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apps

Unleash Your Wanderlust: 12 Essential Apps for Summer Travel

by Sara Qualls July 6, 2023

written by Sara Qualls

Are wanderlust and sunscreen on your list as your two summer essentials? Whether you’re hitting the road or organizing your dream summer escape, I’ve curated a collection of 12 apps for summer travel planning that will sprinkle some extra magic on your plans. Get ready to embark on thrilling adventures and create memories that will last a lifetime with these apps at your fingertips!

1. Road Trippers

Buckle up, roll down the windows, and get ready for your next road trip. Do you love road trips but find yourself dreading planning all the nitty-gritty details? Here’s the perfect solution for you: Road Trippers! This app will become your ultimate road trip companion, taking care of all the tedious planning so you can focus on the fun stuff. From mapping out the best routes to uncovering hidden gems along the way, Road Trippers has your back.

2. Whatshalfway

Image of What'sHalfway.com, a great app for summer travel planning

Searching for the perfect spot to meet friends halfway for lunch? Planning a long summer trip to catch up with family? Fret not. The ultimate solution has arrived for you. Whatshalfway will pinpoint the exact halfway point based on time or distance and select an ideal meetup spot. Don’t waste any more time searching aimlessly – head over to Whatshalfway.com and make your meetups or road trip stops an absolute breeze!

3. Texas Historical Marker Guide

Traveling in Texas? Don’t miss out on the incredible Texas Historical Marker Guide app. For the mere price of $2.99, this app is a treasure trove of information on over 16,000 markers scattered throughout the state. What’s more, it works seamlessly even when you’re offline, ensuring you never miss a fascinating piece of history. And here’s the cherry on top: it helps you track your progress, making your exploration even more rewarding.

4. Gas Buddy

Stay one step ahead of your fuel needs with Gas Buddy. This nifty app assures you’re always in the know about the closest gas stations and the best fuel prices around. Plus, it goes the extra mile by offering handy tools to help you budget for gas, enhance your gas mileage, and even keep track of your fuel consumption.

5. Roadside America

Image of Roadside America's home page. It's an app that can assist with summer travel plans.

Discover the quirkiest roadside attractions across the U.S. with Roadside America! This app is perfect for summer travel planning. It’s your key to offbeat and kitschy treasures along your road trip. It’s a collection of the most unique and photo-worthy spots. Explore museums, murals, tours, and even quirky restaurants. Roadside America is available for $2.99 on iOS only.

6. iExit

Image of iExit app for summer travel planning

Don’t let the whirlwind of exit signs at 70 mph confuse your road trip pit stops. Say goodbye to backseat drivers with the iExit Interstate Exit Guide app. This handy tool tells you exactly what’s ahead on your route, from snacks and drive-thru lattes to public restrooms. It covers it all – food, lodging, fuel, and even hospitals. Best part? The app is free to download on both iOS and Android. It’s a great addition to your apps for summer travel!

7. Recreation.gov

Are you a fan of national parks and public lands? This app puts the power of exploration at your fingertips. Whether you’re looking to book a weekend getaway or plan a cross-country road trip, Recreation.gov is all you need. Discover and reserve campsites with ease. Get ready to get outdoors.

8. AllTrails

Love hiking, biking, or simply going for a walk? Look no further than AllTrails, the ultimate app to help you uncover incredible trails based on your location. With AllTrails, you can access reviews, save trails you’re eager to explore, and even keep a record of your completed hikes. The choice is yours: share your adventures publicly or keep them private.

9. TripTik by AAA

Plan your perfect summer road trip with TripTik by AAA. Enter your starting and ending points, and decide how many stops you want to make. It will customize the entire trip, including breaks. The app is free to use, even without AAA membership. Hit the road with confidence. This app for summer travel planning is a lifesaver.

10. Signal

If you’re traveling abroad this summer like my co-worker friends, Charlene and Emily, download this one first. Say goodbye to international fees with Signal because all Signal calling and messaging is done over the internet and encrypted. Plus, they’re a nonprofit, just like TCEA.

11. Wi-Fi Map

Stay connected while traveling with Wi-Fi Map. Discover free WiFi hotspots with an interactive map and offline mode. When using the offline mode, you’ll see a list of all the hotspots with passwords in your chosen area. You can also contribute to the app by sharing new hotspots in the places you visit. Only available for iOS.

12. Wiman

Image of Wiman App for summer travel WIFI homepage

Don’t worry, Android users. I didn’t forget about you. Wiman is your go-to app for all the fantastic features of Wi-Fi Map. Discover free WiFi hotspots, enjoy an interactive map, and access the offline mode with ease. You can even join the community and share locations, too.

I hope these apps make your summer travel planning easy and breezy. If all else fails, keep calm, and summer on!

July 6, 2023 0 comments

Online Tools and Apps

12 Apps to Try in 2022

by Sara Qualls June 3, 2022

written by Sara Qualls

With well over two million apps available in the App Store and Google Play Store, it can be tough to know which ones are worth your time. Here are some of my favorites to give your mobile life a boost this summer. Disclaimer: Some apps are free and others offer more features if you pay.

Video and Photo Editing Apps

1. Snapseed.

Developed by Google, this is a great app for more advanced photo editing. This app has some of the best enhancement features and tools I’ve seen in a photo editing app.

iOS | Google Play

2. Quik.

From the makers of GoPro comes one of the easiest video editing tools I have seen. This app is one of two apps in my life that I have bought the full version of. It’s that good. What makes it stand out is its ability to take a video and pull out highlights for you.

iOS | Google Play

Parental Controls

3. Quostodio.

With three boys, I have tested my fair share of parental control apps over the years. Quostodio is pretty great as far as parental control apps go. I like this one because it can monitor search queries and can send you reports on your child’s activity plus offers web filtering. If my kids were not all almost out of the house, I’d probably upgrade to a paid plan. The free version is limited to monitoring one single device and only keeps seven days of activity saved.

iOS | Google Play

4. FamilyKeeper.

The free version is not as feature-packed as the previous, but it does offer parents a warning about potentially dangerous behavior on social media and chat apps using AI. It will send you real-time alerts if it detects a child is being cyberbullied, searching or visiting websites you don’t want them on, and if they are spending too much time on their phone. However, it doesn’t stop them or shut their phone down. You’ll have to do that.

iOS (Available mid 2022) | Google Play

Password Managers

5. 1Password.

If you are one of those people who are keeping all their passwords in their Notes app, it’s time to stop and really think about if that’s the best place for those gatekeepers. (Hint: It’s not.) There are many password managers available today that are free. However, most are not what they are touted to be. The individual plan for this app is still budget-friendly at $3.99 per month and a plan for up to 10 users is $19.99 per month. 1Password is great because of the breach and dark web monitoring. I love it because of its privacy cards. If you’re an online shopper, like me, it will take your actual credit card number and replace it with a different set of numbers. So if there is ever a data breach where you used your card, your information won’t be leaked.

iOS | Google Play

6. Dashlane.

If you want to keep it on the free side, Dashlane will do. It lets you store 50 passwords (because you should not be using the same password for every site) and offers password sharing with your family. This one ranks high in my book because it can give you the option to replace your weak passwords across hundreds of sites with just a click. Plus, it comes with a VPN.

iOS | Google Play

Brain Games

7. Match 3D.

When I need to wind down, my current obsession is Match 3D. At first, the thought of matching objects sounded a bit subpar. And, then I tried it. You may find yourself quickly addicted to this game as well.

iOS | Google Play

8. Two Dots.

This puzzle adventure may easily become your new go-to phone game. Just connect at least two matching dots and you will be on your way to solving brain games.

iOS | Google Play

Travel Apps

9. Wanderlog.

Whether you are planning a vacation by plane or hitting the open road, this is one app you need to download. I personally love road trips. What makes Wanderlog fantastic– it doesn’t limit the number of stops you can create along the way, like other apps. It also has a website if you like to plan your travel that way. Bonus: You can collaborate with friends and family and write about your tip.

iOS | Google Play

10. Culture Trip.

This app has been around for a while. It offers curated content from experts and locals. It provides you with insider tips, guides, what to avoid, and where to go for a local and authentic experience. If you hate doing all the “tourist” things, this app is for you.

iOS | Google Play

Finance Apps

11. Mint: Budget & Expense Manager.

This free budgeting app connects all of your financial accounts in one space. It also helps you track spending, savings, and budget goals. Mint is great because of the customization for tracking your transactions. You can categorize and tag as you see fit which is often overlooked in most financial planning apps. You can also check your TransUnion credit score for free and use their credit monitoring tools. The only downside is the ads. However, that is how this powerful app has remained free.

iOS | Google Play

12. Truebill Budget and Bill Tracker.

I probably have too many subscriptions. From Amazon Prime to Spotify to Instacart to Netflix to that HBO Max that I had to have when the Friends Reunion came out. My list goes on and on and on. If you forget to cancel it, though, you’re still being charged. That’s where Truebill steps in. The app will find your subscriptions and ask you which ones you want to cancel and does it for you! This is available only for premium subscriptions but you get to choose what you want to pay per month. You read that right, you choose from $3-12 a month. There is a free trial as well. (Bonus: They offer bill negotiations.)

iOS | Google Play

June 3, 2022 3 comments

Android Math

Six Amazing Android Math Apps

by Dr. Bruce Ellis November 4, 2021

written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

If you have students that use Android devices (phones or tablets), or if your students have Chromebooks that can run Android apps, then consider sharing this list of apps with them as they use their device to support mathematical learning. These can also be tremendously helpful when teaching remotely or if parents need to step in to support their child’s learning at home.

Accessing and Managing Android Apps

Ask your Google administrator if your district makes use of the Managed Google Play Store. If so, bulk purchases for apps may be easier to make, manage, and deploy. Managed Google Play is the content marketplace for Android in the enterprise. It allows you to browse and manage apps for your organization. According to Jason Bayton, this enterprise-version of the Google Play store does the following:

Provides access only to applications an organization explicitly approves
Enables the bulk purchasing of paid applications
Removes the requirement for user-managed Google accounts
Can push out applications and updates silently without requiring user intervention
Offers managed configurations for pre-configuring applications as they’re installed

Screenshot of app in Google Play store — Screenshot by author

If you are exploring Android apps to see which might be best for your students, don’t be shy about checking out apps that are not free. In many instances, you may feel the need to purchase an app to see if it is worth recommending for purchase by the district. After purchasing the app, download and test it immediately. Within two hours of downloading, you can request a refund through your purchase history in your Play account. This request will automatically refund the purchase price (including tax) and uninstall the app from your device. If you’ve gone beyond the two hours, but it’s still within 48 hours of purchasing, you can complete a web form to request a refund.

Photomath (FREE)

Students will find Photomath helpful since it provides step-by-step solutions and helpful animations that address specific how-to’s. This app can be controversial in that some educators fear students will rely on it to do the homework and not internalize the process to solve the problems themselves. To address that fear, think of this as just another tool that students can use to check their work, review their understanding of the process of solving specific types of problems, and identify steps they might be missing as they do their homework. It can be used after they’ve completed their work using mental math or a traditional calculator, or it can be used with some homework, but not for quizzes and tests. Having these stipulations will help students understand when they can use the app while stressing the need for internalizing the process of problem solving using mental math.

King of Math ($2.99)

King of Math targets middle school and junior high students. This app does not teach math concepts ,but does check a player’s understanding of math by having them math problems to advance in the game. A player begins by choosing to be a farmer. They progress through ten levels by demonstrating mathematical abilities. Complete specific chapters or get a certain number of points in particular skill areas (i.e., fractions, powers, statistics, equations, etc.) to earn medals. You can also locate this app in the iOS App Store for iPhone and iPad. A free version is available, but it is limited to addition and subtraction. The paid version includes multiplication, division, arithmetic, geometry, fractions, powers, statistics, and equations. King of Math 2 is the sequel and includes five worlds with 125 unique stages. Like the original King of Math, King of Math 2 costs $2.99.

Moose Math (FREE)

If you enjoy other apps that Duck Duck Moose produced, like ChatterPix, then you are sure to be equally impressed with Moose Math. Students learn and practice kindergarten and first grade math skills as they build their own city. Math skills addressed include numbers, counting, addition, subtraction, geometry, and measurement. Some directions may not be quite as intuitive as you would like, so I recommend that you have students work in pairs when they first use this app. Of course, you can make it a great whole group reinforcement activity by projecting it on your interactive whiteboard.

PhET Simulations ($0.99)

screenshot of various simluations — Screenshot by author

If you have students in upper elementary and above, you might want to consider this app. PhET Simulations includes math, as well as physics, chemistry, earth science, and biology. Your students will be able to interact with virtual manipulatives to solve problems and can also share in discovery mode to create their own play-based experiments. If you don’t have the ability to pay for the app, you can always access the same content through the PhET website.

Geometry Pad

If your students are learning coordinate geometry, then Geometry Pad will be a helpful tool for them to visualize points on a coordinate system. You can also plot geometric shapes, manipulate their properties, and even calculate various measurements. You’ll find a wide array of tools to help students. For this reason, you may want to introduce the app as a whole group and provide a little guidance on the various features. This app is quite robust and even allows students to upload images that they can plot shapes on top of with their finger. Lastly, students can save their work. The app itself is free, but is $6.99 for the Premium Features Pack.

Socratic by Google (FREE)

Think of Socratic as a combination of math problem solving and Google search. Scan your problem and let Google provide top matches, “explainers,” Q&As, related videos, and more from the web. Top matches will provide several websites that will solve the problem while showing steps. Explainers offer, as it suggests, an explanation using at least one method to solve the problem, which is much like the top matches section. You might consider sharing the related YouTube videos with your students on your teacher page or another area where you post resources for students and parents.

What Android Apps Would You Recommend?

What Android apps would you add to our list that would be good for math students? Tell us in the comment section below so we can add them to our favorites. We look forward to adding your apps to our list!

Looking for even more digital math tools? Here are other TechNotes posts on math apps and tools for various devices. If you want to explore effective math strategies and teaching practices, we also have self-paced courses for K-2nd grade math, 3rd-5th grade math, and 9th-12th grade math for $29 that include a digital certificate, badge, and 12 CPE credit hours.

November 4, 2021 0 comments

Coding/Computer Science Content Areas STEM/STEAM

How App Development Empowers Students

by Enyi Rosa Gomez, Guest Author June 28, 2021

written by Enyi Rosa Gomez, Guest Author

Math is not everyone’s favorite subject. My group of fifth graders, who are the creators, designers, and builders of a math app prototype, will say that math used to be one of their least-liked subjects. With concepts of design thinking in mind, they were presented with a community education problem: help other fifth-grade students review and recall math concepts. My students decided that the best way to support their fellow students was through app development that provided student-created resources such as examples, steps, and videos.

Ideate and Prototype

The students brainstormed and ideated the best ways to reach the needs of their audience by conducting surveys and organizing data. Their findings and personal experience led them to focus on four key topics: multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals. They started by organizing the layout of their app on notecards; each card represented a page on their app, essentially mapping out the architecture.

They considered things such as accessibility, user-friendliness, appearance, and style. Students’ primary resource for the content included in their app prototype was their math journal. Next, they reviewed their notes, examples, and practice problems to create the content that would help other fifth grade students through their app.

Most students decided to include videos, examples, pictures, and written steps, and some even included quizzes to ensure that their message was received. Students used the Develop in Swift app design workbook as a guide to building their prototype.

App Development with an iPad

The primary tool for creating their app prototype was an iPad. The Keynote app has all the necessary features to bring their ideas to life and make a presentation work precisely as an app would.

The best part about it is that they can collaborate on the same Keynote document in real time. They can insert videos, pictures, and other documents into their presentation. They use the mark-up tool and screen-record feature within the iPad to share examples and step-by-step explanations to solve sample math problems.

Additionally, iMovie is a very user-friendly app that students can use to edit their videos and make them more engaging by adding titles, images, and sound effects. Simon Pile’s book, Why Use Keynote in the Classroom (2019), supports these ideas by providing many valuable ways that the Keynote app can be used to augment and redefine learning.

The Learning Experience

Currently, students are still in the development process of their fifth-grade math app prototype. It has been a long process that they are fully invested in. We knew this would not be an easy task from the start, but the more time they spend building out each feature of their app, the more excited they are about the entire project.

Students are working in groups of three to four members; the level of collaboration that has progressed throughout each session has been tremendous. In the beginning, no one wanted to take the lead, no one wanted to voice their ideas, and no one wanted to oppose anyone’s decisions. As time progressed, that has changed entirely; the groups are in sync, they share thoughts and build on each others’ ideas. There is a sense of belonging that has become evident as time progresses. It is incredible to see.

The interactions with me as the facilitator have also progressed. In the beginning, they wanted approval for every decision they made. Now, they are confident in their choices as a team, they have a clear vision for what their audience needs from their app, and they are not afraid to go for it.

Lastly, each student’s confidence in practicing math concepts has grown immensely. By reviewing concepts to create videos, examples, and quizzes about the topics they struggled with, students have become masters in these areas. They have gained so much confidence and are now sharing new ways to solve problems. It has also enhanced their critical thinking skills.

App Showcase

The last step in their app prototype development will be their app showcase. Students will present their app prototype pitches to an audience of all fifth-grade students and teachers on our campus. This will be a way to engage students’ communication skills and provide them an opportunity to test out their app with the community for which it was intended.

Have you developed apps with your students? Share your ideas in the comments!

June 28, 2021 0 comments

Android iOS Tips and Tricks

Nature Lover Apps: Rediscover Your World

by Miguel Guhlin June 15, 2021

written by Miguel Guhlin

As we emerge from our hidey holes, dark spaces, and places of safety, summer feels like spring after a long winter. With that emergence comes an embrace of the great outdoors. But if you’re like me, you have no idea what critters are making beautiful music or the name of the resplendent glories adorning your walk in the woods. Come along, and pull back the canopy of mystery surrounding flowers, trees, birds, and more as we rediscover the wonders of the natural world around us.

Rediscover the Great Outdoors with These Nature Lover Apps

Did you know that exposure to nature results in more community cohesion and lower crime? That’s right, as we embrace nature, it works to instill a sense of well-being. Observing nature helps reduce crime and aggression (source).

In this blog entry, you will get access to a few favorite apps for identifying nature around you and access to a Wakelet collection full of additional nature apps. Now, let’s take a look at some of them! You can find a complete list in the infographic at the end of this post.

Our first three apps focus on bird identification and information.

“The robin flew from his swinging spray of ivy on to the top of the wall and he opened his beak and sang a loud, lovely trill, merely to show off. Nothing in the world is quite as adorably lovely as a robin when he shows off – and they are nearly always doing it.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

nature lover apps

#1 – Merlin Bird ID

“As an avid bird watcher in my rural back yard, I use the Merlin Bird Identifier app. It resolves disagreements my husband and I have about new avians that appear at our feeders. It’s been a marriage saver!” says Lori Gracey, Executive Director at TCEA.

Only the other day, my family was wondering, “Is that an owl hooting at mid-day?” My daughter and husband, Drs. Aida and Zac Guhlincozzi, whipped out their smartphones. They identified the hooting (it was a dove, not an owl). Listening to bird songs (more on that in a moment) can be so relaxing!

Get Merlin Bird ID

#2 – Audobon Bird Guide

Need to identify a bird? If Merlin Bird ID doesn’t work, try this one. It is a free guide to over 800 species of North American birds.

Get Audobon Bird Guide

“It (is) a precious gift, and rare, to hear birds warbling all year long. ~Desiree Clary Bernadottev(Queen Desideria)”
― Allison Pataki, The Queen’s Fortune

Access the Nature Lover Apps, a Wakelet Collection

#3 – Song Sleuth

Need to name that tune, er, bird? Use Song Sleuth! It listens to bird songs and then identifies them for you. And it’s available for iOS and Android at no cost.

Get Song Sleuth

Don’t want to listen to bird outside? For shame! Not every ornithologist can go long without air conditioning and a cool lemonade. Listen to these bird song collections. You may also appreciate the Bird Song Hero, a song learning game from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

View Wakelet collection of Bird Songs

Ok, if you’re not a bird fan, or find it annoys you in the morning hours, you might be a tree hugger or plant whisperer. Let’s take a look at two plant apps.

#4 – LeafSnap

Need a quick way to identify trees? Take a close look at their leaves, snap a picture, then let LeafSnap do the rest. LeafSnap offers a handy interface to identifying plant life around you.

“Living on the edge of town with lots of fields around us, the Leafsnap app has been helpful. It has helped us avoid poison ivy as well as discover new, native plants to replant in our back yard,” says Lori Gracey.

Get LeafSnap.

#5 – Pl@ntNET

“What is that?” I asked peering at the plant near the side of the road. At the time, I didn’t have Pl@ntNet loaded on my phone. If you need an easy-to-use plant identifier, give this free app a try. You can use their app, or access the website.

Get Pl@ntNET.

But Wait, There’s More!

Get this handy infographic with some of the popular nature lover apps and a link to Wakelet collections mentioned in this blog entry.

Get the PDF version of this infographic.

Feature Image Source

Photo by Josefin on Unsplash

June 15, 2021 2 comments

Content Areas STEM/STEAM

Increasing Student Engagement Through Gamification with Boddle

by Clarence Tan, Guest Author May 7, 2021

written by Clarence Tan, Guest Author

Did you know that video games have been shown to aid in memorization? According to the Journal of Learning, Media and Technology, technology-enhanced learning (TEL) has shown to stimulate an increase in midbrain dopamine. This is what helps us store and recall information more efficiently!

Applying gamified learning to your students’ education ensures that students with diverse learning styles are receiving and retaining the information, too.

Using Boddle Learning

Boddle Learning is a gamified education platform for grades K-6 that implements game mechanics to keep students engaged while learning math. It takes a personalized learning approach that ensures each student is presented with problems that are just right for their level of knowledge.

Boddle runs constant diagnostics when students start playing the game which gets students to the right level after a series of assessment items.
Through differentiated learning and continuous assessment, students build confidence and skills, and reduce test anxiety without getting discouraged or feeling left behind.
Boddle provides real-time reports to educators to gauge students’ learning and easily identify and address learning gaps.

Classroom Implementation

By gradually advancing the students who are on or above grade level and re-teaching missed skills to students who need extra support, Boddle is a resource that allows for all students to feel confident with the knowledge they have while also pushing them to keep learning. Educators can easily differentiate learning for individual students using the “Change Curriculum” feature, as well as through “Assignments.”

Work Boddle into your classroom in a variety of ways; it’s your classroom, so you get to choose the best fit! With the ability to create assignments, Boddle can be used to assign homework and exit tickets, or can be implemented during learning stations.

To see how to get started through the teacher portal, check out this short video.

Accessing Boddle

Boddle is available for free to educators and can be accessed via the web browser on Chromebooks, laptops, and desktops. For educators who use iPads in the classroom, Boddle’s free app is available on the iOS AppStore. You can learn more at Boddle’s website.

May 7, 2021 0 comments

iOS Tips and Tricks

Finding Educational and/or Free iOS Apps

by Lori Gracey September 10, 2020

written by Lori Gracey

Searching among the myriad of iOS apps that are released every single day can be a nightmare. And, if you’re a teacher on a tight budget, finding those gems that have also gone free for the day or week is even more difficult. Here are some tips to help, along with a few good resources.

If you want to improve your iPad skills and gain even more educational resources to use with the device, check out the TCEA iPad Educator online, self-paced course. Priced at only $29, the course provides lots of how-to videos and content, including a module on teaching remotely with the iPad, as well as a digital badge, certificate, and 12 CPE hours.

Finding Good Educational Apps to Meet Specific Needs

Let’s be honest. Finding a good app to use for teaching something like exponents (or any other topic students study in schools) in the App Store is almost impossible. Its search engine is weak and skewed toward paid apps. Luckily, there are two others we can use to get better results. First, check out The App Store.

Although it looks simple at first glance (below), you’ll soon notice all of the different ways you can filter and search. On the left, you can search for iPhone, iPad, and MacOS devices. If you click on the pink box with the funnel on the right, you can filter by a variety of needs, including last updated, ratings (yes!), price (any, free, or paid), categories, and ages. This makes it extremely powerful and useful. You can also browse the top apps to see if there are any that you’ve missed; after all, if everyone else likes them, they might be good for you and your students, too.

iOS apps

In my example search for the broad topic of “exponents,” it returns just 49 results. That may not seem like enough. But as you can see below, it brought back some jewels for me to pick from. (Of course, no search engine is perfect. You’ll notice it also returned “AutoFax Vehicle History Report.”) As you type in the search word or phrase, it also makes recommendations for you.

One other good search tool for iOS apps is Fnd. Again, it starts off simply, as you can see below. I used the same “exponents” search as before. What’s nice about Fnd is that it searches not just apps, but also music, movies, TV, books, Mac, and podcasts (who knew there were so many podcasts about exponents?).

iOS apps

Finding Free or Sale iOS Apps

What’s even better than finding a great app to use with your students is to find that great app on sale or even free. Here are three websites that can help (listed in order of my personal preference for the value they provide).

iOSnoops provides lists of apps that have gone on sale, are free, or are new each day and once on the weekend. They don’t list all of the apps that meet those three criteria, but do list most of the ones that people might be interested in. Scroll down toward the bottom of each list to find the education and books categories.

Today’s Apps Gone Free shares just free apps each day and once on the weekends. Their list is very short, usually only three or four, but they are usually great apps. Unfortunately, they are often not educational. Still, I am usually able to pick up a bargain there at least once a week.

Finally, there’s the AppShopper, the most comprehensive list of changes in app pricing. You can specify for iPad or all iOS, updated apps, new apps, and price drops. You can also search just for free apps. I found I got the best search returns when I left it on Price down, All, All, and then changed the All Categories to Books and then, when I was done searching there, to Education. Clicking on the Buy button will allow you to see more information about each app (without actually buying it yet).

iOS apps

AppShopper also allows you to create a free account on its site and then mark what apps you are interested in. If the price drops on those apps, the site will notify you by email, which is a very nice feature.

Last Thoughts on iOS Apps

If you’re going to be purchasing 20 or more of the same app, remember to use the Apple Volume Purchase Program which can provide a significant discount on the purchase price of the app, even when it’s on sale. More information about the program can be found here.

September 10, 2020 0 comments

Google Tips and Tricks

Chrome Tablets in Your Future, Part Two

by Miguel Guhlin July 9, 2020

written by Miguel Guhlin

If you find yourself with a Chromebook tablet in your hands, it will be sure to amaze you, as we learned in Part One of this blog series. While Do Ink’s green screen app is missing with no equal app, there are many apps that work great on this device. In a G Suite EDU environment, Chrome tablets interact well with Google tools.

From Gmail to Drive and Docs, Slides, and Sheets, Chrome tablets work. Students can switch to a keyboard with a Chromebook or desktop, but a lot of the work can begin on tablets.

Enhancing Curriculum with Chrome Tablets

Here’s a chart of great apps for use on Chrome tablets. You can find a few great charts of Android, Chrome Web Store, and G Suite EDU apps via Kathy Schrock’s list. You can see a small part of it below; be sure to visit her website for more awesomeness.

See ALL of Kathy Schrock’s amazing charts online at Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything- https://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html

With Chrome tablets, you might find this list handy for elementary students. The about section for each app includes edited excerpts from website product descriptions. Unless otherwise mentioned, links take you to the Google Play Android store. No G Suite EDU items (e.g. Drive, Docs, Slides, Drawings, etc.) are included in list.

Productivity Apps

Book Creator: Book Creator is a simple tool for creating awesome digital books. Create your own teaching resources or have your students take the reins. Works via browser, too.
ChatterPix Kids: Create silly greetings, playful messages, or creative cards. Use ChatterPix to take a photo, draw a line to make a mouth, and record your voice.
Read&Write: An easy to use alternative keyboard with integrated features. It assists you in writing content. Features include touch and hold to hear text read aloud, word prediction, and more. Works via browser as well.
Seesaw: The Learning Journal: A student-driven digital portfolio that facilitates communication between teacher, student, and parent(s). Available via web browser as well.
Google Translate: Translate text and audio between 59 to 103 languages. Includes camera picture translation, two-way instant speech translation, and more.
Snaptype: Take a picture of a paper worksheet or form. Students can then complete the digitized version on phone or tablet.

AR/VR/Gaming

Bloxels EDU: Create characters, build a world, and tell your stories. When you’re ready, publish your games.
Galactic Explorer for MERGE Cube: Hold the solar system in the palm of your hand. Watch as the planets revolve around the sun. Explore the texture and color of each planet’s surface. Discover interesting facts as you navigate through space.
Dig! for MERGE Cube: Mine and build to create holographic 3D worlds you can hold in the palm of your hand. Choose from unlimited resources. Resources include stone, sand, grass, brick, and lava. Make anything you can imagine.
Object Viewer for MERGE Cube: Upload, view, and share 3D objects on MERGE Cube. This can include a sculpture of Michelangelo’s David or an original work of 3D art. You can also view items that you have created. MERGE makes it easy to turn your models into holograms you can hold in the palm of your hand.

Assessment

Imagine Learning: Teach language and literacy to students through engaging, interactive instruction. This mobile app is a companion to Imagine Learning’s cloud-based services. It provides access to the extensive curriculum activities. Also look for Imagine Español® which teaches Spanish language and literacy skills. Those skills include letter and syllable recognition, reading comprehension, and vocabulary development. Another is Imagine Language & Literacy®. This one is a language and literacy software program for ELLs and struggling readers. It also has worked with early childhood education and SPEC ED students.
Imagine Math Facts: Teaches students math facts through engaging activities. Activities focus on multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. Automaticity and math fluency are the goals of each activity.
Istation: Provides paid access to digital instruction and educational resources. Those include Istation Reading, Istation Español, Istation Math, Writing Rules! with Calvin Cool, and Teacher Station.
MIT App Inventory/MIT AI2 Companion: An intuitive, visual programming environment. It allows children to build functional apps for smartphones and tablets.
NWEA Secure Testing: This is the web-based NWEA™ Secure Testing app. It makes it possible to complete their K–12 assessments in kiosk mode using Chromebooks.
STAAR Online Testing Program: This is secure browser software. Schools use it for administering the STAAR Online Testing Program.

Chrome Tablets in Your Future?

Looking for a less expensive, robust alternative to iPads? Chrome tablets may be the tool of choice for thumb-typists. My takeaway? Wait for higher-powered tablets. In the meantime, I hope these apps and links may provide you with some helpful information.

July 9, 2020 0 comments

Chromebooks CTO/CIO Google Tips and Tricks Technical Support

Chrome Tablets in Your Future, Part 1

by Miguel Guhlin July 1, 2020

written by Miguel Guhlin

If you are getting ready to deploy new technology to your district, you may want to ask yourself a few questions first. Many of us as technology directors have gone through hardware deployments. Whether it’s laptops, iPads, docking stations, digital projectors, or some other hardware, problems can arise. No matter what you imagine as the perfect deployment, a mosquito will crash land in the ointment. And, often, these initiatives are top-down. The superintendent wants it, and your job as technology director is to make it happen.

What happens when the technology is the Chrome tablet? In this two-part series, we’ll explore some ideas for deploying and using them in schools.

Why Invest in Chrome Tablets?

Chrome tablets are easy to manage and app rich. Chrome tablets, like their keyboard-empowered equivalents, Chromebooks, come with a management license that makes it easy to set them up in bulk. This affords them a level of pre-deployment setup not available for other tablets. That means that you can have apps loaded for new Chrome tablets in a rapid manner.

Conway Wharton shares the following perspective:

“We have been using the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 tablets. They are much easier to manage than the iPads, as well as being less expensive. Once the teachers see what is available on them, they are very willing to switch. From an IT perspective, it’s very easy to add applications. You seldom have to touch the tablets.”

In this blog entry, we’ll explore some of the apps you will want to consider. The app ecology is quite rich and Chrome tablets include web browser extensions as well as managed apps.

Questions to Ask in a Major Hardware Deployment

Here are a few questions that you must ask as an organization. Some of these will seem obvious. But what makes technology deployments fail is sometimes the obvious stuff. That includes communication, training, and managed expectations more than the esoteric technical issue.

1) What’s the point of the deployment?

“Our goal is to provide every child and staff member with the tools they need to be effective in the future.” That’s not an uncommon goal for hardware deployments. The question is, “Is that enough?” Experience has shown people the answer.

Consider John Hattie’s definition about the deployment of one-to-one (1:1) devices:

Many laptop or computer devices (iPad, netbook, tablet computer et al.) programs attempt to provide laptops to each student in a class or school.

What is the likelihood that 1:1 programs will accelerate student achievement? John Hattie’s meta-analysis of the research says, it’s “likely to have small positive impact.” With an effect size of 0.16, which is significantly less than the 0.40 in an average classroom, it’s not enough. Other changes besides deploying hardware must happen in order for the effect size to be more substantial.

With this in mind, we have to approach the goal of any hardware deployment another way. We must put technology together with high-effect size instructional strategies. Your superintendent needs to say something different. That might be something like the following:

“We’re going to focus on teaching and learning strategies that work. If it’s not evidence-based, we’re dropping it. We will use technologies that enhance the impact of these high-effect strategies. And we’re going to model that in classrooms. We are going to support it with a student-centered coaching model.”

2) What’s the magic mix of technologies that we can use to enhance teaching and learning in schools?

The magic mix is a combination of several technology selection criteria:

Cost effective
Easy hardware to support and manage
Works well in the target space
Enhances high-effect instructional strategies

Let’s explore each of these items in turn. We can use the Chrome tablet as one example.

Cost Effective?

It depends. Chrome tablet pricing remains mid-to-high compared to other devices. Initial reviews of tablets show they are under-powered when compared to competitors. That aside, is a single-use device “good enough” for a grade K-3 classroom?

Easy to support and manage?

Yes, the Chromebook management license available with tablets makes support easy. This makes it ideal for schools who have small technical support teams. The addition of styluses, front/back cameras, and USB-C make it easy to work with. Chrome tablets are often ruggedized, drop-resistant, and have reinforced ports. Some places where the tablets shine in hardware include:

Battery life
Cost
Setup (you can even get white glove service)

Works well in target space?

Chrome tablets work great in various settings. If tablets lend themselves to creativity and assessment, they are a winner. Can you snap photos with the tablet, arrange them in Google Slides, add audio? Yes. Can you assess students on STAAR, NWEA MAP, or Istation? Yes.

Enhances high-effect instructional strategies?

It depends on the strategy, but you can use Chrome tablets to enhance strategies. For example, concept mapping (0.64) works great with a stylus and a tablet.

Coming Soon: Enhancing Curriculum with Chrome Tablets

Stayed tuned for the next part in this series where we’ll explore the instructional niche Chrome tablets can fill in schools.

July 1, 2020 0 comments

repeated reading - child reading a book and laughing

Good Teaching iOS Tips and Tricks

Appifying Repeated Reading Assessments

by Miguel Guhlin May 18, 2020

written by Miguel Guhlin

What apps or tools can assist you and your students in tracking how fast you read? In this blog entry, we’ll extend our conversation on the use of repeated reading. In a previous blog entry, I focused on different ways to put in place repeated reading. Instead of the traditional go-in-the-corner-with-a-student, we can use technology.

Technology affords both teachers and students with infinite more opportunities to connect. In this blog entry, we’ll take a look at some ways to assess student fluency. But before we do that, let’s take a moment to review the repeated reading strategy.

Review of Repeated Reading Strategy

The repeated reading strategy, which enjoys an effect size of 0.75, involves:

Repeated reading is an academic practice that aims to increase oral reading fluency. … During repeated reading, a student sits in a quiet location with the teacher. The student then reads a passage (50 to 200 words) aloud at least three times. The teacher calculates reading fluency. She does so by calculating words correct per minute that the student has read.

If the student misreads a word or hesitates for longer than 5 seconds, the teacher reads the word aloud. Then, the student repeats the word the correct way. If the student requests help with a word, the teacher reads the word aloud or provides the definition. The student rereads the passage until he or she achieves a desired fluency level (source: What Works Clearinghouse).

Now that we’ve reviewed a few aspects of repeated reading, let’s take a look at how you can assess it.

Note: Curious about the norms for repeated reading? Use Hasbrouck and Tindal (2006) Oral Reading Fluency Norms from Grades 1-8. Find them online in this free set of graphs from Jen Strange.

Assessing Repeated Reading

Ready to assess repeated reading? Providing this feedback to students can aid them in improving fluency.

Reading Rockets recommends one of the following approaches:

One minute reading. In this approach, the student reads for one minute as the teacher counts the total number of words read in a correct way. Make a note of the Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM).
Timed repeated readings. Like the previous approach, the student reads for one minute. He will do so several times (three to five times at least). The teacher counts WCPM for one minute. Graph results with a bar graph.
Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM). The teacher chooses a package and then times the student as he reads it. You can find tracking sheets available online at no cost.

Many educators use this approach in the classroom. But they may not realize it’s high-effect size and positive impact on reading fluency.

Appifying Repeated Reading

Would you like to use technology with repeated reading assessments? While not required, it can make the job of tracking WCPM easier. These tools can automate scoring and save teachers time. Let’s explore a few.

App #1: One Minute Reader

First up, let’s take a look at Read Naturally’s One Minute Reader for iOS devices such as the iPad. From their website:

The One Minute Reader reading fluency app for the iPad accelerates reading achievement. It combines the research-proven components of teacher modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring. The reader works at his or her own pace in an appropriate level of material. This motivating app guides the reader through the steps. The reader masters a story by reading along with audio.

Then, the student practices the story until he or she can read it with fluency and comprehension. The program automatically tracks the reader’s progress. The reader can print or email the story, the Story Summary (results from the story), and/or the Book Summary (results from the whole book).

The cost of the app varies. You can start with a free version, then buy more with in-app purchases. In-app purchases will get you eight books of five stories each (40 stories in all). The cost for each set of 40 stories is about $20 each. The books are available for different grade levels. Demonstration videos are available online for you to view. Get the iOS app online via the website.

App #2: MAP Reading Fluency Testing

A second app, the MAP Reading Fluency Testing, enables teachers to efficiently measure oral reading fluency. Learn more about it in Five Things to Know about MAP Reading Fluency. It uses an “online, adaptive assessment via a twenty minute assessment.” You can see what results look like in this blog entry. McKinney ISD (Texas) is featured in a case study. Costs vary.

App #3: K12 Timed Reading and Comprehension Practice

With many features, this $3.99 iOS app offers over two hundred and fifty stories in fiction and non-fiction and includes a fluency timer that calculates word per minute for each reading attempt. You can also see summary charts and graphs.

Bonus Resources

The web is full of resources for teaching reading and assessing fluency. Two more tools you may or may not be familiar with include these, even though they are not apps:

Istation ISIP Oral Reading Fluency

Many educators will be familiar with this final tool. Istation’s Indicators of Progress (ISIP) Oral Reading Fluency tool is a computer-based tool. It records the voices of students for automated scoring. Or the teacher can later listen and score the audio. It requires a headset with a microphone connected to a computer or laptop. Learn more about technical requirements online. Cost varies on several factors, so you will need to contact Istation.

Fluency Practice Passages

Although not an app per se, the Fluency Practice Passages website organizes texts that you can use with your students. Each text comes with a lexile level. Students can read these for one minute each.

Ready to get going with repeated reading in your classroom? In part 1 of this repeated reading series, we discussed various tools you can use. In this second installment, you now have an easy way to use iOS apps to assess fluency.

May 18, 2020 0 comments

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