IHMS Tech Tips

" Plickers is a powerfully simple tool that lets teachers collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices."  The prep work is minimal, and students will be fully engaged during your lesson or review as they don't need their device in front of them!  The only required equipment would be your iPad. Plickers can be used to check for understanding throughout a lesson, as an assessment, or as a tool to spark curiosity and prior knowledge, much like a Blind Kahoot . Teachers will first want to sign up for a Plickers account.   Signing up is free and you can do so by connecting to your Google account. After signing up, you will be taken through a quick tutorial of the different menu buttons.  Teachers will create a class for each class period they teach, and print one set of Plickers cards for the whole day. A close up of a card shows that, depending on the direction you hold the card, a different answer will be submit...

A GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a compressed image.  Think an animated version of a meme.  " A single gif file can feature multiple frames which are displayed in succession in order to create an animated clip, these can either be looped endlessly or just stop at the end of the sequence.  We tend to use animated gifs today as "Reaction Gifs", they act as fun replies for conversations on apps like Facebook Messenger" or via texting (The Sun).  Ask anyone how to pronounce GIF and you will get a variety of answers.  Luckily you're reading this, so you can decide for yourself. Most likely, your students are already using GIFs in their daily communication. Incorporating them into the classroom is another way to engage the students as well as teach curriculum.   Blogger and teacher, Kimberly Snodgrass, uses GIFs " to learn a new concept, to solidify a point, or to assess understanding. The cool thing about them is that they bring static i...

Wonderopolis is a website created by the National Center for Families Learning.  It houses thousands and thousands of Wonders of the Day.  Every day, a new Wonder is posted. I could see this site being used for bell work or as an extension activity: Have students find a Wonder of the Day based on your lesson/topic for the week. When students select the Wonder of the Day or use the search function to find Wonders based on their keywords and curiosity, they are taken to a full page of learning on that topic.  Students can read the text or have it read to them.  There is a list of Wonder Words that delves into the vocabulary from that article.  Once students have hovered over a Wonder Word and read the text, they can take a Wonder Word Challenge.  There is a separate challenge to set their comprehension of the article.  There are follow up questions, activities, and suggested Wonders of the Day that are related.  Students can also comme...

Classroom Screen was created by a teacher in the Netherlands because he couldn't find all the tools he needed for his classroom in one place.  It's a website that displays multiple widgets at a time; ideal for bell work, exit tickets, group work, and more. The widgets available are: Traffic light (think Macbook usage) Timer Stopwatch Clock & calendar Work symbols (ex. talk to your partner, work silently, etc.) Drawing tools QR code generator Classroom noise level Random name picker Dice See them in action here: All of these options are available on the website where you can upload your own background or choose from one of the stock photos.  Think about when you have multiple groups working and they need separate instructions: divide the webpage in half and use different widgets for each group.   I can see this website being used for students when they come in to journal or complete bell work and then for the end of class with action ...

InsertLearning is a Chrome extension that lets you turn websites, Google Docs/Slides, or PDFs into interactive lessons, and it is the perfect companion to your blended learning lesson plans.   Click here to give it a try or watch the tutorial below: To start using InsertLearning, visit the website and simply click "Add to Chrome" and you will see it appear in your toolbar.  Sign in using your school Google account info and follow the prompts for a short tutorial. With InsertLearning, you can highlight text, insert a question or a discussion topic, add sticky notes with links to outside sources (YouTube, etc.), and more.  All of this can be done on any website, Google Doc, PDF, etc.!! If you find a news article or other resource, you can click on the Chrome extension to make it interactive and then add it to Google Classroom. You can search by keyword and explore the Dashboard for already-created content or create your own lessons*.  Resources to ...

I did a blog post last year about our video streaming service, Learn360.  Click here to read all about it.  Learn360 has thousands and thousands of video available to you for use in the classroom. You can search by grade level, content area, keyword, producers (ex. A&E), etc.  These videos are a great way to supplement lessons, use as an extension activity, or to leave as a lesson for a substitute.  A new feature that Learn360 has added is a seamless way to add videos to Google Classroom. To use this new feature, first visit Learn360 on the web. 1. Log in using our school generic login (see email from today's Tech Tip of the Week for username/password).  Remember that this is a school-wide login, so please don't try and reset the password. ;) 2. After you've logged in, search for a video you'd like to use in your classroom.  Below that video, choose "Share." 3. Select Google Classroom, then choose which class you'd like. 4. Decid...

Nearpod  is a free, interactive online teaching tool.  Common Sense Media says: "Teachers can use Nearpod effectively in the classroom to support student learning in a variety of ways. Give students opportunities for interaction and immediate feedback by having them draw on a map, respond to a poll question, post to a collaboration board, or take a multiple-choice quiz. Bring the world to your classroom by incorporating virtual reality and 360° views into your slides. Help students review key concepts through watching videos or reviewing notes. Teach elementary and middle school students how to use technology effectively, or use high-quality BBC videos to enhance lessons.. ." With Nearpod you can: Create interactive lessons in minutes: Integrate already made Slides, PowerPoints, photos, videos, etc. into one lesson Easily download pre-made lessons by using the Explore tool Synchronize and control lessons (think Kahoot) Evaluate students responses live or afte...