Pixabay - A royalty free image search website.

This website was posted on Free Tech for Teachers.  All you have to do is create an account, make sure that you don't select the "Sponsored Images" - and it works just great for notes, blogs, websites, or any other reason you might need an image to "spruce" up your documents.

Webste: http://pixabay.com/

Cost:  Free - but you will need to sign up for a free account.

Description:  Great image searching website for free images that can be downloaded to your computer.  Since these are user contributed, you will need to filter the images before you use them.  Don't recommend having students create accounts, but think it would be fine for teachers/staff....but I guess I would leave it up to you.
The only real annoying thing about it is that you have to be careful not to click on the sponsored images.  These cost to use.

How I used it:  I used it to find illustrations for a quiz I created.  Worked great.  Downloaded the pictures, and then uploaded them to the digital quiz.  Funny thing is that the pictures looked great, but the students could not login to their digital quiz.  Long story.

Need some user submissions.  Please forward things to me and fill out the form attached below.

Microsoft Office Online....a Google Alternative

This is from our own ETC Technology Guru and Fearless Leader.  Happy first post Brenda T!

Please excuse the background text issues.  

Title: Microsoft Office Online (for free!)

URL: https://office.com/start/default.aspx

What it does: Microsoft Office Online is Microsoft's answer to Google Drive. It has all the basic features in the products you know and use from Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) plus the added features of saving online, sharing, and collaborating with others.

How you used it: It is used just like the regular office products but it is online and it is free. You can create an account using your google email.

Tutorials/Help: Really not needed it is that easy!

Optional: Yes, I would be willing to help or answer questions.

Quizlet - Digital Flashcards that can be used to support any subject!

If you are in the 8Black pod, be prepared to see students working on their online flashcards on an amazing program called Quizlet.

If they have anytime in class, now the time should be used to get on Quizlet, not on games!

Website: www.quizlet.com

Cost:  Free for the basic version, but it does cost if you want some of the more advanced educational features.  Have not really found a reason to do this.

Description:  This website allows you to upload,search other user created flashcards, share (I have not told the kids this yet), and create vocab flash cards.  The digital flash cards can be practiced online with some really cool features (spelling, matching and practice quizzes).  To create the account I have had the students create their accounts with their school user name and email with the sign up with email option.  When you become more advanced, you can also have them "join" your class and can even push out or share vocab lists with them.

Example of the flash card feature showing both the front & the back of the card.

How I use it:  On Friday they entered vocab from their book.  There is an option when you create to use "user created definitions".  Resist the temptation, these can be right, but usually are not.
Using the Frayer model, have the students put in an example.  You can even use over a million images from Flickr FREE for the visual representation.  If you want to upload your own images that is only part of the paying version.
They will then print out a copy of their vocab which will include their pictures, examples, and other information that would be in the hand drawn Frayer model.

Here is the link on how to upload images:
http://quizlet.com/help/how-do-i-add-images-to-my-flash-cards

Youtube Video Tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN6dP3tPYi0

How I Learned:  My students last year were using this to study for all of their classes at HHS.  There are features I have not messed with yet....but I am happy to help anyone who wants to use this.

Educreations an Ipad App & Can also be used on a laptop.

First guest contribution from the 7th Grade Black Ipad group.  I have created an account on this site (laptop), but have not had a chance to mess with it.  Kimberly T. has used it in her math class and has written up a post about it.

Title:  Educreations

Address/Cost:  My students used the app version of Educreations, and I have used both the app and web version (www.educreations.com)  The app is free (with more options and upgrades available for purchase)

Description:  Educreations is an interactive whiteboard and screen casting tool.  Students can use it as a virtual whiteboard, can annotate on a picture, or create a video screencast with audio recording.   Educreations allows teachers to create classes, where the teacher can easily create and share videos to the class through the app or website.

How I used it:  I had my students take a question from an assignment covering rate of change and proportionality and make a video explaining how they solved the question.   The students were required to not only write the answer out step by step, but to explain it orally as well.  I learned more from watching a short video about one question than about grading the entire assignment.  I could actually hear if they used the terminology correctly and why they were answering the way they did.  I could pin point their misconceptions, instead of just marking the question wrong.

How I learned:  I heard about Educreations from teachers at Inman and Abilene, but I really didn’t learn how to use it until I took the time myself to experiment.  I have also read through the FAQ on their website and when I had a question about saving videos, I tweeted @educreations and they responded within a few hours.  

World Mapper - A new way to look at the world

World Mapper was introduced to me by a student teacher a couple of years ago.  It is a visual mapping site that uses categories such as population trends, diseases, spread of wealth, and a hundred or other options.

Name of Website:  World Mapper
Website:  http://www.worldmapper.org/

The maps can be used for all types of instruction in the classroom.  For instance, the map below is one showing the population trends of the 1500s.

Or you can look at Rabies deaths in the world.

The maps can be either downloaded as a high resolution pdf, or can be linked to your website.
According to the website they have around 600+ maps.

This website is great and I love to use it in class for all different applications.

Enjoy!

Viewpure - Making youtube videos safe for class.

If you use this website, it does not change due diligence with watching videos in class BEFORE you show them to students from Youtube.

Found this when I was teaching at Newton around four years ago.  Derek B. showed this to me, and it works great!

Name:  Viewpure
Website:  www.viewpure.com

FREE to use.

Go to youtube.
Copy and paste the youtube address into viewpure, and it will open in a new window.

Works great.

Enjoy!

Recite - Make a message look cool for free

I am not an artistic person at all.  The beginning of the year bulletin boards take me days to think up instead of moments for you that are more artistically gifted.  This post comes from a website that our own Rhonda D. showed me during the first couple days of school.

Go to:  http://recitethis.com/#
Free and a webisite.

All you have to do is put a profound quote, idea, or direction in the box, and then press create.  If you don't feel profound, then use the "find a quote" tab on the left side of the screen.  The templates are random, but you can scroll through them on the bottom of the page to find the one that fits your mood.

Once you have found the perfect template, you can choose to post it to twitter, download it to your computer, email it to yourself, or put it on your pinterest page.  Really neat way to put a message in a cool template.

Try it out and thank Rhonda D. in the art room if you use it.

Long URL? Google is here to help.

Ok.
Here is a short and quick summary of two really cool websites that will make your students and you very happy.

I have to give credit to Rachel C and Tech Thursday for this one.  Tried it today and it worked really well with the quizes that the kids are taking with Google Forms and that will be graded with Symbaloo.

Go to:    goo.gl

Copy and Paste your large url.....example the youtube video for Friday..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPA5oNpfM4&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9&index=23

Press the "shorten my URL"...and then it gives you this:
http://goo.gl/HOV3ue

This link will never expire and on the google page, it keeps records of your shortened URL's for you to look at in the future.

Flubaroo - Google Forms Awesome Script

First post of my new blog!  I am so excited!  I have used this app for over three years.  On Tuesday my kiddos will be taking a quiz using this app, and then the app will email them their grades....makes grading a snap!

So here are the nitty gritty details.
Name of App - Flubaroo
It is a google drive script for Google Forms.  You make a quiz in google forms, take it yourself, add this app  script, have it grade the quiz using your submissions as the key, and it does the hard work for you.  You can even have it email the students their grades!  Have not found a way to upload the data directly from Google Drive to Infinite Campus, but I am looking.  So if anyone out there has an idea of how to do it, let me know.

Here are the basics.
www.flubaroo.com
No Cost Associated with this app.
Should work on the Ipads and the Laptops.

Here are some tutorial videos that helped me with this!

The tutorial video goes through it very quickly, but the basics are there.  When and if you are wanting to use this, please let me know and I will be happy to come and help you with it.

As I have said before, let me know if you have something you would like to share on this blog....and I will get it up!

If you have something you would like to share on my blog...please fill out this form.