Teaching with Technology

Using educational technology to enhance the learning environment and increase student engagement!

Screencasting with Explain Everything

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I had the opportunity to attend a WONDERFUL METC session today about flipping the classroom! Wow! Have you ever been to a workshop that had so much valuable information that your brain was on overload?! This is where I am tonight!

As you have most likely noticed by reading this blog, I am EXTREMELY interested in flipping the classroom, and all of the potential this new teaching method can offer. Many of the questions I had about this topic were answered today, and I left with a huge amount of information that I will attempt to convey to you!

First of all, when you have decided to flip your classroom, you definitely need to explore the options available for screencasting. One of the essential features of a flipped classroom is that the students watch “lecture” videos on their own time and complete “homework” in class under the teacher’s supervision. Many options for screencasting and video creation were mentioned today, but my absolute FAVORITE is still Explain Everything!

Before I get any deeper into flipping resources, let me explain Explain Everything 🙂

  1. It is an awesome app for your iPad…it’s $2.99. And this is probably the best $2.99 that I’ve spent in a long time, including the money I spend on lattes and clothes, which is saying something!
  2. It allows you to import pictures and video directly from your iPad, as well as files stored in iTunes, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, and other cloud based storage systems
  3. After importing your document, Explain Everything allows you to…
    • record yourself talking
    • annotate your screen
    • edit your project
    • ADD A VIDEO OR PICTURE WITHIN THE SCREEN!
    • save your project
  4. When you’ve finished your “project,” you can export your video to your Camera Roll, YouTube, Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, VIMEO (which I use), and other cloud based storage systems

Since Edmodo is my Learning Management System (LMS) of choice, I need to upload my video to my Edmodo folders. 

The easiest way I’ve found to make this happen is to export my video from Explain Everything to my Vimeo account. Once I’ve named the video, I can click the share feature (looks like a paper airplane) and choose to copy the url or the embed code for the video. I can paste the code in my Edmodo library and share it with my students through their course folders. I can even embed the video on my course Google site! Awesome!

I can do ALL of this from my iPad AND my students can access the video from any device that has Internet access…computer, tablet, smartphone…ANYTHING!

I’ve included some resources below for embedding, screencasting with Explain Everything, and creating and uploading to vimeo!


Google Sites in the Classroom

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There are so many ways that Google Sites can be used in virtually any classroom! I currently use my Google site to post my unit assignments and presentations, embed my course calendar, and direct students to important resources available through our school. 


Teachers have so many different possibilities when it comes to incorporating Google Sites! I’ve listed a few examples below!







Creating class websites with Google Sites is so easy and beneficial, but students could create some pretty amazing products with Google Sites. Below are a few ideas!

Students can create…

  • a database of resources for a project
  • a Webquest for a younger grade
  • a website to promote awareness about a local issue
  • a website to record information from a research project
  • a website that includes classroom news and important dates
  • a website to present how they’ve met objectives
The possibilities are endless! How could you use this in your classroom??

Thanks for reading!

Flipping and MORE Flipping!

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After reading my original post about flipping the classroom, some of my readers asked how this would work in an elementary classroom environment. Most of the information about flipped classrooms seems to be geared to the secondary or higher education classroom. However, I was able to find so many great resources about how a flipped or blended environment could be extremely beneficial in the elementary classroom. Enjoy!

This links to Jon Bergmann’s blog…he is one of the original “flippers!” Awesome blog!!






One of the obvious benefits of flipped classrooms is that it switches the focus from what the teacher is teaching to what the students are learning. Student-centered learning! Woohoo!!

So, how could you have a “flipped” environment in your elementary classroom? I’ve been brainstorming, and here’s what I’ve come up with…

Let’s say you’re teaching a unit about Native American civilizations. There is so much information you need to cover with your kids, and you don’t know if you have time to “cover” the content well. 

Start by using Brain Pop or Discovery Education to locate a video that would be appropriate for your objective (Brain Pop is available in an app for the iPad, just FYI!) Assign the video to your students to view as homework. (If accessing the Internet is a problem, encourage students to visit the computer lab before or after school, or perhaps watch the video with a friend!) Encourage your students to actively view the video…providing them with some sort of guided viewing activity may not be a bad idea! Perhaps you could have your students record two “fun facts” they learned from watching the video, or have them define an important term…anything that is relevant and will tie in to the video. This guided viewing activity can serve as the “notes” for the objective.

During your next class period, start by asking students to discuss their “fun facts,” or have students work cooperatively to construct good definitions of the terms you assigned.

After you have discussed the learning objective, and students feel comfortable with the content, use your class time to allow the students to work on their assignment…reinforcing, enrichment, project, or whatever is appropriate! 

The possibilities for the flipped classroom, whatever the age group, are endless! How can you use the flipped model??

Thanks for reading!

Managing a 1:1 Classroom

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As I begin to think about next school year (yes, I know it’s only February!), one of the biggest concerns I have about our new 1:1 environment is MANAGING my new classroom setting. As a new teacher, I still don’t feel as though I’m an expert on classroom management, and going 1:1 will definitely impact my classroom environment. I’ve compiled a list of articles and resources for making the switch to a 1:1 classroom. 






I’m so excited to be attending METC next week…so check back soon for posts about all of the awesome educational technology tools I pick up!


Chrome Apps for Education: Teachers

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There are so many Chrome apps available that will greatly benefit any classroom! 

Before I explore the apps themselves, I’ve listed some resources about what Chrome apps actually are, and how they can be used, generally speaking, in the classroom environment!






There are so many wonderful Chrome apps you can use within Google Drive. For more information about those apps, check out my Wonderful World of Google post!

There are SO MANY awesome Chrome apps for education, but with today’s post I’ve chosen to highlight apps that I think will benefit TEACHERS! 

Teachers can create lesson plans, long range plans, track standards, collaborate with other teachers, and access plans anywhere with an Internet connection!

My Study Life
This is a planner for students and teachers! Store all of your information in this valuable app and access it on any device with Internet connection! Available for Chrome, Windows, and Android devices…and soon for Apple devices!





Edmodo
Yes, there’s a Chrome app for edmodo! As you probably know by now, I am an edmodo fan. Easily access your edmodo account directly from your chrome browser!

Apps for Common Core
There are so many apps that teachers can use for implementing the CCSS, and this Chrome app organizes the apps for you! Search for apps by grade level, content, and standard. Great resource!






Remind 101
By using this twitter-like program, teachers create an account and are given a specific “phone number.” Instructions are given through the account for students to sign up to receive text messages from the teacher. The teacher’s actual phone number is never given, and neither are the students! Teachers send out a mass text message, students receive the text, CANNOT reply to the text, and are reminded about important information. Yes, there’s a Chrome app for this awesome program!


What an awesome tool! Teachers can create an “edcanvas” that includes images, websites, presentations (power point, keynote, prezi), videos, text, and more. Then, assign the edcanvas to your students! The website has great examples of how to use this tool in specific classroom settings. I will definitely be using this great Chrome app!



There are so many awesome Chrome apps available for use in education! Check back for posts on Chrome apps for classroom content, as well as apps for creating awesome products, coming soon!

Thanks for reading!

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