Flipgrid is indeed an amazing site as it gives all students a voice in their classroom. Just today I was talking to another teacher about how I have not been this excited about a site in years.
However, this site is not just for student voice - it gives a voice to all. A student teacher could create a self-reflection video as they slowly take on more and more of the classroom. If you are a substitute teacher, leaving a Flipgrid video about the day is a powerful and quick way to really recap the day. A principal can create a video after seeing an awesome display of cooperation in a classroom, etc.
If you want to keep your videos in a shareable link, this is especially great for substitutes, why not keep a collection of those videos in Wakelet. The teacher can continuously add to the collection and what future employer would not be blown away by the use of technology to interact with their peers and students.
As a technology integrator I have started to do just what is described above, I create a "thank you / great job / what to work on" video in Flipgrid and share it with the teacher and students. I then store this video in a collection in Wakelet. If interested, you can access the videos by clicking here.
I have create a 3 minute and 43 second YouTube tutorial below. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. For more information on Wakelet and Flipgrid, you can click on the two links below.
I showed a number of teachers (including my wife) and they instantly wanted to know how they could put a background behind the saved image and print it out.
The best way I could think of was to use Google Slides. Here are the steps I used:
When you open a Google Slide select Layout and choose Blank
Select Background
Select choose image
Choose how you want to add an image
Most commonly used is the search option (far right)
Choose the image
Click on select
Back in the Slide
Select insert image
Choose where your image is
You can then place the image where you want to and shrink as needed
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 44 second YouTube tutorial.
Last week I showed how to use the website Remove.bg to instantly remove the background in an image. In today's post we will look at PhotoScissors. Photoscissors is a bit different as you can choose the items you want to keep as well as remove.
There are other websites that will perform similarly; however, they will cost some money. Photoscissors is free. Thank you to Richard Byrne for blogging about this last week.
Below you will see an embedded GIF as well as 2 minute and 9 second YouTube tutorial.
If you are anything like me you like to have a good joke ready to go at the drop of a hat. Jokes (when told at the right time) can really lighten the mood and make people feel good.
The other day a friend of mine shared with me the app Dad Jokes: The Best Puns by Jason Bryner. The app is very easy to use. As soon as you open the app a "Dad" joke will be presented to you. When you are ready for the punch line, simply tap on the screen. At the bottom you will see two faces (a smile and a straight face) - simply select what category you believe that joke lands in.
At the top of the screen are 3 dots that bring up the categories of Random, Best, Worst, and Most Controversial. Don't worry - the controversial ones are not controversial!
Google Feud is a fun web based game similar to Family Feud. You can choose your category (Culture, People, Names, or Questions). You then proceed to see how many of the top 10 results pulled from Google's autocomplete. Please note that certain results may be offensive and/or incomprehensible. I did not see any - but the warning is at the bottom of the screen under about. Embedded below is a screenshot followed by a 1 minute and 6 second YouTube tutorial.
In Flipgrid you can select the stickie in the bottom left of the screen and students can type (or paste) the text they would like to use during the recording.
If your students are doing more of a video in which they need to have their script read entirely word for word, I would recommend using cueprompter. The other day Tony Vincent tweeted about cueprompter. Cueprompter allows your browser to work like a teleprompter. When students type or paste in their text, they can then select Start Prompter and a new tab will open that looks like a teleprompter. When ready students can select forward and then the speed they would like the teleprompter to scroll (can be adjusted during the presentation). If the user would like, the prompter can go full screen as well.
Once cueprompter is ready, students can go back to the tab that has Flipgrid and then start the recording. They can then open the cueprompter tab and start reading. When finished reading students can then go back to Flipgrid, stop the recording, and then trim the beginning or end of the video to their specifications.
Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 30 second YouTube tutorial.
Pretty fun new update in Docs and Drawings - you can add drawings created in Google Drawings into your Docs without exporting them as pictures. All you need to do is select Insert... Drawings... From Drive.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 18 second YouTube tutorial.
Flipgrid is an amazing tool for students to use their voice to show their knowledge!!
If you have used Flipgrid you know how students enjoy watching and learning from one another. However, maybe you have a reason that you would like all videos to be moderated before making available for all to see (or not at all). Well, with selecting Video Moderation under Topic Privacy all videos will not be available to be seen by the class until you allow it. Please note that videos can still be shared with families if you would like.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 50 second YouTube tutorial. Maybe I should have smiled! HA!!!
You can also access numerous Flipgrid tutorials myself, as well as Richard Byrne'sA Complete Guide to Using Flipgrid samples in my Wakelet link (as well as embedded below).
In this post you will take that data and have the spreadsheet do the work for you.
I decided to use numerical data in my example. I used 1 for yes and 0 for no. This could then be calculated in a numerical form later on using the average function.
In the 1 minute and 47 second video embedded below you will see how to take the spreadsheet that the Google Forms collects and then select a cell (somewhere you feel appropriate). In this example I used averages for the data collection.
In the sheet select Insert > Function > Average
Make sure to select the cells you want to include
Even include future dates as the sheet will collect your data for you
Google announced on January 8, 2019 that there would be some additional features. Yesterday I noticed a pop-up message from Google and these features available when I opened Classroom.
You will notice that the classroom code is available under the name of the class (upper left). A display button is available.
You will also notice that there are 78 new themes available.
Drag and drop topics and classwork items in the Classwork page.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 20 second YouTube tutorial.
Great new feature in Wakelet. You can now invite people to collaborate on your collections without them needing to sign up. This is an amazing feature for many reasons, one that I see instantly would be in the classroom. With everyone being able to use the site, students would be able to collaborate much easier. Later on they could sign-up and join the site, but the ability for students to be able to add instantly is a game changer.
Users still need to put a name to what they share. Please note that users can be removed easily in the manage contributors section.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 25 second YouTube tutorial.
Shaking Stories is a fun app that allows the user to create a story at home or at school. Once downloaded, you will see the elements ready for you to write your story (character, place, problem, and time). If you would like to change all the elements, simply shake the device and new ones will be available for you.
The prompts are available to anyone with or without creating an account. If you do choose to create an account you can write a short story and publish it.
You also have the options to read stories that have been uploaded to the app.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 20 second YouTube tutorial.
Starting January 28, 2019 Remind will discontinue text message delivery for teachers, students, and parents who use Verizon Wireless services. In order to continue to receive notifications (as a parent) simply download the app and allow push notifications. The reason for the end of text message delivery for Verizon Wireless customers is explained here. Long story short, their fee will be 11 times as much as their current cost.
Wakelet is an amazing site that allows the user to share articles, videos, images, tweets and other great content with one link. These items can be saved in a collection to be found at a later date.
If you just want to save information into Wakelet (stored as bookmarks) and search later, Wakelet makes it easy to search for your items. You can filter by collections, links, videos, and tweets. You can also search by date - any time, past 24 hours, past week, past month, past year.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 23 second YouTube tutorial.
When you next open Twitter on your desktop you will notice a notification on the right side stating that you take a sneak peek at the new Twitter.
The update appears to alter the desktop version of the platform to resemble the mobile version. In the top left corner, boxes seem to display a user’s media uploads while primary profile information is transferred to a far left column.
On the right hand side of the layout, under the media, is the ‘who to follow’ and ‘trending’.
Basically, the ‘home’ page is simplified and cleaned up with two main columns rather than three. On the left is the main feed of follower posts. On the right is main trends.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 24 second YouTube tutorial.
Great news! You can now access your Google Assistant within Google Maps. Go ahead and ask where the nearest gas station is, what the temperature is, or what is the score of the Eagles game!
Next time you launch Google Maps and start your journey a pop up screen will appear. Make sure to select Got It.
Wakelet is an amazing tool that stores anything with a link into a collection that you can easily share with others through 1 link.
If you have created a collection and that collection included Tweets from other individuals, you can alert them that they have been quoted.
To do so, once your collection has been created and published, look at the bottom left of your screen (under the collection you created) and select notify. A screen will come up with the author(s) you have quoted and you can then select notify!
Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 38 second YouTube tutorial.
If you would like to learn more about Wakelet, here is a collection of blog posts I have created (in a collection on Wakelet).
Doodle for Google is a contest in which kids can create their own Google Doodle. The winner gets to have their own creation available on the Google homepage for a day.
The theme this year is, "When I grow up I hope".
The contest is open until March 18th at which time Jimmy Fallon and Kermit the Frog will announce the winner.
Categories are - (K-3rd) (4th-5th) (6th-7th) (8th-9th) (10th-12th).
The other day a friend of mine who teaches special education asked me about how she could better utilize her data collection and make it electronic. The one solution I shared with her is using Google Forms and then placing the link in a collection within the website/app - Wakelet. Google Forms is great because you can fill the form out countless times as well as have a spreadsheet created with your data. Wakelet is great because you can store countless links available under one link (collection).
A few items to point out when creating your form.
Make sure to have each question required
If one of your questions requires a tally mark type response, leave the question as a short answer and have the person filling out the form use a character as a tally.
Recently the option to have Apple Music available through Amazon's Alexa has become available. This is great if you like Apple Music over Amazon's.
In order to set this up follow these directions
Open the Amazon Alexa app
Tap in the upper-left corner (three lines)
Tap Settings.
In Alexa Preferences make sure to select Music.
Tap Link New Service.
Tap Apple Music.
Tap Enable To Use.
Follow the instructions to sign in with your Apple ID.
Enjoy Apple Music through Alexa.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 56 second YouTube tutorial.
In case you have never used FlipGrid, it is a website that allows teachers to create "grids" to for video discussions. Each grid is similar to a message board where teachers can pose questions, called "topics," and their students can post video responses that appear in a grid format.
As of the Summer of 2018 FlipGrid is free and you can create as many grids and topics as you like.
Embedded below is a 2 minute and 53 second YouTube tutorial showing what it looks like from start to finish from an educator's point of view.
I also added a few tips especially for those that teach younger grades. The option for liking videos and number of videos viewed is definitely worth looking into. Maybe having a discussion with your class about likes and number of times watching video would be worth your while.
Your Next Read is a great site to turn to when you (or someone in your class) completes a book and would like a similar read. The site will provide you (in a web format) with recommendations based on either the author, book, or genre you like. Once you select another book, another web will be created.
Embedded below is a GIF (showing the web created using the book Holes) followed by a 1 minute and 11 second YouTube tutorial.
The paragraph below is taken from the site as it does a nice job explaining why the film "It's a Wonderful Life" entered the public domain.
It's a Wonderful Public Domain. . . . What happens when works enter the public domain? Sometimes, wonderful things. The 1947 film It’s A Wonderful Life entered the public domain in 1975 because its copyright was not properly renewed after the first 28-year term. The film had been a flop on release, but thanks to its public domain status, it became a holiday classic. Why? Because TV networks were free to show it over and over again during the holidays, making the film immensely popular. But then copyright law reentered the picture. . . . In 1993, the film’s original copyright holder, capitalizing on a recent Supreme Court case, reasserted copyright based on its ownership of the film’s musical score and the short story on which the film was based (the film itself is still in the public domain). Ironically, a film that only became a success because of its public domain status was pulled back into copyright.
You can get free premium features exclusively for schools with Adobe Spark for Education that allows everyone, especially teachers and their students, to easily create and share impactful visual stories.
If you are an educator and would like access to this amazing site for free with your students, be sure to discuss this with your technology department about the site and supply them with this link https://spark.adobe.com/edu/
In the short tutorial below I show you what it looks like when you start your education account as well as how to do a very short collage.
If you have any questions please reach out and I will answer your questions as bet I can. More tutorials will be on the way.
