Tech Tips
January 2018: Volume 5- Number 43
January Is Over Already??
"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness." --John Steinbeck
1 Second Every Day
"This spellbinding app stitches second-long snippets from your life into a compelling, personal movie. With built in reminders, a simple editing tool, and a gorgeous design, 1 Second Everyday is everything you need to put together your own thought-provoking narrative."
Screencast-O-Matic (Beta for Chromebooks)
- You can record free for 15 mins/video
- No limit on the number of recordings you can make with the free version
- Record both your mic for narration and your computer sound
- Save your videos to Google Drive or your Chromebook for sharing.
Chroma Key
Free. Take of photo or select one from your gallery with a green screen and add a custom background using the chroma key effect.
STEM Projects with Green Screen
Excerpt:
Wait, What’s Green Screen?
Before we jump into green screen projects customized for STEM, let’s review what green screens allow you to do.
A green screen allows you to display video or images of far-away places. At the same time, you can have students in your classroom speak to what is displayed in those images or videos. Think of the local television news weather personality. To get started, you will need a screen solution (e.g. the right shade of butcher paper, a $.99 green tablecloth from Dollar Tree, or green cloth) and one of the apps below. If you have an iOS device, the best app on the market is Green Screen by Do Ink, although you can accomplish even more with Touchcast. (source)
Want to see some practical examples of green screen in the classroom? Visit my “Go Green” resources page where I curate amazing examples. Oh, and don’t forget to follow the @doinktweets folks, who make the best, low-cost green app for iOS devices.
The Enduring Power of Print for Learning in a Digital World
Excerpt:
"2. Analyze the task
One of the most consistent findings from our research is that, for some tasks, medium doesn’t seem to matter. If all students are being asked to do is to understand and remember the big idea or gist of what they’re reading, there’s no benefit in selecting one medium over another.
But when the reading assignment demands more engagement or deeper comprehension, students may be better off reading print. Teachers could make students aware that their ability to comprehend the assignment may be influenced by the medium they choose. This awareness could lessen the discrepancy we witnessed in students’ judgments of their performance vis-à-vis how they actually performed."
Kids Think Design
ABOUT KIDS DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
Kids Design Collaborative is a non-profit design resource dedicated
to the education and inspiration of future designers. Its activities include:
• DESIGN DOSSIERS® a series of books on design for kids 9+
developed in conjunction with Paintbox Press
• KIDSTHINKDESIGN.ORG, a website that promotes design thinking
and provides a showcase for kids' original projects
• KIDS DESIGN LAB, a school and museum initiative
to connect kids with creative professionals
SCS Instructional Technology Information
Contact me if you have any questions or would like help using these tools.
Email: vturner@scsmustangs.org
Website: http://www.strongnet.org/InstructionalTechnology
Phone: 440-572-7067
Twitter: @vturner8