Noel Erskine, Technology Coordinator Norris Schools

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BAM! Free music, amazing web tools, Google tools... and even a cheap TV in this post. Everything but the kitchen sink! LOL

Friday, January 23, 2015


Web sites and tech tools:

How to Import Quizzes Into Socrative - http://goo.gl/0UctkU  (If you have not looked at Socrative - Now might be the time. Who needs clickers when you have this great tool!) 

How to create a table of contents in Evernote.

Mentimeter is a tool that allows a teacher to easily take a class poll or check for learning.  I have mentioned this one in the past and saw it showcased in a recent tech session.

Looking for great K-12 educational websites? powermylearning.org has a ton of them. This one has some big-time donations behind it, and has been around for several years... so I am betting it will stay as a free site.



Resources from Mickie Mueller (@mickie_mueller) sessions at ESU 8 Winter Workshop - Mickie's resources rock!  Google Classroom - Cool Assesment Tools - and Creating on the Chromebooks have some amazing resources! (Mickie's site includes Socrative mentioned above too!) 

How to Create a Review Game on Classtools.net - http://goo.gl/8VzV7x another great resource from Richard Bryne! 

PodOmatic is a nice site for creating and finding podcasts on a variety of subjects. Here is nice podcast on Google searching with students.

Digital Storytelling with Comicshead (Website & Apps)


Some great math apps and resources- compliments of Lenny Vermaas -Check out his web page for some more great resources. The following came from a workshop I attended, and apps he selected from his apps page. <--

Some great apps by by Math Playground

Get the ESTIMATION GAME where YOU make the questions - check out the Questimate app great for teaching estimating.

Motion Math: Zoom - One of the few app's that Lenny recommends that's not free. ($2.99)

Bedtime Math by Bedtime Math Foundation
 
MathTappers: Numberline - a math game to help children learn whole numbers, integers & real numbers

Math Tappers have a host of free apps for the iPhone. (Remember, you ican still use these on iPads too!)

Google apps and tools:

Need a Drive refresher?  Quick Tutorial for the New Google Drive (2015) - This short 6 minute video will do the trick!

80+ Google Forms for the classroom - this is a great collection!

Are you trying to turn a document quiz into a Google Form? Here's an efficient way to convert it: 
Doc to Form allows users to quickly and easily create a Google Form from text within a Google Document. It's perfect for converting worksheets into Forms. This short 1 1/2 minute video will walk you through the process. WOW one more great add-in to Google Docs. 

UPDATES to Google apps-- 


Google Forms: Streamline your Data with FilterRoster Script - In short, you collect data in a form, but it dumps it into one big Google spreadsheet.  This script, makes a spreadsheet tab for each student, so when they submit the form data, it puts it into their tab as well.  Pretty slick! 

6 things you should know how to do in the new Google Sheets - Some nice short training videos- I love them! 

Holly Batman -- Gamify reviews with a Google Sheet! 
Turn a Google Sheet into a quiz show with a template and Flippity.net - Check it out!

Google Classroom:

Everything Teachers Need to Know about GoogleClassroom - http://goo.gl/Hmu5gc 

With the Classroom mobile app for Android and iOS, students can now share to Classroom from other apps, making it a breeze to add things - like diagrams and flash cards - to assignments. 30 second video demos this one! 

YouTube tools:
How to Create an Interactive YouTube Video (YouTube Annotations) Short 7-minute how-to video.

These two resources do not totally fit under the YouTube category, but most of us will use them with YouTube... so here you go:
Awesome video to compare Zaption and EdPuzzle.  (I mentioned EdPuzzle a few weeks ago in my email/blog.)  These tools make videos ineractive and can even add assesments.  It assures you that students are watching your "flipped videos". 

eBooks:

Get Free eCopies of Class Books on Forgotten Books - http://goo.gl/SY4yzd

A couple bonus deals:

Google Play Store has Motley Crue: The Greatest Hits (MP3 Digital Album Download) for Free. Add it to your Google Play account while it's free. (You can add it to both your nsdtitans.org and your gmail account.)  Hey... who doesn't want the song "Smokin in the Boys Room."  LOL

Need a spare TV for the guest room - 32" Samsung 720p LED HDTV + $125 Dell eGift Card on sale for $217.99 (gift card will automatically apply at checkout). Shipping is free. (Gift card emailed 10-15 days later.)

Free apps, amazing web tools, new Google tools... and more in this week's list.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Web tools and sites: 

A Couple of Graphing Calculators for Your Chrome Browser via Free Technology for Teachers- http://goo.gl/gJ6GH6

An oldie... (Well only about 5 years, but that's old in Internet terms!) Have you used Prezi before? This is a cool example of what you can do.... My love for books  Students and teachers receive free plans with their Education Program

In my last "tech tools" I mentioned Edpuzzle.  Well Josh Allen messaged me with an EDpuzzle he created that combines a PowToons presentation with the interaction of EdPuzzle.  Pretty cool... thanks Josh!  

Via @tonyvincent (Great resource to follow on Twitter) Did you see the 10 links I shared in 2014 that got the most clicks?  Here the are!

Best EdTech Websites of 2014 - http://goo.gl/Lso9Zl

5 Favorite Apps for Language Learning: If you have an inkling to try your hand at project-based language learning (aka "PBLL”)... there are some nice tips in this list.

10 Charts Comparing Popular Ed Tech Tools -  http://goo.gl/I0TiMj <--- added this one to my Google Drive! Great resource from Richard Byrne (@rmbyrne)


Apps and Tips:
Shared this one already with a direct email... but had to list it here again! Ever want to quickly share some pictures from your phone or ipad with your classroom? This is so dead simple... a monkey could do it! Directions are here. (Apple IOS only.) ghump makes it happen! 

Article: The best video editing apps for iPad Nice list with a few free ones on the list. I tried the givit app (free) and it worked pretty good! 

Evernote Scannable - A new app by Evernote for scanning docs, business cards, papers and more. Free, and does not require an Evernote account to use. Cnet's article will get you started... Getting started with Evernote Scannable

Never get lost again. Try the new Google Translate app, for Android and iOS → http://goo.gl/NwxnX9


Google Apps & Tips:

An All Day event in Google Calendar can be a great way to block off days when you're out of the office or an important event is happening with a flexible timeframe. Unfortunately, Google hasn't allowed you to customize when you receive these event notifications...until now! -Nice 2 minute how-to video

What's New in Google Apps Newsletter - December 2014 

Google Classroom:



Five New Google Classroom Features Teachers Should Know about! 

Gooru's Google Apps resources

The Gooru’s Top 10 of 2014 - These short training videos to Google Apps topics are worth a look.  (I subscribe to the Gooru's email list as well as follow them on Twitter.)  The first tip is great -  How to attach an email (to another email) in Gmail

Today's Top Post from the Gooru - Quick Sum can help save a ton of time in Google Spreadsheets <-- Great tip if you use Google Sheets! 


A couple nice apps that are free today, great web sites, and more in this weeks list!

Thursday, January 8, 2015


Web sites and tools:

10 Most Popular Teaching Tools Used This Year from Edudemic - A few gems on the list I have not heard of!  How about Edpuzzle

Lenny VerMaas's math app site is a great resource for finding math apps to use within your classes. 

One from my Twitter feed:  Career Choices You Will Regret In 20 Years - SO TRUE!  http://goo.gl/x2iGEQ  great insight for students... and everyone.

A great website for citing resources... Knightcite 

If you have not seen the 1 1/2 minute Google Year in Search video... it's worth the watch.  This TechRepublic article tells us what the crystal ball looks like for tech: 2014: What Google searches tell us about the year in tech 

Seven Good Student Response Systems That Work On All Devices via Free Technology for Teachers 

Brilliant. How come I never thought of this before? http://goo.gl/LzXYeY Pretty cool idea

5 Web-based Audio Recording and Editing Tools Compared - Chart http://goo.gl/r3uhzK

 Nine Popular Student Response Tools Compared In One Chart - http://goo.gl/bHpcUV

So many new apps and websites to explore → "Top 100 Sites & Apps of 2014” http://goo.gl/wl5Qm9

Present and Share Your Prezi Presentations Remotely - If you have not tried Prezi for presentations... you should! They offer EDU accounts too. 

IOS apps:

Best Free iPhone Apps: 8 paid iOS apps that are now free http://goo.gl/tYOZbK

Free Today (1-8-15) Reg. $3.00 - SamCard-business card reader & business card scanner
By SamTeam (Snap a picture of a business card and add it right into your contacts on your iPhone!) 

Free Today (1-8-15) Reg. $1.99 SuperSlo - Slow Motion Video Editor and Camera IOS App is free today.  Awesome app and editor! http://goo.gl/MmyBwE 

The best iPhone apps for science lovers http://goo.gl/jA71wO

The best iPhone apps for moviemakers http://goo.gl/ECNuDb

Auxy: Beat Studio - A new way to make electronic music. Create and mix your own drums, bass lines, and synth melodies. Auxy is modern beat making without distractions. http://goo.gl/mhVzdf  

15 Essential Apps to Install on Your New iPad http://goo.gl/wFxw0l

Best iPhone apps of 2014 http://goo.gl/nLeRmZ

Great Apps to Complement Your iMovie App - http://goo.gl/Cc8m3v

eBooks and resources:

Five Tools for Creating Multimedia Textbooks - A Comparison Chart via Free Technology for Teachers - http://goo.gl/QHNEYB

IOS tips:

New in iOS 8 for Teachers & Students http://goo.gl/9N38aq

iPad as the Teacher's Pet - Version 2.0  http://goo.gl/w7ny4F (Great resource and PDF resource!)


Google Apps and Tools:

Google A-Z - Great site with tools you may not of known about! 

Get started on organizing for the new year by checking out this Hangout on the benefits of GoogleClassroom

Free Technology for Teachers: How to Create a Jeopardy-style Game in Google Spreadsheets - http://goo.gl/BrzTTU

Google Slides: Viewing Speaker Notes in a Presentation http://goo.gl/kRs5t2

6 Good Chromebook Apps for Recording and Editing Audio - http://goo.gl/W8L8oK

How to set up your new Chromebook the right way | Via PCWorld http://goo.gl/85sBNu

Extensity: The Essential Chrome App http://goo.gl/BMqahn  (If you use very many Chrome Extensions - This one is a must!)

Nice tip from Teacher Tech: Google Docs: Collaborating on a Long Document 

Google's new learning center offers a wealth of training on Google products and tools. Google's EDU on Google+ also offers some great tips and resources for the Google App world.