App-O-Da-Week #6

Back by popular demand.... it's the App-O-Da-Week!

Thanks to all those who have been supporting this great movement over the last month and a half. It makes writing this and bring apps to you folks fantastic!

Again, because of the demand, we are bringing you not one, but TWO apps. One paid. One free.


Starting with the PAID, let's focus on an app that is breaking waves in education. It's allowing students to explain, well, basically everything. And wouldn't you know it, the app is called "Explain Everything," and for $2.99, it certainly does much more than that.

Folks are calling this one a game changer. Explain Everything allow a student to annotate, create, screencast, and share everything from anywhere. When they are done, they have the ability to upload it to one of many services we currently have, including E-Backpack or Google Drive. 

For those who want a more "techie" answer about what this app does, just look to what the maker, MorrisCooke, says about it:

"Explain Everything is an easy-to-use design tool that lets you annotate, animate, and narrate explanations and presentations. You can create dynamic interactive lessons, activities, assessments, and tutorials using Explain Everything's flexible and integrated design. Use Explain Everything as an interactive whiteboard using the iPad2 video display. Explain Everything records on-screen drawing, annotation, object movement and captures audio via the iPad microphone.  Import Photos, PDF, PPT, and Keynote from Dropbox, Evernote, Email, iPad photo roll and iPad2 camera. Export MP4 movie files, PNG image files, and share the .XPL project file with others for collaboration."








WOW - that's alot. It means that students aren't only creating, they are redefining and sharing what they have learned with others in a way that was never before possible. When looking at the SAMR scale of technology use in classrooms, this app is way up there at the top.

Eventually, students will be able to use this app to create fantastic screencasts of their work, share it with their teacher (who in turn will give feedback and give it back to the student) all in one fell swoop. No computer necessary!

With Common Core become law, there a ton of technological aspects in here that can be used to your advantage. Remember, Common Core has a lot to do with technology and assessments and wouldn't you know it, students can actually use this app as an assessment tool. Teachers can record their lesson plans, activities, and even them reading to the class all in this app.

There aren't many killer apps out there but if there is one that needs to be purchased right away, this one is it.

Who is Ted and why is he talking?

"TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference on the West Coast each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize."

Watch TED Talks Education on PBS. See more from TED Talks Education.

TedED Talks are focused on sharing great knowledge with our fellow educators. I will be re-posting the videos (which are on PBS) here on the blog. 

The Unconference and how you can better yourself for FREE this year!

There are some great opportunities this summer for fantastic, FREE PD. This summer, join me for some EDcamps, Padcamp, and TeachMeet NJ.

If you have never heard of an ‘unconference’ it is something wild and great. It takes what you love about PD and removes what you hate about PD, which are things you don't care to learn about, expensive upfront charges, and speakers who have no authority to be talking about ed issues. 

Wikipedia describes them - “These are generally called Edcamps and they are designed to provide participant-driven professional development for K-12 educators. Edcamps are modeled as free participant-driven conferences with a primary focus on technology and computers. Educational technology is a common topic area for edcamps, as are pedagogy, practical examples in instructional use of modern tools, and solving the problems technology can introduce into the classroom environment.”

NJEA Review just had a great article about them as well in their latest magazine. I have copied the article for you to read.

Here is a list of them that will be in NJ in the next months:

Edcamp STEAM - Wednesday, July 31 at Linwood Middle School in North Brunswick, New Jersey!  S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math (a variant of "STEM") - http://edcampsteam.org/

PadCamp - PadCamp is a FREEunconference devoted to exploring the use of tablets, e-readers & other handheld mobile devices in K-12 education. It will be held at Galloway Township Middle Schoolin Galloway, NJ on August 8, 2013!. - http://www.padcamp.org/

EdCamp Leadership - Join us at Kean University's gorgeous STEM center on Monday, August 12, 2013! Its goal is to assemble forward-thinking school administrators, board of education members, classroom teacher leaders, parents/community members - http://www.edcampleadership.org/

     TeachMeet NJ - TeachMeetNJ is an "unconference" devoted to K-12 educators sharing different aspects of technology in education. Where: The Richard Stockton College of NJ When: August 22nd, 2013 – http://www.teachmeetnj.com

EdTechNJ 2013 - Coming to#Edison #NJ 10.12.13. Mark your calendars! http://www.edison.k12.nj.us/cms/lib2/NJ01001623/Centricity/Domain/58/save_the_date_edtechnj2013_official.pdf

EdcampNJ – November 22nd, 2013 - Linwood Middle School in North Brunswick, New Jersey - http://edcampnj.org

I will be at all of these this year. Thanks to my great friends at #njed for helping me understand just what these are all about. 

This include, but are not limited to: 
+TeacherCast +Brad Currie +Bill Krakower +Scott Rocco