Group items tagged

"Jumbled Sentences is a series of five free iPad apps designed to help students learn to construct sentences. The apps provide students with drag and drop activities in which they sort jumbled words into sentences. The sound can be turned off and on in each app. When the sound is turned on students can hear the words read them by the narrator. The narrator also reads the sentences that students construct. The app provides students with immediate feedback on each of the sentences that they build. When students correctly create sentences they earn virtual coins that they can then use to buy virtual stickers to mark their progress." These apps might be useful for EFL/ESL students, since they include sound/reading aloud of sentences. t/h R. Byrne

"Swift Playground is an iPad app to learn Apple's Swift coding language which underpins apps on iOS. The app has engaging lessons and different levels to play." I think learning an app language is appropriate for many levels of students. It gives them control over the games and processes as they think about how the app should go and what it should do.

R. Byrne has a nice description of two apps to make interviews with -- a great listening speaking activity for ELLs, with some writing to make up questions. "The Opinion app could be a good choice if you just want students quickly create a simple recording. Students might use Opinion to record a quick reflection on what they learned during the week. If they have SoundCloud accounts Opinion makes it easy to create an on-going audio blog. "StoryCorps.me will take a little more time for students to set-up than they will spend setting-up the Opinion app. That said, StoryCorps.me is the app that I would want students to use when they are recording podcasts involving two or more people. Being able to see the questions while they record should help students keep their interviews concise and on track. "

This is the kind of real-life project that makes sense to students an could be used for extensive vocabulary and syntax development. The app used to create Chow Checker (which finds allergens in foods you enter into the app) is free from MIT App Inventor, which has extensive help and documentation. R. Byrne claims you can get students started with this without knowing anything about app programming yourself.

"...professional iPad interactive whiteboard and screencast recorder with sophisticated tools for hand-drawn graphics and remote desktop control." "You can create your own slides with the variety of tools available. More importantly, you can capture the screen shot and make notations directly on it." "Doceri is certainly a whiteboard app - and a great one. But it also allows you to control and use your pc apps remotely. So your presentation can consist of a pc app and then switch to a whiteboard display, all from your iPad." This seems like a great app for creating presentations while also controlling a smartboard and your computer from your iPad.

You probably know about most of these apps already, but a few are interesting, including mind-mapping, and book creator apps. For iPad, bu other smart tablets may have similar apps.

You can now use a third-party app to mirror your iPad/iPhone on a computer (Mac or Windows). This app is now called Reflector, however. Check it out at http://www.airsquirrels.com/reflector/. Play your presentations without a projector.

"During a recent meeting with some colleagues, I reflected upon the conversations that I have had with potential clients over the past 6 months with regards to the use of mobile technologies. With a very small exception (probably 2-3 out of approx 60 conversations) those conversations have revolved around the creation of 'mobile learning', which actually translated as the "shrinking down of desktop content to allow it to be viewed and interacted with on a mobile device". Very little, if any mention, of creating performance support resources… No consideration of using the devices native functions I.e. camera, keyboard, GPS, voice recorder, to enhance the experience…. A heavy focus on the learner 'learning' something from it, as opposed to the worker 'enhancing' their performance from it (Hell, who needs to learn the London Underground routes if you've got the app in your pocket?) And this is where I think we have got it wrong again!" Great thoughts on where we are and where we might go with mobile technologies for education

This app is like Evernote on steroids. Free from Microsoft, you can organize a whole class using the apps built into the interface for all devices, both computers and mobile. Organize and publish lesson plans and assignments, create quizzes and make hand-written notes on them, send emails, add photos from other devices, create video and audio messages, clip any webpage to view later on or offline. Works with a large number of other apps, such as fax/scanner tools, Feedly for archiving information, smart pens, ModNotebooks, which digitizes paper and pencil documents. Or create your own app with onenote appi (dev.onenote.com). T/H A. Burns

Despite the explanatory text, this app is indeed ready to download for iPad. This is a nice use of technology to explain other technologies. You go through a browser screen to a Website, then draw on the iPad screen to demonstrate functionality while the app records what you do. What a cool app.

"Knowmia Teach is a new free lesson planning and recording tool for teachers. It helps you create short video lessons on any subject and publish them on Knowmia.com so your students and the public can find them. Knowmia Teach makes it easy to bring in visual aids from multiple sources, organize them in steps (like slides in a presentation) and use your own voice and fingers to bring your lesson to life. You can design each step in the lesson, record illustrations as you draw them, and create sophisticated animation sequences with a simple stroke of a finger. We also give you the ability to describe your lesson in a way that makes it simple for any student who is interested in the subject to find your video. " This seems to be a hany app that allows you to design and record and draw with one app. Available at the iTunes store. So far iPad only, but their site at knowmia.com also gives tips for creating lessons using other tools and storing them at their website.

A good series of short articles describing apps for Apple: iBooks Author to allow teachers and students to create their own electronic books, epublishing for students, critical thinking at discoveryeducation.com, and apps for ELLs and Special Ed students, etc.

"Here are the top five iPad apps that can serve as PowerPoint alternatives." If you are a Mac addict, there are some juicy apps here. And most will work on iMac as well as iPhone and iPad.

"Discover, purchase, and share educational apps, books, and videos easily with Google Play for Education - a new online destination just for schools." "Browse content by grade, subject, or standard; purchase with school PO (no credit card required); distribute apps via cloud." "This page also shows how to set up tables to allow use of content and to find approved apps."

"One of the best book creation apps on iPad is now available for all Android Devices, as BookCreator makes the jump onto the Google Play store (click here to view). The iPad app has found its place as a key educational app in classrooms across the world, putting publishing into the hands of students and enabling teachers to collaborate with classrooms in other countries."

"The U.S. Library of Congress offers a wealth of fantastic online resources for teachers and students. A quick jump into the teachers resource page will lead you to things like these primary source analysis guides that I have used with students in the past. The LOC also offers a couple of good iOS apps that are worth noting." Shows how various apps can be used with the teachers' resource pages at the U.S. Library of Congress. Great authentic materials for research papers and projects. H/T to R. Byrne

"The purpose of the ADL Mobile Learning (mLearning) Guide is to provide a universal resource on all topics pertinent to mobile learning. This resource is intended to provide you with an introduction and will explore the following topics about mobile learning: the basics, planning, learning content, development options, and design considerations. This app was developed by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative's Mobile Learning Team. ADL is sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (OUSD P&R). This is an official app of the U.S. Government ADL Initiative."

5 neat apps -- there are probably comparable apps for Android and other mobile devices. Whether you have an artistic bent or prefer hand-written notes, one of these might suit you and could be linked into Evernote or OneNote, most likely. T/H to R Byrne.

"Formative assessment is a planned process in which teachers or students use assessment-based evidence to adjust what they're currently doing. "In other words, if teachers or students are not leveraging results/data (from Socrative, Kahoot!, Plickers, etc.) to then differentiate instruction or learning, the app inspired dog and pony show does not qualify as a formative assessment. "Formative assessment is a process…not an event, questions on a piece of paper, or even an app. What makes an assessment formative depends on the context in which it is used." Based on a blog/book co-authored by Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy. You can sign up for more chapters free on the site. The articles represent a measured discussion of how apps and "cool tools" can be used successfully, without hype.

This is a must website to find out more about apps for children with speech, auditory, and visual special needs.