IHMS Tech Tips

I have previously blogged about the benefits of using screencasts, but I wanted to delve deeper into one specific tool and how it could benefit you and your classroom: Screencastify. Some suggestions for using Screencastify in your classroom: Sub plans!  Create a Google Slideshow and talk your students through the lesson for the day.  Students can watch from Google Classroom on their own computers. Absent students:  If you use a slideshow to teach your daily lessons anyway, screen record it one time while you are teaching and post it for any absent students to view from home. Flipped classroom:  Create your slideshow and record yourself teaching the lesson.  Post as homework for students to watch and then use the following day for reteach and support. Student projects:  Students can add the Chrome extension as well and do a flipped version of a presentation.  Students can watch others' independently or as a class. Feedback:  Screen re...

I know many of you are familiar with or have used Flipgrid in your classrooms. If you are not, please refer to this previous blog post to see what a cool tool it is for your students. The Flipgrid community has been buzzing lately with the newest way to use it...a Fliphunt! It's a great tool for formative assessments.  Students can work individually or in small groups to show their understanding of a concept or a procedure. I could see Fliphunts being especially useful at the beginning of the year to engage students and address things like textbook orientation, how to sign out of the classroom, how to fill out their planner, where to find information about your class (homework, what to do when you're absent, teacher contact info, etc.)  I'm going to start working on one for library orientation information to use next year. To create a Fliphunt: First sign in or create your Flipgrid account.   Then, create a task document in Google Docs around your...

There are many uses for screencasts in the classroom both for teachers and students, and there are also several websites/programs you can use to create them. Here are a few: 1. QuickTime Player QuickTime comes loaded on all Macbooks.  Hit command+space bar and search "QuickTime" to open it.  While there is no menu that opens, you should see the "QuickTime Player" menu in the upper right of your screen.  Choose File --> New Screen Recording.  Push the record button when you are ready to start.  QuickTime will record your entire screen, so make sure you only have up and open what you want to be recorded.  Test your volume and make sure that, if you want audio included in your recording, you can hear it sufficiently. 2. Screencastify Screencastify is a free Chrome extension that has a few more features than QuickTime.  Add the extension from the website or Chrome Web Store .  This extension allows you to record your entire screen/desk...

Flipgrid is a video discussion platform for students:  "Don’t just ask a question. Expand their world and ignite a discussion! Foster previous experiences, share a booktalk, discuss current projects and events, delve deep into STEAM ideas, or collaborate on anything. If you believe it’s valuable for students to verbalize their learning processes ... that’s a Flipgrid Topic! You can moderate videos, provide custom feedback, set the privacy rules, and more." To get started with Flipgrid: Create an account at  https://info.flipgrid.com/  (It's free!) From the Dashboard, choose "New Grid" and follow the prompts Keep in mind that you can only do one topic/grid at a time at the free level.   To have multiple (prompts) running at once, you'd have to get the $$ version, however, you could use the same grid/prompt across all of your classes. You can get access to unlimited grids if you take the super simple Flipgrid certification exam (about 10 questio...

We've talked about how to use WebEx for contacting parents, and I know some of you have used it for PLCs, but it is also a great tool to use with your students in the classroom or away from the classroom.  We are all aware of the trouble with AirPlay.  Using WebEx is a way to avoid having to use AirPlay in the first place.  With WebEx, students are viewing your screen on their Macbook in real time. Here's how to use WebEx: Instructor Load WebEx with the following link using Google Chrome:  smsd.webex.com  . Log in via the link in the top right corner of the page Click the green 'Start Meeting' button This will launch the Cisco Webex Meeting Center application Click on the 'Meeting Info' tab Take note of the meeting number, as you will need to provide this to your students Post the the number in Google Classroom, or simply write it on the board Once your students have all joined the meeting session, go to the 'Quick Start' tab and click ...

"HyperDocs are digital lessons that you give to students for engaging, inquiry-based learning..."  They may look/sound like a digital worksheet, but they are so much more than that.  Hyperdocs are very similar to web quests if you are at all familiar with those and are a great example of app-smashing . Click  here  for some samples of Hyperdocs by subject area.  Below is a math example: There is no set formula for making one, but there is some basic criteria and a link to templates . Hyperdocs should have: Links to additional sources: Ex. YouTube, Google Forms/Slides, other websites Tasks: Ex. Watch this video and create a Google Doc/QuickTime video reteaching the lesson in your own words Having a Hyperdoc posted in Google Classroom is a great tool to leave for substitutes or to use in your flipped classroom.

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...

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Skype, but there are also lots of other free video conferencing websites that you can integrate into your classrooms.  Soon, our district will be launching a similar site to Skype through WebEx/Spark.  This will allow you to more easily communicate with colleagues, students, and parents.   Edumemic gives some reasons why you might want to consider using video conferencing in your classroom: Use it to collaborate with other classrooms:  Whether it's another classroom across the district or across the world, use a video conference to connect with other students that have a different background.  Think about what you could do in foreign language or with a classroom that's studying the same novel.   Use it to conduct expert interviews:   Authors, philanthropists, historians, you name it.  Set up a video conference with them.  It's more convenient than finding a time that works for everyone and maybe even...

The Google Cultural Institute is a collection of online exhibitions including video, images, and text. Their goal is to preserve and promote this important primary sources.  The site "includes (and increasingly subsumes) the Google Art Project , which features high-resolution images of artworks from museums in over 40 countries; the World Wonders Project, which presents three-dimensional recreations of world heritage sites; and archival exhibitions, many in partnership with museums around the world."   You can find primary sources for countless historical events and figures and take virtual tours of well-known landmarks like Machu Picchu or the Museum of Modern Art. You can search for items in a variety of ways (see right). I could see this being used for a flipped classroom or to supplement your current lessons. Students could find historical places mentioned in stories or research famous artwork seen in textbooks. Students could create a gallery of sources to ...

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talks are a popular way for people to share their knowledge and ideas on any given topic.  The Talks are 18 minutes or less and consist of one person on a stage, sharing their thoughts.  Using TED Talks in the classroom is a great way to spark conversation among students.  " Talks work best when teachers use them to give perspective and to generate discussion around difficult topics.  TED Talks make us pause and listen to the percolation of ideas—art, engineering, technology, the humanities, spoken word and more. TED Talks aren’t like Wikipedia articles—yes, they contain information, but at their best, they actually spark a conversation. They can be used to bring diverse voices, questions, and even conflict into classroom  discussions ”   (Cucinotta). TED-Ed is a valuable resource if you want to start integrating Ted into your classroom.  You can filter your search query in a variety of ways and fin...

"In a  2014 article  published in the  International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology , Tiffany P. Hogan and others review the significant amount of research that indicates that “listening comprehension becomes the dominating influence on reading comprehension,” especially as children grow older."   Podcasting is audioblogging or audio broadcasting via the internet.  Students are responding so well to podcasts in the classroom because they are framed in a conversational tone, unlike audio books.   Listenwise is a site that houses shorter podcasts for student listening.  You log in with your Google account, and can search by content area or keyword to find a podcast to fit your curricular needs.  It even has a link where students can test their listening skills via Socrative.  Links to podcasts can also be posted to Google Classroom using the Listenwise feature: The site also has graphic organizers to correlate to each podc...