Thank You Mrs. Wideen! - Some terrific ideas for using technology in the classroom!

I happened upon Mrs. Wideen's Blog today and found several terrific posts! Her post from Saturday, Different Ways to Generate Ideas Using Technology , shows how she has used Popplet and Padlet (with Chirp) and Write About. Take a look at her examples!


The other one I explored was her post from September - 6 Ready to Go iPad Centers! Here she has links so you can download them and use them the next day!

• The first one uses the app Write About which has a free version. The "write about" can be sent to the Camera Roll as a picture and/or students could record themselves reading their "write about." From there, the possibilities for sharing are endless!
• The second one is a fluency station using Audioboo - also free. I would suggest that you check your settings and not allow location services and teach students not to upload their own photograph. We have developed a similar workstation. Here are links to our documents. Workstation and Rubric   There is also an Audioboo app in the Edmodo store - $4.99 for unlimited use with your groups. I think it might be a little more secure, but I don't yet have experience with it.
• The third one uses the Pocket Zoo app. The app costs $2.99 and looks really cool. If you don't have the money to spend, I'm wondering if you could find some free animal cams - such as this one, and still use her recording sheet (or create your own)!
• The fourth one is a math center using the Draw and Tell app. It costs $1.99. Again, if looking for free, I think you could create a similar experience using EDUcreations, ScreenChomp or ShowMe.
• The fifth one uses a recording of The Napping House by Audrey Wood from YouTube. I don't know how she had the YouTube app going directly to the recording, but you could use a QR code reader app to scan a QR code you had made or create a "web clip" to the recording. Then, the students use Explain Everything, a $1.99 purchase by you could also use EDUcreations, ScreenChomp or ShowMe.
• The sixth station is a measurement station (non-standard measurement) and uses Explain Everything as well.

Thanks again to Mrs.Wideen for sharing. How can you modify or tweak her workstations to work for you and your students? Please share your ideas below!

Google in Education Online Courses

Google has released several self-paced online courses designed to help you meet your teaching and learning

goals. For teachers in Spring Branch, the following courses would be most beneficial:
Google Drive for Educators
Chrome and Chromebooks for Education
Internet 101

By registering for the course, you can track course progress and take the assessment(s).
To received district PD credit for taking the course, simply request out of district credit in Workshop and attach documentation.