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Posts Tagged ‘TCEA 2012’

Gratitude & App-reciation

20 Feb

During our TCEA 2012 workshops and seminars, Yolanda Barker and I handed out cards with promo codes on them for the following apps. I would first like to say that we do not endorse apps or products that we do not APP-SOLUTELY LOVE and USE. We would feature and mention the apps regardless of their appy donation(s). That being said, I would like to take a moment and thank the app developers for their gracious donations to our TCEA 2012 participants. I know everyone APP-RECIATED the schwag.

App-reciation Collage created with Turbo Collage app

 

  1. Puppet Pals Director’s Pass: This app is a main staple in the techchef4u kitchen and can be utilized to create animated videos to support any content area at any grade level. (See Samples).
  2. To me By me: This “surprisingly educational” app allows users to write a letter to their future self to be delivered on a specific date. The app is perfect to practice letter-writing and goal-setting.
  3. Tacky Wales Create: This app is fantastic to teach parts of speech and creative writing. (See Samples).
  4. iCardSort: This app is a MUST for any classroom. It can be used in multiple settings (e.g. individual, cooperative pairs, small groups, stations, whole group) and has so much functionality (users can customize the background and decks in a variety of ways as well as wirelessly beam/blast decks to other users) and versatility (can be used in multiple content areas and grade levels). (See Samples).
  5. Explain Everything: This is by far the best paid app for screen-casting! You can import documents and presentations from Dropbox and Evernote and then annotate and narrate over them. Explain Everything also offers multiple export options that do not require logins! (See Sample).
  6. La Di Da: Created by the makers of Songify, this app allows users to speak a selection and transform it into a song. Clearly “surprisingly educational“, users can practice foreign language, speeches and soliloquies, and create innovative media to support any content area’s project. (See Samples).
  7. Root-1: Root-1 donated the cool “Begin Your Quest” eco-friendly shopping bags and have created the “surprisingly educational” app, StoryLines for Schools. The app is a modern day telephone game. Users choose a vocabulary word or quote or generate their own, pass the device to another student who must draw a representation of the word/quote, and pass it to yet another student who must decipher what the drawing is. The app can be used to support vocabulary, themes, events, and concepts in multiple content areas. Root-1 also makes a few other wonderfully free and educational apps: Word Joust K-5, Word Joust 6-8, xWords, and Word Kung Fu in beta (coming soon).
  8. Inspiration Diagrams: Inspiration Diagrams donated an iPad cover for each of our 3 workshops. I had the pleasure of being a beta tester for Inspiration Diagrams. The Lite version will be released in March and the full in April. The possibilities for support and integration of the writing process are endless. The current version of the app has 11 templates ranging from Cause and Effect and Book Report to Fiction Reading Notes and Chronology. The app still mimics Inspiration software in the outline and diagram views but boasts new features such as Send to Dropbox and iTunes. I am very eager to see what the final product will look like.
  9. Matt Barker: This is Yolanda Barker’s husband. He graciously donated his CD to our participants. While his music is copyright free and he welcomes those who seek to modify and integrate it into their own projects, I am sure he would love to hear how it is being used in the classroom or other settings (share your thoughts with him). Matt is also the artist behind “appy hours 4 u” intro, outro, and voice over and plays live at a few local hangouts in San Antonio.
  10. Coach’s Eye: This was a late edition to our schwag. Coach’s Eye is from the makers of ScreenChomp and Camtastia and offers countless classroom integration possibilities. The name is a bit misleading as it was originally created for coach’s to instantly review and analyze their player’s videos. The app allows users to record or import video, slow it down, narrate and annotate over it, and even export it! Imagine recording and reviewing a science lab, public speaking event or debate, or even  weather patterns on a field trip.

 

Please give these people and app developers a nice round of APP-LAUSE! Thanks Again!

 

 
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Posted in iPad

 

It’s An Appy Day 4 an iPlayground: TCEA 2012

13 Feb

I feel very blessed to have the app-ortunity to be part of the iPlayground at TCEA 2012. Yolanda and I weren’t quite sure what the format of the session would be or how many people would be in attendance. The room was set up with a place for presenters on the left which included seating for observers. The right side of the room included colorful bean bag chairs and a Bretford cart of fully-loaded iPads (decked out with 600+ apps to explore). The room was also open to the hallway so passerby’s could stand and take it all in.

Having an App-tastic Time at iPlayground

 

During our stint at the iPlayground, we presented Surprisingly Educational Apps sharing 28 “surprisingly educational apps” providing classroom integration ideas for each. We had not expected such a large crowd but were appy to entertain and explain. If you missed playing at the iPlayground, I have included all of the apps we shared on Symbaloo. All of the integration ideas provided during the session came straight from the 3 surprisingly educational apps episodes aired during “Appy Hours 4 U“.

Bringing Appy Hours to TCEA 2012

 

Here is a rendition of “Call it What You Want” by Foster the People (video below) created with the app Video Star. We made sure to stay within copyright length limitations.

Using the Video Star app and music from their iPod, students can create “surprisingly educational” music videos. The classroom integration would be choosing segments of songs or thematic music that would represent a character or a scene. Then students could act out a scene having each character sing a relevant portion or trim the song to only have one character sing a segment. (Check out these History-Based Music Videos for more ideas).

Over the weekend, I came across a couple of blogs with notes on “suprisingly educational apps” and wanted to share.

Paul Briseno: Paul is an Instructional Technology Administrator for South San ISD and a fellow alumni from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.

Live. Learn. Teach. Lead (see full post here)

Paul Briseno's Post: Live. Learn. Teach. Lead.

 

Terri Eichholz: Terri is a teacher in North East ISD who teaches gifted students in grades K-5.

Engage Their Minds: (see full post here)

Terri Eichholz's Blog: Engage Their Minds

 

iShare: If you attended our iPlayground session and have blogged about it, we would love to see your feedback, notes, and ideas. Please send an email or leave a comment below.

More iPlayground Sessions: Utility Apps and WoScholar Apps 

 

 
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Posted in Conference Materials, iPad

 

Lessons Learned from iPad & iPod for Secondary: TCEA 2012

11 Feb

One of the sessions I was able to attend this week other than the iPlayground(s) was “iPad & iPod for Secondary“.


SlideRocket: http://bit.ly/uOvX12

Road Blocks to an iPad 1:1: They began with the above Xtranormal which was a great ice-breaker and good platform to get everyone thinking about managing road blocks and criticisms of integrating the iPad into the classroom.

The full presentation is up in Sliderocket (including videos).

iPad and iPod Touches in the Secondary Classroom

 

  1. Learner-Centered: Teachers filled out an application to be part of the pilot and integrated the flipped classroom model which morphs the environment from teacher-centered to learner-centered. To support this model, teachers created a calendar on their website that housed the videos and handouts and study guides. If students did not have access to internet at home, teachers could provide the resources on a flash drive as well.
  2. iClassroom Management: The iPads were provided for each student to use while they were at school (they did not leave campus) and all teachers had the password to the iTunes account. The only paid apps resident on the devices were Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and iMovie. Each classroom also had 3 MacBook Pros for student use and 1 Mac for teacher use and to be utilized to purchase further apps for the classroom. A 10 Port Hub was also purchased to make the syncing process quicker. Other relevant tidbits were the access of Facebook and YouTube to all students (this was addressed in their updated AUP) and a Digital Cafe in Edmodo.
  3. The session also shared a few of their favorite apps: Join.Me (screen sharing and collaboration: must install desktop software), Evernote, ScreenChomp, Science 360, Jot! Whiteboard, Side by Side, PDF Notes, Sundry Notes, CloudOn, ShowMe, Popplet Lite, Toontastic, and Word Jewels.

 

Visit these links for more apps for secondary (Science, Math, ELAR, History) and appy integration for all content areas and grade levels.
 
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Posted in iPad

 
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