Pew Research: Teens’ Social Media Habits and Experiences

News flash: It's not all bad!

https://www.infodocket.com/2018/11/28/new-report-from-pew-research-teens-social-media-habits-and-experiences/

After all the "sky is falling" news about how social media is the worst possible thing for teens, let's hear what they themselves have to say...(Read the article for the nuances.)

"Today, social media use is nearly universal among teens. While notable shares say they at times feel overwhelmed by the drama on social media and pressure to construct only positive images of themselves, they simultaneously credit these online platforms with several positive outcomes – including strengthening friendships, exposing them to different viewpoints and helping people their age support causes they care about."

==============

"Instagram Stories" using Google Slides

"

We don't need the app to create the experience

"

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2018/08/22/using-google-slides-to-create-instagram-stories-in-class/

Matt

 explains how to leverage a current Social media trend and use it in the classroom using Google Slides. He provides templates and everything!

"

Instagram Stories is a pretty popular feature, and it's a great storytelling tool. Users can capture important moments of their lives in photo or video and string them together for others to watch one by one. [... But, ] we don't need the app to create the experience!

"

Free Images & Free stock photos on PxHere

Need a great pic?

https://pxhere.com/

Take

 a look at pxhere - they have collected an impressive library of CC0 images for your lessons, slideshow or Ignite presentation! Don't forget to link back so others can benefit. (NB, there are occasional not-so-great-for-students images, but overall the content is great.)

====================

Kapwing - Simple video editing

​Craft

 digital stories without the software getting in the way

https://www.kapwing.com/about

​Something I saw recommended on SLJ's webapp of the year page. Here's the "about" blurb from Kapwing:

 ​

​"​

Kapwing gives people the tools, content, and inspiration they need to express a creative vision in video. Kapwing serves the people sharing a video with their friend, the content marketers who need to edit a video efficiently, and the creators who entertain the world. Freelancers, artists, students, and influencers use Kapwing to craft digital stories without the software getting in the way. Our product principles:

• Simple: Design that communicates the function
• Accessible: Free. Works on all screen sizes and operating systems.
• Fast

​============​

Screencastify Screen Recorder for Chrome

Capture anything - it's so easy!

​

https://www.screencastify.com/products/screen-recorder/

​Here's a very easy way to record from within Chrome:. What does it do? Check out their site.

• ​"​
  Capture anything.
• Record your entire desktop, an application, current browser tab or just your webcam
  ​ ​
• ​"​
  Make it personal.
  
• Embed your webcam anywhere in your recording, and narrate with your microphone.
• ​"​
  Lives in Chrome.
  
• Our extension operates within your browser. No bulky software download required.
• ​"​
  Record offline.
  
• No internet connection required until you upload your video to Google Drive or YouTube.

​=====================​

3 Things To Know About Scratch 3.0

A new version of Scratch is coming this August!

https://medium.com/scratchteam-blog/3-things-to-know-about-scratch-3-0-18ee2f564278

​"​

Every day, we're amazed and delighted by the incredible diversity of games, stories, and animations that children create and share with Scratch. This August, we'll be launching a new generation of Scratch, called Scratch 3.0, that aims to expand how kids can create and share, and how educators can support student learning with Scratch. This new version will include new images, new support materials, and new programming capabilities — and it runs on a wider variety of devices (including tablets).

​"

============​

Iceberg Finder - Newfoundland

​Tracking Giants​

https://icebergfinder.com/

​"​

When it comes to viewing icebergs, this is one of the best places in the world. From May to August, these 10,000-year-old glacial giants are visible from many points along the northern and eastern coasts, especially on clear, sunny days. They come in every shape and size, with colours from snow-white to deepest aquamarine. Despite their arrival from the Arctic every spring, and their disappearance only months later, our awe of them remains new, year after year.

​ (https://icebergfinder.com/about)"

========​

Infographics Made Simple

​Represent

 your thinking!​

 

https://sites.google.com/view/tceamg/resources/infographics-made-simple

​"​

Infographics (a clipped compound of "information" and "graphics") are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly.

​ ​

They can improve cognition by utilizing graphics to enhance the human visual system's ability to see patterns and trends (Source: Wikipedia)

​"​

==============

GeoGuessr - Let's explore the world!

​Embark

 on a journey!

​

https://geoguessr.com/

​Explore the world and try to guess where you are. Challenge yourself or compete against others.

​"

Embark on a journey that takes you all over the world. From the most desolate roads in Australia to the busy, bustling streets of New York City.

​"

Read this post for more info:

http://www.mrsgeekchic.com/geoguessr-addictive-geography-game-try-classroom/

=============

​

Free templates for Powerpoint and Google Slides

​T​

hemes for presentations 

​from​

SlidesCarnival

https://www.slidescarnival.com/category/free-templates

​Looking for

 themes

​to help you communicate

 your ideas in your presentations

​?​

​SlidesCarnival

 cover

​s​

all styles from playful and creative to formal and business presentations.

​T

emplates are completely customizable and easy-to-edit.

​Check it out!

===============

Listen and create ambient sounds easily

A World Made of

​Relaxing

 Sounds

https://www.ambient-mixer.com/

​ 

​

​"​

Listen to relaxing music, ambient atmospheres and astonishing sound effects. Just click on an image to start chilling. If you want, you can even create your own atmospheric sound mix, online and for free. Every audio template can be easily edited for your own needs.

​"​

 

=

​=============​

Google Docs and Drive Add-ons for CC0 images

​Check out Joyce Valenza's suggestions for beautiful pics!​

http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2018/02/16/google-docs-and-drive-add-ons-for-cc0-images/

​"​

If you use Google Docs and Slides to create and communicate, you may be interested in how easy it now is to incorporate free, copyright-friendly images into your projects without having to leave your document to search for them. I was surprised to discover my very favorite image portals were available in the form of add-ons.

​"​

​===========​

EASY stop-motion animation with Google Slides

Google Slides

​is

 a powerful animation tool

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2018/02/14/learning-in-motion-easy-stop-motion-animation-with-google-slides/

​"​

With a few steps and some creativity, Google Slides can become a powerful animation tool that most students -- little to big -- can wield.

​"​

In

​Matt's

 post you'll see ...

• how to create stop motion animation with Google Slides
• how students can present it to each other (or a larger audience online)
• how it can be used in the classroom
• some cool example animations

​==============​

Evolution Of The Desk - YouTube

P

​lus ça change...

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGI00HV7Cfw

​Some

things have really changed, and we can't imagine how we would survive without them! This is a good video to show students, teachers and parents to illustrate the this evolution.

​

"Evolution of the Desk" is an initiative borne out of the Harvard Innovation Lab. The goal is to illustrate the impact that technology has had on our lives over the last 35 years. A cluttered desk, complete with a rolodex, a file cabinet, and a fax machine, transforms into a much cleaner, simpler surface consisting of only a laptop and a mobile phone. Of course, some things in life - like the sun - are everlasting, so the shades persist throughout the years.

​==========​

Reading Tip of the Day

​Add a widget to your blog​

http://www.readingrockets.org/sharing/widgets/tipoftheday

H

​ere is an easy way to add fresh content to your blog without having to remember to make a daily post. ​Reading Rockets offers a variety of widgets - I like the "reading tip of the day" which comes with some printables for teachers to try with their students.

=============

Using Crowd Annotation to Close-Read the World

​S​

park side conversations that complement the main text

https://www.middleweb.com/36692/using-crowd-annotation-to-close-read-the-world/

​"​

Crowd annotation, made possible through our digital connectivity, has the potential to alter that. The margins of an online text or piece of media can be filled with insightful conversation by a community of readers, in a public space, often sparking side conversations that are complementary to the main text.

​"​

Sometimes, these margin conversations lead readers to other documents, fulfilling in many ways the promise of the "web" of information that we share together, as a learning community.

​============​