TinyTap - Turn Moments Into Games

Make your own educational apps

http://blog.tinytap.it/

Design your own games, play one created by other teachers, or get your students started as digital "makers".

"With TinyTap 2.0, teachers can make educational apps for older students, plus gain more traction in the international TinyTap community with a newly optimized marketplace. More navigable and user-friendly, the market offers thousands of games created daily by superstar educators, experts, and publishers worldwide."

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LunaPic | Free Online Photo Editor

Turn images into sketches or paintings

http://www166.lunapic.com/editor/?action=surreal

Do you want your students' BookCreator stories to look more like the real thing? Try converting the images to drawings or paintings to give ithemt more of a children's book feel. Use LunaPic, upload the image, apply the effect you want, copy/paste. Voilà

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Getty Images on iPads

Search a world of creative stock photos

http://classtechtips.com/2014/07/29/getty-images-on-ipads/

"Getty Images is a fantastic app for accessing photographs on a wide range of subjects.  You can type in keywords to search a database of more than 60 million pictures."  

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Password protect a short URL

Sharing a link on a open webpage?

http://thinfi.com/

If your institution has subscriptions to databases, video streaming, etc. that allow you to share direct links with no password protection by emailing them, your licencing likely does not permit posting the link on an open webpage. But if you don't have access to Moodle, or Edmodo, or other password protected CMS then you stuck! Why not check out thinfi? Thinfi allows you to shorten a URL and embed a password request before visiting the link.

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Musical iPads?

Don't have an orchestra handy? Think again.

What about using iPads? - If you can round up half a dozen, there are many instrument apps available and there are many fun things being done in both composition and performance using these devices. (or even as a supplement to existing band instruments.)

iBand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W9z-nrTQD4

iPad orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-I4eGT8_5U

iPad guitar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2qiIQEnNYk

iPad apps in action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSC2QS1VOZo  <- this one is great!

Take a look at "Rockmate" too.

http://www.imore.com/rock-friends-rockmate-ipad

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Take the "Temperature" of your class.

Quickly Check for Understanding Using Plickers

https://www.plickers.com

"Plickers is an app that scans cards held by students to check for understanding. The teacher posts a multiple-choice or T/F question on the board/screen and the students hold up the card to show their answer. The Plickers app on your mobile device scans the cards and collects the data. The website shows the results in real time and allows the teacher to quickly assess the understanding or opinions of the class. Go to www.plickers.com to set up an account and go here to get the app."

(Thanks @Loater)

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Trouble Using AirPlay to Watch DVDs on AppleTV from your Laptop?

Here's a work-around for your DVD problem!

http://www.askdavetaylor.com/use_airplay_to_watch_dvds_on_my_appletv/

Is this your problem?

"Whenever I try to watch a DVD with "DVD Player", and AirPlay is enabled, the video displays a black and white checkerboard graphic rather than the actual movie. How do I fix it so I can watch DVD movies via AirPlay??"

Dave Taylor has a great walk-through of the reasons for this, as well as a solution that is easy to implement: try "VLC Media Player"! You probably already have it on your laptop. (See his full post for all the details)

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"DMD Topic" Creates Talking Pictures On Your iPad

Mini-video demos with DMD Topic

http://ipadapps4school.com/2014/11/24/try-dmd-topic-to-create-talking-pictures-on-your-ipad/

"DMD Topic is a iPad app for quickly creating short videos. To create a video you simply take a picture or import a picture from your iPad's camera roll then start talking about the picture. You can record for up to 30 seconds. When you're finished recording, watch the video and select "tagging" to make the video automatically zoom to the objects that you are talking about in your video."

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Looking for the right sound?

A sound for every occasion

https://www.freesound.org/

"Freesound is a collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds. Browse, download and share sounds."

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Create Double Exposure Photos & Videos on Your iPhone

Try your hand at some creative double exposures.

http://ios.wonderhowto.com/how-to/create-double-exposure-photos-videos-your-iphone-0158229/

Could be a great art activity - have students fill a silhouette with another image. (Hands or head or body filled a place or action...)

"A double exposure image is two images merged or blended together into a single surrealistic photograph. On mobile devices, creating a double exposure effect is even easier, thanks to the number of photo apps available dedicated to the task. [Try] the Fused app from Easy Tiger Apps, one of these easiest ones to use on an iPhone. Not only does it do its magic on photos, but it works with videos, too!

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Check out this Kahoot! - 'Hallowe'en Safety'

Like a gameshow - but educational!

https://play.kahoot.it/#/?quizId=aa97d837-c909-4242-96be-ed5a27d5bfb6

10 questions every kid should be able to answer before "trick or treating". (Thanks Lynne at KatzieLLC for this quiz.)  Kahoot! is a new take on quizzing. Just like the poll game kids play before a movie in the theatre, students can use iPads, iPhones, iPods, laptops, in fact any web enabled device, to play. Simply launch the quiz on a computer connected to a projector, and have kids go to kahoot.it and enter the PIN provided.

You can get a free account at https://getkahoot.com to create your own. Only the teacher needs an account. Kids play without signing in. (The game asks kids for a "nickname" - use a number or initials. If you get an inappropriate monicker, click on it to boot them from the session.)

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GeoGuessr - Let's explore the world!

A web-based geographic discovery game

https://geoguessr.com/

"GeoGuessr is a web-based geographic discovery game designed by Anton Wallén, a Swedish IT consultant. The game utilizes random Google Street View locations and requires players to guess their location in the world using only the clues visible in Street View."

Explore by continent or country, or choose the category "famous places". Be a geo-detective!

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Money? Making Change?

Quick Quizzes for Smartboards and projectors

http://www.thatquiz.org/tq-a/math/money/

Do you want to generate some easy practice quizzes for students to review concepts? "That Quiz" offers a basic quiz generator at a variety of levels. Most of the examples are Math related, but if you sign up and create a "dummy class" of at least one student, you can generate your own quizzes on any topic you like. (thanks Carole for the tip!)

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Conjugaison de tous les verbes

Je, tu, il, elle....conjuguons ensemble!

http://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/

http://www.bescherelle.com/conjugueur.php

Here are two verb tools. They work equally well on mobile devices.

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My StoryMaker - crreate your own picture book

Build your own storybook

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/storymaker/

StoryMaker is a web app that allows students to create simple "cartoon" stories by dragging and dropping elements on a page. One thing to notice when using this app: if you accidentally press the "end" button while creating your story, it is immediately "published" and then cannot be edited any further. (Students can quickly find their story using the code generated once the book is done.)

Thanks Dan for this app recommendation.

http://danstechlinks.blogspot.ca/2014/09/my-storymaker.html

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Kahoot! — make quizzing a blast!

Poll students, create a "quiz show"

http://blog.getkahoot.com/post/88279784407/kahoot-user-guide-weve-created-this-kahoot

https://getkahoot.com/tutorials/Kahoot_Tutorials.pdf

An engaging, interactive way to connect students with content.

"LIKE A "PLAYSTATION FOR EDUCATION"  Kahoot! is a game-based classroom response system and educational platform that leaves your students begging for more. With a refreshingly new take on introducing a subject and formative assessment - through quizzing, collaboration and presentation of content - Kahoot! initiates peer-led discussions, with students left on the edge of their seats.

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French tools for students

How to find "le mot juste"

Use the following links to improve the level of your written French, and share them links your students!

Outils de traduction

WordReference.com

Linguee (compare les textes en 2 langues)

Le grand dictionnaire terminologique (GDT)

Capsules linguistiques

Le bon patron

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Apps That Rise to the Top: Curated by a TL

The best, most extensive list of apps voted on by educators

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/06/apps-that-rise-to-the-top-tested-and-approved-by-teachers/

Michelle Luhtala, a savvy librarian from New Canaan High School in Connecticut has crowd-sourced the best, most extensive list of apps voted on by educators around the country. "I wanted to make sure we had some flexibility because there's no one app that's better than all the others," Luhtala said. Some apps are best for younger students, others are more complicated, better suited for high school students. Many apps do one thing really well, but aren't great at everything — so it's always good to know about an array of tools to suit the need at hand.

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EduTECH 2014 – Virtual Version

A digital Recap of EduTEch 2014

http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2014/06/07/edutech-2014-virtual-version/

Graham Wegner assembles some digital resources to recap EduTECH2014.

"Cross-posted from my staff blog where I set up a Virtual EduTECH page for interested staff who wanted to know a bit more about the conference that the select five of us who went got to see. Putting this together showed me that sometimes someone else does say it better, that curation is a great way to assemble a shared experience and favouriting Tweets as the conference goes along is a heck of a lot easier than trawling back through 4 days of a #hashtagged Twitter stream. I think that if you didn't get to go to this conference then a thorough exploration of the stuff assembled below will go pretty close to making you feel like you knew what was happening and the big ideas that flowed through the conference and out through the digital ecosphere."

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Presentation Ideas for Haiku Deck

Make the most of your pics

https://blog.haikudeck.com/photography-project-ideas/

10 fun photography project ideas for exploring, teaching, and celebrating photography with Haiku Deck.

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iBook Author and Book Creator

Make ePubs to share with students

Book Creator (BC) is an iPad app, and iBooks Author(IBA) is a Mac program. Both allow the teacher (or student) to create beautiful ebooks. Students can represent their learning; teachers can assemble mini-texts for their classes.

BC is more limited in its possibilities, but is extremely easy to use. Students can create impressive picture books that can be read in iBooks or the Kobo and Bluefire reader apps. Pictures and drawings can be easily imported. Asking students to look at layouts and presentation styles in existing picture books will make the final product that much more satisfying. (some samples here. FAQ)

IBA is a free Mac OS program that lets the user build very sophisticated eTexts incorporating video, photo galleries, 3D models, html widgets and links to external sites. A handful of templates included in the program will get you started but you can browse for "iBook Author" themes and download some for free. (Tips and tricks here.)

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The Pyramids App

Wonders of the Old Kingdom

http://www.touchpress.com/titles/pyramids/

I was just at an Apple Learning event and explored the "Pyramids" app. This would make a great virtual "field trip" for a class. Even if you can't afford a copy for a class set, use a projector with a single download and explore as a class!

"The greatest monuments of ancient Egypt are brought to life on the iPad screen in this immersive, navigable 3D world. Uncover the fascinating story of history's greatest treasures by exploring Egypt's famous pyramids and tombs within an interactive view of the Giza plateau."

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Digital Storytelling tools

Books, Comics, Co-creation

(Thanks Chris Loat for these suggestions and annotations. Most of these sites are also available as apps for iOS devices.)

• 1) Storybird - make stories in minutes. Free Class accounts to manage students without emails, create assignments, and build beautiful libraries.
• 2) Story Jumper - A place to create and discover stories for kids. Teach children to write a story in just 7 steps.
• 3) Pixton - create online comics without the need to draw; embed into a webpage; share and remix
• 4) Toondoo - Create cartoon strips and cartoon books. Use your own photos or site graphics. Embed into any webpage.
• 5) MixedInk - Find a topic you care about and jump in,or create a new one and invite others to join. Contribute your ideas, mix & match others' ideas, or simply rate as you read.
• 6) Collab-o-write - Enter your own story, add to an existing story, illustrate a story, write a story from an illustration or just get some writing tips.
• 7) Boomwriter - collaborative storywriting by up to 5 students
  

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Changing your username in Twitter

Re-branding yourself?

http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/how-to-change-your-twitter-name/#!HkrLk

When you first set up your Twitter account, you only had a moment or two to decide on a Twitter handle (or "user name"). This is the name that appears after the @ sign. A clever nickname or cryptic acronym may have fit your needs at the time but now you want to change it to something else. Is it possible? Yes, read Brandon Widder's primer on how to rename your Twitter presence without losing your followers or your tweets.

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Word Frequency Counter

Do I use "like" too much?

http://www.writewords.org.uk/word_count.asp

For aspiring writers or students who just want to check their use of certain words, WriteWords word frequency counter allows you to count the frequency usage of each word in a text. Paste or type in the textbox, and click submit. (Fun to try with song lyrics too!)

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ViewPure - Videos without clutter

Clutter-free video viewing.

http://viewpure.com/

Watch YouTube videos without comments, suggestions, or the 'other' things.

You can use the viewpure site, or simply drag the bookmarklet button into your bookmarks toolbar (or right click and favorite it in IE) to use it. Next time you see a video you want to purify, click the button when on the YouTube page. Viewpure provides you with a special URL to link to or share.

Example:

http://viewpure.com/y6Sxv-sUYtM

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Snapguide - create step-by-step guides

Free your inner teacher

http://snapguide.com/

"Snapguide is a free iOS app and web service for those that want to create and share step-by-step "how to guides." (sample)  The service provides easy to understand instructions for a wide array of topics. Users are invited to create their own guides using the iPhone app. Snap pictures and videos of your project, add captions, and share your guide with the Snapguide community."

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PrintFriendly - my new friend!

Format web pages for the perfect print experience

http://www.printfriendly.com/

"PrintFriendly cleans and formats web pages for perfect print experience. It removes ads, navigation and web page junk, so you save paper and ink when you print. It's free and easy to use. You can print or save as nicely formatted PDF. You can add a PrintFriendly "button"  to your browser shortcut bar for 1-click print-friendly pages, or add a button icon to your website or blog."

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How to Add Questions for Students to YouTube Videos

Enhance the Youtube experience for students

http://jonathanwylie.com/2013/12/28/how-to-add-questions-for-students-to-youtube-videos/

Jonathan Wylie discusses 4 ways to add tips, questions and even voice cues to existing video.

"With the popularity of flipped classrooms showing no sign of waning, a new crop of web tools for teachers are emerging to help support instruction. In this post, I take a look at four ways that teachers can add questions to a YouTube video for their students to answer when watching a video at home or on their own."

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The Comprehensive Google Drive Guide for Teachers and Students

ETML Google Drive Guide

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/01/the-comprehensive-google-drive-guide.html

Med Kharbach as assembled a convenient list of Google Drive links for teachers who use (or want to use) this this powerful web-based tool.

"Google Drive is one of the fundamental tools in our digital toolkits as teachers and educators. Whether you want to compose a document, create a presentation,  design a sheet, or share a beautiful drawing you made, Google Drive provides you with the tools to do that on any device and anywhere you are with an internet connection.

He's also put together some links to educator created google forms:

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/01/tons-of-google-forms-for-teachers.html

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Piktochart Infographics

Complex information in an easy to read format.

http://piktochart.com/education/

"Infographics are being used by students to display the assignments, summaries or results of their projects. The process of an infographic creation tests their skills in sketching/planning, researching and distilling large amount of data, as well as graphic literacy. Their ultimate goal is to present a lot of complex information in an easy to read format."

Watch it in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZPmZ2HCna4

How-to PDF

Link

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"Tell About This" app

A simple way to tell a story

http://www.tellaboutapp.com/

Easy to use and easy to share. Teachers can quickly create story prompts of their own.

"The app is designed for kids to effortlessly browse and respond to interesting visual and auditory prompts. It also provides families and educators a platform to create a custom experience for storytelling, generating ideas and thinking out loud."

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