IHMS Tech Tips

Readsy  is a free website that " help[s] you skim large amounts of text by focusing your eyes on one word at a time without having to move them."   It was created by a computer science undergrad at Princeton.  Readsy is a great tool for struggling readers or others that get overwhelmed by a lot of text at one time.  Retention and comprehension should not be affected. To get started with Readsy, visit the site and have some text in mind to use, or you can choose a sample and Readsy will choose text for you.  You can copy and paste a URL (news article, blog post, etc.), copy and paste text (Google Doc writing sample, or student work), type into the site itself, or upload a file.  Once you have copied/pasted or uploaded your text, click "Readsy". Readsy defaults to 300 wpm, but you can adjust that speed to be slower or faster as needed. Here is a two-minute overview of Readsy in action: Next week, we will talk about the companion w...

Formative is an assessment site that we have used in staff meetings in the past.  "F ormative  is a web assessment tool that works on any device. it allows teachers to create assignments, collect data, and provide feedback to students in real-time." Signing up is simple and syncs with your Google account.  You only need to create an account if you want to create your own Formatives or use the library.  Students do not need an account. There are 1000s of pre-made Formatives in the public library.  You can search by keyword, grade level, and standard.   Formatives can be in a variety of question formats with a few different assignment types.  You can upload pictures or PDFs for students to reference while taking their assessment.  There's even a "show your work" question type that allows students to draw a response.  I could see using the Wacom tablets for this to show student work in math, to have students draw on a m...

Shout out to Jamilyn for this amazing site!  Trello is a website for organization comprised of lists.  Think Google Keep, but better!! Signing up is free and syncs with your Google account.  Boards can be personal or shared as a team.  Anyone that has signed up for Trello can access team boards. Within the boards, you can create cards/tasks (to-do, doing, done, etc.).  You can add files, due dates, create checklists, and labels.  You can move the cards around as tasks are completed. Here is what a sample board looks like: Use Trello with students to plan research projects, organize writing, or as a homework tool. Click this link for a Trello tutorial or watch this video:

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...

The Learning Network is a derivative of the NY Times.  "Every school day since 1998, we have offered fresh classroom resources — from lesson plans and writing prompts to news quizzes, student contests and more — all based on the articles, essays, photos, videos and graphics published on NYTimes.com. All of our features for students are free, and we hear from thousands of teenagers around the world each week. So whether the students you know are interested in politics or pop culture, science or sports, fashion, food or foreign affairs, invite them here to join the conversation." Some of the site's features: articles and questions Use the "Article of the Day" for bell work, as an exit ticket, or for enrichment writing prompts Use the daily student opinion question to spark discussion current events crosswords weekly film club contests lesson plans ( Teachers can access and use up to five lesson plans each month.) There really is way too...

Twitter is" an online news and social networking site where people communicate in short messages called tweets."   Many people use Twitter to follow sports, news, celebrities, etc., but is an amazing educational and professional resource as well.  I get a lot of my blog ideas by following #edtech on Twitter.   To create a Twitter account, watch this video.  It's a little long (29 minutes), so check out the time stamps in the video description via YouTube. Follow your colleagues that are already on Twitter: David Case: @Mr_DCase Terry Byfield: @TyBy3 Jeremy Wayne: @knightscitech Rachel Basden: @IHMSJournalism Elyse Biggs: @IHMS_MrsBiggs Hayden Ferguson: @hhbooklady Pam Thomas: @ihthomas78 Andrew Gagnon:   @coachgagnon00 Nick Dailey: @misterdailey Indian Hills: @IHKnights IH Athletics: @ihlaudem PTA: @IndianHillsPTA Here is a possibly outdated post about using social media in the classroom.  Read this ar...

Kapwing (pronounced ka-pwing) is " an online video creation and editing platform for modern creators.   Our online video editing suite includes the web’s m ost popular  meme maker ,   subtitler ,  trimmer ,   looper ,   filters , and more. You can make   stop motions , share highlights, or  resize  a post for your Instagram Story. It's  free  and always will be." Kapwing can be used to create: memes subtitles highlight reels stop motion videos edited videos Students can use Kapwing to demonstrate their knowledge without using ye olde slideshow.  Teachers can use Kapwing to enhance videos they already use or create new teaching content.  Visit the Resources pages for helpful tutorials or project ideas.