Screenshots, Screencasts, and Animated GIFs

This week,  Maureen Tumenas wrote to the Techy Coach asking what I use to make GIFs and Videos for my Tiny Tutorials.  Over the years, I have found that teachers attending PD training want two things:

• Step by Step Instructions
• Visuals in the form of Screenshots or Animations

Being a visual person myself, I work best when I can see a process, better than if I were just to follow a set of instructions.  With that, I have worked to incorporate both video tutorials and Animated GIFs into my articles and posts.  There are some great tools out there.  In this article, I'll highlight the tools I use most, as well as a few others that are available to get the job done.

SnagIt by TechSmith

• This Chrome Extension from TechSmith is a great tool for grabbing Screenshots or recordings in the Chrome Browser.  You can also create Animated GIF Files from your Video recordings.  While this tool has been handy, it is soon being retired from TechSmith.  While they are retiring it, you can purchase the full version of SnagIt from their website and get more information about the retiring of this extension here.  Personally, I'll be sad to see this one go, as it is a great tool!  But the full version has more bells and whistles and is worth the purchase.

Camtasia by TechSmith

• Camtasia is a full featured tool that allows you to import audio, video, and images into a multi-track editing tool for the creation of studio-quality videos.  I use this for my Tiny Tutorials on YouTube and on the Techy Coach Blog.  This tool costs around $179.00 at the Education Price.  $299.00 for non-Education consumers.  I highly recommend this tool if you can afford it.

Photoshop

• If you have access to Photoshop, you can create Animated GIF files without having to find an alternate program or software. Just open PhotoShop, and follow the instructions in the video below.  This will only work with static images, but if you have screenshots or pics for each step of the process you are trying to provide instructions for, Animated GIFs can be just as handy as a video.  

Screencast - o - Matic

• If you're looking for a FREE tool to create screencasts, this is the one for you.  It works in browser, or you can download a launcher that allows you to record a screencast from your browser with audio.  

More Links for Animation and Video Tools

• Screencast.com - Free online service from TechSmith
• Jing - From TechSmith - captures short recordings or images or video. 

Ya'll Ready for This? Chart Integration for Docs and Slides!

I have been waiting for this for quite some time.  People have asked if it is possible, and I always had to say no.  But not any more.  What is it you might ask?  Didn't you read the title?  It's chart integration for Docs and Slides! 

If you have a chart or graph in Google Sheets, you can easily integrate it into a Google Slides presentation or a Google Doc!  Just go to the Insert Menu and choose Chart > From Sheets.

Need to insert a chart from a Google Sheet into Google Slides?  Its just as easy...

Not only that, but once your chart is in your Doc or Slides presentation, you can jump directly to the Sheet your chart originated from and update it with one click.  Also, you can change your data to update the chart, and reflect changes to your presentation or doc with one click.

I so could have used this just about a month ago when, across our district, 5 different school sites were inputting data regarding a vote on textbook publishers for adoption year into several linked Google Sheets.  All the data was gathered and shown in a graph on Sheets.  We wanted to have a graph that reflected the change in votes as the data came in, but that also showed up in a Slides presentation.  So glad to see this update.

So for all the science teachers out there, you can create a slide presentation with an active Google Sheets graph, linked to data from a student spreadsheet.  As data is collected or input by students, you can update your findings on the screen in real time.  This is great for lab day!

Learnin', Bloggin' and Makin' Videos

Recently, in the discussion board of my Differentiated Instruction class, we talked about different ways to teach students and ways for students to show understanding.  Much of the class focuses on student learning styles and as we talk about our own hangups in terms of learning.  

I run participants in the class through a discussion of what learning styles mean for students.  In doing so, we talk about how not all students are alike.  You will have some who are visual learners, others auditory, and some kinesthetic.  If you follow Gardner's train of thought, it can be more complex than that, but in either case, if you focus solely on an auditory means of teaching (standard lecture), you're going to lose more than half of your audience as your visual learners can't picture what you're saying and your kinesthetic learners - well let's just say they're itching to get out of their seat and out of the room!

To get teachers in the mode of understanding the impact, I have them take a Learning Style Quiz to see where they lie on the spectrum of learning.  Try these for yourself and your class:

• http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz
• http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/w1_interactive1.html
• http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/questions.cfm
• http://www.berghuis.co.nz/abiator/lsi/lsitest2.html
• http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

After they take one or more quizzes to assess their style, I ask teachers to reflect on their own learning (what life was like in high school for them) and how they feel this impacts their teaching style.  As they do so, they start to see how some kids could easily be left behind (no that was not an NCLB reference) in the process of presenting content.  This quickly gets us onto the discussion of student work.  We discuss the use of  video content to present work in new ways that allow a bit of auditory and visual content. By creating your own content on video, you can flip your classroom and save time for other tasks such as projects and labs.  Take it one step further and get your kids to create content of their own -  a kinesthetic learners paradise!

Try these free and cheap tools to start creating your own content:

• Screecast-o-matic - http://screencast-o-matic.com/ - record anything on your computer screen, with audio, and save to YouTube or as an MP4 file to your desktop.
• Logitech Headset with Microhone - http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-981-000214-Stereo-Headset-H110/dp/B003H4QPJQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422574510&sr=8-2&keywords=logitech+headphone+with+mic - This headset is pretty cheap ($10) and works very well.  I have used it to record YouTube videos for Professional development.
• YouTube Editor - https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/183851?hl=en - If you want to get fancy with your videos, and create professional looking videos, try this editor.  Its free.
• Ideas to Bring iPods into the Classroom - http://edreach.us/2011/11/15/5-opportunities-to-get-ipods-ipads-into-your-classroom/ - If you're finding it difficult to get technology into your room, try this suggestions for bringing iPods into the classroom.  It never hurts to ask parents (PTA) for donated technology, to increase accessibility.

In order to know that your students understand what is being taught, you need to assess them.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of a simple Multiple Choice test that can be auto-scored by a  computer, but let's face it - to gauge true understanding, kids need to show us.  So why not lend them a hand and let them collaborate!  Use the tools above to help them in creating content to show understanding.  Use a Rubric to grade the process.  

But sometimes, regardless of how content is presented, some students never understand on their own.  IF they stay within their silos, they soon become frustrated.  This is why collaboration is so important.   Collaboration is key in assisting with understanding, but also fostering creativity and generating new ideas.  By placing students into groups and stations, you can create an atmosphere that allows for true collaboration.  

• Group work and stations - Get students to work toward assessing content, checking for mistakes, applying understanding by creating their own journals - but have them do it in groups that rotate through stations.  As students move through each station, they can work as a group to comment and correct material at each station.    When they move through stations as a group, they not only benefit from the work of their own group, but the ones who have rotated through the station before them, as they begin to dissect comments and corrections made by others.  

If you don't have the time, but you have the technology, have your students work in collaboration outside of the classroom in a Discussion Forum.  Discussion Forums are great for vetting new ideas, Q&A sessions, help with homework, or just simple project collaboration.  Here are a few resources to help you get started:

Discussion Boards:

• Today's Meet - https://todaysmeet.com/ - If you'd like a simple backchannel style discussion thread that students can interact with in realtime, Today's Meet is a great free option.  You can setup a web link for them to access, and you can choose how long you want it to stay open.  You also have the ability to download a copy of the discussion to print.  
• Piazza - https://piazza.com/ - Great for Q&A style discussion between instructor and students.
• Google Classroom - Must be a Google Apps for Education district to use this http://www.alicekeeler.com/teachertech/2014/09/07/20-things-you-can-do-with-google-classroom/ - Use this tool to do a whole host of things, including the ability to comment and post questions.
• Google Docs as a Discussion Tool - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn6ZQB6fuQM - Google Drive/Docs is a free tool, so why not use a Google Doc as a discussion tool.  Watch this video to learn tips!

Finally, there is no greater way to get kids to show understanding than writing.  Blogs can help.  If you want to call it journaling, you can call it that too, but in either case, the very act of writing gets students to hash out their ideas and thoughts.  Assign students activities that they have to blog about.  One great way to do this is to have kids create technical instructions.  Give them the task of explaining a concept such as math or scientific procedure in such a way that their English teacher can understand it - and do it on a blog or discussion forum.  This idea came from a workshop on literacy integration in our school.  Wonderful idea!

Blogs:

• WordPress - https://wordpress.com/ - Wordpress is a wonderful free tool to use to get your students into blogging.  There's also an app for it for iPad users.
• Blogger - https://www.blogger.com - If you have a Google Account, you already have access to a free Blogging Tool.  Use Blogger!
• Tips on creating Blog Content with Students - http://www.teachingquality.org/content/blogs/bill-ferriter/three-tips-classroom-blogging-projects

What does all of this have to do with learning styles?  That's where we started, right!  Well, as a kid, one of the things I always hated was taking tests.  And creating dioramas - don't even get me started.  I was the type of kid that would blow it on a test, but I could always write a great essay (that may not always be evident here).  I hated making dioramas or cell projects in science, but I could make a mean poster!  A student's learning style has a great deal to do with their strengths.  Some kids are very musical/rhythmic, so why not allow them to show understanding by writing a poem, song, or dance.  Others are very visual, so whay not allow them to use that to create visuals that teach others through use of a cartoon.  

Allowing students to play to their strengths seems very simple, but many teachers don't want the complexity of grading  a hundred different projects.  My answer is to go back to rubrics.  Design a simple rubric around the concepts/standards you want students to focus on in the lesson.  Then use those key points to grade their project - not on creativity or pieces such as number of slides in a powerpoint, but their ability to relay content in such a way that others can understand it!  

So what if you receive a myriad of different projects, in all sorts of media formats! Allowing students to use their creativity means they will have more fun with it and possibly learn something in the process.  Think about this - what are your most memorable projects from school?  Were they the ones that allowed you more freedom to create in your own way, or were they the ones that forced you to do the same thing everyone else did?  

Now go with that thought and teach your kids!

No boundaries: Using iPads to reach English Language Learners

Tis afternoon I attended a session by Lisa Estrada, Program Coordinator, and Heather Parris-Fitzpatrick, Program Specialist with Nassau, BOCES. The discussion focused on the use of iPads for ESL students.

http://esltechies.com

Essential questions:

--How can educational apps strengthen and support critical thinking?
--How can digital media remove boundaries and promote achievement for ELLs?
--How can distance learning expand horizons for All students?

To answer these questions, the presenters stress their love of the iPad because it provides multimedia support, accessibility, portability, multiple modalities for learning, and that the device addresses all language skills.

iBooks was a key component of their program as they feel that it promotes critical thinking through its features:

Bookmarking
Highlighting
Note-taking
Dictionary
Search
Google and Wikipedia access

For designing curriculum for ELL and ESL students, presenters suggested resources which can be found in iTunes U. This iPad/iPod/iPhone resource provides a wealth of ESL/ELL material in the form of podcasts and vodcasts which can be downloaded as full courseware for free.




The focus of the session focused heavily on iBooks, but I must point out what some of the attendees brought up. The accessibility features of the keyboard allow users to type in their native language. As well, the standard keyboard will allow you to add special characters to your documents by pressing and holding any letter




The presenters also pointed out that critical thinking can be enhanced through use of apps such as:

ebook readers
Graphic organizers
Translators
Test prep
Subject specific apps

A list of suggestions is found on their site: http://esltechies.com


They also are big fans of one of my favorite apps, Explain Everything!.

Tis app can be used to record audio, screenshots, and screencasts along with notes, edits, and graphics. Once your video explanation is complete, it can be uploaded to the web for student viewing. This app is one of my favorites (said that already) and one I'll be covering in our Flipping the Classroom class in July!





Other apps they recommend include:

Notability - allows students to take finger written notes, or audio notes.

Photo card - allows students to write on a photo. Great for creating postcards, or even flash cards.

iTranslate - free app.

Polycom- app that allows you to connect from iPad to anyone with polycom video conferencing system.

Popplet- good For creating concept maps and charts.

For more information and tips on teaching ESL/ELL students using technology, visit http://ESLTechies.com




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:ISTE 2012, San Diego

More Tips for Flipping the Classroom

This morning as we continued to discuss Flipping the Classroom, a fellow teacher and I shared ideas on making the transition to the Flipped Classroom a little easier. As students probably love the idea of watching instructional videos for homework, over the standard drill and practice of working problems and answer questions on a worksheet, there will still be those who may need some period of adjustment. With that, here are a few tips on making that transition.

Breaking the instructional videos into small enough chunks so that they can digest the information helps quite a bit with attention span. You have to remember that they will be doing this on their phone, or home computer. With that, there will be distractions. As you develop your videos, you might spend about 10 minutes of instruction on new material followed by examples and real world applications. Videos should be anywhere from 15-30 minutes. After that, it becomes too much for them to consume in one setting. The next day, follow up with hands-on practice activities.

One problem you may encounter is that there will be a few holdouts during the first week that will not remember to go home and view your videos. To prevent this, spend the first two days showing them where the videos are on the web possibly viewing the first one in class to reinforce that this is their homework. Then keep the following in mind:

• Try to minimize their excuses by making the material easy to retrieve (no difficult logins, web addresses, etc...).
• For students that have a phone (android or iphone), show them how to make an icon on their device that links them directly to your website. This keeps them from making excuses if its right on their phone.
• After the video, give them a preview of what they will cover in class the next day - linking the video with the in-class assignment.

Happy Flipping!

Integrating Technology into the Curriculum

Teachers often find difficulty in integrating new technology into the classroom.  When it comes to finding activities to supplement learning and employ the use of technology, we are often limited by the information given to us by the manufacturer or the textbook publisher.  This video serves as a reminder that when teaching math and science concepts to students, the more meaningful the task, the better.  I thought I would share it with you so you could see how real world data can be gathered and used to create cross-curricular projects.



From http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration