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Explore tips, tools, and strategies for using iOS devices in education. Discover resources to enhance teaching, learning, and productivity.

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iOS Tips and Tricks

Some Weird But Useful iOS Apps

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

As you know, we’re all about the educational apps and learning here at TCEA. But once in a while, we like to talk about unusual leisure apps that have nothing to do with education, but are still useful on a more personal level or are just fun. Here are a few of these strange apps that we think you should try.

Laundry Day – Care Symbol Reader

This is definitely a unique app. For just $0.99, it uses your device’s camera to scan the laundry tags on your clothes and tell you precisely how to best wash them. Now I know that sounds strange. But sometimes those tags with all of their new symbols can be hard to read. The app works well even if the tags are faded.

Sidekix: Urban Navigator

If you live in a large city and will be out walking, this is a great free app to have. Tell it the kind of places you’re interested in and where you want to go and the app will create a personalized walking tour for you. Whether you’re into food, nightlife, art, shopping, or more, this app will help you enjoy the journey.

Charm: Collect Tweets on Twitter

Okay, you could use this free iOS app for an educational purpose like saving Tweets from an edchat. But you could also use it as your personal Twitter repository, saving up jokes that you like or building a playlist of all of the music your favorite musicians and music accounts have posted. Charm will organize your favorite Tweets into collections, save articles for later, cue up playlists of music you find, or transcribe conversations. And it works with whatever Twitter app you’re already using.

OnCamera

I love the premise of this app. Register (for free) and then have the app open when you are walking alone late at night or in any situation where you may not feel safe. If someone threatens you, hit the large red button and be instantly connected via a direct video call to a uniformed police officer who is standing by live. He will warn the potential assailant away and let him know that he is being recorded and scanned with facial recognition software. The app has limited areas of use right now, but they are adding to it every day.

Dog Whistler – Your Free Dog Whistle

If you’ve got a pooch you want to train, use this free dog whistle app. You’re able to select from a large number of sound frequencies and so can pick the one that works best for your dog. IAPs are available, but not needed.

MSQRD – Live Filters & Face Swap for Video Selfies

appsI am not a selfie kind of person. But even I couldn’t resist taking my photo over and over again once I got this free app. (You can see one of my photos as a cat to the left.) MSQRD uses your app’s camera to add masks and live effects to a selfie. You can even swap faces with a friend in the same photo. It is so much fun and incredibly easy. Really, you have to try this app!

What are some fun personal apps you love? Please share with me in the comments section below.

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iOS Tips and Tricks

Four Tools to Help You Find the Perfect iOS App

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

With more than 1.8 million iOS apps now available in the App Store, it’s easy to spend hours searching for just the right one for a particular standard, topic, or student need. But there are ways to simplify the process. Learn four of them below.

Finding an App Based on Recommendations

TCEA staff members who are former educators regularly look at new apps that have been released and evaluate them based on their ability to meet the needs of teachers and students. Those that make the grade are listed by subject area and then by topic in our Recommended iOS Apps List (available to members only). We lean more toward free apps on the list because we know that funding for schools is still not what it should be. So if you want to find an app on a particular topic, like life science, spelling, or collaboration, this is a tremendous resource for our members. (We have similar lists for Android and Chrome apps.)

Finding an App Based on Content or Topic

You’re working on your lesson plans for next week and know that appyou’ll be teaching adding fractions to your students. In the past, they have had difficulty with this concept. So you want to add an activity with an app for them to use. How do you find the right one? Try fnd. This website does what the App Store should have done from the beginning: allow you to search for apps by content or topic.

Type in “adding fractions” in the search bar and the site will provide you with a lengthy list of apps that include that content. And not just apps; fnd searches everything in the iTunes Store, including music, movies, TV, books, podcasts, and even Mac apps. To limit your search, simply click on Apps. (You can narrow the search down even further by selecting iPhone or iPad-specific apps, but I usually leave it on all as they will both run on the devices students are usually using.) Now you can quickly glance down the list of recommended apps, seeing the price, how many stars they’ve received, and screenshots of each app. When you find one that interests you, just click on the app name and you’re presented with tons of details about the app, along with reviews. If there are YouTube videos about the app, those are also included, along with any awards the app has won. Fnd makes locating an app specific to a topic or content idea very simple.

Finding an App Based on Student Need

There are times when a teacher needs a resource to help one or two students who have a special need that appothers may not have. Perhaps they are special education and need to use an app with a switch. Perhaps they are needing help with their emotions or learning a second language. The Insignio database can assist in finding the right apps for that need. Insignio was developed by BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston. Apps for a wide variety of devices are reviewed by educators and then included in the database. You can search by category, age, price, grade level, mobile device, or Common Core standard. Once you’ve selected your criteria, a variety of apps are returned with reviews, pricing information, app details, and screenshots. The database is more limited in the apps that it contains, but they are all educational and reviewed in great detail.

Finding an App Based on Pedagogy

If you’re looking for an app that will allow your students to create knowledge and share their learning with you and others, then the Padagogy Wheel is the tool for you. The Wheel, created by genius Alan Carrington, sorts apps by both Bloom’s Taxonomy and the SAMR Model of teaching. The teacher selects a level of Bloom’s or SAMR that she wants to use in the lesson. The Wheel provides action verbs to help ensure that what the students are doing is in the correct domain, along with recommended activities that match that level. And then, it finally recommends specific apps to accomplish all of that.

As an example, let’s use the cognitive domain of Analyzing. A sixth grade ELA teacher wants her students to examine words that begin with several common Latin and Greek prefixes, determine the meaning of the prefixes, and then use that knowledge to create their own new words with the prefixes. For the creation portion of the assignment, she will let the students pick from a variety of apps to showcase their new learning, including Corkulous, Pic Collage, Explain Everything, and Puppet Pals 2.

Once the teacher has defined the verbs and activities that will get students to the content she wants them to learn, the Padagogy Wheel provides her with the best apps for that particular need. This greatly simplifies the search for the right app.

Using one of these four tools is guaranteed to help you find the best app for any situation or student need.

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iOS Tips and Tricks

Sharing Via Your iPad Made Easy

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin
Are you and your students creating exciting content on your iPad, but encountering challenges to sharing it with others? Are you sick and tired of creating great video projects on your device, but then not being able to get them off of it? Find several rock-solid, proven approaches to getting content off your iPad, collecting student work, and easy ePublishing in this blog!

Join the ongoing TCEA Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) SkypeChat via your mobile device or online. Explore and share concepts at the intersection of teaching, learning, leading, and technology!

Approach #1 – Readdle Documents

You have to pay for almost every app on the iPad, but some of the best apps are free. One of those is Readdle Documents, a free, no-cost file manager solution. This versatile, all-in-one app provides ebook compatibility so you can read Google Docs ePubs (more about this below) that your students create,  the ability to access cloud storage (e.g. OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox, to name three popular choices), set your iOS device up as a server for easy access from your computer or other mobile devices, and a music player. You can also save web pages to PDF, get and save media files that Safari cannot handle, compress multiple files into one file with zip compression, and edit text files. It is a must-have app for iOS users!

“Documents is a robust document reader, media player and file manager for iPad. Why should you install Documents on your iPad? The application is super useful. A child could use it, but it can do so much that there is a 20-page guide to cover everything. With all this power, Documents is completely free (with no ads or in-app purchases).”
So what happens if you’re the teacher, have a computer, and want to quickly download a student project? All that person has to do is turn on Readdle Documents WiFi, then connect via the IP address or iPad name. Here are the settings you need to adjust:
General Tab: This tab covers security and protection. You can leave settings as is or enable Passkey lock or TouchID, as well as iOS Data Protection to encrypt your data. This is great if you’re saving confidential data on your mobile device. I like to think of it as a safety deposit box on your iPad to which only you have the key.
Wi-Fi Drive: Switch the “Enable Drive” setting to ON. If in a public environment, turn on “Ask for Password.”
Sync: If using iCloud, choose the appropriate Automatic Sync setting (e.g. WiFi) or disable it. Set “FastSync” for WebDAV to ON.
File Manager: Switch the “Show Photos” to ON. This will allow you to make copies of photos/videos you have in your Camera Roll/Photo Library. You may also want to turn on “Show Filename extensions,” “Show Recents,” “Show Photos,” and “iTunes Files.”
That’s all! Tap on “Close” to finish adjusting settings. When you or your student(s) connect, you will see a window like the following:
Once you are connected, you will see all the files on your iPad online in Readdle Documents. You can then download those files to your computer.

Approach #2 – Sync products via WiFi to iTunes

This approach works for apps such as iPen or ScribblePress that don’t allow you to easily copy their products to the Camera Roll, cloud storage, or email. Here’s how to do it:
  • Unplug each device without synching.
  • Provided you are on the same network, you can then open and close files on the class set from your computer.
Thx to Julian Coultas (Digital RoadTrip)

Approach #3 – Printing

There are not a lot of low-cost options for printing from an iPad app and saving that product (e.g. PDF) somewhere you can get to it. That’s why apps like Readdle’s Printer Pro, which is a must-have iPad app if you have to print, are raking in the dollars. I’ve tried several apps, and this one just works.The only workaround is to take a screenshot on your iPad. To do that, simultaneously hold down the On/Off switch at the top of the iPad, then a half-second later, press the round Home button. You’ll hear a “camera click” and the picture will be saved in your Camera Roll. At that point, you can take the image and use any of the other approaches shared above to get the image off your iPad.

Approach #4 – AirDrop

AirDrop allows you to “wirelessly send photos, videos, websites, locations, and more to a nearby iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.” Apple has a nice tutorial online available.
While some may prefer AirDrop to the other approaches listed, my go-to remains Readdle Documents due to its ease of use and the ability to share with any device, including Windows computers and Chromebooks.

Conclusion

“Mr. Guhlin,” asked Ms. Rodriguez, a second grade teacher, “how can I get those videos off my children’s iPads?” Now you know several ways to help a peer. Remember that there are many ways to get videos, photos, and files on and off student iPads. Find the approach that works best for you!

Sidebar: Create eBooks with Google Docs ePubs Feature!

There’s now a new, free ePub creator in town that many of us have been eagerly awaiting: Google! In a recent blog entry, Google shares the following:

To make it easier for authors, publishers, and academic institutions to create works that can be consumed digitally, today we’re launching the ability to export Google Docs files as EPUB publications. Simply go to the File menu > Download as > EPUB Publication (.epub).

These Google Doc ePubs are easy to read and work great in Readdle’s Documents app, as well as on Barnes and Noble Nooks. You can also open them on your Amazon Kindle with the Aldiko app (how to load it onto your Kindle).

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Google Tips and TricksiOS Tips and TricksLeadershipMicrosoft

Five Tips for Your Digitally Disorganized Administrator

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Care to learn some ways you can organize your digitally disorganized administrator? Whether your boss is a superintendent, a campus principal, or a collaborator in need of assistance, this blog entry can help her get organized with a few simple apps and suggestions!

Note: This blog entry focuses on apps that work on Android, iOS, and Windows devices.

Tip #1 – Organize Your Email

“Hundreds of emails flow into my supervisor’s inbox,” shared one secretary. “Even though she has a smartphone and could sort her email on the go, the built-in email app doesn’t get the job done.” Whether your supervisor uses MS Exchange, Hotmail, or Gmail, she now has access to some easy-to-use email clients that work quite well. Two good solutions include CloudMagic, which works on Android, iPhone, and iPad, or Readdle’s Spark (iOS only). Both make it easy to sort your messages into folders and/or forward to somewhere else, like OneNote, since they include built-in support.

Tip #2 – Collect and Organize Critical Documents

“Every day,” shares one assistant, “my supervisor and I receive a large quantity of documents, some of which are digital, others that are mostly paper. Instead of having to wait until she gets back to the office for me to digitize them, what could my supervisor do to scan the documents?” Whether it’s business cards, invoices, permission slips, or other school paperwork, you can easily capture these documents with an app like Readdle‘s Scanner Pro or Microsoft OfficeLens and save them to the cloud (e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneNote). Text in the images is searchable, and you can also add some keywords or tags.

Tip #3 – Check That Off Your List!

“What I like to do every morning is make a checklist for what she will be doing each day.” The assistant held up her phone and waved it in front of me with a smile. “When she checks the list, there’s a list of things to do by location.” With Google Keep, you can put all your list items for your supervisor online, inserting checkboxes in front of each item. As she finishes them throughout the day, she can simply tap on the checkbox to place a checkmark. And Google Keep lets you set up location-based reminders, so you can help your supervisor be more efficient as she goes from one campus to another.

Tip #4 – Track Your Meetings

“At the end of the day, my boss comes back with a stack of papers from all the meetings she has been to. I wish there was a way for her to organize them as she gets them so it makes more sense.” Show her how to get into OneNote 2016 and tap on the microphone to record the entire meeting. In addition to typing notes with the audio recording of the meeting synchronized to the written notes, the administrator can snap pictures of meeting paper materials, including business cards, meeting agendas, and handouts, for inclusion in the meeting notebook.

And, finally, consider how you will protect the privacy of sensitive data with this last tip.

Tip #5 – Protect Confidential Information

With OneNote, you are able to “protect” sensitive notes that may contain confidential information. Encryption once was difficult to do, but now it is inexcusable to have sensitive data not protected. In OneNote 2016, your supervisor can right-click a section and choose “Password Protect.” This allows you or your supervisor to add a password and that section cannot be opened without the password. Some caveats: 1) You might not be able to view password-protected sections on all devices; 2) Audio and video recordings are not protected in the OneNote 2007 section format; and 3) To search password-protected sections, you need to unlock them first.

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iPhoneography
ChromebooksiOS Tips and TricksMicrosoft

iPhoneography: Image Editing on the Go (With Any Device)

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin
If you’re like me, your phone may be the best camera you own. In this blog entry, we’ll quickly explore some tools and the special effects that are possible on your device.

Join the ongoing TCEA Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) SkypeChat via your mobile device or online. Explore and share concepts at the intersection of teaching, learning, leading. and technology!

Creating and sharing fabulous photos may best be achieved by following a simple three-step process. These strategies can also be used, though, to edit existing images, such as those found in the Library of Congress. For example, the Library of Congress recently released a World War I collection including:
  • The Stars and Stripes – This collection presents the complete 71-week run of the World War I edition of the newspaper The Stars and Stripes.
  • World War I Sheet Music – From 1914 through 1920, the Library of Congress acquired more than 14,000 pieces of sheet music relating to what ultimately became known as the First World War.
  • World War I Posters – This collection makes available online approximately 1,900 posters created between 1914 and 1920.
  • Newspaper Pictorials: World War I – This online collection is drawn from three primary sources.
There are several more collections available that serve as rich sources of images usable in the classroom. Still, some of the best images are those photos we take in teaching and learning situations.

Step 1 – Take Fabulous Photos (adapted from this site)

Who doesn’t love a bit of mystery?  Here are five take-aways from this awesome video on taking fabulous photos:

  1. Include an interesting subject (person, animal). While you can focus on nature shots, an interesting subject can add an air of mystery to all types of photos.
  2. Don’t be afraid of silhouette photos. These are photos taken against the light, such as sunrise or sunset. Often, these are photos with the light behind them, making the photographer unable to clearly see the subject’s face. When taking these photos, hide the sun behind the subject.
  3. Include shadows in your photos, perhaps even focusing on the shadows more than the subject(s) who cast them.
  4. Take photos from a unique angle. A selfie stick can be helpful.
  5. Strive for simplicity. Try to take photos that are distraction-free and have a central focus.
Some examples of great photos appear in the video 7 Little-Known Tricks for Taking Incredible iPhone Photos.

Step 2 – Explore Great iPhoneography Examples

Many photographers are choosing to take and edit pictures on their mobile phones, necessitating the new term “iPhoneography.” You can find great iPhoneography resources and online communities that provide examples of this approach.

In the podcast Encouraging Learning with Mobile Photography, a part of Vicki “CoolCat Teacher” Davis’ Every Classroom Matters podcast series, veteran photographer and teacher, Meri Walker (@iphoneartgirl) shared some tips. You can see some examples online in this video slideshow of her iPhoneography gallery.

Step 3 – Edit and Share Your Photos

Since this blog entry is about editing and sharing your photos, you can find a variety of apps below that provide “on the go” image editing, but you also have access to image editing solutions that you can use on your computer. My suggestion is that you find the image editing tool that is easiest for you and that you are most likely to use on a regular basis.
For image editing, considering the following, depending on where you want to edit images:

Mobile Apps Available:

Camera Replacement Apps

iOS Image Editing Apps

Android Image Editing Apps

Computer/Browser-based Image Editing Apps

For sharing with others, try these cloud storage outlets:
  • Google Photos (and Google Drive) – This provides free cloud storage and incorporates the PicNik editor, which is easy. This is my favorite choice since I am not a professional photographer.
  • iCloud Photo – This provides unaltered storage of your photos in the cloud but can be expensive.
  • Microsoft OneDrive – Although not designed for photos, it is fairly easy to save photos to it.
  • ShutterFly – Another location that offers a wide variety of services, such as photo books, cards, and gifts.
Finally, you probably do not need any more apps, but you may find mobile device apps are easier to work with than their desktop or browser-based cousins.  As you consider different apps, remember that there are some other great ones out there that make editing easy. Don’t be afraid to share your favorites in the comments.
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Google Tips and TricksiOS Tips and TricksLeadership

Four Tools Every Administrator Should Be Using

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Being an administrator can be hectic at best and chaotic at worst. Whether you are an administrator on a campus or serve at the district level, there are tools that can help you be more organized and confident as you strive to juggle all the demands and tasks that come your way. Here are four I recommend, all of which I’ve used and found helpful.

Pomodoro Technique – If you are like me, multitasking usually means that I end the day with lots of things started, but few finished. This technique is the opposite of multitasking and helps keep me focused. The Pomodoro technique is a strategy in which you focus on a task for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break. After several 25-minute blocks (pomodoros), you get a 15-minute break. The goal is to work as focused as you can to accomplish the task in as few pomodoros as possible. That’s perfect for the busy administrator.

Andrei Kurtuy posted a great tutorial on the Pomodoro technique that you might find handy if you’ve not investigated it before. When things move from hectic to chaotic, I usually pull up the app and work to move through it. There are many Pomodoro tools out there, but here is my recommendation for each platform: Android, iOS, Chrome app or extension, and web.

LiveScribe Pen – When I’m in meetings, I can take notes or I can listen and process what is being said, but I can’t do both well at the same time. In those cases, my LiveScribe pen has come in handy. Using special paper (which you can download and print for free), I can take notes while recording audio. The written notes and audio are synced, so tapping on a place in my notes will jump to that part of the audio. I can then download data from the pen to my computer and the handwritten notes and audio (which are still synced) are on my laptop for later review. There are several versions of LiveScribe pens available, but I’ve found the base model to be more than adequate. It’s such a good tool that my college children have confiscated it for their own class work.

Flipboard – My job requires that I stay up-to-date on many topics. I find that searching the Internet, using Pinterest, or visiting my trusty go-to sites is too time consuming. That’s where Flipboard comes into play. I can use the iOS, Android, or web version to create a customized ezine of topics and sites that I want to keep up with. It pulls a fresh list of updated information every time I open it. While I follow several specific sites using Flipboard, identifying topics that I’m interested in has been even more beneficial. Besides reading fresh content, I can easily share articles and posts from within the app. I can definitely say that I use Flipboard on a daily basis.

Chrome Browser – I use many great Chrome apps and extensions, but here is a short list of some especially for administrators to get you started. You can find more by searching the Chrome Web Store. You can also check out Diana Benner’s post, Chrome Apps You Can’t Live Without, for more specific tools you might want to try.

  • Goo.gl URL Shortener – With just a click, I get a shortened URL of the website I’m on copied to my clipboard so I can share it with my staff or others. If I’m logged in to Chrome, it will remember the shortened URLs and track how many clicks each receives, which is handy if you are sharing with parents, teachers, etc.
  • Send from Gmail – This handy extension creates an email with the name of the website as the subject line and a link to it in the body so that all I have to do is add the recipient’s email address. I usually tweak the body of the email so the recipient knows why I’m sharing the website. Many times, though, I’ve used this to send myself a link to a website that I want to come back to, but don’t have time for right then; it will be in my inbox when I am ready to look at it.
  • Print Friendly & PDF – This clever extension creates a distraction-free page of the website I’m on by stripping out the ads, background, etc. so that I get a cleaner page that I can print and/or save as a PDF. If you are one to print websites often, this will reduce your toner costs. You can also edit the page down so that you only print what you want.
  • Screencastify – This Chrome app is handy tool to use when I need to explain how to do something online or on the computer, but I need more than words to make it clear. Using just the free version, I can record screencast videos up to ten minutes in length. This tool is great for those just-in-time trainings that we do when someone asks a simple question, but the answer may be more cumbersome and not so straightforward.

Regardless of which tool you use, I think you’ll find these will help you be more efficient with your time and still be able to share important information with those you support. Do you have a tool to add to the list? I’d love to hear about it. Email me at bellis@tcea.org and let me know.

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Google Tips and TricksiOS Tips and TricksSpecial Needs

App Resources Every Special Needs Teacher Should Bookmark

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Special education teachers encounter unique challenges on a daily basis. And each year, those challenges may fluctuate based on the students that they are assigned. Special needs teachers not only have the task of making a difference in the lives of their own students, but also of being advocates for students that are mainstreamed and included in regular education classes. Needless to say, these teachers are an integral part of a well-balanced campus that knows every child has value and can reach their potential with the right support.

As you support your students or help other teachers find appropriate resources, you might find that knowing where to look can be the first challenge. There are so many different kinds of needs, and each has a unique set of resources. I’ve trolled the Internet to see if I could help by pulling together a list of sites that you might find helpful in your search for apps. Originally, I was going to recommend a few apps and talk about them, but then I realized that I may have narrowed my field a little too much even while staying within the special needs area.

Assistive Technology for Hoosiers with Disabilities – You are bound to find good resources here to choose from. Whether it is app recommendations, video tutorials, or tips on getting the most from features within various tablets, this is a great site to review and share. While here, be sure to check out their post on 6 Android Apps for Special Needs which allows you to branch off and focus on additional apps in your specific area of interest.

Apps as Assistive Technology – Developed by the Maine Department of Education, there are more than 40 lists to help you find the right app (iOS or Android) to help your students.

Bridging Apps – This group that works with Easter Seals has an extensive and searchable database of apps divided by age, skill, device, price, and much more.

Smart Apps for Special Needs – Ron Engel and his staff review and provide good information to help you sift through all that is out there. They may not post all that frequently, but they do have a robust archive you can investigate. Be sure to look at their other specific pages to narrow down apps that are free, recommended by readers, staff picks, etc.

Special Needs Apps – Though Apple and Google don’t have a category just for apps for special needs students, you can do some fancy searching to identify many. Check out these search results for iOS apps and for Android apps.

If you prefer to gather your resources from a variety of folks instead of a single site, then be sure to look for the #SpEdApp hashtag on Twitter, as well as #iOSEdApp and #AndroidEd.

And no app list would be complete without TCEA resources. Be sure to check out TCEA’s list of Free Must-Have Apps for Special Education. You can also refer back to a previous edition of TCEA’s TechEdge magazine on Resources for Special Learners.

Current TCEA members can also join the iPad in the Classroom or the Special Needs Students group in the TCEA Social Community. The iPad group publishes daily lists of iOS apps that have gone free or on sale, and there are always special needs apps listed. The Special Needs Students group is a great place for collaborating with others to find apps to meet specific situations. And take a look at our Recommended Apps List. There’s a tab just for special needs students.

Which list did you find most helpful? Do you have one that you would add to the list? Let me know by sending an email to Bruce Ellis or tweeting me. I’d love to hear your story.

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Google Tips and TricksiOS Tips and TricksScienceSTEM/STEAM

Rock Solid Science Apps

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Magnets, balloons, batteries, beakers, and microscopes all belong in the science lab. The tablet generation has also brought us a new resource: apps. Here are six that are as necessary as safety goggles and an eye wash station.

Kids Discover Apps (iOS)

The Kids Discover magazine was a subscription I held for many years as an elementary teacher. The very informative and gorgeous photos were great for student research. But magazines are going by the way of the dinosaurs and apps are becoming a better resource. Fortunately, Kids Discover has changed with the time and converted their magazines into $2.99 apps. Each app has a wide variety of quizzes, puzzles, video, audio, and animations. Several science topics are available: cells, ecology, energy, extreme weather, and geology.

Elements 4D (Google Play and iOS)

This app goes beyond interactivity, but it takes a little preparation. First of all, you will need to visit the Daqri site and print six pages of the papercraft blocks, which then need to be cut out and glued together. You can use standard copy paper, but I like to use card stock for a sturdier block. After downloading the Elements 4D app, point your device at one of the elements and you will see the element name, image, and atomic weight. Even cooler, try moving two blocks together. If they go together, you get a chemical reaction. Bonus: The website has detailed elementary, middle, and high school lesson plans.      

WWF Together (Google Play and iOS)

Discover 16 amazing and endangered animals through photos, videos, and interactives in this World Wildlife Fund app. Do you know what a panda and a stick of butter have in common? Find the answer, and other unusual animal facts, in this beautifully-designed free app. Bonus: Discover multiple ways to get involved and protect these amazing animals.    

Frog Dissection (Google Play and iOS)

This $3.99 app has been around since the beginning of iPad time. Geared toward middle school students, it walks you through the process of dissecting a frog without the smell of formaldehyde. Bonus: The app also includes the frog lifecycle, wet lab process, videos, interactive activities, and more.

Global Shark Tracker (Google Play and iOS)

The OCEARCH app lets you follow the navigational pattern of sharks that have been tagged with satellite tracking technology. Be informed about shark conservation, biology data, shark health, and migration with this free app. Bonus; The tagged sharks have very cool names such as Big Kahuna, Einstein, Lonesome Jorgita, and of course, Sam Houston.  

Video Science (iOS)

The Science House Foundation houses more than 80 hands-on science lessons in this free app and provides great ideas for home or in the classroom. The short videos demonstrate inexpensive and easy-to-recreate experiments that will inspire kids of all ages.

Featured Image: Image by ennea2 from Pixabay

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Google Tips and TricksiOS Tips and Tricks

Apps You Can’t Live Without, According to the TCEA Staff

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

I wanted to find out what apps people consider absolutely essential. I couldn’t call Ghostbusters, so who did I call? The TCEA staff, of course. I put the call out in our general Slack channel in BIG BOLD capital letters. You might be wondering, what is Slack? Read on to find out who recommends this fine app.

Miguel – Of course, Miguel wanted to give me 10 apps, but I escaped out of his office, with only one: Overcast. He comments, “I use this app every day. But more importantly, it helps me maintain my sanity on long commutes.” This free podcast app doesn’t force you to navigate through tons of ads or pretty images; it just plays podcasts. iOS

Jennifer – Our Director of Governmental Relations also has an hour commute in to work and she uses her time wisely with the YouVersion Holy Bible app. Jennifer said, “I let it read Scripture passages to me on the way to work. I love to use it to look up the same verse in different versions so I can see how different editions interpret the same verse. It also has Bible reading plans you can follow and it has a social component that allows others to see what you read and highlighted.” Google Play and iOS

Meaghan – Right away, our Conference Services Coordinator said “The one with the light bulb.” “Hmmm,” I told her, “ I need a little more info.” Come to find out, it is the Google Keep app. Meaghan uses Keep for work, events, groceries, to-dos, and reminders. She loves her lists, so this app is #1 on the list-lover list! Ha! Google Play and iOS

Katie – Waze, the GPS, Maps & Social Traffic app is an easy to use and very handy app. Katie states “It helps me navigate traffic showing me three different routes, with all the obstacles, time, and distance to my destination, all while being user friendly.” Google Play and iOS

Bruce – Our Senior Director of PD states “I mainly use Pushbullet from my iPad to my laptop or my phone to my laptop. It lets you push files to your other devices. I can take a picture with my phone and push it to Chrome, my iPad, my phone, or laptop. If I select Chrome (and Chrome is open on my computer), the picture opens in a new tab. I can then copy/paste into a Powerpoint, Google Doc, etc.” Google Play and iOS

Alexis – For our TCEA Publications Manager, Alexis uses an oldie but a goodie: Evernote. I can’t imagine how many words she has stored in this app! Google Play and iOS

Matt –  The TCEA IT Guy doesn’t believe in paper money. As usual, he is on the cutting edge of future technologies that are already here. Matt uses the free app Square Cash to send money directly to his friends’ bank accounts. It is secure and attaches to your account via a debit card. Google Play and iOS

Carrie – A couple of us at TCEA have banded together and are tackling Weight Watchers together. “The Weight Watchers app rocks. You can scan bar codes on packages to find their SmartPoint value and it’s so easy to track your points for the day,” our Membership Concierge states. Google Play and iOS

Sammy – I tracked down Sammy just as he was headed out the door on a Friday afternoon, which is kind of ironic, considering his go-to app is Nextdoor. Our Events and Exhibits Manager uses Nextdoor to stay in touch with his neighbors. Google Play and iOS

Lori – Our Executive Director uses the Kindle app on a daily basis to read away her stress. She especially loves getting ebooks for free from Amazon. Google Play and iOS

Diana and Peggy – In January, TCEA switched over to Slack from the Gmail Chat. Slack is an instant messaging and collaboration system. The communication system is two-fold:

1. You can send direct messages to one another.

2. People can create channels for different topics, groups, or events. TCEA has several channels for our events: Tots, Convention 2017, General, PD Team, Robotics, and of course, Random. (You have to have a spot to talk about potato chips, quarter-size hail, and restaurant suggestions!)

We could easily see this used at the campus level.  Channels for all staff, by subject areas, grade levels, or  electives, duty-related, library, etc. You name it: channels for all. Google Play and iOS

Featured Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

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an orange sign depicting test center entrance
iOS Tips and Tricks

Solving the Testing Problem with iPad Assessment Apps

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“Miguel, I hear complaints from educators about standardized testing almost every day,” said Lori Gracey, TCEA Executive Director, recently, “and I fully understand how they feel. All of those tests take much-needed time away from learning, they’re so 19th century (Scantron sheets and pencils? Really?), they’re unfair in that they pigeonhole students, they’re hard on the kids and teachers alike, and so much more. ”

“Those are all valid complaints,” I responded.

“Yet,” Lori responded, “standardized testing isn’t going away. What we can hope and work toward, however, is that it will change.”

At an Apple briefing yesterday, an assessment expert shared what other states are doing to improve the quality and depth of assessment and incorporate technology into the process. She showed us how technology can enable the tests to go beyond guessing and multiple choice and into the realm of really helping to determine what a student does and doesn’t know. To see examples of some of these type of questions that can be answered using technology, scroll toward the bottom of this page of demos. You’ll find test questions where students must draw or highlight on an image, label a map with drag and drop, sort or order lists by moving items around, plot points and lines on a grid, and much more that cannot be done now with standard paper and pencil testing.

Join the ongoing TCEA Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) SkypeChat via your mobile device or online. Explore and share concepts at the intersection of teaching, learning, leading, and technology!

The Apple expert reminded us that there are three types of assessment: formative, interim, and summative. Then she shared some great iPad assessment apps that mimic some of the actions needed for the newer standardized tests being tried out in other states. Below are some of my favorite apps that fit these categories, along with alternatives.

Category #1 – Tests, Quizzes, and Polls

For this category, Socrative, Nearpod, and Learnosity (2016 EdTech Award Finalist) were suggested. If you are not familiar with Socrative, it enables you to quickly have students complete an assessment and then aggregates the results. Other similar tools include Kahoot! and Quizizz. Nearpod is another phenomenal tool that facilitates group sharing of information and resources. To get an idea about Nearpod’s use in classrooms, check out this TCEA 2016 presentation that is hosted in Nearpod. In Nearpod, the teacher is able to quickly embed a variety of content, including interactive elements, and share itsocrativeteacher4 with students. Some additional assessment tools not mentioned include Plickers and Formative. Of course, you’ll want to keep this point in mind:

…if you’re a committed, caring educator, then you would never follow all of this bad advice about formative assessment. Instead, you would use it as a powerful tool to help modify your teaching strategies and activities and to better help your students learn the critical content they need to be successful. You would use a variety of resources, both technological and non-tech, to help your kids remain interested and excited about what they are studying. And you would instantly share the individual results with them so that they can see where they need to go with their own learning. Read more.

Category #2 – Make, Say, Write, Do

ideamentIn this group, several of my favorite apps were mentioned, including Explain Everything (which just came out with a collaborative whiteboard version of itself, Explain Everything Discover). Folks often mention Educreations Interactive Whiteboard as a nice alternative to Explain Everything, but the former is my all-time favorite because of its versatility in creating and exporting projects to a variety of cloud storage solutions.

For concept map creation, which is a very powerful way to assess student understanding,  Grafio Lite 3 is one option. I typically lean towards the less expensive, free Ideament (with in-app purchases) (shown right), although some prefer $4.99 SimpleMind.

And, of course, image editing can be an awesome way to annotate content. Several apps exist that make that possible, including the oldie but still goodie Skitch, as well as my new pick, Annotate. You can also use the no-cost SnapSeed image editor that includes some nice filters.

What’s neat about these apps is that students can easily share with each other how to accomplish new things, fostering independence and discovery learning. And they all give the teacher critical information to help differentiate learning based on what students already understand. And, when the testing finally catches up to what educators have been doing in the classroom with technology, then your students will be ready to shine.

I encourage you to try out one or two of these apps that might be new to you. If you want to learn more about formative assessment, check out our blog Five Fabulous Formative Assessments for Your Classroom. And download the free iBook Tools for Formative Assessment that includes apps for all three categories of assessment.

Image Credit

Davis, Josh. 2008. Available online at https://www.flickr.com/photos/thedavisblog/2230010178/

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