IHMS Tech Tips

SYNC is a free audiobook program for teens.  Starting April 25th and through August 1st, two audio books a week will be available to download for free through  the website .  The books are completely free, high-interest, and based on a weekly theme. Here is a list of the titles that are being released this summer. Be sure to sign up on the website or send a text to get alerted to new titles that are released.

OpenEd.com is a free website from the ACT Academy that pulls content and resources from a variety of reputable sites.  Signing up is simple and syncs with your Google account.  When you register, you can select the grade and subject you teach as well as linking some textbooks.  You also have the option to specify which standard you'd like your lesson to focus on.  You can choose from the Resource Library based on subject, grade, or standard, or you can create your own lesson.  You can also choose the type of lesson your student(s) will receive. Rosters are uploaded from Google Classroom, and lessons can be assigned to all students or a select few for differentiation and extra practice. Students are given immediate feedback on how they do, and if they miss any questions, they are provided with videos and extra resources to reteach the missed content.  Teachers can also see immediate results on student work. Watch this brief overview...

Synth is a free website where you or your students can record 256 second soundbytes (micropodcasting).  The concept is much like the audio-only version of Flipgrid .  Signing up is easy and syncs with your Google account.  Students have to acknowledge whether or not they are over 16, so some of the features you will see will differ from their view due to age restrictions.  Explore and Feed which are open source are unavailable for our students to view. To create a recording, click the red plus button and then start.  You have a maximum of 256 seconds to record and also have the option of adding some sound effects to your recording.  If you toggle transcription to the on position, Synth will attempt to transcribe your audio.  It isn't perfect, so the transcriptions are editable. In order for students to access your recording, they first need to create their account with Google (see above).  You can post the link to your podcast rec...

PBS Learning Media is very similar to what Learn360 offers.  " Resources are aligned to Common Core and national standards and include videos and interactives, as well as audio, documents, and in-depth lesson plans. You can browse by standards, grade level, subject area, and special collections. You can also  favorite  and  share  resources with your class and colleagues."  The Dashboard offers highlighted resources for different subject areas. Creating an account is simple and free for both students and teachers.  Teachers have the capability to create folders and post assignments. Here are some of the features of PBS Learning Media: Puzzle Builder:  Design custom word searches or crossword puzzles to review vocabulary or other content. Lesson Builder:  C ombine many of PBS' features such as video, images, and text to save to one location.  Share your lessons with colleagues and save them to favorites to reuse. Storybo...