Category Archives: Teachers

Nearpod

Most of the new applications installed on the iPads have obvious functions, mathematics, typing, dictation (voice to text), however Nearpod isn’t so obvious. It enables you to offer content interactively to  students and enables them to instantly share their thinking with you and/or the classroom. 

nearpod

Sharing Student Work through Nearpod

Here are the highlights of what Nearpod can do:
– engage students with interactive lessons
– control student devices
– share content in real time
– instantly project student work from student ipad

Nearpod is ideal for giving students an opportunity to share their thinking on mathematics problems. You basically send out a problem to students simultaneously and give them an opportunity to work on it individually, paired or grouped. You can see all of their screens while the students are working. You can select students to show their work on the projector screen and/or student iPads. Unlike working on slate whiteboard, students working on the iPad can have their work instantly shared and captured. There are LOTS of possibilities!

Here’s an interesting article from Edudemic highlighting one school’s use of Nearpod with student iPads. How The Nearpod iPad App Changed An Entire School

If you are wondering if this would enhance an upcoming lesson, let’s talk. If you would like assistance getting Nearpod set up with your class, contact me. I would LOVE to help.

Khan Academy on the iPad

Khan Academy is a great resource for giving students practice mastering mathematics skills. It works well for differentiating this practice. The site offers practice challenges that range from simple addition to Calculus. Students can log in to Khan Academy using their Google Apps username.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy

The site will then record students progress as they work themselves toward more challenging activities. You can even have students add you as a coach in order to see their progress. This will show you where they’ve met success as well as where they are struggling.

The Khan Academy application on the iPad is limited though. Use a browser to log in instead. Puffin or Safari will work. I prefer Puffin because the toolbar takes up less space on the screen.

Here’s a tutorial on how to log in to Khan Academy on the iPad. PLEASE contact me if you would like to know more about Khan Academy and how to use it to differentiate instruction.  >>> goo.gl/sbZtuk <<<

Tech Tuesday 10/15/2013

Here are the topics for the upcoming Tech Tuesdays in Colin’s room 3:30-4:15.

October 15th: Creating Newsletters with uPad
October 29th: Communicating with students through Edmodo

techtuesday21We’ll be working from 3:30-4:15 and will have a 15 minute follow-up assignment.

You can register for this session at www.edmodo.com using this class code, “zczzhv.” MEETING DATES (3:30-4:15 w/ 15 minute follow-up assignment):

  • October 15th, 29th
  • November 12th
  • December 10th
  • January 7th, 21st,
  • February 4th, 18th
  • March, 4th, 18th
  • April 1st, 29th
  • May 13th

 

Unlocking Google Docs Features

The Google Drive application on the iPad is limited. It disallows printing, “Make a Copy,” viewing tables, spell check, and inserting images. Yes! I know these are all REALLY important features.

To unlock these you basically need to switch to the “Desktop” version using Safari. Once you’ve done that you have access to everything listed above. Here’s a step by step:

Unlocking Google Doc Features

Unlocking Google Doc Features

http://goo.gl/jiEbm9

Edgar Allan Poe

Today only on “Apps Gone Free” you can download an Edgar Allan Poe collection of stories for the iPad. It has amazing and creepy illustrations to support the text and can be read in English, Spanish or French. The collection includes The Oval Portrait, The Tell-Tale Heart, Annabel Lee, The Masque of Red Death and a Biography of Edgar Allan Poe. This may be TOO creepy for your students, so be sure to read it yourself prior to reading to your students. You knew that though didn’t you.     

Image by Play Creatividad

Image by Play Creatividad

The Raven isn’t included. It is in a different collection for $3.99. However over at www.byrdseed.com there are some free recordings of the Raven and some ideas that can be used for the Raven as well as others to teach rhythm and rhyme. One of the audio recordings listed here is by James Earl Jones and also Christopher Walken! Ideas for Raven by Byrdseed: http://www.byrdseed.com/poes-the-raven/

As I said, this may too creepy for intermediate students, but there may be some useful ideas between these two resources.