Author Archives: melissaseideman

Stossel in the Classroom

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I am a huge fan of Stossel in the Classroom. I was first introduced to the DVD series when I went to my first NCSS Conference in St.Louis, Missouri.  The Stossel in the Classroom program is a tax exempt non for profit educational foundation that offers a number of educational programs for your classroom. Each school year Stossel in the Classroom offers a new DVD to teachers. The DVD includes videos about some of John’s most relevant and interesting television programs. The series also comes with a teachers guide, lesson plans, and extension activities. The website also offers a pretty wonderful collection of streaming videos from John Stossel TV shows and specials, which can be searched by keyword. Stossel in the Classroom is a pretty wonderful program I hope you can also take advantage of it with your students.

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The new 2014 DVD includes: 

  • College Tuition and Campus Luxuries:Why have colleges gotten so expensive? Has the money gone to improve education? Has the government forsaken our children? This segment looks at the rising cost of a college education.
  • Product Liability Lawsuits: Who Gets Burned?Are we safer today because of lawsuits? Should companies that produce dangerous products be immune from lawsuits? What exactly is a dangerous product? Should manufacturers be sued when something goes wrong? What responsibilities do product users have? This segment looks at one effect of product liability lawsuits.
  • High Speed Rail: Boondocks & Boondoggles:How should we improve mass transportation? Are newer and faster trains the answer? Why do so many people presume it’s government’s job to improve mass transportation? Is there a place for entrepreneurs and businesses to help? This segment looks at high speed rail projects, private buses, and the history of New York’s subways.
  • The Fracking Debate:What is fracking? What does it do? How does it affect us? Should we celebrate it because it might reduce our oil consumption or condemn it because it might put our drinking water at risk? Who should we believe when some people tell us fracking is bad and others tell us it’s good? This segment looks at the debate over fracking.
  • Food Nannies: Who Decides What You Eat?Why are there so many obese Americans? What should be done about it? Who’s responsible? The government? Businesses? Us? This segment looks at proposals to curb obesity.
  • Entrepreneurs: Doing Good by Doing Well:What good do entrepreneurs do? Is it creating jobs? Is it the charity they do with the money they’ve made? Do successful entrepreneurs have an obligation to give back? This segment attempts to answer those very questions.
  • The Psychology Behind Political Campaigns:Why do we favor one candidate over another? Is it because we look at the issues and choose our candidate accordingly? Or is it because we look at the candidates? And how do candidates and their campaigns react to the way we choose? This segment looks at voters, political races, and the psychology behind the campaigns that get candidates elected.
  • Taxi Licensing: Are We Being Taken for a Ride?Should people need government permission to work? Do unregulated businesses cause chaos? Should taxicabs be approved by government and their owners required to purchase medallions? This segment looks at both sides of the taxi regulation issue.

Chances of Finding Good Work

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Warning: This is a paid advertisement! For a company promoting an idea. 

 

Chances of Finding Good Work

College students should realize early on that a BA degree is not a ticket to being able to get a good job with a high paying salary. This is backed by statistics. According to figures that appeared on the NCES, Digest of Education, the rate of unemployment for BA holders is at 7.5%. In fact this is not the best time for employment of college graduates when compared with past periods. Here is the unemployment rate for BA holders in the past:

  • 1990- 3.14% Unemployment rate
  • 2000  4.96% Unemployment rate
  • 2008  4.51% Unemployment rate

Even for the college graduates who were able to find work, not everyone did as well as expected. Many of those BA holders had to make do with jobs that are totally unrelated to what they have taken up in college. Here is a breakdown of where the college graduates of 2010 found jobs:

  • Retail Sales 24.6%
  • Amusement and Recreation Attendants 23.5%
  • Telemarketers 18%
  • Bartenders16.5%
  • Waitress and Waitresses 14.3%
  • Personal Care Aides 10.5%

As you can see, Retail Sales is the most common type of work that they were able to land. Almost one in every four of all college graduates took a job along that line. Jobs as Amusement and Recreation Attendants come as a close second. This infographic was created by www.opencolleges.edu.au.

These figures are not really encouraging to students, but this does not mean that getting a higher education is totally wasted as a means of getting a high paying job. It is just a matter of taking up the right discipline. Certain college majors can be very high paying. Here are some examples of college majors that are sure to be worth it:

  • Biochemistry
  • Geology
  • Management Information Systems
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Civil Engineering
  • Software Engineering
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Petroleum Engineering

 

Petroleum Engineering is by far the best paying college major today. A newly graduate petroleum engineer can land an average starting pay of nearly $98K. After a few years that could rise to $155K. No other college major can offer such a high paying opportunity like that. But it isn’t just the college major which should be used in picking a career that pays well. The industry that one is going to join can also be used as a determining factor. A student who would like to enter a high paying industry for example should aim for the Mining, Quarrying& Oil & Gas Extraction, which is the best paying industry right now. The industry offers an average starting salary of $84,182 to its new entrants.

 

 

Students Wanted: Participate in a Collaborative 9/11 Memorial Interview/Blog Project

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This is a wonderful collaborative project currently involving students in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and St.Croix.  If Interested in participating with your class: please contact me @mseideman or through my contact me page. Here is a direct link to the assigment.

9/11 Memories across the Country

Oral History Blog Post Assignment

Visit the Blog: http://interviews911.blogspot.com/

Learning Target: Students will demonstrate an understanding of social science methods of investigation through interviewing a family member on their memories of 9-11.  Students will analyze and discuss the interview through writing a blog post.

Step 1: The first part of your assignment is to interview someone who was old enough to really understand the impact September 11th had on America.  Please ask them the following questions and record their answers, either by writing or recording (video or audio).   It is your choice to document the interview through video or voice recording (your smart phone or computer can easily do that) if that is easier for you.

REMINDER:  Discussing the events of September 11, 2001 can be a very sensitive subject for most people.  Please handle the topic with the utmost care and compassion towards your interviewee.  If you face any difficulty completing this assignment to the fullest, please talk to your teacher.  If discussing the events of September 11, is difficult for you, please do not hesitate to talk to your teacher.

Interview Questions:

  1.  Who are you interviewing?
  2. What details do they remember about the day?  Where were they when they found out?  What were they doing?  What was the first thing they did when they found out?  Etc…
  3. What emotions did they experience that day?  What about the days immediately following?  Have them explain these as best they can.
  4. How do they think America has changed since September 11th?

Step 2: The second part of your assignment is to blog about your interview! Your blog post should include the following:

In your first paragraph create a summary of your family member or friend’s recollection of the events of 9/11. Your purpose here is to share their remembrances as truly as possible to reality- you should use both quotations and summaries in your own words. Make sure that you put quotes in “  “ marks and that you identify your source using only first name.

 In your second paragraph, explain why you think 9/11 has changed the world we live in today and how America has changed as a result of the events of this day. You may use the first person (I, You, we, my) in this section.

Step 3: Proof-read your blog post and make sure everything is correctly spelled. Read your paragraphs out loud to yourself to make sure the grammar and flow are well edited.  Students from around the country will read your posts, so you want to make sure it is appropriate for the public.

Step 4: Type and email your work to

● In the “To” field put:  911studentblog.interview@blogger.com

● In the “subject”: Enter Blog Title and then Teacher’s  Last Name.ClassPeriod.Firstname&LastInitial (Teacher’s Last Name.1.JoeS)

● In the Text box: Copy & paste step 1 and 2 directly into email and push Send

General Tips:

  • If you want to see a sample blog post, please visit – http://interviews911.blogspot.com/
  • Make sure you put the title you want for your blog post as the email subject line
  •  Take out any signatures you have in your email
  •  Make sure you put your “First Name, Last Initial, Teachers Name” at the end of your post/email
  • If you have any pictures to share, please post them in the email.

Step 5: Please Comment on AT LEAST THREE other students’ blog posts. Make sure they are substantial, relevant, and sincere comments.  Don’t forget to sign your blog post with “First Name, Last Initial, Teachers Name”

6 Technologies Propelling Online Education and How Students Are Affected

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Warning: This is a paid advertisement! For a company promoting an idea.  

 

Education is undergoing a technological revolution that’s occurring worldwide at different speeds and extremes. Thanks to the following key technologies, we’re seeing the development of learning platforms and environments that are unlike anything ever seen before in human history. Their impact on students, teachers and entire education related industries will be increasingly profound in the years to come.

 

1. High Speed Internet

High speed internet connectivity hasn’t yet reached every corner of the world but the latest statistics for 2013 show that subscription penetration worldwide sits at about 10% for fixed line connections and 29% for mobile connections. Furthermore, these numbers only reflect actual subscriptions, not necessarily total numbers of users, which can easily be much larger as students use school and work based connection subscriptions.

What these numbers signify is an absolutely wonderful trend whose impact on education and learning in general is already showing immense results. Since broadband internet technology is the foundation of all online learning capabilities that we are developing as a society, spreading the enormous data transmission power of broadband (be it mobile or fixed line) is giving millions of students around the world, and especially in developing countries, access to high quality online video courses, interactive programs and powerful information download options.

 

2. Tablets & Smart Phones

With the inexorable spread of broadband technology, there’s also a natural need developing for electronic devices which can access all the connected resources of the data charged high speed internet. This is where tablets and smart phones come into the picture. Though they aren’t quite as powerful as their more software and hardware heavy desktop and laptop counterparts, they’re quickly catching up and at a far cheaper price per unit –especially in the case of tablet computers.

Thanks to these varied little devices, millions of students are given access to powerful video platforms, reading applications and interactive learning software in the form of thousands of extremely diverse education related mobile software applications.

A student with a tablet that they bring to class regularly can use it to download the most up to date information on any in-class subject, find instruction videos and tutorials for their coursework and access massive archives of free online tutorial videos in every available academic subject from websites like www.khanacademy.org with its 3000+ teaching videos on everything from math to history to physics.

Tablets and smart phones are already organically permeating online student learning worldwide, the real trick will be seeing clever educators and school administrators learn to incorporate these devices into their general curriculum in practical ways.

 

3. Mobile Apps

Along with the nearly exponential proliferation of portable connected tablets and smart phones, there is also a massive market developing for mobile apps that can be downloaded and used for so many different digital tasks that it’s hard to even comprehend the sheer scope of what a student can run on their device.

The apps marketplaces of both Android and Apple, the two largest tablet OS developers, hold nearly two million apps between themselves. Of course, of these hundreds of thousands of apps, only a tiny fraction are useful for online education and information hungry students. But even amongst this tiny fraction, we’re still talking about thousands of incredibly powerful, highly interactive software tools for collecting information, sorting it, collating it into interesting projects and building whole new ways of learning class materials. Apps like these are just a small sample of what’s available.

Thanks to mobile applications like those listed above and others, students learning from anywhere through the web can reach out and grab onto more tools than any student of any prestigious university could have dreamed of just 15 years ago.

 

4. Video Conferencing

Since the developments of high speed connectivity and visually interactive portable computers both took off during the last decade, it’s only natural that the long since anticipated technology of video conferencing also creeps into online learning.

Probably one of the single most powerful tools for online interactivity between teachers and their students, the ability to talk and share information via high quality video meeting software is becoming cheaper and more accessible than ever.

In some cases, these types of video calling tools consist of high end multiparty video meeting platforms like those offered by Oracle and InterCall, which can be used to hold entire classes online. And in other cases, we’re talking about free downloadable mobile video apps for tablets and phones. However, even these light free apps are incredibly capable thanks to the high tech video encoding and display capacities of modern computers and mobile devices.

Thanks to video conferencing and all its offshoots, we’re seeing the spread of classroom settings such as these.

 

5. Distance Education Programs

Video calling, high speed internet connectivity, thousands of education based mobile software apps and easy to buy mobile internet enabled devices; with so many beautiful technologies coming together at the same time and in the same setting, it’s only natural that the very old practice of distance education gets an enormous capacity boost!

The kinds of remote learning courses and programs that used to depend exclusively on mailing test papers, assignments and reading materials lists back and forth via excruciatingly slow physical mail couriers, are now giving way to instant online access to teachers, course materials, tutorial videos and information loaded cloud storage platforms that schools use to give their students access to materials 24/7 from any web connected machine anywhere on the planet.

Thanks to the fusion of all these technologies, we’re seeing the slow arrival of a situation in which “distance” education becomes almost as personal and interactive as the process of travelling to school and walking to class every day.

This technology driven revolution in remote learning is going to give rise to many more developed and highly regarded programs such as these from Olivet Nazarene University Grad School.

 

6. Social Media Platforms

The other, more organic and much more student driven side of the online learning coin is the immense and deeply interconnected world of social media that has grown up around students and teachers like an immense digital spider web.

Through social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. Students can collaborate with each other on all sorts of projects, contact their professors with questions and access human resources in the form all sorts of online learning groups from all over the world.

 

The overall contribution of social media when it comes to online education basically lies in the fact that it makes the digital connectivity between all these players that much more instant, constant and robust.

 

About the author: Stephan Jukic is a freelance writer who generally covers a variety of subjects relating to education, education technology, marketing technology and brand promotion. He also loves to read and write about subjects as varied as the idea of a location-free business, portable business management, and strategic marketing and advertising tactics. When he’s not busy writing or consulting, he spends his days enjoying life’s adventures either in Canada or Mexico. Connect with Stephan on Google+ and LinkedIn

Evernote as a Portfolio: Promotes Lifelong Learning!

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Thanks to Justin Stallings, my blog has featured a bunch Evernote blog posts (see the previous posts listed below). Evernote is by  FAR one of the best tools I use on a daily basis in my classroom: from lesson plans, to file sharing, to assignments, to bookmarking…. the ideas are endless. After co-hosting #sschat a follower asked me to explain how I had my students create digital portfolios using Evernote.

Why a portfolio? 

A portfolio is really useful way to store projects, writing samples, and student-centered learning. It can be used by students, parents, and teachers to document progress and learning in the classroom. Portfolios allow students to reflect, share, and document their own learning. This summer I planned a really awesome senior project where my students took a problem with the government, researched it, conducted their own research, and presented a solution. The cumulative project was a portfolio documenting their progress: including a research paper and a documentary film about their topic.  You can view the project here. This summer I transitioned from the idea of doing a paper portfolio to a digital one using Evernote as the primarily system for creating portfolios in my classroom.

 

Why Evernote?

As I was researching options to create digital portfolios Evernote naturally came to mind due to its ability to sync with any device,  as well as be accessed from any internet browser. The Evernote app allows students to easily capture and document their portfolios from any device including iPods, iPads, or their mobile device.  Evernote is free, has an app for every device, and is easy to use. Check out Evernote.

 

How do you use Evernote as a digital portfolio?

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Evernote as a Lifelong Learning Tool

One of the best features of using Evernote is that it allows students to take their portfolios and share them with the world! Evernote allows the student to be in control of their own learning in terms of sharing, documentation, and ultimately reflection. Instead of digging out files from a basement, my students will be able to digitally carry their milestones and accomplishments with them. They can watch as they progress into lifelong learners and the ownership placed on the student. It is a very valuable process to observe and as a teacher it is so rewarding to see your students be excited about their learning. 

 

Previous Evernote Blog Posts

Please see Justin’s posts in the Evernote for the Social Studies Series:

Part 1: Evernote for the Social Studies: What is Evernote

Part 2: Evernote for the Social Studies: Evernote in the History Class

Part 3: Evernote for the Social Studies: Evernote and Skitch

Part 4: Evernote for the Social Studies: Lesson Planning with Evernote

Part 5: Evernote for the Social Studies: Evernote and Study Blue

Evernote for Educators Livebinder

The Top Ten Ways I Structure my AP Government Course

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I recently had someone ask me how I setup my AP Government classroom. I figured I would write a post about it since it was just easier to explain. This is going to be my 7th year of teaching (wow how fast time flies) and my 5th year teaching AP Government and Politics. I finally feel comfortable with the content and preparation after my 4th year.

 

Warning: I make money off of this idea. 

 

The Top Ten Ways I Structure my AP Government and Politics Course

1. AP Government 1 Page Chapter Summaries: Last year I gave each chapter review page during the structure AP Government review time. This year I am giving these chapter summaries before every test and collecting them and placing them into a student file folder. At the end of April I will be giving the folders back to my students and they will already have the review sheets completed. The 11 chapter summaries are one page handouts that are very simple and graphically appealing, which include the most essencial information in EVERY chapter in AP Government. This would be a great supplement to do for AP review or to include as you learn each unit to make a study guide for the AP exam in May.

 

2. Free Response Essay Packet:  This is a 12 page document of all the AP Government and Politics Free Response Questions (FRQ’s) from the past 14 years. The document contains all FRQ’s from 1999-2013. FRQ’s are subdivided in unit and historical order. This is a VERY useful tool to have for an AP Government student. I plan on reviewing previous FRQ’s with my students before each unit test and during the structured AP review time.

 

3. How to Write a Free Response Essay Handout:  This is a handout on how to write a Free Response Essay on the AP Government exam. It has helpful tips and suggestions to write the essay.

 

4. AP Government Vocabulary List: This is a list of over 300 vocabulary words that are essential when learning AP Government and Politics. The vocabulary words are organized by unit (9 units total). The vocabulary words and definition are organized in alphabetical order. I give this packet out at the beginning of the year to help my students study and learn the material. We also play bingo before every unit test. My students fill in the words for the chapter to the blank bingo card and I read the definitions from the vocabulary list.

 

5. Socratic Seminar Handout: This is a handout to encourage students to have rules and expectations with socratic seminars. This handout is very useful when introducing the socratic seminar as a form of discussion in any class. I usually assign a controversial article related to AP Government and students must generate three socratic style questions for homework. My students then come to class ready to discuss the article through the socratic method.

 

6. Government Chapter Reading Questions: This is a list of 3-5 essential critical reading questions for each unit of government. This handout can be modified for any book or government course since the content is the same. I usually give this handout out at the beginning of the year and have my students read the chapter and respond to the questions in an extended response format.

 

7. Student Self-Evaluation for Classroom Participation: This is a student self-evaluation on their own level of classroom participation. I joke with my student’s that I have the final VETO say in their grade for participate but I do let them self-reflect and evaluate their own behavior.

 

8. Debate Assignment:  This is a debate assignment for six separate government debates. The debate structure, rubric, audience rubric, audience evaluation guide, and guidelines are included. My class does these debates in two teams of two for each topic. The rest of the class is the audience. These debates were specifically planned for one debate for each unit.

Debate topics:

1. Voting should be compulsory in our democracy
2. The American two-party system is so strong that voting for third party candidates cannot effectively influence public policy.
3. There should be term limits for members of Congress.
4. Direct popular vote should replace the Electoral College.
5. Americans would be safer without a constitutional right to carry a weapon.
6. Affirmative action programs are necessary to safeguard the opportunities of underrepresented minorities.

 

9. Participation in Government: Ever wish your students were more involved in politics in the community. This assignment requires them to attend one political event out of a list of events in the community. They also need to write a paper response with a series of question prompts. There is a grading rubric provided as well as sample community event options to participate with.

 

10. Current Event Blog Post:  This is the detailed assignment, rubric, and schedule for the current event blog post assignment. Students are assigned one week each marking period to write one current event blog post and give an in class presentation. Students must include a summary, analysis, visual, and MLA citation, and connection to the course.

 

Save Time Grading with GradeCam!

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Grading is one of my least favorite jobs as being a teacher. If done correctly it can take hours to grade, item analysis, and be reflective on the assessment. Grading this past semester was a breeze because of GradeCam. Last week I was very excited to meet one of the co-creators of GradeCam at ISTE in San Diego, CA.

GradeCam is a WONDERFUL program that saves teachers valuable time and district resources when grading tests, projects, and essays. Students take their test, quiz, essay, or homework assignment using the specially designed GradeCam format. When grading all you have to do is hold the answer sheet up to either a webcam, document camera, or scanner. The data is uploaded, automatically graded, and can easily be imported into your gradebook.

 

GradeCam was developed by teachers, with the idea to minimize grading time, easily managing student performance/assessment, offering students instant feedback, and correlated to state/national standards. Students and teachers can get instant reports to monitor student progress such as item or class analysis. It is affordable, easy-to-use, and after it grades every assignment, it puts the results into your gradebook. Forms can even be copied on plain paper. GradeCam blows Scantron out of the water!

Ways you can use GradeCam in the classroom: 

  • The past spring I even had my students scan their own tests. They enjoyed the instant feedback during the same class period! I even had them go back and look at their incorrect answers. One of my students said, ” GradeCam makes grading much easier for the teacher and we get our results quickly.” Another student said, “I liked it because it showed you what you got right away so I know how my grade will be effected as soon as I’m done the test.” 
  • You can easily transfer scores from GradeCam to your electronic grade-book.
  • You can even  generate standards-based reports in order to monitor student progress.
  • You can share assessments with other teachers/administrators and even run item analysis results by question, student, or class.
  • You can even use GradeCam with essays, classroom assignments, homework, behavior analysis, etc. Just attach a GradeCam form to any assignment and then enjoy freetime without the stress of grading.

Check it out today! It will change the way you give tests and monitor student assessment.

Use Google Forms to Make Grading More Efficient

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I have been using Google Forms  for a little over a year now. I originally used it in some basic ways like making a websearch assignments, but this past semester I “fell in love” and slightly became obsessed with Google Forms as a rubric. I now use google forms for every rubric! It gets easier as you create them because then you always have them to modify and adapt!

I have used Google forms in multiple ways this year: from creating rubrics for projects, to student information logs, to contact with parents, rubrics, and even grading homework assignments. Google Form is a WONDERFUL  resource that is underutilized in education.

Having all this information on one Google form spreadsheet can save me time and frustration. Some advantages to using forms is that it will be available electronically from any computer, no need to copy, and you save trees.

 

Video Introduction to Google Forms:  Watch the video to make rubrics and save valuable time!

Tips

  • I share the url with my class online on our class website (My Big Campus) so they can “see the rubric” no printing rubrics
  • I use the form to grade during class presentations on my phone–> so they are graded when class is over
  • I print the spreadsheet after I grade and cut each student’s grade into a paper strip and distribute the strip to each kid. I usually use 3 pieces of paper for rubrics instead of 33 and another bonus is I always have a paper trail!
  • Kate  @KtBkr4 suggested instead of names enter numbers and then share the whole form with the class—- ie no paper at all! It was
  • If you have questions feel free to tweet me @mseideman

Here are some links to some useful forms I created. Feel free to share and modify.

Great post from the Pursuit of Technology Integration written by Michael Zimmer on how administrators could use Google Forms in classroom informal walkthroughs. Here is his sample form: ” Here is one already created that you could use as an example to start with.”  Nice idea and I bet it makes walkthroughs a lot easier for administrators

Student’s Guide to Technology in My Classroom

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These are tools I have my students download to make their academic life easier.  I thought I would pass them along to my readers.

  1. My Big Campus- Online learning environment where teachers can initiate class discussions and set up online learning activities for students. It is a secure social network designed specifically for educational purposes. All activity is carefully monitored at all times. Everything that is posted/created/uploaded is recorded and can be seen and printed at any time by system administrators and teachers. I make a point of going over the reports several times a week. Download the App and bookmark the website:  http://mybigcampus.com/
  1. Socrative Student– Socrative is a smart student response system (like clickers) that makes class more engaging and interactive bookmark or install the “student app” via smartphones, laptops, and tablets. Download the App: http://www.socrative.com/  Room #: 5638
  2. Evernote– is an easy-to-use, free application or website that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders. Download the App and bookmark the website: http://evernote.com/
  3. QR Code or Bar Code Reader– Many devices already have this, but please make sure you have it on any mobile device that has a webcam: that includes tablets or mobile devices. Download the App: Go into the itunes store or google play and search “qr code reader”.
  4. EasyBib– It is a literacy platform that provides citation, note taking, and research tools. Download App and bookmark website: http://www.easybib.com/
  1. A Gmail email account – it would be a good idea to create an email account, if you don’t have one already. I recommend Google, simply for the use of other applications, like GoogleDocs, Google Sites, Google Drive, etc.  IMPORTANT:  you will want to create a professional email address, so that it can be listed on job and/or college applications.  Here are some tips: http://www.ehow.com/way_5294924_tips-creating-email-id.html

Suggested

  1. My Homework-Application or Website where you can manage everything about their school life. From classes and homework to before and after school activities, and so much more. Think of it as a planner on your phone. Download the App and bookmark the website:   https://myhomeworkapp.com/ 
  2. SoundGecko– Takes an Internet website and makes it a PDF. You can listen to anything on the web while you go to the gym, travel to an away game, and so much more. Imagine “reading” an article for class through your headphones. Bookmark the website:  http://soundgecko.com/
  3. Quizlet- It is a free website providing learning tools for students, including flashcards, study and game modules. Bookmark the Website: http://quizlet.com/
  4. Dropbox: Is a free service that lets you bring your photos, document, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Free File Storage on the “cloud.” Never email yourself a file or lose a flash drive again! Website: http://db.tt/KNyCU32

80+ Must Have Apps for your iPad

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This may not be a traditional post but I thought I would share a list of iPad apps I sent to my principal who is in the process of rolling out iPads in the high school. These is a list of some of the “hottest apps” in education.  Happy downloading!

 

Study Tools 
1. Infuse Learning (add bookmark to home screen) http://student.infuselearning.com/

2. Quizlet
3. Socrative (student)
4. Regent’s Prep (add bookmark to home screen) http://www.regentsprep.org/
5. Study blue
Important Resources 
1. Cloud On
2. Drive
3. Dropbox
4. My Big Campus
5. Evernote
6. Nearpod student
Useful Tools 
1. QR Code Maker
2. Easy Bib
3. Sticky Notes for iPad
4. new.Annotate+
5. QR Code Scan
6. Side by Side
7. Camscanner
Math 
1. Geometry Pad
2. Free Protractor
3. Whiteboard Lite: Collaborative Drawing
4.Smartstocks (add bookmark to home screen) http://www.smartstocks.com/
5. Bloomberg
6. Mathination
7. Rover
8. Quick Graph
9. SketchExplorer
10. Numbers
 11. Calculus wolfram
12. Algebra wolfram
13. Learns that
14. Geoboard
15. Sat math lite
Digital Creation 
1. Scrap it HD+
2. Animoto
3. Skitch
4. EduCreations
5. Pic Collage
6. Dragon Dictation
7. Doceri
8. Haiku Deck
9. Perfect Captions – Your Life With Subtitles
10. Voicethread
11. ShowMe
12. ibook creator
13. ShowMe
14. Prezi
15. Toontastic
16. Hokusai
17. fotobabble
Science
1. Earth-Now
2. Essential Skeleton
3. NASA
4. 3D brain
5.3D cell stain
6. Science@vl
7. Molecules
8. DNA model
9. The elements
Social Studies
1. CNN
2. The States
3. National Archives DocsTeach
4. This Day in History
5. Student Friend (add bookmark to home screen)- http://www.studentsfriend.com/sf/downsf.html
6. Humanitarian Kiosk
7. UN CountryStats
8. UN News Reader
9. Constitution
10. Today’s doc
11. AP us gov McGraw hill 5 steps to a 5
12. Perspective
13. My Congress
14. Constitution for ipad
15. Stats of the Union
Videos 
1. Khan Academy
2.  Snagfilms
3. Tedtalks
4. Vimeo
5. CNN
English 
1. Destiny quest
2. Nook
3. Join.me
4. My school

Create Storytelling Projects with 30Hands

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30Hands is really neat iPhone and iPad application that is a engaging storytelling application. Your students can easily create stories or presentations using photos, images, or powerpoint slides using their device. 30hands uses the power of storytelling to make projects engaging and creative. Your students can create a book using their own voice, audio, and design. Presentation can be published on the device and uploaded to the 30hands website to be shared with the world. Students do not need to register on 30hands in order Screen Shot 2013-07-01 at 9.35.52 PMto use the app. 30hands provides a very detailed tutorial. 30hands could be an excellent app for your students to use to create narrated slideshow presentations.

 

The Huffington Post describes 30hands as “I was most impressed with the mobile app, which has a unique feature that enables a storytelling experience by allowing the users to record audio and video over digital images. It flows seamlessly and can be uploaded onto a web platform where teachers organize and display a collection of learning materials.”

 

Here is an instructional video made by: Lance Yonder from ENSC Peer Coaches 

Design Comic Strips on the iPad

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I work with a wonderful teacher, Ms. Grasso, who assigns her students a hand-drawn comic strip assignment. I recently discovered this wonderful paid application ($2.99), called Strip Designer. Ms. Grasso can now offer a digital comic strip option or hand-drawn comic strip project option to her photo 2 copy 3students as an assignment.  Your students can create their own comic strips on any history or general education topic in the classroom.

 

You can use photos from the camera roll or from the internet. Your students can select a template from the Strip Designer and then insert photos. Your students can add cute graphic design stickers to the template or photos. Your students can then add text balloons on the images or cartoon captions. You can then save the comic strips to your camera roll or it can be shared online.Screen Shot 2013-07-01 at 9.57.51 PM

Top 5 Innovations in Classroom Technology

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Technology in the classroom has certainly been a touchy subject, what with kids using their cell phones as the latest way to “pass notes” in class. But savvy teachers understand that mobile devices offer them a means of connecting with students and enhancing the lessons delivered in the classroom. However, it can be hard to keep up with technology, which seems to advance at the speed of light. So here are a few innovations that every teacher should get behind in order to keep their classroom up-to-date with growing trends.

 

  1. The connected classroom. You can hardly operate a classroom these days without allowing for the enhancements offered by the internet, including the research opportunities provided by search engines and the education and entertainment value delivered by targeted video content. But there’s more to making your classroomClassroom-Tech connected these days. It involves not only hardware like smartphones and tablets, but also software, apps, and social media meant to help you connect with students on a level that they are comfortable and familiar with. Getting your classroom connected can help you to enhance your regular lessons, engage with students, and virtually find more ways to communicate with kids that might not necessarily interact otherwise.
  2. Facebook pages. Facebook is nothing new, but more and more teachers are starting to see the merits of creating group pages for each of their classes. With the proper protective measures in place (privacy settings, passwords, etc.) you can keep parents happy. And utilizing the platform provides you with a forum to interact with and help students outside of class, as well as encouraging them to help one another. In addition, you can use it to post assignments, add instructions, and facilitate communication for group projects. In short, Facebook (or similar social networking sites) could certainly add to the educational experience.
  3. Study Blue. There are all kinds of mobile applications designed to help students study smarter, but this freebie (with in-app purchases) offers options for study notes and flashcards, as well as the ability to message with the teacher or other students for sharing, feedback, and help. It’s a great way for students to stay on track with their studies, both inside and out of the classroom.
  4. Tablets and smartphones. Although many teachers remain hesitant about allowing students to bring their mobile devices to class, others have started to realize the many educational opportunities inherent in these gadgets. With options for apps, programs, and videos (amongst other things), tablets and smartphones are paving the way to a technological future through classroom usage.
  5. Digital lectures. With options like Ted Talks and Khan Academy grabbing the interest of older students, it’s not surprising that teachers at all grade levels are taking the cue and flipping the concept of lectures end over end. Boring speeches need not take up every class period when teachers create Power Point presentations or video lectures for students to watch in study hall or at home. And this concept paves the way for more interaction within the classroom setting. When students come prepared, having watched a lecture in their off-time, teachers can focus on answering questions and clarifying points, as well as engaging in activities that offer hands-on opportunities to drive home important information. Whether you teach at the grade school or high school level or you’re an instructor at WSU online, digitizing lectures can lead to increased opportunities for interaction in the classroom.

Leon Harris is a freelance writer and editor based in sunny Southern California. In his spare time, Harris enjoys living a healthy lifestyle and exercising with his two Golden Retrievers.

Make your Life Easier with Google Chrome Extensions

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Chrome Extensions are extra features that you can add to Google Chrome. Extensions can make your life easier and help you browse the internet. Some Benefits of Extensions: get bonus information about a page, get timely notifications, and get more accomplished with fewer clicks.  My favorite extension is Evernote Web Clipper, which allows me to save anything I find on the web or on twitter. It is so useful when you want to save an article or website for later. I no  longer use bookmarks and if you correctly tag and save your search in a notebook you can easily access your files.

Here are my Chrome Extensions.

Here are my Chrome Extensions.

  • Autocopy – Automatically copies text or links when they are selected. Imagine how many times a day you click Control or Command + C. Now, you don’t have to!
  • Awesome Screen Shot – Capture a whole page or just a portion. It also ncludes annotating tools.
  • Clea.nr – Removes YouTube add-ons and related videos from the screen, showing only the video and the search bar. Great for removing questionable ads and related videos that pop up.
  • Docs Quickly – Allows you to quickly create a new Google Document, Presentation, Spreadsheet or Drawing.
  • Dropbox – Provides easy access to your Dropbox account and files as well.
  • Evernote Web Clipper – Lets you send any link or site to Evernote.
  • goo.gl URL Shortener – Shortens a URL and also provides the option to create a QR code and additional details.
  • Google Voice – Allows you to keep up with Google Voice from your computer. You can even send text messages back and forth.
  • Pinterest – Pin from any website to your Pinterest boards.
  • Printliminator – (not an extension) Use this bookmarklet to remove unnecessary or unwanted aspects of a web page before printing.
  • Send to Google Docs – You can take any webpage and turn it into PDF that you can send straight to Google Docs.
  • Sound Gecko – Creates an mp3 of the text of a web page and allows you to save it to Google Drive or listen on the mobile app. You can also read along with the text.
  • Yellow Highlighter – You can highlight webpages and share them through Twitter and Facebook for others to read. It also creates a unique URL to share your highlighted annotations with anyone.

Virtual Book Clubs to Join this Summer!

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#sschat Book Club: The Book of Learning and Forgetting  

The #sschat book chat will begin on Mondays immediately following #sschat (8pm EST) using the hashtagbooks #ssbook. Please feel free to add questions or ideas to this document. Dan Krutka  will lead the chats, but the chat will be open enough to address concerns, questions, and ideas of others participants. Please “insert” “comments” on the side of this document under the correct week.

  • Week 1: Monday, June 24th at 8pm EST —Reading 1: Sections 1 and 2 (pp. vii-39)    Key Topics: Introduction to two visions of education, the classic view of learning and forgetting
  • Week 2: Monday, July 1st at 8pm EST—–Reading 2: Sections 3 and 4 (pp. 41-102) Key Topics: The official view of learning and forgetting, repairing the damage

Book Club: Mindset 

Two years ago Justin Staub first read Carol Dweck’s Mindset. Every summer I re-read her work and consider how it will change my professional practice. Because of my growing connectedness and sharing via Twitter, he has been asked to lead a Mindsetmindset book study this summer. So, here are the details he has worked out so far. Please add comments to this post or to the Schoology group if you want to adapt how we run our book study.

Who: Justin Staub will moderate most book study sessions. He has no specific experience except having taught in a growth mindset school for two years and putting Dweck’s ideas into practice. He is privileged to work with colleagues who have all read the book and embody the growth mindset.

What: Twitter chats (#mindset13) and reflective discussion posts via Schoology. Create a free account and join our group discussion page.

When: June 24 – August 12 2013 with weekly Twitter chats on Mondays at 3PM EDT.

Where: On Twitter, using the hashtag #mindset13. Also, collected reflections will be posted on an open Schoology group. Please create a free account and join us there.

See you during our Chapter 1 discussion on Monday, June 24, at 3PM EDT! For more information visit his blog post

 

#TLAP Book Club: Teach Like a Pirate 

Welcome to the Teach Like a Pirate online book club taking place throughout the summer of 2013!  You can buy the book here. The goal of this book club will be to discuss the ideas from the book as a global community, collecting ideas from 7197369other educators, and having conversations about their applications in education. We will do this on Twitter, using the hashtag #tlap, and we will meet every Monday evening at 8:00 CST for one hour.  Since this hashtag already has a large following, the discussions are sure to be lively and include many people from around the world! For  more information visit the blog post. 

Weekly Readings (Tentative Schedule):

  • June 17, 2013: “Part 1: Passion & Immersion”: Introduction – page 18
  • June 24, 2013: “Part 1: Rapport & Ask and Analyze”: pages 19-54
  • July 1, 2013: “Part 1: Transformation & Enthusiasm”: pages 55-71
  • July 8, 2013: “Part 2: Crafting Engaging Lessons (Part 1 of 2)”: pages 75-106
  • July 15, 2013: “Part 2: Crafting Engaging Lessons (Part 2 of 2)”: pages 107-141
  • July 22, 2013: “Part 3: Building a Better Pirate”: pages 145-176
  • Discussions will continue after July 22nd, but the questions will not be focused on specific pages in the book.