iTunes U

iTunes U This looks like something I'd like to put together for my Bio kids.

Even orangutans learn with iPad. Shouldn't our students too?
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/09/orangutans-learn-to-communicate-via-ipad/

iFest June 9th

Trent sent an email out for iFest,  seems like something at least one of us should check out.  I will be out of town and not able to attend.  It's only a 1/2 day...

Prezi.com - More Creative Presentations

So.... it takes a while to learn and do, but it makes presentations more interesting.  Check out the demos and you can see a humble one I did for next years Back to School Night.

http://prezi.com/of8uxmkrujap/back-to-school-night/

"Delicious" - A Sharable & Publishable Bookmarking Site

http://delicious.com/

Great to share bookmarks of websites you want kids to peruse.  I made a list of summer programs my kids can look into:

http://delicious.com/stacks/view/I1tKvZ

Puppet Pals - Customizable Cartoons for Variety

Apple App Store - Puppet Pals ---  Soooo, it may seem silly and a waste of time... but... if you're dealing with dry material and you want to introduce something that will make the kids remember because of its ridiculousness, then try Puppet Pals.  It's free, but you can upgrade for 2.99 to get additional characters - which I did. 

At the bottom of this page:
http://polishedplay.blogspot.com/

is a video instruction on how to make the cartoons.

Penultimate - App for Writing on iPad

If you're frustrated that you can't type fast, if you wish you could just draw something quickly, then for $.99 is a good investment in Penultimate.  I plan on using it to write quick sentences for projecting or basic diagrams.

Makers - Video Interviews of Exceptional Women

Check out the Free App from PBS and AOL that has hundreds of interviews with leading women of our time.  Not only educational, but inspiring.

Turnitin.com - Peer Editing

Turnitin.com is not just a plagiarism detection software... it's got some good functionality that I've been exploring.  PVHS pays extra to have the peer editing functionality.  I used that recently and the kids overwhelmingly thought it was helpful and much more fun than doing it on paper in class.  The software allows the teacher to ask questions that the reviewer must answer and how many words must be in his/her response (so the answer isn't just "good").  Also the reviewer can add edits within the peer's essay.  The students found it fun to have that much control over putting comments where they liked.  You can have them do it anonymously but I prefer not.  Accountability helps ensure politeness.  It takes a bit to set up the class and assignment, but once it's done it's worth it.  I'll be using it a lot next year.

Survey Monkey - Not New But Effective

I've been using Survey Monkey to see the problem areas my kids are having in Grammar before the Star.  I've created surveys on certain areas such as pronouns.  Students love seeing the cumulative results.  They've even asked for period specific surveys so they can compete with the other classes.  The free account lets you create 10 questions.  PVHS has paid for an account that lets you add more.  But, you've got to gain access from administration or Trent.

Quizlet - Flashcards to share

I had a student type in hundreds of words and definitions sorted by type so that all the students could log on to study, play games, and quiz themselves.  They can do this online or through their handheld electronic device.  It's a great site that you create once and use again and again.  Quizlet.com