Tech Tips
October 2014: Volume 2 Number 5
October has arrived so quickly!
"O SUNS and skies and clouds of June, / And flowers of June together, / Ye cannot rival for one hour / October's bright blue weather"
Helen Hunt Jackson
Read & Write
This is a versatile tool!
- Hear text read aloud with dual color highlighting
- Have words explained with text and picture dictionaries and translated into other languages
- Turn speech to text in Google Docs
- Highlight and collect text; build vocabulary lists
- Simplify and summarize text on web pages
Classroom Ideas to Go
"Find activities and mini-lessons for every subject with Classroom Ideas to Go!
The perfect app for busy teachers, Classroom Ideas to Go! offers more than 1,200 hands-on ideas to use in your lessons. Browse by grade level, subject, and activity type (from group work to crafts to games) to instantly find hundreds of ideas from Instructor, Scholastic’s magazine for K–8 teachers."
Scratch Jr.
"Scratch is designed with learning and education in mind. A wide variety of educators have been supporting Scratch creators since 2007, in both formal and informal learning environments – K-12 classroom teachers, educational and computer science researchers, librarians, museum educators, and parents.
Want to learn more about learning with Scratch?
Check out the ScratchEd online community.
PowToons: Animated Characters blog
Excellent blog post on how we view animated characters and metaphors to sell products. Great to use with students!
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Google Classroom: Numbering Assignments
"The more I use Google Classroom the more I am liking numbering my assignments. I have numbered my assignments for years. When attempting to enter grades into the gradebook it is easy to find where to input assignment #012, it is next to #011. No more scrolling through and overlooking an assignment. Numbering assignments also makes student conversations about work significantly easier. “Joe, you are missing assignments #013, #027 and #067.” It is easier to jot this on a piece of paper and solves some confusion problems about which assignment we are talking about exactly."
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Tech Skills for Online Testing
"Ohio schools are moving toward online assessments for their students which include interactive assessment items. These interactive assessment items have been enhanced by technology and in order for students to successfully complete these online assessments, they will need to be able to perform many technology tasks including:
click/tap, scroll, plot points, drag/drop, type with text editor, select object, select text, use video player, select area, drag/slide, deselect, highlight, use ruler, use calculator, use protractor."
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Kathy Schrock Interview
Kathy Schrock has been supporting educators with pedagogically-sound practices for seamlessly embedding technology into teaching and learning since the early 1990’s. Through sites like Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything and kathyschrock.net she shares a wealth of resources and techniques for incorporating technology in instruction."
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Calm
Peaceful backgrounds and music with a timer for relaxation breaks.
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10 of the Most Engaging Uses of Instructional Technology
"Are you looking for ways to integrate technology in your lesson plans and courses that provide for an engaging experience for you and your students? Fans of instructional technology know that it can be fun and inviting, and engaged students are far more likely to be learning."
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On-the-Spot Scaffolding for Students
"Scrambling in the moment to figure out what students need when they just don't get it is one of the exciting challenges of teaching. Being able to respond to learners' needs on the spot is hands down one of the greatest tricks of this trade."
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Tech Tools & Strategies for Online Testing--Including PARCC
"Here are 4 AWESOME websites with resources to support online test preparation:
1) From Eric Curts, SPARCC — http://nextgen.apps.sparcc.org2) From John Mansel-Pleydell, NWOCA — http://nextgen.nwoca.org/
3) From ODE - http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Testing/Next-Generation-Assessments
4) NEW! Here's a link to an awesome PearlTree that Brandi Young, INFOhio, recently created
with resources (both INFOhio and outside) that will give students resources to practice 16
different tech skills needed for Ohio's online testing —
http://www.pearltrees.com/brandi_young/infohio-skills-online-testing/id12112629"
5 Great Tools to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills
Strongsville City Schools Instructional Technology Information
Contact me if you have any questions or would like help using these tools.
Email: turner@strongnet.org
Website: http://www.strongnet.org/InstructionalTechnology
Phone: 440-572-7067