Ask3 iOS app for a flipped classroom

Ask3 is a free iPad app from TechSmith. Ask3 is a tool that teachers can use to create short instructional videos that are shared directly to their students’ iPads. Students can use Ask3 to ask questions about the video, mark the video with drawing tools, and create their own audio comments about the video.



You share Ask3 videos to your students through a virtual workspace room. When you register as a teacher you are given a room number to share with your students. Students then open the Ask3 app on their iPads, enter their names, create a password for themselves, and enter the room number that you gave them. Students do not have to have email addresses to use Ask3. Anytime students enter your Ask3 room they can access the videos you’ve posted to the bulletin board in that room.


Ask3 could be a great app to use to develop and share short tutorials with your students. The option for students to insert comments and questions might make Ask3 your new favorite whiteboard app.

Thanks to iPad Apps for School for the tip!

Screenleap

Screenleap is a free web site that enables you to share what’s happening on your computer screen with anyone with a web browser, instantly. Viewers can see your screen from any device, including tablets and smartphones. There are no downloads, installs, fees, or sign ups required.

Just visit the Screenleap home page to start a session, then share the link or PIN code with your students or colleagues, and viewers can begin seeing your computer screen instantly.

Screenleap is most useful for ad-hoc collaboration, but people use Screenleap for other purposes: remote computer support, virtual meetings, remote training, sharing photos, team projects, and as a free alternative to Webex and GoToMeeting.

We have a student with Dyslexia that has difficulty copying information from the Promethean board. ScreenLeap helps him see the same information as his peers, but on the iPad in a way that he can process. I cannot wait to see other ways that this site can be utilized in the classroom!

Class Dojo

ClassDojo is a classroom tool that can help teachers improve behavior in their classrooms quickly and easily. It also captures and generates data on behavior that teachers can share with parents and administrators.

Easily award feedback points for behavior in class in real-time, with just one click of your smartphone or laptop. The data syncs across all devices! 

ClassDojo gives you behavior-tracking analytics and reports that can be shared with parents and administrators, all with just one click. No data entry needed, ever.

It's free, easy for teachers to use, and has a fun, engaging interface for the kids! This behavior management program is being used in elementary classrooms and is even being used in classrooms as high as middle school!

Hunt County Technology Camp

Wednesday, August 8th and Thursday, August 9th, Commerce ISD is hosting the Hunt County Technology Camp on the campus of AC Williams Elementary. One of the most exciting aspects of the camp is our iPlayground! Check it out here:

Just "Google" it!

Quite often, I hear the comment, "I would do/make/teach _______, but I don't know how to do that."

Well, neither do I. I have to admit that Google search is my greatest resource when dealing with technology. (Well...Google and Pinterest but that is a different post.) For example, today I was working on updating some gadgets on my personal classroom blog and I wanted to add a Facebook gadget where readers could "like" my class Facebook page directly from the blog. There is a default gadget in Blogger for this, but I wanted one of those fancy ones that I have seen on other blogs that I follow. What did I do? I Googled it! 

You may have to sort through a few results before you find the information that you need but I assure you that there will be a website, blogger or YouTube video that can teach you anything you need to know.

Go ahead, conquer your greatest technological hurdle with the help of Google. You may not know how, but someone out there has created a tutorial just for you!

Keeping it Techy,
Heather Kilgore

Socrative

Apple trainer, Kevin Shepperd, introduced us to Socrative during a workshop on Challenge Based Learning. Socrative is a FREE student response system that enables teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games. The best part is that this is not just an app for iOS, Socrative can be accessed through smartphones, laptops, and tablets.

How it works:
Teachers login through their device and select an activity which controls the flow of questions and games. Students simply login with their device and interact real time with the content.

Student responses are visually represented for multiple choice, true/false and Short Answer questions. For pre-planned activities a teacher can view reports online as a Google spreadsheet or as an emailed Excel file.

ThreeRing digital portfolios

If you want to keep files of student work for your classes (which we all should) but don't have the room or time to file it all, the developers of ThreeRing have the solution to this problem. ThreeRing allows teachers to quickly and easily create digital portfolios of student work. Just snap a picture with your smartphone or iPad, and the app will sort the work by student, tag its content, and upload it to an online interface accessible by teachers, students, and parents. The work can go home with the student and you can have the documentation that you need for parent/teacher conferences. Best part? It's FREE for teachers!