Senin, 02 Juni 2014

A Wonderful Resource of Free Public Domain Images to Use in Class

June 3, 2014
Pixabay is a great platform where teachers and students can search for and find public domain images. Using Pixabay images you will not have to worry about copyright issues or attribution requirements. Pixabay offers high quality images that you can use freely without attribution in digital and printed form. I have been using images from Pixabay to illustrate some of the posts here in EdTech and Mlearning and have also featured it in several previous 'free public domain image lists".



You can use Pixaby without having to register, however, non-registered members will always  be asked to type in the captcha code each time they want to download an image. Registration is free and takes only a minute. Once registered you will be able to upload your own images and share them with the world.

There are two ways to search for public domain images on Pixabay: first you can use the image library to browse through the different collections featured there or you can use the search functionality to refine your search using key words. When you use the search feature make sure you do not confuse the ads for free image . Pixabay features sponsored images  from Shutterstock which are not free, you need to skip the Shutterstock images and   browse through Pixabay downloadable images. Here is a snapshot that shows how Shuterstock and Pixabay images are displayed in a search result page.






Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:

Looking for Books to Read This Summer? Here Are Two Great Places to Start with

June 3, 2014
Summer vacation is around the corner and it is about time you start deciding upon your summer reads. While it's hard to share a list of suggested books for summer reading because such a list will definitely be built on a personal choice and what I like to read is not necessarily something you would be interested in and vice versa. Instead, I am sharing with you two useful platforms where you can search for books to read. There are several other book platforms that offer similar services but I am only sharing the two I trust the most.


1- Goodreads
Goodreads is my favourite book platform out there. Goodreads is not only a website that provides book reviews and recommendations but it also builds a community around what people read through engaging readers in discussion threads around different titles. You can add friends to your list and be able to browse what they have on their bookshelves. You can also comment and rate the books they read. Goodreads also allows you to search for books by title, author, isbn or list. And if you have bought books on Amazon you can easily add them to you bookshelf.



Another great feature that Goodreads offers to users is the "reading challenge". You can set a reading challenge by selecting the number of books you want to read for this year and each time you log on to Goodreads you will see an evaluation bar in blue that indicates how many books you have read so far and the number of books remaining for you to finish your challenge.
Goodreads is also available for iPad .


2- Common Sense Media Book Reviews


Common Sense Media book reviews section is a place where you can sift through hundreds of books specifically curated to meet the needs of teachers, educators, parents, and students.  You can search for books using different criteria. For instance, you can search for books according to a specific age category (from age 2 to 17). In fort of each book there is a number of stars that indicate its popularity. Clicking on the title of any book you find will take you to a page where you will be able to read a short synopsis about that book, save the book to your shelf (only available for registered members), and there are also purchase links that you can use to buy the book from Amazon or iTunes.

Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:
Label:

Five iPad Learning Tasks You Should Be Able to Do with Your Students

June 2, 2014
If you are running out of ideas of how to leverage iPad in your classroom teaching then the 5 tasks I have for you today are enough to establish your workflow and get your students engaged in interactive learning tasks. These tasks are designed by isupport and are geared towards providing teachers with a general outline of how they can integrate iPad in the classroom. I have spent some time going trough each of these tasks and have found them really worth sharing with you. This work reminds me of a similar work done Greg Kuloweic  entitled"The iPad Ideas Book".

Each of the tasks featured here are structured in such a way that cover different stages of Bloom's thinking taxonomy.They also include a brief write-up about the objective of the task, how it can be achieved and the apps that can be used to complete it. The  five tasks that are outlined here are :

  • Task 1: Create a movie
  • Task 2: Create a podcast
  • Task 3: Create an interactive book
  • Task 4: Create a presentation
  • Task 5 : Create a PDF



Let me share with you the first task and you can check the rest from this link.

Task 1 : Create a movie



Outcome:
make me a 2 minute video. This task will present workflow which you can adapt to suit your curriculum outcomes.
Context:
Role play and character interview. Your students will put themselves into the position of an individual during a significant historical event.

Procedure:
Level 1:Remembering
Research dates, names, places in Safari app. Collect mages and text, and don't forget to reference all of your data.

Level 2: Understanding
Review your text and images. Your images are saved in the Photos app. Which images will you be using to illustrate your work? Compose your supporting text in Notes app, don't forget to reference where your photos came from.

Level 3: Applying and Analyzing
Use your note paper to storyboard your movie. Consider how each scene might be shot. Will you be interviewing a friend? which locations will you record in? If you can draw the scenes great! If not write down a brief overview of your proposed movie.

Carefully script your movie, how does your character feel? which class does he belong to and what can he do considering his position? Present your storyboard and script to your teacher for assessment. Once approved move onto making your movie!

Level 4: Analysing and Creating
Use iMovie app to bring all of your media together. Use the still images in your Photos library and place titles on the slides from your notes. Record and edit your movie all within iMovie.

Level 5: Collaboration
Preview your movie. When you are happy you will need to share it with your teacher. From iMovie select the share button and choose YouTube. If you use Google Apps for Education or have a YouTube account, sign in and select Unlisted under the Privacy option. Now just share your YouTube link with the teacher

Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:
Label: ,

Minggu, 01 Juni 2014

Indispensable iPad Apps for Teachers Professional Development

June 2, 2014
The concept of teacher professional development has radically changed due to the boom in digital technologies and social media websites. The web now is replete with a variety of professional learning networks and communities of practice on almost any topic you think of. There is also another type of portals that have seen the light recently and which offer massive courses and trainings on different subjects, these are MOOCs. MOOCs are a great way for growing professionally particularly that most of the courses they offer are free. I have already featured some interesting MOOC resources that teachers can use for the enhancement of their PD and today I want to share with you some wonderful iPad apps that will allow you to pursue your PD on the go.



I have arranged these apps into 5 main categories :

  1. On the go learning apps
  2. RSS reader apps
  3. Social media Apps
  4. File storage apps
  5. Note taking apps
  6. Task management apps


1- On The Go Learning Apps

iTunes U

The iTunes U app gives you access to complete courses from leading universities and other schools — plus the world’s largest digital catalog of free education content — right on your iPad.\


iBooks is an amazing way to download and read books. iBooks includes the iBookstore, where you can download the latest bestselling books or your favorite classics – day or night. Browse your library on a beautiful bookshelf, tap a book to open it, flip through pages with a swipe or a tap, and bookmark or add notes to your favorite passages.

TED

TED talks are a great source of inspiration and insights.With the TED app installed on your iPad you will be able to watch TED videos anywhere you are with an internet connection.

Kindle

Kindle is definitely one of the great apps for reading electronic books. It offers several interesting feaures such as highlighting portions of text using different colours, bookmarking pages, integrated dictionary, the ability to sort books into different collections and many more.


2- RSS Reader Apps

FlipdBoard 

This is my favourite feed reader for reading articles and posts of blogs and websites I am subscribed to. What I like the most about it is the enhanced reading experience it offers  through the magazine style layout.

Feedly

This is another great RSS reader you can use on your iPad to keep updated about  new content. Feedly also has some minor customization tweaks to enhance your reading experience.

3- Social Networking Apps

Twitter

Twitter is the social networking platform number one I would recommend for teachers. There are a variety of ways you can use Twitter to grow professionally, most important of them all is taking part in the different educational chats that take place on Twitter, a list of all these chats is available here. You can also use Twitter to build your personal learning network and connect with other educators and teachers from all around the globe.

Google Plus

Though it is not as popular among educators and teachers as Twitter, Google Plus is also a good way to connect, share, and learn with and from others. Google Plus has also integrated the hashtag functionality which allows you to track and search for specific topics.

4- File Storage apps

Dropbox:

Dropbox is a powerful cloud storage tool that you can use to store your files and access them anywhere anytime you want.

Google Drive

Google Drive is another great alternative for saving and storing files. Just like Dropbox, Google Drive offers a certain amount of free file storage to users (15GB).

5- Note taking apps

 Penultimate

The most natural digital handwriting experience on iPad, Penultimate gives you the convenience and feel of writing on paper with the added power and availability of Evernote. Take notes in class or a meeting, journal your thoughts, or outline your next big idea -- in the office, on the go, or at home on the sofa.

Evernote

Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas and improve productivity. Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders--and makes these notes completely searchable, whether you are at home, at work, or on the go. 

Notability

Notability allows you to annotate documents, jot quick notes, sketch ideas, illustrate concepts, and create outlines. You can also use it to back up  your nots to Google Drive, Dropbox and Box.

5- Task management apps

 Get It done Task

Organize your life once and for all! Get It Done is a simple but powerful todo list and project manager. Sync wirelessly with GetItDoneApp.com or just use the iPhone app to organize your tasks.

 Wunderlist

Wunderlist is the easiest way to manage and share your daily to-do lists. Whether you’re planning an overseas adventure, sharing a shopping list with a loved one, or simply keeping track of your daily to-dos, Wunderlist is here to help you get things done. Download now to see why more than 4 million people around the world love Wunderlist and have made it their daily companion.

Doit

Doit.im conducts you to have your head cleared, to get rid of various pending ideas on your mind, and helps you organize tasks and focus on items in hand, so that you can closely track the process of your work and feel easy when faced with bulks of complicated projects. With no pressure but efficiency, you’ll further enjoy your work and achieve unexpected success.

Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:
Label:

3 Good iPad Apps for Creating Citations and Bibliographies

June 2 , 2014
I just received an email from one of  the readers of Educational Technology and Mobile Learning asking about some good iPad apps for creating citations and bibliographies. I have gone through my archive and compiled the short list below. Enjoy


1- EasyBib

Create accurate MLA, APA, and Chicago style citations in seconds by scanning a book bar code or by typing the name of a book. Build and manage your works cited. Once done, email your citations and then export your citations to EasyBib.com's popular bibliography management service.
2- iSource

Writing a bibliography can be hard. Keeping track of your resources, quotes and how to format them can be downright daunting. iSource does quick work of formatting bibliography entries and in-text citations for you, saves these formatted entries all in one place and is simlpe and easy to use. iSource even includes a list of the most common formatting rules for you to use as a reference guide.
3- My MLA

My MLA is the ultimate guide and companion for students, researchers and scholars who need to utilize the style (6th Ed.). MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.
 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .
Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:
Label:

Awesome Web Tools to Create Interactive and Collaborative Classroom Activities

May 2, 2014
Classroom activities that are interactive and collaborative tend to be engaging for students. When they can raise their hand or tap a button as part of a classroom poll, or work in small groups to answer questions and play games, you will likely see eager and attentive learners. Here are some tools that can help you get that.

Need to pick a student in an unbiased, random way? Upload your class roster to this iOS app and track right & wrong answers.

How about a class bingo game? Print pre-made bingo cards or make your own with this website.

 Students organized into small groups and in need of a collaborative way to share notes? This real-time text editor may help.

 What about a quick way to generate visual quizzes based on photos or diagrams? Make one here to share with your class.
 Or how about video quizzes? Here is another great tool in the new and growing category of video quiz creators.

Want more? Check out these collections of tools .

Collaborative Tools

This collection is curated by elementary school librarian Holly Whitt.

 This one is curated by educational technologist Pam Jimison.

Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:
Label:

Good Web Tools to Create Educational Games for Your Class

May 1, 2014
In today's post, I am sharing with you some great web tools that you can use with your students in class to create games. You can integrate these tools in different learning tasks. You can, for instance, use them for end of school year review projects or as  a way to boost the textbook activities.

1- Purpose Games

Purpose Games allows you to create, play and share  games. Using Purpose Games you will be able to create your own custom games to use with your students. You can for instance create a quiz game based on an image you upload from your computer and where you place dots for questions or you can create similar game but this time using shapes for questions. Another great feature Purpose Games offers to teachers is the ability to create a classroom group where you can let your students practice, get assignment and take tests.

2- Scratch
With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge.

Watch this video to learn more about Scratch



3- Jeopardy Labs

JeopardyLabs allows you to create a customized jeopardy template without PowerPoint. The games you make can be played online from anywhere in the world. Building your own jeopardy template is a piece of cake. Just use our simple editor to get your game up and running.

4- Game Maker Studio


GameMaker: Studio caters to entry-level novices and seasoned game development professionals equally, allowing them to create cross-platform games in record time and at a fraction of the cost! In addition to making games development 80 percent faster than coding for native languages, developers can create fully functional prototypes in just a few hours, and a full game in just a matter of weeks.


Minecraft is a game about breaking and placing blocks. At first, people built structures to protect against nocturnal monsters, but as the game grew players worked together to create wonderful, imaginative things. It can also be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. It’s pretty. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether, which is more scary than pretty. You can also visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea.


Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:
Label:
Langganan: Postingan (Atom)