December 2015 Tech tips

Here is a few more tech tips to try for the holidays.

1.Google Docs Voice Typing feature located under Tools, can now work in 40 languages, try it out.

2. I was connected to Billy Corcoran @MisterCMaine by Beth Holland @brholland and he is a great teacher of a grade 3 class who has embraced ed tech as well as learning spaces and experiential learning.

Here is a great project he did that helps the community, uses technology and even a Wood workshop with cross curricular work with older students.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-69w6LC3y0s&index=1&list=PL7Kkhrn4tsETEjABM4ZT8YhTAINupRE8I 

Web site created by students 

 http://millikenmillstrails.weebly.com/ 

Teachers web site

 http://www.mistercmaine.org/ 

Class Site

 http://mistercloranger.weebly.com/ 

3. Code.org and hour of code with Star Wars https://code.org/ could be a great activity for students or even adults if you want to try coding.

4. Google Apps for Education training Handbook

 https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/us/edu/pdf/guide/professional-development-handbook.pdf

Everything you ever wanted to know about Google Training, products, certifications, community...

5. Ninite.com Ninite allows you to download a whole bunch of popular apps at once and keep them updated.

6. Ed Tech Teacher has released Vol 2 of their Awesome Activities for the classroom series of ebooks, you can get both after signing up http://edtechteacher.org/awesome/

7. We all know that modifications, adaptations, and accommodations useful to reach different students, but different subjects have different techniques, here is a collection of ideas on how to differentiate your teaching style to reach more students.

http://archive.brookespublishing.com/content/blog/modifications-and-supports.pdf

November 2015 Tech Tip

November 2015 Tech Tips

Go Formative - www.goformative.com Free live quiz app that is web based and can be used on any device and its FREE. You can build your quizzes, distribute them and see them filled out live. You students also don’t need to sign up so it's super easy to implement.

Intro Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cu8F6gMshg

EdPuzzle -https://edpuzzle.com/  Similiar to Go Formative you can have a video lesson and layer your voice on top and ask questions at certain intervals. You also get great reporting tools. Your students need to create accounts and you need to build classes so setup takes more time but this tool is very interactive and great in a flipped classroom environment.

Google Chrome Extension - Permanent Clipboard http://bit.ly/1KBVv2m

Create a list of clipboard items, that you can right-click and choose from, quickly writing sentences without having to type them out. Great for Commenting in Google Apps Documents.

Book Creator - New Update Comic Book Stips - Book Creator on the iPad has just gotten a nice update, you can now build comic books and add stickers. Here is an intro video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxm_sW0PBkk

This is a tutorial on how to animate your comic books with explain everything and then add sound effects in iMovie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HCSIABQNp4 credits go to the Book Creator Team for making the tutorial videos

September 2015 Tech Tips

Hi Everyone,

I know I have not posted in a while but with the start of the new school year, I am sure I will have loads of  amazing tips and tricks that can help you in your classroom.


Book'In A free program to organize your book collection and track who has what

http://www.2025exmachina.net Online Interactive Game that is available in both in English and French on Digital Citizenship and the dangers of online and Social Media

Pixar in a Box A collaboration with Pixar and Khan Acamedy to show all of the jobs and steps that go into making a Pixar Film


https://plickers.com/ Cool way to poll and ask questions to your students with an iPad or iPhone


https://www.thatquiz.org/ A free collection of quizzes, mainly on math but on many other subjects.

ISTE 2015 Review

This was my first time going to ISTE and let me tell you its CRAZY.

Not only do they have loads of sessions, keynotes ,poster sessions, hand-ons sessions,etc... but they also have the Expo, 500 exhibitors with 4500 industry reps. My only complaint would be thats its too big, and the distances to go from one session to the poster session to the show floor is quite a marathon, I averaged 20 000 steps a day. Oh and this conference is not 8 to 4 but rather 6am to 10 or even 11 if you want it to be. 

My days would start with a 6am CoffeeEdu(a 1 hour meetup for coffee organized in a sort of Edcamp model) hosted by @alicekeeler (who just released a book 50 things you can do with Google Classroom). 

Then I would end up in the Bloggers Cafe, imagine the best resource people from twitter in EdTech all in one place, that you can talk to or exchange ideas. Then you could go to the keynote, sessions, poster sessions, etc... you get the idea. After the conference, vendors or groups organize gatherings, etc... until you go to bed and start again the next day for 4 days.

I got to present on QR codes and Aurasma, and while in the room their were only about a dozen people, but I was live streaming to 147 people, just to show how connected this conference was, their was a online version for many of the sessions.

The amount of content I saw was quite massive so I separated it into two sections, an overview of what I thought was cool and a list of resources. I will also list names of people I met that you may want to follow on twitter.

I had the chance also to visit parts of the String Theory School in Philadelphia http://stringtheoryschools.wix.com/ppacs-vine really impressive setup and vision. The School was hosting a gathering of EdCamp organizers from around the country as well as the founder of the movement.

Just wanted to give a shoutout to Google and the Ed Tech Team and AmplifiIT, they seemed to be everywhere delivering great content and having great discussions.

ISTE 2016 is set for July next year in Denver, and I highly recommend going to see how huge it is, at that conference I was also recommended a few others iPadpalooza and Miami Device, so be sure to check these out.

Resources : All of this content was not created by myself, and I would just like to acknowledge all of the great presenters from the conference.

First off the annual Horizon Report K-12 was released and outlines a timeframe for what is coming in EdTech http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf 

Arizona Technology Integration Matrix or TIM, is a collection of lesson plans that can help integrate technology from beginners to experts and on multiple levels. http://www.azk12.org/tim/

Think Before You Link - a full courseware on digital citizenship developed by Intel and Discovery http://www.thinkbeforeyoulinkinschool.com/students

Tinkering, Making & Learning https://tackk.com/u1prv3

A nice intro to the maker movement which is the big topic this year at ISTE

continuing on the same subject https://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/arts-integration-and-technology/iste15 a collection of projects 

App Smashing with iPads, this is a breakdown that explains app smashing and a few simple examples https://www.smore.com/gbepx-smashing-apps-for-app-smashing

Badging which is a form of Gamification is getting really popular this site allows you to start using badges and setup your own http://openbadges.org if you want to earn badges for technical prowess or http://classbadges.com if you want to integrate it into your class.

A collections of lists of Apps built by teachers http://www.appitic.com

Futureme.org
If you want to send yourself a email but only at a future date, you can use this for reminders but its purpose is too reflect and then receive your thoughts from a month or even a year ago. Its good for reflection and remember what you were thinking in the past and how that view may or may not have changed. 

Specific Products that you should check out

Plickers, need to poll students electronically quickly and easily without having a computer or tablet, use Plickers, its free and easy to use https://plickers.com

Mindmup is an online mindmap tool that allows multiple students to edit at the same time online 

https://www.mindmup.com/

Crayola Stylus pens, pretty cool http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QFTKLQI/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_kLyEvb1HJPHWH

Shadow Puppet Edu - Easily create videos to tell stories, explain ideas, document ideas,etc... https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/shadow-puppet-edu/id888504640?mt=8

Seesaw - Online journal for students, that is managed by teachers but also viewable by parents 

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/seesaw-the-learning-journal/id930565184?mt=8

Chromville - Print out drawings scan them and have your drawings come alive, really cool for young kids and art. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chromville/id748017957?mt=8

Photosphere - Google 360 spheres http://www.google.ca/maps/about/contribute/photosphere/

Classkick - A Free app / service that allows you give students instant feedback, allow them to help each other and monitor their work. You can convert your paper work into electronic work very easily http://www.classkick.com/#home

Google Lit Trips, use google maps to follow the adventure of your novels http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Home.html

Kaizena - Feedback platform for Google Drive, you need an account - track skills or rubric criteria, voice comments, etc..

https://kaizena.com/

Code Combat - a medieval game to learn how to code

http://codecombat.com/play

Earth, get a 3D reprensentation of earth, tempeture, water and air currents,etc... Click on the word Earth for the menu options

http://earth.nullschool.net
on a related note, Google Sky http://www.google.ca/sky/ a look at loads of space objects

Presentation - QR Codes and Aurasma

I just wanted to do a quick post for my presentation on QR Codes and Aurasma.  Here are my slides and here is the link to a detailed explanation of the "Dragons" project.

Slides:
http://bit.ly/1RS5lS2

"Dragons":
http://jpedtech.blogspot.ca/2014/05/augmented-reality-project-dragons.html

Final Tech Tip before Summer

This will be the last Tech tip before the summer but maybe a few will be sent during the break for fun.

1. An interesting look at the evolution of the desk https://vimeo.com/107569286

video courtesy of: bestreviews.com/best-computer-desks#history-of-the-computer-desk  http://bestreviews.com/best-desk-lamps#evolution-of-the-desk
photography by dougthomsen.tv / engineering by anton georgiev 

2. An interesting TED talk on how Boys learn and how video gaming can give you a way to connect with them. http://www.teachthought.com/video-games-2/using-video-games-to-reconnect-with-a-lost-generation-of-male-learners/

3. Bounce by ideapaint  or Skitch by Evernote- ideapaint is a whiteboard paint that allows you to write on any surface but they just released for FREE, an app that allows to take a photo of a wall or anything really and annotate and share, much like Skitch which now has a desktop app. https://evernote.com/skitch/guide/windows/or  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id986372086?utm_content=16424345&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

4. A cool Digital Citizenship infographic http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/awesome-digital-citizenship-graphic-for.html

5. from the same site and for those who want to start digging into Google Apps before next year http://www.educatorstechnology.com/search/label/google%20docs

6. Google Read & Write is a comprehensive Google Chrome extension that provides support for reading and writing, its also FREE for teachers http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/06/read-write-for-google-now-available-in.html#.VYHMU2BwVRF but they also just added French as a language.

7. Free screen recording app that can also record your web camera and voice. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/capturecast-chrome/dmhhfoemgdlphenmfoicajbakonjcgee

8. For a great outdoor activity you can use Leafsnap on the ipad to identify plants just by taking a picture of it leaf http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/06/try-leafsnap-for-help-identifying-plants.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=freetech4teachers#.VYHPyWBwVRE

Have a great Summer

May 2015 Tech update and 3rd Sommet du iPad review

Hello,

I recently attended the  3rd Sommet du iPad in Montréal, and I wanted to share a few of the highlights as well as some new interesting ways to use the iPads but also technology in the classroom and to help you pedagogically. Most of the content is in French since the conference was french oriented.

The Conference was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Montreal and had over 1400 people attend from all levels of education. The conference has a focus on educational technology but also on evaluation and more on the philosophy of ed tech rather than just showing new apps and tools. Pour ceux qui sont sure Twitter le # de la conference était #ipad2015.

First a wake up call:
1. Manifeste pour une pédagogie renouvelée, active et contemporaine : une réflexion sur les l'éducations actuels et comment nous devons renouvelée non seulement pour les élèves mais pour nous même. http://www.pedagogieactive.com

2. De-Clic
Ce site comporte plein de ressources pour l'integration de technology ainsi que des idées de partage et d'échange. Présenté par Corine Gilbert @cogilbert et Alexandra Bernier @abernmess du Collège St-Jean-Vianney http://de-clic.com

3. Marc-André Girard - Directeur du Secondaire Collège Beaubois donne une bonne explication sur le changement de l'éducation via la technopédagogie, voici un PDF de sa présentation https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4pdI-uViRUSV3pKcmhuQnBZSVE/view?usp=sharing

4. Benoit Petit de Récit présente sur la citoyenneté numérique et comment sa doit faire parti de tous les cours https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yXSXlfeiF5oPW6RnE958bJtJ-TcjMO47zYkiZyLM1f8/mobilepresent?pli=1&slide=id.g9bb3ad11f_0_0




Not part of the conference but great ressources:

1. Great Technical Support Youtube Channel for Parents from Google - 50 Videos show you how to do common things or searches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHa1Dj3JIFQ&feature=BF&list=PLAE6B03CA849AD332&index=1


2. The Must-Read Ed-Tech IT Blogs of 2015
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2015/04/50-must-read-it-blogs-2015

3. Interested in the Maker Mouvement here is a great ressource http://cybraryman.com/makerspaces.html

More Tips and Tricks April 2015

I have a few more Tips and Tricks to share this month so here they are, a few of them are also good for the french teachers.

1. Here are two great services for creating timelines

hstry.co

 A web based timeline creation tool

timeline.knightlab.com

This timeline creation tools uses Google Spreadsheets to write all the content, then upload to create a timeline that can easily be shared or embedded.

2. Un site créer par Annie Marois de la comission scolaire des Découvreurs qui donne plein de ressource en français comme des tutoriel pour des application iPads.

http://seduc.csdecou.qc.ca/recit-tablette/tutoriels-dapplications-ipad/

3. Exemple d'une classe inversé par Marie Soulie https://slate.adobe.com/a/WdwNQ

4. This is great for short quizzes about Math, Vocabulary, Geography and Science, a great resource that is available in French and English. 

http://www.thatquiz.org

5. Social Media Statistics for 2015 on Teens http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

Tech Tip April 2015

A few interesting links and updates

A Bunch of Easter activities for kids: http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/easter-fun/

Refme: free reference generator in multiple styles and for websites, books, journals, etc... https://www.refme.com 

ChallengeU: a collection of lesson plans created by teachers for teachers on a whole range of subjects. [ www.challengeu.com ]www.challengeu.com

EdPuzzle: A free website that allows you to grab videos from your computer or the internet and add text, links, questions ,etc... https://edpuzzle.com/ 

Kidsblog: if you ever wanted to easily create a blog for each of your students, a great service that is easy to use. http://kidblog.org/home/

iPad Adobe Voice: this simple video maker used to only save on the Adobe website but now you can save and use the videos everywhere. http://getvoice.adobe.com

Google Logged-in device status: if you want to check which devices your account is currently logged in, log into your google account and simply follow this link https://security.google.com/settings/security/activity?pli=1  if the list does not appear click on Recent Activity - Devices  from there you will be able to remotely log off. This is perticulary usefull if you used a computer in a hotel or cafe and forgot to log off.

Facebook Logged-in device status: Log into Facebook and but follow this link https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=security&section=sessions&view  you will get a list of all the devices you are currently opened sessions.

Tips and Tricks before March Break

Here is a small Tech Tip Email before March Break

Youtube for Kids - Google has just released a version of youtube for Android and IOS that is kid friendly loaded with loads of features made especially for parents and kids.

iMovie Trailers - Here is a series of PDF plans to organize you imovie trailers, http://learninginhand.com/blog/2014/8/6/plan-a-better-imovie-trailer-with-these-pdfs

Prodigy Elementary Math Game - This web based game is a free way to gamify math exercises for grade 1-7. The Game also has a full set of reporting and assessment tools. http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/prodigy-math-game-elementary-skill-building/

Mystery Skype - You students will call another class somewhere in the world and need to figure out where the other class is and vice versa, this teaches geography, global citizenship, etc...

This is an article that explains all the steps and how to make a Mystery Skype call.

 New Link 

Tech Tips February 2015

Paper

Paper is the ios app for note taking, doodles and idea creation was free but if you wanted all of the tools you had to pay 3.99$, well as of today all the tools are free to use so update the app or go download it for the first time.

 New Link 

Google Earth Pro - Thanks to Richard Byrnes http://www.freetech4teachers.com  for this tech tip

• Google earth pro is a  is now free for everyone use license key GEPFREE, Google Earth Pro offers at least nine features that are not available in the standard version of Google Earth. 
• Those features include importing GIS data, mapping multiple points at once, measuring areas of polygons and circles, and automatically geo-locating imported GIS images.
• and you can download it from this link http://www.google.com/intl/en/earth/download/gep/agree.html
• Here is a list of resources to use Google Earth Pro in Science, English and Math
• http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/01/some-of-my-favorite-resources-for.html#.VNUCQMZDaqc

Professional Development

Here is another PD resource that I think would be interesting http://home.edweb.net

Signing up is free for K-12 and they have webinars and blogs for free on a wide range to topics

Hype Cycle

https://hypecycle.umn.edu

The University of Minnesota has compiled a series of reports mainly from Gartner to create an interactive Hype Cycle. Click here for detailed description

A hype cycle is a curve that shows where new emerging technologies stand, from the point of being announced, hyped up, actually implemented and sustainability. 

Its good to see what is coming in the next few years, and where we stand in education. If you have any project, ideas or concerns you need help with, please do not hesitate to contact me.