6 New Things To Try In Your iPad Classroom

If you’ve got iPad's in your classroom, Apple's March Education Event gave teachers a few extra tools.

1. Apple has incorporated the capabilities of the the Mac’s iBooks Author app into its Pages app for iOS.  This means that you can now create ebooks that can be shared to the iBooks store.  Creating ebooks has never been so simple.

2. Apple’s iWork suite of apps supports what they call “smart annotation.”  Teachers can write on a document in which the annotations stay anchored on the page.  So subsequent document editing will provide for the annotations, not typing under the annotations or over them.  Instead, editing will go around the annotations.

3. Now, collaboration is much easier with the iPad.  Apple added “real time collaboration” to their iWork suite.  Now groups of students can work on a document in real time.

4. Pages now comes with a new “presenter mode.”  This new mode makes it easier to do two things: use Pages as a whiteboard, presenting what you have on the big screen in easier to read font.  And, should the need to pressing a speech, presenter mode makes it easier to read and scroll the text in the document.

5. The Schoolwork App is on its way.  The Schoolwork app is Apples answer to Google’s Classroom app.  The app will allow the teachers to point students to a particular app, check on student progress while they are working in an app, and create handouts for students.

6. Teachers can now manage their class from their Mac! The Classroom app, once only available on iOS, is coming to the Mac. 

22 Ways Students Can Demonstrate Their Learning

Think of this as a compendium to my last post about students creating content.  This time, my focus is not on the creation of content, but ways that students can demonstrate what they’ve learned.  Twenty-two apps that can help students show-off what they’ve learned include:

1. Annotable:  A fantastic tool to annotate pictures or documents.  Students can annotate pictures they’ve taken, labeling different aspects of the picture.  In biology class, students can take pictures of plants etc. and label the parts.

2. Skitch: A great annotation tool.  Use it to annotate pictures, drawings, documents, etc.  Students can use it to label certain aspects of a picture.  They can use the picture of a particular person and label their attributes and/or accomplishments.

3. Popplet: Students can use Popplet to create a web of knowledge.  They can use it to explain a concept, map out a family tree of a famous person, or create a timeline.

4. MindNode: Great for thought-mapping.  Use MindNode to create timelines, explain the process of a science experiment, or show how to solve a math problem.

5. Explain Everything: A digital whiteboard.  Students can record themselves explaining a concept while they use the digital whiteboard to show what they’ve learned.  Then, show it to the class.

6. Educreations: A fantastic digital whiteboard.  Students can use Educreations to record themselves explaining how to solve a math problem or explain certain aspects of history.  Then, when done, show it to the class.

7. Shadow Puppet EDU: Create videos.  Include voiceover narration with pictures and graphics.

8. ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard: Students can demonstrate a concept or explain the significance of a person or event through their white board.  Students record their report and can play it back for the class or export it to the teacher.

9. iMovie: What better way to show off you you’ve learned than to make a movie about the topic.  No matter the subject, from math to social studies, students research their topic, film it, and present it to the class.

10. GarageBand: Students use GarageBand to record a podcast about their topic.  They can record an audio report or a conversation between two or more people.

11. Recap: With Recap, the teacher poses a question where students can respond with text or a video reply.  Other students can join in by replying to each other’s post with a video or text.

12. Flipgrid: Using Flipgrid, students video record their responses to a question.  Or, like Recap, they can comment on each other’s post.

13. Paper by 53: Paper is a drawing tool for iOS.  Students can use Paper in a multitude of ways, from drawing a concept to  writing text.

14. Paste by 53: Paste is available as an iOS app or a web application.  Paste is a presentation tool of sorts in that it allows the user to create presentation decks from screenshots, videos, docs, as well as links to other sites.  Works great with its sister app, “Paper by 53.”

15. Keynote/Google Slides: Whether your class is using iPads or Chromebook’s, Apple’s Keynote and Google Slides are a great way for students to present information on their topic.  Each app allows for the insertion of pictures and video to accompany their text.

16. YouTube: Students can share what they’ve learned using YouTube.  The teacher sets up their own YouTube channel where students can upload their videos about their topic for the class to view.

17. iBooks Author: Using a Mac, students create their own digital books about a topic, including videos, recordings, and other interactive elements.

18. Seesaw: Seesaw is the ultimate in digital portfolios.  Students can upload their work to their Seesaw journal or address prompts from the teacher right in Seesaw.  A great way to show what students have learned over the course of a semester or year.

19. Weebly: Using Weebly, students can create a website about their topic.  Whether it’s a historical figure, event, or science topic, a website is a great way to have students research and present a topic.

20. Animoto: Ask students to use Animoto (iPad) to create video essays.  Student simply important the pictures, such as a historical figure, then choose the music and video style and off they go.  Add to the video with captions explaining the pictures and topic.

21. Grafio 3: A mindmap and diagraming tool.  Grafio for iOS allows students to create how to diagrams of ideas and concepts.  Students can create tree maps of historical figures and events.

22. Stick Around: Turn the tables on your students.  Instead of you creating the quiz on a topic, ask your students to create a labeling quiz for their fellow classmates.  Stick around is an iPad app that allow's students to create their own labeling quizzes.  In creating a quiz, students must provide the answer key.  In order to create the questions, students must know the answers.

10 Ways Students Can Create Content Using Tech

I recently read an article that talked about how Chromebooks were being underutilized.  Instead of being the creation machines that they can be, many teachers were using them simply as an extension of paper.  Most of the work being done on Chromebooks was work involving Google Docs, such as writing.  

Such was the case in an iPad classroom I visited recently.  The students had written a short essay on a piece of paper and were typing the report into the Pages app on the iPad.

Chromebooks and iPads can be so much more!  Now, that's not all bad.  Of course, there are times when students need to write that essay or report.  

So the article got me thinkin'.  What are some great apps students can use to create content and be creative using a Chromebook or iPad?  What follows are a few suggestions of how Chromebooks and iPads can be the creation machines they were meant to be:

1. Canva:  Ask students to create posters, infographics, or stories using Canva.  Canva has an iOS app or can be used via a web browser.  

2. Adobe Spark Suite: video, posters/infographics/collages, websites:  The Adobe Spark Suite can entice students to create work where they can show off what they know.  The Spark suite offers apps for iOS and can be used via a web browser, perfect for the Chromebook classroom.  Let the students choose how they'll express themselves by presenting them with the suite.  They can create a web page, a poster, or a video showing off what they’ve learned.  Simply point them to the suite and let them choose the app.

3. Book Creator:  Ask your students to write a book.  Well, we’re not talking a novel, but a short book with pictures and everything.  Book Creator can be used on iPads or via a web browser.

4. Voicethread: Students can use Voicethread to narrate a story using pictures and voice.  Ask students to explain a concept or teach an idea.  Students can use Voicethread to debate an issue, discussing the pros and cons of an issue.

5. iTunes U: Specific to the iPad, iTunes U is an Apple education app where students can take a course.  But, you can turn it around and ask the students to create their own course about a specific topic.  Ask the students to create readings, review exercises, and tests around their topic.  

6. Google Sites: Ask students to create a website about a topic or person.  The site can serve as a sort of website biography of a famous person or students can use it to post information about a topic.

7. Garageband/Soundtrap: Ask students to create daily podcasts about a particular person or topic.  Have students create a theatre of the mind project where they perform an audio play about a person or topic.

8. Comic Life 3: Ask your students to create a comic book using their iPad.  Have students collaborate on a single comic, have them work in small groups, or ask them to go solo.  Instead of simply writing an essay or a report, take it to another level and have your students use Comic Life to incorporate graphics and pictures into their report or essay.  Students can use Comic Life to bring their writing to life using their creativity and imagination.

9. WeVideo: Ask students to use WeVideo to edit their created video.  Available for both iOS and as a web-based app, WeVideo is a great and easy way to upload a video, edit it, and then download it back to your Google Drive or show it.

10. Clipchamp: Before using WeVideo, Clipchamp is a very good option for students using Chromebooks to shoot their video.  It’s easy to use and easy to export your video to Google Docs or WeVideo.

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.