Tyler's Tech Tips
May 2017
Cube Creator, Geometry Desmos, Top Teacher Ted Talks, ThingLink, 21 Things For Teachers PD, and Snapchat
Bio Cubes
To try this out, check out the Cube Creator by clicking here.
Geometry Desmos
Desmos is a website that has been around for a while which specializes in math, graphing, and tutorials. A few weeks ago, they released "Geometry Beta" which can be accessed on any web browser. This tool is a whiteboard that allows students to use and create lines, line segments, circles, rays, vectors, etc. These tools allow students to construct equilateral triangles from scratch, centroids, the Pythagorean Theorem, or the Circumcenter.
To check out their free interactive website, click here.
Top Teacher Ted Talks
Do you need a little extra motivation this Spring? Here is a site that has gone through the thousands of Ted Talks and has created a top 10 list for educators. You will find talks from well-known names as Sir Ken Robinson, Sal Khan, and Dale Dougherty. Click here to check out some of these inspiring tech talks.
Premium ThingLInk Account for $25
Currently, Thinglink cost $1,500 per year for business users, $120 a year for educators, and are right now offering its Premium package for $25 a year!! I just cashed in on this awesome deal.
To get the premium package, they will send you promo code after you sign up for their free, self-paced, online PD. You don't even have to take the PD, you get the code for signing up. To take advantage of this amazing deal, click here.
21 Things for Teachers (Self-Paced PD)
More about details about the project, "21Things4Teachers helps educators make connections between technology tools and best practice instructional strategies. It provides a chance for you to collaborate with fellow teachers in a cohort or as an individual to learn more about 21st century technology skills in a supportive environment with a highly skilled instructor."
For more information, head over to the REMC 10's site by clicking here.
Snapchat in School?
Journalism classes at Junction City High School in Kansas-100 miles west of Kansas use the short-lived social media app Snapchat to learn long-lived lessons of storytelling. The students in those classes use snaps which are either pictures or 10-second videos taken with their smartphones that are saved for 24 hours to report on Geary County Schools' events such as football games and pep rallies.
They record an introduction, then string together the images with captions or use a series of videos to create a digital narrative. Students, who act as social media editors, curate stories from the reporters and post story snaps to the Snapchat feed of The Blue Jay, the school newspaper. "We're teaching new forms of storytelling that real journalists in the field are embracing, and it's a new way to create content," says John Walker,
A how-to guide for Snapchat in K12
Schools planning to incorporate Snapchat into a curriculum should establish a formal written policy. Junction City High School journalism teacher John Walker suggests including four key elements:
- Mission statement specifies how the social media account will be used, such as for only promoting the school newspaper.
- Style guide sets standards for use, such as ensuring all posted information is held to the same fact-checking standards and unbiased reporting as any school publication.
- Best practices detail how the account should be handled on a practical basis, including properly vetting information from multiple credible sources, avoiding unfounded speculation, and sourcing administrators as necessary.
- User's role and responsibilities include expectations for proper use, including the need to engage an audience in a professional manner, and to acknowledge and make corrections where necessary.