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From the website I kept in mind that some apps are used to practice a discrete skill or present information just one time. Others are creative apps that a learner may use again and again, so it's a challenge to craft a rubric that can be used for a wide span of purposes. I tried to make my rubric work for the broadest range of apps, from drill and practice to creative endeavors, while stressing the purpose for using the app. My rubric also emphasizes the ability to customize content or settings and how the app encourages the use of higher order thinking skills. Admittedly, there are good apps that are not customizable and focus on lower order thinking skills. Factor Samurai, for example, is a fantastic game for identifying prime and composite numbers. It would be nice if the app had flexibility to adjust difficultly, but it's still a good app if it is relevant to the learning purpose. ----- Vincent provides his rubric for download and also a significant number of additional resources devoted to app analysis and evaluation from other individuals and organizations. I really appreciate all the work he put into this. Thanks Jim for curating this!
Via Jim Lerman
Read about the K-2 multi-age co-teaching team from Wisconsin and how they personalize learning so learners grow their learning.
At the following list you will find 19 Free Text to Speech tools that your students' will appreciate. Some of them you have to install and some you will install on your browser. The most awesome about these tools is that are FREE!
Via Kathleen McClaskey
Check out how fast students have started leveraging social media – soon they will be employees as well. The inclusion of social media into school is called social learning. This infographic explains the social nature of students today and why mobile devices, social media provide a huge impact on learning outside of school.
iPads are being used more in schools. This resource by Med Kharback lists some resources how to start using iPads in your classroom. There are tutorials, tips, and lists of apps.
Do not miss the archived event of the CEM Forum Kickoff from August 2nd that featured Mimo Ito, Barbara Bray, Steve Norrmark and Sylvia Martinez on the topic of Personalized Learning for Students and Teachers. The questions that were covered in this forum included: > What practical steps can educators take to personalize learning for their students in 2012–13, and how can technology facilitate this? > How close are we to being able to realize the dream of personalized, differentiated, passion-based learning for educators and students, and what still has to happen to make this fully real?
Via Kathleen McClaskey
No more 'fat finger' typos.... split your keypad and use your thumbs. For people who are used to texting, this will make typing easier.
Thanks to Simon Thomas of 9ine Consulting, who reached out last week to share this exciting report. Over 800 students at Longfield Academy in Kent, England were issued iPads. Findings include: The overwhelming majority of teachers regularly use the iPads in their teaching. 77% of faculty felt student achievement has risen since using the Ipad. Students are more motivated when using iPads with the quality of pupil work is rising.
Turn brainstorming into action plans on your desktop or the web in an interactive environment accessible anywhere.
Via Baiba Svenca
Who else to know the best kids apps than Librarians? Some of the apps they share I love: Harold and the Purple Crayon - I love this book and the app is more interactive. Bobo Explores Light - a lot of fun to explore Going to check out Fancy Nancy Dress Up for my granddaughter Great list - going to go through all of these and write about them. Thanks ALA!
One of the first things about the iPad that caught people’s attention was the touch screen, and it goes without saying that some of the first apps to start taking advantage of that touch screen were handwriting/note taking apps. Apps that let you write, draw, sketch—-and sometimes type–notes on your iPad.
Via Sam Gliksman, Timo Ilomäki, Aki Puustinen, juandoming
Statigram is a great web viewer for your Instagram photos. Join Statigram for terrific statistics about your account and tools to manage your community.
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Jennifer Roberts created a video tutorial on how to use Voice Comments on Google Docs.
Are you interested for a list of free screen capturing tools? Would you like to create for free video tutorials? Upload, create, and share screen captures with your learners?
Via Cyndi Danner-Kuhn, Tom D'Amico (@TDOttawa)
What are some of the best iPad apps for ESL students? There's a ton out there but here are my personal favorites!
Via Tom D'Amico (@TDOttawa)
When learning is personal, teaching and learning changes. Teachers' and learners' roles change. Last January, we created a chart comparing Personalization vs Individualization vs Differentiation and a report that explained the difference between these three terms including teacher-centered vs. learner-centered approaches. This chart has been downloaded tens of thousands of times from all over the world and prompted discussions around some of these questions:
* What does personalized or personal learning mean to you?
* How do you see teachers' and learners' roles changing? * How does a school or district know they are Ready to Transform learning? * What is Assessment AS Learning? * Can personalization help close the achievement gap? * Where are the conversations, models, and examples of personalizing learning? These questions were part of an interview from Patricia Gomes, a reporter from Porvir in Brazil who wrote an article August 12, 2012 about the chart and resulted in an article and infographic in Portuguese. We translated the infographic for our English readers and welcome your comments.
Via Kathleen McClaskey
What a fun Back-to-School activity! If you have 1:1 iPads or BYOD, you too can set up an Open House Scavenger Hunt. Check this one out!
Here are the "Top 8 Apps" for digital storytelling apps picked by Inov8. They point out that these apps encourage creativity, provide support and remediation for students with special needs, and can be used in many different classroom settings. "They are motivating, engaging and will encourage learners to demonstrate their strengths." "For students with special needs, the creativity of digital storytelling apps has allowed us, as educators, the opportunity to observe and understand the strengths of our students. New apps are primarily hands-on and highly visual, and provide an opportunity for those learners who struggle with traditional instructional methods to take advantage of their abilities and strengths. Professionals in special education want to use apps in many different contexts, integrated into global curricula, across disciplines, as well as be able to insert their own content. Ultimately we want to customize, individualize and personalize the use of these digital storytelling apps for our students."
Via Kathleen McClaskey
"The mATch up Tool provides information on low, mid, and high tech devices for meeting the unique needs of students. The tool was designed with a variety of users in mind – teachers, parents, administrators, and in some cases, students themselves. The idea is to provide a handy, ready-access way of gathering information on tools that might help open access to academic and non-academic settings." Discover the tools that support students in reading, writing, communication, organization, etc.
Via Kathleen McClaskey
Searching for things on Twitter has been made easier thanks to some tweaks by the company itself. TweetingEarth lets you perform a simple Twitter search and then “spin the globe” with mouse gestures. It’s really interesting.
Mapping a Personalized Learning Journey – K-12 Students and Parents Connects the Dots with Digital Learning is the first in a two part series to document the key national findings from Speak Up 2011. This report focuses on how today’s students are personalizing their own learning, and how their parents are supporting this effort. The ways that students are personalizing their learning centers around three student desires including how students seek out resources that are digitally-rich, untethered and socially-based. The key questions being addressed in this report include: > How are students personalizing their learning? > How are parents helping students to personalize their learning journey? > What are the digitally-rich, untethered and socially based learning strategies that facilitate this process? > How can education stakeholders support students as they seek to personalize their learning? > What are the gaps between administrators’ views of personalized learning compared to parents’ and students’ views?" As we move to personalizing learning, consider creating a conversation around these questions.
Via Kathleen McClaskey
Halfway into 2012, there are now more than 1.2 million mobile applications available to download to iOS and Android devices. Out of hundreds of apps, Techcrunch chooses 20 apps as the best apps of 2012. A few of them are... Camera Awesome (awesomize your pictures and share with your social networks) Pocket (formerly Read it later) simple interface to view videos and images Khan Academy (easily watch tutorials) TouchTV (runs video clips from broadcast and cable networks on the iPad) Any.Do (record tasks with your voice) Highlight (lets you know if friends are physically near you) Viggie (earn loyalty points and coupons for watching TV) Clear (a To Do list - will be checking this one out) HomeSnap (check the value of a home) Draw Something (this is fun)
Ben Johnson asks: If I had thirty iPads in my class, what would I do with them? How would I use them to help my students learn better and help me teach better? Perhaps a better question is what would I do with them that I could not do with other tools that are available and cheaper? Certainly iPads are cheaper than computers, desktop or laptop, and they are more mobile. Ben writes about strategies on the use of iPads in the classroom for all types of learners. I learned about a few I didn't know before: Clineometer for measuring the level of a wall or surface and also the precise angles of incline or decline. Thanks Ben! I'm going to check the apps out that you share.
MagicPlan CSI for iPad lets your students create a crime scene sketching. You just take pictures on the room and position evidences around the room. You can then annotate the floor plan. An electronic report is then automatically generated and sent to you by email. This is a cool way to get middle school kids excited about science. I did this with several schools and used some of the materials from the FBI site (teaching fingerprinting, DNA analysis, etc.). Just imagine recreating a simulated crime scene to hook students so they are motivated to learn?
I use iMovie and know how easy it is to use. Just import images or connect your camera to import videos. I use iMovie for documentation and for coaching to provide feedback. It can be used for self-feedback or have students use it for peer feedback. What I love is when students tell stories using their pictures, videos, and voice. This is a great start for teachers. Thanks EdApps.ca!
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