EquatIO: A Must Have Chrome Extension For STEM Teachers!

Rejoice math and science teachers of the world!  You have an extension to Google Chrome that works great with Google Docs and Google Forms!  That extension is EquatIO!  My tone of excitement stems from knowing that EquatIO is awesome!  Ok, no more exclamation points.  Equatio is an easy way to integrate Chromebook's into math and science classrooms.


In the EdTech universe, apps for math seemed to have lagged behind those apps that can be used more easily with English and Social Studies.  EquatIO levels the playing field with its ease of use and the simple way it's used with Google Docs.

Add the EquatIO extension to Google Chrome and you're off and running.  After creating a new Google Doc, clicking the EquatIO button on the browser opens the EquatIO toolbar on the bottom of the document.  The toolbar contains the equation editor from which you'll fashion your equations.  One of the cool aspects of EquatIO is that it predicts what you want to say and inserts it into your equation.  For example, typing 2xsq will tip EquatIO to type your equation with the superscript while typing 2pl will tell EquatIO to insert the "+" symbol.  Cool huh?  Also, anything you insert into a document, you can extract as well into the EquatIO editor for further editing.

Formulas are also included in EquatIO's prediction abilities.  For example, type "qu" and you'll get various formulas such as the quadratic formula.  Chemistry compound predictions are also included in Equation.

EquatIO has two other components that make EquatIO a must for STEM teachers.  The first is its handwriting component.  Use your trackpad or stylus to write out an equation and Equatio will translate it into a clean type that can be exported into your Google Doc.  The other part is speech recognition.  Speak an equation and EquatIO will filter out the non-math terms and create your math formula or problem.

If you're a STEM teacher, you need to get EquatIO!

5 Ways Teachers Can Manage Their Class From Their Phone!

1. ZipGrade:  You find yourself in the unfortunate position of not having much technology in your classroom--but you have your smartphone!  ZipGrade is an app that allows the teacher to turn their phone into an instant Scantron machine.  With ZipGrade, students won't have to wait to get their results of a quiz.  Simply hold the phone over the sheet as you would for a picture or scan and the app does the rest, instantly providing the results.  And, you can send the class results to a PDF or CSV report.

Correct papers with ease with ZipGrade

2. Remind:  Most of your students have cell phones.  So why not use them as a class communication tool?  Ask your kids to install the remind app to get class updates and class news.  Use it as a tool to remind the students of upcoming tests and due dates.

3. Dropbox:  Create an account to be used specifically for your classes.  Then, create separate folders for each class.  Instead of students handing in paperwork, use your phone to take a picture of student work and put it in the appropriate folder.  Students can also set up their own Dropbox accounts and turn in work via a shared link.  Teachers can also deposit class assignments into a shared Dropbox for student retrieval, making the class paperless.

4. Scannable:  Scannable is an iOS app designed by the people at Evernote to make scanning documents easy.  And, if you're already an Evernote user, Scannable makes it easy to scan documents directly to Evernote as it will save directly to Evernote.  Scannable also allows for saving to a multitude of apps as well, including Dropbox and Google Classroom.  Collect student work by scanning into Evernote or Dropbox.  Create student portfolios by scanning student work into your Evernote notebooks.

Scannable makes storing papers easy!

5. Workflow:  Workflow is an iOS app that automates your iOS tasks into the push of a button.  Workflow can save you valuable time by combining multiple tasks into one.  You want to save that picture or scan to Dropbox? You want to save a screenshot or picture as a PDF so students can annotate it?  Create a workflow and do so with the push of a button.  

Workflow can save a teacher valuable time.

10 Apps Students Can Use to Storyboard

1. Storyboard That: Works great with Chromebooks. The free version allows for 3 or six cells. Students can customize the scene, the characters, and numerous other aspects of their storyboard.

2. Google Slides/Keynote: Tools you likely already have access to if you have Chromebooks or iPads. Students can add pictures and text to their slides to create a storyboard with as many slides as they want.

3. Book Creator: Students can create a short book with pictures and text that can be used to storyboard a video project.

4. Trello: Trello is a great organizer. But it’s also so much more. Students can create columns for each scene, then detail each scene according to the column.

5. Canva: Canva is essentially a blank canvas where students can choose from a variety of templates to create a storyboard. They can choose from templates such as a photo collage, presentations, and posters. Each poster or photo collage could serve as a specific scene.

6. Popplet: Great for mapping out a project . Popplet is a mind mapping app that allows for the insertion of pictures and allows for the ability to draw ideas in a cell.

7. MindNode: Another mindmap/concept mapping app. Like Popplet, students can insert pictures, change colors and styles of the map. A fantastic app for mapping out the entire project on a single sheet.

8.Paper by 53: Paper is…paper. Paper allows for the use of various drawing tools on a blank canvas. Students can create a notebook where they can draw out each scene and insert text where appropriate. After the storyboard is complete, the notebook can be exported as a PDF.

9. Evernote: A fantastic note-taking app. First, create a notebook for the project. Second, add a new note for each scene or section. Allows for the insertion of pictures as well.

10. Paste by 53: From the people that brought you Paper, Paste is a new take on the slide deck. Paste features a simple drag and drop interface where, along with text, you can insert pictures, links, and documents. And, Paper integrates very nicely with Paste. Simply drag from Paper into Paste.

5 Ways to Deliver Interactive Presentations

Nearpod/PearDeck — Nearpod and PearDeck are both great interactive presentation apps. I put them together because they’re the same type of presentation app. As the teacher, you can insert assessments, videos, polls, and drawing activities. The students are engaged because they are literally participating in the presentation.

Google Slides Q&A — Ask students to post ideas, questions, or comments to your Google Slides presentation. During the presentation, the teacher is gathering questions and comments that are posed by the participants. Students can then vote on which questions or comments they find most relevant then, the teacher can show the questions on the presentation screen and address each question individually.

Socrative — Use Socrative to pose questions periodically throughout the presentation. Have students use their notes to address the questions in Socrative. The questions can be multiple choice, true/false, or short answer.

Recap — Use Recap for student questions and comments. The teacher can choose discussion topics from the lecture. Then, during the lecture, teachers can post questions on Recap for the students to address. It can be used as a safe classroom chat tool. Teachers can use Recap not only pose questions for the students to answer, but use it for student discussion, digging deeper into the topic.

EdPuzzle — Record your lecture and have your students answer questions about the lecture. EdPuzzle is not only great to insert questions into professional videos and documentaries, but teachers can upload their own lectures, then, insert questions throughout their lecture. This is a great way to flip your classroom or plan for a day where the teacher is physically not in the classroom.