Sharing iPad Videos Using Dropbox

Many teachers are looking to share the videos we've created on our iPads, and most of the time we try emailing out the video, only to find ourselves stuck when they don't go through. So, here's an easy option: upload your video to Dropbox using their app and share out the video's link.

By putting your video into Dropbox you can now email a link to a few people, like families or a student who missed the science experiment, or you can post the link to your class webpage. 

Reading Apps for the iPad

Just this morning I had a teacher tell me that a parent asked about reading apps for his child, so she, in turn, asked me my thoughts. Here is how I responded:

That's a very broad question! If they asked me--and now since you are asking me--I would have responded by asking the question “What do you mean by a ‘reading app’?”. There are literally over 750,000 apps, so we need some parameters for a worthwhile search.

1. “I want an app that teaches my child to read.” There are apps that claim to do they teach reading, like abc PocketPhonics, but the best way to teach a child to read is through one on one contact. This begins with a parent reading copious amounts to the child, then having the child begin reading to the parent. The iPad serves best as either a consumption tool (the user is passively taking in information, as we do when we watch television) or as a creative tool (the user is creating new content). It doesn’t work well as a teaching tool, which is why iPads will never replace teachers! Yes, it is possible to find videos online via YouTube, Vimeo, and other sites that teach certain topics like history or proper car maintenance, but reading is a very unique skill and cannot be learning through videos without the guidance of an experienced reader. That said, I don’t believe there are any apps that actually teach reading. (I’ll put away my soapbox now.)
2. “I want my child to read greater quantities.” You probably want a basic digital reader, like the iBooks, NOOK, or Kindle apps. These apps let you search a large online bookstore and download books to your iPad. The Overdrive app will allow you check out digital books and audio books from the library and store them temporarily on your iPad.
3. “I would like for my child to develop a love for reading.” 
1. For kids to develop a love for anything--whether reading, math, science, sports, boating, dance, etc.--they need to create a connection with it and there is a free app I ran across for parents that provides them with many ideas to enhance that love. The app is entitled Reading For Kids: 100 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read. Hard to argue with a title like that!
2. One of the greatest features of the iPad is its ability to add an element of interactivity to content that is traditionally flat, such as books and text. Therefore, begin by doing a search for interactive book iPad. You’ll find many options, so you may decide to add some terms to refine that search. Try adding the terms elementary or children to your search if you’re not finding what you’re looking for. On a quick Google search I found a few possible websites to consider:
1. http://ipadexperiment.wordpress.com/top-10-interactive-books/  This is a list of ten books that include some level of interaction. Some of the books may be beyond students’ heads, so you’d obviously need to choose books on their level.
2. http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-20002462-243.html  CNET is a great source for finding all kinds of technology news, whether reading reviews on televisions or cell phones to hearing about several great children’s books!
3. http://interactbooks.com/  I haven’t heard anything about this company or its app, but a casual scan looks very interesting.
4. http://www.bestinteractiveebooks.com/  You can’t beat a website with a name like this! This looks to be a regularly updated list of newly released books (or eBooks, meaning “electronic books”).

Embedding a Google Earth Viewer into Google Sites

Interested in putting a Google Earth presentation into your Google Site? Using a gadget will allow you to embed your Google Earth file into a viewable window. 


This is a presentation I created from the book P is for Palmetto, by Carol Crane. All of the text within the presentation is the work of Ms. Crane.


Here's how I did it:

1. Create your KMZ file and save it to a server or somewhere like Dropbox. Saving it to Google Docs / Google Drive does not preserve the .kmz extension at the end of the file. You'll need to have that .kmz extension to make this work. 
2. Go to the Google Site page where you'll want your gadget to appear.
3. Click on the Edit button. Select Insert from the menu toolbar and select "More gadgets" from the bottom of the left-hand column. Then, select "Add gadget by URL" from the left-hand side of the box.
4. Paste in the URL http://dl.google.com/developers/maps/embedkmlgadget.xml. (Make sure there is only one "http://" at the beginning of the URL.) Click Add.
5. In the box reserved for "KML or My Maps URL" enter the address where your KMZ file is located. (I stored my KMZ file in Dropbox and this didn't work quite right. I had to go back to Dropbox, click on the "Get Link" button and go to the page that appeared. In the center of the page, right-click or Control-click on the Download button. Select the option "Copy Link Address." Paste this into the box reserved for "KML or My Maps URL.")
6. Make any changes you prefer and click OK.

You should be good to go after that. I've noticed that some of the pictures I've added to my KMZ file have not loaded properly, but most are loading perfectly. 

Here are two helpful sites:

1. http://www.google.com/earth/outreach/tutorials/kmlembed.html
2. http://www.steegle.com/websites/google-sites-howtos/embed-google-map

Good luck!

Connecting Google Docs and Evernote

At my school we are currently in the planning stages of implementing an ePortfolio initiative with our 7th graders for next year. This will be done in conjunction with a 1:1 iPad program, which will allow students to create work and move it onto the web so they can share their work with their teachers and even use it for student-led conferences. (As a side note, student-led conferences are one of the greatest ideas I've encountered in schools! Essentially students are responsible for exhibiting samples of their work for their parents and describing their plans for moving forward.) We are currently using Google Apps for Education as our primary means of sharing documents, and students have become very competent in accessing and sharing their work with their peers and teachers. However, we have decided to utilize Evernote for building their ePortfolios because Google Docs is very clunky when working with it on the iPad (what's the deal, Google?) and Evernote has a powerful mobile app that will help streamline the process. Evernote possesses many other great aspects, but that's another post.

Because we're using Google Docs one of the stumbling points was How does or how can Evernote work with Google Docs? We want to continue using Google Docs, especially in the computer labs, but we are aware the two don't play well with each other on the iPad. So, I came up with some (hopefully) simple steps for sharing your Google Docs with Evernote.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B8EcUpiFwfj1RXBjcF9rLUdCUVU

Good luck!

Create a Podcast Project (Full Lesson Plan)

http://wordcastnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/podcast.png

With the onset of spring, many teachers are having their students complete research assignments, which usually include some sort of presentation, whether a Keynote, PowerPoint, or a Prezi. Allow me to propose an alternative: podcasting. Officially, podcasts are audio recordings posted on the Internet that people can subscribe to, meaning they'll automatically receive each new recording that is posted. Less technically, a podcast is simply an audio recording that is shared with other people. It is a fantastic way for people to share their learning or provide information with others in a way that is engaging for both the creator and the listener!

Benefits of Podcasting

Depending on the expectations of the project, students will learn

1. How to conduct proper academic research
2. How to cite their sources
3. The importance of organizing their thoughts in order to provide a clearly understood argument
4. Presentation skills
5. How to work effectively within a group to achieve a common purpose
6. Group management skills
7. Several technology programs and processes that they may see later in their education and careers

Project Guides / Cheat Sheets

An in-depth research project, such as creating a podcast, has many moving parts, which can tend to disorient students as they are inundated with dates, figures, and facts. It helps to have a clear guide that directs students through the process in order to keep them focused and on track. To help with this I've created a step-by-step guide for teachers and students as they go along.

Microsoft Word format: http://db.tt/XMTU2WFC
Apple Pages format: http://db.tt/umqBqBMT

Edit these documents (especially the areas with the yellow highlights) to apply to your class and your expectations.

Note: You'll notice that the directions utilize Apple's GarageBand application, but for Windows users try Windows Movie Maker, Audacity, or SoundCloud.com.


Have fun podcasting!

Creating a Template in Pages '09

Which tablet is right for me?

At my school we are beginning to demo a class set of iPads, 20 iPads intended for student use. After a recent introduction one teacher asked me about the difference between the iPad and some other tablets, like Amazon's new Kindle Fire or any of the NOOK eReaders. Each tablet seems similar enough, yet which one is better? Some are more expensive than others, so what do I need to just get the job done?

I kindly told her that she was asking the wrong question. In a classroom setting, you want to ask the question, How do I plan to use my tablet? The answer to that question will determine which brand you choose and which model. Whether you're planning to use a tablet for personal use, in the classroom, or for any other purpose, you have to know what the intention is. Just as you use a hammer and a screwdriver for different tasks, each individual tablet will benefit each audience differently.

So, let's sift through the options without getting bogged down by the technical aspects of each.

What's a tablet and an eReader? I thought we were talking about iPads!

I suppose the first question to answer is this one. First, "tablet" is the generic term for iPads, Kindles, NOOKs, the Motorola Xoom, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and the rest. Because of the prevalence of the iPad, all of these products have become known as iPads. It's just like a Xerox machine. Xerox is a specific company, whereas the common and generic product name is a copy machine. So, Xerox is to a copy machine as iPad is to a tablet.

A tablet is a computer that has been slimmed down so it fits into a smaller container, yet allows you to do simple tasks. It fits in the void between smartphones and computers. The idea is that there are tasks you don't need a computer to do, like surfing the Internet or sending an email, and those are the things you'd do on a tablet. They are more mobile than a computer, but more robust than a smartphone.

Within the large collection of tablets exists a smaller group of text-only devices. These devices, which are designed for reading text without the ability to surf the Internet, are known as eReaders. The earliest versions of the NOOK and Kindle are eReaders. They may provide access to the Internet to purchase additional titles from a bookseller, but their primary purpose is to display text.

$ v. $$$

Money always raises the questions of "Why should I pay a lot of money when I can get the same product for less?" and "Why is one company charging so much more than the others?"  These questions usually stem from the price difference between the iPad, which is roughly $500, and its competitors, the Kindle Fire at $200 and a NOOK, which can duck under $100. The simple answer is that when you pay more for a device, you are paying for a higher quality machine and one that will--or should--provide you with greater capabilities. According to iSuppli, it costs $259.60 to build an iPad (source) and $326 to build an iPad 2 (source). On the other hand, iSuppli declares Amazon's Kindle Fire can be built for $201.70 (source).

The reason you're paying so much more for the iPad is that it is a much higher quality machine, one that is more powerful and is made with more reliable parts of a better grade than its competitors. The iPad's inner parts make it a superior product in terms of power, speed, reliability, and capability. As the numbers show, Apple is using superior parts to build their iPads, which helps consumers feel more confident using an iPad while providing the Kindle Fire with only lackluster reviews.

Text Only v. Text and Pictures

Again, the question we must keep in our minds is "How do I plan to use my tablet?" In regards to this particular aspect, are you looking for device that will allow you to read text-only documents, as you would do with a traditional book, or would you like to view magazines and websites that include photos? If you are only wanting to read traditional text, an inexpensive eReader, such as a NOOK Simple Touch, which sells for less than $100, may be the way to go. However, if you're looking to jump online and catch up on how your fantasy football league is performing, you're going to need something a little more substantial.

WiFi v. 3G

This is a question of how your tablet connects to the Internet and it is one of the first determinants of price.  All tablets are equipped to connect wirelessly to the Internet via WiFi, but not all tablets are designed to connect using a 3G service.  While WiFi is standard, 3G is an add-on that requires you to purchase an additional service from a cellular company, like AT&T or Verizon.

Question to ask yourself: How important is it for me to take my tablet anywhere and access the Internet?

Many shops and restaurants are beginning to offer free WiFi service, which means you could take your tablet into the shop and access the Internet. If you plan to use your tablet primarily at home or in a coffee shop you should be okay with the baseline tablets. However, if you plan to use your tablet in the car on long trips or in locations that will not have WiFi service, you may want to consider going with the 3G option. If the tablet is going to be used within your school, and your school is equipped with wireless Internet, you don't need the 3G service.

16GB v. 32GB

These numbers refer to the amount of memory in your tablet, so the bigger the number the more information your tablet can hold.

Question to ask yourself: What will I put on my tablet? 

Tablets allow you to keep all kinds of things in one place. You can put music, pictures, movies and TV shows, games, and programs on a tablet and access them at any time. However, each program consumes a certain amount of space, which will require you to figure out what you want to put on your tablet. If you don't plan on keeping your photos or movies on your tablet you can get away with using a tablet with a smaller amount of memory.

• Movies: Movies require huge amounts of memory, so if that is a "must have", you'll need a tablet with a lot of memory. Movies consume roughly 1GB. "So, roughly, I can put 16 movies on my tablet?" Yes. But, don't forget that you're going to have many other things on your tablet, not just movies. Those other programs and apps will also require memory, so you need to consider everything else you'll be using. If you're hoping to put movies on it for your kids while on long trips, you'll want more memory.
• Songs: Each song uses a different amount of memory, but a safe assumption is that 1GB will hold about 160 songs. Got 1000 songs you're planning on putting on your tablet? You'll need 6GB of memory. 
• Pictures: Just as songs consume different amounts of memory, the same can be said for photos. High quality photos will obviously require more space and you can plan on 1GB of memory holding about 370 high quality photos.

Final Summation

If you're looking to purchase a tablet for yourself or your classroom, the baseline question to consider is this: How do I plan to use my tablet? This question will guide much of your decision. However, spend some time working and familiarizing yourself with a variety of tablets. Since these are expensive purchases, you want to feel confident that you are getting exactly what you're wanting. Just as you wouldn't buy a car without taking it for a test drive, make sure you know what you're getting before you fork over such a large sum of money! Happy searching!