Tech Tidbits: Reflector2

Hello!  I am back from an extended summer hiatus, and I am happy to say that I am working at a new school, Sanderson High School in Raleigh, NC!  I have received a warm welcome at SHS, and I look forward to working with the staff and students here!

Today's Tech Tidbit focuses on a new application that Wake County Public Schools have made available to staff, the "Reflector 2" app.  Downloading and installing the app on your laptop allows you to use your iPad's AirPlay feature to synchronize with the Reflector 2 signature and mirror your iPad screen to your laptop screen.  Connect your laptop to a projector and you are free to walk around the room with the iPad and share information with your students without being limited to being near your laptop and projector.

There are numerous ways that you can utilize Reflector 2 to impact your lessons.  For example, instead of having a student come up to the front of the class to demonstrate how to solve a math problem, the teacher could hand the student the iPad that is mirrored to the laptop and projector.  The student could use the iPad Camera app to show how they solve the problem while the rest of the class watches.  You could also record the demonstration for playback later. This is in addition to displaying apps, etc. while monitoring students around the room.  Hopefully many teachers in the county will take advantage of using this handy app!

Tech Tidbits: ZooBurst

ZooBurst is a cute site that enables students to write stories and insert characters and objects into a 3D storybook setting that "pops up" when the page is turned.  When inserting objects into the story, you can resize them, change the rotation angle as well as the angle that it "pops up" when the page is turned.  You can enter text for the story, as well as text for the word balloons that you can read when you click on them in the story.  

In upgraded accounts, you can record voiceovers for the characters' speech bubbles or upload your own sound effects.  When your story is completed, you can share it via a unique URL address, send it to others via e-mail, or embed it. It's a fun way for younger students to practice writing stories while experiencing their story in a 3D pop-up book style.  

Tech Tidbits Triple-Play: Geopedia; Instagrok; tlk.io

For this edition of Tech Tidbits, I'm spotlighting 3 different tech tools that can be implemented into your instruction:  Geopedia; Instagrok; and tlk.io.

Geopedia is a site that combines concept-mapping with Wikipedia.  You can search for a particular location (such as London, UK or Moscow) and pull up the map.  Landmarks and important sites have numbered markers, which, when clicked on, list a 1-paragraph summary from Wikipedia on the right side of the screen.  You can also view the entries in multiple languages in addition to English.  Geopedia enables users to view a physical location of an important site as well as relevant information at the same time. 

Geopedia

Instagrok combines concept mapping with a search engine.  Search for a particular topic and see the results represented as a concept map with multimedia links to relevant websites, images, videos, and more.  Each concept has its own movable dialogue box with tabs for Key Facts, Websites, Videos, Images, Concepts, as well as a place to take notes.  There is a Journal tab where users can take notes on the topic based on the search results, and there is also a bibliography that is provided for each of the search results.  

Instagrok

tlk.io creates a temporary chatroom for users to chat with each other without the need for a log-in or to register for an account.  Simply enter a unique name for the temporary chatroom (For example: tlk.io/techtidbits) and share the unique URL with others for them to join the chat.  Teachers can use this tool in class to have students participate in a backchannel discussion or to communicate with each other if they can't communicate face-to-face. 

tlk.io

Tech Tidbits: WeVideo

For this edition of Tech Tidbits, I wanted to spotlight on WeVideo, an online video editing site that enables you to edit and publish videos from any computer once you have uploaded the video clips and/or pictures you want to use.  It's convenient to use because you don't have to use the same computer or device each time you want to access and edit a project, unlike programs such as Windows Movie Maker or iMovie.  Its platform is easy to manuever and utilize, and you can apply many editing features that aren't available in other video editors.

WeVideo features a main video editing track, as well as an additional video track where you can add text boxes or subtitles.  There are 2 audio tracks that allow you to add more than one music or sound effects track to your video project. There are multiple transitions that you can add between pictures and video clips in your project.  There are 400 music tracks/sound effects that are available for use in the WeVideo editor.  When you have finished your project and are ready to publish the video, the video can be downloaded and can also be shared on Facebook; Twitter; via a unique URL link; or it can be embedded into a website or blog.  

A basic WeVideo account is free and allows you to publish up to 5 minutes of footage per month and up to 1GB of online storage space for media files.  The free account also adds a WeVideo watermark to your video.  To remove the watermark and increase your available publishing time and storage space, you can upgrade to a Flex account or higher.  Upgrading from a basic account also unlocks more editing options.  The terms of use for WeVideo allow users 13 years and older to create an account without supervision from an adult.  It is recommended that students who sign up for a WeVideo account for school purposes do so using their WCPSS-issued e-mail account.

Tech Tidbits: Vialogues.com

I've come across a really cool site that allows your students to post comments or answer questions on videos that you post. The site, Vialogues, enables the user to upload videos they have created; access videos that are already posted on the site; or link to videos from YouTube or Vimeo.  Vialogues allows viewers (in this case, students) to post comments on the video, or respond to questions at certain points in the video.  These Vialogue posts can then be shared via URL link, Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus, as well as through e-mail.  The posts from Vialogue can also be embedded on a teacher's website.  You can also link to the posting in Canvas by creating an active URL link to the posting.

Vialogues can be used as an assignment tool for students to check comprehension when watching videos.  Students can be required to post comments on videos to gauge their participation in online discussion.  Teachers can also post questions for students to answer with multiple-choice, "all answers that apply", and open answer formats.

NCTIES 2016: The Forge Initiative

During the NCTIES 2016 Instructional Technology Conference, I came across students who represented The Forge Initiative, a nonprofit organization designed to empower students K-12 as well as adults to collaborate and explore, learn, and lead through the use of technology.  In the Forge Initiative, students and adults (including families) learn how to engage in critical thinking in order to solve problems involving technology and engineering.  In this video, these students are demonstrating the use of a robotic kit that uses artificial intelligence to listen to a participant's questions and create a response.  

The Forge Initiative is located in Cary, North Carolina, and frequently holds open events encouraging local residents to participate in their brainstorming activities.

Tech Tidbits Video: Nearpod.com

My newest Tech Tidbits video is actually due to a special request made by my aunt, who is a middle school social studies teacher.  She was asking for suggestions for teachers and students for interactive presentation tools, and I thought of Nearpod, but I hadn't made a demonstration video to show to her so she could learn how to use it.  I wouldn't be able to see her in person anytime soon, so I decided to focus on this tool as the subject of my next video.


Nearpod allows you to create interactive presentations, including slides; videos; audio; as well as activities such as open-ended questions, polls, and quizzes. These presentations can be shown directly, or they can be shared with others via e-mail, social media (Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus) so they can participate. When the presentations are shared, a unique "Join Session" PIN is created for others to enter at Nearpod's site (or in the app) so they can participate in the interactive activities.

 

The Silver account (aka the "free account") allows you to use the basic features when creating a Nearpod presentation. However, in order to make full use of all the features that the site has to offer, you will need to upgrade to a Gold, School, or District account.  The features for each type of account are available under the "Pricing" tab on the site's menu.
Nearpod is also available as a free app from the iOS App Store or the Google Play store.