Monday, March 30, 2015

Explain Everything PDF to iBooks to Teacher Google Drive Folder

In the past, anatomy students used multiple Skitch images for annotating the flow of blood through the heart. This required students to transfer all of the individual images to one per Google Slide.

This year, we decided to use Explain Everything and only the image annotation.  No audio involved.  Exporting the creation using the PDF to iBooks and Google Drive allows for the teacher to receive a "slide show" as is shown at the end of the the video presentation below.

Fixing Saving Error Message Explain Everything

Educator's Guide To Periscope & Meerkat

Facebook. Vine. Twitter. Instagram. Snapchat.

The list above contains all social media tools that our students use and that school employees know about.  It is the job of parents and educators to educate our students as to the positives and negatives.

Enter Periscope & Meerkat

These social media apps were introduced to the masses as early as last Thursday.  While Periscope and Meerkat aim to have people stream live video of breaking news, as with any social media app, negative uses may occur. Knowing the features of the tools can better help parents, staff, and students be know what the apps can do.

Periscope and Meerkat are essentially the same tech tool.  Via an iPhone or iPad (currently not available for Android), "broadcasters" can live stream anything they want.  This can be done publicly or privately based on settings. With Periscope, hearts (likes) and viewer questions and comments can be displayed as the live stream is occurring.  Each video can be archived for viewing later complete with hearts and comments.

Since Periscope's release, Meerkat is already fading even after $14 million in funding on the App Store "top downloads" list.  Periscope was purchased by Twitter for somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 -$100 million even before its release.

Because of this, Periscope will be the further focus of this blog post.


Some "need to know" features of Periscope.
  • Replay - When the broadcast is over, viewers can watch it later. Currently replays only last 24 hours.  The replay can be deleted by the broadcaster at any time.
  • Private - Pressing the lock icon allows for the broadcaster to choose the audience
  • Twitter - By tapping the bird icon, a live link will be shared on Twitter
  • Manage Notifications - Turning on will give provide a notification that people that a user is following has started a broadcast
  • Hearts - Giving hearts to a broadcast or receiving hearts determines the "likes" of a stream



Educator Use:

  • Broadcast live a field trip
  • Broadcast live a lesson
  • Broadcast live a school event, for example: academic event, sporting event
  • Broadcast live graduation
  • Broadcast live events (Goody Triathlon)
  • Broadcast unique lessons
  • Broadcast how to lessons such as foods, woods, metals, or autos 
Please also be aware of copyright and live streaming.
Appropriate for education

Periscope and Meerkat can be used in a positive way for many reasons.  Knowing the features and purposes of these apps, may help teach students the proper use of these new, technology tools.

*Not sure this will catch on? Riff was just released that allows same video creation features, but with a collaboration feature. (Multiple people making videos at the same time)

Business Use of Periscope
***Katch and Keep all your Periscope broadcasts!



Monday, March 23, 2015

Snapguide: How To Make...Tool

Snapguide has been a tech tool for a few years.

I have not had a reason to use it until Mrs. Moehr, FACS teacher, presented me with "Is there a technology tool that can create a step by step guide to demonstrate creating a garnish for a food?" View the complete project

Enter Snapguide.

While Snapguide is web based, the iPad and Snapguide App is truly the tool that makes the entire process quite simple.

After thinking through the Mrs. Moehr's project requirements, I decided Heavenly Mint Dessert would be perfect for an Andes Mint garnish and a great example using Snapguide.

The final product viewed on the web looks like a scrollable poster.  Embedding the Snapguide is also available with custom creation of the "highlight color" and size of embed.

Check out How to Create Andes Mints Garnish for Heavenly Dessert. by Recess Duty on Snapguide.

While taking pictures from the internet for a Snapguide is an option, I found it was challenging to find the exact steps in pictures that I wanted.  After creating an account for the first time using the iPad, small tutorial bubbles of help text will be displayed.

Taking the pictures prior to creating the Snapguide proved to be effective as I was able to click on all of the pictures in my sequence at one time.  


If a web browser is available, the same process exists for creating a Snapguide.  It is possible to drag and drop multiple images into the Snapguide on the computer.  The images will be placed in the order in which they were on the computer.

After screen shotting each step of the next example on the iPad, I uploaded the images to Google Drive so that I could download them on my computer.  Snapguide needed to have the images be a .jpg.  I needed to convert the images from a .png file which was accomplished in a few steps.
My second Snapguide provides step by step directions to create more storage on an iPad.

Check out How to Create More Storage on Your iOS Device. by Recess Duty on Snapguide.

To complete the project, a Google Form has been created to acquire the web links associated with each Snapguide.  In addition, students will have the opportunity to create appropriate comments on peers' creations.  Again, this will be a great opportunity to for teachable moments on appropriate digital citizenship.

*No "under 13" age restrictions allows for all grade levels to use this tech tool for creating step by step tutorials.

Snapguide Ideas For Content Areas
  • Social Studies: How to understand (any event in history)
  • Science: How to create (a certain lab)
  • Math: How to create (an answer with the Quadratic Formula) or any math concept
  • English: How to create (a well written paragraph)
  • FACS: How to create (any food item)
  • Autos: How to change (a tire) or related activity
  • Woods: How to make (a chalkboard cabinet door)
  • Art: How to draw (a face) or anything
  • Foreign Language: How to write (a proper sentence)
  • ELL: Choose a Snapguide and read through the steps while viewing related images
Upon completion of using Snapguide, students had some completed products.

VIEW THEM  Visit Mrs. Moehr's Blog Post

View how students used the Snapguide as a reference while creating the garnishes.



Monday, March 9, 2015

Facilitate Classroom Discussion Using LetsGeddit and Google Forms

***Received email today (3-14-15) that Lets Geddit is shutting down July 1.  Unfortunate, because it is (was) a great classroom tool.

Let's Geddit

The feature of Geddit that may attract teachers to it is the "confidence" feature.  After students answer the question(s), students must rank their level of confidence in answering the question.

Students will use the Geddit App on an iPad or iPhone, while teachers will use Let's Geddit.
View set up and interaction from the teacher's perspective and the student's perspective in the same tutorial.


Teacher and co founder of Geddit, Justin Mann, explains how it works:


Setting Up A Teacher Account, Student Interaction, & Data Analysis


Google Forms

Creating questions prior to class or during class as the content progresses is a tremendous way for analyzing understanding.
Certain features of Geddit do not exist in Google Forms with such ease, such as conversations with the students.


Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Toontastic iPad App For Social Studies

Mr. Rodal, social studies teacher, wanted a "Show What You Know" tool so that students understand the process of resolving conflicts through conversation in an organized manner.

Many video tutorials exist for the Toontastic App


However, presenting a video to students may be too long or not personal.  I created a presentation using one of the 24 unique Google Slide templates from Slides Carnival.

Presentation Link


In year two of this project and in the flex mod, students will be introduced to the idea in Lab 1 (60 minutes) on Monday.  Students will receive the printed words from the picture at the top of this blog along with a Toontastic Storyboard which was created in Google Docs and with Google Draw.  On Tuesday during small group (30 minutes) students will view the presentation on how the app works.  On Wednesday in Lab 2 (60 minutes) students will complete the Toontastic project and export the final movie to Google Drive and share it with their instructor using Canvas.




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