December Tech Connect
2015
Story Builder by Google
Using Story Builder by Google, students can create mini-movies of stories being written by characters on what looks like a Google doc. Students can use up to ten characters and ten conversation exchanges to create their mini-movies. With a title and music, the mini-movie is complete!
Science Snacks
Science Snacks from Exploratorium are hands-on science explorations made from inexpensive materials found around the home or classroom. While they are written mainly for middle and high school teachers, many of the explorations can be modified for elementary. The site provides step-by-step directions as well as scientific explanations to satisfy any student's curiosity.
Five Search Engines for Students
Are you researching in your class? The following search engines are intended for students of all ages. They will not replace databases, like World Book, but offer an additional research method.
Click to access KidRex : kid-safe Google searchClick to access Ref Seek : academic search engine without ads
Click to access Famhoo : family filtered search engine
Click to access Google Scholar : search engine for scholarly journals
Click to access Wolfram Alpha : questions involving numbers
Draftback
The Google Doc extension Draftback will playback all revisions made in an essay from start to finish. As long as the paper is in edit mode, not view only, the teacher can see the paper playback, like a movie, as the student's writing transforms on the page. This could serve as a significant benefit to teachers in evaluating the revision process. Click on the following link to add the extension Draftback to your Google Docs: https://goo.gl/PibjPC
Teacher Rubric
Need help with the creation of a rubric? The new Google Doc add-on, OrangeSlice, can help you customize a rubric and seamlessly insert it into a Google Doc. The customizable feature allows the rubric creation to work with our four-point scale. Use this tool to give students timely, specific feedback directly within their writing.
Grammar Flip
Assign or participate in a free online grammar course through http://grammarflip.com/ . As a student, you can watch videos and practice your grammar with immediate feedback. As a teacher, you can track student accounts and monitor the needs of your students with both formative and summative reports.
Amanda Allen
Instructional Technology Coach
Email: aallen@gvr5.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/gvr5.net/edtech/
Location: Grain Valley, MO, United States
Twitter: @amandabethallen