Noel Erskine, Technology Coordinator Norris Schools

Welcome to my technology blog.
Follow me on Twitter, @noelerskine
Noel's Home Page

This weeks web tools, apps, and more. Some great ones from the NETA14 Conference too!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014


Web Tools and Resources:

Try the Getty Search Gateway to Find Neat Historical Images (More Than 85,000 of Them) 

Piktochart.com Great for info graphics

Check out read.activelylearn.com -annotate text, add questions, & upload pictures & media to a piece of text. Comment form NETA14 was...  A must for any teacher!

ldd.lego.com LEGO digital designer. Can use on a Mac or PC (No app yet.)

hippocampus.org incredible correlation with textbooks giving help with lots of information... throw away your textbook.

Spanning the Technology Divide - A NETA 2014 presentation.

GoNoodle - 5 minute brain breaks - There’s a short brain break activity for every part of the day. Calm the classroom or energize your students depending on the time of day.

Make Your Images Interactive - ThingLink. ... Did you know that you can embed ThingLink images almost anywhere? 

Padlet.com is an awesome site. A virtual bulletin board. Great of brainstorming or sharing take aways or big ideas. Web based, but works on 

15+ Ways of Teaching Every Student to Code (Even Without a Computer) goo.gl/5II02t

Take your Students on an awesome visual filedtrip without leaving your classroom! AirPano.com  •  360° Aerial Panorama  •  3D Virtual Tours Around the World

Browse the Digital Public Library of America ow.ly/wyHC2

A free Social Studies website "Go Social Studies Go" gosocialstudiesgo.com

Favorite Presentation Tools for Chromebook Users | A Listly List -There are a lot on this list that I have not even checked out. 

Vocaroo http://vocaroo.com/ is a free and very easy-to-use online audio recording creator. There is no login required and the audio file is stored on the Vocaroo server and cannot be downloaded.  A great tutorial can be found at http://helpcenter.collaborate.ucsb.edu/content/18/65/en/how-do-i-record-an-audio-file-using-vocaroo.html.

IOS and Android Apps:

25 Best Free Android Apps 

Receipts Collector iPhone App Scans, Stores And Organizes Receipts - Not sure if too many will need this for school, but it gets great reviews. This article has a few nice scanners listed, and the Fine Scanner looks great!

Reading Level:
This Juicy Studio http://juicystudio.com/services/readability.php#readweb resource will analyze the text of a URL.  The information includes total sentences and words, the number of syllables in all words, the percentage of words with 3 or more syllables, as well as the Flesch-Kincaid Grade level.

Augmented Reality Resources: 
Thanks to Neal Topp, University of Nebraska at Omaha for these great augmented reality (AR) resources. 

http://www.learnar.org/
Learn AR Biology
 
uses Augmented Reality technology to help students explore and discover a variety of subjects by combining the real world with virtual content using a
web camera and an internet connection. All 10 of the learnAR augmented reality resources are available at no charge. All you need to do is print the markers from the resource pack and use your webcam to get started.
http://colarapp.com
ColAR 
is a
 Free/Paid site brings student coloring activities to life using Augmented Reality. No accounts are necessary unless you intend to buy some of the advanced coloring packages. This site is easy to use and is a powerful strategy for storytelling and creative writing. 

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/32-augmented-reality-apps-for-the-classroom-from-edshelf/
32 Augmented Reality Apps for the Classroom 
from edshelf is a 
web site that lists 32 educational mobile apps that utilize augmented reality technology in learning environments. Point your device’s camera at something that the app recognizes, and it will generate a 3D animation or video superimposed over whatever is on your camera’s screen.  
buildAR is a great site if you would like to learn how to build your own Augmented Reality environments visit.

Amazing foreign language tool! 
Forvo is the largest pronunciation guide in the world. (Free)  Ever wondered how a word is pronounced? Ask for that word or name, and another user will pronounce it for you.  They do have apps too, but they charge a small fee for them.  IOS ($2.99)  Android (Free)

Google apps and tools:

More amazing tools for Google Docs users: 
Are you still having students hand in papers and giving them feedback??? Why!  Go paperless with Google Docs... and add some awesome voice comments with Kaizena. It is so simple to use, and integrates reight with Google Drive.  (Combine this with the new Doctopus add-in, and your life will be simplified!)  8 Minute tutorial for more info. It's so easy to use... just jump in and try it!

New mobile apps for Docs and Sheets — work offline and on the go. Read more about them here, or just get the apps on Google Play [Docs] [Sheets] and in the App Store [Docs] [Sheets].

More amazing tech tools, websites, apps... and more! - My resources for the week!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014


Web sites, tools and resources:

British PathΓ© Makes 85,000 Historical Clips Available on YouTube.  Thanks @CAHutzler for this one!

The 5 Best Cloud Storage Apps for Teachers and Students - There's one on this list, that I did not even know about. 

Ten Good Tools for Editing Images Online via Free Technology for Teachers

iPhone, iPads, and IOS apps, tips and more:

These 12 Tips Will Help You Get The Most Out Of Your iPhone - I learned a couple new things, after owning my iPhone for several years! 

7 Best Image Editing Apps for iPhone/iPad - I have recommended many of these in the past.  This is a nice list. 

Former Apple Genius Bar member gives you tips on how to extend battery life on your iPhone and iPad 
How to publish student created iPad video to a class YouTube channel. 

Flash is not dead yet... so this tip may be a good one! How to hack Adobe Flash onto your modern Android phone

5 Good iPad Apps for Teachers and Students of U.S. History

Shadow Puppet is a storytelling app for iPad and iPhone. - See how teachers are using this great free app in the classroom. 

20 Awesome BYOD and Mobile Learning Apps | Edutopia

22 iPad and Apple TV Presentation Apps From edshelf.




MATH IPAD APP FOR STUDENTS WITH DYSGRAPHIA 
Description
ModMath is an adaptive program that improves math skills. The app lets you type math problems right onto the touch screen of an iPad rather than write them out long-hand. You can then solve the problems using the touch pad and print or e-mail the assignments all without ever picking up a pencil.

Google Chrome:

Search Tips for Chrome's App Launcher 

11 Chrome Extensions That Will Super-Power Your Gmail Experience. This is a great list!

Google Apps - tools, tips and more:
A Video Guide to Using the Google Drive iPad App   and  Two Free Google Apps that Bring Out the Best In an iPad

Doctopus Is Now Easier to Use Than Ever Before - Automate Workflow in Google Drive. This update is awesome! 

7 of the Best New Add Ons for Google Docs and Sheets By the Google Gooru

100 Important Google Drive Tips for Teachers and Students via Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

Create a mail merge using Sheets data & print out your template with Docs thanks to the new Avery Label Merge add-on

If you have not used the Google research tool, you are missing out.  Here is a great short article to get you started. 

Google users who back up mobile photos on Google+ can now add them to Gmail much more quickly - This new feature was just added to gmail.  If you have not turned on the auto backup feature - Here's how to do it.  The GoogleGooru has a nice article on this one too. 

Convert an old Google Sheets to new Google Sheets. Here is a nice 2 minute video, on how to do it. (Did you know, that Google has added some great features to the new Google sheets? Each new Spreadsheet you create is in the new format, but your prior sheets are still the older version.)

10 Money Management Tools Inside Google Drive You Should Use Today http://goo.gl/z5HS9k

If you have not used Conditional formatting in Google Sheets - YOU ARE MISSING OUT!
Now... it's even more powerful in the new Google Sheets. Master new Sheets by using a custom formula in conditional formatting thanks to this guide on YouTube: http://goo.gl/C9a7gI

Google Forms:
Helpful Google Forms tutorials for teachers

Randomize answer options for Google Forms - Adds even more power for online quizzing using Google Forms! 

Here is How to Add Images and Videos to Your Google Forms

Chromebook tips:

Easy way to check your Chrome laptop battery health:
- Open a Chrome OS Shell <Ctrl>+<Alt>+T
- Type "battery_test 0" and press <Enter>

Multitasking on your Chromebook just got easier: you can now dock any small window, like Hangouts … More info here. 

Android Phone items:
Here’s A Free, Multi-Layered Plan To Back Up A Non-Rooted Android http://goo.gl/0pXwlP

Edmodo:

20 Ways To Use Edmodo In The Classroom

Free Apps, Google Apps Printing tip, awesome web tools and more... in this weeks article!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Web sites and tools:
Awesome new free design tool for making posters, cards, invitations and more: Canva 
Remember - WE LOVE Lucidpress too! And it is built right into our Google Apps Domain.

Own a vehicle? Here's one from our very own mechanic in the transportation department... (Thanks Frank!)  http://www.carcare.org/  - Great site for tips, videos, asking questions and more.

What 'They' Forgot to Tell You When Flipping the Classroom. Great tips and tricks in this article. 

Kindergarten to High School Math Games Galore! hoodamath.com

Great digital citizenship resource: Check out digcit4parents.com for info on social networks parents may not know about.

Free IOS apps - Limited time on some of these!

Puppet Workshop - Creativity App for Kids is free for a limited time.  It's been a top rated app in the past! 

Free iOS apps for special needs students 4/9: Communications http://ly.tcea.org/vrwzu  and Daily Tasks http://ly.tcea.org/zhqcn 

Free iOS apps for primary for 4/9: Trace & Share http://ly.tcea.org/zxemp  and Write a Letter Game http://ly.tcea.org/ikezo 

IOS Apps, Tips and Tricks:
Find IOS apps on the app store: fnd.io lets you easily search the iTunes Store for the perfect app, movie, book, or song.

Automatically backup your phone's photos to DropBox with this app:

Carousel by Dropbox - Carousel is the new gallery from Dropbox for your life’s memories. 
Carousel is available right now for both iOS bit.ly/1erFAoH and Android bit.ly/1krCusT!

● It’s a single home for all your photos and videos, automatically organized and always with you.

● Swap and share photos and videos instantly in private conversations. Save the memories your friends share with one tap.

● Carousel automatically backs up photos and videos to Dropbox as you take them, so all your memories are kept safe in one place.

(Remember the Goolge+ App also automatically backs up your photos to Google - I love this app as well! 

Edmodo:

I love Edmodo... and I love the CK-12 free ebooks/curriculum... so guess what I think when the two integrate... AWESOME!

Hey Edmodo users! CK-12 and Edmodo have partnered to allow you to easily assign practice and get reports in your Edmodo gradebook. Check out the two brand new CK-12 apps on Edmodo, CK-12 Math Practice and CK-12 Science Practice. Download them today! LEARN MORE  They even offer a free webinar on April 23, 2014. 

Remind 101:
I know I have promoted Remind 101 in the past, but they just keep getting better.  Remind101 now allows you to attach files - Send Photos, Assignments and Presentations. Find out more about this great new feature. 

Google Apps:

Adding voice comments to Google docs using Kaizena

Free apps and web resources for the week! -Don't miss out on these!

Monday, April 7, 2014

Free apps for today:
Math Splat - ** FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!!! ***

** Previously ranked in the top 3 educational apps in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada & New Zealand ** 
Math Splat is a simple number based app aimed at helping the user improve their mental math abilities. Each level consists of a +, -, x and ÷ game. Once these have been completed the final game of the level is unlocked which must be completed for the next level to be unlocked. 

The app is suitable for all abilities as the user can choose between easy, medium and hard questions.

Everyday Mathematics Equivalent Fractions app for iOS by By McGraw-Hill School Education Group is free today (Normally $1.99) (It has been free in the past... if you have not grabbed it, now may be the time.) 

Other IOS apps and tools:

If you haven't checked out the CardClutter app and you teach Math, many middle school teachers are saying it's a must!

Educators Recommend Bloom's Taxonomy-Aligned Apps - A list created by fellow educators. 

Some Great Web Tools:

Google Storybuilder anyone?   This is a great little web app, that could be used in a variety of ways in the classroom.  Have student collaborate on a short story... or tell your story.   Short resource article. 
In order to make your Google story follow these steps:

1. Add your characters
2. Create your Story
3. Give your story a title and add soundtrack


Create a book from Wikipedia articles, with the Book Creator tool in Wikipedia. 

Want some feedback on a lesson you just taught?? Take a video of yourself teaching, upload it and get your peers or coach to review it remotely -  this free iCoach app will do just that. 

EmergingEdTech’s 2013 Free Education Technology Resources eBook is a nice free resource.  (PDF Format) 

The GEDB Online Learning Platform has a lot of nice free online tech classes/tutorials.  5 Powerful But Little-Known Ways To Use Your Apple iPad, is a recent addition to their list.  These classes are a great free resource for teacher, students and parents. 

Want a review game before a test? Pre-created jeopardy templates or create your own: https://jeopardylabs.com/

Learn Twitter - Free Twitter 101 eCourse for Parents & Educators -If you are an educator and not using Twitter, you are simply missing out.  (If you follow the right people & educational organizations and groups... it will be the best informational source you will ever experience!) 

Lesson Plans for Teaching Computational Thinking - via Free Technology for Teachers - series of lessons for designed to help middle school and high school students explore mathematics and science concepts.

Google Sketchup Resources - Free to schools
The Sketchup program (Used to be owned by Google) is free to schools... a CAD/Modeling program.  (This program is currently being used by Barry Pedley  in the MiddleSchool.)

WUDWORX library of SketchUp plugins and tools for working wood.  https://sites.google.com/site/wudworx/

sketchUcation is a site with a lot of Sketchup resources and plug ins. http://sketchucation.com/

Welcome to Extension Warehouse - The best place to find and install add-ons for SketchUp! These are divided into categories too.  Includes a 3-D printing section too! 

Some must have Google Doc tools and a few more Gems in this short list for the week.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Here's my short list for the week... but WOW, you must look at a few of the Google Drive apps in this list! 

This is a must have for Google docs!  Add more clip art with this great Google Drive add-in.  <--- WOW you must check this one out!  This great one, came from this list of 15 Best Google Drive Add-Ons for Education. <--- There are som many good ones in this list... workflows, Template Gallery, and more! (There is even one for the music teachers!) 

If you have a Chromecast device ... and for $35... why not!  Here is a cool new app for it: Introducing Photowall for Chromecast: A new @ChromeExp that lets people collaborate with images on the TV. https://chrome.com/photowall/ 

Seven Registration-Free Drawing Tools for Students- Via Free Technology for Teachers 

7 Ways To Use Google Tools To Maximize Learning - http://goo.gl/wlTnLf


Google Rolls Out Google Now for Chrome

Learning Never Stops: 35 outstanding education websites to explore

Three Mind Mapping Tools That Save to Google Drive - Via Free Technology for Teachers

7 Apps and Websites to Help You Teach Algebra 

Have a great day... tomorrow is Friday!

BAM!! - Three great photo and video IOS apps free today!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The Movie 360 video app is free today.  It's got some nice features and worth grabbing. (Normally $4.99)  but the best app may be the Camera360 Ultimate, which is by the same developer, and is normally free.  I would grab them both.  The camera app has some really cool filters and features that add a lot of fun things for taking pictures! 

And while we are talking about camera apps... here is another one that is free for the day. (Normally $4.99)  Fast Camera – The Speed Burst Camera and Time Lapse Video,App (4.5 stars with 4801 Ratings... so it's really popular and gets great ratings!)  Be careful, it will get the pic you want, but can take up to 1200 in one minute!

Enjoy!

Some amazing tech tools, websites... and more! -My resources for the week!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014


Websites and resources:

If you teach biology - then this site is for you!  http://goo.gl/U3y8VM Virtual human body tour of the skeleton, the heart, the brain, and the digestive tract, and how they function. (Site takes a few seconds to load, but it's worth it.)  Here it is embedded in the Medtropolis site, but it's smaller since it's embedded.) 

6 Online Rubric Makers Worth Trying http://goo.gl/AM0wOH

7 Science websites for students http://goo.gl/Aae9fb

This is a fantastic, dynamic periodic table of the elements: ptable.com

WOW --> If you have not used canva - you are missing out!  Awesome online tool for posters, banners and more. <---- TRY IT NOW! If your an elementary teacher, and you do not try this site out... you are missing out! 

Glove and Boots Fix Your Grammar   http://goo.gl/JyQK0L

Two Sites for Safely Experimenting with Electric Circuits via Free Technology for Teachers - http://goo.gl/y1ww5m

Webinar Recording - Digital Storytelling With Comics via Free Technology for Teachers - http://goo.gl/XpHK6O

I love doodle.com for scheduling meetings! Super easy!  Need to figure out what the best meeting time is for a group- then this online tool is for you! 

Have you tried the free game-based learning tool Kahoot! Your students will love you for it! getkahoot.com  Take your class questioning to a game leverl!  

Study Champs - Free Math English Science Worksheets - Both printed and online activities. For the Elem. age students. http://goo.gl/vNqfOH

The 25 Best Places To Take Free Online Computer Science Classes http://goo.gl/9GYP7g

Learning Never Stops: 6 powerful interactive history sites

Wonderful list of math website resources K-12 goo.gl/RgjiIC

Flexible Learning Tools shared at #ice14 (This is a really cool interactive graphic powered by ThingLink.)

4 Powerful Tools For Making Your Own Interactive Content http://goo.gl/5WtxE2

Kahoot  - A GAME-BASED CLASSROOM RESPONSE SYSTEM 
Hot off the presses! Kahoot overview and creating a quiz in Kahoot tutorials.
youtu.be/BfoyDG8HG6A
youtu.be/Gt_TGbllnRQ

Check out PixiClip interactive whiteboard pixiclip.com and video tutorial  http://goo.gl/MBfOuj

Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum is a set of eight interactive, multimedia iBooks Textbooks, available for free in the iBooks Store. 

The Teacher Tools Collection by sherry lee | edshelf

The Appy Hour Collection by Keith Terpsma | edshelf

Free Mac and Windows desktop versions of OneNote are finally here, w/ some helpful new tools.

4 Powerful Tools For Making Your Own Interactive Content - Edudemic

4 Incredible Educational Tools You May Not Have Seen: 

Edmodo:
Edmodo - Are you using this great classroom tool yet??
How to Add Free Apps to Your Edmodo Group http://goo.gl/XDXNWy
Curriculet is now id Edmodo, Curriculet revolutionizes how teachers create, assign, and track literacy curriculum. 

Google Docs, Mail, Hangouts, and tools:
These are the 7 Best Add-ons for the new section of Google Docs and Sheets

How to Create a Bibliography in Google Documents 

Group Reading With Google Documents Short 5 min. video on how. 

How to share slides and documents with Google+ http://goo.gl/FNBdpG  (You could create a Google community for your entire class to join!)

Want to be a #GoogleDrive Gooru? Check out the recording of our Hangout on Air and find out how much you really know! http://goo.gl/vLf7wb

Think you can't add an email as an attachment in Gmail? Wrong! Learn how in a few short steps - http://goo.gl/pQZBrM

Here are 6 Advanced Spreadsheet Tips with Formulas and Apps Script to help you become a Google Spreadsheet expert! 

How To Use Google Drive and Evernote To Create Digital Portfolios http://goo.gl/N44DyU

Google Searches - 14 Little-Known Ways Students Can Get More Out Of Google - Edudemic

Google Chrome tools:

Check out this Chrome ext for citing web pages in one click! http://goo.gl/5H1gyr

Busy Teachers Cafe - a website for K-6 teachers with resources, themes, strategies and printablesgoo.gl/MNDMe7

10 Free Google Chrome Extensions Teachers Should Try via Edudemic

ScreenCastify - A Screencasting Option That Works on Chromebooks  (The older Chromebooks, may not have enough horsepower to do this, without some choppy video.) 


IOS apps (iPads/iPhones)
5 Apps for Making Movies on Mobile Devices http://goo.gl/SIWuBN

Flippity - Google Spreadsheet into Flashcards instantly! http://goo.gl/03vPbs

Edit Your Photos On Your iPad: 5 Best Apps For The Job  (First 3 are free.) 

Teach with Your iPhone: Apps to Use in the Classroom 

4 Powerful BYOD Apps for the classroom (One of them is Edmodo mentioned above.)  These are great apps/sites!

A Simple iPad App to Create Story Books With Kids ~ By Educational Technology and Mobile Learning