1:1 Summer Institute (Chattanooga, TN)

Instructional Technology Tips and Tricks

photo from http://dimeadozenclothing.com/blog/the-future-of-screen-technology/

1. Use an iPad as a mobile document camera (and then annotate on the photo with an app like Doceri)
2. Use www.todaysmeet.com for classroom collaboration (Great for Think-Pair-Share).
3. Create shared folders on dropbox, google drive, or sugarsync for easy collaboration (also a great way to have students turn in digital work).
4. Make videos--lots of videos. It forces you and the students to use the tools and the creativity subtly inspires the mind to attack problems by breaking them down.
5. Own your own PD. Read a book, or a blog. Participate in 1 twitter chat per week. They are great for individual professional development. Take responsibility for making yourself better.
6. Use a free web tool like irubric.com to create share-able, editable, and printable rubrics.
7. Consider having your class participate in Hour of Code or use www.code.org as a reward. The age-appropriate programming "games" really get student's analytical juices flowing and they think they are playing!)
8. A new tool called Drawp for School was released for iPads this summer. I don't have much experience with it, but it looks amazing. Could be a great tool for managing a class in a 1:1 environment...and its FREE!
   
9. Explain Everything App lets you create tutorials ($2.99). This can be a great tool for students. Have them create tutorials for just about anything. It forces them to break down complex tasks into the component pieces and explain how something works.
10. Join a Public Learning Network (or create one). One of the best ways to learn is to collaborate with others and learn together!
    

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10 Things I Wish I Had Known About iPads

1. Doceri (and mirroring through Apple TV) is a must have in an iPad led classroom.

2. 1:1 iPad schools should pick a productivity package & make it standard for the entire school (iWork Suite, or Google Docs are quality choices to consider).

3. Faculty should begin participating in Twitter chats for PD (consider using http://tweetdeck.twitter.com

• #1to1iPad: Chat specifically focused on 1:1 iPad integration. Thursdays from 8-9 EST.
  

• #edtechchat: is dedicated to all things related to Education Technology and takes place Mondays from 9 pm EST. Read more at http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/09/23/13-twitter-chats-for-educators.aspx#idDIgyYRXPSBP5yy.99
• #PBLchat: This chat offers an excellent resource for learning about project based learning. Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.
• TNedchat: Tennessee Education Chat Thursdays from 8-9 EST

4. Embrace a note-taking app. (I suggest Notability -- $.99 ; Note Taker HD -- $4.99 ; PaperPort Notes -- FREE)

5. Dabble with a a few apps in the same category, choose your favorite, then deliberately plan mini-lessons that force you to master it.

6. Consider using educreations to create your own lessons, find lessons from others, and have your students create lessons to share with each other.

7. Use Symbaloo to find interesting web tools and to share your bookmarks across multiple platforms (PC, mac, iOS, Android, etc.).

8. Teachers can use business collaboration tools to control, share, collaborate, and interact with students directly on their devices. These tools allow the instructor to create a presentation and then control it on multiple devices (some tools let you control up to 35 devices from the instructor device). They come with a ton of options for developing a collaborative community within your classroom and across multiple disciplines/grade-levels. This is also a great tool for PD. (The best options for this are subscription based--from $10/month and up-- but idea flight enterprise and join me are emerging as school friendly versions that are free or inexpensive).

9. Have students create iBooks using bookPress for FREE! They can also actually order a real, physical book if they would like. This is a powerful tool that is easy to use and can quickly integrate clip-art, sketches, illustrations, and videos into book, textbook, cookbook, and comic book creations.

10. Engage students' creative streaks by having them create video presentations for just about anything! Some of my favorite video editing and video creation apps are listed below:

• Animoto -- (free*) quickly creates professional quality photo slideshows with music.
• iMovie -- ($4.99) Apple's movie editor. Easy to use to create high quality videos.
• Stop Motion Studio -- (free; pro is $4.99) Creates stop-motion, Gumby style movies from pictures.
• Magisto -- (free*) simple special effect video editor with in-app upgrades available.
• OSnap Time Lapse & Stop Motion Creator -- ($2.99) Makes time lapse and stop motion movies.