Explain Everything

https://explaineverything.com/

Explain Everything is an interactive, online and mobile white board app. that lets small group of 4 to 6 participants share brainstorming ideas as a group,  I believe more can attend, but small groups are ideal. The brainstorming notes can be videoed to review later.
How can we use it for school? Teachers and students can create explainer videos.  For example, using a tablet, the teacher can draw details and have it record while drawing.

Story Jumper

https://www.storyjumper.com/library/my

This looks like another story board sight, where the character can go through different scenes.  I think it's free for teachers.  It lets you use your own photos, and create a character to make a story, so students can use it for a report. They can also record their own voice reading the story. Here are some examples.

Here, I was able to create my character.

Here I was able to create the scene, and add text.  I can use my own photos.

Listenwise

https://listenwise.com/

Thousands of 3 - 6 minutes story podcasts for grades 2 - 12.
Students can listen and read at the same time.  Quizzes are embedded in the lessons.
Partner with NPR.

Lunapic

Lunapic

Lunapic offers numerous choices add interest to your pictures.
For example, to eliminate the background from your pictures, try using the transparent background tool.  White backgrounds work better.  Upload a photo or use the URL, then select the transparent background tool found under 'edit' to eliminate the background, then save.

The following images were created using 'pencil sketch' and 'landscape' in LunaPic. 

This is only a screen shot.

Click the link below to watch a video to learn how to create an image and post the image to a blog page.

Lunapic

Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark

Here's another program that I learned about from an article on Monica Burns blog, Class Tech Tips.

How to Make Instructional Videos with Adobe Sparks

Adobe Sparks is a program that lets teachers and students create videos, or 'glides' like slides, to showcase their work.  It can incorporate text, still photos, and video to create the finished product.  Teachers can use it to create 'how to' videos, and students can use it for reports, or as a getting to know you project.  

Elink

https://elink.io/ 

I found this through Jennifer Gonzalez's article from Cult of Pedagogy, Are You a Curator or a Dumper?

Apparently, all you have to do is add a link, intro, and an image and it helps to curate your images in a pleasant display.  This reminds me of a sophisticated hyperdoc, because it looks very polished and inviting to have the photos with the links versus just a list of links.

Here is link to the newsletter I created using Elink where I share the tech blogs I follow. The two blogs on the right I have followed for several years. The two on the left I recently began following.

Elink

Below is a short, four minute,  'How To' video on YouTube.

Here is a longer, 14 minute video.

Make Beliefs Comix

www.makebeliefscomix.com/

I found this sight on The Techie Teacher.  It is limited on the characters, but it allows you to write talking bubbles.  Here is the one I created.  I didn't want to forget about it, because it looks like it might be fun for students.

Vocaroo

Vocaroo

https://vocaroo.com/

This is an online way for students to record their voice and upload it to other things.  I think students can attach it to an email.

Edpuzzle

https://edpuzzle.com/

This looks like you can take any video, you own or from the web, and make them interactive by adding your own voice and questions.  You can make your own videos and upload them, or take them from the web, ie. You Tube. 'You Tube Extensions' lets you edit the videos. You can also track how many times students are viewing the videos.  Under the "What's New at Edpuzzle?" I found info on 'Live Mode' that lets kids respond to questions from the video, individually, from their own devices, as a live whole class.

Nerdy Book Club

Just a site I found that I don't want to forget about.  It gives book reviews, and it's an opportunity to submit your review.

Book Creator

A book publish site where students write their books, and publish digitally.  I haven't had a chance to explore it yet, but I didn't want to forget about it.

Play Postit

This is an online tool that I don't want to forget.

According to their sight, "Play Postit is a platform to create and share interactive video lessons. Instructors begin with any online video (from YouTube, Vimeo, Khan Academy, TED, etc.), and add their own questions and interactions to hold students accountable to the content."

I haven't fully investigated this tool yet, but I quickly watched one of their videos that highlighted some of the features, such as asking written questions during a video, so I could have a basic understanding of how it works.

As you can see, I selected a reading of the book Charlotte's Web. I can stop the video of the reading and ask the students a question which appears off to the left side of the screen. Students write in their answer and select 'continue' which starts the video again, or in this case, the reading again.

Now, my video just shows a still of the book cover and you can hear the audio of the reader reading the book, but this can be used for any video.

Google Draw

I want to share how I was able to turned an old postcard from the turn of the last century into a larger 4 x 6 postcard and a gift tag that I can use today.

First, I scanned two different postcards at the same time, laying the two images together, one above the other.  This took a little more time to edit, so in the future, I would make a separate scan of each image.

Next, I imported, edited, and enlarge the image in Google Draw, but I was also able to crop and edit it in Windows Photo.

The cool thing about using Google Draw would be the ability to change the image into a circle.

Like this:

Now, even though you see this as a circle, the image is on a standard 8 x 11 piece of paper, so the cursor is farther over than the circle image, like the example above on the right that was captured using Jing. 

Here is a step by step of how I accomplished the change.

First, upload an image.  Click on crop and select area to crop.

Click crop again to get the image without the extra image surrounding it.

Under crop, you can select different shapes.

 

Click crop to view the image within the new shape.

Click crop again, and you have the image in the new shape, without the extra area you have cropped out.

The only issue is that I don't believe that this image, a circle, will transfer to other documents, such as Shutterfly, unless it's turned into a JPG file, which is possible as an option under 'download' under 'file.'

Here is a video using Screencast-o-matic explaining how I was able to crop and change the shape of the image.

Recap & Flipgrid

Two "video response and reflection apps" include 'Recap' and 'Flipgrid.'

Both Recap and Flipgrid appears to be video journaling sights, where students can video tape themselves answering questions or expressing their views using their Chrome Books or other media, then share with their teacher, or fellow students.  Flipgrid offers a free 30 day trial, but I don't see the cost after the 30 days listed.  Recap is free.  I heard about Recap through Bonita School.

Recap

Click the link below to watch a video of what Flipgrid can do.

Flipgrid

Animoto

Animoto takes still images and turns them into video.  Below are videos of Alvera Street and Chinatown.  The images are screenshots using Jing.  The links will take you to Animoto where you can play the videos.

https://animoto.com/play/DZaf62kMYEhFOIxpPJqbJA

C:\Users\jamaddox\Pictures\2016-11-14_2144.png

Visme

Another example of a slide presentation using Visme.  This was very quickly made to get an idea of what Visme is capable of accomplishing, so I apologize that the image is not very pleasing.

Word Families

Visme

The following slide presentation was created using Visme.  It is similar to both PowerPoint and Slides, but also has music.  I believe you can also create jpg pictures with Visme, so if you want to add text to an Animoto video, save the text as a jpg first in Visme, and then use the images of text in the video.  I also believe there is another way to save the jpg file for text that I used in the "Colors" video, and I think I used Google drawing to accomplish that.  I used Jing to capture the image below, so this is a screen shots.

Visme

Tech Infused Classroom Assessment

The final task in the Tech Infuse Classroom course I have taken this summer is to assess my learning over the last three weeks.  I must admit that I am very pleased with what I have learned, and what I was able to accomplish.  I completed 15 projects using eight new tech tools, and ten tools overall.

Let's take a look at the following ways to assess a student's work that I learned last year:

Did the student:

• try to solve problems before asking for help,
• display creativity and critical thinking in the achievement of goals,
• teach others,
• create a document that included all the elements required, 
• shows evidence of learning by using tech knowledge and save what they created in their portfolio,
• transfer knowledge from previous lessons, 
• complete daily goals, and 
• know correct language to verbalize.

I did try to solve problems before asking for help. I even get that scrunched up face you get when deep in thought. "How do I do this? Think, think." But, I also enjoy the back and forth conversation you can get on a discussion board when you ask for ideas on how to solve a problem.  "Have you tried...."

I find myself wondering, "Can you also do this, when you do that?" honing my ability to display creativity and critical thinking in the achievement of goals. I'm a bit like a bulldog, not letting go until I solve a problem. Loved ones tell me, "You're getting OCD on this." But I find that one answer leads to another question.

It's no surprise that a teacher wants to teach others. I love it when I solve a problem, and I want to tell everyone how I did it. I accomplished this by making "how to" videos using Screencast-o-matic, or by posting instructions and images on discussion boards using Jing.  And if you don't know how to do that, I can help you with it.

I was diligent in creating my final project to make a screencast presentation regarding a webtool showing how to use the tool, then embed the screencast and a project example into the class wiki ‘Skills’ tab to create a document that included all the elements required. I shot several versions until I had the time close to the requirement, and was satisfied that the information I shared, showcased the ThingLink tech tool I had selected.

I love showing evidence of my learning by using tech knowledge and saving what I created in both my Wiki portfolio, and my blog. I tried to test at least one new tech tool a day, and posted it to my Wiki page in order to complete daily goals.  I do have to admit that I was so engrossed with exploring the many tech tools that I learned, that I got behind in keeping up with my blog. Blogs can be time consuming.  Even though I posted a tech tool to my Wiki page, and checked off my assessment log while completing each task, I wish I had also made a simple blog post every day regarding what I had accomplished in my learning. A note about an article I read, a video I watched, a tech tool I learned. This would have been helpful in keeping me organized, as well as reflecting on my work.  I found myself thinking, "Have I read this article yet?" "Did I watch that video already?"

While I haven't used as much tech as I would like to in my teaching, I am happy that most of the information I learned last year came back with some practice, and I was able transfer knowledge from previous lessons to grow, and develop new skills. I am especially thankful that I was already familiar with both the Wikipage and my blog from last year, making it easier to jump right into learning new tech tools.

In the past, it was difficult to remembering the correct language to verbalize, wondering, "Should I embed, link, or post; upload, or download?"  I'm already famous around my house for speaking in an encryptic code, "Where's that thing?"   This year, I paid more attention, and reshot my screencast when I found mistakes.

Although I am quite pleased with the overall learning, it's not to say all went well. Two problems arose using Twitter and Google Hangouts.  First, I had difficulty establishing a professional twitter account, and viewing my tweets and the tweets of others in a timely manner.  The second tech issue came from my laptop and tablet, where I was not able to turn my web camera on in my laptop, to take a visual part in the Google Hangout, and my tablet stopped transmitting live.  I believe that both of these issues stem from not using these tech tools enough, but that is an easy fix, and a new goal.

Again, I am happy with the results of my learning in my Tech Infused Classroom summer course these past three weeks. I enjoy talking with others about what I have accomplished, and what I still need to master.  I am quite excited to share my blog with my fellow teachers now that I have amassed almost 30 new tech tools in my repertoire of skills!

Status of My PLN

The task: Summarize the status of your PLN.

The status of my PLN is limited. I follow several tech blogs where I can explore tech sources, ideas, read the latest reviews, or learn what's new regarding using technology in the classroom. I also have a Pinterest file for technology and teaching ideas using tech.

I have a few friends that I have met through the online classes I have taken through Ask a Tech Teacher, along with some personal friends. If I have a quick question, I'll turn to the school's tech teacher.

Because I work as a sub or a tutor, I'm not invited to attend the grade level team meeting with the teachers I help with tutoring. I don't have the opportunity to share my tech ideas, or learn how they are using tech, although I do see some tech used during the actual class. When I ask teachers what tech they are using, it is usually limited to using videos to support a lesson, or having students work on various programs such as Imagine Learning, or Starfall.

A Tech-infused Classroom Summary

The task:  Write a blog post summarizing the tech-infused classroom.

The tech infused classroom uses technology for all facets of teaching and learning.  

The teacher uses technology every chance she can to show students how technology can be used in their daily lives, as well as how to use a tech tool, and accomplish a task.  Through indirect teaching, the teacher can show how using tech can become second nature; and how technology can be automatic, quick, and easy to use.  When tech goes wrong, the teacher shows how perseverance brings learning, and results.  

The students use technology to learn tech tools, accomplish a tasks, and communicate their knowledge with other.  Students become problem solvers, collaborators, and experts in the use of technology.  They can see similarities in tools, transfer the knowledge from one tech tool to the next, and make connections they can apply to the real world.  Technology becomes second nature to them.