Ideas for Using Google Drawing

The third grade team is integrating Google Docs into several areas of their curriculum. Both Gennie and Ashley have recently used with their classes.

Gennie used Google Drawing for a social studies assessment with both third grade classes. Students had to indicate where certain sights were on a map of Massachusetts. This year Gennie wanted to try it paperless. She uploaded a blank map of Massachusetts into Google Docs. Using Google Drawing she created a legend with symbols for the different items students had to be able to label. She taught students how to create the symbols as well as add text boxes to create labels in Google Drawing. She shared out the map, students made a copy, labeled their own map and then shared it back with her. She then was able to add her rubric and feedback right onto their map document for them to see.


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Similarly, Ashley is using Google Drawing in science to teach the life cycle of a tree.


Want to learn more about using Google Drawing? Check out the information here or schedule a time with me!

Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is an amazingly easy program to use to make Screencasts, or videos recording what is happening on your screen. The site allows you to make a free screencast without setting up an account, though you are limited to 15 minutes, cannot password protect your screencast or use the editing tools. A year long account costs only $12 and you can make unlimited screencasts. I have used screencast to create several tutorials for this blog. They can easily be published to YouTube for easy sharing. Recently Gennie began using Screencast-o-Matic. She made a really quick tutorial for her students (and their parents) for accessing their homework on Google Docs. She then embedded her screencast right onto her FirstClass website (more to come on that in another post!)so students could watch it at home.

Wallwisher

Wallwisher is a free site that allows you to create a wall that others can then post sticky notes on. You can create an account on Wallwisher, or you can create a wall without having an account. Two benefits of having an account (other than them being free) is that you can moderate sticky notes and that all of your walls are saved on your account. I use Wallwisher as a way to assess student learning by using a "virtual exit ticket". I will post something I want students to respond to on a Wallwisher wall. Then I link the wall onto my FirstClass website. I set up a few computers and students take turns accessing the wall to post their stickies.

Here is a wall I recently used with 5th graders. They are responding to a question I posted after our first CyberSafety lesson.



Wallwisher could also be used to generate ideas. For example, they could use it to generate questions or to suggests areas for study or books to add to your library. If you want help setting up a Wallwisher account, or using Wallwisher in your class- let me know!

Power Teacher

Power Teacher is a now available as an alternative to SMS for progress reports. To learn more about Power Teacher watch the tutorial below or check out the Quick Start directions posted in the tech tool kit on Moodle. Power Teacher has a lot of convenient features and best of all, does not run slowly on Macs! Yay!

Power Teacher Video Tutorial Elementary from Newton Public Schools on Vimeo.

Pinterest

Are you using Pinterest yet? Pinterest is a visual bookmarking site- so if you see something you like while searching the web you can pin it onto one of your virtual bulletin boards. My favorite part of Pinterest is browsing what other people have pinned. The education category is great for finding management ideas, bulletin board ideas, graphic organizers and more. If you see something you like, pin it! Then you can go back to it later, double click the image and it will bring you the website the image was found on, which will usually have more information.

Follow me Jamie Lightfoot-Manning.

Using Google Calendar to Schedule Tech Time or Sign Out Carts

This is a tutorial which will help you learn how to schedule time to meet with me for technology help, to book times for me to come into your classroom and help with technology integration, and to sign out the laptop carts. If you would like to learn how to create your own Google calendars and how to manage sharing calendars with others, please book a time with me :)
If you are booking out time for me to help with technology integration in a lesson or project please also book time to meet with me and plan out the lesson beforehand. Also send me an email letting me know what you are looking to do.

Projects Using VoiceThread

Voicethread
In Newton we have a district subscription to a program called VoiceThread. VoiceThread is a tool that can be used for presentations and demonstrations, sharing information, to make home-school connections, and much more. VoiceThread allows you to upload pictures and video where the creator of the VoiceThread can then comment on the pictures or video through audio, drawing, typing, or even calling from a phone line and leaving a message. The creator of the VoiceThread can also then share the VoiceThread out with others and allow them to comment (comments can be moderated).

If you'd like an account please let me know and I will contact the person for account set- up. When using VoiceThread please be mindful of student privacy. Do not use student's last names or any other personal information. Also, I try not to include pictures of student's faces in my VoiceThreads- instead angle your shots from behind the student or possibly use disguises.

Teachers at Peirce have come up with some great ways to incorporate VoiceThread into their projects. Here are some examples:

In 4th grade last year Cherie's class used VoiceThread to present their knowledge of Tall Tales. Students used KidPix to create a picture of their Tall Tale character. KidPix is available on the cart stored in Ashley's room, all of the library computers and some of the computers on the cart in Gennie's room. We saved the pictures and imported them into VoiceThread, where students could then comment on the pictures.


In Ms. Mitchell's class last year we also used KidPix to create pictures of insects that students had researched using books and databases during library class. They commented with one fact they found on their insects during their research.



Students can also create their own VoiceThreads instead of a whole class VoiceThread. This VoiceThread was created by a student and shared home for his parents to see.

Students could also use VoiceThread to create a presentation that was shared with the class. Classmates could give their praise, ask questions or make connections by commenting on the VoiceThread.

One final way we have been using VoiceThread at Peirce is to introduce or teach something. This VoiceThread was used to tell first graders about Newton's Acceptable Use Policy.

A WEEKLY SILLY!

For all you cat lovers (or music lovers)check out "The Kitten Covers" to find iconic album covers remade with adorable kittens! (PS- consider adopting a kitten so you can make your own!)

50 Apps for Education

One of the sessions I attended at MassCue was 50 Apps in 50 minutes. I tried to take notes as best I could but obviously it moved fast. I know several of you have ipads/iphones that you use with your students (or with your own kids) so I thought I'd share! All are available in the app store and some were pricey. Please disregard my spelling and abbreviations.

50 Apps
blue = free but this may be wrong
[ http://pinterest.com/dancallahan ]http://pinterest.com/dancallahan to find all of the apps

MATH
EZ Chart HD- for creating data charts
TanZen HD- tanagrams

Language Arts
ABC Pocket Phonix
I Write Words
Word Magic
Shake a Phrase- story starters, upper elem & middle school
Bluster- vocab, suffix/prefix
ScribbleNauts Remix (vocab game) was a nintendo DS game

Science
World Book World of Animals
Pocket Zoo- animals-pictures, facts, videos (from youtube) live video cameras from zoos all over the world
Solar Walk
Science 360- science related pics & videos
Wonder Map- looks like google map- weather layers-animated radar/satelite, shows temps in many places

Social Studies
Google Earth App- pinch to zoom and swipe to move- no map creation, can use maps you have created in maps
Stack the States- facts about states
History Tools- summary of events for today’s date, years
Geo Walk- buildings, animals, plants, people- pics of basic information- discovery app, news category
Early Jamestown- kind of like an ebook but with embedded videos

Art
Drawing Pad- allows user to draw, paint, etc
Mirror Paint- teach symmetry- in LOGO programming language kids can add to LOGO
let’s create pottery HD- create pottery and fire it, paint and design it then sell it
Sculpt- made by AutoCad, use fingers to sculpt
Dexteria- fine motor skills practice, good for students with OT issues and younger students. Tap, pinch, grab

Music
Garage Band- just like computer program
Sound Drop- add lines to create new sounds- also involves physics
Barrel Tones- drum set
Piano low-
Discover musical instruments free- explore instruments
MAd pad- music synthesizer- uses unusual instruments like cars
Isle of tune- music synthesizer


Story Telling Apps
Quick Voice- Records students voices
iMovie App- very different from Mac iMovie
Strip Designer- comic strip creation app, maps built in
Skrappy- scrap booking app- add your own pictures, text and music in, clipart, audio recordings, shapes and websites
Toontastic- create cartoons, and teaches real story telling skills and language
Book Creator- exports books into epub which can be used on ipads & nooks
Explain Everything- Screencasting, you can create multiple slides

Productivity Apps
Dragon Dictation- speech to text, send to email, SMS, etc
Good Reader- PDF reader and annotator, can connect to dropbox & sync files
Flipboard- social news source, connects to FB and twitter. Will search hashtags and timeline links.
Zite- has categories with stories, you can give the stories thumbs up and down and you will get more or less stories like that (pandora with news)
Popplet- concept mapping tool, can access from the web too
Penultimate- hand writing app, stylus recommended, different paper options- storyboard page
Pages- apple’s word processing software, Doesn’t have a way to do drawing in the app but they can add pictures from photostream
Keynote-

Visit Dan Callahan's page on pinterest to find all of the apps.

A WEEKLY SILLY!

Without technology you would not be able to find

 amazing videos to relive your childhood!!

Our new technology blog!

Hello Peirce Staff,

I am hoping this technology blog will be a helpful place for you to learn about new technology, brush up on technology that you may not have used in awhile, book a time to work with me as well as sign out the computer carts. Often times when I am planning at home and want to use the computers with my class I will wish I could check the schedule to see if a cart is available. Now we can! To sign up for a time (either to use a cart or to work with me) you must be signed in to google docs, whether through your NPS Google Docs account or through your own personal GMail account. Once logged in, click the Google Calendars image in the bottom right corner of the calendar you are trying to access. This will open the calendar up full screen. Click on the time slot you would like to book. Fill in the information and click "create event". Once you have created your event please look back at the calendar to be sure it has been applied.


If you are booking time to work with me on a collaborative technology lesson,  please also send me an email telling me what you'd like to work on and a time you would like to get together and plan for the lesson. Please note that my technology time is split between Monday and Tuesday mornings this year. I am at Peirce on Mondays until 12 and on Tuesdays my schedule also includes trainings and meetings, so the time varies weekly.

Please note that we also have two school "mini-carts" which each contain 5 new Macbooks. These carts are housed in Martha's room and Sydney/Leslie's room. Online sign up for the mini carts will be coming soon.