There are so many free assessment tools that I love and if you are in a 1:1 classroom you have to try The Answer Pad!
The Answer Pad allows you to set up an electronic answer sheet to a test you’ve already created. Students can then “fill in” their multiple-choice answers by using the TAPit app or The Answer Pad website. The best part of this assessment tool might be the ability to assign a Common Core Standard to each question. That way when a student answers a question I know if they’ve mastered each skill. Students can also show their work using a scratch pad on the app before submitting their answer. Watch their tutorial for a complete breakdown – this is a must have for a 1:1 classroom!
There are lots of great ways to show off student work and my bulletin boards are full of examples of how technology is used in my classroom. Some apps allow you to send work as JPEG and PDF files and I often take screenshots to capture student work.
When I print JPGs I like to change the scale to 60% or 70% that way I have room on the page to write a comment before I post this work in my classroom. Try this trick on your next bulletin board!
Here’s my how-to guide for creating tech-friendly bulletin boards!
I like using Siri to record my conference notes and anecdotals. I’ve listed the how-to’s and reasons why I use it, but if you don’t have access to Siri there are other options. Dragon Dictation is a free voice recognition app. It allows you to speak into your iPad’s microphone and watch your voice turn into text.
Try Dragon Dictation in your classroom:
I’ve discussed how much I love HaikuDeck as a presentation tool and the way I’ve used it to create memes with my students. There are lots or free apps that make it even easier to create memes (I like Mematic), and I’ve started using them across subject areas.
Have students….
Check out my Common Core aligned lesson plan that would be perfect for this app!
Take your students on a virtual field trip to the Lincoln Memorial. (This one I found in the app!)
Traveling this holiday season? I love to take pictures when I’m on vacation, especially of landmarks or places I’m studying with my fifth graders. Students will be more engaged during a lesson about Mayan culture when they see a picture of you standing in front of Chichen Itza.
Take your travel photos to a new level by using the Tourwrist app. It allows you take a 360 degree panoramic view of any location and upload it using your iPhone or iPad.
If you’re not planning a trip to the Washington Moniment anytime soon, that’s fine too! TourWrist allows users to upload their pics and it’s easy to search and share them in your classroom.
You may have used a slide rule in the past but here are two free iPad apps that make it easy to score test and quizzes. Groovy Grader provide a percentage based on the number of questions on an exam. eGrader HD will even assign a letter grade depending on the number of questions a student answers correctly. Here are two more teacher tools that I love: Pick a Student and QuickVoice.
I usually only recommend free apps since I’m using a class set of iPads in my classroom and don’t have access to a volume purchasing plan. But for $0.99 Explain a Website is a must have teacher tool! This app acts as an internet browser and allows you to record your actions and voice as you navigate a website. You can write all over the screen, discuss features of the website, and save your recording to your iPads Camera Roll. Check out the clip I uploaded onto YouTube that gives a quick introduction to ClassTechTips.com!
Use Explain a Website to help show students how to navigate the websites they’ll visit in one of my common core aligned QR Code Scavenger Hunts!
One of the great things about using an iPad in the classroom is the ability to change settings to meet the needs of your students. I work with fifth graders on a class set of iPads and my students type in the Notes app and send a lot of emails.
One quick fix I’ve made to make it easier for them to read what they’ve typed on the iPad is a change of font size in the settings. Not only is this option fantastic for younger students, you might find yourself changing the settings on your iPad too!
You may have read my post on using ScreenChomp in the classroom. Another screencasting app I love is Doceri. Although Doceri is not as user friendly as the simple layout of ScreenChomp, my fifth graders had no trouble getting over the learning curve. There are some great features Doceri has to offer that set it apart. Doceri has lots of choices for colors, shapes, and lines, but the best part has to be the option to save your screencast to your iPad’s camera roll. This makes it easy to save, send and share your Doceri video.
Try out the Common Core aligned lesson plan I created for ScreenChomp with Doceri in your classroom!
Check out my guide -> Screencasting Teacher Tools: Tasks, Procedures, Checklists and Rubric
If you weren’t one of the 200+ attendees of my live webinar, you can still check out my presentation:
This app might seem silly but there are lots of ways to use Funny Movie Maker in you classroom. Use a picture from your camera roll and insert your mouth or entire face to make the image come to life. Try reading the Emancipation Prolamation using Abraham Lincoln’s picture. Have students replace the face of Susan B. Anthony with their own and read a journal entry they’ve written from the perspective of a suffragette. Students can email their videos to you or save them to their camera roll. Try it out in math or science as a fun way to record steps for problem solving or documenting an experiment.
Check out my common core aligned lesson plan using this app!
Here’s another common core aligned lesson plan using this app!
I love using QR code scavenger hunts to introduce new topics to my students!
Whether we’re getting ready to compost, about to start a unit on deforestation, or need a quick overview of topics like Lewis and Clark, the Dust Bowl, the Trail of Tears, the Gold Rush, the Great Plains, the Bill of Rights, Amazon Rainforest, Inuit or the Mayan, Inca and Aztec Civilizations, QR scavenger hunts are a great way to get students excited and engaged.
Click on the links above for QR code scavenger hunts with Common Core aligned lesson plans on each topic!
Toontastic is a fantastic app you can use in your classroom. Don’t be fooled by the cartoon graphics, this app can be used with all ages.
Students create their own short stories or retell a story that they’ve read. Each scene in the story arc requires that students draw their own setting and characters or use one of the templates included in the app. Music can be added to change the tone of the story and all cartoons can be shared with families and peers through Toontastic’s own website.
Check out my Common Core aligned lesson plan using this app!
Here’s another Common Core aligned lesson plan using this app!
