Digital learning problems - A is for applications

Hello, colleagues! A year ago I posted a popular column titled "The A-Z problems of digital learning." One thing that I thought would be effective this year is to break down solutions for each of these issues. So to begin, I'm going to talk about "A": Applications.

As teachers, we have to wade through 2 million applications available in the Apple App Store and/or Google Play Store. That is A LOT of apps. I would encourage anyone who is overwhelmed with the number of applications to first figure out what you want your students to do. What do you want from the assignment? What is the purpose? Once you have that decision made, then you can start to wade through the various teacher lists of popular applications that are posted online.

But that can also be overwhelming. Where might a teacher start to look?

Here are some applications that I think are fantastic to start out with in your classrooms:

The 6 Best beginner Classroom Applications by Rachel Jeffrey

• Google Docs: This application is perfect for word processing (i.e., writing). What makes Google Docs better than Microsoft Word is that a) students can collaborate on the same document and b) you have access to the student files so you can see what your classroom learners are doing. If you happen to pair Google Docs with Google Classroom, you will see the effectiveness even further. In Google Classroom, you can share a Google Doc with your students, and it will make a copy for each student. Now all of their files are in one handy place. You don't have to worry about students sharing their document with you! 
• Spark Video: This is my favorite beginner video application. Students don't have to do filming through the app but instead can do a voiceover over images and icons that are built into the application. Spark Video also has built-in themes and music to make the videos more inviting and engaging. This application is perfect for kindergartners through high schoolers. 
• Quizizz: I just recently found this quizzing application. I like it better than Kahoot for three reasons: 1) You can choose to play a points quiz or not. Students don't have to answer quickly to get full points. 2) You can assign a homework game so students can play the game on their own time. It's perfect for a weekly review that kids can take whenever. 3) It has meme sets, so students get a funny meme if they get the answer right or wrong. It's silly, but it's another way to engage students. Also, after a quiz has been completed, you get a report, and you can see what students missed what questions and can also see which items were wrong the most. 
• Newsela: This current events application is great to get students reading non-fiction text. The app is partnered with reputable newspapers to get the latest news. You can level the reading to meet your students' needs. At the end of each article is a multiple-choice quiz. You can search by content or by type of news. You can also find pre-made text sets, or you can build your own. 
• Actively Learn: Actively Learn is very similar to Newsela yet quite different. There is less current, right now news, but there are more stories and novels posted through their site. Similar to Newsela, there are pre-made articles with questions built in or you can upload your own materials and design questions. One significant difference is as a student reads a story in Actively Learn, the reading will stop, and students will have to answer a question. Students cannot move on until the question has been answered. By doing this, students cannot get distracted by the rest of the reading, and they know the answer is in what they previously read. You can also ask students multiple choice, true/false, or short answer questions. You can assign a grade or use a rubric to grade each answer. Students can also see answers after and can provide hints or comments to each other. It's pretty slick.
• Edpuzzle: If you are a legitimate 21st-century teacher, you know that kids learn a lot from YouTube. It's great if you utilize YouTube videos in your classroom, but Edpuzzle harnesses that power further. You can link a YouTube video to Edpuzzle. Once the application recognizes the video, you can build in questions (multiple choice, open-ended, or a comment) for students to answer/review. The video will pause and will not resume until the student answers the question. You can also crop a video so only one part shows, you can do a voiceover over the entire project (with your own script), or you can provide audio notes. 

This is a good six applications to start with. They apply to every content and every grade level. I hope you find this a useful place to start!

Thanks for reading. I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad
My Teacherspayteachers website

Training Opportunities

Good morning colleagues! I hope you are having a rested weekend! I am up in Fort Collins visiting my in-laws and blogging in a great little coffee shop. Yesterday the Air Force Academy football team played against Colorado State (here in Fort Collins), so my father-in-law purchased tickets for us to go to the game. The weather turned out perfect, Air Force won, and I even got a little sunburn on my face in late October. Win, win, win!

I haven't blogged in three weeks, so I have many things to catch up on. But one thing that caught my interest this week is the free training opportunities that I've run into! I felt like I needed blog about how you can get more training, often for free, to become comfortable with technology or add a little innovation to your content!

I do, however, have to give a brief disclaimer. I am not teaching full-time, so I know that I have much more time available than my colleagues. Is it difficult to find time for training while also lesson planning, grading, having a life, and so on? Of course. So take this with a grain of salt.

Friday Institute: The North Carolina State College of Education provides free MOOC-Ed courses. I am currently working on a class called Coaching Digital Learning which is helping me learn how to more efficiently support others that I work with. I have a full week to work on a unit, and each block takes me about 3-4 hours. They open a new unit on Mondays, so if I want to wait until the weekend to work on the assignments, I can. They usually offer six-seven courses each "semester, " and they are not the same every time. These classes are worth looking into whether you are coaching or teaching (Note: I saw a Teaching Mathematics with Technology course that looks very interesting. Pass this on to any 1:1 math teachers in your building!)

EDpuzzle Coach Program: I am presenting "Flipped Learning with EDpuzzle" at the Colorado Google Summit next weekend. I've used EDpuzzle before, so as I'm designing my presentation, I stumble across this coaching program. WHAT?! So, of course, I'm intrigued and immediately sign-up. I have not finished the whole program, but I completed two modules, on Friday, in probably 20 minutes, and that was with students randomly asking me questions during a homeroom class where I have no students! It's an excellent way to learn more about using EDpuzzle in your class. I highly recommend EDpuzzle if you flip your content (using your own videos or not) or if you use Google Classroom!

Edcamps: I just missed an Edcamp yesterday in the Springs.

Sorry I missed #edcampcos yesterday because, you know, football. #goairforce pic.twitter.com/sM2VU23DD5

— Rachel Jeffrey (@historicalipad) October 29, 2017

Edcamps are a GREAT way to be introduced to new innovative ideas, tech or not. They are entirely free with great swag, conversations, and even lunch! Edcamps are called "unconferences" because there is no set schedule. The schedule is created on the spot by the attendees. Yes, you have to give up a Saturday, but you will walk away completely overwhelmed with a million ideas. Just go!

Apple Teacher: If you use Macbooks or iPads with (or without) your students on a regular basis, it is worth looking into Apple Teacher certification. It will take you less than two hours (as long as you're comfortable with the various applications), and you can learn some great lesson ideas through their free iBooks. Even if you don't complete the certification (which you should - you can complete it on your own time - one test a day!), the iBooks are free and are a great resource!

Google Training Center: It does cost money to get the actual Google Teacher certification, but their training center is completely free. You will get some great ideas, tips, and tricks for using Google apps in the classroom. The best training is to actually use the applications in class, but if you're hesitant, start with the training center. There is both beginner and advanced training with applications and even training for Chromebooks and becoming a trainer (a goal I have in the spring). And if you use technology often in the classroom, there is a course on digital citizenship to keep your students safe.

Have any other ideas for free training? Please leave a comment below! I love to hear about new ideas!!! But I do hope this inspires you to look into some free training in the coming weeks and months! Thanks for reading. I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website