Tired of PowerPoint? Try Prezi!

Death by PowerPoint
Try Prezi

There are times we all have a need to communicate. Research shows that including a visual when trying to communicate aides in the comprehension and retention of the information, especially when color and graphics are involved. As teachers, we have competition for our students' minds. Today’s students are inundated with visuals and videos that seize their attention and engross their minds. What do we do? [Insert PowerPoint.] We try to communicate using a traditional, linear, outline type presentation tool. That is a first step. If you are ready to try another tool, try Prezi. Click on the link below to view an introduction to Prezi. If you are interested in a training session, sign up in Eduphoria Workshop to attend a session on June 7, 2012 to learn this free, easy tool! Follow @Prezi_edu on Twitter to learn more each day.

Click here to see how Prezi can be used as a teaching tool.

Tip of the Week

Apps in Education

This is a site where many educators have combed through the plethora of apps available for all content areas and listed the best and most effective apps.

http://appsineducation.blogspot.com

Class Dojo Will Put the Mojo Back Into Your Class



Behavior Management and Student Engagement Software



Whether it's the third grader that just can't seem to focus or the senior with a bad case of senioritis, Class Dojo is an interactive site that  engages those students in the classroom by recognizing positive behaviors as they happen in a fun and colorful way!  What is really great is the simplicity of the site. Using a computer or a smart phone, the teacher sets up the classes and students and then determines what types of behaviors to reward or the types of behaviors to discourage. Students accumulate points (or have points deducted) based on the parameters set. The class can be setup with reward sounds and the teacher can manipulate the class settings to create a running total or end the points for the day. Additionally. ClassDojo provides behavior-tracking analytics, dashboards and reports for parents and administrators, all at one-click. No extra data entry required! A demo class is set up so you can just copy it and move on if you don't want to personalize your class.  Teachers can get really creative with this and use it as a tool to encourage interaction and participation and make behaving in class FUN! Students could work on accumulating participation points for a grade, extra credit or class reward. It's up to you! 

 Right now it's still free so be sure to sign up today, even if you aren't going to use it until next year! Click here to join: http://bit.ly/HZT8GA

 

---

Website of the Week: Niceletter

As the end of the year approaches, many of us are asked to write letters of recommendation or perhaps we need to thank a special parent or co-worker. Niceletter is a super easy site for creating different types of letters. These letters can be cover letters, thank you, or any other type of letter you need to write. Your students could even use this site to create letters of their own.  Simply fill out a template and then download it as a PDF or RTF file. Niceletter is nice and easy and FREE! Hint: Be sure to scroll down to get to the letter generator. You don't need to download anything.

Edmodo: An Interactive Classroom

Edmodo can turn your classroom into a fun, interactive, and engaged environment for students where learning is real and authentic. Watch students flourish in this social environment.

What is Edmodo? (via Thomas Scheeler...follow him on Twitter @tscheeler)

• Edmodo is a FREE, secure, social learning platform for teachers, students, parents, and schools.
• Edmodo provides teachers and students with a secure and easy way to post classroom materials, share links and videos, and access homework, grade and school notices.
• Teachers and students can store and share all forms of digital content - blogs, links, pictures, video, documents, presentations, and more.

What CISD teachers and students using Edmodo have to say:

• 6th grade DIS math teacher Chris Underwood says:
• "Edmodo has been an absolutely amazing extension to my classroom. It allows for additional collaboration between students as well as keeping me in touch with my students when we are not in the same classroom. I have been looking for a platform to extend the learning beyond the time I see my students everyday and Edmodo has been the answer to that dream. This was my first year implementing it and my students have fully embraced it. I look forward to continuing to use this medium to enhance the learning that takes place in my classroom."

• 6th grade math students of Mr. Underwood say:
• "I like Edmodo because I can always get an answer if I have a question and we can talk about things that are happening in our classroom. We can just talk and communicate to grow in our relationships with our classmates. Edmodo rocks!! ~Alyssa M.
• "It has definitely helped me because I can remember a lot of times when I didn't understand our homework and I used Edmodo to contact Mr. Underwood and ask questions. Edmodo really helps me. Hopefully, we'll have a website like this in 7th grade. ~ Trinity B.
• Everyone likes it; Doing your homework with ease; Making helpful comments: Our peers are very nice; Depositing info into reply boxes; Oh my gosh, it's an Acrostic poem. ~Harry P.

• 6th grade EIS math teacher Kim Anderson says:
• Edmodo is a fantastic tool to help students connect after the school day has ended. My students immediately saw the benefit of posting a homework question and then receiving help or helping another student. I would highly recommend Edmodo!"

• 6th grade math students from EIS say:
• "It is much easier to get help and hints, and it is also fun to use.  You don't have to go in early to get help, you can use Edmodo!"  ~Whitney C.
• "It's a great way to get help on homework.  You aren't getting help from a strangers, so you know it's safe." ~Ainsley P.
• "I like the idea that you can ask for help from a teacher or other students from home!" ~Chandler H.
• "I love Edmodo because it really helps me with homework and ever since I starting using it my homework grades have been phenomenal."  ~Annie M.
• "Really simple to use, and it has helped me a lot, just like a teacher being right by my side helping me." ~Gretchen C.

Tip of the Week:

Download the Edmodo App from iTunes or the Android store for FREE. Use your mobile device to send notes, submit assignments, post replies, and check messages while away from the classroom. Click here to download the iOS app.



Website of the week:
Be sure to check out the Edmodo website to sign up for a FREE teacher account. Watch this parent presentation video to learn more about the basics of Edmodo:

Edmodo Parent Presentation

View more PowerPoint from scholar

The Results Browser in ActivInspire

The Results Browser in ActivInspire

Many teachers use their ActivExpressions in class and think they have to record the results at that time.  However, to access the class results at a later date all you have to do is click on your voting browser, scroll down to the results browser, then click on it to retrieve your results. If you set up your classes in the database ahead of time the results of each class will be retained in your Flipchart for future reference. 

Family Time Apps:  Spring has sprung and so have iphone apps!

Angry Bunny’s Easter Egg-splosion!  This naughty Easter bunny has stolen Santa’s sleigh. Your goal is to help the angry bunny drop off rotten eggs for the bad girls and boys, and chocolate eggs for the good ones.

Easter Egg Coloring Book!  Do your children love to color? Are you sick of carrying around crayons and coloring books? Look no further than the free Easter Egg Coloring Book app.

doodle jump: HOP The Movie  This free game offers hours of Easter fun for the whole family. Some levels are very hard, so partner with your children and make it a team effort.

Candy Egg Create   Love to decorate eggs but hate the mess? Check out the Candy Egg Create app for 99 cents and decorate virtual eggs.

 

Tip of the Week: 

For those schools that have Safari Montage….Did you know that it supports whiteboard integration?  Click on the logo to enable freezing a video and annotating over the image.

Websites of the Week:  On-line Scientific and Graphing Calculators

Desmos

Microsoft  

Encalc

Web 2.0