Tech Tips
December 2016: Volume 4- Number 32
Have a Wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!
You'll find a wide variety of apps, articles, and websites in this issue.
Bloomz
“Make your life easier by consolidating all of your communications and coordination with parents.” – WeAreTeachers
“There’s one app that does it all, it’s called Bloomz.” – Vicki Davis (CoolCatTeacher)
Pic Collage
"PicCollage is the popular collage maker that has everything you need to create unique collages with your photos. This holiday play with our seasonal stickers, backgrounds, and templates. Create fun Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year’s collages and enjoy new brand content from Packman and Hello Kitty. You can customize the size and layout of your collage with the touch of a button!"
Christmas Photo Frames
The picture of our bunnies was created using this app. On another note, would anyone like a bunny or two?
"Christmas Photo Frame Pro" is a collection of over 400 lovely photo frames to decorate your photos.
There are 1700 cute Stickers: lovely Christmas stickers such as Santa Claus, reindeer, pine, Heart stickers, Flower stickers, Emotion stickers "
Choose Your Own Adventure Using Google Docs: Eric Curts
"Choose Your Own Adventure Stories with Google Docs
- Google Slides - with hyperlinks to other slides in the presentation
- Google Forms - with branching from multiple choice questions to different pages of the Form
- Google Sites - with hyperlinks to different pages on the Site
- YouTube videos - with Annotation links or End Screen link to other videos
- Google Docs - with hyperlinks to headings on other pages
Each of these methods has its own benefits, challenges, and reasons why you would use one tool versus another. However, if you are looking for ease of use, in my opinion using Google Docs is one of the quickest and easiest ways to create a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story. Some of the benefits of using Docs for this purpose include:
- Most students are more familiar with Google Docs that any of the other tools.
- Docs makes it easy to add text, images, and formatting.
- Linking is easy using headings.
- It looks and feels like a traditional book."
If you are brave though, and ready to face the dragon, it’s time for your adventure to begin. To access the example interactive Google Doc story click the link below:
- “Dragon Quest” Interactive Story - Google Docs link
Best Apps and Websites for Learning Programming and Coding
"Computers intersect with every aspect of kids' lives, but most kids don't understand how they work. Through coding, students build essential literacy skills, gain an understanding of logic and sequence, and learn the mechanics of iteration. These tools support project-based learning and give students the freedom to create, collaborate, hack, remix, and tinker with their own unique designs. Using these picks, kids can unlock the logic of code and the basics of programming, turning computers into tools to make new things."
Get Started with Coding in Your Class
"Learning to code in school is more popular than ever, and it's never been easier for teachers to get started. What's more, coding can teach students skills that apply across the curriculum, beyond computer science. So, what's the best way to get kids coding in your classroom? Here you'll find practical tips on how to set up learn-to-code lessons that empower students to become producers, not just consumers, of digital media."
6 Powerful Learning Strategies You MUST Share with Students
What does the word “study” mean to you?
"Have you ever told your students to study for a test? Have you ever actually taught them how to study?
It turns out studying can be taught. And two cognitive psychological scientists, Yana Weinstein and Megan Smith, have made it their mission to teach people how to study better. On their new website, The Learning Scientists, they use infographics and videos to share strategies and other insights about how we learn.
Here we will explore six research-based learning strategies that Weinstein and Smith teach on their site. If we can work these methods into our instruction, and teach students how to use them on their own, our students stand a much better chance of actually remembering our material.
One final note before we dig in: Although performance assessments and project-based learning allow students to show what they know with more depth and authenticity, most content areas still need to measure some learning with tests. When you are teaching that kind of content, these six strategies will help your students perform better on the test AND retain that information long after the test is over. "
Safely View YouTube Videos
4 Ways to Cultivate Motivation in Your Students
Excerpt:
Show Notes:
- There are 4 key elements that help unleash student self-motivation:
- Autonomy: A voice in what and how being down.
- Relationship: What they are doing helps build a relationship with someone they like or respect
- Relevant: Something they do is connecting to their hopes and dreams.
- Competence: They are capable of doing what they’re being asked to do.
- We talk about intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.
- What is cognitive choice and how we can we give it to our students? Larry gives examples with cognitive choice as it relates to homework and classroom learning. Larry also relates cognitive choice to metacognition.
- Kristy Cooper’s research Eliciting Engagement in the High School Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Examination of Teaching Practices from April 2014 American Education Research Journal.
- What can teachers do to have a great relationship with students?
- Larry also shares the best way to give advice.
- Feedback in Schools by John Hattie
- Larry Ferlazzo relates Professor Carol Dweck’s research about how we give feedback in the classroom. Larry loves creating situations where they create their own feedback.
- Larry explains the “plussing strategy” which came from Pixar about how you comment on people’s work.
- How do we make our topic relevant without demotivating kids who struggle?
- Larry’s book: Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges
Dwayne Cook's Epson Graphic!
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