Teaching with Technology

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

Pictionary in a Technology Based Classroom

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I have missed  A LOT of time in my classroom in the last two weeks. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend METC for three days…which was awesome. Then, my youngest daughter was sick and needed her mommy. Next, a round of winter weather slammed our area and we had a weeklong snow-cation.

As happy as I was to have the break, my students desperately needed some review.

The unit we are discussing now in American Government is vocabulary intensive. We’re learning about the ins and outs of the Legislative Branch, which includes terms many of my students have never encountered such as Logrolling, Pork Barrel Spending, Pigeonholing, Gerrymandering, and the like.

How do I review these concepts with my students?

I could give them a matching worksheet…ick.

I could have them create flashcards for review using Flippity…which I will most likely use for an end of the unit activity before their test.

Then I thought about how I could “techify” the old fashioned game of Pictionary…my students love to make fun of my artistic ability. Or, lack thereof.

I believe there is educational value in playing Pictionary. The students have to create visual or non-linguistic representations of their vocabulary terms, which requires them to not only understand the term, but to create an image describing the term!

Since I use an iPad for instructional purposes in my classroom, I decided to use my Educreations whiteboard app for this activity.

The result?

[Read more…]

Essential iPad Apps!

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The apps available for use on the iPad are absolutely amazing! Even if you’re like me and only have one iPad in your classroom, your students can benefit enormously from using the incredible iPad apps!
great ipad apps
There are so many fabulous apps available for use in education, and there is NO WAY I could possibly list or discuss even a majority of them. Listed below are a few of MY favorite apps to use in my classroom, and encourage my students to use. I will continue to update this list!

    • Google Earth
      • By now, most people have heard of the awesomeness (new word!) that is Google Earth. Teachers can take their students on field trips without even leaving their classroom. My students love to visit the White House and use street view to go inside! We also love to visit Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre, the Grand Canyon, and of course, Area 51 🙂
    • Edmodo 

      • If you’ve read my Learning Management Systems (LMS) post about edmodo, then this app needs no introduction! Students can download this app to their electronic device (iOS or android!) and access course materials, participate in discussion posts, and receive notification alerts for their teacher. The edmodo platform is VERY similar in appearance and accessibility to Facebook, which makes my students comfortable with using this program.
    • Scan
      • I like to incorporate QR codes into my classroom learning environment. In my lecture presentation, I include a QR code that links to a primary source, a video, or information and allow students to use their electronic devices to access the resource. It is SO MUCH EASIER to create a QR code for students to scan than to provide them with an extremely long URL and repeat it constantly! Scan is awesome (and is sometimes free)!
    • Educreations
      • Educreations is an AMAZING tool for the iPad. Educreations allows teachers to upload an image, take a picture (with a tablet or smartphone, etc), or search for an image on the web. Once the image has been selected, you can draw and type on the image, which is amazing in virtually any classroom! Teachers can also record information and save the lesson! AND…it is FREE!!!
    • YouTube
      • Youtube really needs no introduction…it can be an amazing tool in the classroom! Many channels are popping up that have amazing content for your classroom. Currently, in my social studies classes, I incorporate many Crash Course videos (mostly the American History genre). Check it out for classroom use!!
    • Prezi
      • The Prezi app for the iPad allows the user to create a prezi directly on their iPad, share the prodcut, and present it directly from their iPad! A Prezi app is also available for the iPhone…the only downside is you cannot create from your phone, just present. Imagine, however, students standing up in front of your class, presenting a prezi from their iPhone. AWESOME!! Watch for a post totally about prezi!!
    • Tellagami
      • This app is FUN to use as a presentation tool. Create a “gami,” customize the background of your screen, choose a voice for your gami, and enter the text you want to play! I love to use this at the beginning of class to get students’ attention and provide them with information for the day! Give it a whirl!
    • Evernote

    • Many of my students LOVE this app! Since I allow them to take notes on their electronic device in class, I encourage them to use this wonderful app to organize and manage their notes, not only for my class, but for all of their classes. Users can create notebooks, import pictures, take pictures, and do so many more things right in the app. It is awesome and FREE!
Storage Apps
Having access to my cloud based files on my iPad is essential. These apps are extremely e
asy to use, and are used extremely often by me!!
  • Google Drive
    • Access your Drive files on your iPad or iPhone. The app also allows you to create (with limited options) documents and spreadsheets on your device. FREE!
  • Dropbox
    • Access your Dropbox files on your iPad or iPhone. Choose do open your files in apps you already have on your device. I frequently open a Dropbox file in the edmodo app, and attach a file to an assignment or a note on edmodo directly from my iPad!
MORE APP IDEAS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM!

Thanks for reading!
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How to Use 1 iPad in the Classroom

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In my classroom, I am fortunate enough to have an iPad (purchased for me by my school!) that I can use for instruction. Some will ask why I use my iPad. Why don’t I just lecture from a power point and write on my chalkboard? My answer is….using my iPad as an instructional tool increases student engagement, allows me to be extremely mobile in my classroom, AND the content apps and access to the Internet provided by my iPad are AMAZING!

Here are some examples of how I use my iPad in the classroom…
Amazing Instructional Tool!
Students who are normally not engaged in content topic actually get excited about content delivery through the iPad, or “the pad” as we refer to it in my classroom!  I use an Apple TV to wirelessly mirror my iPad on my whiteboard, through my projector. I use the following apps most to aid in my content delivery:
Keynote
-This app allows teachers to create presentations for lecture or other instructional activities.
-Include images, links to outside websites and additional sources
Prezi
-The iPad app has limited capabilities with creating the prezi, however presenting the prezi via the app works extremely well
-Teachers can create and edit prezis via www.prezi.com and present using the iPad app


Educreations
-Educreations turns my iPad into a mobile whiteboard!
-This app allows teachers to import photos from their Camera Roll or Photo Stream, take pictures using the app, or surf the web for images. Once the images are selected, users can change the size of the image and write on the image! Awesome!
-This app also allows teachers to record their voice, save their lesson, and search for relevant lessons

Mobility!

We have recently implemented a BYOD (bring your own device) policy in my building. Many of my students bring smartphones, tablets, or other electronic devices to use in my class. I allow students to take notes and research on their electronic devices, and encourage them to interact on our class edmodo page via their electronic device. I NEED TO BE MOBILE IN MY CLASSROOM! Next year, my school is beginning our 1:1 initiative, and will provide every student with a google chromebook. I NEED TO BE MOBILE IN MY CLASSROOM!
Using my iPad allows me to provide direct instructions for my students while monitoring my students use of their electronic devices. This helps curb the students’ desire to text, get on Facebook or social networking sites, or do anything unrelated to the lesson. (This CURBS, but does not eliminate the problem!)Access to Up-to-the-Minute Information!
To me, especially in my social studies classroom, this is an invaluable asset of using iPads as instructional tool. I love being able to link to youtube videos, primary sources, interactive websites, and countless other Internet resources.

The apps available for the iPad are absolutely amazing. My students love using Google Earth to search for places we are studying. The “street view” capability on the Google Earth app is awesome in that it provides the students with an actual view of the area we are researching. If you search for the White House, street view allows you to go inside certain rooms in the White House! How awesome is that?!

Using my

For content specific information, I love to use MyCongress, which allows students to learn more information about their Congressmen…the app has a link to Twitter feeds and YouTube channels for each Congressman. It also lists recent articles that relate to the Congressman.

More to come soon about AWESOME apps in the classroom!

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

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