SRI&ETTC

You can find the class ibooks in itunes U The cover of the Digestive System ibook For an example of cross-curricular learning of biology and language arts as well as technology integration and 21 st Century Skills, we recently found a third grade class from Charlotte-Mecklenbug schools that used ibooks to create publications on the major human body systems.   Students researched in small groups, pooled their findings, and then created their pages for the ibook that was published on itunes University.   There are engaging voiceovers, videos and fun facts embedded in the book, as well as some original student artwork. The books can actually be opened other apps, such a Kobo, or uploaded to your notebooks, folders, drives and libraries in Evernote, Dropbox, Google drive and edmodo for sharing.   We were able to view the published book in the itunes University app and in Kobo.    The teacher, Mrs. Gallo, includes her lesson plan.   The link...

Drag or select the files you want to merge Select multiple pdfs you want to merge.   If you do not have access to Adobe Acrobat Pro, and your students need to merge pdf files into one pdf, there are some free web tools available to complete this function such as PDF MERGY  .  Simply put, you select the files using drag and drop from your computer and initiate the merge.  It will put the documents in the order you placed them and upload the file to an unencrypted remote server for a brief time.  You can even use documents from Google Drive and Dropbox. Then you save the merged document to your computer or     Google Drive.  The order of the documents in the merged file will match the order you see on the screen.   Do not use with confidential files, even though they delete the files almost immediately, it is not secure to upload sensitive or classified information. The site is still in bet...

FastFig is a Mathematics Word Processor that eliminates the need for pencil and and paper in math physics and engineering.  It is browser based and has a problem-solving workflow that s easy to use, as simple as a word processor unlike some of the more complicated solutions on the market.  Students can type and solve problems, and FastFig can tell what is text and what is mathematics. When students make mistakes, they can go back and fix them and the workflow will adjust and update automatically. It handles basic math through Calculus and beyond. The ability to share work makes it easier to send work to teachers and collaborate with classmates. Classroom uses include demonstrating solving problems and correct syntax on interactive whiteboards or projectors. Backwards teaching is possible using this site by typing in a problem and allowing FastFig to solve it. Then, as as class you can explore the steps required to solve the problem. Students at home doing hom...

It is not keyboarding practice the way we learned as 6th graders, Drop Typing appeals to the Minecraft generation. In fact it was created by Markus Persson, the original Minecraft guru. This addictive touch typing game is full of optical illusions and music. It does require the unity web player download, but it runs on Mac OS, Windows and Linux. As you type, the blinking letters drop off the screen., but if you hit the wrong key the game speeds up and stops completely if you are typing too slow. Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.

Many thanks to Glenn Hervieux, Technology Coordinator for Siskiyou Union HSD, for this share in Diigo: Use this helpful Common Craft Video to explain to students how they can protect their digital identities. The simple explanation and helpful visuals teach the risks every time students post online to any service.

While sharing collaborative documents in Google Drive, you might notice the faces of your collaborators up in the top right-hand corner.  When you mouseover their faces, their profile will appear and you can easily add them to your circles in Google+ without having to leave your document. The visual display also includes the chat feature, which is represented as  speech bubble, and once clicked upon, immediately opens the chat window.  These two simple changes permit us to communicate easier. There are more changes coming in the next few days and we will keep you posted as we  hear about them.

Use this video as a hook in a lesson on Figurative Language.  After reviewing the video as a class, and discussing figurative language, allow students to examine their own favorite songs (School appropriate) to identify literary elements to share with the class.