App / Tool of the Week .... Santa Spy Cam

App / Tool of the Week .... Santa Spy Cam

I friend shared this app with me that brings a little magic of Christmas alive.  I had just put up our Christmas tree and thought I would give this little app a try.  In a blink of an eye there was this elf coming out of my tree doing a little jig and I got it all caught on video with my phone.  I had left my phone out and went to bed.  My 4 year old had discovered on her own the video clip that got recorded the night before.  She integrated her teenage brothers trying to learn how this video got on my phone.  She came to the conclusion that it was magic.  All day we have been receiving lessons from the littlest Wilson on how magic works.

The Santa Spy Cam app came just in time to reintroduce our Elf on the Shelf and spark a little Christmas magic.







What this app really does is bring a little Augmented Reality to the holidays.  I can see this app being used for a creativity writing project in a classroom, introduce the Elf on the Shelf, or to catch that sneaky Santa on Christmas Eve.  

Why Use Edmodo .....

Why Use Edmodo .....
when I have limited use of technology?


Even if you have 1 computer in your classroom or you have limited use of technology you can still use Edmodo.





The Power of One ....

The Power of One ....

Say something you saw sparked an interest with you and you wanted to know more about it.  You look for people that may know more about the thing that inspired you. You join Twitter, look for a Facebook Page, attend a conference, and etc...   Find what works for you and use it.  After you find what works, build your own Personal Learning Environment.  

Once you learn more about what inspired you don't be afraid to go forward and try something new. Don't be afraid to create, explore, and really discover.  If you get stuck reach out and ask your PLE for help or ask Google, Bing, or YouTube.  Don't settle, find out more, explore, play in the sandbox, see what you can do with what inspired you.

Now share what you have learned.  

  • Show Someone
  • Demonstrate
  • Explain
  • Inspire Someone
Then reflect on what you have learned, who you have shared with, and who they have shared with. That one thing you wanted to learn more about has now became the inspiration for others.  You became the Power of One just because you shared.


That one thing that I wanted to learn more about was Augmented Reality and how to create a Green-Screen Effect.

Inspiration is everywhere don't be afraid to explore and then share.



App / Tool of the Week ... Edmodo

App / Tool of the Week ... Edmodo

I bet you are wondering what is Edmodo and why should I use it. Edmodo is a secure platform that brings your classroom into the 21st century. It allows your classroom and resources to be accessible to students 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  Edmodo is designed to get students excited about learning and mirrors a social network.  It also makes it easy for teachers to create a blended learning experience while teaching 21 century skills.  Edmodo offers engaging, easy-to-use apps that integrate seamlessly and personalize learning for every student.

Edmodo is all about connections.  It allows teachers to build a powerful network that connects them to students, parents, administrators and publishers.  It makes assessing students knowledge simple to track with student progress. Teachers can get the pulse of the class through polls, quizzes, discussion, and more.  Edmodo can be accessed through your computer's browser or the app for a mobile device.  There are over 23,000,000 user from around the world using Edmodo. 


Useful Slideshow on how to use Edmodo

Getting Started:

  • Create your account
  • Complete your profile
  • Create a group
  • Invite students and peers
    • Share resources, lead collaborative discussions, give assignments, quizzes, polls and more
  • Install Apps
    • Engage students, inspire creativity, assess learning
  • Follow and participate in communities

Best Practices for Social Learning:

  • Do not post group codes publicly 
  • Lock group codes after all members have joined 
  • Monitor posts 
    • Set up notifications 
  • Use read-only status when useful 
  • Encourage students to select unique passwords 
  • Set expectations

Now to answer the question "Why should I use it?"  My answer is WHY NOT!

Recap of EdcampKC .....

Recap of EdcampKC .....

Scan this image with the Layar App
EdcampKC was held at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City on November 9th.  About 300 educators from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and even Colorado got together to learn from each other.  Edcamp is a professional development that doesn't have formal presentations.  If you have a topic you would like to share or know more about you sign up on large sticky paper for a time slot and classroom.  I had planned on sharing Augmented Reality so I kind of went prepared.  I brought some items that deal with Augmented Reality with me.  After I signed up to lead a discussion about Augmented Reality I sat down and made EdcampKC-NelsonAtkins into an AR trigger.

EdcampKC offered lots of choice to pick from.  If you didn't like or thought the session you went to didn't fit your needs you could get up and move to another session.  You vote with you feet.  There were tons of educators that had never participated at an Edcamp before.  Kyle Pace's mom even made 100s of cookies for all of use to enjoy.  The experience was great and I learned from lots of people and I hope at least a few learned from me.  I shared several of my experiences from Edmodo, Green-Screen projects, Global Project, and of course Augmented Reality.

Here are my some of my notes from the session I attended:
If you took notes during my AR session please feel free to share with me.

List of AR Apps: 

During the last session I went on a tour of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.  The photographer in me broke away and ended up exploring the museum with my husband.  All in all it was a great day and I really enjoyed connecting with other educators that have the same passion as me, to be a life long learner. 

Photo Albums:
I am still working on editing my photos.