FTT - Quizziz

Quizizz: Fun, Engaging, Multiplayer Classroom Quiz Games and Yes, Students Can Play From Anywhere!

@LisaBerghoff / @joe_edtech

I'll admit that I can be a sucker for bells and whistles.  I love toys and games and fun in the classroom if they are used in a purposeful way.  When students come back and visit years after graduation, it's the funny, silly activities that they remember and connect with most.  Do any students come back and say "Remember that time when we sat in rows quietly and took notes?" I recently led a workshop and asked teachers from various schools to describe what their classroom looks like when their students are truly engaged.  Words like "active", "participation", "loud", and "excited" came up as the teachers thought about a time in their classroom when students were engaged.

Of course, the topic of Kahoot often comes up during these types of discussions.  Remember the first time you did a Kahoot?  You will absolutely not get that kind of response when you assign a worksheet.  That's because tools like Kahoot are engaging and fun by design.  They allow students to participate in a way that does not require them to push too far out of their comfort zone, but still makes you feel like you are playing a game and taking a risk.  One of the most common questions that comes up with Kahoot is whether or not students can participate in these fun quiz games on their own or from home.

That is why I am thrilled to share Quizizz with you. 

http://www.slideshare.net/Quizizz/quizizz-presentation-49737217

Quizizz is  a free, online tool that allows you to create classroom game show-like quizzes.  Similar to  Kahoot, the students have questions and  up to 4 options for responses.  You can create your own or use one that has already been created.  You can even create your own quiz but then steal collaboratively take advantage of individual questions that other teachers have made and put them into your own quiz.

There are several key features that make Quizizz different from Kahoot.  First, you can adjust the timer from 5 seconds to 15 minutes of time allowed to answer a question, or you can adjust the settings so the question timer is off completely. You can play the games live during class but allow students to play at their own pace because the entire question shows up on the students' screens.  The way Quizizz works is such that you can play at your own pace but still feel like you're playing against your classmates.  Quizizz also has a feature that allows you to assign the quiz for homework. There is a  calendar feature to set the days that the quiz is open and give your students the Quizizz code to join your quiz. It also has a meme generator that will give the students instant feedback by way of funny kittens and silly graphics. Another feature of Quizizz is that when students finish playing, they get valuable data showing how they did on each question. 

When your students first log in at join.quizizz.com, they will enter the game code and their name.  In order to effectively grade the quiz, I suggest mandating a naming convention so that students must enter their first name and last initial or some other standard format so you will know who is participating.  The students are then assigned an avatar (mine was an adorable sheep with glasses) and then are prompted to proceed.  As students are answering the questions, they are given immediate feedback on how they did on each question.  Once they are done, they can see how they did on all of the questions and they can go back and review the questions.

https://twitter.com/quizizz/status/562659247066861568

As the teacher, you can pull up a "report" that shows the percentage of students who answered each question correctly.  You can also click on individual students to see how they did.  The reports page gives a very easy to read graphic so you can quickly see which of your students need more instruction. This type of formative assessment is quick and easy to put together, fun for the students, and very helpful you teachers as we make instructional decisions.



Quizizz can be used at any point during instruction.  You can then show the questions in slide show mode so you can explain and walk through the most missed questions.


Want to see more?  Here is a short video walk-through of Quizizz.
You're Welcome!

What are some of your favorite tips and tools for classroom engagement?  Share in the comments section below. 

FTT - Grammarly for Chrome

Using Grammarly To Improve Online Writing

@joe_edtech / @LisaBerghoff

I grew up watching Kelsey Grammer playing Frasier Crane on tv, a character who frequently corrected people's grammar. Kelsey and I have some traits in common and I have often quoted his Frasier when I've had to do something uncomfortable or hypercritical, "It's like correcting people's grammar. I don't do it to be popular." Apparently, we share quite a few traits.

"I don't do it to be popular."

I've found that there are two types of people in the world. Type 1 will post something on Facebook confusing "their" with "there" and "two" with "to," and Type 2 will post a comment correcting both misspellings. I am Type 2, usually. 

Back in the day, we all learned grammar and usage by endlessly diagramming sentences on the blackboard. Then the world changed and Bill Gates taught everyone to rely on Microsoft Word to correct their spelling and grammar mistakes. Then the world changed again and we all started writing online - where there is no reliable grammar check! The horror!

Grammarly is a Web 2.0 program and a browser extension that can help civilize Internet writing. Once the plugin is installed, Grammarly can help correct your grammar mistakes in Gmail, on Facebook posts, in LinkedIn, on WordPress, or literally anywhere you write online. I'm sure it would work in Blogger if I needed it.  (Insert sly smiley face here.)

After you've installed the extension and created a free account, there are two simple ways to use Grammarly. Anytime you are writing online, you can simply click the extension button on your browser, and Grammarly will launch a grammar and spelling checker. Just like in Microsoft Word, Grammarly will underline detected mistakes and make suggestions. You can choose to accept Grammarly's suggestions or not. 

If you need something more, you can create or upload writing drafts to your account on grammarly.com. Online, you can use Grammarly's plagiarism checker and benefit from tools like the sentence structure suggestion. If you are working on something really important, and you purchase a premium account, you can even consult with one of their professional proofreaders. However, most people will be just fine with the free service they provide online.

The best solutions to your grammar, spelling, and usage problems are careful composition and meticulous proofreading. However, when you are writing quickly for a public audience, Grammarly can be a pretty useful substitution for meticulousness. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you've got some time, here is Dottotech's Review of Grammarly:

FTT - Bee Line Reader

Easy On The Eyes! Read More In Less Time With Bee Line Reader

@Lisa Berghoff /@Joe_EdTech

In the past several years there has been a giant push for educators to have a better understanding of literacy skills.  We know that reading is imperative for learning and we know that comprehension plays a major role in multiple subject areas.  However, certain aspects of reading that often get overlooked are fluency,  decoding speed, and tracking ability, especially when dealing with reading digital text.  As more and more of our text is presented in digital format, it is necessary for educators to explore ways to help our students follow what they read with increased speed and decreased eye strain.  

Bee Line Reader makes reading faster and easier by making a color gradient that guides your eyes from the end of one line to the beginning of the next.  I have been using the Bee Line Reader for 2 weeks and this simple tweak does seem to be helping me with both focus and eye strain.  The Bee Line Reader is an extension that can be found in the chrome web store.   You can use it as much as you want for free for 30 days. After that, you can continue to use it 5 times per day for free or upgrade to the pro version.  

I believe that the Bee Line Reader can benefit all of our students, but it might be a game changer for our kids with dyslexia, ADD, or students  who struggle to decode. 

Here's the explanation of how it works, while using the Bee Line Reader:

FTT - Online Mind Mapping/Coggle

Reading Tragedies... Wait, Are We Talking About Shakespeare?

@joe_edtech / @LisaBerghoff

My daughter, 14 year old Princess in training, has an IEP because she struggles with reading comprehension. I am just not sure if her case manager hates it or loves it that Katherine's dad is a professional educator. I think she hates it because I ask questions that can sometimes be pointed (maybe snippy). For instance, this year I asked what "reading strategies" she had used in the classroom. The answer was, "I'm sorry, what are 'reading tragedies?'" - Yes, I actually felt my aorta pulse.

So, after the meeting, I went right to the source. I asked my daughter if she learned more from her reading teacher at school, or from the private reading tutor I hired. After I got past the initial discussion about, "Dad, I love all of my teachers equally," I finally got the answer I was looking for. "Well, the stuff that I read in school is all pretty much the same, and very boring. The stuff I read from the reading tutor is a lot more exciting, and I understand it and remember it a lot better." Of course, her comment speaks to the importance of reading selection, but she went further. "With [the private tutor] we make a lot of mind maps and it helps me remember things a lot better."

Mind Mapping! Concept Mapping! How often we forget to take such a simple step even when we know most of our kids are visual learners. In my district, we used to use a very expensive piece of software to do this; but in the era of budget cuts, we may or may not have access to expensive, limited use pieces of software. However, concept maps are important whether we are talking about reading strategies, note taking strategies, or simple brain storming activities. I know of three great Web 2.0 tools for creating concept maps collaboratively, without spending a single dime.

The first is relatively new to my repertoire, but it has come to be one of my favorites. Coggle is a web tool, also available as a Chrome App on the Chrome Web Store, that not only allows students to create colorful and dynamic mind maps, it also allows for easy interaction between groups of students and teachers. One of the newest features to Coggle is a chat window where collaborators and teachers can leave notes or engage in live chat, which means, like most good Web 2.0 tools, students can be working synchronously, asynchronously, independently, or with an instructor.

Rather than linked geometric shapes, Coggle mind maps look organic, mimicking connections in the brain. Furthermore, Coggle makes it extremely easy to use color and format text. When the mind map is complete, there is no need to print. You can share it with any user online, store them in folders on your Coggle account, and even organize them in Google Drive. If there is a negative to this tool it is that all mind maps are public - meaning anyone can view the Coggle's you make. That could be a positive, if you are working on a subject that is new to you, you can search through existing Coggles to see how others have mapped the concepts.

Here's a short video intro to get you started with Coggle:

The map to the left, a more traditional mind map, was created in a Web 2.0 program called bubbl.us. For free, you can go to bubbl.us, create an account and start making concept maps. What's more, you can create teams and collaborate on concept maps with other users. With a simple click, you can download your mind map as a .jpg or .png and embed it in a document or on a website.

Google Draw Screen Capture

An often overlooked tool for mind mapping is Google Drive. In addition to docs, spreadsheets, and presentations, you can create Google Drawings. Once in the drawing, you can add, and add text to shapes and "call outs" (think the comics page in your Sunday Newspaper). As with all Google Drive products, it is simple to collaborate and share your work with other users. Drawings can be embedded on Google Sites, in Docs, and in Presentations, or you can simply download them as .pdfs.

If your class is BYOD, or uses iPads or iPhones, there is an excellent iOS App called iBrainstorm that allows users to create simple concept maps with sticky notes. Collaboration is possible, but trickier on the iPad App. But if you connect several iPhones to the same iPad, you can actually "flick" sticky notes from one device to another.

The Chrome Web Store offers several others that might be worth a try, including: ConnectedMind, MindMap, MindMeister, LucidChart, Mindomo, and Mind42.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm aware of free software packages like Vue or FreeMind, but are there other Web 2.0 solutions out there like this? If you are using Mind Mapping Software in your class, please share your favorite in the comment section below.

FTT - Wizer.Me

Wizer.me

Make Something That Might Be Boring Exciting With Wizer.Me 

@LisaBerghoff / @joe_edtech

As kids, we all did lots and lots of worksheets in school.  I can remember all of the purple carbon paper residue coating my teacher's fingers as she handed stacks of papers to the first student in each row.  I can also remember a voice screaming in my head saying "these worksheets are SO boring!"  The worksheets of the past seemed a necessary yet extremely dull way for us students to practice our basic skills and turn in piles of pages to be graded.  As educators of the technology age, we really should set the bar higher for both our students and ourselves.

I'm happy to say that those old boring worksheets are a thing of the past.  If you find yourself in a situation where you feel that worksheets are still the best tool for the job, I'm happy to introduce you to Wizer.Me.  Wizer.Me is a free, simple and quick tool for teachers to create their own interactive online worksheets, use easy to find relevant materials, and customize them to their needs.

That's right, Wizer.Me helps you create interactive worksheets.  These allow you to give your students a blended learning experience without a lot of legwork in advance.

You can quickly create an account by signing in with Google.  The website is incredibly simple to use and offers you so many fantastic options.  There are several backgrounds to choose from or you can always upload your own image.   You can create your "worksheet" by choosing from  the basic options such as multiple choice, open question, or matching.  However, you can also add an image for your students to label, include a video for them to watch, a chart to fill in, a link to an article to read, fill in the blanks, embed a vimeo, thinglink, Google maps, and much more!

Of course, there are lots of Wizer.Me assignments already created by your fellow connected educators and they are happy to share. If you click on the "featured worksheets" button, you will be taken to a webpage filled with assignments ready to be used.  At first glance, I noticed several interesting looking assignments for math, science, and social studies.  Some of the titles that I saw were: "parallel lines and angles", "atomic numbers and mass numbers",  "world religions" "solving special systems of linear equations," and "common life processes of living organisms." In addition, there were several pre-made assignments in Spanish.  These are there for you to use as inspiration or you can copy and edit them to suit your needs.

Once you have created your assignment, you can get the link, automatically assign it in Google Classroom, or give the students a special pin code to access the worksheet.  You can choose which method you want to use to send it to your students.  After students complete the worksheet, you can assess their work and opt to have feedback sent directly to them.

I know I say this about many new tech tools but Wizer.Me is an outstanding tool and I highly encourage you to check it out.  I couldn't resist creating a worksheet for you all to complete:
Click This Link

What are your favorite tools for blended learning?  Go ahead and post in the comments section below.

FTT - ThingLink

Sign up for a free ThingLink account to create interactive images

Creating Interactive Images Using ThingLink

@joe_edtech/@LisaBerghoff

Earlier this Fall I took my daughter and a friend of hers to the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. Since I am a bit of a History nerd - specifically an American Civil War nerd - my daughter is not new to the topic. She's been dragged across the battlefield at Gettysburg, carried to Ford's Theater in DC, and even read a young adult version of the story of Lincoln's Assassination and the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. But there is something powerful in an image. As visitors walk through one of the exhibits at the museum, they turn a dark corner and enter a room flooded with uncomfortable red light bathing a slave auction. We hit that room and I felt her little hand grab mine and I looked at her. Her face was covered with shock, fear, sadness - she'd read all about this. But now she saw it. And it affected her.

When I taught history, I gradually came to believe I spent too much time focusing on words, and not enough time focusing on images. I'm not saying words aren't important - they really are what we have from most of history - but images engage the emotions. That's not a new or shocking discovery, researchers have been saying it for years.

With a "free-ish" Web 2.0 tool called ThingLink, it is easy to take any digital image and make it interactive - an image to explore instead of just take in. Below, I've taken a simple image of the State of Illinois and added a couple of Tags. The tags are interactive and can take your students to places where they can find more information. Take your mouse and hover over the image and you'll find there are two interactive tags. Click them, and they take you to an informational website and an overview video.

Creating an interactive image is easy. All you have to do is choose an image from the Web or upload one from your computer. In the "Text" box, type your tag. This can be a short description or a set of directions. In the "Link or image address" box, you can make your tag interactive. I've labeled "Alton, Illinois" on the map. When students click that tag, I want them to be taken to the official website of the City of Alton, so I pasted that URL in the "Link or image address" box. By the way, you can put the URL of information websites, videos, or link to your classroom website or LMS. The images you create can be saved publicly or privately.

ThingLink allows you to tag videos as well. In the following video, I've added two tags - both links to different websites that can provide students with a little more information on the video they have been assigned to watch. You'll notice the tags right away because they are blue text boxes stamped with an "i" icon for information.

I introduced ThingLink by calling it "free-ish." Everything that I've demonstrated in today's blog post can be done with a free account. However, there are several different levels of premium accounts that will give you access to more features. If you are sharing with students, a free account should get you all that you need.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to take your image creation to the next level? Free Technology for Teachers published a piece on using Google Slides, ThingLink, and Snagit from Chrome to have students create interactive presentations to share with the class.

FTT - Dualless

screenshot from Dualless website

Creating a Virtual Dual Monitor with Dualles

@LisaBerghoff/@joe_edtech

Can you believe it's November?! First quarter is over and we are in full school mode.   As you continue  to adjust to your students using their devices, you will no doubt have an occasion where you will want them to have many tabs open.  For example, you may ask them to have a website open while they also have a notes page open.  When having multiple tabs open becomes commonplace your students will probably wish that they had dual monitors because clicking back and forth can be cumbersome and opening multiple windows becomes tricky on a chromebook  because you can never get the window in just the right spot or find ratio that you're looking for.

Screenshot of ratio options

Dualless is a "poor man's dual monitor" solution.  It splits your browser windows into two by just 2 clicks.  The ratio can be adjusted according to your needs.  This extension simulates the environment of a dual monitor. Also, there is a new bookmark feature that lets you relaunch your favorite site in a new tab and windows will be split in the recorded ratio. For example, you can have Dualless set to always open a class notes page in one window and another window is open for research.

Dualless is an extension that is found in the chrome web store.  Since it is an extension, the little icon can be found in the far right corner of the box where web addresses go (that's called the omnibox for those of you who like to learn new terminology).

Dualless is not flashy or complicated. It does exactly what it says it does and it helps add to the functionality of the chromebooks.  By allowing students to work with two windows at once, it should make it easier for them to focus, rather than clicking back and forth between tabs.

Screenshot of Lisa's screen using dualless

What other functionality tools do you use in your classes? Please share with us below in the comments section.

FTT - Vibby

Sharing Specific YouTube Video Content With Your Students

@joe_edtech / @LisaBerghoff

Warning, the beginning of this blog is a red herring - included because I simply couldn't believe a certain reality. Lisa and I both had an opportunity to attend a pretty remarkable professional development opportunity in the Houston school district. Instructional Technology professionals from across the country got together and visited some pretty innovative magnet schools in a very economically challenged part of the city. After the site visit, we all gathered and talked about some of the things we saw happening in the classes and somebody said something like, "I think it is great you can embed YouTube videos into your website, but what can we do? YouTube is blocked in our district." (I will return to the discussion of the innovative classrooms later, at the moment I am going to wallow in the righteous indignation of someone who can't believe there are school districts who still block YouTube!)

"Start at:" in YouTube

So, I get it. There is a lot of garbage on YouTube. But there is a lot of good stuff on YouTube, too. Blocking YouTube is something akin to slicing off not just your nose to spite your face, but your head to spite your face. Silly.

However, not only are there a lot of videos on YouTube I'd like to share with my students, there are a lot of PARTS of YouTube videos I'd like to share with my students. Here are two ways to better focus your lessons on the specific video content.

From YouTube itself, you can share a video with your students and have it start at a specific point. When you are on YouTube, queue the video to your preferred starting point. Then, rather than simply copying the URL and posting the link on your website or in an email, you can click the "Share" link found underneath the video, click the button to "Start at:" a certain moment in the video. Then copy the custom link that appears in the "Share" window with your students.

Alternatively, if you would like to share parts of a longer video with your students, you can use a tool called Vibby. After you create a free account, you can select any YouTube video and "Highlight" specific sections. You can choose 1 section, or several. After you title each section, or add a brief note, you can share a custom link with your students. They will only see the sections of the video you've highlighted. One of the things that makes Vibby a great tool for school is that your students don't need an account to watch you custom video. When they click the link you sent them, they see something like this:

While Vibby is a great tool for sharing videos with your students, if you want to use YouTube videos to "Flip" your lessons or embed questions in YouTube videos, check out these posts:

• Supporting Flipped, Blended, and Differentiated Learning with EDpuzzle.com
• Embed Interactive Video Into Your Classroom With eduCanon
• Making Sense Out of Flipped Lessons

FTT - Symbaloo

Symbaloo Logo

Manage Your Resources In The Cloud: Symbaloo

@LisaBerghoff/@Joe_EdTech

So many teachers are transforming their classrooms by moving their resources online.  One of the biggest decisions to make when doing this is: How am I going to organize everything?  You want a system that is easy for students to use, accessible to everyone, and simple for you to manage. You may have seen Symbaloo in the past.  This is not a new tool. However, as your needs change it is important to think about finding the best tool for the job for your classroom.  There is not one right answer here and so we as teachers need to put on our problem-based learning hats and solve this one for ourselves.  It is an ongoing process and it's a good idea to revisit some tools that we may have seen in the past.   Symbaloo is one tool to consider when looking to organize your digital information online.  

Symbaloo allows you to make a "webmix", which is a compilation of tiles that link to your online resources.  There is also a Symbaloo gallery that has webmixes already created for you.  Here is a link to  one that I found called "secondary math" . An image of this Symbaloo webmix is shown below.

Your webmix can be embedded on your website or posted as a link to your Google Classroom or other LMS that you might be using.  Anyone using your site can just click on the tiles to be directed to your various online resources.  The use of tiles really helps kids who need the visual cues as opposed to clicking links that are just text based.  I love this tool for reluctant readers or second language learners.

Another great use for Symbaloo is for organizing the online tools that you curate for yourself.  As we fine new websites that we may want to use in our classes, we often decide to bookmark them.  What happens is that our bookmarks tab gets cluttered and we often don't go back and use them because we can no longer find them.  Consider creating a Symbaloo webmix for your own personal organization system.  You can even take this one step further and have students research online tools and create a Symbaloo webmix that shows what they have found.  These webmixes are easy to share, edit, and categorize.  

Do you have favorite tools for organizing your online treasures?  If so, post in the comments below. 

FTT - Interactive Timelines

Rethinking History With Interactive Time Lines

@joe_edtech/@LisaBerghoff

Creating historical time lines is certainly not something that is new to education. However, creating interactive time lines online really does represent teaching "above the line" in the SAMR model. And in fact, with the power and versatility of these tools, you can do some really outside the box things with interactive time lines. 

When I started writing this post, I was looking at a "free" tool called Tiki Toki - and I haven't even linked it here because the free version is incredibly limiting. But it really sparked my interest because in addition to being able to create traditional time lines of events, enhanced with video, pictures, maps, and text, the creators suggested you could use it to create enhanced project time lines. For instance, if there is a complex, multifaceted group project your students are working on, they could input dates, details, and goals into the time line to help organize their thinking. However, like I said, the free version of Tiki Toki really only lets you create one fairly static time line. When it comes to educational tools - one size does not fit all, and there is usually more than one good choice.

So, I went searching for something better, and genuinely free to use. Christopher Pappas of eLearning Industry provides a list of 10 truly free interactive time line creation tools specifically for the classroom. In my opinion, the best of this list, and one that is completely compatible with Chromebooks, is called myHistro. Combining a truly easy to use multimedia platform with all of the very best ideas from Google Maps, myHistro provides students with a platform for explaining historical events, planning trips, functions, or projects, mapping out important events or plot developments in a piece of literature, or organizing and archiving personal trips. The embedded video below explains how to get a free myHistro account and how to get started on time line creation:

One way to introduce this tool is to provide this software as an option for your students if you are having them create a project for your class. Rather than having them make a PowerPoint presentation or a Prezi, give them the option of making a myHistro time line.

FTT - Canva

Easily Create Beautiful Designs and Documents with Canva

@joe_edtech/@LisaBerghoff  

I talk to so many teachers who say "Oh, I'm really not a tech person".  Of course those of us who are into growth mindset understand that all that really means is that it will take time, hard work, and perseverance to improve on those skills.

Well, I'm here to tell you that I'm REALLY not a design person. The part of people's brains that makes sense of space and where things go in a room, on a page, or even clothing on a body just doesn't seem to be present in my brain.  I do, however, enjoy using tools that make it seem like I am a design person because I can still create amazing images even though I've had a little help.  I also understand the importance of visuals in the classroom and if you're going to use them, the quality needs to be fantastic.

Think about your students.  You probably have some amazingly creative students and you probably have some students who cringe at any sort of artistic project. We know that students learn best when they have multiple opportunities to work with new information in different ways.  Therefore, we often ask our students to create presentations but we don't give them information about basic principles of design and so we end up looking at powerpoint presentations that are filled with tiny text or images that crowd the screen.  That is why I'm excited to introduce you to Canva.com.

Canva allows you to create presentations, social media graphics, online posters, magazine covers, documents, marketing materials, etc. that look fantastic with very little experience in the world of design.  The website is free (there is also an ipad app) and there are thousands of free open source images to use, as well as some options for purchase.   Of course you can always use your own images and easily drag and drop them right into your Canva design.

Canva was founded by Melanie Perkins, who was teaching graphic design programs at the University of Western Australia.  When she realized that many of her students struggled with the basics on tope of trying to learn complicated programs, she decided to create an online tool that would allow new students to experience success with less frustration.

                                                                   

Screenshot of Canva Design School

The drag and drop format of Canva makes creating professional looking visuals straightforward and non-threatening.  There is also a "design school" tab with tutorials and teaching materials intended for classroom use. I managed to successfully navigate three of the basic interactive tutorials in about 15 minutes. The beginner's challenges  highlight basic principles such as the benefits of color and the idea that less is more.  Some of these may seem obvious to you, but to me (and many of your students) it was helpful to see and interact with the examples to observe the differences in design.  The Canva blog is fascinating and covers topics such as Powerful Examples of Visual Propaganda, and Build Your Brand: How To Choose The Right Fonts. 

I highly recommend that you take a few minutes to check out Canva.  You can easily create wonderful visuals to use in your teaching, or have your students get creative and share with you, each other, or the world.  How do you use the power of visuals in your classroom?  Post in the comments section below.

Canva image created by Lisa Berghoff

FTT - ActivelyLearn

Turn Any Text Into An Interactive Text With Actively Learn

@joe_edtech/@LisaBerghoff

Note: This is a repost from last year. I'm not cheating on my Free Tech Tool Tuesday posts, there have been a lot of updates to ActivelyLearn and I think it is worth another look. While I always suggest reading the whole blog post, click here for a synopsis of all that is new since the last time I posted about this. 

For years I have started presentations on integrating technology into the classroom by saying 21st century learners do NOT have short attention spans, they are simply not engaged by the kinds of classroom activities that engaged us when we were kids. My 13 year old daughter provides me with a perfect illustration of my point. 

I have heard from her teachers that at times she seems bored with their lectures and with some of their learning exercises, so she must have a really short attention span. Well, I don't think so. The last time the two of us drove to St. Louis from our home in the Chicago Suburbs (by the way, the most boring drive on planet earth) she spent the entire 5 hours actively engaged in building a city on MineCraft - a game, I might add, that has graphics that are less advanced than the Atari Game System I played when I was a kid. (By the way, Cognitive Psychologist Daniel T. Willingham offers some evidence to back up my mantra in his recent article, "Smartphones Don't Make Us Dumb.")

So, if it isn't the flashy graphics and ear pounding soundtrack, what do you like so much about MineCraft? She says, "It's fun. I can make decisions about what to do. If I get stuck, I can ask questions or look up answers. And if I build something I don't like, I can quick tear it down and build it better." I heard her say those words and I translated it into classroom speak: inquiry, autonomy, interactivity, the ability to make mistakes and then fix them.

So what if we applied just a few of those things to the practice of reading her school assignments? What if instead of receiving a static textbook or handout, she read on her mobile device and her teachers were able to ask her specific questions about what she read, point out things that are important in the reading and explain why they are important, and even embed videos to illustrate the point or provide a little direct instruction while she was at home? ActivelyLearn.com does all of that, supports any electronic text, and is incredibly simple to learn. 

Here is a brief intro from the ActivelyLearn.com website:

To get started, all you need to do is navigate to ActivelyLearn.com, create a free account as a teacher, and then create your first class. There are thousands of texts and lessons already included in ActivelyLearn.com, they may already have the text you are using for class. Once you've selected a text to use, you can embed questions, highlight important passages, provide the students with notes, embed videos, and monitor each individual's progress as they read. If they don't have your text, you can upload your own - however, with the free version of the program, you are limited in the number of digital texts you can upload.

A screenshot of my ActivelyLearn Workspace. Caution: Some of these features
are only available in the premium version - like importing G Docs.

ActivelyLearn will automatically generate an email you can send to your students to help them get signed up for your class, but I've created a one page handout you can share with them in order to get them signed up and signed on. (Click here for the "Signing Up For ActivelyLearn" Handout.)

ActivelyLearn works with any platform or device with an Internet connection, and there is a robust help section for both teachers and students. Click here for a list of video resources for getting started with and using ActivelyLearn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are there other FREE tech tools you use to help support close or interactive reading with your students? If so, please tell us about them in the comment section below.

FTT - Booktrack Classroom

Booktrack Classroom: 

Read With A Soundtrack Or Create Your Own

@joe_edtech/@LisaBerghoff

I have been teaching reading, along with other subjects, to struggling learners for many years. Every subject area requires some interaction with text and as teachers, it is up to us to  find ways to guide students to improve their reading skills.  In order to be an effective reading teacher, I am constantly searching for ways to get kids excited about what they are reading.  One of the most powerful methods that I have found to hook kids into a story is to add audio as well as visuals. During a read aloud I often toss in a "Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnnn" at the end of a cliffhanger chapter.  Or, I will ask my students to imagine what they are reading as a movie going on in their mind. As teachers, we will do just about anything to help kids get into the reading. We want them to decode, comprehend, make connections and inferences as they interact with text.  We also know that music and sound has a profound affect on our kids.  Booktrack Classroom capitalizes on the compelling use of sound to enhance reading.

BookTrack Classroom is an application found in the Chrome Web Store that allows you and your students to create a movie-style soundtrack to go along with e-text. It currently has a library with some of the classics, including Frankenstein, A Tale Of Two Cities, and Macbeth, which already have soundtracks created.  The reader adjusts the reading speed so the soundtrack plays while you are reading and adds to your reading experience.  But wait, before you decide Booktrack classroom is not for you because you don't teach those books, you need to know about the other features of Booktrack Classroom.

It also allows students to create a soundtrack for any essay, story, or text that they can copy into the Booktrack studio. They can also generate and publish Booktracks for their own writing! (This is where you should be getting excited) Students can add sound effects, ambient sound, and/or background music to enhance the tone of their original essays, stories, poetry, or whatever they write.  We spend a lot of time talking about tone, theme, and figurative language in the classroom. Why not let our students show that they understand these concepts by choosing a piece of writing and creating a Booktrack to go along with it?  I'm already working on my Halloween ghost story so I can add amazing sound effects!  Booktrack Classroom does not provide text to speech, students must read on their own or do a read aloud.  This app allows you to sign in using your Google credentials, and it works even without an internet connection.

The app is currently free (for a "limited time") and includes complete lesson plans on topics such as sound and symbol, persuasive branding, and The Odyssey.

Check out the Booktrack Video here:

Do you have other apps or ideas for new ways to help kids get into their reading and writing?  I'd love to hear them!  Post them in the comments section below.

FTT - StayFocusd

Helping Kids Teach Themselves To Avoid Distractions

@joe_edtech

One of my favorite blogs is "Mind Shift: How we will learn," a product of Northern California's Public Media outlet KQED. One of their posts that came up in my Twitter feed this weekend was called "Age of Distraction: Why It's Crucial for Students to Learn to Focus." There have actually been a ton of studies done on this dating back to the 1970s. Some of my favorite pieces have come from Daniel T. Willingham, cognitive psychologist from the University of Virginia. Both the studies featured in the "Mind Shift" article and the ones from Willingham suggest that it is important for educators and parents to help kids learn how to manage distractions, especially distractions that are readily available to them on digital devices. This research, by the way, is one of the reasons I don't support the idea of simply blocking social media and other sites on school devices. That doesn't teach them discipline; it actually ignores the long term issue.

However, as you know, kids learn differently. Some of them require a little more direct instruction and a little more scaffolding of skills. StayFocusd is a free extension, available in the Chrome Web Store, that can offer a little assistance to kids who need it. One of the problems for some kids, and perhaps this director of instructional technology, is that they can get lost on distracting websites and not even know how much time they waste there. StayFocusd can help quantify wasted time and allow students to limit wasted time.

StayFocusd in the Chrome Web Store

The Nuclear Option

Once you add the extension to Chrome, you can set your own time limits on websites that might be distracting you from your real work. You can decide to enact the "Nuclear Option," which means, for instance, that you can set a specific amount of time that you are allowed to spend on Facebook. When that time limit is reached, Chrome will shut down that tab and the program won't allow you to navigate to the site again for 24 hours. You can also set an "active" calendar, meaning that StayFocusd will always manage your browser during school days, but on the weekends and during holidays, you can grant yourself a little more browsing time. For students who are afraid they might cheat and change the settings, there is a "Challenge" option. "If this option is selected, you will be required to complete a difficult -- but not impossible -- challenge before you are allowed to change any settings. This makes it inconvenient for you to change settings, therefore reducing the chances that you'll cheat" (StayFocusd settings page).

For some teachers, StayFocusd falls short of their ideal because it doesn't allow teachers or counselors to directly manage the student machines. However, I see that as a strength, because what we are really doing is providing the tools necessary for kids to teach themselves to be in control of their devices and their digital lives.

If there is a student you think could benefit from StayFocusd, please share it with them - and maybe their parents, too.

FTT - Chrome Homework

My Homework App for Productivity and Organization.

@joe_edtech 

Now that we are beyond the first few days of school, chances are pretty good that teachers have already given assignments and some students have already missed turning them in. I'm not trying to be negative, I just know realistically that it can be a big shift for many of our kids to keep track of due dates and expectations for multiple classes throughout the day. In addition, for many students a lack of executive functioning is the one thing standing in the way of their success in the classroom.

 I believe it is our job as teachers to not just teach content, but to help teach students how to learn, which includes organization, time management, and study skills. Even at the high school level, we cannot assume our students are ready to independently manage everything that comes their way. 

That's why I'm excited to introduce you to MyHomework App.  This app is available for Chrome, iOS, GooglePlay, Android, Mac, Windows, KindleFire, and just about any other system your device could possibly use. The versatility of this app makes it possible to sync to multiple devices which gives students options and allows for them to take ownership of their management system. 

This app is designed to replace the traditional student planner to help students stay on top of their assignments on their device of choice.  It has several attractive features such as the ability to manage students' schedules by class period, by time, or by block.  Students can set the priority level (low, medium, high) and can even set reminders which will pop up and let the students know that they have an assignment due soon. 

Screenshot from Chrome Web Store

You can find MyHomework App in the Chrome Web Store. Once you have added it to your bank of Chrome apps, it will prompt you to create a log in. 

You can sign in with Google, which makes it one less password you need to remember.

Once students sign in, they will be prompted to add their classes and indicate how they want to organize their schedule and color code their classes. You can always go back and edit or customize these settings.   The plus sign in the corner allows you to create a new class.   Once students have their classes set up, they can add assignments.

In the example shown here, I added a physics quiz. I was able to set the priority level to high and I also set the device reminder to pop up the night before so I will remember to prepare for the quiz.  There is also a text box to add other info. that might help clarify the assignment. 

Students can mark when assignments are complete and are able to track their classes.  They can also earn "rewards" through a 3rd party advertising site called Kiip. MyHomework states that ads and rewards are family friendly and may include movie tickets, and snacks. You can purchase an upgraded account for $4.99 per year which will remove all ads and give a more robust tracker.

MyHomework App also works in concert with Teachers.io which allows teachers to input assignments if you have an entire class using the app.

There are many digital options out there to assist students with planning, scheduling, and organization. What are your favorites?  Go ahead and post your suggestions below.

Growth Mindset #1

I Can't Do That...Yet!

Teaching Kids To Have A Growth Mindset

@joe_edtech

I have a friend and colleague who gets very upset when he hears adults say with some merriment, "Oh, I'm just not good at math!" His argument goes a little something like this: You would never hear an adult proclaim that they can't read because letters just aren't their thing, but it is somehow ok to say that you aren't good at math because numbers aren't your thing.

I actually get that. It harkens back to one of the most dangerous concepts every embraced in education, that people are born with a certain kind of ability or they aren't, and that's all there is to it. Well, if that is the case, I'm not really sure why we spend this much time in public schools.

As adults, we certainly select jobs, hobbies and activities based on attitudes and aptitudes, but I think it is anti-intellectual and dangerous, especially for young people, to accept that kind of thinking. I think it comes from a way of thinking that suggests that making mistakes or experimenting with mental concepts is a sign of weakness, instead of a sign of real strength. If I thought like this, I would have to accept that because I cannot do calculus right now, I can never do it - I'll never be a success in that field.

By the time they get to high school, too many of our students have accepted that they aren't good at math, or science, or school in general. My daughter is an 8th grader who sometimes falls into that trap with school, but never so when it comes to extra-curricular activities she is interested in. She's in color guard. That means she spins flags, sabres, and rifles while dancing - ok, that may not be everyone's wheelhouse. But, when she tries a new toss with her rifle (she's currently working on something called a quad) she doesn't expect to get it right away. She does, however, expect that with study and practice, she will get better - and she will ultimately gain mastery. As an educator, I find that very instructive.

Carol Dweck, psychologist from Stanford University, would suggest that when she practices color guard, my daughter is employing "The Growth Mindset," which that suggests that humans can set and achieve personal goals, and that what is ultimately important is that we believe we can get better at something. We believe that we can grow, and we accept mistakes as necessary growing pains along the way.

Think about the kids you know. When it comes to extra-curriculars, sports, activities, and hobbies, do they display a "Growth Mindset?" How about in Math? Science? English? Using Technology (no - it is not ok to simply say, I'm sorry, I'm not good at technology)?

How about you? When you try something new, what is most important at the beginning of the activity, immediate success or evidence of growth? 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The Growth Mindset" is an idea worth developing. Next week I'll share some ideas for discussing this topic with your students.