Some great web tools, tips, Google tools, free IOS and Android apps, and more!

Some great Web 2.0 tools and web sites: 

Aww App - A Collaborative Whiteboard that You Can Add to Your Site ow.ly/fK9YP

The Physics Front is a free site that contains teaching resources on Physics and Physical Science: thephysicsfront.org/index.cfm

Free Technology for Teachers: Three Free Text to Speech Tools for Schools Reads a web page to a student in various languages!  (These are some great adaptive technology tools too!)

7 Services for Sending Group Texts to Parents and Students ow.ly/fHhC2
Another nice service for sedning Group texts. Sendhub.

Archive your favorite tweets using Diigo: http://goo.gl/j4hMu  (Diigo is a great tool for bookmarking  and highlighting web sites. It's great for student research use as well. (Keeping track of resources during research, etc...) 

The CK12.org group is now starting to make free iPad interactive iBooks too! CK-12 Biology Interactive Edition

Explore US History With the National Archives App ow.ly/fNqmD 

Loopster is a good basic online video editor with a small library of sounds available: loopster.com  (Notice this service is in beta)  I also recommend WeVideo that incorporates right into Google Drive. It does have a free version, but is limited. Check out the features here: https://www.wevideo.com/sign-up/education

Probably the best tool that Erskine has not promoted for a while! 

Edmodo is a learning management system, that is almost to good to be true for it's price. (Free)   In fact it was so good, that three years ago after doing an in-service on it, I stopped promoting it figuring that it would become a paid service.  Boy was I wrong!  It' gotten even better, and we have missed out on a great tool!  No more baby... this guy is promoting Edmodo. It's billed as a secured social network for your classroom, but that does not do it justice. It's so much more than that.  Yes, we now have Google+ for our Google Apps, but Edmodo is what I would use with kids, combined with Google+ Hangouts.  (I am a big Hangout fan!) 

So, if I have peaked your interest.... this is a great video tutorial resource:

FREE step by step screencasts for EDMODO flip.it/YgU9O 

Our very own Jason Cullison @cully11 is using it, so you may want ot ask him more about it too. 

EasyBib anyone?

Here at Norris we have deployed the EasyBib add-in to our Google Apps, and it's a wonderful free tool. But here's another one that's worth a look from @rmbyrne  The EasyBib Chrome Extension Evaluates Source Credibility and Generates Citations ow.ly/fQY6S 

Google+ Tips

Google+ Communities Makes It Easy to Create a Discussion Group goo.gl/fb/kWfrG 

Free IOS (iPad/iPhone) and Android apps

A really nice photo editor is free again!  Snapseed (normally $4.99) bit.ly/THtKQr They have an Android app too! 

If you are not using Google Docs in education, you need to ask yourself... "Why"  The main reason I hear is, "Not sure".  Guess what, that's a bad reason.  Yes, there are some valid reason for a few specific files, or documents that you may choose another program to complete that specific task.  But for 95% of the time, Google Apps will do the job better. 

Google Spreadsheet tips and tricks:

Ever wanted to use the "Text-to-Columns" feature from Excel in Google Spreadsheets? With Apps Script, now you can - bit.ly/UBRF3s

How to Create a Pivot Table in Google Spreadsheets 

Great tip for all Google Docs?

One Click Yields More Room to Work in Google Docs ow.ly/fQY0m 

Miscellaneous Educational Resources 11-27-12

Free Holiday Christmas Album

Free Green Hill Christmas Music Sampler w/ 12 songs available today: amzn.to/Tk6aFV  (From Amazon!) (Saves right to your Cloud storage.)

And for the younger kids ... Have you grabbed these free children's music samplers from Amazon? Lots of fun songs: amzn.to/WC53HV

Some great web sites!

AMAZING site for math teachers K-12!  A+ Click Math Skills Tests : aplusclick.com (Web site works great on iPads too!)

Use Z-Type to have your students practice keyboarding in a fun way: phoboslab.org/ztype/

For the music teachers out there.... iNudge is a fun little web-based application that allows users to experiment with sounds and rhythms:inudge.net

Some nice YouTube resources

Did you know that YouTube has editing tools??? Here's a Quick Start Guide for Using YouTube's Editing Tools ow.ly/ftYAT

Simple way to search for, clean up, download you tube video: search.viewpure.com

Google+ resources  (Remember, we now have this for the Google Apps K-12!!)

Here's the Gooru's guide and how to start a Google+ hangout along with some cool features you can use in Hangouts. bit.ly/UTdr4D

Via Richard Byrne (@rmbyrne) ... This is the coolest use of Google+ that I've seen. Google+ Hangout Virtual Scavenger Hunt in the Palace of Versaillesfreetech4teachers.com/2012/11/use-go…

Want a "pick-me-up" for why I teach?

A wonderful video behind what teachers make every single day in the classroom! youtube.com/watch?feature=…

Google Chrome resources:

Google Chrome: Ten cool Chrome tricks you can use right now 

Realtime Board's Chrome App Makes Online Brainstorming Easier goo.gl/fb/Ja0lb

A Chrome Fun Zone For Kids – Part 2

Miscellaneous resources

Top 11 apps for the Nexus 7: Fall 2012 edition

The iPad mini may have grabbed most of the 7-inch tablet headlines recently but Google's Nexus 7 is still going strong, and may be the best tablet yet for the money.  These apps will help owners get the most out of the Nexus 7. Read more

FREE iPad app/book from Don Tapscott (@dtapscott): New Solutions for a Connected Planet bit.ly/UwaCmh

Free iPad App -- Living Lung - A 3D Interactive Model of the Lungs ow.ly/fxYeb

10 Google Search Tips All Students Can Use ow.ly/fxXOM

iPad: Bringing the joy of reading back to those with vision problems

A new study investigating the use of electronic reading devices shows that using the iPad for reading brings the joy of that pastime back to those with vision loss due to disease. Read more

Miscellaneous Educational Resources 11-26-12

Google+ just released! Our early Thanksgiving present to EDU.

Google+ is now open for K-12 Google Apps. We have enabled it for all teachers here at Norris. (We can enable it for students if staff have a need for their students to use this service, but that will come at a later date for our Norris Google Apps.) I just put together a quick overview in this blog article: http://goo.gl/Vsn7b  We will be putting together a few inservices for this in the next several weeks, so watch your emails! 

Some great websites and tools for education. 

• Free Technology for Teachers: 7 Resources for Developing Typing Skills 
• Z-Type - A Fun Typing Game
• Free Technology for Teachers Two Tools for Reading ePub Files in Your Browser 
• Apple - iTunes U - Learn anything, anywhere, anytime.
• Google Takes You On A Tour Of 100000 Stars -  Home Page  Nice short article about the experiment
• Read & Write - An Accessibility App for Google Docs http://ow.ly/fpQVZ 

IOS apps anyone? Some more great apps for your IOS (iphone/iPad) devices. 

If you have not seen the Nearpod app, now is the time! Check out this nice article: How The Nearpod iPad App Changed An Entire School 

Some Android tools for your Android Phones or Tablets:

• Smart Tools for Your Android Device - Check them out. (Hey I have an iPhone 5, but I still miss many things about my Android device!)
• Jump Desktop: Access your desktop from an Android tablet Free and Paid versions. 

For the more advanced Google users ....  here  is a script to manage student projects in Google Docs. Doctopus. youpd.org/doctopus 

A couple amazing web 2.0 tools you have to check out!!!

I may think I may of saved the best for last in this posting, these are amazing!!!! 

• Remix web content - video, maps, links, text, etc. using PopcornMaker: popcorn.webmaker.org Check out the TED video to watch it work 
• Dynamic,math,paper,graph,interactive,teacher,tools from Illuminations by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics -- Check it out!!! (Does not work from an iPad) 

Google+ one more amazing free tool for schools!

Click here for a nice visual of Understanding Google+ 

Google+ was just released to the K-12 Google Apps customers on 11-16-12. This service can be controlled by your Google Apps administrator through the control panel. You can select what users or groups are allowed to have this service.

What does Google+ bring to the plate for the K-12 market?

• Picasa Gets Unlimited Storage for Photos & Videos read more about this feature.
• Google+ apps on your phone can automatically back up your pictures to Picasa
• Google Hangouts may be the best video conferencing solution out there... and it's free!
• Top Ten Google+ Features from dummies.com
• Tight integration within the Google Apps for EDU product and control panel.
• Picnik is BACK!!! Yes, you can edit your photos once you upload them to Picasa. Picnik was an online photo editor used by many teachers, but now it's back if you enable Google+

For the Google Apps managers: You can enable Google+ for all / some of your org units by following the instructions in our Google Help Center article  and  Considerations before enabling Google+

VIDEO: What is Google+ (Google Plus) and do I need it?  Targeted for the individual consumer, but good 3 minute overview of Google+

VIDEO: Here's the Gooru's guide and how to start a Google+ hangout along with some cool features you can use in Hangouts. http://bit.ly/UTdr4D

Google has created resources for teens, parents, and teachers to learn more about how to use G+ in a fun, smart, and safe way. Welcome to the Google+ Safety Center

Google+: The Complete Guide (On Mashable)

Excellent Teacher Tips on The Use of Google Plus in Education

10 ways to use Google Plus in the classroom

20 Awesome Google+ Tips for Teachers

Communities, will they replace groups?
Google+ Communities Makes It Easy to Create a Discussion Group goo.gl/fb/kWfrG
Google Plus Communities Show Promise for Education Article
Google+ Communities for Educators Video  <--- Great 5 minute video to watch.
Note:

• Postings to communities show up on the community page (Publicly) but not on your stream to your circles, etc...
• Private communities can be controlled by who joins and who posts.  (Can anyone say... "Create a community for a class!")

Hangouts - amazing online meeting tool for education! 
I think the single best feature of Google+ is the amazing video conferencing capabilities in hangouts. including sharing desktops, presenting YouTube videos, collaborating on documents, and more! You can even bring anyone into the conference by calling their phone (Free of charge I might add).

Ready to start broadcasting? (Make sure you have Google+) To get started simply:

Go to hangouts.google.com.
Give your hangout a name and invite the people you want to join you in the hangout.
Select the option to Enable Hangouts On Air.
Once everyone's in the hangout and you're ready to go live, click Start broadcast at the top of the screen.
Once you click Start broadcast, you're officially "On Air" and the public will be able to watch your live hangout.

If you start a hangout and check the box to have it on air, this allows you to record and edit the hangout and post it on a website for later use.  Hangouts On Air common questions 

Specs and limits of Hangouts

Google+for Education Edition: G+ can now be enabled as a service for all Education Edition Domains. 

The size of Hangouts for G+ Premium feature domains has been increased from 10 to 15 participants (including host).

 If you activate Google+ premium features, you can have 15 participants for both Hangouts and Hangouts On Air. Make sure you have the video and voice plug-in installed. (It will install it for you, when you first enter a hangout if you do not have it.) If you enable it to be on air, then an unlimited number can view the hangout. Enabling the on air option also allows you to record, edit and post the entire recorded hangout to YouTube.