Technology and Learning

  Mr. Loegering is a retired teacher from Barnesville who is an AVID rock collector.  He travels all over the US and world, literally, collecting and learning about rocks and their various formations.  Since he was and always will be a teacher, he goes into classrooms and shares his knowledge - and in fifth grade here, it's no different.  Mrs. Askegaard had him come into her classroom to share this love of rocks and how they form - BUT - it was the STUDENTS - that taught Mr. Loegering SO much about their iPads.  Here are some pictures of the students working with Mr. Loegering:   Now here's the BEST part - students were able to IMMEDIATELY go to sites he was talking about online and read the poems he was mentioning with various rocks.  They also went to maps and locations of where he found some of the rocks - without the iPads IN THEIR HANDS this wouldn't have been possible!  Mr. Loegering, who IS a TRUE life long learner - was SO impressed wit...

Two that I put in Configurator today: 1. iLuv Drawing Dinosaurs - normally $2.99 but free today!  Just like iLuv Drawing People - but it's dinosaurs - our 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Forsgren, wants this one:)! 2. Sight Words and Spelling with Pixopop - normally $2.99 but free today!  Work on sight words through three different modes; seeing, hearing and spelling.  Great practice app for them! Have a great night - Schoology tomorrow! Mrs. I:)

  When we got our iPads last spring, the obvious question became "How are we going to project them onto our Smartboards?"  The iPad 2s and newer all have the AirPlay option that allows you to project them.  All our classrooms have a Smartboard and projector in them, and every teacher in our district was also given a Macbook Pro - so it seemed natural to go with a wireless projection of some sort.  We had talked about Apple TVs , and I DO have one at home and LOVE IT:)!!!  However, at $99 a pop, we didn't know that was the route we wanted to take since we had just spent so much money.  Also, with the Apple TV, you can't protect it - so literally kids can project their iPads from another room and it just seemed to be too much work since our projectors are NOT HDMI, so we would need the additional VGA to HDMI cord - or another $20 - Apple TV was out for us!  Next we talked about an app for the Macbook called Reflector which does the same thing.  It'...

There were three today that I put into Configurator: 1.  Just Me and My Mom - normally $1.99 this story addresses the issues of growing up, and is recommended for ages 3-6.  You can tap on characters and hear pronunciation as well as spelling of words and names.  FREE TODAY 2.  Simple Sort: Counting - normally $.99 this time your child will need to help them count, sort, add and compare numbers.  They must drag and drop the objects as quickly and efficiently as possible.  FREE TODAY 3.  3D Classic Literature Collection - normally $.99 this app has more than 50 classic literature books that can each be interacted with in a 3-D book with swipes, gestures and jump ahead sliders.  This app also includes auto-bookmarking, a night reading mode, and atmospheric sounds.  FREE TODAY There was also one called  Timeline - Calendar that is normally $1.99 and this app allows you to view your calendar of events as a timeline.  Looks k...

There were a TON of Apps - ALL digital 3D storybooks that I put into Configurator today - all these are normally $4.99 - but FREE today;) - 1. Grimm's Rapunzel is ADORABLE!!  I LOVE IT:)!!  I bought this one a few years ago and think its' SO great!  Not only do you get the story - but all is interactive!  2. Grimm's Snow White 3. Grimm's Puss and Boots 4. Grimm's Hansel and Gretel 5. Grimm's Red Riding Hood 6. Grimm's Sleeping Beauty **All six of these have the same theme - story with pop up 3D interactive ideas and activities - so cute!  Perfect for the PreK-2 kids:)** Happy Tuesday - Mrs I:)

  Kindergartners have been SCANNING SCANNING SCANNING:)!!!  Mrs. Willers has created some REALLY great iPad homework assignments where the Kindergartners need to use their QR scanners to work on high frequency words and vocabulary!  See below:   How great is that?  Students get to do a "fun" thing by scanning at home with their parents, and then they also get the needed work on words - LOVE LOVE LOVE IT:)!!    Mrs. Grabow also had the kids create family trees.  After she was done, I took each of them and recorded them talking about their families in the Audioboo app.  I uploaded them and then made a QR code to go with it - check out these:)    Mrs. Grabow is then going to glue the QR codes on the bottom corner of each family tree so students and parents can then look at the picture of the family trees as the student is talking about his/her own family tree - ONE OF MY FAVORITES:)!!! Excellent ideas - our teachers KEEP AM...

Now - I KNOW that I am NOT the only person that has had a hard time dealing with Apple once in a while.  But this has got me going - UGH!!!  A couple of weeks ago a few students came down to get an app called Notion for band.  I went to Configurator - and although it SHOWS that I have 14 licenses there, when I hook up the iPads - it says "App Not Authorized" with the yellow triangle of death!!!:(  I called Apple on this to try and get my 11 codes back as they appear shadowed out in Configurator and had a hard time with them for the FIRST time - actually raising their voice at me!  Well, that's fine - but case in point - ever since doing the update with Configurator things like this have been going on and I proceeded to tell the drab story AGAIN of losing apps, etc.  They continued to really NOT believe me so I told him to take over the screen so I could SHOW him what was going on!  He FINALLY believed me - and in fact - I told him that configurator als...

  Well, we met today with the lady out in New York for a webinar on the basics of Schoology - going to be SUPER great:)!!  She went over the roles of everyone, what needs to take place before next week when we have training, and many other things that made my head hurt.  It REALLY is going to be WONDERFUL for the students and parents to go to one place for everything, and it will be great for all involved!  The first year I would imagine will be our "learning curve" year, but once everyone has everything set up, then year two and on will be EASY EASY!!!    I am going to be starting the set up process- deleted duplicates today, figured out the rest of the emails, and am going to start emailing pictures to teachers for the profiles in their accounts!  By next week all will be a go and the teachers will be working within their OWN accounts - YAHOO:)!! Happy weekend to everyone, Mrs. I:)

    I just wanted to give a couple of links of OTHER school districts that are also using iPads in education!  All of these sites have been schools that I have looked at - found ideas from - or just read about to find ways to do things!    Perham Pubic Schools - Perham has iPads in grades 9-12!  They call their iPad movement Project iEngage !  They have really done a great job of training their staff, and have some amazing people in place spearheading their initiative!  If you go to their site, they have GREAT video samples of how to do various things:)! Minnetonka Public Schools - Minnetonka is ALWAYS state of the art when it comes to technology!  They implemented iPads two years ago and have them in grades 9-12.  Their 1:1 iPad Initiative is definitely one worth looking at!  They not only have the people in place (who are fantastic), they have the training opportunities and staff development that makes all districts jeal...

Hi all!  Today I would put three apps into our Configurator: 1. Alphabet Animals i Mix- word game for children - normally $1.99 - free today!  This app will help improve reading and pronunciation skills by mixing and matching parts of characters.  Each part has a syllable attached to it, which can be pronounced by itself or as a whole.  Students can create over 2,000 characters:) 2. 7 Planets - normally $.99 - free today!  This iPhone app has you rolling wooden balls around with your iPhone/iPad to get them into their correct rows.  If one ball is removed, all the balls move in that row and you have to start at square one - a great one for critical thinking skills. 3. Take it Easy - normally $1.99 - free today!  This challenging puzzle game is a knock off the board game by the same name.  You're given random tile pieces that have different colored stripes.  You job it to place the tiles so they form continuous rows of the same color ...

Three apps were put into Configurator today: 1. SimpleSort: Continents - Man made and natural wonders of the world have been mixed up and jumbled and students have to sort them into their appropriate continents.  A narrator will provide descriptions and explanations for each object.  Normally $.99 - FREE TODAY! 2. ASE A-Series Practice Test and Questions - This app will be popular with mechanics - it includes a practice exam that features 450 total Automative Service Excellence questions.  I LOVE that we have finally found one for this area of education! Normally $.99 - FREE TODAY! 3. Shopmate - Create shopping lists with this utility app.  You can add items with the built-in catalog on more than 220 or by creating your own lists. Normally $1.99 - FREE TODAY! Have a great day today all, Mrs. I:)

   Well, our eighteenth and nineteenth iPads came in today with cracked screens:(!!!  Both seemed to be because of student "carelessness!"  One was stepped on, the other sat on - ugh!!  Ironically enough, I sent out an email JUST last week reminding kids to PLEASE remember that the end of the year is near, but that means you STILL must take care of your iPads, not leaving them laying around and such - apparently it wasn't read:(!!     So, that brings us to a grand total of 19 iPads with cracked screens - actually not bad for the entire year, however - we only have 4 total cracked back in December, so obviously the kids have become a little complacent!!  Hopefully we will be able to close out the year with no more:)!!     We talked this morning in our administrative meeting about iPad collection.  I think I had mentioned before that we will be collecting K-5 iPads the Thursday BEFORE the last week of school - that way we ...

   There weren't any apps today from Apps Gone Free that I put into Configurator!  There were a few photography ones that looked kind of neat, but I am not sure how many is too many; the burning question for all I think.     GOOD NEW:)!!  Casey fixed his FIRST screen - YAHOO FOR US:)!!!  At a mere $70 for total cost  I think we might be going this direction instead!  Besides, when you bring it to someone OTHER than Apple, you lose warranty anyways - so why not try to do some yourself!  Casey found a great site called iFixit .  All you need to do is pick iPad 2 (or whatever it is you are trying to fix), and it gives you step by step directions on how to fix it and what parts you will need!  Pretty neat!  I of course have REFUSED to learn how to do this - Casey is the man:)!!!     Below are some pictures of what the inside of the iPad looks like - a little disappointed indeed!  I am not sure which ...

   There's a GREAT app that we could have used at the BEGINNING of the year called Templates for Pages Pro !  Mr. Krause, a social studies teacher in Barnesville, wanted his students to create a brochure.  We had to go through SO many template patterns online before we found one that KIND OF worked and the process to get it was CRAZY!!!  No more!!  This app has a TON of templates on there from brochures to business letterheads to resumes - a great one!  The only downfall I would say, is you HAVE to have the Pages app, as they work hand in hand;)!! Normally $4.99 - FREE TODAY!  Grab this one up FOR SURE:)!! Happy SNOW day - ugh!!  I HOPE AND HOPE that we have school, Mrs. I:)

Apps Gone Free has ONE app that I would recommend - New Puzzle Quizzes Deluxe - normally $2.99 FREE TODAY! Test your wits with this challenging puzzle game.  Over 450 hand crafted  puzzles with no two being a like!  The game does have hints for those kids that might really struggle with a certain puzzle! This is what the icon looks like - definitely one that I think would be a great "I'm done, what can I do now?" kind of kids:)!! Happy Day, Mrs. I:)

  I was reading a blog and came across a great site that links Bloom's Taxonomy with iPad apps.  It might be worth checking out - it's a K-5 list! Once you go to the link - look on the left hand side and it will give you additional links for the ares of Bloom's Taxonomy.    K-5 iPads According to Bloom's Taxonomy There was ONE app today in Apps Gone Free that I put into Configurator - actually Mrs. Peterson and Mr. Hermes told me to download it as they plan on using it with their 7th graders next year:)!!  Sakura Quick Math is the name of the app.  This is a "beat the clock" type of app.  Students try to answer as many math problems as quickly and accurately as possible!  Normally $1.99 FREE TODAY:)

   SO SO CUTE TODAY:)!!!  A teacher came up to me, well actually two of them today, and said that their ZAGG Keyboard wasn't working any more.  No matter what they try it doesn't work - I just asked them about a cord that would have come with the keyboard for charging - they didn't even know it had a cord:)! I showed them how to charge it - and NOW they will work!  This is the FIRST time that the keyboard hasn't worked for EITHER of them - that's since last May - pretty good life I would say!  Here is a photo of one charging - UBER simple:)! Love that - the simple things that make people SO happy when I show them - what a great job:) Happy day until Apps Gone Free time, Mrs. I:)

   The last month or so we have REALLY had trouble with the free app Type on PDF which is now a $4.99 paid app - for OBVIOUS reasons!!!  SO many kids have been coming to me saying that it doesn't work - it's glitchy - works sometimes - deletes my stuff - UGH UGH UGH!!!  I FEEL SO BAD when I have to tell the kids that I can remove it and put it back on - but it MIGHT work or MIGHT NOT - and they lose everything!!  UGH UGH UGH!!  Obviously case in point - most apps are free because they "LACK" something - TRUE TRUE TRUE in this case!!!        I keep reminding myself that we only have to get through ONE MORE MONTH with it:)!  Then we can ALL have  Notability - AMAZING, FANTASTIC, LOVE LOVE IT:)!!  You're TOO smart - Mr. Nathan Strand - he put in for it for HIS classes - and they have had NO problems all year - I should have paid more attention to that - WAY TO GO Mr. Strand!!!:)   The only bummer part - it u...

  Mrs. Grabow, a Kindergarten teacher here, had her students use the app Educreations to create a "slideshow" about their favorite things!!  Look at this link for Ryder's - LOVE LOVE LOVE IT:)!! Ryder's Favorite Things   She also had them create a diagram collage and a collage with words: What a GREAT idea:)!!  Love the one on the left that labels parts of his body - so great:)!! Happy Tuesday, Mrs. I:)

There were a few that I would recommend from the list that appeared today: 1. SimpleSort - normally $.99 but FREE TODAY!  This app allows students to work on their sorting and categorizing skills.  Students have to drop and drag items into the appropriate bucket. 2. iMashup - normally $4.99 but FREE TODAY!  Create mashups and remixed from songs in your library with this music app.  Although it might not work with our students, as they can't download music on their iPads, it might be a great one for music teachers and music lovers alike:)! That would probably be it from today's free ones! Happy Day, Mrs. I:)

   Here is a list of the apps that I have found throughout the year - some free on the days that Apps Gone Free had them - but others are ones that I think people should just LOOK at and see the possibilities with it!  Again - there are SO many out there - SO overwhelming - another list to look at - yahoo:)!! Apps to Check Out    Another one that I came across this weekend is an app called Robots for the iPad !  It looks SUPER neat and we have a Robotics team here that might benefit from it!  It's free THIS WEEK ONLY!!  It's a HUGE file - but it looks like a keeper:)!! I will let you know the list I throw in today from Apps Gone Free Mrs. I:)

   We have been having discussions about how to go about rolling the iPads IN for the end of the school year.  I have emailed various districts, and of course, found different ideas at ALL places I emailed.  I think in a nutshell - here is what we will be doing: 1. Collecting ALL elementary iPads - Grades K-5 the Thursday before the last week of school - that way we will be able to get a head start on cleaning them, checking them back in - etc.  Initially we were NOT going to collect cords and wait until the three-year lease is up - but now we ARE going to collect them to try to keep a better track of them and not lose so many in the end. 2. Senior iPads will start to be collected on Monday of the last week of school.  With senior privileges, they actually are done with school that Wednesday, I believe - so this will alleviate the headache of tracking down those that don't turn them in.  3. Now - the rest of this is a little "shady" but here is m...

   There seemed to be a TON of free ones today that I liked from Apps Gone Free - the ones that I popped into Configurator are these six: 1. iLuv Drawing People HD - normally $2.99 - free today!  This app guides children through the process of drawing people.  Audio instructions included, too!  20 drawings to choose from and the option to save to camera roll! 2. Solar: Weather - normally $1.99 - free today!  The app presents you with two colors on the main screen - the top color is the current weather while the bottom represents the current temperature.  Swipe from the bottom to the top to see the weather changes throughout the day - pretty cool:)! 3. Puppet Workshop - normally $2.99 - free today!  Allow your child's imagination to go wild!!  Kids can choose from 20 different sock puppets or craft their own.  They can also choose backgrounds and put the puppet on display - I can see a TON of uses for this;) 4. Retromatic HD ...

   I just want to "UPDATE" the news that I found out about Accelerated Math LIVE.  I talked with a gentleman from Renaissance Learning, and if your district currently has Accelerated Math, you will get BOTH options next fall for it!  You can still do AM the paper pencil way, or you can do the online version via a computer, mobile device or tablet (YAHOO FOR OUR iPADS:).  You will have them BOTH available to you! Just wanted to clarify that Mrs. I:)

    The only one that I put into Configurator today is an app called Sight Words Hangman !  This app utilizes over 300 sight words most commonly used in the English language.  There are also flashcards if your student needs a little more practice - 30 word lists to choose from and game history.  Normally $1.99 - free today!!!     Keep checking Apps Gone Free - very valuable app - and money saver indeed!!! **LIED - I just put PDF PROvider which is similar to Jetscanner app I talked about yesterday - convert ANYTHING into a PDF file to use with Notability or another PDF app for note taking - looks great and normally $6.99 - FREE TODAY!*** Happy Thursday, Mrs. I:)

Here are the ones I felt "worthy" today:)  Again - all these apps are PURELY guesses on my part as I have merely downloaded them today and will play later:) 1. The Purple Frog is an interactive children's book that tells the story of a purple frog who is looking for acceptance from his peers.  $3.99 normally - FREE TODAY:)! 2. Ed Meets the Dentist allows you to travel to the dentist with Ed to go through the process of a dentist visit.  It also will follow the fears that children fear.  $1.99 normally - FREE TODAY:) 3. JetScanner: Camera to PDF seems like a really great app for teachers!!!  This app allows you to take a picture or anything and turn it into a PDF file!  No more running to the copier anymore - snap a picture and email it yourself:)!! $3.99 normally - FREE TODAY:)! Those would be my selections today - Have a great night, Mrs. I:)

   Renaissance Learning has announced new to the 2013-14 school year Accelerated Math LIVE !!  WE are SO excited here at the elementary level - we can hardly contain ourselves:)!!!       If you are NOT familiar with what Accelerated Math is, it works in the same way that Accelerated Reader does as students take math practices, exercises and tests targeted at their grade level; which they take a STAR Math test to determine this.  The way that is currently is set up, students get an assignment to work on - then they bubble a scan card.  When they are finished, they run their card through a scanner that automatically scores it and prints a TOPS report.  It shows how the students did, which problems they got wrong, and then it spits out another assignment for them to work on based on how they did.  It really is GREAT:!)!!  We used it DAILY when I was in fifth grade, and I know they still do.  For those students that are ...

Today was a GREAT day on Apps Gone Free.  There are a variety of ones that I put into Configurator today: 1. Colorific - $2.99 FREE TODAY:)  This digital coloring book allows your child to color or draw their own pictures.  It include templates and various colors, markers and pencils.  You can also share your work! 2. ABA Flash Cards - Food - $1.99 FREE TODAY:) A collection of talking flashcards that will teach your child over 100 different foods.  You can also quiz you child on this. 3. ABA What Rhymes? - $1.99 FREE TODAY:)  This app displays four images and requires the child to find the rhyming target items.  Over 350 images are included! 4. ABA Receptive Identification $1.99 FREE TODAY:) Over 300 images are used to help children find the required noun.  It also included pronunciation. 5. ABA Receptive Identification - By Class $1.99 FREE TODAY:) Emerging learners will gauge in finding targeted items.  Pronunciation and hund...

   Well, the wheels are rolling and the process has started for our school with Schoology !  If you haven't yet seen what it's all about - I will give it to you the top 5 reasons why I am excited about Schoology: 1. Organization - THIS IS THE BEST FEATURE!!!  Students, staff and parents will go to ONE PLACE:)!!  Long goes the day of logging onto one site of one teacher, going another place for photos for another, and yet another blog for the third - GONE!!  ONE PLACE FOR EVERYONE:)!!!  At the beginning of the year - each teacher will invite the students to their courses with an access code that the student puts in and they are ready to go.  Each parent will get an access code for each of their children to enter in and they will be able to see a 2. Ease of use - the account is similar to that of a Facebook account, which most everyone is accustomed to.  The interface is familiar, it's easy to navigate through, and everything is VERY easy ...