Topic outline
Great iPad Apps (some have websites too)
Here's a video that explains what you can do with this app. It's one of my favorites. I use this all the time on my iPad and iPhone to scan documents or pictures (of student work or smart moves) and then quickly send them to my computer or email them to a parent/student as a picture file (.jpg) or a .pdf. People can open ".pdf" files on any computer/phone/device regardless of which word processing program they are using - very slick! My 8 megapixel phone scans better with this app than my scanner at home... It's one of my top 5 most useful, time saving apps for school and home. $5 and worth every penny.
This is what I use to make almost all my math notes. You can use it as a interactive whiteboard starting with a blank canvas or with slides and then write on them. You can record to make it a video or export it as other formats. I LOVE this app. $15 and would pay it again in a heartbeat.
This video quickly explains the main features of the program.
Some free options are listed below (Show Me & Educreations) but free ones like these often are quite limited. They might be a nice intro into what these can do, though.
This is my favorite whiteboard app (unless I'm recording a video). You can use it as a digital whiteboard (smart board) or for taking notes on an iPad or as scratch paper for showing students how to do something or... The link takes you to a page with three videos-each explains a different group of features of the app.
This app teaches PROGRAMMING/CODING for kids. I LOVE it and it progress to levels I found really challenging. It includes needing to use loops.
Here's another PROGRAMMING/CODING app. My kids have used it more than I have but they (ages 7 and 9) really like it.
Here's a fun app we've used with Andy (Kindergarten) to help with his reading. He'd play it more often if we'd let him.
This might be more for personal use but if you want to play audiobooks in class or some documentaries or for kids to use who struggle with reading... This app links to a library card (compatible with KDL and GRPL) to allow you to check out audiobooks and movies. I plan to listen to a book on it when cleaning out the garage this afternoon. We use it for kids books on car trips,... FREE
Plays Bible stories and then gives short quizzes after each story. Kids progress through a map. My kids liked it for a while. I believe it's FREE.
Great app for people teaching about astronomy/planets/...
This is the app I most often use for projecting the Bible in class.
This has all the standards in a nice, searchable format. One is available for Android too...
Has a 5 lesson digital citizenship thing already made. There is a free version. Some may love it...
Online Trivia Game. Easily customizable, highly engaging! I use the web based version with Chromebooks quite regularly. You can search and save quizzes other teachers have made.
A great tool for formative assessment. Kids hold up cards giving their A, B, C, or D answers to questions and you can scan the cards with your device to get instant feedback to multiple choice questions from your students. The answer each kid holds up is mostly hidden from the other students. You have to print the cards. Jon knows more about how it works. Click the link and a page will open with a video introduction and a link to where to print the cards.
Tells about the birds, plays their songs and calls. We have it for personal use but if you teach about birds, it could be a great resource. I think we paid $5.
Here's a video editing program. It's made to be used with a green screen but it should work without. Pretty sweet video editing app for only $3. I'm pining for a green screen for us at school.
You can use the countdown timer on the iPad but this also has a red line that shows how much time is left. It's nicer especially for younger children who may not get the whole concept of time as well. $3
Help kids 4 - 8 learn number sense. I haven't played with it much but welcome a review from someone who teaches young kids as to whether it helps them.
Helps kids 6 - 12 get some basics in geometry. $5
Help kids start to experiment with Algebra using pictures and icons
Great introduction to Algebra concepts without kids realizing it's Algebra. My kids have messed with this and they're not 12.
This is the interactive whiteboard I used to use. It's free but there are in-app purchases. Might be a nice, free option if you're interested.
Another interactive whiteboard. There is a free version but it's quite limited. Personally I'd recommend the Explain Everything Notebook.
Google Suite for Education
This video covers most of what we intended to cover in our February 6 2017 training.
If, when you're typing people's addresses into Gmail, their old @wscsgr.org addresses auto-populate (show up), here's a quick way to stop that from happening.
How to insert videos from Google Drive, choose start and end times, muting,...SWEET options!
Might be good to get you thinking! The link to the updated version isn't working...
Computer Time Savers
Snagit is a fantastic program for taking and editing screenshots and for recording what's happening on your screen for educational videos. Totally worth the $30 (discounted from $50 because you're a teacher).
Shows how to use two fingers on the keypad to scroll (without having to use the bar on the right side of the screen) and to zoom in or out.
Locking your computer keeps your files protected while you're not right there. The video shows a quick key combination (windows button and "L") to lock your computer without having to log off.
A short video that shows how to import bookmarks (and/or passwords, browsing history, and search engines) into Google Chrome from other internet browsers (like Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox).
Printing Tips
Shows how to tell the photocopier to double side, hole punch, and/or staple when printing from your computer.
Shows how to set the first tab in the printer dialogue box (menu) to only have the options you'd like. After you do it, it is quicker to tell the printer to hole punch, etc.
Epson Document Camera
Quick References...includes how to freeze an image (p. 23), how to orient the head for classroom viewing/webcam (p. 24), saving to internal memory vs. a SD card (p. 32 & 33), how to set up the camera to talk with a computer (p. 35), how to annotate images (p. 41), how to take pictures with computer software (p. 42), and how to do time lapse photography (p. 43).
This video shows how you can rotate the head of the document camera to see things horizontally or on an angle instead of always vertically. That's really slick for taking videos of your class or to show them things where you want a side view instead of a top view. It also shows how to use the dial on the head of the camera to change the orientation of the picture. Finally it shows how to freeze an image.
This video explains how to take pictures with your document camera and then put the pictures on your computer without having to use the ArcSoft software that came with the camera. It also enables you to use your document camera as a SD card reader.
The video shows what you can do with the ArcSoft software that came with your document camera. Features include annotating pictures/what's on the screen, taking videos, taking time lapse video, taking pictures, and changing video and picture quality (certain functions need to have certain quality settings).