Small Engine Disassemble and Assemble With Choice of Digital Tool 2017

Today, students were introduced to four tools that can help them explain the process of disassembling and assembling a small engine in Mr. Marsh's class.  The presentation included a video from the Service Director at Gandrud Automotive Group which help solidify to the students how valuable a video is in setting potential job candidates apart from others in the industry.

Students have the choice of the following tools:

• iMovie
• Adobe Video
• Explain Everything
• Chatterpix

Video of the introduction and students working.



Thank you Mr. Laatsch for your words of wisdom to our students. 

Digital Story Project: Spanish II using Explain Everything as a Template

In collaborating with the Spanish II team of Mrs. Van Gheem-Rottier, Ms. Sampson, and Ms. Slasarek, we developed a digital workflow in which students will be creating written stories based on a template created in Explain Everything.

This stemmed from the template that Mrs. Vertz created.  She wanted students to focus the majority of their time on working through the process and not creating all of the pieces needed in the process.

Explain Everything's "export a project" option allows for "guided creativity" from teacher to student.

In this project, Spanish II students will be showcasing their creativity and language using the Spanish language by creating a digital legend.  Their goal is to use the "preterite and imperfect tense" to create a story about the characters, setting, and plot of their choice.  Only text will be used - no audio.

Read about the entire process and view the "digital workflow" in the images below.

The template that students will "open in" Explain Everything on their iPad has been exported as a project from Explain Everything to Google Drive by the instructors.  Our teachers utilize Canvas to disseminate resources.

VIEW THE DIGITAL WORKFLOW

PechaKucha Presentations in Criminal Justice

So many students present multiple times in their school career.  We have established a "PechaKucha" presentation opportunity for groups of students in several content areas.  One of those areas is Criminal Justice.  Today I team taught with Mr. Pirman and explained the workflow for the students.

• Create slides that are 20 seconds long in Explain Everything.  Slides should contain image(s) with 20 seconds of narration describing the content.
• Since the students are in a Flex Mod schedule, they may not be with their partners from now until the due date.  After students create their portion in Explain Everything, they will export the EE as a video to their camera roll.  They can either share their finalized portion via Google Drive or AirDrop.
• Each portion will then be combined in iMovie
• Students will take the finalized iMovie and submit the creation on Canvas

Introduce To Students (Option)


To introduce the concept I shared with the students the PechaKucha of "The Secret Life of a Pencil".  

We also played a small portion of an example for students.



We also have a number of students actually delivering their "PechaKucha"

Best Practices Within the Flex Mod Utilizing Technology

Today, our high school U.S. History team shared how utilizing technology increased productivity and eased the workflow during the "Imperialism In Plain English" unit.
Apps Used:

• Mindly Mindly App In Action
• Adobe Draw
• Explain Everything
• Canvas

Export Explain Everything to Canvas

AirServer Provides Dual Screens For Production Efficiency

Teaching the final production steps from Explain Everything to publishing on Canvas was quite simple with AirServer.

Dual views allowed for the steps of exporting the video in Explain Everything and the uploading of the videos to Canvas to be displayed at the same time.

Cell Respiration Utilizing Explain Everything Project Options

In the past, our AP Biology teacher, Mrs. Vertz, would have students either draw and cut or find and cut out images that represent the elements from the cell respiration process.  Since our entire student body obtained iPads after our district roll out this week, we decided to utilize a more efficient method.

Our teacher created four slides that contained all of the elements using Explain Everything. Once the four slides were created by the instructor, the project ONLY was exported to Google Drive.  The link from Google Drive with the .xpl file was placed for student access on Canvas our LMS.

Students were prompted to "open in" the file from Canvas.  The option to open the file into Explain Everything was present.  The teacher created file became the students personal file in which they explained the process of Cell Respiration.  Once student audio and action were complete the video was exported to the camera roll.  The finished product on the camera roll was submitted as an assignment on Canvas.

...and all of this was so simple because students WERE NOT sharing iPads.  Blessed!



View how Spanish II teachers utilized this same process with students.

Creative Methods For Bringing Characters To Life in College English

Really enjoyed teaching with Mr. Krause, College English teacher!  I thought we did a great job of presenting content together.  Each of us added relevant information in a timely manner to keep the presentation lively!

When done correctly, team teaching is a "whole lot of fun"!

 

Explain Everything Level 2 Features and Progressions to Get There

Explain Everything To Camera Roll Submit To Canvas

Google Docs Smashed With Explain Everything For Text.

We are in the middle of a project in Spanish II.

We are going to create a children's book using Explain Everything.


We wanted to have students write the text dialogue of the book in Google Docs so that it can be in a "story format".  We believe this will give the students a better visual flow of how the story will develop.  We will then "copy and paste" the text into Explain Everything.

Here's how:

Publishing a PDF Book to Google Drive and iBooks Through Explain Everthing

Insert Video Into Explain Everything Setting

We are inserting video into Explain Everything.  It's important to have one setting checked correctly.

Two Alternatives to Skitch on the iPad

PechaKucha Created With Explain Everything On the iPad For Sociology Final Assessment

*My PechaKucha example at end of post.

In spending more time in our high school Sociology class with Mrs. Krause, we have experienced a few "Show What You Know" learning opportunities with the iPad as the technology tool of choice.  We've already used  Popplet as a tool on the iPad to "Check For Understanding".



As we approach the traditional "final exam" period which comes at the end of Semester 1, we will not be conducting the multiple choice, true/false, essay exam.  Instead, students will be analyzing all of the content they discovered over one semester and apply that to their life.  We are focusing on taking one or two concepts that spoke to the students. Students will then take these concepts and demonstrate how it has impacted their life.

To do this we are incorporating a "presentation" method of PechaKucha.  Truthfully, until TIES 2015 and Ben Friesen's introduction, I had not heard of this presentation method.  Discover the history behind PechKucha or see one of many examples.

Of course, readers of iPaddiction know we are focused on creation and workflow utilizing iPads. In other words, how are we going to create a PechaKucha on the iPad?

Explain Everything is going to be our tool of choice.  Placing one image or a collage of images on a stage while recording is easy. Since we are modifying the PechaKucha format slightly (using 10 slides x 20 seconds each vs. 20 slides x 20 seconds each) Explain Everything's visible clock while recording is SO helpful.  Students will record each slide for 20 seconds.
Their thoughts. 20 Seconds. Don't Go Over!

Also, if students error while recording one slide, the entire presentation is not ruined.  Students simply rerecord the slide that is incorrect.

Another awesome feature to Explain Everything is the feature of easy access, viewing, copying, and moving of each stage (slide).  Ten slides are needed.  Since we have used Explain Everything before, it will be very easy for students to create and arrange the slides according to their needs.

Once students create, arrange, and record each slide to their liking, students will export the video to the camera roll.  Students will then "submit" this video as their assessment to Canvas which is our Learning Managment System.  Students will view each other's creations.  While students are watching presentations, students will be engaged in a discussion utilizing Canvas' Discussion option.  We provided them with a rubric and guidance.

My PechaKucha example to the students is below.  

Option:

• Have students create each slide with silence and have students speak in front of the class while their "silent movie" is running on the screen.

Creating a PechaKucha utilizing Explain Everything was extremely simple and effective.  I'll post more about the process and student examples as the students complete the learning opportunity.
Images from our "recording day" are HERE.

• Students in our Spanish II class are utilizing the PechaKucha speaking option.  Due to the "second language" concept, students are being given the "leveling up" option.  This option gives an "exceeds expectations" status to the presentation if note cards are not used.  If note cards are used, a "meets expectations" status is given.  We feel that with the added element of speaking in a second language students should have the opportunity to have note cards.  It is our hope, however, that they will be used sparingly.

Reflection:
I am so impressed with our students and the presentations they have conducted.  The fact that the "slides" kept moving motivated the students to talk to the audience as opposed to reading cards.  Students also needed to "think on their feet" if they finished early on a particular slide or "fill in" if they finished early.  There was also REAL connection from concepts in Sociology to their life.

That's what we want!

Students applying knowledge gained to life experiences.  The PechaKucha format really provided a great medium for students to "Show What They Know".

Market Place Project Digital Skills To Master in Explain Everything

The Market Place Project in Spanish II has always been an enjoyable experience.  This year, we are continuing the project, but the students will utilize Explain Everything to demonstrate proper dialogue while bartering for a product.

This will be our third time using Explain Everything.  Mini projects one and two were introduced through tutorials.  We are increasing the levels of digital skills each time we innovate with Explain Everything.  Our hope is to continue to build on the creativity and other modern day skills with the students.  We are already seeing students not "concerning themselves with learning the tech" as Explain Everything is just "our tool".  The process of learning the content is becoming the focus.

The Spanish teachers and I discussed the Unit 3 Market Project and collaborated on how it would look.  Some areas of emphasis for me as a technology integration specialist include Creativity and Global Communication.

The Exceeding Expectations is highlighted because we are going to encourage students whose final products are pleasing to them to post them on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook with #RaiderStrong 

Our Day 3 which is when the Explain Everything App is utilized looks like this:

As a help tool, I demonstrated the three skills that students will need to master 

• Background
• Characters
• Layering
• Animation

Using Explain Everything.



UPDATE:
We played the video above and walked students through each of the three skills that were to be mastered.  Students, all 168 of them, have completed the assessment.  We are SO impressed!
Please view the conversations from "The Marketplace" that students created.

Flipboard Magazine Link Without Email

Google Cloud Printing On An iPad

Explain Everything Spanish 2

Students completed their second experience with Explain Everything.  Students were to create a picture with text that demonstrates the present.  Along with this, students created a part of the section of the product that included video to demonstrate the pres.prog.  I truly don't understand Spanish so the exact concept is new to me.

I do know that Explain Everything has become our main focus for this year to allow students to create items that "show what they know".  We want students to become so familiar with the technology tool (EE) that they don't even think about the tech tool, but simply focus on getting their knowledge to a digital medium.

Below is the information given to the students.  We are focusing on "Creativity" from the four c's for the entire year.

An example of the student's work is below.

Explain Everything for Spanish 2 Directives (Morning Routine)

Students continue to learn the features of Explain Everything while practicing the Spanish language.