App-O-Da-Week #10

With only a few weeks of school left, now is a PRIME TIME to learn about some primo apps! 

Many of you have heard of Brain POP. If you haven't, it's a fantastic, educational site that contains a plethora of content and curriculum. From videos, activities, and quizzes, if you can't find the topic on Brain POP, then the topic just may not exist. Brain POP has a few sites too - including one for K-3, 4-8, ESL, and Espanol!

The drag is that you need to pay for this program but that hasn't stopped them from putting out there Featured Movie App. The App can be found in the Apple iTunes Store, the Google Play Store, and the Chrome Web Store. When you can find an app in more than one place, you know it is something that can be  all teachers and students can enjoy.

Brain POP summarizes there app:
"The BrainPOP Featured Movie and BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week apps regularly deliver fresh movies, quizzes, and bonus features right to your handheld device. They cover a breadth of relevant topics including current events, historical figures and milestones, holidays, curricular subjects, and more."


Commonsensemedia.org lays it out pretty well what students can learn in 3 minutes: 
"Kids can learn the main points about a range of different topics -- science, math, social studies, art and music, language, and more -- through brief videos. For example, there's a three-minute video on how digital animation is made. The app features one video every day (although kids can browse topically to watch others anytime), and kids can take a quiz after each video. Quizzes are designed to help kids not only retain the content in the videos but also practice vocabulary and reasoning skills. BrainPOP Featured Movie provides well-presented material on many topics that kids learn about in school."

So there you have it! Two apps for you to digest this week. Please share these with any and all students, teachers, and educators that you know! And remember, same App time, same App channel next week!

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.

Super, ridiculously large iPad infographic!

I love iPads. I love what they can offer to students and teachers. But sometimes, their "coolness" gets in the way of what they can really do, transform learning for students and educating for teachers. Here is a great info-graphic (information graphics) that lays out EXACTLY what they can do. I wish I came up with it but I didn't, so I will share it. 


Via Tony Vincent @ http://learninginhand.com/blog/2013/4/7/ipad-as-the-teachers-pet-infographic?buffer_share=9875c&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer%253A%252BICTEvangelist%252Bon%252Btwitter

iPad as Teachers Pet

Learning wherever, whenever!

Last night during our weekly #njed Twitter chat (and subsequent teachercast.tv live video feed), we discussed how and why you should take learning outside. 

We came up with, as current and former teachers, a number of reasons. Learning shouldn't be confined to the four walls that surround you. In fact, the only thing walls are good for is keeping bugs out. 

When it comes to learning - you can learn anywhere as long as there is a group of people who want to learn and there is someone there willing to facilitate. Some of my best lessons were outside, walking the campus and asking questions to students. There minds weren't pent up looking at the same thing. They were learning via nature. 

I bring this up because our students just went on a trip to the local Apple Store. And while it wasn't nature, it was a trip. The useds iMacs, Mac Books, and iPads to crunch numbers and use that app to figure out real world finance issues. 

It was fantastic. The staff was helpful, the kids wanted to use the tech, and the trip went better than planned. Learning can happen anywhere, as long as you have the drive to learn.

Kudos to the people at the store - you did a great job!

Apple 21.5 " iMac 2.7GHz Intel Quad-Core i5 Desktop Computer - MD093LL/A (Google Affiliate Ad)

Apple MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 Notebook Computer - MD101LL/A (Google Affiliate Ad)