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"I have been making printed versions of books made with Book Creator on an iPad for many years. The app produces a really decent file for hard copy printing. First thing to realise is that your video and sound files won't work on paper. I know that sounds silly but people sometimes get upset when they first realise this. What you do get is a paper book which looks like it was purchased from a bookstore - it looks so professional."

"Computer programming has become the new "literacy" that many teachers and school districts are implementing to help students exercise critical thinking and problem solving skills. Students of all ages gravitate towards creating and implementing programs--large and small--that they create digitally. Our technology department recently purchased two MaKey MaKeys for every elementary ITRT to use when collaborating with teachers on special projects that involve computer programming. "

"If you've purchased any or all of iLife/iWork apps for iOS at some point in the past, now is the time to update your productivity suite and take advantage of the new features Apple introduced just yesterday at their event in San Francisco. It was quite a big day for the likes of iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Not only did Apple unleash a host of new features, they've also baked in deep compatibility for these apps-utilizing iCloud, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, and iOS 7. Read on for some of the highlights you'll find in the updated apps."

"We are about to launch our Maker Space in our school library media center - it is going to be what is referred to as a 'soft launch.' Our technology facilitator and one of our classroom teachers are really the driving force behind this initiative, and much more familiar with the items we have purchased. While I'm more than happy to house the materials and provide space for them to be used, I know almost nothing about them. So, I'm hopeful that I will be able to form a team of interested students to help manage the project. Tomorrow after school we will have our 'Maker Team Interest Meeting.' From the students who show up, we're planning on forming a team to rotate being on hand when the maker space is open. They'll be in charge of answering questions, helping students figure out directions, and keeping everything orderly.  Wish us luck!"

"People were amazed at how inexpensive it was to acquire the materials needed for the activities.  Trust me, folks, the dollar store is a makerspace's best friend.  95% of the supplies I brought were from the dollar stores around me, with just a few items purchased at Radio Shack and Lowes.  I've had requests for a breakdown of the items I had in the makerspace, so here we go:"

"With the National Week of Making behind us, you might be ready to start a makerspace in your school -- but not know where to start. Will purchasing a costly 3D printer and the latest robotics kit ensure learning and maker success? What are some steps to starting a successful makerspace from scratch?"

"Although some schools are going one-to-one iPads, there is a growing trend of teachers purchasing their own iPad and bringing them into the classroom. This is a different proposition. Where I have written about how an iPad can support teacher's professional and personal learning, I have not written about how iPads can be used to support learning within the classroom. I therefore put out a call for thoughts and ideas on Twitter: If u only had ONE iPad in a room, what would u do with it? Looking for links/ideas - Aaron Davis (@mrkrndvs) June 2, 2015"

"Computer programming has become the new "literacy" that many teachers and school districts are implementing to help students exercise critical thinking and problem solving skills. Students of all ages gravitate towards creating and implementing programs--large and small--that they create digitally. Our technology department recently purchased two MaKey MaKeys for every elementary ITRT to use when collaborating with teachers on special projects that involve computer programming."

"Something special is happening in my school district. It's quite magical actually... We are purchasing more and more Legos for our students as tools of learning. Now, don't get me wrong, I know how this sounds... Kids playing with Legos while at school may appear on the surface as counterproductive when it comes to improving standardized test scores. That may be true (there's not a lot of research out there), but I'm feeling optimistic and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that playing with Legos may just have a positive effect on student learning, student growth and development, AND standardized test scores..."

"Computer programming has become the new "literacy" that many teachers and school districts are implementing to help students exercise critical thinking and problem solving skills. Students of all ages gravitate towards creating and implementing programs--large and small--that they create digitally. Our technology department recently purchased two MaKey MaKeys for every elementary ITRT to use when collaborating with teachers on special projects that involve computer programming."

"I'm in Minecraft, of course-the phenomenally popular, open-ended game that places players in a world in which they can live and build things infinitely. Marcus "Notch" Persson, the Swedish creator of Minecraft, started out by creating a simple game, allowing players to construct whatever they wanted, using a few different colored blocks, each equivalent to one cubic meter. Released in 2009, it has evolved into a massive, world-building video game in which players uses those blocks to create anything they can think of, from houses, caves, and machines to a scale version of the Death Star. Microsoft purchased Minecraft from Notch and his team for $2.5 billion in November 2014. There aren't any express objectives or any real way to win in Minecraft. It's a "sandbox," in gaming speak-offering free play without a specific goal and currently used by more than 18.5 million players, with some 20,000 more signing up every day. Users may choose between Creative Mode, in which they can build using unlimited resources by themselves or with friends, with no real danger or enemies, and Survival Mode, where they fend off enemies and other players and fight for resources and space. They can trade items and communicate using a chat bar. Modifications (or mods) can add complexity by creating things like economic systems that let players buy and sell resources from in-game characters using an in-game currency system. These downloadable mods can also add computer science concepts and thousands of additional features."

"With the National Week of Making behind us, you might be ready to start a makerspace in your school -- but not know where to start. Will purchasing a costly 3D printer and the latest robotics kit ensure learning and maker success? What are some steps to starting a successful makerspace from scratch?"

"The iPod Touch can function as an important educational tool inside and outside the classroom. With the increased purchases of netbooks this last year, there seems to be a push for schools to put more machines into students hands. At a price point even lower than current netbooks the iPod Touch is a great compliment to any classroom. "

Bookemon is a free, online book creation and sharing utility. There is no cost to join and there is no obligation to purchase!

"When I'm considering an app review, or considering purchasing an app for personal use, one of the first things that I do is to read the user reviews, as I'm sure many of you do too. Unfortunately, a newly released app or an app without a lot of reviews can sometimes have fake reviews, planted by developers or their friends, to trick unsuspecting customers and artificially inflate ratings. We've developed a quick guide that will help you avoid apps that are being falsely promoted."

"Last week while talking to our youngest son,( a Surveying Engineer working on surveying a gas line on the east coast), he was telling me how he purchased an ipad for his personal use, then when he began "playing around" with it, something changed and finally, he was excited that this was going to end up being a tool he could use at work."

"After reading many articles and comments from teachers, I notice a common question is "Are there any good apps for free?" The answer is yes! In addition, many apps offer a "lite" version to try before purchasing. Many of the lite versions just have advertisements so it's well worth installing, if it is a good app. "

Free is my favorite price! There are many different ways to score free e-books for iPads. Some books that have a charge in the iBookstore are available for free elsewhere, so check out the sites below before purchasing anything. Chances are the e-books you want to read are also available to borrow at the local library. Simply download the Overdrive Media Console App, register your library card, and start borrowing! Happy hunting!

"Teachers in my "Mapping Media to the Common Core: Part 2″ course this semester (offered through Montana CSPD and the University of Montana) have learned how to create enhanced eBooks on their iPads using the fantastic app, "Book Creator" by Red Jumper. In this post, I'll describe how you can share an eBook created with Book Creator via a free DropBox account and the DropBox app, along with a free KidBlog website and the KidBlog app for iPad. The KidBlog and DropBox apps are free. Book Creator has a free app which allows users to create 1 eBook, the commercial version is $5 and allows unlimited numbers of eBooks to be created. Apple Volume Purchase Plan (VPP) discounts are available for Book Creator."