The Reading Pen

Do you or someone you know struggle to read text in the classroom? The Reading Pen offers assistive technology inside and outside the classroom for those who may struggle with reading, have learning difficulties, or suffer from dyslexia . The pen can read out loud the text to the student, as well as translate and define any word the student may be unsure of.  The Reading Pen allows students to gain independence reading without having to feel shy or embarrassed asking the teacher for help reading continuously. Text can also be stored and played back later for students to reference whether it be for taking notes, studying for an exam, etc. The Reading Pen is also easy to transfer and store rather than carrying around a lap top or computer.  So what are you waiting for? Order your Reading Pen  now and jump start your reading experience!

https://youtu.be/DTXVuLa1ofQ

The Difference Between a ‘GradeCraft Learner’ and an ‘Old School Learner’

I graduated from high school in 1985, when we had two extremely basic computers in a side closet next to the main office that no one really used. There were no cell phones, and answering machines were how you knew if a friend wanted to get ahold of you. My daughter is graduating from high school this year, Class of 2017. We were talking about the GradeCraft system of grading, where you start at 0 and earn your way up vs. the way I was raised, starting with an A, and trying to keep your grade. My daughter was very excited and connected right away with the GradeCraft system, mostly when I said that what you earn, you cannot lose. She debated me for quite a while that my ‘old school way of thinking’ didn’t motivate as much as this new thinking, and that it was like when she played video games. This made me realize that the Net-Gen is really tuned in to technology, motivation and learning as one connection, and I am going to have to adjust my thinking and teaching as I move back into this profession. These two images are my comparison of myself and my daughter, where technology and learning styles are concerned. This is not always a bad thing, as I think traditional systems are a very good way to learn, and I have taught her in these methods, but I do believe that moving into the forward thinking technology age is appropriate for my teaching (and my mothering!).

Lets Recap!

Have you ever been in the middle of a lesson, looked up and saw 30 blank faces staring back at you? So you do what any teacher would do, “Does anyone have any questions?” Again, 30 blank faces staring back at you. So you carry on and hope for the best. Well that is a thing of the past, the new app called Recap that lets students discreetly let you know what they might not have understood! The way it works is students fire up the app, look into the camera, and reflect on the lesson you just gave. They get about 30 seconds and can speak directly to you, without the embarrassment of looking dumb in front of peers or afraid of that you the teacher might think they’re not so bright. Recap can help with any type of lesson: Math, English, Science, History, even P.E! It not only lets students talk to you but it also lets you know how much has really sunk in and what parts of the lesson the students really understood!

Blogging About Blogging

Especially in a high school English class, personal blogs are a great way to allow students to practice writing on a more exciting and interactive medium than paper while also exploring technology that could be useful in their futures. With blogging websites like wordpress.com, wix.com, tumblr.com, or blogger.com, users have the templates and options to be as simple or innovative as they desire. Whether assignments focus on research and analysis, like book reports or biographies, or creative writing, blogs have a wide range of uses.

I had to make a blog using WordPress in one of my journalism courses with the assignment to write about literally anything we wanted each week, and after some additions, it turned out to be extremely beneficial in organizing all the writing I've done and a good source for potential employers: jennawos.wordpress.com

Duolingo

Have you ever wanted to start learning a new language or master your skills in another?

Duolingo is a FREE app that has over 20 languages to choose from. The app is available for Apple, Android, and Windows or you can use the Duolingo website. To start, you select the language you want to learn and you can set a goal to practice five, ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes a day. From there you can take a placement test or start with the basics as a beginner. Duolingo has a variety of questions that incorporate reading, listening, and speaking skills to help you master your new language.

There is also a way to incorporate Duolingo in the classroom. Duolingo for Schools allows a teacher to invite students and keeps track of each student’s progress while also giving feedback. As a teacher, engaging students in a new language can be difficult. With Duolingo, students can practice their skills in a game like setting that is fun and inviting!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OebgtUjLg4

ClassDojo

It's time to throw out the old star stickers with each students' name on it and welcome ClassDojo! In ClassDojo, teachers can give out points to students for helping others, staying on task, participating, persistence, teamwork, and working hard! Need more options? Teachers can add more skills to their list with no problem! Also, there is an option to take points away from students if they are not following directions. The straws and solo cups are no longer needed! As a former first grade tutor, my students loved getting points! When points were giving out, students would notice and try to be the perfect student we wanted them to be. Talk about a way to get your class to be quite! This website is also an app on mobile devices. So if little Jimmy acts up at recess, you pull out your smartphone and deduct his points. This app/website is also available for students and parents. Teachers can invite parents to see what is happening in the class and what their student is doing. Teachers have the option to write a post or post pictures! Also, parents and teachers can privately message each other on ClassDojo. As for students, they can show off their classwork by posting photos or videos to their story! ClassDojo is a wonderful tool for communication and creating positive behavior in the classroom.

• Llama Drama (iOS) by Lighthouse Learning uses llamas to conceptualize multiplication arrays. Arrays (grids with equal rows and columns) are a classic thinking tool used to model, investigate, and build multiplication facts. Multiplication is also a key part of 3rd grade math. Students love this fun app! It helps kids understand the tricky topic of multiplication by solving visual problems. Kids build number fluency, develop strategies for multiplication, and learn properties of operations as they sort rowdy animals into arrays of different sizes. There is a free trail or the full version for $2.99

Countable

When teachers teach a subject such as government they get kids who ask, "what's the point? I don't have a say anyway". Which would be partially true if not for the Countable app. This app allows students and teachers to be involved in the political decisions of our country. All you have to do is put in your district and BAM! Not only do you know who your representatives are, but you can find the major issues at hand and the bills that will pass in congress. It also allows you to discuss your views with your representatives and allows you to have say in the passing of actual law. This app shows students that anyone can be a part of government, no matter how young you are. It also allows students to research different issues that are important to them in a civic class or while discussing current events. This makes students be a part of history. 

Lego WeDo 2.0 Software

Keeping children interested and focused in learning has always been somewhat of a problem. A technology that I found that could be incorporated into the classroom to help with this problem is the Lego wedo software. It seems perfect for students in elementary school because they will believe they are playing a game and having a lot of fun, but they are learning at the same time. The WeDo software is based on the latest science standards and enhances students’ curiosity and skills in science. Some of the technology included in the kit includes: a Smarthub, which connects your students creations to a computer or tablet through Bluetooth, a Medium Motor, Motion Sensor, a Tilt Sensor, and enough building elements for two students. It is important to introduce technology like this to students early in their lives and the Lego WeDo software is a great way to do it because the students will enjoy their time with it. The Curriculum pack that comes with WeDo 2.0 featuring projects totaling over 40 hours of content teaches students subjects such as: life science, physical science, earth science, space science, and engineering.

VoiceThread

Have you ever wanted to take your class on a field trip somewhere that just isn’t possible? Maybe this place was somewhere from long ago, or maybe it is across the world. Have you ever wanted to help your young students become better speakers? What if there was a way to have your middle schoolers give a presentation without feeling uncomfortable up in front of the class? How about trying to find a way to better engage your high school students in a lecture? This all becomes possible with VoiceThread!

VoiceThread is an internet based platform that allows both teachers and students to upload documents, images, video, and audio to create presentations, interactive lectures, and virtual tours. By using VoiceThread you can travel back in time with your students and tour Ancient Egypt, take a field trip through a concentration camp, or even replace individual reading assignments with audio lectures and pictures.

This is something that is simple and easy to use that will benefit your classroom greatly. By using VoiceThread, your students will be more engaged in the lesson and discussion along with being more eager to learn.  

MORE THAN A WILD GOOSE CHASE!

As a teacher, some of the most difficult things to do is to keep students engaged and make sure that they take something educational away from a school or class trip.  I have found a perfect solution to these problems: Goosechase.  Goosechase is a scavenger hunt mobile app based on a website.  The app allows you to create missions (scavenger hunts) for students to accomplish goals of answering questions or taking pictures or videos of certain things.  Each goal that you accomplish gives the individual or team a set amount of points.  Teachers have the ability set point values for each question/goal and all scores are calculated real time.  Students will enjoy the activity because they are able to compete, participate in teams, and use their cell phones in the activity.

Promethean Board

There are so many different types of technologies that are used in classrooms. One in particular that I find to be quite fascinating is the Promethean board. Since junior high when these bad boys were first installed in my school, I was amazed. It provides teachers with a wide range of tools to support their daily instructions. It’s all the convenience of a white or black board with intelligence of a desktop. This board is fascinating because of its ability to do so much more than just write. You can surf the web while instructing in the front of the classroom and change the color of your writing for the student to understand better without switching your pen. Also students and teachers can use the promethean board to draw, write or manipulate images. It is simple and easy to learn and could be used by more than one operator at a time. Teachers love it because it is low maintenance; there is no need to buy markers or chalk anymore which means there is no mess at all. It’s all the greatness of a computer with the latest technology of a board. This is the type of advancement teachers need to create a simple and fun learning environment.  

iClicker

White remote is used for students, blue is for the teacher.

An iClicker is a device that instructors can use during class to allow their students to anonymously respond to questions that are asked. It is most useful with a large classroom, for example a lecture class with over 100 students where it may be hard to interact with everyone. The iClicker looks like a remote with 6 simple buttons on it, listed A-E and the power button. A professor will put up a slide with a multiple choice question on it and then you may click the answer you want to choose from your remote. Answers are then immediately tallied up and displayed for the teacher to see the results. Some professors may even use the iClicker to take attendance. It connects with your student account, so if you answer a question it lets your professor know you were present in class. This will keep students involved in the lecture and give them the chance to participate.

Plickers: Formatively assess your class, mannequin-challenge style.

All teachers should check out the Plickers app at https://plickers.com



Plickers is an amazingly easy tool to formatively assess your students in real time. You just print out a class set of Plicker cards (I think of them as "answer papers") that can be used over and over again. The teacher poses a question and the students hold up their card to choose answer A, B, C, or D. (They do this by orienting their card so that their chosen answer is at the top, see photo below.)

The teacher then scans his or her phone across the room and the app records all the students answers.

Results are instantly tabulated and ready to inform your instruction!

 

Plickers is a HUGE timesaver: grading formative assessments is a snap, and there's no need for students to have their own devices. Many students even enjoy Plickers as if it were some kind of game!


Photo credits: plickers.com

Edmodo

Edmodo is a free website that is also available as an app that connects teachers with their students but also allows parents to view what is going on in the classroom. As a teacher you can create groups for your students to work in, post assignments, and also plan tests and quizzes. Students have easy access to Edmodo since it is all connected with Google Apps. Parents can also view exactly what is going on in the classroom with the Edmodo Parent App. This app allows parents to see when assignments are due and can also see when test and quizzes are taking place. Edmodo helps parents get involved with their child's learning instead of just relying on what their child says about what is going on in school. Lastly, Edmodo allows you to reach out to other teachers and other students to get helpful ideas for you in the classroom. It creates a safe space for you and your students. https://www.edmodo.com/

Sensory Rover Distraction Unit

The Sensory Rover Distraction Unit diverts your child's attention from medical worries to a hands-on light show that makes hospital rooms feel more like amusement parks. This is meant to calm both you and your child's fears. The Sensory Rover Distraction Unit takes kids from the hospital bed to a virtual fun house, unlike anything they’ve seen before. It has a projector that projects a circular lava lamp type image onto the wall or ceiling and a stereo to play music. The Distraction Unit helps take your child's mind off of any medical issues and turn awestruck by playing with all of the lights. The hospital can be unfamiliar or scary for some kids and their routine is interrupted, so they may feel they don’t have many choices. This technology is made to help children cope with the fact of being hospitalized. Visit this website for more information

Plickers.
While teaching it is essential that we check for a students understanding as much as possible. However it is important that we do this in a timely and efficient manner. Constantly quizzing or students or bogging them down with paperwork useses up valuable class time. Enter Plickers.com. Plickers uses your mobile device and captia technology to only help you monitor your classes understanding but it will automatically track the data for you. It basically takes asking student for a show of hands and takes it to the next level. Each student is provided with a numbered captia card that provides four possible answers labeled A,B,C and D on each side of the captia square. The answer the student provides is determined by the orientation of the card. How does. It work? The teacher will enter the desired multiple questions and answers into Plickers. The students are then presented the questions and asked to answer by holding up thier card with thier desired answer at the top. The teacher then will use the Plickers app on thier mobile device to scan the room in order to collect the students answers. These answers are then immediately calculated, displayed and stored to the teachers Plickers account.

https://www.plickers.com/

Keeping in Touch at Daycare

The greatest dilemma with parents now a day is whether they can handle being a part from their child and going back to work. Well, Hi Mama has created a perfect solution for parents. Hi Mama is an app that daycare and Montessori teachers utilize within the classroom to communicate fluently throughout the day with the parent. Hi Mama is easier on the teacher as it is all electronic and can be accessed anywhere with a simple username and pass-code, and it is very simple to understand. It is great for parents that want continuous updates of how little Johnny slept at nap time, or how much Emma ate at snack. Parents love the spontaneous picture messages of their baby to brighten up their day. And as a preschool teacher, you have more time to pay attention to the child as you are not filling out so much paperwork, simply pressing a few buttons. Hi Mama connects parents at work to their child at daycare.