More Great Updates to EDpuzzle

I just received the following email from EDpuzzle about some new updates:

Short email to share a few improvements that we built in EDpuzzle this week: 

- Upload image. Add an image to your questions directly from your laptop or tablet. 

- Full screen mode for students.  Students can have a better experience focusing, just on the video-lesson. 

- Android users: "Chrome browser + Full screen = Awesome results". It's almost like an App.

Video-summary (90seconds): http://quick.as/5BkAczv8

Have a great day and let us know if there is anything else we can do.

Kind regards,

Quim

And here's an email from a few weeks ago:

Short email to explain the new improvements in EDpuzzle:

1. New landing page: easier for the students and teachers.

2. New editing page: Clean, beautiful and easy to use. Everything is saved automatically and you can drag and drop the questions.

Here is a short video that gives you a quick tour through the new improvements: http://quick.as/31qzupqe

Give it a try and share it with other teachers! The more the merrier! :)

Have a wonderful weekend,

Quim

I still think EDpuzzle is one of the greatest free tools that teachers can use for teaching and learning.  I even think there could be some value for professional development opportunities and plan to try it out for that purpose.  Here are links to me previous posts about EDpuzzle:

• Supercharge and Personalize Videos for Your Students with EDpuzzle (2/7/14)
  
• EDpuzzle Gets Better (2/14/14)

Enjoy!

 

EDpuzzle Gets Better

Last week I blogged about EDpuzzle (Supercharge and Personalize Videos for Your Students with EDpuzzle).  Since my original post, I have learned about two new fantastic updates:

1. New feature: "Project Based Learning" - Teachers can assign a project to their students and the students are the ones that use the video editing tools to create a lesson. Then the teacher receives (privately) all the videos and gives feedback and grade each video. Finally and the coolest part of all, the teacher can save the best lessons and assign them to the rest of the class.
   
2. Now available as a Chrome App

I really think this could be a tremendous tool to be used with students, especially in a 1:1 teaching and learning environment and to expand learning opportunities beyond the classroom walls.  Anyone using it yet?  What do you think?

Supercharge and Personalize Videos for Your Students with EDpuzzle

By now, most educators have found that video can be a powerful tool to integrate into their lessons.  Some are creating their own.  Some are just finding and sharing clips with their students.  Some are even going as far as flipping their classrooms.  Whatever the use, video adds another engaging layer to good teaching and can expand learning opportunities to outside of the classroom that students can pause, rewind, and replay.  Yesterday, I learned about an incredible new tool from Kelly Tenkely's outstanding iLearn Technology blog called EDpuzzle that allows teachers to first supercharge and personalize the videos they want to use before sharing them with their students.  Some of the key features of  EDpuzzle include the following:

• Creation of "classes" that students can easily join with an access code
• Ability to find or upload videos
• Ability to crop videos to only use what is needed
• Ability to add your own voice as audio notes or voice-overs into the videos
• Ability to embed questions at any point into the videos to check for understanding or serve as a quiz
• Ability to assign videos to be watched
• Class progress reports to determine which students have viewed each video and the "grade" they received from the questions they answered
• Student overview reports to view how each student answered the embedded questions

If you use video with your students, this is definitely one tool to look into!  If you're not creating your own videos yet, this tool might just help jump-start your recording and producing career.

I recorded a screencast of the demo from their website.  Check it out:

UPDATED INFO (to original post)

I just learned about another great feature that was just added to EDpuzzle earlier this week.

• "Project Based Learning" - Teachers can assign a project to their students and the students are the ones that use the video editing tools to create a lesson. Then the teacher receives (privately) all the videos and gives feedback and grade each video. Finally and the coolest part of all, the teacher can save the best lessons and assign them to the rest of the class.

Narrate your presentations with Movenote

Have you ever reviewed the slides from a presentation and wished you could hear "the rest of the story" behind each slide?  Giving a good presentation is truly an art form and any good presenter knows that less is more when it comes to each slide.  This, however, does not translate well when the slides are published online.  Some of the key points get lost without the narration and the charisma of the presenter is not available to add the extra emotion.  One possible solution would be to narrate your presentations first before posting them.  I recently learned about Movenote which could help fill this void.  Movenote is a Web-based tool that allows the user to import a variety of media (slide decks, documents, images, and other files), organize the materials, and then run through the presentation while recording audio and video of the presenter.  Even better, for Google Apps users, it integrates with your Google Drive.  The finished products can be shared to your favorite social media site or blog, sent via a link in an email, embedded into a webpage, and even downloaded as an mp4 video file.

Teachers could certainly make use of this tool to record their presentations and post them for their students to play later as a review, as a substitute for the "live" version if they were absent, or as a first-time viewing in a flipped classroom model.  Another idea for use in education would be to have students substitute live, in-class presentations that take up valuable time (unless the goal is to work on public speaking/presenting) with Movenote presentations and then have each student review the presentations and provide feedback on their own time.  Teachers could easily create a Google spreadsheet and share it with their students to add their URL's so they are all located in one place.  This process is even easier if the teachers have access to a tool like Hapara's Teacher Dashboard to share out the spreadsheet with all of their students.  A gentle reminder to the students that the revision history of the spreadsheet will show who changed the document and when should prevent any accidental or intentional tampering with the info.

This tool appears to work on most platforms, including Chromebooks.  Here's where you can get it:

• Website: http://www.movenote.com/
• Chrome App with Google Drive integration: http://goo.gl/c4fjYE
• Android App: http://goo.gl/ePdviG
• iOS App: http://goo.gl/9NmyJl

There are plenty of tutorials on the Movenote website for each platform.  Here is one specifically geared toward use on Chromebooks:

I'd love to hear about other uses for Movenote and other comparable tools.  Please comment below.

VoiceThread For All at Leyden

A few Leyden teachers have been effectively using VoiceThread with their students for a couple years and, with our evolution into a 1:1 district last year, word has been spreading fast and many other teachers have expressed interest in utilizing this tool.  After consulting our department chairs, we learned there was enough interest to warrant a district license.  As of today, all Leyden teachers and students have access to VoiceThread.  Since we already use Google Apps for Education, VoiceThread seamlessly integrates as a domain app that shows up in the Google More menu along with the other tools we have installed.

Since all of our students have Chromebooks, once they log into their device they are already logged into their Google Apps account and clicking on VoiceThread from the MORE menu does not require any additional authentication.  Single sign on is a beautiful thing!

So, what is VoiceThread anyway?  Basically, it's an online tool that allows you to upload many different types of media, such as images, videos, documents, and presentations into an online format that allows for group conversations.  Those you share your VoiceThreads with can leave comments via text, audio recording, webcam, and even text messages.  In addition, the doodle feature allows those making comments to draw directly on the media.  For more into, play the embedded VoiceThread below.

I'd love to hear more about how VoiceThread is being used both here at Leyden and at other schools.  Please comment on this post to share your VoiceThread enhanced activities.

Manage non-Google Assignments in Teacher Dashboard

Yesterday, while cruising up I-57 back from the University of Illinois in Champaign after presenting at the AdvancEd conference, Jason Markey (@JasonMMarkey) started up a conversation that began with his now famous "I have an idea..."  In this case, it was more like "I really wish..."  Basically, we were talking about how well Teacher Dashboard has been working for us at Leyden and Jason was suggesting how great it would be if our teachers could also manage assignments involving non-Google Apps tools in TD.  I reminded him about my digital dropbox idea which uses a single Google Form to collect the URL's of each non-Google project.  While he agreed that method was working for some teachers, it still required them to leave Teacher Dashboard and did not provide an easy method for providing the students with feedback without utilizing some scripts.  After a little brainstorming, here's an idea I came up with.

• Teachers could create a Google Doc template (text or spreadsheet) for an activity/project/assignment that involves a tool other than Google Docs or Blogger, which are currently managed in Teacher Dashboard (i.e. Glogster, VoiceThread, Themeefy, YouTube, WeVideo, etc.).  By the way, I'm a huge proponent for assigning an objective to students and letting them pick their own way of demonstrating their learning (see Student Choice Leads to Creativity).
• The template should include at least a spot for the students to paste in the URL of their products, but could also include things like a rubric, project check list, reference list, etc.
• Teachers would then use the Smart Copy tool in Teacher Dashboard to push out the template to each student.  This automatically creates an individual copy of the template in each students' appropriate subject folder in their Google Drive with edit rights for the teacher.  And, of course, the teacher gets to control the name of these documents.
• Teachers can then use the filter option when viewing their class in Teacher Dashboard to view just the links to each specific activity/project/assignment document.  By opening each document, the teacher would be able to see the link to the student's product, add notes or comments, possibly add grades, check off items in a check list, and other options for interacting with the student throughout the process of the activity/project/assignment.

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone that tries out this idea to learn how it works for you and/or how it can be improved.

Get Animated Images Created For You By Google+

In case you missed the news about the Auto Awesome feature roll-out in Google+ a while back, if you upload a series of photos taken in succession (at least 5) into Google+, Auto Awesome will automatically stitch the photos into a repeating animation.  You can turn Auto Awesome on/off in your Google+ settings:

Here's the first one I created of my 2-year old dancing in our kitchen.

In addition to creating motion images, there are four other Auto Awesome features:  HDR, Smile, Pano, and Mix.  You can read more about them here.  Enjoy!

Add Voice Overs to Your Photos with Fotobabble

Scrolling through my Google+ feed, I came across a post that introduced me to Fotobabble.  This easy to use tool allows you to upload a photo, add your own voice over, and then grab the embed code to include your finished product in a blog post, web page, or other site.  Here's my first creation.  Just click the play button in the middle to hear the recording.

Put Your PLN In Your Pocket

There are plenty of other posts and articles out there that speak to the power and value of growing your Personal Learning Network (PLN), especially through the use of Twitter.  Let me just say ditto to all of them.  I have probably learned more through Twitter than most graduate courses I have participated in and easily with much less effort.  I mean, once you follow the right people, especially those Twitter first-responders that seem to find all the right resources to share before anyone else, they lead you right to the water and all you have to do is drink.

Photo by John Connell - http://goo.gl/A4IHY

One concern I have heard, however, is becoming overwhelmed by all the great resources that come flooding in at all times of the day and night from multiple different sources.  Sometimes it's just impossible to stay on top of everything and the fear of missing something valuable can distract your focus from the task you are supposed to be working on.  I am truly in awe and quite jealous of those that have the time, dedication, and drive to be connected what seems like 24/7, especially those with families that they continue to always have time for.

Time to come clean.  I can honestly say that I have neglected to follow more people on Twitter and Google+ (my two primary PLN tools) because of this very infowhelm.  The thought of missing something, for me, was greater than not even having the opportunity to know about it at all.  I have finally decided that I can no longer use that excuse.  Instead, I have made it my goal to start following more people and to find a way to make it more efficient for myself.  My first step to becoming more efficient is to find a tool that allows me to quickly scroll through all of my social networking tools, blogs, web sites, and other resources and easily store the ones I think I might want to look into so that I can dive into them whenever I can carve out the time to do so.  Enter stage right... Pocket.  

There are a few good tools out there like Pocket, such as Instapaper and Readability, but I'm choosing Pocket because of its integration with over 300+ apps (most importantly the ones I use), the ability to access it from any one of the 7 different devices I use between home and work both on and offline, and the recent announcement that "Pocket" Is Now Chrome Native App That Works Offline on Your Chromebook!  Besides, sometimes you just have to choose one and run with it.

The next important step is to schedule time each day, even if it's just 15 minutes, to review a few of the resources I put in my Pocket and then clear them out once I'm done with them.

So, I'm giving it a go.  I think I can do this.  I think Pocket is going to help.  I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!  Actually, I'm going to start liking and following more people from now on.  I'm just going to put my PLN in my Pocket.

I'd love to hear from others about what they do and what tools they use to stay connected and manage all the "good stuff."

InfuseLearning - A nice student response system

With every student having a Google Chromebook in our district, I have heard that many of our teachers have become fans of using Socrative to get instant feedback during their classes.  I just learned about another similar product that also incorporates the use of images and drawings, text and audio translations, and the ability to push out links to all connected students.  Check out InfuseLearning.

How to get the URL of a Discovery Education resource

A valuable resource we provide to the teachers and students in our district is access to the Discovery Education website.  It contains thousands of digital files of varying media types including full videos, video segments, images, clip art, audio tracks, songs, articles, interactive activities, complete lesson plans, presentations, handouts, assessment tools, and much more.  Many people associate Discovery Education with science and history, but their offerings now span dozens of subject areas including mathematics, English/language arts, health, world languages, visual/performing arts, research/study skills, teaching practices, career/work place skills, and more.  All of our teachers have the opportunity to create a Discovery Education account (Leyden teachers can click here to learn how) and, new for this school year, all of our students have been uploaded into the system and have accounts created for them (Leyden teachers can click here to learn how students log in).  In previous years, the only option for our teachers to use a Discovery Education resource was to project it in their classrooms.  Now that all of our students have their own Chromebooks, have their own Discovery Education accounts, and our teachers are publishing course content in a learning management system (we use OpenClass) or on websites, teachers can now share links to DE resources for students to access both in and out of the classroom.  The following video tutorial demonstrates how teachers can get the URL of a specific DE resource to share with their students.  Be sure to change the video resolution to 720 HD for best quality.  I plan on producing additional tutorials that show how teachers can create classes in their Discovery Education accounts, add their students, and share resources within the system.  So check back later.

Listen to iTunes Audio Podcasts on Your Chromebook

If you'd like to start having your students listen to iTunes audio podcasts on their Chromebooks, there is a solution.  Just have your students install the iTunes Audio Preview/Podcast Downloader extension from the Chrome web store and then direct them to the appropriate podcast page.  The extension will add a Preview link next to each audio file that the students can click on and listen to.  This will also work for teachers on their laptops.  If you've never visited the iTunes podcast listing page, you should check it out.  There are thousands of free podcasts organized into dozens of categories that you can search through.  Once you find a podcast you'd like your students to listen to, you can share the URL with them by posting it on your website, in your learning management course (we use OpenClass in our district), or even emailing it to them. I'd imagine this could be a very popular tool in language classes.  Please note that this extension only works for audio podcasts and not video podcasts.  Enjoy!

Here's a screenshot of how the Preview link appears once you have the extension installed.  The URL for this particular podcast page is:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/state-tech-audio-podcast/id468574969?mt=2

Flashcards Anywhere and Anytime with StudyBlue

During the first week of school in our new 1:1 environment, I had a few teachers inquire about different options for getting their students to use flashcards on their Chromebooks. I'm excited to share what I think could be a helpful and standard way of using online flashcards in our district.  Allow me to introduce you to StudyBlue. Here are some of the things I love about StudyBlue:

• It works on any device: Chromebook, PC, MAC, Android device, and iPhone/iPad.  This allows teachers and students to create and study flashcards anywhere and anytime.
• There is a Chrome web app that allows our teachers and students to log in with their Google Apps accounts.  By the way, this app has already been pushed out to all Leyden students, so they already have it.  Gotta' love the app management of the Chromebooks!
• It's easy for teachers to create flashcard sets and share them with their students.
• It's easy for students to create their own flashcard sets and they can share them with their friends.
• Flashcards can contain images and audio clips.
• Students can choose how many and in what order the flashcards appear.
• Students identify which flashcards they have learned and can re-study only those they need to continue working with.
• Students can monitor their progress after each review of a flashcard set.
• Students can set alerts to notify them when it's time to study the flashcards again.
• Teachers and students can search for thousands of public flashcard sets that have already been created.
• Teachers and students can import material from Excel files or csv files.
• Flashcard sets can be edited after they've been created.
• Flashcard sets can be made public, public but anonymous, private, and even password protected.
• It's FREE!

The following video shows how a teacher can create a flashcard set and share it with his/her students.  The video has been optimized for 720 HD resolution, so be sure to change your playback settings.

Do More With Google Maps

I just came across the following presentation by Richard Byrne (@rmbyrne) on his Free Technology for Teachers blog.  This is a great introduction into getting more out of Google Maps.  Some of the features he covers include the following:

• Changing views and activating information layers
• Adding Maps Labs features
• Measuring distances
• Creating and saving a personalized map
• Adding collaborators to a personalized map
• Adding placemarks
• Embedding links, images, and videos into placemarks
• Drawing paths between placemarks

I thought I knew Google Maps, but always manage to learn something new from Richard.  A big thanks to him for sharing his slides and his knowledge.

Social Networks Explained Through Donuts

Here's a great explanation of many social networks by Douglas Wray on Instagram.

YouTube for Teachers by Chad Kafka

Let me start by saying that I only wish I could take credit for the slides below.  These are great!  This slide deck was put together by Chad Kafka (@chadkafka) and includes a few items specific to his school, but the information can easily be transferred to any Google Apps for Education domain.  For those teachers new to using YouTube in the classroom and even the veterans, there will be something you can learn in these slides.  Way to go Chad, and thanks for sharing!

Use Screencasts To Provide Feedback To Students On Their Digital Assignments

The following video shows a great way to use screencasts to provide feedback to students on their digital assignments.  This comes from Amy Mayer's Fried Technology blog.  I absolutely love this concept and think that pairing a verbal response to student work with all the great written collaboration that can take place today (i.e. Google Docs comments) is just outstanding.  While this video specifically demonstrates the use of the free Jing screencasting application and Google Docs, I think it can easily be expanded to other screencast tools and used to provide feedback on almost any type of digital work.  Well, maybe not multimedia projects that have sound, but just about everything else.  For example, you could create a screencast with your feedback as you navigate through a student's slideshow, digital presentation, Themeefy or Storify project, and much more.  I especially like this idea in language classes as it allows for teachers to provide verbal feedback in the language being studied.  Although this process does require a little investment of time to setup the first time you run through it, I think the overall benefit would be well worth it.

Create Animated Movies With Xtranormal

I really got a kick out of this movie and it was a great reminder about the animated movie making tool available at http://www.xtranormal.com/.

Ode to #Pencilchat: Technology Integration in the Classroom
by: MiddleLevelEd

Make your email signature more functional with WiseStamp

If you use Gmail and Chrome, check out the WiseStamp extension. It allows you to create custom signatures that include social icons and email apps. Here's my example below which includes icons for my Google+ account, Twitter account, blog, and YouTube channel:

Organize Web Resources Into A Digital Magazine With Themeefy

Thanks to the Digital Inspiration blog I learned about a great way to have students collect resources from the web and then organize them into a digital magazine. It's called Themeefy. It's currently in beta so who knows how much longer it will be free, but it might just be worth checking into. I really enjoyed how easy it was to put together with both the search tools built into the application and the available bookmarklet that can be installed so that you can add any content to your magazines while you're searching the Web. I also appreciated the ability to easily acquire the embed code so that the finished product could be embedded directly into a web page (like on your Google Site). You can view an example below.

Check out Themeefy today!