Apps, Apps Everywhere Week 2

We saw more presentations in our EPS Cohort class last week on current Educational Technology. I am so amazed at the great technology that is available to teachers. My classmates/colleagues are doing a phenomenal job on sharing this incredible information with us all. I feel that I could absolutely use all of it, if only there was time! I fully plan on using much of the apps/websites in my classroom, as I believe they are a tool to enhance student learning. In fact, one app presentation prompted me to inquire about acquiring an Apple TV in my classroom. I am still waiting to hear the verdict on this, and am confident that it will be a possibility for me in the near future.  I decided to focus on the top 5 apps/websites that I felt I could use in my classroom, but all of the presentations were fabulous!

Google Docs Add-Ons: I had no idea that Google had so many ways to make writing that much simpler! Google Docs are already a great way to write and share papers/documents of all sorts with others.  One can now very easily create a bibliography (the program actually puts it into the correct formatting for you) with EasyBib. Highlighting is another very simple and helpful option. You can also insert charts into your docs using the Charts add on. Doctopus allows teachers to make a project for students, and also to track their progress. There are so many helpful add ons that could be incredibly useful for students.

Elements 4D and Anatomy 4D by DAQRI: I had mentioned about that I was very interested in getting an Apple TV, due to high interest in an app that was presented. Well, this was it! I love this stuff!! Elements 4D is a website and an app that you can get by printing out cubes from the website. You have to cut them out, tape them together and then you simply hold your smart phone over the cubes and instead of seeing the paper with the elements names, you actually see what the elements would look like. It is the coolest thing I have seen in a long time! The Anatomy 4D is the same idea, but with the human body. These are both great ideas to use in science classes. One has to be careful when doing the human body app, though. You might have students who get queasy at the thought or sight of blood, nerves, tissue, etc. I am definitely planning on using the Elements 4D this year, and throughout my Matter unit next year!

Press 4 Kids:  This is a website that provides daily news to students of all ages and interests at their own level of reading. One student can be reading at a higher level, while another needs to read at level a few levels lower, and both still get the same information. This is a great way to bring the joy of reading and learning to all students in a classroom. Students could research different topics on current events and then report to the class on what they learned. I think this is also a great way to get students to read newspapers (even it if is digital and not the original type of newspaper). This would be a great tool for all subjects and for all interactive way to get kids to love to read and learn about the world around them!

Q?rius by Smithsonian: This is a website where students can learn all about science from real scientists. Teachers can create activities for students to do, students can read current events science stories, watch webcasts with real scientists and watch videos made by scientists. Teachers can also create online field books. Students could do the same and each could add to their field books as they learned more about science related information. In a nutshell, Q?rius is great way for students to have access to real science unfolding in the world and to real scientists. This is a site that I will definitely be using in my classroom.

Reddit: We all know of the Reddit that is a type of social media that we would not use in the classroom…but wait. There is access to all things Teacher on Reddit which has information for teachers of all subjects and levels. Teachers share lesson plans, ideas that worked or didn’t work, how they made a lesson better, and pretty much all things teachers could use, and it’s all appropriate. There is a plethora of information here for educators, and maybe a way to think “outside the box”. I plan on checking out the Teacher sections of Reddit to see how I can find some interesting ideas for my lessons.

We have one more week of presentations, and I am looking forward to the other great ideas and information my fellow colleagues will be presenting. Stay tuned for our next round of Education Technology!