#TCEA16 Favorite Finds

Guest Post by Rebecca Gould, Carroll Senior High School French Teacher

I felt so blessed to attend the TCEA Conference February 3-5 in Austin. I’m always eager to learn and incorporate new strategies in my classroom. TCEA did not disappoint. There was a wide array of classes and workshops to attend, covering a huge variety of topics. 

As other attendees have mentioned, I enjoyed learning more about Google Add-Ons, which have all kinds of applications.

I have also enjoyed discovering Quizizz and using it in class. We use Kahoot to review, then Quizizz as a formative assessment. The students can quiz on their own devices, go at their own pace, and get immediate feedback. The instructor can then get the class results in an Excel spreadsheet to enter as a grade. You can upload images to accompany the questions.

I couldn’t be more excited about the Google Cultural Institute (art project, historic moments, world wonders) for art, history, geography, social studies, and world language teachers. I didn’t even know it existed before the conference. I’m going to enjoy taking my students on virtual tours of French art in museums around the world

I’m also excited to try Microsoft OneNote, an amazing digital note-taking app. 

There are two main reasons that I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to attend TCEA:

1. My comfort level with new technology increased. I’m willing to take more risks with new apps and software, which ultimately improves student engagement and learning. 
2. It was so much fun! I developed relationships with amazing teachers from other CISD campuses and had the opportunity to swap insights.

#TCEA16 Favorite Finds

Guest Post by Britney Kerley, Dawson Middle School 7th grade Language Arts Teacher

I’m not really sure how it’s already been a month since TCEA, but if you’re like me you’re already throwing in as many new tricks that you learned as you can. It’s been so fun passing it all on to my students and staff!  

Tagxedo takes your common word cloud up a notch. Some ways this could be used are in a book or author study with students providing information or facts they have learned throughout the study.  

While not a website or an app this is definitely my favorite person I discovered at TCEA! Leslie Fisher is a great person to follow on Twitter or Facebook. She is a gadget guru but also a lover of all things technology. Her sessions were filled with great apps and websites to use in the classroom. One thing I appreciated about her is that she really tried to share honestly about the apps or sites. It wasn’t just the latest and greatest that she wanted to share. She wanted to pass on quality info to us. Great person to keep up with!

My favorite post TCEA find has to be Kiddle. Have you heard of it? It’s the search engine powered by Google that is super-filtered for kids. Gone are the photos that make you slam your computer shut or the awkward conversations you have with your students when they Google something random and click images. Yikes! Kiddle is a kid-safe search engine that allows your students to search for things on the internet.  Check it out!

#TCEA16 Favorite Finds

Guest Post by Steve Nathman, Carroll High School Digital and Interactive Media Teacher

 These were my top 2 sessions:

1. 3D Printing aspect of the MakerBot Replicator -- 3D printing is easier than ever before, affordable at around $3000, and this device is smaller than my color printer!  Kids can invent and have tangible items to show off their work (and do so in different colors)! This is a cross-curriculum item where brochures can be designed by students in an interactive media class, the items can be sold, and it can be worked into our drone assembly by inventing parts and printing them! I truly believe that each school should have one of these, with one teacher or technologist responsible for knowing how to work it. The inventions from students will fly in!   

1. Google Street View -- this is an app for 360° of amazing! This is for personal- and work-related usage! I had students go outside, using multiple devices such as phones and iPads. I also used this for recreating what happens in Digital and Interactive Media, and students each posed like they were working on an assignment. Download the app on your iOS and/or Android device or take a look on your computer and you’ll be hooked!

#TCEA16 Favorite Finds

Guest Post by Kim Villarreal, Rockenbaugh Elementary School Science Lab Teacher

Hi, everyone — I’m excited to share a classroom communication and scheduling app called Bloomz. 

As a classroom teacher, I have been a long-time fan of Remind: Safe Classroom Communication (formerly Remind 101) for its simple way of communicating with parents. Once your parents or students join the Remind class, you can send one way announcements, photos, audio, and/or video via text anytime.  The latest version also allows for two way communication both through instant message with up to ten parents/students or by opting to allow replies to announcements.  Your personal contact information remains private since all communication is done through the app.  

Sign Up Genius has been long been my favorite way to schedule parent/teacher conferences or to organize volunteers.

Bloomz is the perfect combination of the best of both of these apps.  

The ease of communication plus the efficiency of scheduling are what makes Bloomz different.  I can see this app saving teachers a great deal of time and headache by streamlining their communication and scheduling needs. 

Here is a short video to give you a glimpse of what Bloomz offers:

 

Happy Bloomzing! 

#TCEA16 Favorite Finds

Guest Post by Rachel Cady, Walnut Grove Elementary School 2nd Grade Teacher

WOW!! TCEA is an amazing experience where a lot of information is given in a short amount of time. You walk away inspired and a little nervous, but truly excited about the possibilities of technology in the classroom.

Two of my favorite take-away ideas from TCEA were:

Quizizz

I have always been a fan of Kahoot, but what makes Quizizz appealing is that the questions appear on the student device rather than only on the main screen. This tool can be used as a formative assessment, whereas Kahoot lends itself to be more of a review tool.



Padlet

I had been previously introduced to Padlet before TCEA, but what got me thinking about this tool more is the possibilities it has to get more kids involved in the discussion. I love that every kid in the room can post an answer to a discussion question instead of just waiting for their neighbor to be the one to raise their hand. Another great feature is that this can be done anonymously or with the student's name attached.


After looking through my many pages of notes from TCEA, these are the two ideas that I keep coming back to and have already implemented in my classroom. Baby steps toward integration of technology is better than digging in your heels. :)

#TCEA16 Favorite Finds

What did I learn at TCEA? What did I not learn! The annual state technology conference always leaves me in a mindblown state; one that takes me a while to process. I always leave the conference on information overload. This year I took several Photoshop sessions, sessions on improving professional development and anything Google. 

Since Google is my first love, I thought I would share some of my favorite finds from this year.

Voice Typing in Google Docs

• Google Docs now has voice typing. 
• When you open Google Docs, go to Tools and click Voice Typing. You will have to enable the microphone on your computer (that should just pop up when you click on it).
• Then click to speak on the microphone that appears.
• The microphone will turn red when it begins to record your voice. 

     

Inserting Non-YouTube Videos in Google Slides
Adding YouTube videos to Google Slides is an easy process, but getting other video formats into a Google Slide can be tricky. Here are the steps to add a non-YouTube video. (Tutorial video)

• Find the mp4 file you want to include in your slide in your Google Drive.
• Take a screenshot of the video to serve as a hyperlink placeholder to your mp4 file.
• Go back to Google Slides, and find the slide you want to add the video link to.
• Insert the screenshot you just took.
• Downsize the screenshot as you see fit for your slide.
• Select the screenshot and insert the hyperlink.
• You can do this with CTRL + K (on a PC) or Command + K (on a Mac).
• Paste the shareable link of the mp4 file in Google Drive.
• Click Apply once you’ve pasted your link.
• Now, your image is hyperlinked to take the user to the video located in Drive.

Google Tips and Tricks

• Remote Sign-Out for Google Account in Gmail
• Forgot to log out of your Google Account on someone else's computer? No worries. 
• Log in to Gmail > Scroll to bottom right > Click on 'Details' > 'Sign out All Other Sessions'
• Reopen a Tab/Recover a Tab in Chrome
• Closed a tab in Chrome by accident?
• Reopen a Tab: Shift + Command + T (mac) OR Control + Shift + T (Windows)
• Recover a Tab:  Control + Tab
• Bookmark all Tabs in Chrome
• To Bookmark:  Right click over a tab > Select 'Bookmark All Tabs' > Save into a New Folder > Title Your Folder
• To Find Bookmarked Tabs:  Chrome Settings > Bookmarks > Locate the Folder > Open All Bookmarks
• Find Someone in a Google Doc
• Not sure where someone is typing in a shared Google Doc? 
• Click on their profile picture (square up in th top right) to jump to the spot on the document where they are.
• Share a Google Doc via Comment Feature
• Bring another person into the conversation by adding them via their Google account.
• Add as follows: Click on insert comment and then type the plus sign and their Gmail account
• Example: +kjohnsontech@gmail.com

#TCEA16 Favorite Finds

Guest Post by DaNeil Hill, Old Union Elementary School Kindergarten Teacher

Things I learned from TCEA:

Google Tools

• In the Google search box, enter “timer 5 minutes” for a timer.
• In the Google search box, enter “stopwatch.”
• Even your non-readers/emergent readers can work in Google documents; they just need to use Voice Typing. In a Google Document, pull down the tools menu to “Voice Typing”. Click the mic and start talking!
• When you are speaking text in a document, there are several phrases you can use to add punctuation:
• "Period"
• "Comma"
• "Exclamation point"
• "Question mark"
• "New line"
• "New paragraph"

Nearpod

Use Nearpod in the classroom to immediately assess students digitally. This awesome tool is described on the website as interactive lessons, real time assessment, and used across various devices. Create any task for students to complete. Give them the Nearpod code to type in when they open the app. Student show their work on the iPad, and the answers are immediately sent to the teacher. Great for use in math, science concepts, vocabulary…the possibilities are endless. Nearpod even has some already made lessons for teachers to use.


San Diego Zoo – Kids

Take a virtual field trip to the San Diego Zoo.  Watch live cameras of various animals in their zoo habitats.  Explore the videos put together by the zoo keepers at the San Diego Zoo that teach about various animals, their habitats, how they live from day to day, etc. New videos are added all the time. They even have games and activities for the kids to enjoy. My students love watching the live animals…especially the polar bears and panda bears.

#TCEA16 Favorite Finds

Guest Post by Jen Gwilliam (McCue), Eubanks Intermediate School 5th Grade Science Teacher

Now that we are all back from TCEA and settled back in, I wanted to share a few finds and share the loads of information I learned with all of you! Here is the Gwilliam TOP 4 FREE of TCEA: 

Nearpod

This is an amazing way to teach or present information and puts the device in students' hands! It makes learning fun and helps students stay engaged the entire time! Nearpod is a great tool -- check it out! 

Canva

Do you want your PowerPoints to look like you are a graphic artist? The students love working with this one! It has great graphics, modern fonts, and images...and it's so easy to use! 

Google

I learned so many cool, fun tricks that make it clear why Google is such a must-have in the classroom. Try the "research" button and see what happens! Share, copy, use voice-to-text writing, and use Photomath to check math problems!

VideoScribe

Have you always taken an interest in those cute videos that show folks drawing with neat fonts? VideoScribe is for you then! You can make a quick video that keeps people's interest as you explain something, and it does the drawings -- wow! 

#TCEA16

Now that the Instructional Technology and Dragons Go Digital teams are back from TCEA, it's time to share our favorite finds! If you attended the conference and want to contribute a guest post, please contact your campus ITS; we'd love for you to share what you learned!

Here are my favorite finds from #TCEA16:

1. GIFs for instructions -- A GIF is an animated image that plays in an infinite loop. You can create your own GIFs by uploading screenshots or other images to a GIF maker (Google it to find free options). Afterwards, download your GIF and display it on the Promethean, your website, or your LMS for students to refer to when they're stuck. You could create a GIF about how to log in to a particular website, the steps of an app-smashing lesson, directions to a project, or any other instructions.  

2. Free images -- so often, we grab images from Google without even thinking. To make sure you have permission to use all the images you see, either restrict your search by usage rights, or find images on a site that only shares photos that are free for public use. Below is a printable image with QR codes linking to 5 free image collations, courtesy of  @KTyler_ITS on Twitter:

Ss & staff stealing pics from Google images? Post this & scan as needed #TCEA16 #rrisdtech @amyelott @siebershan pic.twitter.com/UoXsG2YwJ4

— KTyler_ITS (@KTyler_ITS) February 3, 2016

3. Curate tweets from a conversation -- Storify is a neat tool that lets users create a "story" from social media elements. Tina Berumen suggested using Storify in a classroom newsletter to give parents a snapshot about what the entire campus is doing. You can see the idea I added to that thought below:

Could also create a class hashtag for Open House discussion &/or student work & @storify that! #TCEA16 #TCEAdragons https://t.co/x7RCr60yy2

— Candice Karas (@ckarasedu) February 2, 2016

4. Tech talk -- integrate technology vocabulary without ever even touching a device! Check out Alli Pryor's idea below: 

When folding paper, ditch hotdog/hamburger and start talking portrait/landscape. #TCEA16

— Alli Pryor (@dlcoachalli) February 2, 2016

To read the entire conference's tweets, search for #TCEA16 on Twitter. Or click here to read just what fellow Dragons had to say on the #TCEAdragons timeline.