Alices Math/Tech Blog

I had my students create a 5×5 bingo board but instead of putting in G56 I had them write in the names of their classmates. They could put them in any square and they could put duplicate names and they could omit names. I then used the app “teacherspick” to choose students at random. If the randomly chosen student gets the answer right, the students can mark them off on their bingo board. If they have the same student more than once on the board they are gambling that that student will be randomly called upon more than once, they can only mark off one student name at a time so that same student would have to be randomly chosen again and would have to get the answer right a second time in order to mark off the same kids name twice.

If you have not signed up for google voice, can I recommend it. Just this last week Google has opened it up so you don’t need an invitation anymore. I was able to get my phone number to be xxx-math, I love that you can customize your phone number with a word… And it is FREE.

I have a separate email for teaching, I don’t want student emails mixed in with my regular emails, also I like being able to compartmentalize my life. I don’t want to think about work when i am spending time with my family. With my separate teacher gmail i set up a second google voice account.

I found out I am able to go to voice.google.com on my iPad (or computer) and then use the google voice texting feature to allow students to use their cell phones as student response clickers. I love this since I can tell that the students are participating (once they text me I add their name to the contacts) and I can type back to the students to give them feedback and encouragement.

When the summer school principal said that the amount of copy money was extremely limited I decided to try something crazy. Could I go all of summer school and make virtually no copies? 2 weeks into summer school, so far so good. I made one photocopy for the syllabus that needed to be taken home and signed and I will have the final photocopied. The rest of time I am using the Promethean ActivExpressions. These are clickers which allow the students to essentially text message in their answers.

This has been working out wonderfully. The students have the clickers all the time and are responding with their answers which allows me to adjust instruction all throughout the lesson. If you can believe it, some of the kids are actually saying they are having FUN in summer school…. got to keep that under wraps, don’t want kids to choose to come to summer school

During the test myself and the class can see immediately after each question how the class did, and if it wasn’t good, I go over the question right then and there. By the end of the test the scores are already graded for me, but I don’t have to hand out scores since the students already know how they did all throughout the assessment.

Summer school classes tend to be a little large so I was short 2 ActivExpressions so I had to have 2 students text message their answers from their cell phones (they have unlimited texting plans) to my google voice. Google voice is great since I can type text back to students and I can see all of their texts in one thread easily.

So far so good! I’m saving paper, time, and my students are getting immediate feedback.

So there is no such thing as google classroom, I just wish there was.

I wish there was a google gradebook, where i could give my students a code that they could add to their google docs account.

I already make a google doc account where I make a folder and then share the folder with my teaching team. Then anything i put in the folder is automatically shared with the team. So I made a folder for each student in my class, and the sub folders and anything I put in them are automatically shared, which is nice.

So what if as a student enrolls in my google classroom, they could be added to my google gradebook and then a folder is made in their google docs (and mine) under my classroom title with their name on it. The student could then turn in assignments to that folder and it would automatically be turned into me.

I would then like in my google classroom teacher page to have a list of assignments that have been turned in. It would be nice if it were a little like a gmail inbox. I could then checkmark all the assignments that have been turned in and choose from a drop down list which assignment to assign them too. Google would then automatically file.

I would like to then be able to open an assignment and have the list of student names and when I click on their name their assignment would open in a preview window so I do not actually have to open the file…. I of course want the preview window to be editable. I obviously would have editing rights and anything i add would be in red. I should be able to easily add sticky note comments.

I want to be able to be able to assign a grade and leave comments/ feedback. I’d like to be able to attach a picture/ PDF/ google doc for feedback also.

The student would the be able to see a list of all of their assignments, the grade they got and the comments/ feedback all in one place.

I’m not looking for it to replace my gradebook, I would have to put those into my gradebook, but a way to be back and forth with students would be awesome.

The other part of my dream would be that all my students have ipads. Now I teach math and there is a nifty notebook app where kids can take their notes even drawing and diagrams. Think of the backstrain and paper that could be saved. Students could do all their notes in an app designed for student note taking. Of course I envision a google classroom app for turning in assignments, but regardless, there is always the internet. Assignments and notes can legitimately be shared digitally. California has already approved the use of e books for classrooms, so since books are not required all the students could have the books on their ipads. Students could bring only an iPad and nothing else and be more prepared for class; potentially.

This could really streamline my classroom….. If only.

So I’ve had my iPad for a week and I am getting pretty darn good at typing on it. The apple case I got with it is a must have. It is too hard to type when it is perfectly flat on the table.

So why the iPad? It is as much as buying a standard computer. It definitely does NOT replace my computer or my iPhone.

The answer: simplicity.

Unlike my computer I have a bunch of very easy to access single purpose apps I can use. I can without fuss use the countdown timer (free app) and then in seconds switch to my student picker app that lets me call on students at random and then switch over to my presentation without having to wait for things to close and load. I have a tool that lets me do everything much quicker and more fluidly….. Basically, it gets out of my way and lets me teach.

Most apps I have were free or $0.99. And when there is an improvement update to the app, it notifies me. I can’t load up my computer this cheaply.

I foresee this as the first opportunity to go paperless. Eventually someone is going to think of something that will allow students to more easily turn in files electronically and allow students to collaborate as well (I’m dreaming of something I will call google classroom). But with the ipad it is not as intrusive as even a netbook, so students can more naturally use the iPad like they would their binder. Keeping their files, notes and assignments organized. They could submit them via PDF to their teacher. Someday… Classrooms will be so much more efficient.

Oh and it does all of this in such a pretty and magical way. I’m a fan.

I was skeptical, I was not sure I needed an iPad, but I ordered it anyway. Even when I first got it I wasn’t so excited, I kept doing what I was working on for several hours before actually playing with it.

My first impression…. A giant itouch. But once I started to use it I was blown away.

The visual clarity is impressive. The screen is so sensitive it takes barely a touch to activate anything.

Downloading off of the app store is effortless and fast.

I first took a look at the iBooks app. Simply amazing. The interface is crisp, clean and delightful. The reading of books On he iPad feels so close to reading a real book I actually enjoy it. This has not Been my experience with reading digital media in other forms. Since the ipad is so small and light and the interface mimics an actual book it just feels right on the iPad.

I really like keynote on my mac and prefer it over PowerPoint so I was excited to see how it would work on the iPad beyond just a display device. After working with it a couple of minutes I was blown away. I think I might like finger interfacing with keynote better than a mouse. I am recited to use keynote in my classroom as a mobile instructional tool.

I bought the iPad case from Apple, and I am glad i did. It is a very smooth and sexy case and is great for propping up my iPad. One of my big reasons for getting the ipad is I discontinued the local paper and miss reading at the breakfast table. I think as a teacher it is important to be aware of current events so i can tie in the students learning to relevant and current information. He case allows me to prop up the iPad next to my cereal bowl, it is so much nicer and more convenient than an actual newspaper. And as I had mentioned above, I really Like reading digital media on the iPad. The ny times app is fantastic.

I am using the case right now to slightly prop up my iPhone so I can type this. The onscreen keyboard is not too shabby, very sensitive, but not too hard to use. I am typing pretty quickly on it. What helps is it works just like my beloved iphone and automatically suggests words and corrects my spelling. Typing on this is definitely doable.

So how an I going to use my iPad? Well, I already have the iPhone so I am not looking to replace it. I got the wifi version because I do love my iPhone and have no complaints about it. What I use my iPhone now for, i will continue to do. So what new things does the iPad bring to the table?

I bought the iPad to teach with. I plan on making keynotes that i can carry around the classroom that has steps and examples that i can use in a one on one situation or in a small group.

I paid 99 cents for a paper app that lets me write with my finger on both plain, lined and graph paper (a must for a math teacher). I am always looking for scratch paper, now i will always have it. I can then email the kid what we worked out on the paper and/or I can post that to my website for other students to use.

I have an iPhone app that chooses student names at random (I love this, even uses the graphics of a popsicle stick). It is cool on my iPhone, but I feel silly using my phone in class. This will make me feel more like I am doing my job and not playing. Not to mention i can turn it around quickly for any admin who walks into my room to see how I am actually teaching and not just playing on my phone.

Video on the iPad is heavenly, I can stream video to the iPad and I already make my own videos. So this will be a cute viewing station…. And I am thinking the ipad will help me as a high school algebra teacher to lean more towards stations then just direct instruction.

I can get all my email accounts on the iPad, including my work email, so this will be so handy to take around with me to meetings. No more giant screen in front of my face at a meeting. I can actually take notes at a meeting since this is much less obtrusive.

One of the big sellers for the iPad is its battery life. Last night to test out the netflix app my husband and i watched a full length movie on it. The battery is still going strong. 68% after playing with it all night, watching a movie, and using it all this morning. The district laptop batteries can not do that, and most of us at my school can barely get an hour of life out of the laptop batteries anymore, making the iPad that much more attractive.

For those of you wondering, the netflix app is amazing.

I was skeptical, now I am sold. The iPad will enhance my teaching, I am happy I bought it.

I’m a Steve Hargadon fan. He has this new project on reading books and facilitating discussions
http://www.bookdiscussions.com/

I’m interested, try it out!

I am NOT an edusoft fan. I am however a huge DATA fan… I’m kinda a data nerd. This is what frustrates me about Edusoft, it has the data, but you can not access it easily, you can not get out of it exactly what you want, it is a constant battle of frustration.

On the other hand I am EXTREMELY excited about this new product http://illuminateeducation.com/. Website does not describe what it does, but the demo the CEO made blew me away.

First, it is screaming fast! If I had to pick my top complaint about Edusoft it would probably be how slow it is. I get timed out before I can get to my information frequently. With illuminate, I’ve never seen websites load so fast, let alone sites dedicated to data.

Second, it is POWERFUL. I love what kind of data that can EASILY be extracted.
Exports as word, excel or pdf.

Third, it has a lot of potential. Company is new, possibilities are endless.

Fourth, unlike any other data site, I do not have to print out special grading sheets per test per class. Illuminate uses Gradecam, which I have had for YEARS and LOVE. You can scan the sheets using pretty much any camera you can connect to your computer. iSight camera, document camera, webcam…. and it scans them FAST.
Can you imagine the possibilities when teachers have INSTANT access to their data. With the ease of the website, the ease of scanning and the instant access to data I can actually use the information to make corrections in the classroom and truly be data driven. Students like to know their results instantly also. This is exciting.

Fifth, money saving. With not having to print out a separate grading sheet per test, per test, per period, per kid, I can use cheaper copy methods than printing from my printer. Also the grading sheets can be LAMINATED and resused if I so desire. The scanning sheets are SCALABLE, so I can print out 2, 3, 4… 6 to a page. I can embed an image of the scanning sheet into my original document so I don’t even have to make a separate copy.

Ahhh, unintended consequences. By putting state testing in April now schools are squishing together the curriclum calendar to get everything in before state testing. So no room to breathe, no room to enjoy learning.. .lets make sure everyone hates school. Is this really what is best for kids? Oh wait, no one cares about that anymore.

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1917993