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"OS X may come with plenty of great apps and utilities to get you started, but there are a few incredibly helpful utilities that are either missing or could be improved. That's what we're focusing on here, with four of the most helpful utilities for OS X that everyone should have on their Mac. Best of all? They're all free!"

"I always have teachers wanting to know how they can better utilize the iPad in their classrooms. I know that it's very easy when first receiving an iPad to take a worksheet that you have done for several years, and convert it to glass. But glass can be boring too, so I created this Breakfast Club session to give my teachers some ideas on ways to better utilize this powerful tool in their classrooms. So the "activities" that I started coming up with started turning into all sorts of ideas and app suggestions.  I shared all of the ideas with the teachers that attended, but found myself particularly enjoying the conversations that we were having about some of the activities that are taking place in the classrooms at Aurora Public Schools. Our teachers are doing great things with the iPads in their classrooms and it was great to have teachers share and learn from each other!  Here are some of the activities, ideas and apps that we talked about on how to better utilize the iPad in the classroom."

"You may not have thought much about the iPad background screens of student iPads.  Whether you share a cart with your grade level or have a small set to use or even have 1:1 iPads in the classroom, the iPad background screen is key real estate that you want to integrate into your iPad management plan.  Students look at the lock screen every time they open their iPads and the background whenever they switch apps.    Here are 5 ways to utilize that space:"

"Are you ready for another round of Tech It Up Tuesday, a series devoted to sharing an edtech tool, app, site or other resource that can be utilized in the classroom setting? This week's shout out goes to the LIFE Photo Archive powered by Google, a collection of unpublished historical images from LIFE Magazine that span from the 1750's to present-day. This database containing millions of images-a joint venture between LIFE Magazine and Google-is completely free and very simple to use. Just access the site and then select a category of photos to browse (decades, people, places, events, etc.) or use the search option to locate the desired image. Once a photo is found, it can be downloaded to your device and utilized in multimedia projects, documents, presentations, etc.-so long as it has an educational/non-commercial use."

"n Mrs. Chellani's continual efforts to create an engaging learning experience for her students, she has found utilizing QR codes to facilitate collaboration to be highly beneficial. In order to review material discussed in an assigned video and in class in her Pre-Calculus and Calculus courses, she created QR codes with relevant questions on the material and its' applications. Students were placed in groups of four to five; and, using a QR reader app on their phone, they were able to view the question. Once the students worked on the problem together, they would confirm the result with Mrs. Chellani. When the solution was correct, they would be given the next QR code (i.e. question). The level of engagement increased dramatically with the use of QR codes and simply allowing students to utilize their cell phones in the learning process! "

"We've discussed the merits and utility of video games in the classroom before, so we won't beleaguer the point. If you're interested in the possibility of video games for learning-that is, teaching and learning with video games to master both academic and non-academic content-than the following collection may be of interest to you. We've discussed before the logistics of how to teach with video games (especially for non-mobile games). What exactly this looks like on a daily basis in your classroom depends on the reality of your classroom: Available technology, WiFi access and bandwidth, grade level, content area, your comfort level with games, and so on. But if this an area you're interested in learning more about, we thought a collection of the best video games for learning-that is, those we'd want our own children playing for their varied utility in teaching and/or learning-might be useful. Criteria"

"While visiting classrooms every day, I see teachers utilizing a great deal of technology. Our district is currently in the early stages of a 1:1 Chromebook implementation, and also installed interactive projectors in all of our classrooms. Teachers have been utilizing the new technology to engage students using many different websites and resources. Below is a list of the 10 most popular websites that our teachers love right now! You may want to use these same websites in your own classroom."

"There are lots of resources available to help students grow as computational thinkers- and many are free! Some of these platforms begin at basic levels and can be utilized by beginners as young as preschool age, while still others provide interactive experiences that utilize diverse computational thinking strategies."

"Brainstorming is an important process for any subject and helps improve writing, organizer group ideas, inspires discussion, and provides a roadmap for projects. When brainstorming is combined with sketching, drawing, and graphic organizers it helps learners to organize their thoughts for better flow and organization. Moreover, learners can make connections to previous knowledge and expand on what they already know. This means the brain will process the new information into long-term memory. Our learners can utilize free mobile apps to brainstorm on the go whenever they feel inspired. The following are brainstorming apps for IOS/Android devices. Free Brainstorming Apps"

"Infographics is certainly creating a buzz over the past years. With most people getting busier and busier, infographics cut the time it requires to read a full article. Just like videos, infographic is a surefire way to capture one's attention. As a wise blogger, you must learn to properly utilize infographics for your own good. How exactly can you master the art of using infographics? I'll provide you some tips to help you get started."

"The apps we selected were either released or significantly updated between January 1 and December 21 of this year. Titles that debuted on iOS or Android in 2012 that were previously available on another platform are eligible for inclusion. All of our selections were sourced, ranked and finalized by Appolicious advisors and members of our community. In all, about a dozen members of the Appolicious editorial team offered their favorites. We also surveyed the most active and influential users of Appolicious sites and applications. We did not account for the number of app downloads or overall popularity. Our qualitative assessment is based primarily on the production value, utility and creativity baked into each cited application. Here goes."

"The Common Core Lesson Planner is a must have app for teachers who want to utilize their Droid and/or iPad tablet into their daily routine.The Common Core Lesson Planner was created by a teacher for teachers to help make planning and assessing with the Common Core Standards more effective and efficient."

"However, over the course of the year I have realized that technology is not a panacea. It is merely a tool in my utility belt. As a result I have taken a look back on my year and created tangible new strategies that will help make my management of a 1:1 iPad classroom much more effective. "

"The links to the assessment and collaboration apps and the hardware and utilities discussed during the presentation will be found on their respective pages within this site. Use the navigation area on the left to get to that information. This page will include links to the additional items discussed in the presentation "iPads for Teaching and Learning" as well as the slides from a recent presentation "All You Need to Know about iPads in the Classroom"."

"Skype is an instructional tool that provides boundlessopportunities for authentic teaching and learning.  It allows us to explore beyond the four walls of our classrooms.  As elementary teachers, we sometimes battle to hold our students' short attention spans. Integrating Skype lessons brings the curriculum to life in ways never before possible.  You know that special moment when you announce a class activity, and it's greeted with claps, screams, and cheers?  That's Skype.  It brings pure joy, wonder, and intrigue to your students. Here's a list of ten ways to utilize it in the elementary setting, followed by some logistical tips for success."

"Last week I wrote about utilizing Makey Makey to hack poetry month. I wanted to share a couple more examples of student work from our second day of the workshop. Enjoy!"