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17 May 2013
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Appy Birthday @MrHooker – Thinglink style

It’s Carl’s Birthday (@mrhooker) and I’ll blog if I want to… blog if I want to. No, but seriously, today is Carl’s birthday (aka my boss – aka #bigdeal). What better way to celebrate than with a Thinglink from all of the iVengers and his Twitter friends with all of their digital well wishes and sentiment. (This is adapted from an idea I saw in a previous Pinterest pin).

If you would like to join in on the app-thusiasm, complete the form below…

Share your app-thusiasm for Carl!

And with that … Appy Friday! Stay tuned next week for a reflection blog on this year of 1:1 iPad.

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

1,000+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!

Come visit me at ISTE 2013!

13 May 2013
Comments: 1

Naturally, Natural iResources

Naturally, I am always thrilled to share student-creations. Today I am even more excited to share three versions of a similar project. The beauty of the iPad is that the device builds in the capacity for differentiated learning and personalization of products.

All three of the classes below focused their instruction on resources (e.g natural and energy) … in a variety of ways.

Lisa Carnazzo’s second grade class (@CarnazzosClass) used the Pic Collage app to showcase how they use natural resources in their everyday life (more examples on their class wiki). Check out a few other iLessons from the creative Carnazzo iClassroom!

Natural Resources with Pic Collage app (2nd Grade Carnazzo's Class)

Greathouses’s 6th grade class (@scienceswag1) used the Flowboard app to display their research findings on energy resources (more examples here). Check out a few other iLessonsfrom the app-tastic Greathouse!

Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources w/ Flowboard app (6th grade Greathouse's Class)

Verret’s 6th grade class (@MrsVerret) used the Strip Designer appto debate the advantages and disadvantages of 9 different energy resources. As the 6th and 7th grade students have only had their iPads for the last 7-8 weeks, I was very curious as to classroom teacher’s impressions of the app-tivities achieved with them. Verret shared that teachers:

“have struggled in the past to come up with a fun activity to satisfy their TEK (yes, we are one of the few states that are not Common Core) for researching and debating the advantages and disadvantages of 9 different energy resources. (They’ve) tried everything from a verbal debate to writing a persuasive essay. With 6^th graders, both of those are a bit much. Having 1:1 iPads enabled (teachers) to come up with some other ideas for this requirement.”

She went on to describe the app-tivity in further detail:

“Students first used their devices for research, and then applied their findings to create projects using the Strip Designer app. Using their creativity to convince the reader which energy resource was best and worst was the main requirement. When that was fulfilled, students inserted more pages to highlight the other resources’ advantages and disadvantages. The (Strip Designer) app was wonderful to use for both the creative student and the student whose strengths lie elsewhere. Inserting text and photos was easy to do, and the app was intuitive enough for those students who wanted to explore and tweak the pre-made templates.”

Advantages & Disadvantages of energy resources with Strip Designer app (6th grade Verret's Class)

Advantages & Disadvantages of energy resources w/ Strip Designer app (6th grade Verret's Class)

I simply must say that I feel so blessed to work with such amazingly articulate and innovative educators that share creative pedagogically sound instructional resources. And on that note, Verret was gracious enough to share her grading rubric for this particular project.

Verret's iPad Rubric for Strip Designer Project

As student products become more and more prevalent in the iClassroom, the focus on instructionally sound ways to evaluate these products will continue to be a need. If you have created an iPad product rubric or a rubric for a iClassroom project, please share! Email lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com.

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

1,000+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!

Come visit me at ISTE 2013!

10 May 2013
Comments: 1

Sharing Student App-thusiasm

I think I am going to devote an entire blog series to the topic of “ideas I had from a pin”. Many times I find a pin that sparks an idea. The pin itself may not have been exactly what I would replicate… but the idea takes on a path and journey of its own.

So, in honor of all of the teachers and educators who follow this blog, I thought I would share and adapt a pin that I found two days ago. A truly sentimental and adorable idea a photographer mother shared. Her daughter was turning 8 and the class used the SMART board to list one adjective that described the birthday girl. I can only imagine how special and uplifting this was for the child as well as touching for the mother. The final product was the picture of the child with all of the adjectives floating around her. Truly, what an amazing keepsake!

App-tastic idea shared from TSJ Photography blog

Of course, this naturally got me thinking about how this sentiment could be achieved on the iPad…

Skitch or Popplet: Students could take a photo of themselves on their iPad and use the Skitch or Popplet app to have each child add an adjective about them.
Croak it: Students can then use the Croak.it app to briefly explain why they used that adjective (perfect for an anecdotal story)
Thinglink: The Skitch photo could be uploaded to Thinglink and then each Croak.it audio file could be linked to the adjective it details. OR, students could just upload the Skitch or Popplet photo and use it as an ePortfolio and link some of their best work to the photo (e.g. podcasts, documents, videos, etc…)
Book Creator or Strip Designer: Students could also take each Skitch or Popplet photo and create a page for each student as a final class book.

This idea could also be adapted for a teacher or co-worker. Each teacher could contribute adjectives for the student or all of the students could contribute adjectives for a teacher. Or teachers could take a picture of the classroom and have each student use the Croak.it app to detail their favorite memory and then Thinkglink all of the audio files to the class image.

Dads, if you are reading this, what an adorable idea for your kids to create for their mom 😉

Clearly, there are also curricular connections to this idea (e.g. dynamic and static character traits for fictional or historical characters).

And one more… I know this is created on a whiteboard, but this could very well be achieved with Padlet or a pass around Popplet app-tivity. What a most excellent end-of-year app-tivity!

As I hadn’t time to actually produce an example of this, I would love to see your adaptations of these ideas. If you decide to take on this challenge, email me at lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com with a brief description of what you did and the final example and I will feature it on next week’s blog! Note, make sure you have full rights to publish the product you send.

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

1,000+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!

06 May 2013
Comments: 1

Showcasing Content Trailers with iMovie

Have been very impressed with all of the iMovie trailers that have been flooding the web. Decided to compile multiple student-created examples and a few staff creations using Smore. Grab some popcorn and enjoy! Scroll to the bottom of the page to find 6 iMovie trailer PDF templates perfect for storyboarding.

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

998+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!

03 May 2013
Comments: 1

7 Peripherals and Accessories I Love!

A recent text from my hubby prompted the following post. As you may or may not know, I am a bit of a gadget fanatic. I love tinkering with the latest and greatest and then providing feedback to vendors, as well as options to teachers for the best tools for their classroom.

I picked up the Versacase at a recent conference. While I loved the idea of it, I am more mobile with my iPad as I travel between classrooms and campuses and I prefer not to have my iPad “naked”. As my husband has more of a desk job and he opts for a slimmer case over my Trident Kraken, I asked him to take the stand with him and give me some feedback on what he thought as he does many of his presentations from his iPad and works between his iPad and PC at work.

He sent me the following pic via text a few weeks ago and shared that he really loved the features and flexibility of the devices and had received many compliments on it. This prompted me to consider sharing a few more of my beloved gadgets and accessories.

Versacase for iPad

Below is a Listly of 7 of my favorite accessories and gadgets. While the USB car charger may sound obvious, I have to tell you, it has been such a lifesaver. As I am always looking for the next best gadget that I simply must have or need… I would love to hear from you. Please add your favorite iPad related gadgets to the Listly as well.

Peripherals and Accessories I Love

View more lists from Lisa Johnson

If you are interested in the mother load of accessories, peripherals, and assistive technology, you app-solutely have to visit Lauren S. Enders’ Pinterest board which can be described as nothing short of mind-blowing!

Lauren S. Enders' Pinterest board

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

980+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

iPadpalooza 2013 Sold Out!! – Check out the Last Chance Video Contest (Due May 5th)!

Spots still available for my “iProductivity” workshop at ISTE 2013

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!

23 Apr 2013
Comments: 3

History by the E-book

I am pleased to share another amazingly creative student-led project from Tanna Fiske’s class at Hill Country Middle School in collaboration with Ms. Crowley’s and Ms. Root’s Bridge Point third grade classes.

8th grade students composed books using the Book Creator and Scrap Pad apps based on historical topics covered this year. The books took on a familiar repetitive children’s storybook theme to make the concepts easier to digest and comprehend for their 3rd grade audience.

Once the framework of the book was set, 8th grade students used a Google Doc to provide Bridge Point 3rd grade students with a list of images they would need to complete the book. On the day of the field trip, the whole project really came together.

The two videos below will give you a better idea of how the project was achieved and what the final ePub looked like.

If you are interested in what other digital delights are being cooked up by Fiske’s class iClassroom, visit their blog. Additionally, the Bridge Point iVenger, Marianna Husain, has been dishing out campus iLearning successes on the Bridge Point blog. It is a delightful read and will surely present you with some iRecipes to use in your own iClassroom.

And what do you know? You are in for a real treat… the ePubs are now available for you to download and thoroughly digest!

Fiske's History ePub Collaborative Project

Want more examples of student publishing in the iClassroom, download the “Student-Created Books” iTunes U course.

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

920+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

iPadpalooza 2013 Sold Out!! – Check out the Last Chance Video Contest (Due May 5th)!

HCMS Site Visit May 8th – Now Available!

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!

22 Apr 2013
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Pinterest in the iClassroom

Recently I happed upon a cleverly created integration of Bloom’s Taxonomy and Pinterest from the folks at Teachbytes. And as if fated, the same week, I had a conversation with a fabulous theater arts and film teacher, Sarah Yurko, who had shared how she is using Pinterest with her secondary students. Fascinated by the boards and ideas she shared, I asked her to detail her thoughts so I could celebrate these app-tastic ideas with the greater global iClassroom.

25 Ways To Use Pinterest With Bloom’s Taxonomy from teachbytes

She mentioned she was fairly new to Pinterest, but she could see “lots of possibilities for art and performance art with it.” Sarah went on to say that she “plan(s) to use Pinterest to gather examples for lessons, collaborate with students, directly teach students, and inspire them!” and has further detailed these plans below:

1. GATHER EXAMPLES FOR LESSONS

“If I’m teaching the kids about publicity and promotional posters for theater I can use my Pinterest board as examples. It is on their iPads so they can go through and pick and choose easily which images are helpful as opposed to wasting everyone’s time with a slideshow that may not help them.”

“I love how easy it is to save YouTube videos on Pinterest. When we talk about trailers, I teach them that film makers typically release three … one for women, one for men, and one for teenagers. With Pinterest I can show all three quickly and easily without having to search for them.”

2. COLLABORATE WITH STUDENTS

“I also collaborate as a class using Pinterest. It’s so easy and doesn’t take up any class time. The kids can send me items or pictures and I can pin to a board. We used Pinterest to help inspire hair and makeup ideas for A Midsummer Nights Dream. This kind of informal information gathering also seems to really engage the kids… I was able to gather more “inspiration ideas” than ever before.”

3. TEACH

“There are always a million projects happening at once in Tech design and none of them have the same instruction. So in the past I’ve had to only speak to three or four kids at a time – roughly teaching, at minimum, eight different lessons one at a time, leaving a lot of room for boredom while kids wait their turn. Pinterest has some projects that are literally spelled out step by step so I could direct each group to their “pin” and they could teach each other and only need me for more specific instruction.”

4. INSPIRATION

“The whole reason Pinterest began was to inspire people. I love that each of my boards dedicates itself to a certain aspect of theater. If a student is really into costuming they can follow that board and hopefully it inspires them to create, design, and build costumes. The same can be said for props, sets, lights, and publicity.”

Below, I have included a link to Sarah Yurko’s app-tastically divine boards.

Mrs. Yurko's boards for Theater and Design

If you are using Pinterest with your students, I would love to hear all about. Please share your ideas and boards in the comments.

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

920+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

iPadpalooza 2013 Sold Out!! – Check out the Last Chance Video Contest (Due May 5th)!

HCMS Site Visit May 8th – Now Available!

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!

15 Apr 2013
Comments: 8

iPad Summit Nuggets

A few days ago I had the opportunity (correction… app-ortunity) to attend and present at “iPad Summit” in Atlanta. As I am reflecting on my whirlwind week this Monday am, I thought I would recap and share some of the lessons and digital nuggets discovered there. I compiled all of the nuggets and links into a Listly list and focused on the following topics:

Finally got to meet Reshan Richards (inventor of Explain Everything app) Always be Prepared for the Unexpected

Always be Prepared for the Unexpected
Collaboration is Key
Go Paperless with a Dropbox of Images
Thread Content and Online Collaboration
Showcase Student Work
There’s An App for That!
Why Students Create Learning Portfolios
Connecting and Building your PLN

[listly id=”4Hw” theme=”light” layout=”full” numbered=”yes” image=”yes” items=”all”]

Please feel free to share your best links and ideas from iPad Summit on the Listly list below.

San Antonio Area: If you are in the San Antonio area, I will be presenting at Tech Fiesta April 18th and 19th. Check out the program!

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

875+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

iPadpalooza 2013 Sold Out!! – Check out the Last Chance Video Contest!

HCMS Site Visit May 8th – Now Available!

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!

10 Apr 2013
Comments: 4

1 iPad Classroom Revisited

Last year I wrote a blog post about the 1 iPad Classroom that featured an “appy hours 4 u” interview with one of my favorite solo iPad educators, Lisa Carnazzo. That summer Yolanda and I presented a packed session at TCEA’s TOTS and Technology on the very same topic. Not even a year later and much of the content from the presentation needed to be revisited and revamped.

Yes, I am currently living the iDream of a 1:1, but that wasn’t always the case. I came from meager 1 iPad and shared carts models prior to that event. 😉

This session (which will be presented at iPad Summit and Region 20 Tech Fiesta) focuses on how elementary teachers can use a single iPad productively:

in multiple settings and configurations such as whole group, pass around, small groups, and stations
using both consumptive and product-based apps
showcasing actual student work and app-tivities across the curriculum

While the intent is to support teachers with a single iPad and highlight ways to boost student engagement, learning, and productivity, the suggestions and apps shared would be useful to teachers with multiple iPads as well.

So without further ado… I present the “1 iPad Classroom” revisited.

1 iPad Classroom Apps

View more lists from Lisa Johnson

San Antonio Area: If you are in the San Antonio area, I will be presenting at Tech Fiesta April 18th and 19th. Check out the program!

Atlanta Area: If you are in the Atlanta area, I will be (am) presenting at iPad Summit April 11th and 12th.

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

875+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

iPadpalooza 2013 Sold Out!! – Check out the Last Chance Video Contest!

HCMS Site Visit May 8th – Now Available!

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!

02 Apr 2013
Comments: 2

The 360 iClassroom

It has been quite a year rolling out iPads to K-12. Today we handed out the last iPad to the last student. We are officially K-12 1:1 iPad! Yes, it was somewhat tempting (as it is April Fool’s Day) and would have been slightly amusing to tell the last student that we miscalculated and we had run out of iPads. However, we were fully stocked and prepared. Many of the teachers were so excited that the 6th grade students finally were mobily equipped that they have already began planning lessons that incorporate the iPad to enhance their instruction.

I will say it would not be effective or successful if it weren’t for the 360 model of supporting all angles of the initiative… from district and admin decisions to student and teacher training and even parent meetings ranging from disseminating information to providing tips and tricks to manage the devices at home.

A few earlier posts touched on these resources:

The video below highlights yet another resource provided for parents. The Digital Parent Learning Series. The third installment in the series focuses on “Internet Safety and Cyber-bullying” but also covered some wonderful digital wellness tips ranging from child-friendly browsers and filters, a discussion on why apps like snapchat may not be as safe as they claim, to suggesting opportunities for reverse mentoring with technology.

The speaker for the night, Reggie Cajayon (Internet Safety and Cyberbullying Prevention Coordinator for Texas State University), had everyone app-solutely captivated. While only had about 50 parents in attendance, twice as many absorbed the night’s info meeting from home as the event was live-streamed and then archived for later accessibility.

Though an initiative of this caliber will always encounter bumps and dips along the way as we trail blaze the iFrontier, I feel fairly confident that the resources that the district continually provides to support all angles of the implementation will definitely clear a path for student success. And truly… isn’t that what we are all here for?

One of our wonderful iVengers, Marianna Husain was kind enough to compile a Listly list of some of the resources shared from the night’s presentation:

Cyber Safety

View more lists from Marianna Talei Ricketson-Husain

San Antonio Area: If you are in the San Antonio area, I will be presenting at Tech Fiesta April 18th and 19th. Check out the program!

Atlanta Area: If you are in the Atlanta area, I will be presenting at iPad Summit April 11th and 12th.

Interactive TechChef4u Thinglink

830+ iPad Lessons Pinned HERE!

Contact TechChef4u to schedule Summer and Fall PD and Workshops: lisa.johnson@techchef4u.com

iPadpalooza 2013 Almost Sold Out!!

HCMS Site Visit May 8th – Now Available!

“Student-Created Books in the iClassroom” iTunes U course is now available!!!