Chanatown

Thank You! Prezi Adds Music and Voiceovers

2013-03-13T16:30:00.000-05:00

Prezi just keeps getting better and better. I remember first using the web based presentation tool in its early stages. Sure, there were some ups and downs, (or zoom ins and outs if you will), but overall, the tool has proven its worth and enabled students to engage in collaboration (live editing works really well) and build more engaging presentations (always a plus). Yesterday, the company added a feature that was so often requested: sound. Check out the Intro Prezi after the jump, and get ready to spice up those presentations. This takes Prezi one step closer to a true digital storytelling tool, as it resembles more a moviemaker (web based as opposed to a favorite in client based Windows Photo Story 3) and with sound, the app offers a more continuous flow as opposed a silent, static presentation.

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Best Online Countdown Timers for the Classroom, Kitchen, etc.

2013-03-11T16:30:00.000-05:00

When I taught in the classroom, I would use an old fashioned egg timer, or keep an eye on my stopwatch. Nowadays, teachers can post an electronic timer on their projector screen, set multiple timers, and even make class a bit more interactive through a fun and engaging countdown. Here are seven options - feel free to leave a comment if you have more suggestions.

Classic: http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-timer/ - does have ads, but they become minimal when in full screen mode.

Egg Timer: http://e.ggtimer.com/ - simple, clean, text based, and some cute extras if you're interested.

Really, an egg timer: http://timerrr.com/ - nice look/feel, reminds me of the old egg timer...

Online Timer: http://www.timeanddate.com/timer/ - different look/feel, plus a nice interface if you want multiple timers.

ClassTools: http://www.classtools.net/education-games-php/timer - silly/fun music to accompany some preset timer options, plus the ability to add your own soundtrack, includes embed code as well.

iPad Friendly: http://ipadstopwatch.com/timer.html - those on mobile devices may have some trouble with these timers if they're Flash-based. This simple appropriately named site shows up just fine. Ad supported.

If you like bunnies: http://www.timerland.net/ - random!!!

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Making of a Conference - MiniCon 2013

2013-01-25T16:00:00.000-06:00

The planning began one year ago, but the pacing has picked up during the last week. I've been co-chairing the 2013 NICE Mini Conference (now called "MiniCon") for the past year, and it's been a fun and exciting experience. Getting to work with an outstanding team in the NICE Board, sifting through an amazing system of notes, project plans, and details from our predecessors, and receiving creative freedom to modify, tweak, and add to 18 years of Mini-Conferences will culminate in tomorrow's big event. If you haven't registered for the "Best $5 Conference in the World", fear not. We'll be taking walk-ins, and you can join the 300+ other educators interested in sharing, learning, and networking on technology in the classroom. See you at the MiniCon (www.niceminicon.org).

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iPad Accessory Review: The Indy Bag by WaterField Designs

2013-01-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Article first published as iPad Accessory Review: The Indy Bag on Blogcritics.

When you think of Indiana Jones, a few iconic images immediately come to mind. The rolling stone ball from Raiders’; the cheesy map transitions when traveling, and of course the accessories. Indy’s hat, whip, and satchel were all prominently featured throughout the movie series, and all were vital in ensuring that evil doers were thwarted while precious historical artifacts were returned to where they naturally belonged (in a museum, of course). With another round of iPads recently announced, and another surely on the way, it’s time to pause and reflect on accessories and some of the best ways to tote your prized portable tablet in style. In this review, we take a look at the Indy Bag by WaterField Designs.

Simply Put, Luxuriously Elegant
Immediately upon unveiling the Indy, I knew that this was a high quality bag. I had read some positively glowing reviews of other WaterField products, but words became a reality when I found myself uttering similarly boisterous phrases upon my first encounter with the leather bag. The minimalist design coupled with attention to detail brings to fruition an innovative carrying companion specifically made for the iPad. The large main pocket runs deep and provides ample space for your iPad, though not quite enough for a Macbook Air (No penalty here; I thought I might as well try).

Additional inner pockets provide space for cables and accessories, but bulk is not necessarily encouraged as the bag is constructed to maintain a svelte look with the zipper closure. Speaking of which, I loved the “hidden” look of the zipper. With nearly all of my shoulder laptop bags, there’s the traditional flap closure that can be a bit cumbersome at times. The Indy provides easy access to the pocket for the most important person (you) and keeps the access hidden from others looking to snatch your precious computer.
WaterField does not stop with the bountiful space on the inside. On the exterior of the Indy lies two additional pockets, one on each side.

The front contains a soft “Ultrasuede” pocket designed to hold your mobile device and keep it smudge free as well. For more security but easier access than opening the inner pocket, there’s a zippered pocket on the back of the Indy, and this is where I opted to store loose papers (ex. mail) that I would need to access in a jiffy. Both pockets are well stitched and I had little worry about anything getting lost or falling out as a result.

It’s Not a Purse, It’s a Carry-All
Surely, the biggest debate that will carry on with the Indy is its unique vertical rectangular shape. Some will call this a satchel, while others will deem it a man-purse or “murse”. A classic Seinfeld episode effectively summarizes the male carry-all stereotypes, but in this day and age, with larger phones, smaller laptops, and the in between category of tablets, it makes complete sense to have a transportation vehicle (read: bag) to effectively stow one’s device(s). This is especially true if we are aiming to leave the laptop behind and live solely on a tablet and a smartphone. In this case, a bag such as the Indy makes perfect sense, and why should we settle for something ugly when we can have a design that would please even those at Apple.

Conclusion
As mentioned above, the level of detail found on the Indy impresses me, and writing about the bag makes me want to use it even more. I didn’t particularly care for the green accent stripe included on my review model, but you can select a different color scheme for yours (or maybe you’d like the neon). Without a doubt, you’ll be turning heads with the Indy. Of course, you’ll also need to be comfortable fielding an occasional question about your decision to purchase a satchel, but how many people are noticing your current black laptop bag nowadays? It’s 2013, and it’s time to establish new trends. The Indy can be purchased from WaterField Designs for $179 at sfbags.com.

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Reflections from IETC Day Two

2012-12-03T16:30:00.000-06:00

Day two at IETC - picked up several new ideas and always enjoy Jon Orech on presentation tips. Additional notes below - side note: had a wonderful meal at American Harvest on Thursday night. Highly recommend for future visits to Springfield.

Non-iPad Apps

Presentation handout
Google Tablet apps - no screencasting app? Best - AirDroid and record screen on computer
One of the questions I got during my presentation was support for Android tablets and Chromebooks. Unfortunately, while most apps for personal devices have made their way to Android phones, education apps and other enterprise apps are planting seeds in the Apple Store, and waiting it out to see if Google makes significant headway with their devices.

Jon Orech - Presentation Zen

Appeals: Logos, Ethos, Pathos
Tools: Finding images: Google, Life Photo Archives, Flickr Storm, Behold, CC, Photopin
Creative Commons - opposite of copyright - here's what you can use
Pixlr - online image editing
Movies, Screencasts, Presentation Zen
Video Resource page
Identify learning targets - 4 videos, assess who knows what, use videos to learn on own (instead of demo, etc)
PBIS - students making videos about other students - Shared Spaces
Creation vs. Completion - Movies For Students vs. Movies Made by Students
Digital Storytelling, Video Documentaries, Summative Assessments
Screencasting - don't forget my preso from yesterday! - Tutorials, Teacher Feedback, Student Created - summative assessment, or better - peer teacher - collect and have students use as resources
Community Clips - PC only free download tool
Life After Death by PowerPoint Comedy - YouTube
Use no words, all images in Presentation - puts focus on speaker
Presentation Zen - Garr Reynolds
Think of inspirational posters - image, quote
Teaching Presentation Zen

Luncheon Keynote
Teaching Through Social Media

More iPad resources
http://nlsdweb.nlsd122.org/schools/bentley/staff/hmorgan/Site/iPad.html

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Reflections from IETC 2012 Day One

2012-11-30T09:31:00.004-06:00

I'm currently at the Illinois Education and Technology Conference (IETC). I'll be presenting today on Screencasting later in the day, but first I enjoyed some moments from Dr. Gary Stager's keynote presentation. I've been a fan of Dr. Stager since I first heard him present - he's passionate, engaging, and a bit over the top (in a good way). For a detailed notes and tutorial site for my Screencasting session, click here. For my notes of some highlighted sessions, hit the jump.

Keynote...Notes:

Virtual handout available here
The "Best" Ideas in the World: Fab/Personal fabrication, Reggio Emilia, OLPC, Generation YES, El Sistema, 826 Valencia, Big Picture Schools
Common elements: Project-Based Learning and Personal Computing
Using the computer to make things that would have been otherwise impossible.
MIT Technology Review, Buzz Aldrin cover - "We've stopped solving big problems."
Constructive/Computational Media - greatest ROI/most learning
The DIY Revolution - literature, tv shows, returning projects to students, access to expertise and reducing passivity
Fab and Fab labs - Neil Gershenfeld, Bricolage
3D printers - design you own and actually make it
Super Awesome Sylvia - sylviashow.com
"If you make simple things easy to do, you make complexity possible."
Design video games: www.microworlds.com
Fractions: write a program that will draw a representation of any fraction in a circle.
Reggio Emilia - city in Italy - rebuild community by investing in early childhood education
Amusement Park for Birds
Better Prompts: Brevity, Ambiguity, (post it note and vague), Immunity to assessment (reality is the feedback)
Best advice: "Less Us, More Them!"
Saturday morning - Make Memories

iPads in the Classroom Notes

Poll Everywhere
Everything online
Edmodo
Reflection app to display iPad on PC
Handwritten Notes Lite for note taking
GoodNotes

Every teacher needs:

QR code reader
QRstuff.com -free generator lets you create more than just URLs, customize the look too.
QR bookmarklet in your browser - creates QR code for current website
Free cloud storage - Google Drive and Dropbox
Ability to open and edit office documents - CloudOn
Evernote -stores passwords,how tos and to dos
Timers- Jumbo Stopwatch, Chronolite (multiple timers)

Creativity tools:

Mind mapping tools- inspiration maps lite (5 maps at a time), idea sketch, poppet lite, mind mash
Sideshow creation tools- animoto, haikudeck (simple presentation editor)
Fun - Puppet Pals and Toontastic, Sock Puppet (voice scrubbing)
Screen casting - educreations, screen chomp, show me
Digital Posters- Pic Collage,
Story- Story Kit, Comic Touch Lite
Clickers- Socrative

STEM in Math and Science

Learning products- Google Sites,
Increased engagement, hands-on,
Products- Stella $500/district
Vision, Skills (cognitive and social/life)
Engineering Design/Problem Solving Process - mindset for students
Problem Based Learning - Inquiry embedded in curriculum
Library of STEM lessons
Robotics club, Lego mindstorms, Botball competition
STEM camp, family nights - exposure to activities
Lessons - 1-2 hour lessons focused on problem solving, embedded within core courses
Engineering is elementary curriculum (paid) www.mos.org
Student blogs- discussions
Lessons at goo.gl/PWi1L
Tryengineering.org - library of hands-on activities
Mindstorms - mobile collection devices, Vernier probes too
PhET - free online simulations

Online Discussions

Scenarios:

Too Long?
Not moving discussion forward
Setting Expectations - what is a substantial post?
Create a Safe Space
Substantial posts - move the conversation forward
Discussion Board Expectations - no points for flexibility, rubric

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EducationOnAir: Oh The Things You Can Do With Google Sites!

2012-11-27T16:30:00.000-06:00

I chose to go with a Pecha Kucha style of presentation for my Google+ Hangout, as part of Google's EducationOnAir series. In my broadcast, I reviewed 10 Google Sites tips in 20 minutes. That's a cool tip every 2 minutes! Check out the replay and if you know the tip already, fast forward 2 minutes. Fast, relevant, and useful PD. Join me again on 12/10 at 4pm CST for another Google Sites preso, this time focusing on how to use the new Sites Layout and navigation features.

New Tutorial: Nearpod for the iPad

2012-11-20T16:30:00.000-06:00

I was able to spend much of the morning working with an iPad app called Nearpod. Honestly, I was impressed with many of the capabilities, and I saw real potential to do great things with the shared iPad carts. Essentially, Nearpod is an all-in-one presentation/polling application that allows users to deliver presentations to a group set of iPads. The interactive features include some traditional ones such as polling Q&A, self-paced student quizzes, and free response questioning. However, the Draw It feature is easily worth the efforts of downloading and installing Nearpod alone. Students can ink on blank canvases or preset background images and submit their drawings to the teacher for review and potential sharing. Here are just a few examples that came to mind when I demo'ed the app to our teachers:

annotation of text
showing steps for math problems
balancing chemical equations
labeling maps
translating sentences
illustrating concept maps
graphic organizers

Basically, anything that can be saved as an image (Powerpoint slides can all be exported as .JPG or .PNG files) can serve as a background for the student to draw on. Again, this is a very simple yet elegant solution to real time communication using the iPads in a classroom setting.

Nearpod is available for free from iTunes with upgrades available for additional features and storage.

My Nearpod tutorial page is available here at makingtechsimple.com.

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Day Two Notes from Google Midwest Summit 2012

2012-11-13T14:10:00.002-06:00

Day two from the Google Midwest Summit. No snow in the forecast today - it's sunny, blue skies and a crisp 42 degrees in the Dells. Day one was a great experience both as a presenter and a learner. I'm eager for another day of learning, and I'll be touching base with a few attendees from yesterday's session on Google Sites. Read on for more notes, links, and goodies picked up from day two.

Source Links/Session Pages:
Steven Butschi, Shared Notes
Minnetonka - Google and iPads
Chad Kafka - Google Hangouts

Google+ is coming soon to K-12, possibly for Staff first for professional development, PLC work, shared department initiatives.

"The Web is what you make of it." Google Chrome's current motto applying to education: the base platform for technology - the browser. It's not about tying to one device - web is unifying link (less licensing, specific apps)

Check out Google Apps EDU App Packs for bulk discounts on popular paid apps including Teacher Dashboard which we use at ETHS.

Making Google Docs Offline is tough - think about what it takes to make real time collaboration online work when offline. Spreadsheets are particularly challenging because many calculations are done in the cloud and need to be done locally.

iPad 1:1 in Minnetonka: iPads for all freshmen and sophomores (science, math, english during first year, control group = students w/out iPads). Using Google Forms, Schoology for formative assessments and access results/grades in real time.

Workflow: Schoology has a dropbox feature (connected from Google Docs) for getting work from students to teachers. Remarks app links to Google Drive. This is very nice since we have Google Drive folders already created for our teachers. (Link to comparison for annotation apps). We use Notability and they have just added Google Drive support, so I need to test this when I return. Schoology demo - looking pretty nice for 1:1, especially if it plays well on the iPad.

Using Quickoffice Pro HD instead of Google Drive because they wanted offline editing capabilities.

Google Drive app vs. Safari experience - additional editing capabilities but messing with tables and images can be a bit tricky. Stay with Safari for editing Google Docs and collaboration.

Schoology also has a plugin/connection with Turnitin.com.

Hangouts have started to be allowed in K-12 Apps accounts, but it's only the "Lite" version, 1-to-1 video only, no extra features (so far). Lite is in the URL.

Users can start hangouts directly from Gmail. No longer need to go through Google+ anymore. Uses include professional development - screenshare, text chat, show Google Drive files, teaching from home, podcasts

Gmail Labs - right side chat is great for moving your chat bar to the right side which allows for more room.

Hangout Tips - stop other apps that may be running in the background. Add as a Chrome for quick launching from a new tab, Google Hangouts toolbox - adjust volume of other people, additional apps available

Live hangout features - screenshare, live edit of Google Docs, effects, multiple screen shares

Honestly, I became a bit overwhelmed with how much can be done with all of these tools. This is a good thing, but just as I recall from my experience at the Google Teachers Academy (way back in 2009), I need to take a deep breath, let the head come to rest from all of that spinning, and go back to work with some goals of implementing these ideas into the classroom. Get ready ETHS - here we go!

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Day One Notes from Midwest Google Summit 2012

2012-11-12T15:30:00.002-06:00

Great day of sharing and learning at the 2nd Annual Midwest Google Summit (Wisconsin Dells, WI). I began the morning working with close to 100 attendees on creating and editing Google Sites. We had a lot of great ideas, questions, and I hope that everyone walked away with something new. With my presenter duties completed (thank you conference schedulers!), I got to sit back and enjoy the work of other presenters. Hit the jump for some notes from the day one sessions.

Sources Links/Session Pages:
Stacy Behmer
Lindsay Welch
Chad Kafka
Jamie Casap
"Bears vs. Packers" Session Notes

Lots of good stuff here, and as a side topic, I picked up a few new Chrome Extensions. Additional tips and tricks from Chad's preso.

Timer - great way to keep track of things without opening a separate tab or application.
Tab Cloud - great for bookmarking a set of tabs that opens up automatically (definitely will try this out for presentations in the future).

Picasa Web Albums - nice tip for collecting photos by having students send via email to a shared Picasa web album. Check out the Settings in Picasa Web Albums and type in a secret word which then gets incorporated into an email address. Share the link to others for a photos dropbox that send pictures directly to the web album.

Google Translate - World Language teachers can open U.S. websites and then use Google Translate to make it appear as another language.

More Google Translate - voice input (English original language) - after installing a Voice extension for Google Chrome, you can speak into the Google Translate box and then translate into a different language.

Google Inside Search and Google Search Posters offer some great resources for faculty and staff to educate students (and ourselves) on how to use Search effectively.

I forgot this tip, but students looking to search based on an existing image (already downloaded, looking for the source for citation) can do a "reverse image search" by uploading the image through Google Images and then viewing the search results.

Google Search Story Creator - I used this awhile back, but I was worried that Google discontinued this service. Alas, the link is alive and provides a fun way to create new and engaging Google Search stories.

And this just in from the Twitter wire: Google Docs Story Builder - looking forward to trying this out later in the week. The Wedding List story is always a crowd pleaser.

Quiettube - "videos without the distractions" - very cool way to eliminate the comments and "other stuff" that comes up when you use videos from YouTube. Available as a Chrome extension and you can then copy the direct link for use elsewhere.

Using Google Voice in the Classroom - lots of great ideas regarding the use of Voice. One really cool use involves having students record messages on the phone to the teacher's Google Voicemail allows the teacher to access the recorded messages on the web, as well as offer the ability to fadd notes, email results, download as .mp3, and embed (through HTML add).

Using templates are a great way to share Google Forms for use in other classrooms or departments.

Color code by level - using color in a Google Spreadsheet (from form data), teachers can quickly assess where students are and regroup as a class to differentiate instruction.

Transform data from a Google Spreadsheet (form data) and then use the Word Cloud (use tilde (~) symbol) gadget (Insert, Gadget, Word Cloud). Too bad spreadsheet gadgets will be retiring in 2013. =(

Using generic answer sheets (blanks) Google Forms along with paper or projected questions can help with issues such as looking/searching for answers during an assessment as well as talk from one class to another later in the day.

Using Branch Logic with Formative Assessments - good idea for using Google Forms logic branching is for incorrect answers going towards a different set of questions whereas correct answers go elsewhere. Possible use for "flipped" classrooms and including assessments.

IFTTT - "If this, then that" - sets up automated actions based on If Then rules.

Live summary of results - nice trick - open the Summary of Responses for a Google Form in a new tab (command-click on link) and then use a Chrome Extension (Chrome Reload) set for a specific time interval (ex. every five seconds).

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Video: How to Pre-Populate Google Forms via URL Shorteners

2012-11-06T16:30:00.000-06:00

This topic came up on our Google Certified Teacher Group and I was so excited to see that there was a possibility of pre-populating Google Forms (thanks E. Curts for the source link). With this capability, you can have fields pre-filled with specific data (like an email appendage), checkboxes pre-slugged, or address fields pre-populated (different forms for different states, cities, etc.). Lots of possibilities and just a minimal amount of legwork in adjusting the URL. Hit the jump for the Google support link and a 2-minute tutorial.

Google Support Article

iPad App Tutorial: Socrative

2012-10-31T16:30:00.000-05:00

I had the luxury of having some time today to explore Socrative, and although I know that this app has been around for some time, I think it's still a bit under the radar for not only iPad carts but for any mobile device initiative. The application is essentially a polling platform, but what sets Socrative apart from every other app I've seen (and I still like PollEverywhere) is how easy, intuitive and functional the app is to use. Feel free to check out and share my tutorial page found here: http://www.makingtechsimple.com/socrative

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Save Those Dates and Let's Meetup, Hangout, and See Each Other Soon

2012-10-26T16:30:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year, no not the holiday where you have your kids dress up as baby animals and solicit neighbors for candy. No, it's professional development conference season, and we're hitting the ground running starting in November. I'll be presenting at a few local conferences, waiting for word on the big state and national ones, and will be co-chairing the local Mini-Conference held in January of next year. Hit the jump for more details on each of them, and let me know if you'll be attending!

Google Apps for Education Midwest Summit (November 12-13)
I missed round one, but I'll be in attendance and presenting on day one at this sold-out two day conference for all things Googley.

Illinois Education and Technology Conference (November 29-30)
The edtech caravan heads downstate to Springfield, IL for this great conference, my first as an official edtech employee. Springfield's a great place to visit as well - the Lincoln museum is amazing!

Google EDU On Air (October-December, 2012)
You have the best seat in the house to learn with educators around the world. Over 110 Hangouts. Over 70 presenters. All free on Google+. Education On Air. Register today. http://goo.gl/OyqFc

Specifically, I'll be presenting twice for EDU On Air - come hang out on 11/26 for Sites one month from today.

NICE Mini-Con 2013 - Call for Proposals
Lastly, the Northern Illinois Computer Educators (NICE) is having its annual Mini-Conference on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at Niles North High School. We've got presenter proposals rolling in daily, but we'd love to hear from you regarding any topics that you'd be interested in presenting. We've got a great keynote speaker in store and this year promises to be the biggest, best conference ever!

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New Features of Apple Configurator v1.2

2012-10-25T16:30:00.000-05:00

We've been using Apple Configurator for managing our shared iPad carts, and Apple recently released an update (v1.2) in early October. I discussed some of the immediate benefits in terms of fixing a paid app code bug in an earlier post, but I'm back to outline some of the new features that came with the update. You can read Apple's update post here, and after the jump is a 2-minute walkthrough.

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Why the iPad Mini is Perfectly Priced at $329

2012-10-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Article first published as Why the iPad Mini is Perfectly Priced at $329 on Blogcritics.

The announcement of the iPad mini didn't surprise many (I predicted it early last year), but the price of the 7.9 inch tablet surely raised eyebrows and disappointed stockholders. Many forecasters, including this tech blogger, assumed that Apple would price the iPad's kid brother at levels comparable to the competition, namely the Kindle Fire HD ($199 - 16GB) and the Google Nexus ($199 - 8GB). Well, that's why we don't work at Apple I suppose.

Reflecting on the pricing levels ($329 16GB WiFi - $659 64GB LTE), it becomes clear why Apple took the high road so to speak. Quite simply, Apple is king right now. Its cool, chic, and desired image still commands a price bump. Consumers are willing to pay more for Apple products than others despite similar or sometimes lower levels of technology. Apple may not win many tech spec battles or speed tests, but they sure know how to get their product into the hands of the consumer.

So why not take advantage of this and test the price points north of $300? Why not find out exactly who is willing to pay a bit more for a chance to own an iPad as opposed to a similar less established 7-inch tablet? Apple continues to state that they don't want to compete in the low end slates and smartphone market, and they are sticking to their words by up charging the smaller tablet arena. And why wouldn't they? Once you establish a price point for a new product, it is much easier to reduce the price and nearly impossible to raise it.

Besides, what's the worst that can happen? Sell only a "few million" and then clear inventory with a bargain "sale" price of...you guessed it, $299? Apple has done this before and they will continue to operate this way as long as they are at the head of the cool kids table. Look for a price drop just in time for the holiday season and next summer, don't be surprised to see the iPad mini available for $249 when the new iPad mini gets released.

Converting PDFs to Word via Google Docs (VIDEO)

2012-10-24T16:10:00.002-05:00

This one has been out for awhile. In fact, I wrote a post in 2011 on this very capability. However, I went ahead and created documentation and a video since the topic still comes up frequently. Teachers (or anyone for that matter) occasionally request editing of PDF documents. Although PDFs are meant for viewing only, there are times when we want to be able to access an editable version in a word processor. Google Docs has a handy PDF converter built in, and it does a pretty decent job of converting, especially if you're looking at just a bunch of text in your document. First, you'll convert to a Google Doc, and if you need some Microsoft goodness in there, you'll need to download as such. Here's the tutorial guide and a YouTube video is embedded after the jump.

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Voicethread Mobile on the iPad

2012-10-22T16:30:00.000-05:00

I'll be working with one of our iPad teachers this week on using Voicethread on the iPad. We've had some great projects come through on the computer side of Voicethread, but this will be our first full class run through with the mobile application. I put together a brief tutorial guide that reviews login and some basic how-to's for the app. It turns out that the app is quite intuitive (not surprising since the people behind Voicethread are really on top of their game - I met them at ISTE 2011). Feel free to make a copy of the guide via Google Docs and adapt as needed. The only downside thus far (before rollout at least) is the inability to share with your class groups. We don't have email accounts setup on our iPads, so we'll be asking students to share from the web application on the desktop computers. I'll update this post once the project is complete.

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Apple Configurator and Paid App Codes

2012-10-12T16:30:00.000-05:00

As we continue to learn about deploying iPad carts in the classroom, I wanted to document two findings that were giving us trouble recently. First, when we updated the Macbook laptops to Mountain Lion (10.8), we were encountering an error when attempting to import spreadsheets with the app codes. A discussion forum revealed that others were having the same issue and despite a suggested workaround (that didn't work for me), the solution finally came in an app update to the Configurator (v1.2). This is now available in the App Store and all is well again with paid app spreadsheet imports.

The other issue that I was having was that it seemed we needed to buy an extra code for the laptop, though this doesn't make sense. After speaking with an engineer from Apple, it was suggested to do the following: 1) Redeem an app code on the laptop. 2) Download the spreadsheet again from VPP. 3) Import the spreadsheet into Configurator. We tested this yesterday with 30 app codes for 30 iPads, and it worked like a charm. Not 100% sure why, but I'm glad we won't have to pay for an extra app.

UPDATE: here's a video that I created to illustrate the process. Hope it helps!

Updated Google Drive for iOS Finally Brings Docs Editing to the iPad

2012-09-22T21:18:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know that we were able to edit Google Docs through Safari, and the process was a bit better through the Chrome native app. However, during the first few weeks of our iPad cart rollouts, I have been hesitant in recommending Google Docs as the main word processing option, which is a huge shame since all of our students already have accounts and they have gotten used to using them in many of their other classes. With a Galaxy Nexus phone in tow for the past few months, I have had the luxury of using the Android app and desperately wondered why the developers could not bring a similar experience to the iPad. Well, Apple vs. Google battles aside, the day has come and I was so very excited to test the updated (9/10/12) app on my iPad this weekend.

First, editing docs is now a very simple and fast process. No longer is navigation a challenge getting to and from your documents and the rich text editor. You can create, edit, and even do some light formatting of docs all through the updated Drive application. A less promoted feature but a huge one for our students is the ability to move documents into existing folders directly through the application. We use Hapara's Teacher Dashboard at ETHS, so the students have their class folders already created. Now, with the ability to move docs into folders, they can take their newly created essays, their updated journals and share them with their teachers simply by moving them into their class folders, all from their iPads. This makes a classroom cart of iPads even more functionally useful since students can log in and out of the Drive application with ease.

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Macbook Air - Waking From Sleep Issue Resolved

2012-09-10T17:58:00.000-05:00

I purchased a 2012 Macbook Air over the summer, my first new personal computer pickup in quite some time. I considered getting a shiny new Retina Pro, but the 15" form factor not to mention the steep $2K price tag got me back from the ledge, and I have been thoroughly enamored with the razor thin profile of the Airs from day one. There has been little buyer's remorse since, though I have noticed a few issues (battery life decrease, slow wakeup from sleep, and a potentially loose hinge), especially after installing the Mountain Lion upgrade. There are forum discussions for all of these topics, but the one that got resolved for me this past weekend was the slow wakeup from sleep. A review of the forum thread here followed by a reset of the System Management Controller (SMC) has allowed me to wake from sleep with a password without having to wait a few seconds. Anything to get this blazingly fast machine running even faster, right?

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Clicker Support and iPad Cart First Looks

2012-09-06T21:55:00.001-05:00

Today, I visited two classroom teachers who have deployed iPad carts and it will be interesting to have us meet as a cohort (five carts in total) next week. Day-to-day maintenance and some introductions to using the tablet devices have varied, yet all has gone relatively smoothly thus far. Some early highlights include using a web clip to link to a teacher's website as well as our Google Apps login, and completing an intro survey Google Form on the iPad. We also realized that connecting the iPads after each class may be optional since syncing may not be necessary in between periods and the battery life of the iPad allows us to go for potentially several days without ever needing a cable.

Solved By Searching: Turning Point Clickers
I started out the day assisting with clickers and was able to fix a channel issue as well as automatically set Turning Point to open when clicking on any PowerPoint file.

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Day Two - Staying on the Move

2012-09-05T18:22:00.000-05:00

I was able to sneak in a 15 minute lunch, but other than that, I was again on the move throughout the building working in a lot of different classrooms. More setup on the iPad carts working with a few teachers, and then we successfully used the Chromebooks with three classes today. Coupled with Hapara's Teacher Dashboard, we've got a powerful solution for Google Apps and one that makes it very efficient for teachers to stay organized with their students' documents. Here are some of today's SBS moments. (I'm changing the acronym to Solved By Searching - . I just couldn't live with WILTs!)

Burning a Data Disc on Mac/PC
I need to make a quick copy of a DVD for backup purposes. First, I looked up a free solution for PCs (CD Burner XP - works for Windows 7 as well), but then realized that I needed to do it on the Mac. Apparently, OS X does this through Disk Utility, so it was a quick and easy procedure.

Screen Capturing on a Google Chromebook
Lastly, I wanted a reminder on how to take screen shots on a Chromebook and I found the shortcut needed. Add that shortcut to the arsenal of screenshot tips and tricks.

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Day One - Back to School

2012-09-04T16:35:00.000-05:00

I'm finally able to take a breath after a day's worth of running around helping teachers with everything from doc cam setups to clicker troubleshooting. It's really exciting to see so many of our faculty and staff eager and excited about their technology and going full steam from day one. Tomorrow I'll begin meeting with our iPad teachers as well as supporting day one for our first full Chromebook cart. More on all of that to come. A quick WILT (what I learned today) for the new school year:

Setting Up Line Spacing in MS Word 2010
This was simple, but Microsoft is always changing their products. Office is so widely used throughout the building, yet we have users on 2003, 2007, and now 2010. For the newest version, I had trouble finding the double spacing options, but learned that it was under Home, Paragraph. More info here.

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New Feature: What I Learned Today (WILT) - Adding Links to a SharePoint Document Library

2012-08-25T02:34:00.000-05:00

It's been a record two months since the last post, but back to school specials are upon us and that means there's plenty to talk about as I enter year four as a Technology Integration Specialist. Over the past three years, I've been fortunate to work with hundreds of teachers and thousands of students. There is not a day where I am not learning something from either another teacher, a student, or through my own searches. In an attempt to get more posts (still focusing on quality), I'll be writing some shorter articles that feature something I learned. Based on the guiding principle that one question is likely shared by others, I'll try to document more of the questions that I get and the answers that I share with individuals. I'll categorize these as "What I Learned Today" or WILT (not the best acronym by any means), so as to search and find the label with ease. Read on for the first WILT.

Adding Links and Documents to a SharePoint Library

I'm a big fan of Google Sites, and using the File Cabinet feature, one can add both files and links to the same page template. This feature (as with many others on Sites) is very easy to teach and is quite intuitive. Jump over to the SharePoint side of the world and you have a less friendly interface. Granted, document management is definitely stronger with SharePoint, so many of our teachers continue to use the platform for their course websites. Recently, there was a question about how to add links to a document library, and a quick Google Search revealed a nice solution.

Within seconds, we were able to include an option to add a URL to a document library, which made it possible to have both documents and links in a single place. Teachers will find this quite useful when organizing their courses and can operate solely out of document libraries as opposed to creating separate libraries and lists for their links. Folder structures are possible, and sorting is enabled. One downside is that you have to perform the change on every document library, but it's a one-time process. Hit the source link for the step-by-step procedures.

Source: http://techtrainingnotes.blogspot.com/2007/08/sharepoint-adding-hyperlinks-to-doc.html

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