I "Mustache" You

I don't know when or why the mustache became so popular and hilarious BUT it did! I also never would've guessed that I would be using a mustache app in an educational setting BUT I did.

                                           

Yup, that's me with a mustache!

As I was stalking  checking the App Store I saw The Mustache App and downloaded it of course! At the time I was looking for an app that would allow students to create a surveys or analyze graphs for a first grade lesson. I didn't find any good apps and got distracted putting mustaches on everyone in my family :)!

 Then I went to Pinterest for a little inspiration and when I searched "1st grade graphing" this awesome mustache freebie came up!

! So the firs thing that I did was created 14 different survey questions using Google Forms. Then I used QRStuff to link the forms making it easier and quicker for the first graders to access all 14. 

I created and labeled 14 colorful QR Codes and put them around the compeer lab. First graders ARE.OBSESSED.WITH.QR.CODES. so they were so excited to get started! They were cracking up at my mustache picture and couldn't wait to scan the BONUS QR Code after they finished 6 survey questions! 

Here are a few of the forms: 

The bonus QR Code had a message to come see me and have their picture taken with the Mustache App. Then they picked their own silly mustache. 

I printed their little mustache pictures! They were HYSTERICAL!!! After they finished responding to the 14 survey questions with their buddy and saws lots of different survey questions they discussed a question that they were interested in asking their classmates. Their question, data collection, graph and graph analysis will be displayed in the hallway! I will share pictures when they are finished!

For our third lesson students were paired up and given the data generated from Google Forms. First they counted up the total responses and decided how many answer choices were given (this was differentiated for each group- some pairs got a survey question with 2 responses while others received a challenge with 4 or more responses). Then we used Create a Graph to come up with these jazzy graphs. These are displayed in the hall with the data. In class students will be working during math centers to write an analysis for one of the graphs which will then be added to the display! 

Monday- Must Have App(s)

Happy Monday friends! You may remember my Top Ten Favorite Apps awhile back but I am constantly downloading and trying new apps! Did you know there are over 700,000 apps in the Apple App Store?

Toontastic is a free app I have had on my iPad forever but just started exploring! It is a storytelling, animation, cartoon creation app that creates videos which can be shared on the  ToonTube Website. You an upgrade to the All Access Pass which gives you a ton additional characters and settings for $9.99. You can also buy Toy Sets for $0.99. I have a few iTunes gift cards that I have been holding onto and I think the full upgrade will be my next purchase! It was really easy to use and I had a lot of fun creating my first Toon Tube Cartoon. Please excuse my horrible voice and the fact that I actually sound like a five year old with a great vocabulary. 

Puppet Pals Director's Pass ($2.99) is another awesome animation creation app! There is a Pocket version which is free but it has limited characters and settings. The upgrade gives you access to a lot more characters and also gives you the ability to import your own pictures for characters or setting which is super fun. One of the second grade teachers at my school just used Puppet Pals to create a Social Studies Fairy to teach her class about local and state government and then they used that information to create an Animoto. The kids LOVED the social studies fairy although the boys were convinced it was their teacher's voice. 

Show Me remains one of my all time favorite apps! I have blogged about it here and here. Show Me turns your iPad into a mini SMART Board essentially and allows you to record voice over whiteboard.  It is super easy to use and FREE! Show Me allows you to easily explain a range of topics to teach a lesson or assess students on their knowledge. Here are a few middle school student examples. As soon as you save your Show Me it is posted to the web! You can post a link or embed the actual Show Me on your class page. 

8th Grade Multi-Step Math Equation

This one is a great example of using this as an assessment tool. Obviously the girl is able to solve the problem and come up with the correct answer however, she has a big misconception and is reading the symbol incorrectly which causes her final graphing step to be incorrect. It is much easier to see where she went wrong over just her steps on a piece of paper.

Happy linking! I cannot wait to see what you think are Must Have Apps!!!