iPad Apps & Tidbits

As many of you know, I've resigned from being full-time at my beloved Hawkins County for a career at the collegiate level. I've been so humbled by the outpouring of love and support from my colleagues. Many of you have emailed me and I appreciate the kind words. I was shocked at how many teachers emailed me to inquire as to whether or not I was going to keep the blog (you know this one that I rarely post on). Apparently there are several of you that 'look' but don't 'follow' this blog. With this in mind, I'll try my best to do a better job at posting when I find something of interest.  Feel free to actually 'follow' instead of just 'cruising' the blog :-)
Otherwise, if you Tweet @hcs_tech, I've tried to keep it more current.

Apps

• Mooklet - build a story with pics & add words
• Storyrobe - add audio to pics & build a story
• Book Creator- create books w/ images, words, video - paid app but worth it 
• Trading Cards - very cool! Have students build & review material
• WOTR - build words 
• ClassDojo - app for tracking behavior and 'rewarding' students
• Zondle - AWESOME! Review games on the website and app
• Scootpad - AWESOME! Review Math & LA based on common core content
• Math 7 - negative #'s, absolute value, order of operation
• Science 8 - matter, geology, weather
• Word Thief - thief takes letters & you spell the words to get them back
• Rocket Speller - beginning speller - shows the word & kids organize the letters
• Word Seek - see how many different words you can build
• Math Bingo - add, subtract, multiple, divide with Bingo
• Action Movie - cause and effect...just plain FUN!
• Tootastic - build your story & video all in one stop
• Think fast - mission about the past
• Bubbsie - take a picture & add a word bubble
• Word Abacus - use the abacus to create words
• MathJam - flipcards
• Numerosity - basic arithmetic free, simple addition answer correctly to keep the dog happy
• Biography - facts about historical figures
• MyCQs - create quizzes
• Opposites - addictive!

App Resources
~great websites that have done the work for you~

Appitic - fabulous site & 1 of my fav's! The apps are broke down by content area, Bloom's, Teacher, or Theme!
Whitsitts Lab - K-4 & PD & Apptivities & More!
EducApps - Apps listed by content area in a pdf...kind of busy but has good apps

 

Suggestion
I suggest signing up on http://happipapi.com where teachers can 'try' apps out for developers. I average 1 free code per 6 weeks and several of the apps have been awesome! In fact, if you see a paid app in the list above, I actually got it for free from happipappi!

~IPAD INTERGRATION TIPS~

iPads are great tool for differentiation and can easily be integrated into the classroom. I've listed my suggestions as you start integrating iPads into your classroom:

1. REWARD....The iPad IS an extension of the classroom and should be used as resource/supplemental material NOT as a reward. If we treat it like a lollipop so will the students. If we use it as a way to engage students in the learning environment and find resources that enhance our materials, the kids will treat it as a learning tool.
   
2. LESS IS MORE....The iPad CAN be used for a 2 or 3 students only. Don't limit yourself. If you teach a math lesson and you have a couple of students that aren't getting it, there's probably an app that will help. As you guide the remaining class into reinforcement activity, let these couple of students use an app to bridge the learning gap. Likewise, don't hold 2 students back if they are advanced and you need to reteach the material for the rest of the class. Find an app that will support your curriculum and offers advance materials for those couple of students. This is a great tool for differentiation!
   
3. CENTERS.....aren't just for pre-k and kindergarten. I strongly suggest centers or stations even for middle school and high school projects. The iPad is an excellent tool to use in a rotation! Start a project and divide it into different stations, then break your class into group, set a timer for each station and start rotating. I think this is a great way to break the material up and keep the students engaged. The iPad can be used for reinforcement activities, research,  recording, reporting, camera tool for documentation OR???? ---- let your imagination run wild and fill in the blank to fit your content needs!
   
4. TEACHER FOR A DAY....The iPad is a one stop tool to let the students teach and record. Take your current topic, assign 1 student a role of teaching and 1 student a role of recording, CHALLENGE them to reteach the material and engage their peers. The kids will love this project! Best of all, you can reuse the material to introduce material to students that may have missed the class!
   
5. UNITE THE IPAD & COMPUTER....use both of the technology tools to let the students learn by exploring and integrate writing skills. Offer an exploratory time where some students use a pre-selected app/apps on the iPad and other students use a pre-selected website on the computer to 'explore' content that is pertinent to your curriculum. Once their technology time is up, have the students go to their desk and write in a journal about what they experienced. This will let the students work on their writing skills as they reflect on the the technology experiences.
   
6. SEAMLESS....much like an interactive whiteboard, the iPad should be a seamless part of the curriculum. Plan to use it just like you would any other resource for your lessons. NO dog and pony show required because most kids LOVE it! It's a show stopper that will almost guarantee their undivided attention!
   
7. COMMON CORE....many iPad apps are now aligned to common core. Search for specific apps or check out appitic.com for suggestions based on your content!
   
8. NO WIFI NO PROBLEM....it's a common misconception that wifi is required, it's not! Most apps don't require wifi in order to be functional. If you find an app that does require wifi, the odds are in your favor that there is a comparable app that will function without wifi.
   
9. QUESTIONS....the only stupid questions are those never asked. If you need help, give me a call or shoot me an email. I'm happy to help but can't help if you don't ask. Most of the time, if you are experiencing confusion or a glitch someone else is too! Ask and I'll try to help!
   
10. GAIN/EARNINGS....you definitely can't EARN interest if you don't use the iPad. Experiment and find out what works for you. Using the iPad for differentiation depends on you. This includes the many different ways you integrate it. Your students will GAIN by utilizing the product. If you come up with an idea that you think others will love, share it! One of my fav suggestions for elementary classes was Talking Tom. I had only used this app for interaction but one teacher took it to the next level. She had Talking Tom 'give' her spelling test and the kids LOVED IT!

T3

T3 started this past Tuesday and we had a great turnout! We had about 40 teachers come for the Promethean Board session. Thanks to everyone who came to the 1st monthly technology session! After listening to my rendition of Rocky Top, I'm sure this group will be glad to tell you that I need to keep my day job!

Our T3 goal is to offer a variety of sessions that feature different technology tools every month. For the most part, these will be offered the 3rd Tuesday of every month. You must register to attend so be on the lookout for the registration link. It's coming to your email soon! 

IPad Mania will be the hot topic for the September 11th session and we've already had at least 50 teachers call or email! Join us and you too can be apart of T3......teachers teaming w/ technology!

Thanks for a great start to the 2012-13 school year!

 T3 (technology training team)

~ IPAD MANIA ~

...I LOVE infusing iPads into Hawkins County's curriculum...

Thank you all so much for attending my session!  

Feel free to email any questions or comments to: tina.faust@hck12.net

I hope you find these apps useful for your classroom:

• tourwrist

• showme

• educreations

• storykit

• wordventure!

• rocketmath

• stack the states lite

• sushi monster

• sock puppets

• gttzoo lite

• storylines for schools

• mini word

• mad libs

• songify

• skitch

• scan

• my spelling test free

• rover

• addition & multiplication number bubbles

• build a word express

• grand prix multiplication

• math ninja hd free

• socrative teacher 

• socrative student

• slideshark

• join.me

• zite

Technosized Academy

2 days of Technosized Fun! I have LOVED the last 2 days! This is by far one of the best parts of my job....teachers, technology, training, and energy!

Yesterday's Technosized Academy was AWESOME! We had a fantastic turnout and wonderful presenters! Thanks to everyone who made it possible! We hope make the Technosized Academy an annual event!

Shout out to the Super-iPadSquad ---- I had a blast today w/ the CHES & MCES crew! Thanks for asking me to be a part of your iPad integration. I hereby deem you all the Super-iPadSquad -- Teacher Up!

St. Clair Career Day & Farm Day

Friday was career day at St. Clair Elementary School! I felt honored to be invited to speak to the K-5 students. The kids were engaged, respectful, and ask pertinent questions about my career. I must add - it was fantastic! As a former high school teacher, being able to interact with students from multiple grades levels is by far one of the highlights of my current position. After I explained the intricacies of my career, we had a little fun with technology. You guessed it, the iPads and they loved it!

Part of my presentation involved explaining the differences in classroom technology today compared to when I started teaching in 1999. While preparing for career day, I realized that we could look to farming as an example of how technology integration is beneficial to society and especially production. In today’s agricultural environment, technology is imperative for production. I personally feel that technology is imperative for today’s educational environment.

You might be asking yourself how on earth I came up with a farm analogy. Well, I had the privilege of attending farm day on Thursday. If you've never been to farm day, you've missed out on a big treat! I was impressed with the variety of activities that was offered to all 2nd grade classes for the entire county. The high school students and community volunteers did an excellent job at explaining the differences in agricultural today compared to years ago. One of the highlights was the cattle area. The students were introduced to a milking cow and learned about the different types of cattle. They were told that cows used to be milked by hand but now a machine was attached to the udders for massive milk production. This is a much more efficient way to get milk in large quantities. The next station enabled the kids to 'milk' an udder. Needless to say, they thoroughly enjoyed it! 

My impression from farm day: times change and we have to change with them if we want to be sustainable,  especially in education. A farmer who is relying on milk sales to provide for his family would be more prosperous by utilizing technology for collecting milk in masses verses using his hands. Technology enables him to collect milk from multiple cows at one time. This increases his milk production and his earning potential. I'm not comparing children to cattle but the analogy would still be applicable. Utilizing technology enables teachers to reach out to a variety of learners and hold their attention. To me, implementing technology in the classroom enables students to maintain focus and sustain knowledge. This results in an increase in student engagement which leads to productivity in the classroom. My theory: if students are engaged, they are attentive. Attentive students lead to an environment conducive to learning. The learning potential increases because the teacher has fewer disruptions due to discipline issues.The trickle down effect isn't a larger salary but it does foster a larger knowledge base. I truly believe that students retain more when they are interested in the way the material is being presented. Much like an active machine makes the milking industry more productive, the actively engaged learning environment equates a more productive learner.

Little Things

May is always a whirlwind of activity as we try to wrap up the year. It can be stressful as you finish paperwork, get your grades entered, get your room straightened, plus plan school activities and daily lessons. During the chaos, I'm reminded that the little things can mean the most. The little things can have a huge impact on the children in our schools. When we stop to listen to a student telling about his/her favorite part of the day, or listen when they tell us about upcoming vacations, or listen when they tell us they will miss a teacher during the summer, it makes us realize that each teacher has the ability to make a tremendous impact on a child. Just think, by taking a little time to listen you made a child feel important. Knowing that you have been the highlight of their day should make your heart feel a little warm. For me, these are reminders that I hold dear when I may not always feel that I'm effectively maintaining my usual routine. When I'm in schools, I feel productive when I accomplish the little things and you should too!
 

Quick update

• Technosized Academy is under way...please register this week, we're in the process of getting the sessions put together & organized, hope to send out a list of sessions to registrants by the end of next week...I look forward to seeing you at the Technosized Academy on May 24th!!
  
• STEM Academy at the L&N in Knox County on Saturday was one of the most relaxing conferences I've had the pleasure of attending...for you, check out Live Binders (tons of resources & easy to create), Edmodo (set our district up last May but haven't plugged it yet, great way to blog w/ your class), Flipped Classroom (amazing!, happy to share my thoughts if any of you are interested)
  
• Summer Opportunity - ITA in Loudon at Eaton Elementary School on June 21st ---- free Instructional Technology Academy open to all of our teachers

App Ideas

• StoryKit - assign kids a topic, let them be the author of their own story, type/add pictures/paint
• Mad Libs - classic fill in the blank that we loved as a kid except you fill in the blank on the iPad
  
• Science 360 - great science lessons, learning curve - use your fingers for navigation and page option, wifi is a must
• This Day In History - daily update on historical moments

Websites

• Animoto - have your students make a quick video that highlights their favorite lesson from this year, don't forget -- it's FREE for educators, click on the link on the bottom left of the page to register
• Voki - create a 60 second Voki avatar to engage your students & peak their interests
• WallWisher - create one for your class & let your students post a note that lists their favorite memory from lesson this year
• Wordle or Tagxedo - ask your students for words that describe your class and use one of these websites to tie it into a neat little cloud

Looking Ahead

Happy to report that we have a new tech coach for next year!

Be thinking....how can we assist you next year, what are some resources you'd like to see, is there anything specific that you'd like us to model in your classroom?? All thoughts and suggestions are welcome!