Mirror your iPad with Reflection

I learned about Reflection at ISTE12 and was so amazed I just had to blog about it. Reflection is a new application that allows you to mirror your iPad or iPhone to your desktop using Airplay mirroring on either a Mac or on a Windows computer. The application is installed on your desktop computer or laptop.

 

There are so many positive applications to using this program in the classroom. I can’t wait to roll it out at the beginning of the year as I am showing my class how to use the iPad or specific applications on it.  You can create a screencast to help students learn in the process, such as the ability to mirror my iPad onto the screen of the desktop. No more mirroring the iPad onto the using a video camera to record the process!  The work is all done on the iPad– the desktop is just the “screen”. The app even sends the audio from the iPad to the Mac.  Check it out today!

 

The price of the Reflection Mac App is $14.99 for use on one machine, $49.99 for a 5-pack, and, if you are interested in purchasing more than 20 copies,  drop them an email at support@reflectionapp.com and they will work with you!

Paperport Notes for the iPad

I learned about PaperPort Notes at ISTE12 and was so amazed I just had to blog about it. PaperPort Notes is a wonderful app for the iPad that allows users to edit and collect information, which includes text to speech software. You can send your notes to Dropbox and download files from there. The app even allows files such as .txt, PDF’s, and .jpg,  to integrate into the app.  If you need a free iPad note-taking app that syncs with Dropbox , PaperPort Notes is a great option. Check it out today!

 

Features 

• Quickly take typed and/or free hand notes 
• Leverage Dragon voice recognition to capture your ideas and notes simply by speaking
• Leverage powerful annotative tools to quickly mark up documents
• Never miss another detail by adding audio page by page within your notes
• Combine full documents, individual pages, content from the web and notes into a single document.
• Powerful search, copy/paste, reordering and bookmarking tools allow you to quickly navigate your notes while staying organized
• Access and share content using your favorite cloud storage services
• PaperPort Anywhere connector provides access to files stored online or within PaperPort Desktop

Join the Book Club: Why Don’t Student’s Like School?

This is the first time I am participating in a virtual book club with members of the #sschat community. As you know social studies teachers do not discriminate and everyone is welcome to join in the fun! The book is called Why Don’t Students Like School? Please feel free to join or invite friends.

For more information:

What: Why Don’t Students Like School

Who: YOU (and do invite your friends)

Where:   http://sschat.ning.com/group/bookclub

When:  Starting June 24th

How long: The book has nine short chapters.  Nine chapters, nine weeks

Hashtag: #sschatbook

About: Cognitive scientist Dan Willingham focuses his acclaimed research on the biological and cognitive basis of learning. His book will help teachers improve their practice by explaining how they and their students think and learn. It reveals-the importance of story, emotion, memory, context, and routine in building knowledge and creating lasting learning experiences.

  • Nine, easy-to-understand principles with clear applications for the classroom
  • Includes surprising findings, such as that intelligence is malleable, and that you cannot develop “thinking skills” without facts
  • How an understanding of the brain’s workings can help teachers hone their teaching skills

 

 

 

 

Does your class want a pen pal next year?

People to People International has a FREE service that connects classes and youth groups with pen pals or educational exchanges across the globe. I registered my sociology class and I am hoping it will be a great opportunity to compare cultures. It is a free program for cultural exchanges, interdisciplinary projects, and so much more. Teachers of students ages 4 to 18 are invited to participate. If selected to participate your class will receive guidance, tips for communication, and other project ideas. Classes can communicate email, snail mail, and Skype.

 

Registration is open July – October each year. For additional information before you register, download this info sheet or submit an info request.