Useful apps for teachers

CAB essential apps for teaching and learning

(user guides will be available)

 

Apps for teaching

 

Explain everything. Interactive whiteboard app, lets you write and record audio to be shared. http://www.explaineverything.com/video-guides

This is a simple overview of the app.

 

Evernote. Note sharing app, can create a library of resources with students. Builds a library of websites, videos, photos or anything that students can access to learn from. http://evernote.com/video/ is a good place to start, video intro and other video showing how to do things

 

Skitch. This is an app that allows you to annotate over pictures, web sites etc

 

Creative book builder. Great app that lets you create your own interactive books. http://vimeo.com/37543396 again good how to video.

 

Prezi viewer. Let's you access your prezis on your iPad

 

Apps for sharing

 

box.net. Cloud storage to enable students to access shared documents, similar to school drive, but can be accessed anywhere. Also a place to store work created on any shared devices.

 

Evernote. Can be used for sharing of student progress and coursework. Notebooks can be created for different subjects and students can share their notes with each other.

 

Posterous. A place to show off work. To share things that students have created and to get feedback on their work.

 

 

Apps for learning

 

iMovie. Used for students to create resources, to sum up their learning, to demonstrate understanding.

 

Puppet pals. Similar to movie but can animate things and add voices over the top, good for bringing learning to life.

 

Morfo. Can be used to show what has been learnt in a session, allows students to audio record themselves talking about their learning and have some fun in the process

 

Creative book builder. As mentioned above, a book creation app. Students can create a book about whatever subject they want, can add video, audio and pictures as well as text. Gives students a place to save and look back over their work and have a medium to share.

Ofsted and mobile phones

Just read an article about ofsted and mobile phones

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142085/Ofsted-chief-gets-tough-classroom-discipline-schools-penalised-failing-tackle-disruption.html

Such a short sighted view, mobile phones can be used to unlock so much potential learning in the classroom, banning them stops their use in school, teaching them how to use them with respect and to their full potential looks not only at developing our students as learners but also their moral and social behaviour as well. If we don't teach students to use them properly in school, who will teach them outside school. Wake up it's the 21st century, banning things doesn't stop issues

Teaching or telling?

When I was at school the teacher gave me the information I needed to know and then an exam checked for my knowledge and more importantly the understanding. It was like this because the teacher had the information and I had limited access to find it for myself.
With the massive development in technology this is not the case anymore, students can find the information for themselves, so what is the role of the teacher?
It seems to be linked too much to league tables and getting above C grades in exams.
If we can equip students with the technology to find the information for themselves and develop their own knowledge then teachers can help with the understanding and application of that knowledge, how it can be used to change things, to develop existing ways or to create new ideas.
The world has changed so much in such a short time and education has to some extent stood still.
Let children have access to handheld devices in every lesson, not rely on booking computer rooms that are at a premium, this way they can explore and create and develop their understanding for a world that changes quicker than text books can be printed

iPad trials

Starting a trial with some students using iPads, one is a loan from school the other is a student who has an iPad of his own, I plan to get as much data on progression of learning and attainment to prove the benefit of personalised technology for students rather than the old fashioned 'computer rooms'
The plan is to get students engaging in their learning in ways that currently are not possible on traditional classrooms where access to media and creative tools are limited and have not progressed a great deal from when I was in school
The two students will be closely mentored by myself in an effort to first equip them with some of the basic tools, I.e note taking tools, creative tools, video etc
Hopefully they will then run with the ideas and make their own learning styles helping them progress further without limits

Students blogging as evidence for work

Today I managed to get all of my Year 10 class to sign up to have blogger accounts and explain how they can be used. The project we are looking at is how the body and it's systems are effected by exercise. They will just keep a record after each session on what they have learnt, what findings they complied and what it means to them. All of this is then used as evidence for their coursework.

Hopefully we can highlight the literacy and numeracy links that this has so that students further develop themselves in the process.

Tracking student grades to give fast feedback using Evernote

I have started to put together tracking sheets and feedback sheets on Evernote in order for student progress to easily be tracked and shared. The problem that we faced was getting students to know what they have achieved as soon as their work is marked instead of having to wait for their next lesson.

We aim to get students to use their own time in order to supplement their learning time in school but for this to happen they need to have all the information required to use that time.

Creating notebooks for each student with a feedback sheet and criteria tracking means that students have live updates on their work that they can act upon straight away. It is also in a place where students can share what they have done with their parents.

Blogging in BTEC sport

Started writing a new task today for my BTEC group. Going to get them to use a blog in order to track their progress in the module. As we are looking at fitness testing it would be useful for them to keep a diary of their daily activity and progress. Hopefully filling in the blog will be easier for them to manage (and less chance of losing) than a book.

Simple system to get them signed up to blogger. Generate a google account and then share their blog address with me. Once they start posting they are creating evidence and I can simply give fast feedback on their blog directly.

The real Beaty of this is that they can post their blogs from anywhere so hopefully they will get completed on a daily basis.