Can't make it to the zoo? NO Problem!

 ZooKazam is an augmented reality (AR) app that allows teachers to bring the zoo into the classroom! The app features more than 40 different animals and even dinosaurs that are all sorted so one's favorite easier to find. With categories such as Birds, Fish, Mammals, Dinosaurs, Bugs, Reptiles, and more, students can quickly locate what they're looking for; or it can help them learn the classification for future use. With picture quality imaging students can see physical details about that animals that they can't see through glass at the zoo.

Not only does ZooKazam provide a visual of the animal students are able to experience views of animals with different visual effects and weather conditions, such as it being rainy, sunny, or snowy. Visual statistics about each animal are provided to give the students info about the animal's diet and habitat, how big they grow, how many there are and even if they're endangered. An in-app narratior is even available to enhance the learning process. Conveniently the app has built in camera and video capabilities allowing multimedia to be easily exported onto any device. 

Funbrain

FunBrain is an educational website created for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade.  The website is comprised of free interactive games, books, and videos that help kids develop skills in math, reading, problem-solving, and literacy.  FunBrain has every video and game categorized by subject and grade level, which makes finding the appropriate game for your grade and subject so much easier.  This website has several educational games, such as the game Change Maker, where you have to use basic math skills to count out how much change is due during a transaction, as well as how much of even denomination of money should be given to warrant the least amount of coins or bills.  The service is 100% free and does not require creating an account.

Incredibox

Incredibox is a site that can be used to get students interested in music education and composition. Incredibox has four free versions that can be used in a browser or through apps offered on several platforms. The program allows students to mix beats and experiment with different combinations muting certain sounds or enabling solos. Students can try to unlock different bonus dance scenes depending on their combination of beats. Students can also record their beats and save them to turn in to a teacher or share these mixes and attempt to make it into a top 50 list on Incredibox. Incredibox can be a great intro lesson for a music tech class or similar class and really catches students’ interest and attention.

Sand and Water Play

Why is sand and water play important in the child care world?

Coming from a teacher’s point of view I know how messy the water and sand table can be, but did you know how many skills children learn from just 'playing' in the sand and water table?

When working with the sand and water the children are learning many different science concepts and terminology. Exploring the water is teaching the children about sinking, floating, changes of state. Being able to master the skills of pouring, the skills they are learning through water play can potentially teach them how to pour their own milk at the lunch table. Mathematic skills are also being taught while working with sand and water. Having the children practice measurements, terms such as less, bigger, smaller, more ect. These concepts work for the sand as well, another science skill they could be learning is cause and effect. What happens when we poor sand in the water, or water in the sand. This opens a lot of conversation with the teacher and child.

Physical development is a concept that is learned through water and sand play when the children are working with the sand and water, they are practicing hand-eye coordination, they are also using their fine motor skills to scoop the sand, put it in a funnel and pour. Another skill they are mastering when working in this area is social and emotional skills, playing side by side with other peers helps them build their cooperative play and sharing skills. For example, being able to work together and fill the entire bucket up with water and dumping it out together. Playing with the sand and water is also a calming skill, the children are really concentrating when they are dumping and pouring. This play can be very messy, but the children and learning so many small life skills with just ‘playing’ with the sand and water.

The child’s development is the most important and when working with the sand and water table they are master tons of skills that can help them succeed in little tasks, making them more independent. Think of all the things you could add into the water or sand to make their learning more fun and helping them master even more skills.

PBS Learning Media

PBS learning media is a collection of free educational videos that have great potential to be used in the classroom. There is a wide variety of videos ranging from Sesame Street to a recording of the Twelfth Night, to Engineering and Technology videos. Teachers may browse videos by subject, grade, or even standard. Subjects are categorized even further. Teachers can select topics such as ELA Writing or High School Geometry. I think the ability to search by standards is very valuable. Anyone can search by national standards. Teachers can also create a free account to search by their state’s standards. It is easy to sign up with Google, Facebook, or with a PBS specific account. There is also an option to link videos to a Google Classroom. Another bonus of this website is that it is less likely to be blocked by school administrators as opposed to sites like YouTube or Netflix. This is a great website to keep in mind for a rainy day or an unexpected day out of the classroom.

WhatsApp

WhatApp is a mobile communication app that has become one of the most popular in the world. You can use it to send text messages, pictures, videos and make calls both video and audio. WhatsApp is free is download, safe (as long as you don't use it to talk to strangers), and easy to use. How does WhatsApp work? WhatsApp uses the internet connection of your device to send messages to your family and friends. If you connect to a Wi-Fi network, WhatsApp will not use up your data plan.
Five features of WhatsApp that makes this a popular form of instant messaging.

#1. Import contacts from your device's address book automatically. WhatsApp will automatically detect which contacts are already using the app and add them to your contact list.

#2. WhatsApp offers lots of options for ways to communicate.  You can send text messages, pictures, record audio messages, and make phone calls. The phone calls also have a video group chat option that allows you to video call up to 4 lines at one time.

#3. Use the WhatsApp group chats feature to send message between up to 100 people at once. This is a great feature to share ideas, updates, and anything else you may need when communicating to a large group.

#4. Use WhatsApp search features to easily find specific messages. If there is a message you are looking for, you can search it by typing keywords to help you locate it.

#5. Save your WhatsApp messaging history by backing up your messages to your device or to your Google Drive. If you ever lose an important message or accidentally delete WhatsApp it'll be saved.

For me personally, I have found WhatsApp to be a great way to stay in contact with family and friends overseas. Internet in many parts of the world isn't always the most stable, and so WhatsApp has been an affordable way to connect with my loved at a minimal cost. Wi-Fi makes this the most convenient way to connect with people. The other feature that has been amazing is the video chats. Up to four lines can connect and you can have some great conversations. For me, we may connect to family on three different continents and four different countries!

I highly recommend using WhatsApp even in the classroom as part of connecting with families. I constantly get group messages from teachers, Girl Scout troops, people(friends, family) looking to promote their business, etc.

With over 100 Million downloads, Duolingo has a review of 4.7 stars out of 5. Duolingo is an app that helps you learn a new language. As soon as you click to get started, you are given the top languages that are your options to learn about. Some of the languages you can learn are Spanish, French, German, and Italian. It also has an option to learn English which is very cool because I had assumed that would be excluded. Once you select a language, you are prompted to pick a goal. "Casual" is considered to be 5 minutes of learning a day, while "insane" is 20 minutes of learning a day. I believe this is extremely useful that the user can set a goal at the very beginning that they can follow as they learn the language they have selected. And, if you ever feel like changing your goal later on, it is a useful option on this app. If you are not new to this language, you can take a placement test to determine where you are at in your understanding of the language. I believe this is very helpful compared to starting with the bare basics. That way, if you already know some of the language, you are not forced to waste time "learning" about words or phrases you already know. This proves to be a time saver! There are different levels where you can learn about phrases, travel, family, shopping, activities, fashion, and more.