iPractice Math

iPractice Math is a new (beta) site that is ideal for all things Math.  This is a great one-stop place to find online help such as: definitions, Math problem walk-thrus, worksheets, and more.  Best of all a user can search by subject (addition, fractions, algebra, etc) or grade level to find what they are looking for, and through an educational portal educators can get instant real-time reports on how their students are doing.








I highly recommend checking out iPractice Math by clicking here!!!

*iPractice Math is a advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

If

If is a very cool and fun free iPad game for SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) that I downloaded the other day for my kids.  This game takes place in an animated 3D world (Ziggurat) and allows users to make decisions that effect the outcome of the game.  I had a great time playing through game, creating my animal avatar, and making different decisions when interacting w/ other characters.  This game like Quandary, does a great job of helping students choose from right or wrong decisions and what is the appropriate way to interact w/ others.

I highly recommend checking out If by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.

Level it Books

Level it Books is the widely popular iOS app for scanning a books ISBN (bar code) and getting a Reading Level.  This simple to use mobile app allows educators and parents to create a digital library of their students/kids books along w/ Reading Level.  Also, a educator can use it to create a digital roster of their students w/ their Reading Level assigned which makes it easier for assessing purposes. Also, a user can add or manually search for a book and find a well liked K-8 "book of the day".

I highly recommend checking out Level it Books by clicking here!!!

*Level it Books is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Tocomail

Tocomail is an excellent site/iOS app for providing a safe email environment for children.  The way this works is a child gets a free email account w/ safe/approved contacts from a guardian.  Kids can then customize an avatar for their email account and even create drawings/paintings for email attachments.  Parents can setup and approve a contact lists, receive quarantined emails waiting for approval, reject or approval any email, etc.  Best of all, there is a content filter which quarantine the email it has any profanity and parents will be alerted if any bullying patterns are detected.

I highly recommend checking out Tocomail by clicking here!!!

DimensionU

DimensionU is a wonderful site/company that creates educational games aligned to Common Core Standards for Math & Literacy.  These games take plays in a 3D multiplayer virtual world and are designed for grades 3rd-8th.

Below are some of their innovative games....

Meltdown is the DimensionU game that offers students
a second chance when answering difficult questions, and rewards
creative strategies to achieve victory.

Swarm is DimensionU's team-based game that most strongly
reinforces cooperation and collaboration between students to
achieve a common goal.

Towerstorm is the DimensionU game that is best for working
through the most curriculum in the shortest amount of time.

Velocity is DimensionU's high-speed obstacle course that
ensures players answer questions correctly in order to continue
progressing through the race.

I highly recommend checking out DimensionU by clicking here!!!

*DimensionU is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

BoomWriter Lesson Plans

BoomWriter is a site/company I've worked w/ before has just released a number of lesson plans to help educators integrate BW into their curriculum.  For those that don't know what BoomWriter is, it's a fascinating innovative educational tool that educators are using around the world to turn their students into published authors.  This is all done in a safe environment built around an educational portal where teachers create and manage the student accounts.

The process to create a book is collaborative in nature and quite simple: a story starter is selected (or created from scratch) and each student takes place in writing the next chapter to follow, then anonymously the students read and choose which chapter they like best to include, and the process continues until the story/book is finished.  Upon completing the project an actual physical book can be ordered.  BoomWriter offers new teachers a free class copy of their first finished product and they also have a Technology Heroes program where every student can get their own published copy, for more info on that click here.

As to the BW lesson plans they are all aligned to Common Core Standards, developed by teachers, and are ideal for students grade 3 on up.

If you teach...

• English Language Arts
• Special Education
• ELL
• Gifted & Talented/Challenge Curriculum
• Before or After School Programs

…then these lessons are sure to provide your students with a highly engaging and academically effective 21st century learning experience!

I highly recommend checking out BoomWriter Lesson Plans by clicking here!!!

9Slides

9Slides is a excellent site/app (Android/iOS) for taking a presentation and then adding a video narration.  This is a ideal for the Flipped Classroom model and for Guided Instruction.  It's a very user friendly tool and supports all sorts of video (i.e. Keynote, PPT) formats for upload.  Finally, a finished presentation can then be shared via a URL or embedded into a site or blog.

I highly recommend checking out 9Slides by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo video of the free iPad app in action...



*9Slides is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Stick Around

Stick Around is a fantastic iPad app by educator Tony Vincent that is for creating puzzles and then having students label them.  For example, an educator can create a diagram/puzzle of a cell using Stick Around, and then have students label the different parts.  It can be used for any subject and can be used to flip instruction w/ the ability to record narration.  Also, educators can share their different puzzles/templates and find new ones online all the time.

I highly recommend checking out Stick Around by clicking here!!!

Jack and the Beanstalk: A Mathematical Adventure

Jack and the Beanstalk: A Mathematical Adventure is one of my favorite iOS games from the creator of MathFileFolderGames.  This is an excellent and super fun game for kids working a basic Math skills, such as: counting money, adding, telling time, and more.  Also, a user can switch the Math problem if they are getting stuck which and the narrated adventure makes for high replay value.

I highly recommend checking out Jack and the Beanstalk by clicking here!!!

*MathFileFolderGames is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Below is a list of other great games from MathFileFolderGames or click here....

5 Dice: Order of Operations Game

(Cost: FREE!)
5 Dice: Order of Operations Game is a math app intended for upper elementary and middle school students that helps students enjoy practicing their order of operations. Read More Here

4 Dice: Fraction Games

(Cost: $1.99)
4 Dice: Fraction Games is a math app for middle school and upper elementary students. The goal of the game is to present fractions in a way that is both conducive to learning and fun. Read More Here

Ordered Fractions: Comparing & Ordering Fractions

(Cost: $1.99)

Ordered Fractionsgame begins by pressing the button that rolls the dice. Students then insert these numbers into the boxes on the board, which creates the fractions. Students then position the fractions in ascending order by comparing fractions. Read more here

Grid Lines: Ordered Pair Game

(Cost: $1.99)

Grid Lines is a Battleship-style math app used to teach students the coordinate plane. Students will get practice plotting points on a coordinate plane by playing a game similar to Battleship. Read more here

Tangram Chess: Transformation Games

(Cost: $1.99)

Tangram Chess For Kids, Translations (slides), Rotations (turns) and Reflections (flips). Every game of Tangram Chess has its own story. Some are long-drawn out strategic affairs; others can be quick, but complicated, tactical battles. The winner is the player who can out-think his or her opponent, and make the best plans for attack and defence. Read more here

QuizOperator

QuizOperator is a nice free site/app for creating a quiz to be shared w/ a audience.  It's a very easy tool to use and all a user has to do is fill out a template w/ questions and answers and then share a link for others to join.  Once the "players" having joined the quiz/game can begin and all scores are tracked in real-time.  This is a fun way to engage an audience or assess a wide range of students.

I highly recommend checking out QuizOperator by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Test/Quiz Creators click here.

Biteslide

Biteslide is a wonderful web tool w/ educational portal that teachers are using to create beautiful looking slidebooks/presentations.  This is all done through a very easy to use drag-n-drop interface and web browser plugin (a.k.a "Nibbler") for adding images, clipart, text and more.  Educators are using this for Project Based Learning, creating dynamic digital stories/scrapbooks, and even "flipping their classroom.  Best of all, the educational portal allows educators to create and monitor student accounts and projects.

I highly recommend checking out Biteslide by clicking here!!!!




*Biteslide is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

RoomRecess

RoomRecess is one of my all time favorite sites for finding a wide variety of educational online games.  This is a great place for finding games in subjects such as: Math, Reading, Keyboarding, and more. These games are designed for students K-5 and are easy to play w/ high replay value.  Educators can find lots of useful free games that will help reinforce skills (i.e. Typing, Spelling, Basic Math Skills)

I highly recommend checking out RoomRecess by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational Online Games click here.
For my Edshelf collection on Educational Online Games click here.

Door 24

Door 24 is a wonderful free iPad app for working on basic Math skills.  This educational game has students trying to solve different equations to help repair a robot's circuits and solve the mystery behind Door 24.  Door 24 is aligned to Common Core standards, designed for grade 4-8th, and has over 6 different levels that focus on different computational fluency.  Best of all is a Math review screen that helps students w/ problems they are struggling on.

I highly recommend checking out Door 24 by clicking here!!!

*Door 24 is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Buncee

Buncee is one of my favorite Web 2.0 tools for creating engaging presentations.  This is an excellent learning tools that educators can use to "flip their classroom" or guide instruction on any subject.  Students love using Buncee for a wide variety of purposes such as: digital storytelling, creating posters, and more.  It's a very simple site to use that has users adding clipart, video, text, etc to create a dynamic and interactive presentation.  Best of all, is the educational portal that allows teachers to create student accounts and manage/assess all student presentations in a safe environment.  Finally, a Buncee can be embedded into a site/blog which makes it ideal for sharing w/ a wide audience.

I highly recommend checking out Buncee by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief video of how Buncee is being used in education...



*Buncee is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Book Writer

Book Writer is a excellent iOS app that educators are using everywhere for digital storytelling and flipping their classroom instruction.  This is a simple app to use that can be used by any subject for any curriculum that allows users to create a multimedia digital book that can then be published to iBooks or printed out as a PDF.  Best of all, a student can record their own narration to help tell a story, or an educator to help teach a lesson.

I highly recommend checking out Book Writer by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo...

EDpuzzle

EDpuzzle one of the best and most popular sites around for creating a "flipped" classroom has just released a free Android app on the Google Chrome Store.  This is a fantastic site/app for taking a video, editing/cropping it, and then adding questions to it.  This is ideal for Guided Learning and Flipping instruction.  Also, a user can upload any of their own videos to turn into their "own" or even record their own audio over it for narration purposes.

I highly recommend checking out EDpuzzle by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Flipped Classrooms click here.

*EDpuzzle is a advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

GuidedVideo

GuidedVideo is a excellent iPad app that is free right now (normally $30) for creating video lessons for students.  This is done by recording yourself asking a question and then use your own photos as buttons for the answers to the questions.  For example, if you were asking a student what shape is a rectangle or tap the correct month, all the answers (up to 12) would be either different shapes or the different months, where they tap the correct one.  This can work for any subject or curriculum and great for Guided Learning and assessing students.

I highly recommend checking out GuidedVideo by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.

FluencyFinder

FluencyFinder the popular iOS app for Reading Assessment/Comprehension has just gotten better w/ their recent update.  The latest update allows for educators to now search through the 1st-8th Grade Reading passages, bigger buttons on the assessing screen, easier exporting features to share assessment/comprehension reports via email, and a new sleeker redesigned look for iOS 7.  To update FluencyFinder's data is simple, just update the app, and tap the migrate button which will transfer over all students and assessment data.

FluencyFinder has been getting lots of praise from educators all over the world on how easy it is to assess a student's Reading/Comprehension level.  All a teacher has to do is find a Reading passage on FF's website and print out which one they want to test their student on.  Then it's just a tap o
f a button to start timing as the student reads while the teacher taps (+) or (-) as they make or correct mistakes.  When the student is done reading, the teacher stops the time (or choose to move on to Comprehension questions) and gets instant real-time results.

I highly recommend checking out FluencyFinder by clicking here.

Here is more about what others are saying about FluencyFinder...

"I just assessed my entire 4th grade class in half the time it usually takes.....it was so nice to not watch my stopwatch and finally be able to focus more effectively on the student's reading. My scores are right at my fingertips and I will be able to track them throughout the year. A true time saver with accurate and trackable results!! A MUST HAVE for all teachers!"
– iTunes App Store Review, 5-Star rating 

"As a lifelong advocate for a parent's role in their child's education and success, I very much appreciate this app. It gives parents a great tool for helping their child at home while supporting the role of the teacher at the same time. Thank you so much! Parents will find this very helpful!"
– iTunes App Store Review, 5-Star rating

*FluencyFinder is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Hideout: Early Reading

Hideout: Early Reading is a wonderful free iOS app for young readers to help them w/ their Reading skills.  This is done through a series of educational activities/games that has students trying to sound out words, find the correct letter, word recognition, and more.  Also, this game features a wide variety of things that engage young learners, such as animations, music, and more.

I highly recommend checking out Hideout: Early Reading by clicking here!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.
For Hideout on Edshelf click here.

Open Education - How to Think About Your Online Community Purpose

Useful metaphors for creating a vision of your online education portal:

1. An InstructorNet Mall of available resources for instructors to meet their needs.

2. A Google "Knowledge Map" of available content that's searchable, zoomable, and subscribeable through RSS so the network alerts you for items meeting your interests instead of waiting for you to craft a search every time you feel a conscious need.

3. The Amazon/eBay "smart network" that automates the search and recommend function based on stated interests AND by remembering searches and paths

4. Customer Service center for instructors seeking help

5. Tour guides/Marketing Aide to demonstrate "How to use these resources"

6. Magazine model of info mgt/distribution: a targeted demographic, whose readers shape the course of the magazine/tools (Dear Readers! We listened to you!) Lean 6 Sigma (LSS) techniques have a way of accomplishing this, and a partnership with an LSS project seems like a natural one

 

Other work to be done:

1. Considering how we encourage/reward professional writing like lesson notes, course content, blog/wiki work that contributes to the practice of knowledge, in the same way we have tied promotion and retention to academic writing.

2. A faculty Development Program that incorporates more ideas related to "Master Classes in graduate teaching" on a regular basis. Some ideas include: a. Group learning vs Team-Based learning. b. RSS in the classroom (and blogs and wikis and podcasts...oh my) c. Live dialogue mapping skills to frame group discussions better (Google "Compendium" for demonstrations) d. How about giving Voice to faculty to let them nominate classes they want to receive, or challenges they face, and target the top vote getters?

3. An instructorNet Mall should have a "store" that has searchable index of available, recorded Faculty Development Programs with quick summaries of what's available for the individual instructor looking to sharpen his practice.

I hope these ideas generate some quality ideas in your situation. Ken Long, Chief of Research, Tortoise Capital Management