Need to pimp out your iPad with some pretty amazing apps for enhancing teaching and learning? Then check out this fun (and recently updated) infographic containing a variety of resources that can be utilized in the classroom. They are categorized in areas such as creativity, demonstrating, computing, collaboration, numeracy, literacy and more! And better yet—the majority of these apps are totally free!

As you check out this super cool resource, remember… It’s never just about the apps. Instead effective technology integration is all about how tools support curricular goals in a meaningful, relevant, student-centered manner. With that said, hopefully this compilation of tried and tested educational apps will be helpful as you try to determine which ones might be the most beneficial for you and your students.

Click here to view and/or download a high resolution file of this image, which was created and compiled by the amazing ICT Evangelist Mark Anderson.

H-appy exploring!

Are you ready for the first summer edition of “Tech It Up Tuesday”, a weekly series in which I share an edtech tool, app, site or other resource that can be utilized in the educational setting?

If so, you’re going to love this week’s resource—a super cool and extremely useful infographic created by Tony Vincent, edtech guru and author of the Learning in Hand web site. Read on…

With a myriad of web tools and apps available to teachers, it’s sometimes mind-boggling trying to identify which are the most effective for the classroom. But if you’re looking for some innovative ways to showcase student learning using tech tools, here’s an awesome collection of resources spanning 11 categories—audio recordings, collages, comics, posters, slides, digital books, narrated slideshows, movies, animations, screen casts and study aids—to help get you started!

Click here for a larger version of this infographic as well as access to a pdf that can be printed. A link to view the info on Scribd is also available.

Classroom Connection:

Use the visual to discover resources that will provide your students with the opportunity to show, explain and retell their knowledge.

A few weeks ago The Techie Teacher (a.k.a. Julie Smith) shared a post about how PicCollage can be incorporated into app smashing activities. If you missed this wicked cool info, you can still check it out right here, right now…

Because I just love, love app smashing—the art of merging content from a variety of apps to generate a unique finished product—especially when using PicCollage as the basis, I thought I’d add to the edtech goodness with another idea that can be incorporated into classroom activities.

This app-solutely smashing example involves the fusion of PicCollage, Thinglink and Google Docs to provide students with the opportunity to complete an interactive learning journey.

Follow along as I explain how I generated the example shown below…

The Project

Dubbed “Where in the World”, this creation will challenge students to use information and research to identify an unknown geographical location.

The Learning Objective

Students will hone their ability to read for details, conduct Internet searches and complete a digital form to share findings.

The Process

First, I selected a destination I wanted students to learn more about and then located a variety of pictures to visually represent points of interest. Each photo was imported into the PicCollage app to create an all-in-one collection of images. Once finished, this media was saved to the camera roll. (In this particular instance, I used photos from a recent vacation.)

Next, I developed “fun facts” that could be linked to each picture in the collage—info students used to determine the mystery location. I also generated a Google form that students completed after further exploring the clues found within the collage. This questionnaire could be used as an informal or formal assessment.

Finally, I imported the collage into a third tool, ThingLink, to actually create the interactive mashup—one that included links to the clues and form described in the previous step.

The Outcome

Check out the live version of the “Where in the World” app smash shown below. Be sure to hover over the image to reveal the interactive “hotspots”.

Click here for a full screen version of this interactive image.

This particular app smash was created for student use, but of course—students could also design their very own Virtual Destination mash-up to share with classmates.

The Connection

App smashing encourages the meaningful use of technology to meet a chosen learning objective. It promotes critical thinking and problem solving in a challenging yet fun manner.

But wait… There’s more!

Not only do students benefit from participating in app smashing activities, but affording students with the opportunity to utilize interactive activities engages them in learning that is meaningful, relevant and thought-provoking. Plus, completing a project of this nature allows them to demonstrate the use of a variety of digital skills in the process.

The Real Deal

As I’ve mentioned before, the more you use PicCollage, the more ideas your mind will generate! Trust me, it’s a must-have tool for students of all ages!

In the meantime, check out the slide deck I created to share some really awesome ways PicCollage can be integrated into the classroom. Not only can you view various projects other educators have utilized with students, but you can also submit your own idea(s) to this super cool crowd-sourced document!

The PicCollage Teacher Ambassador Program

Love this app as much as I do? Learn more about becoming a PicCollage Teacher Ambassador here and/or by following #PicCollageEDU on Twitter!

This just in… An updated list of some pretty amazing apps for enhancing teaching and learning. Yep, ICT Evangelist Mark Anderson is back with another Periodic Table of iPad Apps—this one focusing on tools to support younger learners.

The must-see infographic includes a variety of resources that can be used to provide students with the opportunity to become producers of technology, to creatively express themselves and to share and publish their work for a wider audience. The apps are grouped in the following categories: creativity, demonstrating, learning, workflow, teaching, collaboration, numeracy and literacy.

As you take a look at this super cool resource, remember… It’s never just about the apps. Instead effective technology integration is all about how tools support curricular goals in a meaningful, relevant, student-centered manner. 

Click here to view and/or download a high resolution file of this image.

Classroom Connection:

Use this collection of tried and tested educational apps to help you determine which ones might be the most beneficial for you and your students.

H-appy exploring!

It’s Tuesday again and time for me to unleash another tech-isode in my “Tech It Up Tuesday” series in which I share an edtech tool, app, site or other resource that can be utilized in the educational setting.

This week’s geeky goodness is about to get started right here, right now with some info regarding the selection of apps for use in the classroom. With a myriad of tools available to teachers, it’s sometimes mind-boggling trying to identify which are the most effective.

Let’s face it… Flashy, colorful, unique apps will most definitely capture the attention of your students, but is this the way we want them to experience learning? Probably not so much.

That said, I have developed a three-step process to assist the teachers in my district with locating and then selecting the apps that will be the most effective tools for the classroom. Not only will this system help my colleagues decide which resources will be suitable for their students and curriculum, but these procedures will also guide me in determining which ones should be deployed to our iPads.

Check out the official (but continually evolving) BASD App Vetting Process in the form of a Smore flyer—one that provides our teachers with easy access to all of the resources needed to venture down the app selection highway!

Be sure to use the scrollbar to the right to check out the digital flyer in its entirety and/or click here to view a full-screen copy.

Classroom Connection:

Use this process (or a similar one of your own) to determine which apps are the most beneficial for the students in your classroom, school or district.

H-appy Vetting!

One of the coolest and most rewarding aspects of my job is when I get to witness teachers and students interacting with technology in meaningful ways.

Today I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with a group of second graders as they completed a Halloween-themed QR code activity to review math skills. This was some pretty awesome stuff, for sure—especially considering Mrs. Coleman’s group has only had their iPads since last Wednesday!

Not only were the students totally engaged, motivated and excited to complete addition problems, they also learned how to utilize a very useful real-world app on their devices as well. To me, these are the types of activities that result in the transformation of teaching and learning in the classroom!

Check out Mrs. Coleman’s “boos” and “ghouls” in action!

(The image was created using the Pic Collage app.)

A super high five to Mrs. Coleman for providing your students with a super fun and relevant twist on the reinforcement of math skills! I really appreciated the invite!

Download a copy of the QR Reader app that was used for this activity here. It’s simple, reliable and completely free!

Classroom Connection:

Now it’s your turn to incorporate a QR code activity into your classroom… There are an infinite number of ways to do so including scavenger hunts, extension activities, learning stations/centers and links to instructional materials, web sites, school activities or events, calendars, online manuals, videos, audio, maps and so much more!

Access to a wealth of information… All from using the camera on a mobile device.  How cool is that!

I recently published a post showcasing a collection of some pretty amazing apps for enhancing teaching and learning displayed in a periodic table-style infographic. Check it out here.

Due to its popularity, I’m revisiting this topic, except the focus has shifted this time around to apps that address STEAM—the addition of art/design into the interdisciplinary approach of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). These resources are categorized in areas such as computing, making, photography, virtual reality, augmented reality and more!

As you take a closer look at this super cool guide, think about this: It’s never just about the apps. Instead effective technology integration is all about how tools support curricular goals in a meaningful, relevant, student-centered manner. With that said, hopefully this compilation of tried and tested educational apps will be helpful as you try to determine which ones might be useful as you incorporate some STEAM lessons into your classroom.

Click here to view and/or download a high resolution file of this image, which was created and compiled by ICT Evangelist Mark Anderson.

Full STEAM ahead toward your next app adventure!

Need to pimp out your iPad with some pretty amazing apps for enhancing teaching and learning? Then check out this fun infographic containing a variety of resources that can be utilized in the classroom. They are categorized in areas such as creativity, demonstrating, computing, collaboration, numeracy, literacy and more! And better yet—the majority of these apps are free!

As you check out this super cool resource, remember… It’s never just about the apps. Instead effective technology integration is all about how tools support curricular goals in a meaningful, relevant, student-centered manner. With that said, hopefully this compilation of tried and tested educational apps will be helpful as you try to determine which ones might be the most beneficial for you and your students.

Click here to view and/or download a high resolution file of this image, which was inspired by Sean Junkins and remixed by ICT Evangelist Mark Anderson.

H-appy exploring!