Monday, December 14, 2015

TIES15 - Ditch School Newsletters For Interactive TouchCast Videos

Ditch your monthly classroom and school newsletters that never survive the trip home in students' backpacks. Create dynamic video newscasts that include interactive images and documents that can be accessed onscreen in the video itself with the free iPad app TouchCast, which makes green screen videos simple to create, fun to share, and very professional looking with almost no work! Engage your audience and let them really see and connect with you. Let your students create weekly classroom videos to share with parents, the community, and a global audience to get them excited about school.


Resources
Apps Featured:
TouchCast Studio

TouchCast Remote



Examples Of Principal TouchCasts:


http://www.touchcast.com/tosaelem/principals_october_message

Greenwood Elementary Principal Brad Gustafson
http://www.touchcast.com/tca2015/greenwood_elementary_brad_gustafson

Examples Of Teacher TouchCasts:
Lesson On Earthquakes
http://www.touchcast.com/stcscience/earthquakes

Examples Of Student TouchCasts:
Gregor Mendel
http://www.touchcast.com/flipsci/gregor_mendel_

Radioactive Elements in Chemistry
http://www.touchcast.com/chem_talks/Radioactive-2

Sunday, December 13, 2015

TIES2015 - Making Learning Visible With The iPad

Take a hands-on tour of a variety of free and low-cost screen casting and multimedia apps on the iPad that can be used to make instruction more visual and student learning more visible. Learn how to use these apps to engage students in content area learning to create standards-based artifacts of learning, improve teacher analysis of students' strengths and areas of need, extend learning beyond the classroom walls and school day bells, and support student and parent understanding of process and product expectations to raise achievement. 



Resources
Apps featured:
Educreations Interactive Whiteboard
50 MB storage

ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard
1 hour video storage - 1GB monthly bandwidth

ScreenChomp

Skitch

Adobe Voice

Paper  by FiftyThree

Book Creator Free

Book Creator

TouchCast Studio


Examples:
Educreations
Ocean Floor - Techtonic Plates

2nd Grade Perimeter Estimation



ShowMe
Drawing An Eye

Max's Fish Measuring


Screen Chomp
Chemistry

Converting to Decimals

Skitch
Features of a Journal Entry

Parts of an Insect
Adobe Voice
Text and Bullying

Paper by FiftyThree
Multiple Intelligences

Statistics - Normal Distribution

3rd Grade Rainforest

Book Creator
Space - Saved as a video


Math Class Books

TouchCast
Gregor Mendell


Radium




Book Creator for iPad App Giveaway
 Click the link below to enter your name into a drawing for a Book Creator for iPad iOS app license.

Monday, December 7, 2015

TIES2015 Workshop - Creative Amazing Interactive Videos With TouchCast

Are you looking for a way to create dynamic video newscasts that include interactive elements like images and documents that can be accessed onscreen in the video itself? Come learn about how the free iPad app TouchCast makes green screen videos simple to create, fun to share, and very professional looking with almost no work! Throw out the weekly/monthly newsletter and start creating exciting videocassette that engage your audience and let them really see and connect with you. Create videos of your students to share with parents, the community, and a global audience to get them excited about school.


Resources
Apps Featured:
TouchCast Studio

TouchCast Remote




Friday, October 23, 2015

K12 Online Conference - Stories of Connection - A Little Help From Teachers Near and Far: Creating a Global PLN


Are you searching for resources or ideas to help in your position? Do you have a personal learning network established yet?




Learn about some ways to use social media to find resources and get connected  to other educators who share your passions!


Session Description:
In the past teachers were limited to seeking out advice from their colleague across the hall or a department chair during lunch or after school. Now teachers can use a variety of social media tools and apps to find and tap into the collective knowledge of educators near and far for new ideas, resources, and ways to hook and engage students in academic learning. Learn about a variety of ways to expand your professional learning network and revitalize your teaching with a little help from a global line-up of educators.

Resources:
Link to the session video on the K12 Online Conference website.

Local Connections:
TIES Technology Conference - The TIES Education Technology Conference has been a leading conference in the Midwest for 30 years. It is a premiere national professional development opportunity for all educators.

Minnetonka Technology Institute - Learn the best practices and tips and trick the district has learned for implementing meaningful technology integration that will accelerate learning.

PLAYDATE - People Learning and Asking Y - Digital Age Teacher Exploration - PLAYDATE is a space for us to come together and collaboratively explore these tools we've always wanted to learn more about. The concept is to invite educators from around the area to join together on one day, sit in a room for a few hours and just play. They will collaborate to learn about EdTech apps, programs and tools with one another. There are no presenters in the room, no experts and no agenda. Simply time to play, tinker, and explore. 

EdCamp - Professional development event dedicated to participant-driven professional learning that accelerates student growth.
Schedule of upcoming EdCamp events with geographic locations listed.


Local Connections:
Apple Foundations Trainer Academy - Apple offers a rich variety of courses designed to help educators learn core skills and to integrate Apple products into classroom curriculum.

ISTE Conference - ISTE - International Society for Technology in Education - Premiere technology conference for those who are interested in educational technology.

Flipcon15 - Annual conference focused on best practices of flipped learning in education.

Ignite - Ignite is a style of presentation where participants are given five minutes to speak on a subject accompanied by 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds, and slides are automatically advanced. Ignite is intended to be a rapid way to transmit entertaining and engaging ideas.


Online Connections:
Voxerhttp://voxer.com - Voxer is an app that combines the power of live voice with text and image sharing.

TwitterSocial media network composed of hundreds of millions of global users sharing content updates.

Cybraryman Educational Twitter Hashtag ResourcesA listing of education chat hashtags for Twitter.


Global Connections:
K12 Online ConferenceAnnual free online conference organized by educators for educators around the world interested in integrating emerging technologies into classroom practice. 

Connected Educator Month - Networking catalog of professional learning experiences worldwide that foster collaboration and innovation to transform professional learning and effect educational change. Connected Educator Month takes place in October each year.

Digital Learning DayDigital learning is any instructional practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student's learning experience. It emphasizes high-quality instruction and provides access to challenging content, feedback through formative assessment, opportunities for learning anytime anywhere, and individualized instruction. Digital Learning Day promotes the effective use of technology tools to improve the learning experience in K12 schools.  

Image Resources In Presentation:

Saturday, September 19, 2015

iPad Core Apps - Skitch

Have you ever wanted to add arrows and text to a photo to help explain something to someone or to point out something in the photo? If you answered yes, then Skitch may be the perfect app to help you annotate photos both on the iPad and on your computer.



What is Skitch?
Skitch is an app available for iPads and Apple computers that allows you to take a screenshot on Mac computers or select an image from Photos on the iPad or use the camera app on the iPad to take a photo. You can then use the built-in mark-up tools to annotate your photos or images with arrows, text, shapes, and stamps. There is also a helpful pixelation tool to pixelate faces, names, or text that you do not want to be recognizable in your photos.

Photos can be exported to Photos on the iPad or saved anywhere on your Mac computer and then can be shared via email or by Air Drop.

This is a great app to use with students to label items in the photos to demonstrate their learning or for teachers to give specific directions on how to use something or what to pay attention to in a photo.


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

iPadPaloozaMN: Turn Your iPad Into A Document Camera

Are you thinking about purchasing a document camera for your classroom? If you have an iPad, then this session may change your mind completely and save you hundreds of dollars!


Turn Your iPad Into A Document Camera With The Stage App


Image Source
iPlay Midway Session Description:
Learn how to use the free Stage app to transform your iPad into a document camera. Annotate on top of a live image, add labels to draw attention to things, and snap a photo that can be posted on a website or airdropped to students. 

Resources:
AppsStage: Interactive Whiteboard and Document Camera  - free

Stage Pro: Interactive Whiteboard and Document Camera - Paid app - $4.99*



Quick Tutorial Video

Belkin Portable Tablet Stand
Amazon listing

Belkin Overview of Portable Table Stand


*Price listed reflects the price at the time this blog post was written. App prices may change in the App Store.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

iPadPaloozaMN: Create Metacognitive eBook Coaches

Ever wish that you could whisper in your student's ear while they are reading or working a math problem? What if every iBook you created had a personalized instructor or eCoach that could prompt students with metacognitive questions or remind them to use particular strategies? You could provide just-in-time support to your students even when you're not at their elbow or looking over their shoulder. If this sounds like a way to clone yourself and provide extra support to your students, then this session is just what you need.


Meet Your Personalized Instructor

Session Description:
Learn how to create talking metacognitive eBook coaches with free and low cost iOS apps. Snap a selfie or use a photo of a pet or even a cartoon, add a movable mouth, and record directions, homework hints, timely tips, and encouragement, and then app smash these recordings into your eBook creation app of choice. Voila ~ you have a personalized metacognitive coach to guide your students through tasks or to create a read aloud eBook.

Apps:
Download some or all of the apps below to play along today.
Book Creator for iPad





Camera App - Video - Use the camera app on your iPad in video mode to record yourself giving directions or hints.

Photos and built-in audio tool in Book Creator - Take a picture of something with your camera app on your iPad  and add narration with the audio tool in the Inspector in Book Creator.

Paper Fifty-Three 

ChatterPix

ChatterPix Kid

Tellagami - free and in-app purchases

My Talking Avatar - free and paid versions

Crazy Talk Free

My Pet Can Talk

iFunFace

Animate Me

Photo Talk Free

PhotoSpeak

Green Screen by Do Ink

Explain Everything

Photo Blather - In order to save need to pay $0.99 in app fee for Extras

MorfoIn order to save need to pay $0.99 in app fee for Extras

Image Source
Extra:
Book Creator for iPad App Giveaway
Click above if you want to be entered into a random giveaway for the Book Creator for iPad App
courtesy of Book Creator and were present for the session.














    Saturday, August 1, 2015

    EdCamp Global - iBook and eBook Creation

    Are you interested in Creating iBooks and eBooks to Personalize and Publish Student Learning? If you are thinking "Yes!," then click the link below to join the Google Hangout for this EdCamp Global session.

    Image Source

    Session Description: August 1, 12:00 P.M. CDT
    Image Source
    There are lots of reasons to create iBooks/eBooks for your students. Maybe the textbook for the content area that you teach is out-dated and you want your students to have up-to-date information. Perhaps it is difficult to find or expensive to purchase leveled reading books or books with a controlled set of vocabulary for your students. Maybe you are creating supplemental materials to go along with your content area text and you want to nicely package text and multimedia together. Or maybe you want to  provide a more authentic, project-based, and shareable method for students to show what they learned in your class or during Genius Time. Whatever the reason, it is easy to create and publish iBooks/eBooks and distribute them. Join the conversation and share your knowledge as part of EdCamp Global.



    Click here to participate in the Hangouts On Air Event Page

    Shared Resources:
    Join the conversation and chime in during the hangout and add resources to the shared Google Doc.

    Resources:
    Several resources are listed below, but please add more resources in the shared Doc or in the comments at the end of the blog post.

    iBook and eBook Creation Tools
    Book Creator - iPad app and PC computer app
    iBooks Author - app for Mac computers
    iBooks - iPad and Mac computer app for reading iBooks


    Creative Commons Licensed Images
    Morgue File
    Wylie Image Search
    World Images
    Animal Photos
    The Noun Project
    Google Images Advanced Search - Free to Use and Share

    Image Source

    Book Creator For iPad
    Great app that allows you to easily create iBooks featuring images, great fonts, narration, music, and video right on the iPad. Simple enough for young students to use but capable of creating beautiful books loaded with interactive elements.

    Video
    Imports video from Photos/Camera Roll.

    Audio
    Built-in recording tool or import audio from iTunes library.

    Distribution
    Dropbox
    Website
    Google Drive
    iTunes - with iTunes Producer
    iTunes U
    Learning Management System

    Sample Books
    Book Creator has many sample books pinned on the Book Creator Pinterest page.

    Student-created books: (You may need to tap on the image below and wait a few seconds for the dots to appear. Tap on the dots to see student-created books from @MathyCathy.)


    Support
    There are lots of helpful articles in the Support section of the Book Creator Red Jumper website.


    Image Source
    iBooks Author
    iBooks Author is an app that runs on Mac computers and allows you to create multimedia-rich books loaded with swappable and tappable interactive elements in addition to a myriad of fonts, images, slideshows, video, and audio. Built-in and third party widgets allow for self-check reviews, slideshows, image galleries, and 3D objects that can be manipulated.

    Video
    Format - .mp4 file extension

    Audio
    Format - AAC  - .m4a file extension

    Other Widget Creation Tools
    Bookry - sign up for free account
    BookWidgets
    iAD Producer - free
    Tumult Hype

    File Types
    Image Source
    iba - editable iBooks Author file
    ibooks - finished book - cannot be edited

    Distribution
    Dropbox
    Website
    Google Drive
    iTunes - with iTunes Producer
    iTunes U
    Learning Management System


    Interactive iBook Example
    Sample book showing some of the interactivity that you can quickly create with iBooks Author, the standard iBooks Author widgets, and some of the Bookry widgets.
    11.9MB
    Downloading on an iPad:
    Tap on the link above > Download > Direct download > No thanks, continue to download (at the bottom of the pop up window) > Open in "iBooks" (This won't appear until the book has downloaded to your iPad so there may be a short pause depending on your Internet connection.)

    Many free books created with iBooks Author are available for download from the iTunes Store.


    Mirroring iPad to Computer
    Image Source
    You can mirror the screen of your iPad onto your computer, which can then be projected or recorded by using the Reflector app on your computer. This makes it easy to project your iPad for your
    students or for a presentation while still allowing you to move around the room and to make videos or screencast tutorials of your iPad screen.


    Other Apps or Resources?
    Are there other apps or resources that I did not mention that you use for creating and publishing books? If yes, please share them in a comment below.

    Monday, July 27, 2015

    Minnesota eLearning Summit: Publish Amazing Interactive Books With iBooks Author

    Attend my session today at the Minnesota eLearning Summit if you are interested in creating textbooks, long or short, for students using classroom content you have created or curated from Creative Commons licensed resources.


    Image Source


    Session Description:
    Looking for creative ways to publish student writing or to create a textbook tailored for your students to distribute in your classroom, school, college, or university or even to share globally? iBooks Author is the answer! Come learn how to create interactive books with this amazing easy-to-use Mac software and widgets.

    Presentation
    The presentation is embedded below:



    Why iBooks Author?
    Are you interested in creating your own curriculum materials and developing an interactive textbook that combines flipped classroom content and creative commons licensed materials to create a personalized learning experience that students can take on the go with them and access on their iPads with or without wifi access? This session explores how to create interactive content with a variety of free and low-cost tools that can then be easily imported into the free iBooks Author program to create and publish your own iBooks that can be downloaded onto the iPad or onto a Mac computer running the iBooks app. A variety of ways to use widgets, video, and interactive elements to enrich your text and make the learning experience more personalized, engaging, and interactive will be shared and demonstrated.

    iBook and eBook Creation Tools
    iBooks Author - app for Mac computers
    iBooks - iPad and Mac computer app for reading iBooks
    Book Creator - iPad app and PC computer app

    Creative Commons Licensed Images
    Morgue File
    Wylie Image Search
    World Images
    Animal Photos
    The Noun Project
    Google Images Advanced Search - Free to Use and Share

    Video
    Format - .mp4 file extension

    Audio
    Format - AAC  - .m4a file extension

    Other Widget Creation Tools
    Bookry - sign up for free account
    BookWidgets
    iAD Producer - free
    Tumult Hype

    File Types
    iba - editable iBooks Author file
    ibooks - finished book - cannot be edited

    Distribution
    Dropbox
    Website
    Google Drive
    iTunes - with iTunes Producer
    iTunes U

    eLearning Summit Interactive Book Example
    Sample book showing some of the interactivity that you can quickly create with iBooks Author, the standard iBooks Author widgets, and some of the Bookry widgets.
    11.9MB
    Downloading on an iPad:
    Tap on the link above > Download > Direct download > No thanks, continue to download (at the bottom of the pop up window) > Open in "iBooks" (This won't appear until the book has downloaded to your iPad so there may be a short pause depending on your Internet connection.)


    Mirroring iPad to Computer
    You can mirror the screen of your iPad onto your computer, which can then be projected by using the Reflector app on your computer. This makes it easy to project your iPad for your students or for a presentation while still allowing you to move around the room.

    Sunday, July 26, 2015

    Minnesota eLearning Summit Poster Session: 30 Plus Ways To Use Your iPad For Personalized Professional Development

    Are you looking for free or low cost professional development opportunities? Do you have an iPad? You can use several apps to find the content to create your own personalized professional development.

    Image Source


    Session Description:
    Use your iPad to build your professional learning network, engage in self-selected professional development, and transform your learning.

    Resources:
    I listed the apps below in categories of how the apps can be used for personalized professional development. Most apps are free but there are a few that are not but they do something really well that makes them worth the cost.


    Click on the image below and then click on the colored dots on the image to learn more about the apps shown.






    Record Yourself and Others 
    (With Permission - Some conferences and presenters do not allow recording) 
    Camera
    iMovie
    YouTube Capture

    Record Your Voice
    GarageBand
    Recorder


    Collect Artifacts
    Camera
    Photos

    Create Podcasts
    GarageBand
    TouchCast
    Adobe Voice
    Camera
    iMovie
    DoInk
    Tellagami
    Tellaprompter

    Capture Your Learning - Take Notes
    Notes
    Pages
    Evernote
    Google Docs
    Notability
    GoodNote
    Microsoft Word
    Penultimate
    Moleskine

    Create and Expand Your PLN (Personal Learning Network)
    Twitter
    Hootsuite
    Voxer
    FaceBook
    Google+

    QR Code Readers
    QR Code Reader by Scan
    Qrafter

    Curate Resources
    FlipBoard
    Scoop.It
    Pocket
    Slideshare
    Pinterest
    Learnist
    Instapaper
    YouTube
    iTunes U
    Pearltrees

    Create Publications
    Pages
    Book Creator
    iBooks Author (On Your Mac)

    Professional Reading
    iBooks
    Kindle

    Expand Your Skill Set
    YouTube
    iTunes U
    Tips app
    Drippler
    Simple K12
    Lynda.com
    Udemy.com

    Create Professional Development Resources
    iTunes U
    Blogger
    Zaption

    Connect and Learn
    FaceTime
    Skype
    Google Hangouts
    BlackBoard Collaborate
    WebEx
    Adobe Connect
    FlipGrid

    Collect and Organize Your Learning
    Evernote
    Penultimate
    OneNote
    Notability
    GoodNotes
    Paperport Notes
    Google Drive
    Google Docs
    Google Slides

    Organize Your Thoughts
    Inspiration
    Padlet
    Lineoit
    Sticky Notes
    Total Recall
    Popplet

    Organize and Transfer Resources
    Google Drive
    Box
    Dropbox

    Inspire Yourself
    YouTube
    TED

    Create Presentations
    Keynote
    Google Slides
    Haiku Deck
    Prezi
    Microsoft PowerPoint

    Track Your Time
    Timer
    Do Now Then

    Health and Well-being
    Health
    Hydrate
    Waterlogged
    Pedometer

    Illustrate Your Ideas
    Notability
    GoodNotes
    Paper 53
    Adobe Draw
    Tayasui Sketches

    Blog - Reflect On Your Learning
    Blogger

    Schedule Your Time
    Calendar
    Google Calendar

    Explain - Create Screencasts
    Educreations
    Skitch
    Explain Everything
    30Hands
    Doceri
    Reflector
    QuickTime (On Your Mac)
    ShowMe
    ScreenChomp
    Stage
    Knowmia Teach
    TechSmith Fuse

    Expand Your Programming Knowledge
    Scratch
    Hopscotch

    Collaboratively Brainstorm
    Baiboard

    Create Flyers and Infographics
    Keynote
    Canva

    Relax
    Metronome
    Zen Garden

    Reminders and Task Lists
    Remember The Milk
    2Do

    PDF Annotations/Scanning
    PDF Scanner
    Cam Scanner
    iAnnotate PDF
    Tiny PDF
    Notability
    GoodNotes
    Paperport Notes
    Skitch

    Siri
    Search internet
    Answer questions
    Take notes and reminders

    Accessibility Settings
    Screen zoom
    Screen brightness
    Font size
    Color contrast
    Text to speech

    Presenting
    Reflector is a must-have app for your Mac computer if you are presenting on an iPad. Reflector mirrors your iPad screen to your computer, allowing you to move around without any VGA or HDMI cables attached to your iPad.

    Other Apps or Resources?
    Are there other apps or resources that I did not mention that you use for expanding your PLN (Personal Learning Network) or for curating, consuming, or creating personalized professional development resources? If yes, please share them in a comment below.