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8 Digital Ways to Wrap up The School Year

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The end of school year is just around the corner. It is about the time of the year excitements mounts up and students start counting for their summer vacation. A couple of weeks ago I shared with you here a post featuring some useful end of school year worksheets and printables and today I am sharing with you some digital tips to use to wrap up the school year. Check them out below and share with us what you think of them. Enjoy


 1- Memory Book
This is an end-of-school-year activity, a book your students can make. This is a wonderful book students can make, telling about themselves, their friends, and their favorite classroom events. Here are some digital tools to help you and your students create memory books :
Use Google Docs or the Microsoft word or any other word editor that can allow you to convert your final document to a PDF.
Now that you converted your document into a PDF you can then upload it and turn it into a nice book using :


2- Creating posters
This is a good way for you and your students to highlight and capture those memorable events that took place in the class during the year.

3- Bulletin Boards
Use the tools below to invite students to contribute in creating a class board where everyone gets to share what they learned or anything else they feel like saying.
4-  Gather student Feedback
One important way to inform your teaching practice and informally assess your teaching is to ask students to give you feedback and comments on your teaching strategy, how comprehensible your lessons were..etc. Tell them to submit their feedback anonymously.
5- Create digital portfolios
Invite your students to create portfolios to showcase what they have learned during the school year. They can, for instance, include their favorite writing pieces to document their  writing growth from the beginning of the year till the end.
6-Create a photo scrapbook
Students love scrapbooking and this could be a fun activity for them. Pick a tool from the list below and show them how they can use it to create a pic collage or photo scrapbook featuring pictures from previous field trips,  class parties...etc
7- Create short movies
Use the tools below to show students how to create a short video clip in which they highlight ideas like : what they learned during this school year, reasons why they need to transition to another higher grade, and probably even give pieces of advice to future students .


8- Slideshows 
Get students to use one of the tools they are familiar with from the list below to create slideshows with music or any soundtrack playing in the background. This could be used to  for several purposes including showcasing what they have learned.

A Wonderful Graphic on Flipped Learning

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The last time I posted  about Flipped Learning  I got an email from an " angry" reader telling me that the concept of flipped learning is not new and that it  was first coined by Dewy and Socrates long before it was rediscovered recently. Well this was a new piece of information for me. I asked the guy to send me any reference to substantiate his claim but unfortunately I did not get any answer back. I did some research online and in my university library but was not able to find this fact anywhere . I am hoping that somebody would send me a reference if there is any.


For those of you who are still struggling to come to grips with what flipped learning is all about, I invite you to explore the various resources I have compiled in my : Flipped Learning Section here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning.

I am also adding to this resource this awesome graphic I found in this website. Enjoy


flipped learning

3 Easy Ways to Create A Google Plus Hangout with Your Students

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Upon the multiple requests I received regarding this topic, I decided to create an easy visual step by step guide to show you how you can create a hangout on Google plus with your students. Just a reminder, Google Plus hangouts allow users to video chat with up to 10 people in real time and for free. Users can see each other in small boxes while the person who is speaking appears in a large window top. This is a great way for teachers to hold online classes with group of students who need help. They can also arrange for online chatting sessions to discuss topics of relevant interest. I have listed the three ways to do it, use the one that suits you the best.


The first way

 1- Start a hangout
Click on " hangout party" on the bottom left of your Google Plus page then click on " start a hangout "

 2- Post a hangout invitation
Provide the description of the hangout and type in the emails of your students or whomever you want to participate in your hangout.


3- Once the hangout invitation is sent, participants will need to click on the link to accept it and join in. Here is what you can do in the main hangout page :

 A- Chat
Click on " chat " to activate group chat. A small box will open up on the right hand side of your screen where you can chat with participants.
B- Share Screen
You can share your screen with others by simply clicking on " Share screen". This is great if you are walking them through a tutorial process.
C- Google Effects
If you want to have some fun, you can use these effects, for instance , to put a silly hat on or wear a big mustache...etc
D- Watch YouTube together
To activate this service you need to click on " YouTube" button as shown in the screenshot below and then grant access to it. All participants will be able to see videos in your play lists and watch them together. You can even search for videos right from the search panel displayed on top of the screen.


The second way

 You can also access Google Hangout right from YouTube provided you are already logged in. Just click on " Upload" and select " Google hangouts" and then go through the same process as explained above. What I like about Google hangout from YouTube is the fact that your hangout is automatically recorded and broadcast on your  YouTube channel.
The third way

 This works for those of you who have already created Google Plus communities for their class. If you haven't and are interested in creating one, here is a step by step guide to help you out.
Head over to your Google Plus community page and click on the " hangout" icon and follow the same steps mentioned in the first way.


10 Awesome Handwriting Apps for Your iPad

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Digital immigrants are still trying to come to grips with all the digital innovations that are unfolding in today's world. And even for those who have succeeded in making the digital transition, they still have an urge for the old days of pen and paper practices. That is probably why even with the prevalence of touch screen devices, some people still prefer to use a stylus when working on their tablets. While stylus does satisfy the craving for holding a pen in your hand, it still does not function as expected.
So if you are one of those people who like to use their fingers to take notes on iPad, the list below will be of great help to you. I have curated several useful apps that will allow you to experiement with your handwriting right on your iPad screen.

1- Smart Writing Tool


Smart Writing Tool - 7notes HD Premium is a smart writing tool optimized for iPad.
With this app, mixing your handwriting with digital texts is easier than ever before

2- Penultimate

The original and most popular handwriting app for iPad. Penultimate gives you the natural experience of writing on paper, with the added power and availability of Evernote. Take notes, keep sketches, or share your next breakthrough idea -- in the office, on the go, or at home on the sofa.
3- Notability

Notability powerfully integrates handwriting, PDF annotation, typing, recording, and organizing so you can take notes your way! Discover the freedom to capture ideas, share insights, and present information in one perfect place on iPad.

4- Ghostwriter Notes

Ghostwriter Notes for the iPad gives you the power to take notes, collect & store information, and take it with you wherever you go! Download this ultra-useful app & experience the future of note-taking today! Want to know more? Click “More” & discover Ghostwriter Notes right now!

5- Remarks by Readdle

Write down your thoughts, capture ideas and information, annotate documents and outline notes anywhere from university class to sofa at home.

6- Paper by fifty three

Paper is where ideas begin. It’s the easiest and most beautiful way to create on iPad. Capture your ideas as sketches, diagrams, illustrations, notes or drawings and share them across the web. Try it free—buy additional tools from the in-App Store.

7- Note Taker HD

Note Taker HD is a powerful app for writing and organizing handwritten notes, diagrams, etc., on the iPad. It can also be used to annotate PDF files. It can shrink your writing so you can easily fit a lot of text on a page. You can read the reduced-size "ink" as if you had written those letters with a very fine pen. It gives you solid functionality and control to produce the pages you need.

8- Notes Plus

Notes Plus is a powerful note-taking tool that supports handwriting, typing, audio recording and PDF annotation. It offers close-up writing mode, stroke smoothing, vector shape auto-detection, palm handling, complete folder structure, images, PDF exporting and emailing, automatic backup to Dropbox and more.

9- Noteshelf

The most beautiful note-taking app ever designed for the iPad. Noteshelf is the handwriting note taker that features super natural digital ink, a stunning UI and a comprehensive toolset that will increase the benefits of owning an iPad by leaps and bounds.

10- Goodnotes

GoodNotes lets you take handwritten notes, sketch diagrams, mark-up PDFs and organize them on a beautiful bookshelf. Turn pages with a swipe, highlight or add notes to any page, and share your notes with anyone. GoodNotes will automatically save your notes and has full backup function to prevent data loss.

6 Useful iPad Apps for Creating Tutorials and Screencasts

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By definition, a screencast is a recording of your computer screen accompanied by audio narration.In the past, screencasting tools used to cost a fortune and only tech savvy people were able to use them but thanks to web 2.0 technologies, there are now dozens of easy to use and simple platforms to record your screencast. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has already featured several of these tools in previous posts. Today, however, I am going to share with you some of the best iPad apps to create screencasts and tutorials. Check them out below and let us know what you think of them. Enjoy

1- Explain Everything


Explain Everything is an easy-to-use design, screencasting, and interactive whiteboard tool that lets you annotate, animate, narrate, import, and export almost anything to and from almost anywhere.

2- Teach

Knowmia Teach is a new free lesson planning and recording tool for teachers. It helps you create short video lessons on any subject and publish them on Knowmia.com so your students and the public can find them. Knowmia Teach makes it easy to bring in visual aids from multiple sources, organize them in steps (like slides in a presentation) and use your own voice and fingers to bring your lesson to life.

3- Show Me

ShowMe allows you to record voice-over whiteboard tutorials and share them online. It’s an amazingly simple app that anyone can use, no matter how young or old!

4- Educreations Interactive Whiteboard

Educreations turns your iPad into a recordable whiteboard. Creating a great video tutorial is as simple as touching, tapping and talking. Explain a math formula... Create an animated lesson... Add commentary to your photos... Diagram a sports play..
5- Doodlecast Pro


Doodlecast Pro is the easiest way to create presentations on your iPad. The app records your voice as you draw to create quick presentations. Doodlecast Pro saves videos to the camera roll making it easy to import them into popular video editors or presentation tools such as iMovie, Keynote, or iBooks Author. Perfect for teachers, students, business people and anyone needing an elegant way to share ideas.

6- Pixntell

Pixntell adds your voice to your pictures and creates a personalized video you can share on Dropbox, Facebook, YouTube, FocusTrain or email.

20 Tips to Protect Your Online Identity

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Inline with what we have been discussing here about digital citizenship and digital footprints, The Guardian has recently published a great post featuring 20 ways to keep your internet identity safe from hackers.This is a really a great read to share with your students and colleagues and although the tips included in the list are meant for any internet user, students will benefit a great deal from knowing about them.

courtesy of:www.guardian.co.uk

I am sharing with you these 20 tips but you can refer back to the original article for more details on each element.
  1. Never click on a link you did not expect to receive 
  2. Use different passwords on different sites 
  3. Never reuse your main email password 
  4. Use anti-virus software
  5. If in doubt, block
  6. Think before you tweet and how you share information
  7. If you have a "wipe your phone" feature, you should set it up
  8. Only shop online on secure sites 
  9. Don't assume banks will pay you back
  10. Ignore pop-ups 
  11. Be wary of public Wi-Fi 
  12. Run more than one email account
  13. Macs are as vulnerable as PCs
  14. Don't store your card details on websites 
  15. Add a DNS service to protect other devices 
  16. Enable two-step verification
  17. Lock your phone and tablet devices 
  18. Be careful on auction sites 
  19. Lock down your Facebook account
  20. Remember you're human after all

5 Steps to Create Stunning Slideshows with Audio Using YouTube

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The first thing that comes into your mind when you want to create a slideshow is using one of those popular web tools such as Google Presentations, Sliderocket...etc; there is, However,  a very easy, simple and quick way to create stunning slides from pictures and photos using just YouTube.

Since  its last upgrade, YouTube has introduced a set of very important tools that are integrated within users accounts and are completely free to use. These tools are meant to enhance users productivity by giving them access to all the services they might need while working on their videos. These services range  from the ability to record a video using a computer camera to providing an advanced video editor where you can  merge, add transitions and different interactive elements before finally uploading the final product to your channel.

Using YouTube to create photo slideshow is quite easy and students will definitely love to work on it. Here is how to create your photo presentation peppered with music and different transitions.

1- First you need to be logged in to your YouTube account. Now click on " Upload"


2- Select " create " under photo slideshow

3- Select the photos for your slideshow. If you have them stored on your computer then simply click on " upload photos" or use the drag and drop option

4- You can always add more photos by clicking on " add more photos "


3- Click on " next " then choose from the featured tracks to use with your photos or you can search for other tracks using the search panel provided there. To add a track to your photo slideshow, just click on it and it will automatically be added.



5- Customize the timing of your slides by clicking on " slide duration", you can also select " slide effects" to use with your slide  and choose your preferred transition .



6- If you are satisfied with your work, click on " upload ' and your photo slideshow will be broadcast on your channel and ready to share with others.

This is How to Password Protect your Spreadsheets

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I just came across video tutorial on Lifehacker and want to share it with you. The video tutorial is about how to protect your spreadsheets using a password. The process  is pretty straightforward and simple to apply.

Applying the hacks learned from this tutorial , you will no longer have concerns as to the security of information embedded in your sheets. In case you want to learn more about how to use Google Spdreadsheet , read this guide to get you started. Enjoy

Teacher's Guide to Creating Facebook Group for Students

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After posting about how to create a Google Plus community for your class one of my readers here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning  asked about whether there is a way to do the same on Facebook. Her question got me thinking : how come I have been blogging for all these years and never came into my mind to post a tutorial on how teachers can create a Facebook group for their students. Although it is not on my posting schedule for today, I am not letting the idea go because if if I postpone it I might probably forget about it.


Why create a Facebook page for your class ?

As a teacher, I would not want to add my students to my friend list on  Facebook not because of any considerations other than the fact that their feeds would not be relevant to mine. Believe me I tried it before and I ended up regretting it so I had to go back and unfriend all. This is where a Facebook page or group comes in handy. Both you and your students will be able to post to the group and all members will see it.
A Facebook Page for your class is an informal learning environment where you and your students get to extend and enrich the learning experiences started in the classroom.

How to use your class Facebook page ?

 Here some  of the tips to help you manage the Facebook group for your class :

  • From the start, set out clear and strict rules on what to post and share . Make it clear to them that this page is not for personal stuff, the page is for LEARNING.
  • Talk to them a bit about digital citizenship and explain to them what makes up a good netizen. Here is a detailed guide for teaching digital citizenship.
  • You also need to teach them about copyright issues and how to appropriately credit the sources they might want to cite. Here is a list of important resources to help students learn about copyright.
  • If you need permission from their parents, go ahead and ask for it. It might be a good idea to invite parents to join in and observe the learning that is taking place within the Facebook page you create for the class.


Benefits of engaging students in a Facebook page for class ?

 First, most students love Facebook so they are already familiar with how it works. In trying to contribute to their Facebook page, students will be drawing on different skills: writing, searching, curating, and sharing.They will also get to learn collaboratively and sharpen their digital literacy skills. As a teacher, your rule is only to facilitate and direct the learning that is unfolding in the page.Additionally, when students participate in such informal learning platforms, they get to develop social and emotional intelligence  which is pivotal to their overall personality development.

Here is how to create a Facebook Page for your Class
1- Head over to Facebook/pages and click on " cause or community "



2- Type a name for your community, tick "I agree " then click on " get started "


3- Provide a short description of your community and if you have a website for your class you can link it there too.



4- Upload a photo for your community if you don't have one click on " skip"




5- To make it easy for students to remember the web address , you can choose a simple name or use the one provided by Facebook as is shown in the snapshot below



6- Click on skip  to skip advertising options



Congratulations, now your page is up and running. Here is what to do next

7- Send the web address of your newly created page to your students to like it. Or if you have their email addresses , invite them using the " invite by email " option.





8- Customize the settings of your page. To do this click on " edit page " and choose from the drop down menu " edit settings ".

Here is a preview of the settings you can work on



9- Customize admin roles and if you want you can allow multiple admins to manage the page. here are some links to help you learn how to do it :
If you have any problems creating your page, please contact me at med@educatorstechnology.com and I ll be happy to help you.

A Comprehensive Index to Educational Hashtags Teachers Must Know about

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If you are still trying to figure out what educational hashtags  teachers are using then you do not need to go anywhere else, I got it covered here thanks to Chiew Pang document. Pang created an open document using Google Docs and named it " The Unofficial Index to Twitter Hashtags ". I have gone thorough the entire page and found it really helpful so I thought you might want to have a look as well.

See also : Teacher's Guide to The Use of Hashtags in Education

Here is the link for the entire document that Pang created and below are the hashtags it contains. Besides hashtags the document also features  several important tips on how and why to use educational hashtags .