If you’re looking for experiments for a school science fair or an easy way to access steps for an experiment, try DIY Nano HD. This free app focuses on an exploration of nanotechnologies, and the properties of atoms and molecules. It includes informational videos, easy to follow instructions and is great for all ages!
Check out my Common Core aligned lesson plan for Earth Science or one of the environmentally friendly QR scavenger hunts in my Teacher Store!
My students publish a variety of work on their iPads and use different apps throughout the writing process. When it comes to typing up their final product we often use PaperPort Notes. Before they send their work to print, I use the highlighter and marker tool to show them where edits and revisions need to be made. I write over their work, and send them back to their seats to make changes. The best part is that I can erase my notes once edits are made without losing any of the text on their page!
Are you in the middle of the writing process? Check out my common core aligned lesson plan using Grafio Lite. Here’s another common core aligned lesson plan using graphic organizers in the classroom!
*great for peer editing too!
Thank you for attending my workshop this month!
If you weren’t able to make it, check out my presentation Free iPad Apps for the K-5 Classroom:
Many people think that an iPad is just for games but I can ensure you that this teaching tool is used effectively in my classroom. I love having students show their work on a whiteboard app (and sometimes they connect their screens to work together). Students in my class not only solve problems on their iPads but they take screenshots of their work and email the picture with an explanation of how they solved the problem. This process is quicker than it sounds with a little practice. It’s a great way to gather work for tech-friendly bulletin boards!
Check out my Common Core aligned lesson plan for collaborating on iPad whiteboards!
I love learning new things and SnapGuide is a fantastic free app that you must explore! Pinterest is a great place for gathering new ideas, and SnapGuide takes this concept to a whole new level. SnapGuide is full of how-to guides that show step-by-step instructions on how to complete a variety of tasks. You and your students can even create your own how-to guides using this free service!
Check out my Common Core aligned lesson plan for using this app!
If you weren’t one of the 300+ attendees of my live webinar, you can still check out my presentation:
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!
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
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!
Check out my common core aligned lesson plan for teaching math with iPads!
Here’s another common core aligned lesson plan for teaching math with iPads!
One more common core aligned lesson plan for teaching math with iPads!
Connect to other students who have the Whiteboard Lite app open on their iPads
Whiteboard Lite is an app that has changed the way students work in my classroom. With a simple tap of a button, two iPads on the same wireless network can turn their screens into one. I have students solve math problems together, each writing in a different color, talking out each step as they show their work.
My room is full of math partners who connect their iPads as they discuss problem solving strategies and stay engaged in their work.
If your school has one wireless network, you can even connect iPads across campus.
Check out my lesson plan using Whiteboard Lite in my classroom!
