Eye protection is of paramount importance in NerfTech. It is the biggest potential for injury while using a Nerf Blaster. This potential for injury can be prevented completely by using proper eye protection. Last year we realized how difficult it can be to find child size safety glasses. We are happy to offer an option of high-quality impact resistant child size safety glasses this year. These are available for purchase for the price of $6.

We will have them on the first day of each camp. There are a variety of colours, and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

If your child already has proper eyewear, please remind him/her to bring it and have it labelled with their full name.

Also, we have a few Nerf Proton blasters, and will have approximately eight to sell if your child does not have a Vortex blaster yet. These are available for $12 (currently $14.99 at Superstore and London Drugs). These are also first-come, first-served.

Both items will be made available beginning June 24th at 8:45AM in the RCS Elementary foyer.

Reminder that camp members do not need to bring any discs to camp.

I wanted to remind you of what a powerful app Apple’s Numbers ($9.99) can be, especially in terms of calculating all the marks we give our students.

As soon as you set up your calculations, simply plug in all your marks and they will be synched across all your devices. Since I am a traveling teacher without a classroom, carrying an iPad with me allows me to bring all of my marks within one file. I have all fourteen classes tabbed in one numbers file. I can find the class averages of tests that I give, easily see which assignments and tests are missing, and give students their marks all on my iPad and iPhone.

Since a lot of my colleagues at my school are using iPads, I have introduced Numbers to them, and they seem to be using it quite successfully. Some have even gone so far as to transfer their Microsoft Excel files (along with all the formulas used to calculate and tally grades) exclusively to Numbers. I recommend you read this post and also this post if you are not too familiar with Numbers.

For each student, I give two comments from a pre-made comment bank (done on a PC program called Silhouette). I have my comments approved by my administrator, and then I assign two appropriate comments for each of my over three hundred and fifty students. Using Numbers, I can do this anywhere I want; I am not tied to a desktop PC. I found myself inputting comments in the dark using two devices while putting my daughter to sleep. I was able to continue and do some at home and some at work as well. The beauty of iWork is that I know that the numbers will be synced wherever I am.

A small word of warning though. If, like me, you have many devices, I recommend not having the same document open on more than one device. Yesterday, I had my MacBook Pro and iPad running the same document. and iCloud was having a difficult time syncing, since I was trying to edit on both. Your devices will ask you to “Resolve conflict” by choosing which file to save. Stick with one at a time.

Also, it is not a bad idea, once you have a lot of data inputted, to do a backup of your iWork files. All you have to do is email yourself the document. That way, if anything goes wrong with iCloud, you will still have a recent copy and won’t have to restart!

Have you found a different and effective way of using iOS in your marking? Please let us know in the comments!

Here are some of the props and scenery from the complete version:

Here’s a video made by my colleague Sylvia Duckworth (@sylviaduckworth – Follow her!) showing the ability to use multiple backgrounds:

Complete versus Free version

• Here are some of the advantages of having the complete version (iTunes link: $3.99USD):
• 90 second recordings instead of 30 seconds
• Ability to import your own backgrounds (The possibilities are endless using your own photos + images from the web!)
• Save your videos to Camera Roll
• No more ads

Conclusion (with features of the complete version):

This app is a great and imaginative app for all young learners. Students will be able to work in small groups to plan a story in order to create a short play for their teachers and classmates to enjoy. Using different characters, voice enunciation, and various expressions, students can even create videos on their own. Voices are automatically altered to simulate cartoonish characters. Create specific voice qualities for each of the puppets (low, medium or high). Sharing the creations could not be easier. Save your creations to Camera Roll, upload to YouTube (great for sharing to parents!). In settings, you can even adjust export quality and video size to suit your needs. Once saved in Camera Roll, students can even import them into iMovie to further add other effects, titles etc. I love how you can move and resize the puppets as you record. It results in a more realistic depiction of the storyline. Changing backgrounds between scenes is also possible. For $3.99, the complete version is totally worth it.

Promo Codes for the Complete Version ($3.99USD) of Sock Puppets!

As usual, I do have free promo codes to give out. Here is how to receive one:

If you have Twitter:

Tweet out this (or ANY) of teachingwithipad blogposts by using the Share button at the bottom of each post. Please include the hashtags #ipaded and #ipadchat. Share as many as you can/want. Promo codes tend to have an expiration date. If you are chosen, please remember to redeem it immediately.

If you don’t have Twitter:

Simply leave a comment below on how you could benefit from the complete version of this app.

I will contact winners directly through email. If you receive an email, please reply back and let me know if it worked.

“The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them.” –http://www.corestandards.org

The Common Core Standards

If you are a teacher from the US, you will no doubt be familiar with the Common Core State Standards. I have been introduced to this great lesson planning app which focuses heavily to these standards. Here in British Columbia, Canada where I teach, learning standards will be found in the BC Prescribed Learning Outcomes.

Check out this video which will show the main features of the app:

Here is a snippet from the developer, Thomas Story, a teacher of over eleven years himself:

The Common Core Lesson Planner is must-have app for teachers who want to fully utilize their iPad into their daily teaching routine. The Common Core Lesson Planner was created by a teacher for teachers to help make planning and assessing with the Common Core Standards more effective and efficient.

Features that have been developed are new ways for educators:

-view the Common Core standards they have taught and how often they have taught them throughout the year,

-to quickly score standards while being mobile in the classroom with tablet in hand

-to overall bring Education to a new level using better functional and accountable teaching practices.

Your Daily Lesson Plans At Your Fingertips

Never again try to filter through chicken scratch hand writing or write super small to fit in your lesson content into the tiny boxes. Type or speak your lesson (speaking is Droid only, with plans to add to iPad in the near future) plans into the application, and carry them around your classroom with ease on your iPad or Droid tablet.

One Touch Standards Based Grading

After selecting your standards for the day that you are teaching, select the Assess button. Type in the details of your assessment. .i.e. .. “Students will read 10 multi-syllable words.” Then walk around the room and quickly assess students by touching Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue for Minimal, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Stars next to the standard show a class average of that assessment.

View Students Progress Per Standard

When it comes to report card time, nothing is worse than to spend hours sorting through scores and proficiency levels that were taught during the quarter. The CCLP app makes it easy to view every student and how well they have done on each standard over the last 10 assessments. Report cards will never be quicker.

The Standards and Standard Count In Plain View

Have you ever wondered if you have hit a Common Core State Standard enough times? Utilize the “Standards” tab to view the standards of the grade levels you teach as well as scan how many times you have put the standard into your lesson plans throughout the year.

Paper or PDF?

Sometimes you need to print plans for a substitute, or for a back folder. The CCLP App allows you to put in any email, select the week, and send/share a PDF of your weekly plans. Your plans will display the days of the week, the classes you teach, your lesson objective, lesson content, and the standards in a very readable format.

Lesson plans are easy to type-in, clearly laid out and saved for future reference:

Here is a sample screenshot of the common core standards for Grade 5 reading:

 

Further Reading:

Check out the comprehensive website for this app here, with much more information.

Read more about the Core State Standards Initiative here.

Conclusion:

This app is a must-have for teachers who wish to correlate the Common Core standards with lesson planning on the iPad. Set up of classes is easy. The learning curve is steep, but that is normal for an app with such great features. As soon as your classes are set up for the year, it is smooth sailing from there, and you will be able to quickly access, assess, and review the standards assigned to each grade. What I love about the Common Care Lesson Planner App ($4.99USD) is the PDF and print function for those who like to still keep paper records of plans. Your search for a great lesson planning app is over. I also appreciate that this app is developed FOR teachers BY an actual teacher, not some developer who has never taught in the classroom. Give this app a shot now.

Promo Codes

Thomas has graciously offered, on a first come, first served basis, promo codes for those interested in this app. Check out this link to enter your information to get on the list.

Five Benefits of iPads for Education

Modern technology has definitely helped with the way teachers and students can interact. The Internet has made it possible for students to earn a college degree through online instruction. The latest technology in the past three years, the iPad, has virtually changed the face of education. The Apple App store alone has thousands upon thousands of apps designed for education, making it easy for students as well as teachers to find material and content for any area or level of learning. The iPad provides a more diverse method of instruction and helps to engage students ranging from kindergarten to college.

The following are five benefits of using iPads for education:

Compatibility

An iPad is completely compatible with the learning platforms for online teaching as well as integrates easily into the typical classroom. There is a vast array of instructional software being developed on a regular basis, which provides both the students and teachers a more modern, yet comfortable setting.

Cost-Effective

The iPad tablet integrate with other forms of IT, such a cloud based system, making it easier and more cost effective for students to complete their work on or off campus. Using a tablet means schools will save money that would otherwise be spent for power to operate massive computer systems and in many situations the school may longer need expensive, power hungry computers.

Environmentally Friendly

Using an iPad for the majority educational courses will save the use of massive amounts of paper and ultimately be safer for the environment. Tests and homework assignments can be used digitally as opposed to on paper. Eliminating paper is also a cost effective measure for the educational department.

Healthier and Safer

Studies have shown that kids experience severe back problems due to the weight of their backpacks. An iPad is significantly lighter, therefore safer for students. The majority of lessons, research and assignment submission can be completed simply through the tablet, without the use of heavy textbooks or laptops.

Interaction

An iPad allows students and teachers to create and share content with others. The iPad provides the same modern technology as a computer, including social networking sites, communication among students and educations and it is easy to access information sites such as online journals or wiki sites. Students can instantly email or message their instructor when they are facing a challenge in their assignments and in most situations the instruction can provide a solution, face to face without having to wait till the next school day.

Educational institutions are continuously searching for ways to cut the budget, reduce expenses, yet provide a quality education for their students. Modern technology has greatly increased the educational options, especially for those who without online courses would not have had the opportunity for higher education. The number of advantages to using iPads in and out of a classroom or even as the classroom, including environmental, monetary and interactive benefits greatly outweighs the disadvantages.

Rene Williams is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to DegreeJungle. She suggests you visit the website to learn more information about education by way of iPads as well as the best online schools.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts. Can you think of any other benefits not mentioned here?

If you are a regular reader of teachingwithipad.org, you will know that I rely heavily on cloud storage everyday. Cloud storage is here to stay, and is becoming a integral part of backups and file sharing. Dropbox has been a lifesaver for me for the past four years.

I have spoken with several people who feel that the 2GB that Dropbox offers is not enough. Yes there are ways to use referral to increase your space, but with video and photos it simply is not enough to create a safe online backup of your files.

I wanted to let you know about a brand new cloud service called COPY.COM. Copy is the “easiest way to store, protect, and share” your files.

Use this link to receive an extra 5GB, starting you off with 20GB immediately! (I will also receive 5GB, too). You will need to enter and verify your email, and then install one of the clients: Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android). Then, earn 5GB extra for each friend you recommend to COPY. The generous storage bonuses are for a limited time only.

Get another 2GB free off the bat by agreeing to tweet for the company.

The Mac version looks as follows. Uploading files to specific folders is seamless and quick. Drag folders from your computer and drop them directly onto your browser. File uploads were incredibly fast.

You can also choose to download the Desktop app to enjoy syncing your files directly and immediately onto your computer.

With preferences, you can choose which folders get synced. Note that this is an optional feature.

The Copy iOS app looks promising too. Here is a screenshot of my settings:

The app will also separate Recently Modified files into categories.

So from playing around with the iOS and Desktop versions of COPY, I am pleased with the experience. I will likely keep my work files in Dropbox, but use COPY to back up personal files. Give it a shot today and let me know what you think in the comments!

Check out this official video to learn even more about Copy:

The trend in the past year of iPad usage is slowly moving towards using the iPad as a creation device, as opposed to just a consumption device. More and more people I know are creating great material with iPads. Outside of the education spectrum, however, I still know a lot of people who just use their iPads for surfing websites, checking email, and playing games. I bumped into an old friend that I had not seen in years, and noticed he had the latest Blackberry smartphone, the z10. I asked him how he liked it, and how it compared to an iPhone. He told me that he also had an iPhone and an iPad, but that he only does “real work” on his Blackberry. The stigma is still there. Will it be there another year from now?

This is a screenshot of the content-creation apps folder for our class set of iPads. As a staff, we had a chance to discover with some of these apps and what they could do. In just ten minutes, groups were able to create short examples presentations using these apps. They then had a chance to share how they could use that app in their classrooms.

Our goal as iPad teachers is to rely less on content-specific apps and further our knowledge in using creation apps to make valuable lessons for our students.

Have you used many of these apps? Do you have more content creation apps that you could suggest? Are there any apps that you use to create great material that you want to share? Please let us know in the comments!

Further reading:

• iPads – Creation vs Consumption
• List of Content Creation Apps

“Our mission is to achieve a paperless classroom. With Markup, teachers can grade assignments on the iPad.”

From the developers of the remarkably popular ShowMe comes Markup ($1.99, app website here), an intuitive and simple-to-use annotation app, specifically designed for educators. I have up to FIVE promo codes to give away to lucky teachers. Read ahead to see how to receive one.

I did a quick post about the idea of Markup a few months ago when the ideas behind Markup surfaced.

What does Markup do?

Markup allows educators to provide feedback and evaluate student work. Teachers can quickly and easily grade papers and other types of assignments from their iPads. A huge potential for no more stacks of loose paper! Import files into Markup, grade them, and send them back via email to your students, all from your iPad.

Importing files to Markup: Two ways

1. Email Sync

This is a distinctive feature: Give your students your specifically designated Markup email address, and you will not have to worry about having to import files into the app. All files will be automatically added to the app. PDFs will work best. Microsoft Word files also worked for me, and, as soon as they are imported, were automatically converted to PDF as well.

If you prefer, have them email you at your usual work email address, then forward the files you want to use to Markup yourself.

A recent update now allows all users to delete unwanted/finished files from the app. You have an option on your device to receive a notification when you receive files through email sync.

Above: The view of your Markup files resembles that of iWork, but the Thumbnails are noticeably larger. This may pose a problem if you have many files to scroll through.

2. “Open in…” Markup

If you would prefer not to use the email sync, you can use the “Open in…” feature and choose Markup. You will be able to do this from various other apps, or from your email attachments in the Mail app. I was easily able to open PDFs from Dropbox and Box. The Markup option was available. However, for .doc files, it was not available.

Exporting back to the student through email:

Tap the Send button at the top right. I would suggest sending yourself a copy for your records (Markup actually defaults this by putting your address in the “To:” field.) Add your student’s email address and thats’s it. You can use the sendtodropbox service to save a copy directly to your Dropbox.

Check out my short video on how to begin using Markup:

Who is Markup best for?

For teachers who wish to use their iPads for quickly marking papers/assignments, Markup is excellent. This app will come in handy for all teachers who are required to assess student work, especially those who prefer to use a stylus (as opposed to typing in annotations). The functionality, although minimalistic, is extremely easy to learn. Students will appreciate how they can receive an electronic copy in PDF of their work.

Note: Although non-PDF files (.docx etc) are likely to work, my experience with importing them was hit and miss. For teachers who usually receive Word documents, having students save their work in PDF form is quite easy. On a PC, go to “Save As…” and choose PDF under the format. On iOS iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote), students can choose to export their work as PDFs.

Wish-list for future updates

• The ability to delete old annotations after closing a document;
• The ability, like in Goodreader, for a pinch-to-zoom function for more precise edits. On the iPad, marking papers is fine. It might not be as easy on the smaller screen real estate of the iPad mini;
• A “folders” function for teachers of many classes. Like iWork, have teachers be able to create and drag multiple files into folders for better organization;
• Smaller thumbnails of the files for easier navigation between multiple files;

Conclusion:

This app can be a great tool for teachers, and I can see great potential of it in the education sector. With a solid pedigree, having developed ShowMe Developer San Kin is working hard fixing glitches and bugs. He has mentioned that the next update of Markup will allow opening non-PDFs locally (using the “Open in…” feature, not the email sync unfortunately.) I appreciate the fact that he is promising an “effective and reliable app” for people who purchase Markup. This app will continue to improve, and I know the developers are always asking for opinions from users on how to make it better. It is extremely easy to use and a great way of saving paper. Students do not have to print assignments, yet they will still receive proper feedback on their work, with everything being done (from the teacher’s standpoint) from an iPad.

For less than $2, I would suggest giving Markup a go. For annotating assignments using a stylus, this is an intuitive app that you will like. There are other ways to annotating PDFs (Goodreader, iAnnotate, and the newly updated Skitch apps come to mind), but if you want an easy to learn app, and prefer using a stylus (or even just a finger) to make your markings, this is the app for you.

Follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

Promo Codes!

As usual, I do have free promo codes to give out. I suspect this might be a popular one. Here is how to receive one:

If you have Twitter

Tweet out ANY of teachingwithipad blogposts by using the Share button at the bottom of each post. Please include the hashtags #ipaded and #ipadchat. Share as many as you can/want.

If you have Pinterest

Pin ANY blogposts from teachingwithipad.org. Pin as many as you can/want. You can also use the Pinterest button at the bottom of each post. Leave a comment here with your Pinterest username.

If you don’t have Twitter or Pinterest:

Leave a comment here on how you could benefit from this app. I will contact you directly via email if you are chosen (don’t forget to leave your email address).

I only have TWO to give away. However, if there is a large Twitter/Pinterest response, I will personally gift THREE more to those who share the most posts from Teachingwithipad.org.

I have NOT yet been told when these codes expire. I will let you know on an update to this post when I hear back from Markup.

For those of us who enjoy taking photos and videos with our devices, we know that they will take up a lot of storage. This can pose a problem, especially if one only has 16GB of storage. Instead of using iCloud or Photostream to back up your photos (I avoid ever connecting my devices to iTunes), Dropbox presents a great solution.

Backing up photos is extremely important, in case we ever lose  or break our devices.

This tip will be most useful for videos, since:

a) they take up so much space;

b) there simply is not an easier solution for getting your videos onto your PC.

Here is how to free up your Camera Roll without ever having to worry about losing your precious photos and videos:

1. If you haven’t already, enable Camera Uploads in Dropbox. In Settings in the Dropbox app, toggle Camera Upload to “On”. You can do this with ALL your iDevices.

2. That’s it!

Now, each and every time you have the Dropbox app open on your particular device, it will automatically upload new photos and videos that you have taken. You do NOT need to do anything.

Once files are uploaded, you can now freely, without worry, remove them from your iPhones/iPads. Obviously, if you plan on using any of them in apps such as iPhoto or Skitch, you will not delete those.

All files uploaded will now appear in a folder in your Dropbox (default: Camera Uploads folder). Here is a photo of my work PC, with the contents of my Camera Uploads folder:

Q: What if my Dropbox Storage is limited? (They only give 2GB for free at first!)

A: Move the files elsewhere!

You may see from the first screenshot that I have quite a large amount of storage (23.9GB) in my Dropbox. If you do not have as much, this is what you do: Back up your photos/videos either by moving (or copying) them into your PC or an external harddrive, or to an online photo storage solution such as Smugmug. If you move them, your Dropbox will then be freed of that space. For instance, I just transferred 137 short videos from my Dropbox to my Smugmug overnight. Now I can delete all of them off BOTH my iPhone and my Dropbox!

Check out a few ways on how to get more free space on Dropbox. Remember, just by setting up Camera Upload, you will receive up to 3GB extra for free!

This is just another example of not having to connect your iPhones to your computers to do the same thing. I just like the fact that the uploading takes place in the background, and most of the time I am not even aware it is happening. Uploading will occur each time you open the Dropbox app on your device (It will pause after a few minutes of non-use).

Note: On your iPhones (or iPads with 3G/4G), ensure that uploads are happening on WIFI only, and not CELLULAR. You will use up data unnecessarily if you choose CELLULAR.

Also: Facebook and Google+ (link) also have a similar feature where it will upload all photos and videos. I guess it will depend on personal preference for which one to choose. I would suggest not using Facebook, since they pretty much will take ownership of the photos and reduce file size (and therefore quality). For me, Dropbox is much more convenient since it syncs with my PCs already, and therefore the files are already on my PC instead of just in the cloud.

Let me know if and how this has worked out for you!

]]> http://teachingwithipad.org/2013/04/19/how-to-effortlessly-back-up-your-ipadiphone-videos-using-camera-uploads-in-dropbox/feed/ 1 wpid-Photo-2013-04-18-321-PM.jpg teachingwithipad http://teachingwithipad.org/2013/04/17/thank-you-teacherkit/ http://teachingwithipad.org/2013/04/17/thank-you-teacherkit/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:37:14 +0000 teachingwithipad http://teachingwithipad.org/?p=2891 Continue reading →]]>

A few months ago, I entered a contest to win an iPad mini, given be the makers of TeacherKit. People were asked to make a video describing how TeacherKit has affected their teaching experiences. Since I use the app quite regularly and enjoy making videos, I took the challenge and submitted one.

After a few weeks of wondering if it would ever arrive, I received it in my mailbox at school today. A special thanks for the generosity of TeacherKit in giving this iPad away.

Here's my video that I made back in February:

Read my review of TeacherKit here. Definitely give it a try if you haven't yet.