PHS Autos - Building A Library of Skills

Students are starting to creating their video library of skills using images, video, and voice over.  Essentially, students are critically thinking about the steps to accomplish a task (in this case it was a brake job), creatively thinking about the content and how they want their video to be viewed, and sharing it to the world!

We really want students to choose the tool that they want to create with based on what they think their skills.

Here's the presentation of tools:



View some of the final products:

Student 1

Student 2

Google Keep on the iPad (or Anywhere)

Google Keep is another option in your Self Service store for staff and students to organize all types of notes.  It is also an alternative to Evernote which seems to be slowing down and becoming less user friendly.   It is a simpler option than Notability, but the features are worth "noting".  See what I did there?  Of course, you did!

Spring Break - Fun. Sun. Hikes. Rides...Technology?

Spring Break-Fun. Sun. Hikes. Rides...Technology?

Written By Clay Reisler

Technology Integration Pulaski School District

Believe it or not, you and your family have technology which utilizes apps on your phones that can create a more positive experience on your vacation or “staycation.”

Snapseed

Every mobile device has a camera on it.  However, the best pictures are not always taken due to improper lighting, red-eyes, or any number of errors.  Snapseed can load your images from your camera roll for editing.  It is rated as the “Best Photography App.”  Now, you can adjust any part of the image to “make it perfect.”

PicCollage

The app PicCollage allows you to place multiple pictures together in any collage configuration.  Once multiple pictures are put together with colors, text, or objects, the single collage image can be saved to your camera roll, sent to social media, or dropped into a movie.

Snapchat

While the tool is sometimes portrayed as a negative tech tool, it has some incredible features that could be used to remember a trip. When a picture is taken in Snapchat, the user can draw symbols, arrows, or shapes that can be saved to the “Photos” area of a phone. This will help to preserve the memory of a certain landmark or event. Along with sending it to friends, the photo can be saved to the camera roll for future use in a digital collage or movie!

Instagram

Instagram is a photo sharing social media tool that utilizes mobile devices.  Instagram images are taken and shared with friends, and privacy settings allow the owner to restrict who is allowed to view the photos.   Instagram is another great way to document places of interest and type specific information about a place or event so that items are remembered.

SoundHound

Have you ever heard a song that you liked, but you didn’t know the artist or title? The SoundHound app will listen to the song with you and provide you with all you need to know.  Within seconds, it will provide the artist, name of the song, and record it in a history tab.  Now when you return from your trip or create a video of your spring break, the song and its title will instantly take you back.  You’ll never forget the memories.

Around Me

Finding popular local places of interest around you is as simple as opening this app.  Choosing bank/ATM, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, movie theatres, parking, and weather just to name a few will immediately bring you to a list or a map with all of the possibilities.  Distances to the places along with related information will be at your fingertips for easy use.  

Timer

Finally, everyone needs a break from technology, even on spring break.  Every mobile device has a timer.  Set the countdown timer to create “a technology-free time zone.”  Look out the window, discuss what you see, add opinions, and enjoy the view. While technology can enhance our lives in so many ways, it’s also great to get away from it.  

So as you’re enjoying Spring Break, use these apps located on mobile devices and try some technology fun, technology sun, technology hikes,  and technology rides.

Submitted for Pulaski News March 17, 2016 issue

iPad or iPhone Upload Image To Google Drive

Explaining Blood Flow In Heart Using Google Slides

Mr. Anderson, our high school anatomy teacher, used Chromebooks and Google Slides for students to teach and understand the flow of blood through the heart.  The simplistic, but elegant presentation tools allowed for students to use drawing tools, shapes, and text boxes found in Google Slides to annotate images of the heart.  As Mr. Anderson states, "The tool (Google Slides) made it more visual to see the steps that occurred."

View Product


View Product


Impact On Students:
Creativity: Understanding the scope and sequence of the flow of blood through the heart doesn't need to be boring.  Students were given freedom to show this sequence with whatever images or annotations they desired.
Critical Thinking: Students needed to have enough words, but not too many on each slide to establish the needed information.  Students were also required to think through the entire process so that the flow of blood through the heart could be understood by people outside of the classroom.

Lunch N' Learn Promotion Using Canva

After reading another blog post on Free Tech 4 Teachers, I learned about Canva.  I decided to utilize Canva as my promotional medium for tomorrow's Lunch N' Learn topic on the new iMovie on iOS 7.

FINAL CANVA PRODUCT

Positives:

• Amazing amount of advanced looking clip art which are customizable
• Drag and Drop
• Colorful
• 10 Templates
• Instant updates to published product
• Live final product sharable in multiple forms
• Live Link
• Images (jpg)
• PDF

Negatives:

• Students may find an image and it may not be free (all premium features $1 a piece)
• No Embed Code
• Only available on desktop/chromebook (no mobile device, yet)

Learn What Canva Can Do: Video Link

Google Forms Inserting An Image

Google Forms can be used for so many purposes in a teacher's classroom.

• Analyzing Algebra Data
• Acquiring Digital Creations From Students
• Directing Reteaching of Assessed Material
• Formal Assessment
• Enhance Learning During Video

Google Forms now allows for images to be included in the form.  This may be great for

• Pictures of lab equipment to identify parts
• Analyzing math problems that may or may not be correct
• Labeling/Analyzing parts of animals
• Writing prompts from fantastic pictures

View how to insert an image below or read about it

Explain Everything For New Approach

I am going to try a new approach for students to understand and most importantly to remember events from social studies.  We are studying the events of westward expansion leading up to the Civil War.  I am providing two apps to the students.

U.S. History Timeline
Explain Everything

In addition, we discussed in depth the "Fair Use" policies of using images.  The Open Clip Art website was introduced.  We also discussed that all citations of images will be in blue with a certain font.

Students will be guided by me to find about 10 answers based on questions I pose pertaining to 10 major events.  They will use the U.S. History Timeline to discover the answers.  Once the answers are found and verified, students will create slides in Explain Everything.

The intent is to create the slides as a digital medium for telling the story.  After all the information is gathered, students will return to the beginning of the created digital story and write a script.  They will then record themselves recounting the events leading up to the Civil War.