you taught a particular Math concept)
- make tutorial videos for students (re-teach a lesson or create this video so they can visit it again and "pause" you when necessary)
- Use Quicktime along with your Reflector app to make a tutorial video with your iPad (if you have Reflector installed onto your mac mini, you would have to create your video using your mac mini)

Anytime you want to show someone step-by-step how to do ANYTHING on your computer screen, use Quicktime! After you create your video, your video is saved onto your computer. From there, you can send it to YouTube or Vimeo for publishing.

With Quicktime, you can also make Movie Recordings (my webcam comes open so I can record myself), or just an audio recording. You can record yourself giving directions for your students, or you may want to record your students as they are reading, talking through a math solution, explaining their thinking, etc. There are SO many amazing uses for this application!

 Here is a screen capture video I made about Quicktime's screen capture tool:

Click here for a video that Amber Evans made. The video is a "how to" video showing us how to embed a Symbaloo onto a website.

Here is a screen capture video that I made today using my Reflector app and my macbook. I displayed my iPad on the screen and recorded myself as I demonstrated how to use the Google Earth app. This way, when your students say, "How do I do that?" or "What do I click on?", this type of video will alleviate that problem:)

With this tool or any other tool mentioned on this blog, please contact me if you want to know more or if you need any help with it. Happy screen-casting!

Screen Capture Mac Tool

Welcome to a new year of Technology Superheroes!  Thanks for joining us. We hope to provide some new learning for you.  It is not too late to join…just email Melanie or I letting up know you want to participate.  If you have an idea for a blog post, please let Melanie or I know.

Last year, I posted about a super handy screen capturing tool called Jing.  Well, my fabulous AP, Michelle Baumann, showed me a tool I like even better because it is already on my MacBook and doesn’t require a download.   If you go to System Preferences, choose Keyboard.  Up in the box towards the top, choose Keyboard Shortcuts, then Screenshot (on the left).  Check the options you would like to use, then you can click on it and rename it something easier for you to remember.  For example, I use the selection options all the time, so I renamed the “Save Picture of Selected Area as File” to Option F (using the option key by the spacebar.)  I also renamed “Copy the Selected Area to the Clipboard Option C.   This feature is great to insert quick little snapshots into emails and such! 

If you are really into using shortcuts, you can see (and rename if you like) them by choosing different categories in the box on the left.  Happy shortcutting!