Flipboard...an IPad App I'm Adding....for Fun and for Teaching and Counseling!

   If you have an Ipad and you are browsing around the internet and just wasting time, you could actually do a little work too. By "work", I mean you could build a magazine of materials to read or review later. And you can make these by category and it could even be a category of articles or videos that you would later like to use for your teaching. Pair it with the IPad to projector app and  you can have the kids read and view your "magazine" as a classtime activity! You can do all of this with the app called "Flipboard".  I have embedded a video below that shows how to use Flipboard. I plan on putting this on my IPad today and starting a couple magazines on counseling topics. I may even make one of short "|Bell ringer" type videos so I can use those in class too. Watch the video and download the app if you think it could be good for your either professionally or personally.

Oh, and it is a FREE app. :)

Flipboard website click here!

Larry Ferlazzo's Best of 2012 Blog Post Has Arrived!

Many educators and online blog readers anxiously await Larry's Best of 2012 blog post at the end of the year so they can bookmark it and take advantage of the many resources he has posted in one place. Well, the blog post is out and I have linked it to this blog post. I would suggest clicking on it and bookmarking it on your computer as you will find yourself looking at it throughout 2013 even as Larry starts his 2013 lists. Thank you Larry for this great list of resources, I know it helps many!

Best of 2012 resource list from Larry Ferlazzo click here!

Got an IPad? Have IPads in the Classroom? You Need This Resource!

Thank you to Larry Ferlazzo and his blog Websites of the Day, this blog post may be short but it is FULL of IPad apps that you may want on your personal IPad or your student/class IPads. Each link has tons of good apps, many of which I either have on my IPad or have tried on student IPads. If you have a moment and are wondering what apps would be good for you or your classroom, this is the place to start!

IPad resources click here!

Google Chrome Extensions

   Many staff members at our middle school loved the Google Chrome Extensions that were presented in one of our professional development workshops, so I thought this resource from Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers might be a good one. He has a list of his top 10 Google Chrome Extensions. Again, my favorites are the Speak It (text to speech extension), Save to Google Drive, Send this link with Gmail, and View Page in Clearly. The Speak It extension works with Google Drive documents, so students could have their papers read back to them if they wanted to use that as a way to proofread and hear their writing and how it sounds. Not sure how it could be on all the lab computers or laptops, but I am sure it could be. I have several of the extensions in his list, so you might consider giving them a try. They really are very helpful!

Top Google Chrome Extensions click here!

Just a Reminder....Duolingo Continues to Improve!

Duolingo just added Italian to its list of languages it is helping people learn. I have had a couple of students interested in learning Italian, so this is great! It is a pretty fascinating site because you aren't just learning a new language, you are also helping in translating the web into other languages with the help of thousands or millions of other people around the world. While it is not a great stand alone site if you are trying to learn a language, it is a good supplement to a foreign language course you are taking or if you are currently doing Rosetta Stone. And it is FREE!!! That may be the best part. One of the things I noticed that might be good for students is how they can start making connections with certain words and groups of words because they sound alike. This could build on information they received in class or help them learn the future class information even faster. While it only has about 6 or 7 languages right now, it does have some of the main ones students may be learning in our American schools. It even has English which could be good for our English Language Learners as well. Give it a try to see if it is something you could use in 2013!

Duolingo click here!


   I just tested it out and it is pretty fun and educational. You can also compete against Facebook friends. So maybe you and a Facebook friend each want to learn a language in 2013, this could be your method!

100 Best Apps and 60 Best Websites and Apps

Two big resources in one! I have posted links for 2 great resources below. One is listed as a source for the 100 best free apps for kids. Who doesn't love Free?? I have tried some of the apps they note and they have been very good for my kids. My guess is most of these will be for kids younger than middle school, but some of them are likely middle school appropriate and some may be for our struggling learners as well.

  Secondly, Richard Byrne has his 60 Best Apps and Websites for Educators. A lot of really good stuff in here too. Thanks Richard and thanks for your blog Free Technology for Teachers!

Enjoy!

Speaking of Apps, This App Finds the Free Ones!

I have not downloaded this app yet, but I plan to. This app catches those top rated apps that pop up free on certain days or at certain times and let's you put them on your IPad for free when others might have to pay. Since it is a free app itself, definitely worth the try putting it on your class Ipod or Ipad.

App Bump click here!

5 Dice: Harder Than It Sounds

At first, I thought this game might be a good free app to put on our Middle School IPad for our students in math intervention. Then I put it on my own personal IPad and I was nearly stumped from my first roll. Now, I think this might be more of an App for our advanced students in each grade and maybe for students when covering order of operations. And maybe students don't have to get the answer exactly correct, but just use what they know about order of operations to get as close to the target as they can. But I did have fun trying this game and I definitely had to know my order of operations. So it is a good app to download (since it is free!) and have your students try.

 5 Dice Order of Operations App click here!

New App for Autistic Children

Just read about a great new app for children with autism or children who fall on the autism spectrum. I have not downloaded it yet or tried it yet, but early reviews are very good. Go Go Games for the IPad is the app that I am talking about and it is only 99 cents. I plan on downloading it to my personal IPad soon and also place it on my school IPad so that students in our building who may have Autism or Aspberger's can also try it out. I hope that it is a great app as I think apps like this can really be useful for this population. If you have students or a child that falls on the autism spectrum AND you have an Ipad or tablet device, you might consider downloading this app as well. If you do, leave a review in the comments section please so other readers can hear straight from those who have tried it.

Go Go Games App click here!

Creative Uses in the Classroom for IPads

The presentation embedded below was done by Mike Amante, a teacher from New Hartford Senior High in New York. If you have a QR reader or have downloaded one, you can get even more information. But even without a QR reader app, you can still find some great apps for the IPad to use in your classroom. Especially if you are a science teacher. I don't teach science anymore, but seeing some of the apps he uses makes me wish that I was sometimes back in the classroom using cool technology to make my lessons and activities better. Flip through his powerpoint below and make note of some of the apps. Even if you don't have an IPad right now, some of these could help you later in your career when you do. Thanks Mike!

Creative Uses for iPad in the Classroom from Mike Amante

Tap to Learn Grammar (and Math vs. Zombies!)

I have not tried this app as it appears to be an Android App right now, but I am going to check to see if it is available for the IPad as well. But the concept seems good and is not something you see all the time for quick and easy apps for students to use. Usually, these apps are math skill based. But Tap to Learn Grammar has hundreds of grammar lessons and offers extensions to the learning by clicking on videos that support the concept practiced and learned.

After a little investigation, both Tap to Learn Grammar and Math vs. Zombies are available for the IPad, etc. as well. I downloaded Math vs. Zombies and my son approves. Good game for basic math facts. As for Tap to Learn Grammar, I did not download it as it was 99 cents but got some negative reviews. There were not many reviews yet, but the ones that were there were negative. I plan on checking on this often and seeing if the reviews get better and then possibly downloading it and testing it out. I will post more later if I test it out. For now, feel free to test either and leave your review below.

Tap to Learn Grammar click here!

Math vs. Zombies click here! (parent note....you are shooting scary looking zombies with guns, so use as you feel appropriate)

Using Google Chrome This Year? Add some Cool Extensions!

 If you are using Google Chrome as your web browser for the first time this year or using it again this year but haven't heard of adding Chrome Extensions to your web browser, you should try some that I listed below. I never had used an Extension/App before last year and now I love them. I didn't even get time to list the highlighter extension, the text to voice extension, or the dictionary extensions...all great extensions as well. But I did place the ones I currently put on my Chrome web browser for this year. I hope you can find some of them useful. (All are free by the way)

   First of all, here is the link to the Google Chrome Webstore where you can download games (Angry Birds is on here for free, so you can play it straight from your computer!), apps, and extensions: Google Chrome Webstore click here!
 
     Awesome Screenshot Capture and Annotate Extension. Great screenshot app, but I think I may have found an even better one.

     Explain and Send Screenshots. I haven't tried this one yet, but I added it to my web browser. Sounds easier to use and easier to send or post to FB/Twitter with this extension. If it works great, I may drop the Awesome Screenshot extension.

    To Do List Extension. Best part about this extension is that it is already in your web browser, so you don't have to downsize anything or open up a new window. If you are online or on  your email, it is there with one click.

    Clearly by Evernote. This takes away all the "clutter" that is on a webpage. The ads, the sidebars, the extra graphics. I have started using this to read things easier or if I want to print something without the clutter.  I also use it if I want to show something to the whole class, but don't want the junk with it.

   Evernote Clipper. Speaking of Evernote, I have this extension to clip any article or anything online and save it automatically to my Evernote file. If you don't know what Evernote is, I am still learning and I am in my 2nd year of using it, but I do love it and am getting better at it. Routinely one of the most talked about apps/programs among professionals.
 
    Chrome Remote Desktop BETA. Haven't tried this yet, but this could be great for us technology coaches as this allows you to show your what your desktop looks like to someone else in our district without having to be there. Plus, the tech. coaches could do the same and let you see what we are doing. I think it would also help people troubleshoot problems as well. As I play around with this, I will see if this might be useful for us.

Another Way to Search for Apps for Kids: An App!

  There are some websites out there that help categorize great apps for kids, especially educational apps. But  then you have to get your IPad, IPod, or other device to look up the app. With this new tool, your search and categorizing tool is an App itself, so you will already be using your device and can easily find and download the app you just searched for. WeWantApps helps you search by age group and category and one of those categories is "education". Might be good for your own kids or for any classroom or group of kids that have IPads or other app-supported devices. It is getting some good early reviews as well. I plan on adding it to my IPad today and giving it a try.


WeWantApps click here to learn more!

To-Do List As Extension to Chrome Browser

  For our many staff who are now using Google Chrome as their web browser instead of Internet Explorer, the next step is to start adding Chrome Extensions like Screenshot apps, dictionary apps, and note-taking apps. But another great one is this "To-Do" app/extension. You don't need a separate window as your To-Do list is always ready and visible through your web browsing tool bar area. Go to the link below (the Chrome web store) and download it today!

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bhieleigbmmonbckblbeodlmlihacjco

InkFlow: A Free IPad App for Note-Taking, Brainstorming, Meeting Ideas

 I just downloaded Inkflow, the free version, and I think it could be useful to educators and students who use an IPad. Especially for the visual learners and the group work sessions, this could be a good way to take notes. You can write, draw, move, resize, lots of stuff, and when you are done, you can save your work and email it to whoever else you think might need it. I could see a teacher taking notes at a staff meeting or a team meeting/work session and then emailing it out to staff or to the team when finished. You do not need an IPad to view the meeting notes from someone else, just an email account. I will continue to play around with it some more to see if it is something I will use this year. Might be a good app for my counseling as well.

Inkflow website

IPad Resources

 Several of our educators added an IPad to their personal toolbox this summer, some even already had an IPad. Either way, if you own an IPad, here are some great IPad resources. Thanks to the Cool Cat Teacher Blog for these resources. Personally, I plan on adding "Skitch" to my IPad and playing around with it before school starts up again here in a month.

Link to Skitch being talked about in Evernote forum (Evernote is another GREAT resource and App!!)

PDF containing 20 IPad apps for educators and education

Awesome Apps in Education Review and Collection Site click here (If you teach or have kids AND have an Ipad or have kids/students with an IPad, you need to follow this blog. Great stuff!!

Scibble Press for the IPad: My Kids and I love it!

I downloaded Scribble Press to my IPad last night for Free and my 7-year old son already wrote and illustrated his own short book! He had a blast and it was so easy to do. You can choose from several dozen "fill-in-the-blank" template stories that go from pretty basic to pretty fun and bizarre. Or your children or students can make up their own stories with their own words and pictures. More colors, markers, pens, stamps, etc. than you can ever imagine. Once the story is done, kids can even design the front and back cover. When they are completely finished, they can keep the story on the IPad, send it to their IBooks account, or share it with Scribble Press. They could also turn their pictures and illustrations and stories into greeting cards, puzzles, or even get their book professionally printed and sent to their house or classroom. Amazing stuff! It is a free app (suprisingly!) and definitely worth a summer tryout to see if you could use it with your own kids or even within your classroom. I think even middle school and high school kids would enjoy this.

Scribble Press: Click here for info on the app and to download

Sticky Notes for Google Chrome

  In my never-ending quest for a task-manager that is easy to use, easy to see, and always visible or in a place where I can remember, I am now going to give Google Chome Sticky Notes a try. Thanks to Richard Byrne and his Free Technology for Teachers blogsite, I learned about this new sticky note app/extension to add to my own Google Chrome browser (did you know Google Chrome recently passed Internet Explorer as the most used web browser?? There is a reason for this...try Google Chrome and you won't turn back!). I just downloaded it and tested it out and really liked it. I like that when I open it, it becomes its own web tab so it is always just a click away. When I used the sticky notes that show on my computer, my students would sometimes see it on my screen when I closed out a video or a presentation during class. With the sticky note as  a tab, the chances they will see my sticky note is much less and with my role as a counselor, this is important. So...I am going to continue to use this sticky note app this summer and see if I can get used to it enough and like it enough to use it during the school year. If you use Google Chrome, you might consider trying this too!

You can add Google Chrome Sticky Notes App from the Google Chrome Store for free by clicking here!

Common Sense Media's Summer Guide for Learning Activities for Kids and Teens

   Thanks to Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers for alerting me to another great thing one of my favorite sites, Common Sense Media, is offering. If you remember, Common Sense Media is a great place for parents and children to go to find accurate and detailed reviews about the newest movies, books, TV shows, and now games and apps. Now they have added a summer guide to learning apps you could download to a device or games that can be played on certain video game systems. They are broken down into 3 age categories and into 5 learning areas. I noticed that I have already downloaded some of the apps for my own kids. And of course, each app or game is rated by Common Sense Media so you can see how educational or applicable it is for your child. Enjoy!

Common Sense Media 50+ activities for summer click here!

Educational App Review Site

   Looks like this site is new and hopefully grows and adds more, but it has potential. This site is from the UK and collects information about educational apps for IPods, IPads, etc. that are out there and puts them in curriculum categories that make it easy to find what you are looking for. Looking for a math app or science app? Easy to find on this site. It simply needs to add more apps to become much more useful. But for now, you might find some good stuff to try out.

Teaching Appz click here!