Is the coming-soon Google Classroom App Google's version of an LMS? I can't wait to learn more about this!
I have been enjoying creating infographics, and I am creating lesson plans for students to design infographics. I really like this visual explanation of what an infographic is!
Do you Symbaloo?? I have been using Symbaloo as my homepage for a month or two, and I really love it. Symbaloo is a free social bookmarking tool, and it is an excellent organizational resource. On cloud-based Symbaloo, you can store all your digital resources. It looks like a grid, called a Webmix, and each tile links to a different website. Here is what my Symbaloo homepage looks like: It's very vaguely organized, with my school resources towards the top and my more fun resources towards the bottom. If you look at the top left, you can see that there are tabs. You can make as many Webmixes as you want; so far I have one for blogs and one homepage. There are so many great ways to use Symbaloo in the classroom. My favorite, while teaching technology, is to have the students make a Webmix with all the sites and tools that they will need in class. It saves a lot of time, allowing them to quickly find the link and get to the right place. While looking online for other great ways to use Symbaloo in the classroom, I found this article which says it all!
Do you use Pinterest or LiveBinders as a classroom tool? I use both, and I am often asked which is better to use "educationally." I love both Pinterest and LiveBinders but I find that I use them in slightly different ways. Pinterest is more appealing visually, and as a visual learner, I find it easier to process. Pinterest consists of virtual bulletin boards - they remind me of my college dorm bulletin boards with ticket stubs, photos, appointment cards, etc. pinned all over them. I have multiple Pinterest boards, personal and educational. One educational board is general classroom ideas, and one is for technology integration ideas. I love to browse the boards and pin new ideas. One drawback to pinning things, though, is that a Web page can't be pinned unless there is an image on the page. Earlier today I wanted to pin a forum discussion about Google Calendar, but when I used my Pin It button, I got the error message that no image was found. LiveBinders is perfect for that situation, so I added the pin to my Technology Integration binder.
LiveBinders is like a bookshelf of three-ring binders. Each binder is categorized and then within the binder, there are tabs and subtabs. For example, a binder might be called Classroom Tech, and a tab inside may be iPads. Sub-tabs could include iCloud set-up tips, helpful apps, etc. Any URL can be pasted in to create a tab, so no image is necessary. When viewing a binder, it's exactly like looking into a large three-ring binder with dividers and tabs. It is not as visually rich as Pinterest but it is very versatile. Binders can include links to movies, documents, websites, etc. You can browse other people's binders and even copy them onto your shelf. Links to your binder can be shared with your class, and you can share it on your blog as a parent resource. I use Pinterest more often and I find in more enjoyable (and a potential time-suck, so beware!), but I find LiveBinders to be more practically useful and slightly more versatile in the classroom. What do you think? I love Google Drive for so many reasons, but now that there are some new add-on features, I am an even more devoted fan. Read this lifehacker article to learn more about some Google Drive features that you may not know about!
http://bit.ly/Googledocaddons Do you keep plants in your classroom? I remember that my elementary school classrooms always had plants, but I haven't seen any live plants in high school classrooms for years. Some indoor plants are excellent for combating toxins in the air. Here are some great plants that will make your classroom look inviting and cleanse the air that you and your students are breathing every day.
Aloe Vera Aloe is an air purifier. It can filter small amounts of benzene and formaldehyne, and its gel has medicinal properties. Spider Plant NASA claims that the spider plant is the best filter against formaldehyde. It is also an effective filter of monoxide, carbon, benzene and xylene. Gerber Daisies Known for having boldly colorful flowers, Gerber Daisies make excellent air filters. They absorb carbon dioxide and generate oxygen, as well as get rid of trichloroethylene and benzene. Snake Plant Another effective formaldehyde filter, snake plants also remove nitrogen oxide in the air. They are easy to care for, needed minimal lighting and can survive irregular watering. Areca Palm This plant is a natural humidifier, and absorbs toxins from its environment. It is especially good at absorbing toxins from newly varnished furniture or carpeted areas. English Ivy English Ivy removes allergens from the air, as well as toxins such as benzene, trichlororethylene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. Warneck Dracaena This plant is great for classrooms because it doesn't need a lot of light and thrives in normal room temperatures. It filters toxins from painting and varnishes, specifically benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene. Bamboo Palm Bamboo Palm is another natural humidifier, great for dry, arid classrooms. Have you used EDpuzzle in your classroom yet? I haven't, and I can't wait to do so. EDpuzzle is a free video-customization site, offering so many applications for both students and teachers. You can use EDpuzzle to search for a video, or start with a video to which you already have access. The video can then be cropped, so you can use only the relevant parts of it. Quizzes can be embedded into the video, so you can evaluate your students' comprehension during the lesson. You can add your audio notes or create a voice-over during the video. The videos that you create can be embedded onto your class website or LMS. EDPuzzle would be great for teachers implementing a flipped classroom.
While I am already imagining lessons that I can create with EDpuzzle, I am even more excited about having my students create projects using this tool. It is a innovative way to present material, giving choices other than PowerPoint and Prezi (not that I don't love Prezi and PowerPoint). EDpuzzle would be a good choice for group projects, and could be great for students who have anxiety about presentations. The project can be constructed and narrated individually, and then presented without stage fright. I am excited to try it - here is a link to the EDpuzzle site...check it out! Having just completed third quarter at the high school, which means completing the junior research paper, I have started to look into technology that could make next year's research paper even easier. Diigo, a research and annotation tool, is one idea that I would like to try out with a willing English teacher. Click the button above to go to a website that explains how Diigo can be used in the classroom.
Now that our high school is a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) school, the students (and staff!) are becoming more and more comfortable with using Google Drive. The freshmen and sophomore classes have iPads from the 1:1 initiative we started in September, and Google Drive is installed on all the iPads, as well as the school's desktops and Chromebooks. Sometimes, though, if a student is finishing an assignment as the bell rings, he or she may snap the Chromebook shut and not log out, or may close the browser on the desktop without signing out. This leaves the student's account vulnerable to the next person who uses the computer or Chromebook. There have been issues in the past with students emailing people from another students' account, or deleting the documents in someone's account. It seems like a pretty harmless prank at the time, most likely, but a lot of important and confidential information is at risk and a lot of harm can be done! Luckily, there is an easy way to make sure that you are logged out from any device, even if the device is on your desk at school and you're at home watching tv. This is all you need to do to log out from your Google account, no matter where you are. Log in to your Gmail account, and look at the bottom right of the page. Under the words "Last account activity," it will say "Details." Click on the word details, and a new window will open up. This window shows you the current activity information for your account. By clicking on the words "Sign out all other sessions," you will be signed out of all devices except for the one that you are currently using. This allows you to feel secure that your account isn't vulnerable on any other device. It is a simple but important trick to know! |
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AuthorMom to two sons, married 23 years to college sweetie. Instructional Technology Specialist for a vocational high school. Educator for 20+ years. Love to read, do anything crafty, and spend time with friends and family. Passionate about education, technology, and the combination of the two! I'm a proud foster-failure with Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, having fallen head-over-heels for our first foster and adopting her :) Archives
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