Great Google Trick!

Have you ever heard of a Google Easter Egg? Well, Google is quite clever. They like to have fun with their product and one example of that is with "Easter Eggs." Like the name suggestions, these Easter eggs are like what you do around Easter: hunt for hidden eggs. Google has hidden tricks and fun things throughout Google.com for people to find.  I was preparing something the other day and I needed a picture of Atari's "breakout" so I google imaged it and all of a sudden, before my very eyes, the google image screen turned into a game of Breakout! 
So, if you go to Google and image search "Atari breakout" (or click "I'm feeling lucky") the actual game will begin and you can play it with the mouse. Give it a try! It's kinda fun. 

Google Docs: Simple Navigation

I find it annoying to scroll through Google docs. I feel like sometimes my scroll wheel is going to wear out! It is because of this feeling that I set out to find a solution. Some google docs are not that long, so it's not a big deal. But others can get to be quite lengthy and constantly scrolling through the doc is not an effective use of the small amount of time we have in life. The solution I found is "table of contents" and "bookmarks." Both fairly similar, but each add their own unique advantage. 

Bookmarks: You can attach bookmarks anywhere in a google docs for fast, efficient navigation. When you add a bookmark, you can then "link" a word to that bookmark, so when you click the word, it brings you to that spot automatically. Here's an example: Mesopotamia Closure. In the example, I didn't want my students to have to scroll through everything every time. I wanted them to be able to click the task and be brought right to it. 

Table of Contents. Table Contents works much the same way--creating words into links that you can click and quickly move to that spot. With table of contents, you need sub headings. So when you type out a word, you need to change it from "normal text" to a "subheading." Once you have all your subheadings done, go to "insert" -- "table of contents" and a table of contents will appear for easy navigation. Example Here. (This is a demo created just for an example) 

Save that Tab! (Google Chrome)

NOOOOO!!! I needed that tab! But I accidentally closed it because I have too many tabs and the area to select a tab is so small that I accidentally hit the 'x'!!! I don't know about you, but I tend to have a ton of tabs open when working in Chrome. When this happens, it is extremely likely that I accidentally hit the 'x' instead of the tab itself. This could be very bad! You may really need that tab and not remember how to get to the site you were on! Well, rest easy, my friend because Google has a solution to this problem. In the event you close a tab by accident, simply hit Ctrl + shift + T (though you don't need caps) and it will reopen the tab, along with browsing history so you can still go "back" if you need to. Handy tip, huh??

Ctrl + Shift + T (windows)

Command + Shift + T (Mac)

EdCamp Harrisburg

Ever been to an "Edcamp"? Well, if you have, you probably know the benefits of going and connecting with other passionate educators from around the area. If you have not gone, I highly recommend giving it some thought. Edcamp is like a "unconference," which means people show up for the "conference" and then decide what the conference will be about. In the morning, the "edcampers" discuss what sessions/break outs they want to have and who will help facilitate. It is not sit and listen to presenters the entire day. It is a come as you please, interactive day. For example, let's say there's a session on differentiated instruction. You can attend, listen and when you feel like you've had enough, simply move on to another session (perhaps GAFE or project based learning, for example.) What sessions will be offered will not be known until the day arrives, after it's been decided by the attendees. This is a great opportunity to learn and grow professionally. Also, it's a chance to connect and share ideas. AND, it's FREE! 
Door prizes, doughnuts, coffee, pop, food, etc. It's all free! 

Event Website
Click to Register for Edcamp Harrisburg (it's Free)

October 18th, 2015. Harrisburg South Middle School
Schedule for the day

8:30-9:30 - Breakfast/Mingle/Build Schedule -Come when you please... We just hope everyone is there around 9am

9:40-10:30 - Session 1

10:40-11:30 - Session 2

LUNCH  - Give aways and Game time! 

12:50-1:40pm - Session 3

1:50-2:40pm - Session 4

2:45pm - Wrap up/Reflect on the day

iMovie Tutorial

Link to Slideshow

Spice Up Your Text Message Game with "Bitmoji"

Looking to add a little spice to your text messages? Feel like your texting game as gone bland? Well, maybe what you need is "Bitmoji." 
Bitmoji is an app for Apple and Android that gives you a ton of new emoji's. What's even better is that you can customize the emoji's to look like yourself! Once you edit how you look in the app itself, you can select bitmoji's to use in your text messages. There are a wide variety of bitmoji's so you are sure to find the perfect emoji for the situation. 
Here's how to do it:
-Go to App store and get "bitmoji." 
-Open "bitmoji" app and customize what you look like.
1. Go to "settings"
2. Go to "general"
3. Go to "keyboard"
4. go to "keyboards"
5. touch "Bitmoji--bitmoji"
6. Turn on "access allow"
7. Use it! In a text message, click on the icon (looks like a globe with lines) in the bottom left to access the bimoji's. 

Working together: Google Forms, Flubaroo, and Charts

Using Google Forms for quizzes/formative assessment is a great way to organize student data, keep it all in one place, and get both an overview and individual view of how your students/classes are doing.  Below are some highlights of Google Forms for quizzes.

*Create a variety of questions using a Google Form.

*Password protect the quiz by forcing students to enter a "password" in order to get to the next page (start of quiz.)

*Change the destination of where responses go to keep all data in one spreadsheet.

*Use the "add on" Flubaroo to grade all quizzes instantly.  Flubaroo can grade multiple choice, true/false and short answer (short answer: student has to type the word exactly how you enter it on the answer key, so this one is a little tricky.)

*Use "charts" to create charts from the student data to get a great picture of how your classes are doing.

These are just some of the highlights. I encourage you to check it out and explore further!

Kahoot! to raise engagement!

If you are looking to change things up in your classroom and try a new tool, I'd recommend giving Kahoot! a try. Kahoot! is an engagement dream, a way to focus your students, blend game structure, share thoughts and formally assess them. Kahoot! is an audience response system that works on any device that has internet, as it uses a web browser, not just the Kahoot! app. Laptop, iPhone, iPad, Chromebook, desktop, etc. Kahoot! allows the teacher to give a quiz, a discussion, or a survey. The results can be downloaded and saved. The results give question by questions breakdown, as well as individual results, making tracking and documentation a snap!  
After signing up for a free account, create a Kahoot! quiz. You will add questions and then when you launch the quiz, you will instruct the students to go to kahoot.it and enter the game pin. This connects their device with the quiz you are showing on the smartboard. On their device, they see the four options, which are shapes. They select the shape that corresponds with the correct answer. You can adjust the time limit, the audience, the difficulty and also share it with others. 
Application for Education: Kahoot! is just a tool and it's not about the tool. It's about the learning. So how does Kahoot! help learning? Use Kahoot! to do a short, fun quiz to see where your students are at. The game-based feel to it makes it much more engaging than a centeo quiz or scantron. Engagement can not be underestimated when it comes to improving the learning.  Learning rises as engagement rises. It's a fundamental fact of education and of life.  I'm convinced that if the student knows a Kahoot! is waiting for them, they will be more eager to learn the content and get prepared. They will be eager to see their game-based score as they navigate the Kahoot! quiz. 

Create Infographics with Photovisi

I'm a big fan of Infographics. I think infographics are a good way for students to learn, review, and share what they know. Creating infographics is not busy work, its work that requires thinking and planning, not to mention writing and reading. An infographic is simply a product that has information and graphics. Some might call this a collage, but a collage is more of a "picture only" type of thing. I by no means invented the idea of Infographics or any of the infographic creating tools. However, I do like to search for infographic creating tools other than paper/pencil. Unless a student is an awesome drawer, computer infographics are way more effective. Photovisi is a great tech tool that students can use to make an infographic. 
Great things about Photovisi: it's free. Students do not need to log in. Students can easily save their project. Students can pick from a wide variety of templates and options. Students can use pictures off the internet. Students can add typing/captions. Students pick up on how to use photovisi quickly, so instruction time is minimal and creation time is optimal. So, find a computer lab and give Photovisi a try. Students will enjoy using it and get something out of it. Photovisi's can be as in-depth as you want to make it. General overview of a topic or a dynamic, in-depth project. 
Application for Education:
-students research a new topic and create a photovisi
-students create a photovisi as a review tool
-students share their photovisi with their classmates to learn about new topics through their peers
-teacher creates a photovisi to present information/new topic

Examples:

Tackk.com: great teacher tool

I was talking about technology in education with a colleague the other day and we were discussing tech tools that allow students to create. We both agreed that technology in the hands of the students is a must because we want them to discover, create, and explore. We were talking about having students make websites but it's such a time commitment with a lot of explanation so it gets to be a daunting task. I told him that I have a website making tool that the students can learn how to use and make a website in just one class period. He didn't believe, so I said, "Do you triple dare me to show you?" and he said, "No, I quadruple dare you to show me." So I did. I showed him Tackk.com and it blew him away. 
Tackk.com is a dynamic web 2.0 tool that allows you to create webpages quickly and easily (and without knowing any coding). Along with blogger and remind101, Tackk.com is right up there with my favorite tech tools. It is an especially good tool in trying to implement CCSS in your curriculum, no matter what the content. Tackk.com offers you and the students the ability to create permanent websites. This seemingly monumental task is actually quite simple. Tackk.com provides you with only the basic/necessary tools to create your website so you don't feel overwhelmed with too many options. There is no code writing. You do not have to be a tech wizard to use Tackk.com. As with every tech tool, there are two options: you use it or have your students use it. In my opinion, it is always best if the students can get their hands on these tech tools and use them. Tackk.com. 
Application to Education: Create a tackk on a topic that you are studying. Post an article or write the article yourself, then make it available for students to read. With this angle, you can implement Reading Informational text. 
Having students create tackks provides them the opportunity to work on the writing portion of the CCSS. Have the students create a tackk to go along with a short research project, compare/contrast, write opinions, or any number of writing standards.
The great thing about Tackk is that the websites are easy to share, so all can benefit from the projects being created. 

 Example of Tackk.com