October Technology News
From Katy Berner-Wallen Your E2CCB Tech Integrator
This Month's Newsletter
- Overview: 21st Century Learning: Getting Started and Getting Moving
- Teacher Spotlight: Organization in Notability with Kristy Randolph
- Tech Tool of the Month: QR Codes
- Advanced QR Codes: QR Code Adventures
- Elementary Focus: Plickers - Where Low Tech Meets High-Tech
- The App of the Month: Classkick
21st Century Learning: Getting Started and Getting Moving!
October is Connected Educator Month!
So where can I start?
- If you're using iPads, building a library of your classroom resources and assignments using iTunesU is a simple way to organize your paperless classroom.
- Try using QR codes (see below for more) around your room to provide easy access to frequently used resources.
- Easy and quick assessment tools like Classkick (for iPad), GoogleForms, EdCite or Socrative can help make giving and grading tests painless and paperfree.
- Already using presenting information using Powerpoint? Nearpod is a great tool to add interactive slides to collect quick assessment data.
Schedule an appointment if you need support or want to learn any of these tools.
Teacher Spotlight: Organization in Notability
Students will be able to easily find their class notes and differentiate classwork from homework based on the organizational method she used in her iTunesU. Although she expressed that it took some time to both set up her iTunesU and to help the students begin to get organized, hopefully the time she spent organizing the work in September will make it easier for them to stay organized all year in Notability.
For More information on Notability check out Notability for Dummies and this blog post from Reading.Writing.Thinking.Sharing
Tech Tool of the Month: QR CODES
These little squares can be scanned using a device with a camera and scanning app. When scanned, the QR code takes the user to a video, website, image, voice, recording, email or other web-based location. Teachers can use these codes to deliver information quickly to your students. It's a great way to mix up the usual and create more involvement in the learning.
QR Codes at Work
Ray Graf is currently using them in his Social Studies class as a way for students to easily access GoogleForms to complete surveys and for quick access to class resources.
The Middle School is also using them to help students get to know their teachers in a Who's Who In the Middle School contest.
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How To Create a QR Code
1. Find a website you want to use with your students. (ex: discovery.com)
2. Copy the URL from the website/link
3. Open a QR code creator and add the weblink where instructed.
I like these 3: www.the-qrcode-generator.com, http://goqr.me/ or http://qr.snipp.com/
4. Save and copy the QR Code using the directions on the website. (It will save as an image)
5. Print and share the code with your students.
How to View a Code
1. Download a FREE QR Code Reader to your device
** I use QR Code Reader by Scan or QR Code Reader and Barcode Scanner from Mixer Box (if it's free)
2. When you open the reader it activates the camera. Focus the camera on the QR code and watch it instantly scan and open the website or connected link.
QR Code Periodic Table!
QR Code Post Reading Activities
QR Codes for Parents
Advanced QR Codes: I'd Love To Help You Plan a QR Code Adventure
- Create a QR Code Scavenger Hunt (or Stations) with web-based activities/reading at each station.
- Create video reviews of books using iMovie or your iPhone and connect them to a private Youtube (or other storage location). Use QR codes to share the work.
- Let parents hear students talk about their displayed artwork by connecting a QR code to their audio recordings.
- Have extension/review video links posted as QR codes to your classroom walls for easy access.
- Add a QR code link to a parent hand-out to direct parents directly to your school or class website.
For additional ideas check out these websites:
PBWorks
Emerging Ed Tech
Elementary Focus: Where Low Tech Can Meet High Tech - Assessing with Plickers
Teachers can create a quiz through the Plickers website, then they assign each student a large index card with a QR code. The teacher displays the quiz on a screen (via a rover, smartboard, or overhead projector) and students respond by turning their QR code index card in one of 4 directions. Each direction identifies a different student response (ie. A.B.C.D). When the teacher is ready to collect data he uses the Plickers mobile app to scan the cards to see a bar graph of responses. The website collects each student response so a teacher can evaluate each student's response later (and provide additional support if needed). Plickers can help to facilitate discussion and is great for a quick assessment of student learning. I had the opportunity to work with Ann Purcell's students using this easy tool and the students were focused and excited to learn!
For more ideas about how to use Plickers check out FreeTech4Teacher's Blog Post.
The App of the Month: Classkick
Classkick for Instant Assessment
The assignments take minutes to set up; you can upload questions as images (screen shots), add voice prompts, or use the text box to write the questions. Once it's complete the teacher shares the access code with the students. As the students complete the quiz or assignment the teacher has real-time access to their work within the app. As a student writes a teacher can see exactly what he or she is writing at the time. Feedback is easy too - just click on the question or page of the Classkick assignment and write. You can assign points or even give out virtual stickers for student responses.
Students don't need an e-mail address to log in - just type their name and begin the work.
Additional features include the ability for students to "raise their hand" (virtually) and get immediate help from the teacher or others in the class if the teacher has allowed that option.
Want to learn more? Schedule a time for us to meet or e-mail Katy Berner-Wallen