Friday-Freebie

Happy Friday Friends! My freebie is coming this evening or early Saturday! This week has gotten away from me but go ahead and link up. Remember there are no rules. If you want to go back and link up with any days you missed go right ahead. 

Thursday-Techie Tip

Happy Thursday Friends! Thanks to everyone who linked up on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for this week long linky party!!! Don't be shy everyone of you have SOMETHING to share! Also remember there are no rules about linking up late so if you want to go back to any day go right ahead!

 For techie tip Thursday I wanted to share a few {quick tips} for the iPad! To those of you who have been using the iPad these will make you roll your eyes but to those of you who are new to the iPad will find these little tricks very helpful!

Have you ever had an app that keeps crashing and you cannot figure out why and restarting your iPad seems like the only solution? 

Before you restart you iPad try double tapping the iHome button so your apps all appear at the bottom. Hold down one app to make the red minimize sign appear. Press this to close all of the apps that are open. Sometimes your iPad is overloaded and there are just too many apps running at the same time kind of like when you have a million windows open on your computer. Sometimes the app just needs to be closed and reopened rather than restarting your entire iPad!

Do you have more than one iDevice but don't want ALL of the same apps or automatic download?

Open the App Store and find the purchased tab along the bottom (Featured, Top Chars, Genius, Purchased and Updates). Here you will see all of the apps you have ever downloaded (paid or free). If you do not have them on that device a little cloud and down arrow will appear and you can easily download the app. This is great if you are sharing an iTunes account and may not want the apps to automatically appear on your iPad.

Do you have pages and pages and pages of apps and now you cannot download anymore?

I am super OCD and organized and love folders in real life but since this is my fourth iPad I have grown to be lazy with folders. I am also addicted to downloading apps. I have 11 full pages of apps. Yesterday I went to download a new app and couldn't because every icon spot was taken up on my iPad so I had to cave and begin creating folders. To create a folder you hold the app until it is shaking and gets the x. Then move one app on top of another and this will create a group or folder of apps. You can do it my subject or by unit topic or type of app. I grouped these five screen capture apps together. If you haven't checked out Screen Chomp, Skitch, Educreations, Show Me or Explain Everything yet you definitely should put that on your to-do list ;)!

I know these {tips} are going to make some of you roll your eyes and some of you open your eyes! I may come back and do an *advanced* update to this post but the puppies would not calm down enough for me to record my original Tech Tip (creating, uploading and embedding videos) which will be a later post haha!

Don't be afraid to share something that others may already know! There is always someone who can benefit and we can all learn something new from one another because let's be honest it is IMPOSSIBLE to know everything there is to know about technology that is one of the beauties as well as the beasts of it. 

Wednesday- Wonderful Web 2.0 Tool

Happy Wednesday Friends! Thanks to everyone who has linked up for Monday- Must Have Apps and Tuesday-Technology I Couldn't Live Without! Today is Wonderful Web 2.0 Tool(s).  There are so many awesome sites out there it is hard to keep up with them all!

Today's Meet which I mentioned a long time ago over here is an awesome backchannel Web 2.0 Tool. It is a similar to Twitter in that it only allows a limited number of characters for each post (140 characters), however the message is only saved to that "room." Today's Meet is kind of like a chat room but when used in the classroom it can be a very powerful tool. It allows for everyone to be heard, even your shy friends who never raise their hand to share will speak up on Today's Meet. Today's Meet also allows for questions without interruption. Students can answer each other's questions, discuss the lesson as it is happening and share insights.  It is also a great way for students to practice their typing skills, writing mechanics and grammar. When Today's Meet is being used you can usually hear a pin drop in the room and there is amazing discussion going on.

One thing I love about it is that it is so easy and doesn't require usernames or passwords. Students just have to click and follow a link or type a simple URL. Then they type their name and join the room. As the creator of rooms you don't even need a username or password and you can easily create a  "room" and set the duration from 1 hour to 1 year. There are some drawbacks that I won't get into too much (you cannot delete a post if someone writes something inappropriate, only 127 characters per post, if students struggle with typing it is frustrating when the conversation moves quickly, students might try to sign in as someone else or not as themselves) but it is free and if you teach kids how to use it properly it can increase engagement and participation. I honestly haven't had ANY problems with this but as an adult these were some of my own initial concerns. I have used it a lot with technology trainings and it works really well. One of the 5th grade teachers uses it weekly as her class meeting and it has been working beautifully. She recently used it to help teach voice and assigned everyone a secret name and as they talked with each other they had to determine who was who. 

If you haven't conducted a Today's Meet before go check it out and post a comment on my sample one! 

Tuesday-Technology I Couldn't Live Without

Happy Tuesday Friends! Thanks to everyone who linked up yesterday for Monday's Must Have Apps. Don't be afraid to share! Even if technology is not "your thing" or your not as proficient as you would like to be YOU have something to share! I apologize if you tried to link up earlier in the day and didn't see this post! Now the anticipation is even worse because this is my most boring one of the week! Anyways, I just realized that I missed Tuesday when I changed the scheduled time for my link blog posts this week.

Today's theme is technology I couldn't live without and my LIST is long! Let's be honest I rely heavily on technology not only for work but also for my daily personal life! I don't even have much explanation for each other than I couldn't live without them. I use them for everything including communication, research, creation, entertainment, etc. I now realize that todays post is kind of boring and I use technology for EVERYTHING! 

1. iPad
2. MacBook Air
3. Droid Cell Phone
4. Cannon Rebel ESO T3i Camera
5. SMART Board  
6. DVR or OnDemand 
7. GPS in my phone 

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!!!

Hosting my 1st Linky

Joining linky parties is one of the best ways to attract new followers! Just from Farley's January Currently I gained 10 new followers! Linky parties are also a great way to build your PLN and connect with other educators and blogs. I found about 15 new awesome blogs to follow as I blog hopped on the Currently Linky!  Since I have enjoyed joining linky parties so much I thought it was about time I hosted one! Go big or go home right? I will be hosting a week long technology themed series linky party from January 7th -11th! 

Here is my graphic (obviously not my expertise) haha! Please post it with a link to my blog on each day you join the linky. Obviously I would love to have you link up every day but there are no rules about how many days! I do love Farley's RULE of 3, go back 2 links and ahead 1 and post a comment!

Monday- Share an iPod/iPad app(s) that you must have! If you don't have an iThing maybe you want to share an app in edmodo or Google Chrome. 

Tuesday- I know you all have something technology related you couldn't live without! What is so special about it? Why do you love it so?

Wednesday- Have you found a wonderful Web 2.0 tool that you could share?

Thursday- Share a trick or tech tip that others may not be aware of or something that really saves you time!

Friday- Post a FREEBIE! It may be a technology lesson/activity, graphic, etc. OR it's your freebie day to post about anything technology related! 

These are loose guidelines, don't get stuck on the descriptions! 

If you get totally stuck just skip that day :)!

 The idea is to share what has been working for you or ideas you have and learn from others.

I thought posting the linky description on Saturday would help generate interest for "weekend bloggers" OR if you write scheduled posts you would be able to get a jump start on next weeks! I cannot wait to see all of your technology themed posts! Let the linky begin on Monday!!! 

The Beginning of QR Codes

Here is my very first activity ever using QR Codes with 1st graders last year. This *simple* Famous American research center can be blamed for the beginning of my QR Code craze. The kids instantly fell in love with QR Codes and I was hooked. They were reading (about a famous American), writing to record facts they learned and following up with a blog post. Talk about engagement and excitement, my kids were sneaking the center papers into their book bags so they could scan the codes at home! We had a class meeting to discuss the Star Quality of HONESTY and stealing but in actuality I was thrilled when they came up missing and I had to reprint.

When you are getting started with QR Codes linking to a website is by far the easiest way for quick implementation. It is literally a copy and paste of a URL into a QR Code generator like QRStuff. If you haven't used QR Codes before what are you waiting for!? If you have used QR Codes please share how.

edmodo

Edmodo is a safe and easy social networking site for teachers, parents and students. Edmodo is designed very similarly to Facebook (I overheard an 8th grade conversation and the one kid said, "I feel like we are the cool kids using Facebook at school." The other kid said, "I feel like we should be getting in trouble for this" haha).  It looks the same as Facebook, has many of the same features and works almost identical to Facebook (Another 8th grader wanted to know if Facebook could sue edmodo. I told him I wasn't sure but maybe he could research it and get back to me). It is a secure place to make connections, collaborate and share content. Teachers can also post grades, assignments and quizzes. Teachers can also create polls and post topics for discussion among the students. There is an app store within edmodo that has lots of popular applications (some free others pretty pricey). By easily creating a edmodo group you are given an access code which allows edmodo users to join your group. The website is great and there is even an edmodo app for iPad that I really like.  

It is a great way to connect with other educators and education companies which seems to be the biggest benefit for me right now! I am "following" several communities and groups as part of my PLN. FETC, the conference I am presenting at in January has a several groups (FETC, FETC for presenters and each workshop and session will have a group). Each edmodo presenter page will have the resources used for their presentation, freebies, etc.! I am in the process of getting our group page ready for SCANAPALOOZA! 

Edmodo implementation with students has been disappointing for me since I do not have my own class that I see on a regular basis. It is really hard for me to hold kids accountable or create projects, etc.. When I started the epal project I created an edmodo group for all of the kids to join (3- 8th grade classes at our school as well as our epals in China, Ukraine, Polland, Spain and Germany). I had big ideas but the cooperating teacher isn't really following through so it has become more like Facebook and I am a little frustrated with how it has turned out. I think it has amazing potential but as a technology teacher there is only so much I can do with it. I know the 8th grade civics teacher is using it and it has increased engagement and discussion. Below you can see an example of a poll with discussion (obviously not many people logging in over winter break). 

I would love to hear how you are using edmodo and any ideas you have for implementing with students! Unfortunately since it is so secure it is harder to check out what others are doing!

January Currently

Happy New Year everyone! I am linking up with Farley over at, Oh' Boy Fourth Grade for my first Currently of 2013 (maybe I should make a resolution to complete all 12)!

Listening to {silence} explains itself! In the silence I hear dinner sizzling downstairs that my wonderful husband is making, the keys on my MacBook Air going clickety clack (a sound I love) and Gremmy snoring.

I am loving my new camera! It was on last months *wanting* and it appeared under our Christmas tree this year! It is a Cannon Rebel ESO t3i, not that I know what any of that means but it takes amazing photos and I am really excited to be completing Project365, one photo everyday for the year! I haven't decided completely on my platform but started with a Shutterfly Share Site and Project365.org. As I was reading another blog she mentioned that she just created a second blog. I want to find what will be easiest to ensure that I follow through with the uploading!

Don't breaks always go too quickly? I had so much fun with my husband and family and didn't get to everything on my to-do list. I truly enjoyed every minute of spending time with friends and family, relaxing, taking pictures, etc. which is a great feeling but I am also feeling like I am not prepared for this week and I should have worked on our FETC presentation which seems to come up in every Currently as well. 

I realize I am being greedy and wanting snow days is ridiculous right after winter break but I could just use a few more days  one more day to stay in PJS all day, write several scheduled blog posts, work on our FETC presentation, blog stalk and create! I also need to do laundry again, clean around the house (especially our spare rooms which have become the dump and hide zone) and take down Christmas decorations. 

Needing (see above)! I would love just one more week to get myself together and to get motivated for January! Right now I am not feeling fully prepared and a few more days might help with this predicament! 

OWL- one little word obviously has proven to be challenging for me! I am terrible at making decisions and a lot of the words made sense to me. I listened to the list hoping for one to jump out at me but truth is there wasn't just one. I have a small list that I will revisit tomorrow or another word may come to me! 

Update: 

I have trouble making decisions obviously and I wanted {my own} word, a word that no one else would be using! My husband is laying next to me giggling while looking at pictures on the SCHOOL OF NOT RIGHT Facebook page and my word came to me. One of the photos was a referral with for doing something inappropriate and screaming YOLO. My husband asked me if I knew what YOLO meant and we did a quick Google search!  My word is YOLO (you only live once). YOLO with all of my other words.

YOLO so don't forget to breathe, pause and relax! 

YOLO so make fam{ILY} a priority.  

YOLO so sparkle and shine!

YOLO and remember that {fate} will take care of the "plans"!

YOLO so balance your life with work and play! UNPLUG and don't stress about work all of the time.

YOLO so enjoy every moment of being BLESSED! I am one lucky girl with many blessings.

YOLO so cherish and treasure the little moments, the big moments, everything. Life is too short!

YOLO so choose to be happy, choose to relax, choose to work hard but also play hard, choose... 

YOLO so start living now!

I realize I am breaking the rules by double blog posting, however, since it was a scheduled post does it technically count? Maybe let go should be my words haha! Let it go... it's your blog, who cares if there are two posts in one day, let it go...! 

Google Presentation ABC Book

I have raved and raved about Google Drive and here is just one more reason I love it, the collaboration and ability to work on the same project without much hassle. Another great feature is the Google search within Presentation which allows for you to easily insert images.

The ESOL teacher came to me and wanted to have a small group of students work on a collaborative ABC Book using technology. They had been researching different animals in the rainforest ecosystem with her and this was their culminating activity. The first thing I think of when it comes to book making is Scribble Press or Book Creator but those are more on an individual basis (each student would have to work on their pages at a different time using 1 ipad). Since we wanted to have all 5 students working at the same time I immediately thought of Google Drive and creating a Presentation which worked really well for a timeline project I did with 4th grade awhile back.

I created a template A is for, B is for, C is for, and the students did the rest. We weren't sure how long it would take and booked four twenty minute sessions together but we only ended up needing two since they are familiar with Google Drive. They typed and inserted pictures like little pros. I was so impressed with how far they've come from the beginning of the year when logging into the drive took 10 minutes alone haha! Check out their ABC book below which was easily inserted using the embed code right from the Drive (another thing I love, sharing and showing off becomes so easy)!