Diary of a Techie Chick: tech tips

Showing posts with label tech tips. Show all posts

AugThat's Ambassador Program....

I am really excited to announce that AugThat has launched an ambassador program and I get to help run it. I love sharing and helping other educators learn and use Augmented Reality in the classroom.

Augthat Ambassadors program is a community of K-12 educators leading the industry in ed-tech. These educators are supporting, empowering, and inspiring teachers inside and outside of Augthat! They will be spreading the Augthat philosophy and immersion of augmented reality throughout their networks and partner with the Augthat team to help other educators become power users of ed-tech.

Some Expectations:
All Ambassadors are able and encouraged to:

Be present in the Augthat community and large teacher groups to answer questions, provide tips to new users, and share ideas for using ed-tech and and Augthat.
Become a Certified Trainer and provide formal Augthat! Professional Development
Get early access to new features and share feedback directly with the Augthat Team
Flag any technical issues you come across so our engineers can investigate
Drive the conversation about ed-tech and Augthat through social media

Participate in the Augthat Ambassador Professional Learning Community to share learning with fellow Ambassadors and stay up-to-date about the latest happenings in Augthat and ed-tech. Does this sound like you? If so please apply to become an AugThat Ambassador. Click here to fill out the application.

For more information about the program please click here.

Exciting NEWS:

All Ambassadors will have their very own button within the app to access the Augmented Content they have created. For example if teachers have any of my triggers once in the app all they have to do is click on my name and scan away. The AugThat Ambassadors will be like featured Augmented Content Creators. The AR Rock Stars! What is even more exciting Ambassadors will have early access to new AugThat's content, lessons, activities, and curriculum. I have to tell you that there is some amazing stuff being developed, that I can't wait to try out. You thought the 360 ° environments were mind blowing just wait.

Bringing Learning to Life with Augmented Reality....

Augmented reality is one of my passions. I love watching kids come alive and fully engaged when they interact with augmented triggers. Students are not the only ones that come alive when they interact with augmented triggers, teachers love them too

Augmented reality is experience that super imposes computer-generated experience over a trigger image. There are several different types of augmented experiences you can interact with. These computer-generated experiences allows you to listen to music, watch video clips, interact with 3D models, or place you in an environment such as the ocean. All of these possible interactions require the student to scan a trigger image that will trigger the experience. Thus the trigger image or target image.

Augmented Reality - IN THE CLASSROOM

Augmented Reality is an engaging tool for students and teachers, really anyone that uses it. It allows you to immerse yourself into any environment, and apply critical thinking skills to real-world scenarios. My goal is to teach 21 century learners think outside the box and beyond their learning environments. You can take an image and create an engaging learning experience that cannot be achieved in typical two-dimensional planes, such as worksheets or on a whiteboard/chalkboard.

Because I am so passionate about augmented reality and the impact it can have in the classroom I've teamed up with Aug That. I am creating some one of a kind augmented lessons that you can have access to and use in your classroom, on top of their ever growing interactive lessons, 3D objects, and 360° environments. Aug That is also giving free access to Teach Connect all you have to do is tell them that the Techie Chick sent you.

Teach Connect allows you to create augmented triggers in a safe environment. No channels to follow, no scanning and getting something inappropriate, a totally complete safe environment. You don't even need to know how to create the augmented experience all you have to do is send them the trigger image you want to use and what you want the experience to be. You also get access to other teacher created augmented lessons. I can even help you create and use augmented lessons in your classroom, all you have to do is ask.

Take a Demo of Aug That. Download the STAR app and check out their Demo page. You are going to love it. After you have taken the Demo email Lisa@Augthat.com and tell her that the Techie Chick sent you. She will get you connected with your free Teach Connect account. Once my lessons are up and running you will also get access to those.

Resources:

Getting Organized with Symbaloo....

There are many tools that can help you stay organized. One tool I really like to use to organize and share resources with my students is Symbaloo. Symbaloo is an online social bookmarking tool. There is a education version and a regular version. I have been using the regular version for at least 4 years. I like that it represents a board. For my kids that is very visual and easy to use rather than just a list on a page.

Symbaloo is really easy to use. If you can copy and paste you can create tiles on a Symbaloo board. So for my second challenge I would like you to create a Symbaloo board of your choice. If you do not have an account you will need to create one. It could be a SymbalooEdu account or a regular account.

Listen to my podcast on Rembarkable Chatter and learn more about Symbaloo and how you can use it to get organized.

Below is a video clip explaining Symbaloo and how to create a board:

Once you have created your account you will create your 1st Symbaloo board. On this board you will be saving websites or resources of your choice. The boards I share with students are links to their work. For example my 8th grade computer apps classes create shareable technology flashcards. I collect these flashcards and pin (save) them to a Symbaloo board. I do this so that all of their flashcards are all in one place and everyone can have access to them. With my Symbaloo board I can embed the board directly on my website, Edmodo group, or share the link.

After have created your 1st Symbaloo board you will need to share it with me. Use the hashtag #TechieEdu and tweet out your webmix / Symbaloo Board.

I also encourage you to visit the Symbaloo Gallary. You may find a board that is already built that will fit your needs.

Some Symbaloo Board Ideas:

Guided access in a computer lab. - Make the board the computer lab's home screen.
Stored resources for a certain topic. - Save all of the video clips, web resources, Google Docs, and etc... for a topic for example Ancient Egypt on one board.
A Conference Board - Create a board and save all of the online content from a conference to it.
A Project Board - Save all the resources for a certain project to a board.
A Showcase Board - Save student work to a board and show it off during a parent night.

Resources:

Portable Mini Green-Screen....

One of the projects I like to do with my 6th grade students is "On the Scene Reporter". I have a wall in my classroom painted green, for our staging area that I normally use for this project. My students are normally the reporter giving a report on Ancient Greece. Since this will be my 3rd time doing this project I have to switch it up just a little. I've been planning a workshop for teachers on Green-Screen projects and it hit me how I could switch it up and still be a green-screen project, I need portable mini green-screens. It just happened to be Super Bowl day and we just happened to have gotten some extra large pizzas from the store so I had a few boxes to play with. Since the pizza boxes had a window I decided to paint the inside and the back of the box, this way I could use both sides. I could use the box as a regular green-screen or flip it and have a puppet show / animation stage green-screen style.

Puppet Show / Animation Stage

I choose a pizza box because it is flatter and can stand up by itself. Which will make it easier to travel with and to store. As I played around with the box and the green-screen app Veescope I did noticed that you had to be careful with lighting and shadows. I also noticed that some of my props or actors were a little on the short side so I took another box and painted it green to make a platform for them to stand on. My little actors can now blend in better with the background image or video.

One of the reasons I decided to create a mini green-screen was because I have a few students who love Legos and I know they would create some amazing stories using green-screen and their Legos. I also have a few shy students who refuse to stand in front of a camera and give a report. Having a mini green-screen would give them an option to still do the project but use an actor to replace them as the reporter. They would still have to add their voice either at the time of recording or overlay it with the iMovie app. Either way it is a win, win situation. My students are now not only the reporter but now they can be a director, producer, casting director, writer, and agent.

Paint a smaller box for a platform.

Having a portable mini green-screen would also allow my students to record anytime and anywhere. Giving them a choice on how they can do their green-screen projects opens the door to their creativity.

Project Ideas:

On the Scene Reporter
Puppet Show
Book Trailer / Report
Use Paper Dolls / Print out of famous people & make them move and tell their story.
Wear a Green Glove and Make the Actors Move
Paint Bamboo Skewers Green and Attach them to the Props & Actors to Make Them Move
Use Explain Everything and work out a math problem. Use that recording as the background in the Veescope app and have your actor explain how they solved the problem.
Have a time lapse video of a plant growing, science experiment, etc... saved into the Veescope app as the background. Then have your actor explain the process.
Create Postcards of places your actors saw while on their Dream Vacation.

Tips:

Paint smaller boxes and use them as platforms for your props and actors.
Use an iPad stand to position your iPad just right for recording.
Record or snap stills in a well lit area or use a desk lamp with a bendable neck to provide lighting.
Record in a quiet place.
Save images and or video clips to the iPad that has the Veescope app.
Use the Full version of the Veescope app.

App / Tool of the Week .... EduCrate

What is EduCrate? EduCrate is a media curation tool for educators. It is a place where you can explore, share or even create your own crate of educational videos. The best part is that the videos can come from a multiple of online video sites and you save them all in one location. If you can copy and paste website links then you can create a crate.

What I really love about this tool is that you can tag your crate (a group of videos) with a certain common core standard, topic, grade, and even subject. When you share your crate that has a variety of tags can help educators find video clips in that area. There are so many video clips that educators, students, and even companies are making is mind blowing. To be able to have them all in one place just makes life a little easier for busy teachers and students.

Tips:

Add a description to your crates.

This way you will remember what type of video clips you have saved.

Add additional web resources to your crate.

If you have a game or other resources besides a video clip you can add the link to your crate and tie it to the subject/topic/skill/grade you are teaching.

Tag your crates.

If you use tags it will help you find similar video clips for that certain topic/subject/grade and etc...

Add the Crate Bookmarklet to your browser.

This will help you save your video clips when you are surfing the world wide web.

Some Crates:

My website - www.katieannwilson.com

App / Tool of the Week .... Actively Learn

I get the privilege of teaching 6th grade Social Studies which focuses on the Ancient Civilizations when I am not teaching technology skills to middle school students. With common core it is my job to teach my students how to pull information out of primary and secondary sources. I find it difficult to assess my student's comprehension as we go through the various civilizations. I am constantly asking myself: Do they really understand the Caste System?, Do they realize what they are reading happened thousands of years ago? and etc....

I recently had a chance to test drive Actively Learn. Actively Learn is an online platform that allows the teacher to pull in reading materials either from Actively Learn's catalog, the teacher's Google Drive, online source, or even a PDF. The teacher then can add notes, video clips, and even questions. I found the ability to add files from my Google Drive a huge plus since most of my resources are saved to my Google Drive. Another big plus for me was that I could connect the common core standard with the questions I am asking. I like that I can ask question while they are reading. This breaks up the reading and assess my students' understanding. While they are reading about King Tut I can include a video clip about his tomb and ask questions to assess their understanding. This type of assessment gives me a better understanding if my students are really getting and understanding what they are reading.

Since some of my content has to do with diagrams and maps I love that I could add an image/media and ask questions about that image/media. A lot of online quizzes will not support that feature. I really liked that I can assign proficient levels to the short answers questions. Assessing students' knowledge is more than just a letter grade. To have the ability to show proficiency to parents is the key.

Another great tool Actively Learn has built-in is the dictionary. This tool is great for my students as we wade through the various ancient civilizations. I like it because all of my students are reading the same definition not one from Webster Online another one from Dictionary.com and etc.... Students even have the ability to take notes and highlight text.

Even though I teach Social Studies I can see all of these tools very useful for other subject areas. Actively Learn is free and students only need one account. Students just need the code to a join class and can belong to as many classes as needed. When students are finished with the classes they can withdraw.

The biggest perk for me since I am a heavy Edmodo user is the ability to connect Edmodo to Actively Learn. Having the ability to use Edmodo and Google Drive with Actively Learn for me is a win.

Click HERE for more information about Actively Learn or to sign up and give it a test drive.

Going Beyond a Simple Textbook....

Last year I created an interactive ebook for my technology classes. I filled it with a variety of of video clips, screenshots, presentations, and resources for them to refer to. This year I wanted to create another interactive ebook but I wanted to be able to be used cross-platform and on all devices. I guess like always I am ahead of my time. If I wanted to make my interactive ebook available for all devices I would have to pay a company to convert it for me and there was no promise that all of my interactive components would work. So I went back to iBook Author and created my interactive book which can only be accessed via iBooks.

I haven't decided if I wanted to submit this book to the iTunes Store or not. The iPads that my students use block the iTunes and App Store so it isn't possible for them to download the book from there. I did find a alternative way around that issue. I saved the iBook file to my classroom website and my students can download it from there. It does take a while for the book to download and if I make any changes the kids will have to download the book again.

Now I can say I am a published author and I now have 2 editions to my Computer Apps e-Textbook.

eBook:

Mrs. Wilson's Computer Apps - Bringing Learning to Life
Use Safari on your iPad to download this file. You can also download this file if you have Maverick on your Mac. It will take a while to download.

Creating AR with the Daqri 4D Studio....

Augmented reality isn't anything new, it has been around for a while now. Creating your own augmented reality on the other hand has only been available in the recent few years. This spring Daqri released their 4D studio to the education community. Out of all of the augmented reality creators I have used this one is by far the friendliest one to use. When I talk to others about creating augmented reality I hear; "That is too techie for me.", or "I just can't wrap my head around how it works.", or "There is no way I will be able to create something like that." Let me ask you a few questions then.

Can you drag and drop?
Can you copy and paste?
Can you click on a button that says upload?
Can you click on a Plus Sign to start a new project?
Can you click on a button that says Save?
Can you click on a button that says Publish?

If you answered yes to these questions then you can create an augmented reality trigger.

For Podstock I created a mini tutorial on how to create a augmented reality trigger. Daqri did change a few things in their studio but it will not effect how you create a trigger. You will just notice my screenshots just look a hair different. I had put my tutorial in a NearPod presentation so I could monitor who accessed the presentation and evaluate their knowledge about the topic. I will post the link to that as well. Feel free to use the Google Presentation or the NearPod one.

Just keep in mind this is a very basic tutorial. I plan on creating more in depth ones soon.

Presentations/Resources:

If you do not have an account for Daqir's 4D Studio you will need to click HERE to request one.

Become a Superhero in Your Classroom with AR....

I will be presenting this year at Podstock on July 17th @ 3:30pm on How to Become a Superhero in Your Classroom with AR (Augmented Reality). I will have tons of different kinds of Augmented Reality Triggers you can try. Some of the triggers are for younger children while others are for the middle to high school age students. During the session I will become your Superhero and teach you how to create our own Augmented Reality in as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Click here to see the full schedule for Podstock.

Exploring Coding.....

When you mention the words coding and programming most people stand back and say that is too hard or I just don't understand it. When I mentioned to my students that we are going to work on some problem solving skills and I want to see who can finish all of the maze levels they jump on board. After a day or two of working on the many different levels of the maze I inform my students that they have been coding. We talk about the if then statements, why they used repeat, and etc... I then show them where they can see their line of code they have written. I use the Maze 1 from The Hour of Code with my students. I also provide them other resources where they can continue learning about coding.

My plan for next year is to go beyond just introducing my students to coding and programming and letting them explore. I wrote a little grant and have received two items to add to my class which will help me teach kids to code and program. The Hummingbird Kit with the help of Scratch will turn a inanimate object into a animated object. The item I will be using with my students is the Finch. It is a small programmable robot.

Resources:

Coding Apps:

Making Our Mark ....

One of the tools I used to access students' knowledge for word processing skills is by having them do a simple write up on how they can make their mark on the world. I ask them to show me what they know how to do, add pictures, change font, and etc... This year I added a twist to the assignment. After they finished their write up and posted it in Edmodo for me to view they had to create a LOGO that went with how they plan to leave their mark. This LOGO is no regular LOGO it has an Augmented Reality twist to it. I used the colAR Dot Day coloring page and the colAR Mix app to bring their LOGOs to life.
My students really loved watching their LOGO spring to life when they where scanning it via their iPad. I can see using the colAR coloring pages as a spring board for a creative writing projects. The staff at colAR are adding to their coloring pages some of the pages you do have to pay for and some are free. I try to use the free ones with the kids. Coloring is not just of elementary students especially if there is an Augmented Reality twist added.

Resources:

colAR App
Dot Day Color Page

Making Our Mark by Slidely Slideshow

Reflection of FetC 2014 ....

FetC is a national technology educational conference held in Orlando Florida. I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at this very energetic tech ed conference. I met some amazing people and learned a lot thanks to a good friend Brenda for letting tag along.

My funny take away from the conference was getting a new nickname. When I walked around the conference and even at the airport afterwards people would come up and say Hi Edmodo Spin Girl. I had worked the Edmodo booth throughout the conference. While working the booth I presented about how I created a Global Project using Edmodo. This was the 1st time I did a "Theater Presentation" where people just came in had a seat and listened while I shared. I was a little nervous wearing a mic and having people walking around while I presented, I wasn't used to that. I did make some new best friends but only after attendees spun the prize wheel and then won an Edmodo T-Shirt. I really enjoyed meeting new people and talking with teachers that love and use Edmodo. I tried to answer as many questions as I could, if I didn't have the answer I was glad that the support staff for Edmodo was present to help out.

My favorite part of the conference was the TechShare. It was energetic and very informational all at the same time. I walked away with tons of new ideas and apps I wanted to use. Thanks to Kathy I am going to have to get my daughter the Porkfolio, the smart piggy bank. I am also going to have to find someone with a Kinect so I can do the Shapify.me. I think it would be neat to have a 3D figure of me holding my iPad, Smartphone, and Laptop. I also want to try and have my students create an encyclopedia via Wikipedia. This would be a great resource of the content my students use when doing their research projects. I also can't wait to try Flick, where you can flick or share your photos, documents, notes, and even contacts with any devices via the Flick app. As soon as I get home I will be ordering the Nomad Brush, it acts like a paint brush for your iPad.

While I was waiting to enter the keynote presentation I was showing teachers some Augmented Reality. It was fun showing and sharing what I have learned about Augmented Reality. I smiled when someone would come up to me and ask to see my interactive calling card. I had created this calling card to pass out and I had put a spin on it and added an Augmented Reality component.

When I get a chance I will be showing my staff the Quixy site. It is a search engine just for apps. TagBoard will be another tool I want to use not only with my staff but also with my students. You can search across social media hashtags.

Some Take Away Resources:

50 Technology Treasures
Google Drive: It's Elementary
Using iBooks in iTunes U - My Presentation
Moving Around iBook Author - Interactive Image
Mrs. Wilson's Computer Apps eBook - The eBook I used for my iTunes U Sample Course
My Sample iTunes Course
Global Digital Scrapbook 2013 - My Global Project

Katie Ann's FetC 2014 Overview by Slidely Slideshow
If the slideshow doesn't play Click Here.

Moving Out of the Lab....

In the past students and teachers could only obtain access to technology was through a lab setting. Schools hired professionals to teach and or train students how to use the technology. Once students left the lab setting they left the technology behind. In todays world that is no longer the case. With schools going 1:1 with devices is the lab really needed? There are some pros and of course cons to having a lab and 1 person responsible for teaching how to use the tech.

Pros for a Lab:

All devices are set up the same and have the same programs.
1 person is responsible for the instruction.
Instruction is structured.
Desktops don't walk away and are stationary.
Can be monitored.

Cons for a Lab:

Only 1 person is responsible for the instruction.
Desktops are not mobile.
Technology and skills stay in the lab.
Limited time and use in the lab.
Instruction is structured.

When it comes to technology and learning how to use it needs to be put in real world experiences not in a structured lab setting. One teacher shouldn't be the only one teaching kids how to apply the technology in real world settings. Technology is no longer just available in a lab, but can be found everywhere. The more diverse kids are with technology the better prepared for the real world they will become.

How Educators Can Connect and Learn the Tech:

Find the Learning Platform that works for you either being face to face, online professional development, webinars, edcamps, and etc...
Don't be afraid to let your students teach you how they use the tech.
Don't be afraid to fail. Failing is the 1st step in learning something new. When we learn to walk we fell with each step until we mastered balancing and walking. That didn't stop us from wanting to learn to run.

My Personal Learning Network:

Just to name a few

App / Tool of the Week - PocketCloud ....

I have a MOBI which is a handheld device that lets me control my computer, SMARTBoard tools, and other applications remotely. When the software updated recently it had stopped working, due to the computer I was using having an outdated operating system. I spend most of my time walking around my classroom and loved that I could control my computer from across the room. Since my MOBI wasn't working I started researching apps for my teacher iPad that would do the same thing as what my MOBI did. I found a handful but they cost money. Being a teacher and lack of funds I needed an App that was low cost or no cost. I found the following app PocketCoud Remote Desktop.

This app is free. You do have to visit their website and download the computer software to the computer you are wanting to control.

Steps to Set up the PocketCloud:

Click to Download the App
Visit their Website and Download and Install The Campaign (click to visit their website)
Run the Computer software. The username for the computer part of the setup is the name of your computer. The password will be the password for your computer.
To Auto Detect - Enter your Gmail and its password. This will auto detect your iPad with your computer.

On your iPad:

After you have downloaded the app to your iPad you will need set it up to see your computer.
Click Auto Connect.
Enter the same Gmail you used when setting up your computer.
Make sure you are running the computer software. If so then you will need to click Done.
Click Connect.
It will ask you for your computer credentials. The computer name and your computers password is what you will enter. (You should only have to do this once.)
Now you should be able to control your computer.

Tech Tips:

Once you have your iPad is connected to your computer play around controlling your computer via your iPad.
There is a little lag between your iPad and computer so be a little patient.
To use your IWB a.k.a. SMARTBoard tools remotely you need to have them installed on the computer you are controlling via your iPad.

Dreaming with My Eyes Wide OPEN....

Technology is aways evolving, changing, expanding, and reinventing itself. I think that is why I love teaching with technology so much. I never get bored and love learning new ways of using technology, I also love sharing how to use the technology. I have been seeing teachers embracing the use of Google Glass in their classroom. Every time I hear that a teacher has the chance to use Google Glass my mind goes into overload. Just think of the possibilities Google Glass can offer.

1st Person Video Guides or Tutorials
Use of Augmented Reality
Creating Augmented Reality
Creating One of a Kind Interviews, Stories, and Projects with Green-Screen effects
Learn New Languages or just Translate a Language
For Observations
A Student's View of a Lesson or a Teacher's View of the same Lesson
Making Connections through Google Hangout
Record Research, a Science Experiment, or Document the Learning Process
Use to Reflect on an Assignment or Lesson
Record a Field Trip or a Once in a Life Time Experience
Build a Portfolio
Exploring the World through a Different Perspective

Twenty-five years ago who would have thought we would replace the kitchen wall phone with a phone that can access the internet, check email, or take a picture. Even ten years ago we thought wearable technology was Science Fiction, but here we are and it is happening now. I do not know what the future has in-store for us. What I do know is that the possibilities are endless, we just have to think outside of the box and be a little creative.

App / Tool of the Week .... Livebinders

Think of Livebinders as a Digital Trapper-keeper. I like to use Liverbinders as a Digital Portfolio for my students. Student can create a Digital Binder and add their work. This Digital Binder can follow them through their Educational Career. Students are then able to then show their growth.

Things You Can Add to Your Binder:

PDF, Word, & Spreadsheet Files
Websites
Images
Videos
Basically anything you can make digital can be added.

Ways to Use Livebinders:

Organize Class Resources
Science Fair Projects
Class Projects
Research Projects
Showcase Student Work
An Assessment Tool

Example of a Digital Portfolio:

Mrs. Wilson's Computer Apps

App / Tool of the Week .... Google Draw

My students have been busy learning how to use Google Draw to illustrate for a children's story. They learned that they could layer shapes over other shapes to create a totally different shape or object. They also discovered that they could group their shapes together to avoid messing up their new object or shape.

I like to give my students a day of "Sandbox Day". On this day they get a chance to play around and learn a new app or tool. The only instruction I give them is explore and discover what the app or tool can do. Some students take off and go to town exploring, discovering, and trying different things. While others just look at the screen with a blank stare while repeating out loud that don't know what to do. As teachers we can't assume just because they are kids and they have grown up with all of this technology around them that they know how to use it. I like think of myself as a cheerleader for my kids. I encourage them to try things, click on something, hover your mouse over items or tools. Once they get over the fear of trying something new some amazing creations start to flow.

Google Draw is free and can be found in your Google Drive. I suggest you play, click, explore, and
build something with this tool. It can be great tool for math, story telling, a writing prompt, and etc... It does have auto save like Google Docs and Google Sheets. I suggest making sure that you name each drawing so you don't end up with a dozen Untitled Draws. You can even make folders and save your drawing to them.

To use your Google Drawing as an image I suggest you download it as a jepg file. This way you can import your drawing into apps, iMovie, web tools and etc... When you are drawing you will notice your workspace has gray and white squares. If you do not cover your entire work area with shapes or color those squares will become a white background after you download your image.

Willy the Wiggle Worm - Created in Google Draw

My Edublog Awards Nominations for 2013 ....

As I sat here this morning thinking about who I wanted to nominate for this years Edublog Award I received several messages from educators that they nominated me or are going to either for my Global Project or for my Teacher Blog. I became very speechless, humble, and honored all at the same time. I didn't realized that this small town Kansas girl has reached out to so many this past year. I was in awe this year when I attended a few conferences and edCamps to meet people who follow me on Twitter and or read my blog.
My husband was curious to see how many people really take a moment to read about what I post. I normally do not pay attention to the stats of my blog. I feel that if I share and it inspires or helps 1 person then I've done my job. I like to think that I plant seeds of knowledge or inspiration and that some day they will grow into a beautiful garden and will inspire someone else. To put an end to his curiosity I logged into the stats part of my blog. To my surprise I've had 20,000+ views to my blog from over 20 countries from around the world this year alone. The top two posts with the most views are my Green-Screen Effect on the iPad and The Global Digital Scrapbook Project, each with over a 1000 views. All my husband could say was "The Power of One", which he remembered me sharing with him my presentation I had been working on.

My Nominations for this years Edublog Awards:

Best Teacher Blog - The Nerdy Teacher
Best Education Podcasts - The TeacherCast
Best Green-Screen App - Veescope Live Full Version
Best Story App - Toontastic
Best Online PD - SimpleK12
Best New Blog & Podcast - The Two Guys and some iPads and The Two Guys Show
Best Augmented Reality App & Creator - Layar
Best Social Learning Network - Edmodo
Best Group Blog - Edudemic
Best Hashtag - #globalclassroom

A Little Green-Screen Fun....

I teach technology skills and part of that is keyboarding skills. This latest typing project involved kids having a little fun with the Green-Screen. They had to write and type up a Mini Movie Script or Trailer. Once they had their movie script turned in they could record their scenes in front of the Green-Screen. This project was a fun way of incorporating typing skills and speaking skills.

We used the Green-Screen App Veescope Live Full version. Student recorded each scene using the app. Their recordings were saved automatically to their camera roll. Once they had finished recording their scenes they dragged and dropped their scenes in the iMovie app. With a little creativity their written mini movie script became a fun video.

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.

AugThat's Ambassador Program....

Some Expectations:All Ambassadors are able and encouraged to:

Exciting NEWS:

Bringing Learning to Life with Augmented Reality....

Augmented Reality - IN THE CLASSROOM

Resources:

Getting Organized with Symbaloo....

Some Symbaloo Board Ideas:

Resources:

Portable Mini Green-Screen....

Project Ideas:

Tips:

App / Tool of the Week .... EduCrate

Tips:

Some Crates:

App / Tool of the Week .... Actively Learn

Going Beyond a Simple Textbook....

eBook:

Creating AR with the Daqri 4D Studio....

Presentations/Resources:

Become a Superhero in Your Classroom with AR....

Exploring Coding.....

Resources:

Coding Apps:

Making Our Mark ....

Resources:

Reflection of FetC 2014 ....

Some Take Away Resources:

Moving Out of the Lab....

Pros for a Lab:

Cons for a Lab:

How Educators Can Connect and Learn the Tech:

My Personal Learning Network: Just to name a few

App / Tool of the Week - PocketCloud ....

Steps to Set up the PocketCloud:

On your iPad:

Tech Tips:

Dreaming with My Eyes Wide OPEN....

App / Tool of the Week .... Livebinders

Things You Can Add to Your Binder:

Ways to Use Livebinders:

Example of a Digital Portfolio:

App / Tool of the Week .... Google Draw

My Edublog Awards Nominations for 2013 ....

My Nominations for this years Edublog Awards:

A Little Green-Screen Fun....

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

Some Expectations:
All Ambassadors are able and encouraged to:

My Personal Learning Network:

Just to name a few