Images and Captions Using Google Drawing in Google Docs on iPad or Computer

Our students have conducted interviews with people in their families.  To enhance the papers that have been written, students will insert images with captions utilizing Google Drawing.

On Computer Tutorial

Important Items:

• Insert Google Drawing within Google Doc
• Add Image (from Google Drive)
• Add Text 
• Adjust Text with Font, Size, Color
• Save & Close
• Wrap Text
• Adjust Picture in Document

On iPad Tutorial

Important Items:

• Google Docs App
• White Pencil In Blue Circle (edit documet)
• Plus Sign
• Image From Photos (or camera) (Download from Google Drive to Camera Roll)
• Place Cursor Below Image, Center, Add Text For Caption
• BONUS: Using Explain Everything or PicCollage
• Place text on top of image 
• Save Image to Camera Roll
• Insert Image via Plus Sign that has Text on Top Of it

AirServer: Setting up passwords

Setting an AirServer Password in One Minute


Look for this:

iPad As A Research Tool

A teacher recently asked me, "How should I best use the iPad as a research tool with students?'

Some suggestions:

Effective Research:

• Share effective researching strategies
• Use this resource

Flipboard: Get The App

• After understanding effective researching strategies, I would absolutely  download the Flipboard app and create an account.  Searching any topic in Flipboard will provide digital magazines for the students to follow.  I would also have the students create a magazine that they would "flip" potential resources into as students are researching.
• Flipboard in Global Issues Class (Slides 10-12)
• If account is created on an iPad, the same account can be used on a smartphone or on the computer by downloading the app or using Flipboard.com

Notability: Get The App

• Once resources are found in Flipboard or using a "Google Search", Notability becomes the one stop shop for "housing" all of the information.
• Full-featured handwriting
• Advanced word processing
• Media insertions of images, web resources, audio notes
• VIEW DETAILS

Exporting:

• Notability fully exports as a complete file or pdf to the Canvas app

Chopping A YouTube Video With TubeChop

One of our seventh grade teachers, Mrs. Kust, would like students to choose a song, more importantly a 30 second clip of the song, to represent one of six themes from the book, The Outsiders.  To do this we are utilizing TubeChop.  Some features of TubeChop:

• Exact time of video able to be acquired
• Preview chopped video
• Slider or exact time available for chopping the video
• Able to embed chopped video
• Able to link to chopped video

Process For Chopping:

• Find YouTube Video
• Copy URL
• Travel to TubeChop
• Paste URL into TubeChop Site
• Determine Length of Clip
• Preview
• Assign Title To Chopped Video
• Chop It
• Copy Chopped Link
• Paste To Teacher

Watch the Process:

TubeChop is NOT new, but it is the first time that I created an instructional video for this tool that will be utilized in a classroom.  If you need other examples of how a video can be chopped, the Teachers & Technology blog has some examples.

RESULTS: Our students completed a Google Form that allowed them to submit three videos that matched a theme from the book.  VIEW THE RESULTS

Utilizing SQWORL For Individual Planning Conferences

Today, Mrs. Gerth and Mrs. Wagner, school counselors contacted me about a way to have all the web resources (six) available with one click while conducting eighth grade planning conferences.

We initially tried "pinning" tabs in Chrome, but was unsuccessful in keeping them pinned after logging off/logging on.  Not sure why, but it could be that we were on a virtual machine.

Because of that failure, I remembered creating multi urls a year or two ago and decided SQWORL would be the best.  SQWORL touts itself as "Simple Visual Bookmarking for Educators".  One of our counselors created an account.  It took about 15 minutes to create the link.

The LINK works perfectly and is now able to be shared with other counselors.
(This would not have happened if we pinned each teacher's Chrome browser)

Belkin Headphone Hub For Student Collaboration on the iPad

Yesterday, in Mr. Pratt's class, I noticed that he had a number of Belkin Headphone Hubs.  Students use these to listen collaboratively to videos in which they are learning a specific concept or idea.  This girl gave an insight into how easy it was to use the iPads for learning.

*I apologize for the sound, there was slightly too much background conversation.

n2y Winner, Mrs. Morgan!

Technology can present itself in so many ways.  n2y and Symbolstix is a technology tool that has revolutionized Mrs. Morgan's classroom learning environment.

In September 2013, Mrs. Morgan approached me with the idea of entering the n2y contest in which n2y wanted to hear how the Unique Learning System was utilized in classrooms across the United States.  After understanding the task at hand which was filming and producing a video telling the story of how the Unique Learning System has helped Nalia become verbally engaged in learning, I agreed to help.

Part of the job of a Learning Support Teacher & Technology Integration Specialist is thinking about and enacting the best work flow for a task.  My initial thought was to use iPads and Skitch to tell the story.  However, I knew I needed to talk with Mr. Manning, a media teacher.  He immediately recognized the importance of the story and decided to become an integral piece to the puzzle.  From him, I learned how to transcribe each video clip (we used Google Docs so that both of us could work on the document).  Transcribing allowed us to tell the story through the teacher, students, and parents.  Our final product was well received!

The reaction of Mrs. Morgan and her students is priceless.  Congratulations, Mrs. Morgan!  You deserve it!

View Celebration that was created completely on an iPad Air with iMovie.

Evernote Implemented For Gathering Resources

Mr. Logue and Mr. Sarosiek, middle school social studies teachers, have implemented Evernote and Evernote Web Clipper with students.  It is helping them organize resources found on the web prior to writing about a historical event.

While demonstrating past uses of Evernote in high school classes and show the "why" and "how" of using Evernote, Mr. Sarosiek created a step by step plan for students.

View It

Technology Integration Specialist - Career Fair

Last Friday, I had the privilege of speaking to 100 eighth grade students during a career fair.  I was fairly certain that students knew what "technology" careers existed: computer programmer, IT, security, computer systems analysis, etc. I was also fairly certain that students didn't know what a Technology Integration Specialist was.  Starting with upbeat music, Brighter Than The Sun & Best Day Of My Life, as the students entered, followed with my enthusiasm, and my connection with many of the students through my teaching of a technology tool in their classes during the year provided an eye opening experience for them.  Students realized that a teacher in a school district doesn't just need to be in the classroom.

I didn't get into education with the intent to be a Technology Integration Specialist, however, "playing" with so many tech tools,  teaching adults and students, and redesigning educational learning environments has truly been a calling that I love.

Maybe my presentation will bring the next generation of great people into the educational world as a Technology Integration Specialist.

View Link To Presenation



Presentation Highlights:
Slide 12: My Job: Investigating New Tech Tools
Slide 13: Rapid Fire - students opened the iPads and said the name of an app, I told the students exactly what the app was used for in education - Reason? Tech Integrators need to know many tech tools to provide teachers with ideas
Slide 14: Team teaching is one of the greatest aspects of my job
Slide 15: Providing tech support
Slide 24: Responsible Online: I showed them my iPaddiction blog and asked them to guess how many views it has had since 2010...they were amazed by the amount of people who are interested in what our school is doing with technology

2013 App Smash Challenge Winner!

Congratulations to Tina Mills, PCMS communication arts teacher, for winning the 2013 App Smash Challenge!

Mrs. Mills had students combine the PicCollage app and the iMovie trailer app.  As Mrs. Mills states,
     
"In the past, students have used the iMovie trailer and had a blast with it.  The only problem is that sometimes they want to include more than one word or image (in a spot in the trailer) and can't change the templates.  I have had them use PicCollage to add multiple texts and images into one image.  They then can insert the PicCollage picture into the iMovie trailer."

Thank you, Mrs. Mills, for accepting the first App Smash Challenge!

iDevices, Google Drive, and Over App To Document Successes

Mr. Fullerton, our middle school principal, and Mr. Krause, our middle school assistant principle, created an opportunity for staff to use two and one half hours of a professional development day to allow staff to create their own learning environment.  Staff were able to choose their own area to think, question, collaborate, and create.  Some staff chose our own school forest and made bacon over an open fire, some chose a local coffee shop, while others chose a comfortable couch in our school.

To document these great areas of learning, Mr. Fullerton and Mr. Krause asked staff to send in a picture via email or text of their learning environment and who they were with.  After receiving the pictures a place to house the photos was needed.  Before doing this, the Over App was used to include messages that were sent with the picture.  The Over App allows for text to be placed on a picture.  A Google Drive folder could be accessed by both men so they could simultaneously upload pictures to the same digital area.  To share the folder, the two gentlemen placed the link on their Google Docs agenda.  This work flow provides digital documentation of successes from the original agenda.

I am extremely proud of our middle school administration team as they are utilizing the technology to enhance their learning environment.  As they become familiar with the technology, they can offer innovative technology solutions for our teachers!

View Their Story!

Google Drive Shared Folder For Housing Classroom Resources

Our eighth grade communication arts teachers needed a place to house multiple resources that each of them are creating.  As of now, they were emailing the resources to each other which was causing email overload!  The Google Drive will be used as a cloud storage opportunity with the ability to download the documents that are created.  The documents can be any digital documents including SMART notebook files.  The great thing about this process is that digital tools created on a computer/laptop/chromebook or on an iOS device can be shared with all teachers!

Lunch N' Learn @ PCMS

Starting January 17 for 10 minutes, technology tool tips will be presented to make your life more efficient!

When: Thursdays Sixth Grade Lunch OR Seventh Grade Lunch OR Eighth Grade Lunch

Where: 6th Grade: Mr. Pratt's Room; 7th Grade: Mrs. Schmidt's Room; 8th Grade: Mrs. Mills' Room

Why: To Utilize Tech Tools To Be More Efficient

Topic: Different Every Week

Get all the details in the video below!