Tip of the Week – iPod Touch tools

I’ve been playing with iPod Touches for the last few months and am becoming convinced that they are tools that we can integrate into our instruction. There are over 100,000 free and paid applications available, with many designed specifically for the Social Studies.

The resources below provide ideas and strategies for classroom integration. Travel to Social Studies Central for specific application examples.

iLearn with the iPod
Thumbtack mics for the iPod Touch
iTunes
iTunes App Store
Mobile Learning: A Brief Reading List
iPod Touch for Mobile Learning
iPod Education
Lit2Go
100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better
Apple Learning Interchange – iPods
Apps list for educators

Have fun!

100+ Google tricks

As an official Google groupie, I am always looking for new and different ways to use Google tools. My PLN hooked me up with a handy site designed for college kids but one we all should be using.

100+ Google Tricks That Will Save You Time in School has some old chestnuts (using Google Search to do calculations and searching for specific file types) but it does have some things that most people probably haven’t tried before.

So . . . find out about some new things or review what you may have forgotten . . . pre-made templates in Google Docs, send invitations, set up a custom search engine or use Knol to find out what other experts are saying. You’ll especially like using Surveys in Google Docs to create simple pre and post tests for your kids!

And there is a whole section just on Google Mobile that provides some nice stuff for smart phone users.

If you’re not a Google groupie yet, this page should convert you!

Artifact-based instruction and History Explorer

I first began really thinking about using artifacts as a part of instruction when I met Keil Hileman. Keil was teaching in Monticello Trails Middle School in the DeSoto school district when I first ran across his room full of thousands of artifacts. Keil sucked me in to the idea that a single artifact can have a tremendous impact on student learning.

I’ve been using a West African manilla from Keil as an example with teachers for several years. And it never fails to intrigue and engage teachers and students.

And now the Smithsonian has created a very cool site that focuses on the effective use of artifacts and primary sources as teaching tools. Called History Explorer, you can search for resources by grade level, content area and time period.

Your gateway to innovative, standards-based online resources for teaching and learning American history, designed and developed by the National Museum of American History as part of Verizon’s thinkfinity.org consortium. Explore the rich resources of the Museum and bring history to life with artifacts, primary sources, and online tools for the classroom, afterschool programs, and home.

They also have a Twitter feed that I ran across that updates you daily on the site’s goodness as well as a nice RSS feed. If you’re looking for additional resources, ideas and access to great artifacts, you really need to head on over!

Don’t Do vs. Do Do

I get the chance every month to spend some time with a group of technology integration specialists – you know, those people who find cool tools and things for teachers to use that increase student learning. Of course, much of the coolest and most useful stuff ends up being blocked by local internet filters. So there’s a constant conversation within this group about the pros and cons of filtering software.

And while there are legitimate reasons (legal, technical and cultural) for filtering software systems, I’m all about finding ways to increase access for students rather than limiting it.

So it was encouraging to read Mike Hasley’s post about a more progressive view of student access. Mike quotes some stuff from Will Richardson that compares traditional AUPs of the “Don’t do” variety as opposed to those that spend time listing “Do do’s.” As in

• Do use our network to connect to other students and adults who share your passions with whom you can learn.
• Do use our network to publish your best work in text and multimedia for a global audience.

Sweet.

Mike also links to Bud the Teacher who, as a district tech leader, has opened up his filter a bit and is encountering teachers who now want him to block resources that they claim are “distractions in the classroom.” The full version is a must read but his short response?

What we’ve decided is that we will no longer use the web filter as a classroom management tool. Blocking one distraction doesn’t solve the problem of students off task – it just encourages them to find another site to distract them. Students off task is not a technology problem – it’s a behavior problem.

This opens up possibilities for students and staff using websites for instructional purposes that in the past were blocked due to broad category blocks.  It requires that staff and students manage their technology use rather than relying on a third party solution that can never do the job of replacing teachers monitoring students.

Don’t ya just wanna hug him?

Here’s the idea. Let’s start using technology the same way we used to use paper and pencil – as an everyday tool necessary for learning. We used to train (and probably still do in some places!) kids how to correctly hold a pencil, how to write in cursive, how to put a proper header on an assignment, even how to empty the pencil sharpener.

It’s hard to picture how I might teach a history course in the 21st century without online resources and tools. I’d be cheating my kids.

So . . . yes, teachers now need to show kids how to tag, how to comment, how to filter resources, how social networks are used appropriately and even how to play video games.

It’s time to get rid of Don’t Dos and start using a few more positive presuppositions.

iPod Touch teaching and learning apps

I’ve fallen in love with the iPod Touch and what it might be able to do for teaching and learning. And so, every few weeks, I’ll post a few of my favorite apps and some classroom uses.

Today’s favorites?

One free app -  Number Line and three paid apps – Lemonade Tycoon, Big Top Ten and GradePad.

Number Line

Number Line is designed to help students learn about fractions, decimals and percentages. Students earn points by placing the provided fractions, decimals, and percentages in correct sequence on a number line. The application features multiple levels of increasing difficulty and points.

This seems like a natural for elementary and middle school kids struggling with converting these mathematical concepts. Plus it’s fun!

Lemonade Tycoon

This free app would be great for teaching all sorts of economic concepts – supply and demand, incentives, opportunity costs, entrepreneurship, marketing, you name it. You start out with a simple cart and a couple of bucks in your pocket.

Your task? Create the perfect lemonade recipe and sell it to as many people as possible, charging as much as possible. Weather will affect demand (and thus your price) as will different marketing locations. Every day you’ll get weather reports and local news that may impact sales. As your profits grow, you have the option to purchase greater amounts of supplies, hire more staff and upgrade your stand.

Big Top Ten

What could  be easier than counting to ten? I mean, what are your fingers for?

This cheap app has a very cool old-timey circus theme. You start with a grid of 25 numbers and your simple goal is drag your finger through the field of numbers to come up with a grand total of ten. Adding numbers together is the most obvious way to reach your mathematical goal, although the game does introduce negative numbers to offer alternate ways to ten. The more numbers you use to reach ten, the greater your bonus for that swipe.

Just some really handy problem-solving skills and basic math but I’ve already seen 4th and 5th grade kids use it and really get excited about math.

GradePad

The most expensive of the four at $2.99, GradePad is a performance assessment tool for teachers. You can assess a wide variety of behavior and performance with individuals and groups using almost 50 different preset rubrics. The app allows you to track individuals and groups over time and send the data to your email account.

You can create an online account that allows you to import class lists, export grade data and create new rubrics. All pretty slick!

Give me a week or so and we’ll share a few more. In the meantime, what are your favorite apps?