Classroom technology

Teacher class 123

Teacher Overview

A really useful app to help with the day to day chores that a teacher is faced with and keep parents involved in their child’s interactions in the classroom.

Teacher Review

"Class 123 is essentially a neat little application that gamifies the interactions occurring in the classroom, however this underestimates the program because it has many other features that will prove to be invaluable for the busy teacher. Perhaps the most important is the link it offers to the parent, a vital part of the teaching process."

Here are some tutorials:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1iJLLOyNGryhWSWrfbwufZ-K8JXyhnA8#pc

Example of a classroom I set up:

You can set goals and add rewards:

Another cool app:

https://bouncyballs.org/

Assistive technology

Typ-O

Knowledge

My daughter has dyslexia so I am always on the lookout for software/apps that can help her. Dyslexia can be frustrating for students and she often needs to ask for my help with homework so was hoping to find something that will help her feel more independent.

Application

I found an app called Typ-O and it is available on Apple products. As the product's website states, "Typ-O is an easy to use dyslexia app that helps you write without spelling errors. It uses a powerful word prediction engine and a sophisticated spelling error model to help you write, even if your spelling isn't perfect. The integrated synthetic voice let you hear the word prediction suggestions before selecting and check your text before emailing or pasting it into other applications. The app is designed for children or adults with dyslexia."

Reflection

This would be a great app for my daughter as well as other dyslexic children or children with language disabilities.

Con's:

-Students could become too reliant on using Typ-O as a opposed to it being a tool to help. In the tutorial the lady states that they recommend students should be copying the word they need as it appears instead of just clicking on it.
-Only avaible for ios devices
-It is not a free app,

Pro's

- Can take some frustration away from students who struggle with spelling during homework time etc
While searching for searching for an assistive technology app I came across another app that could help students focus better in school and came across this one.

I also found this one:

Focus Keeper

The website describes their app as:
"Focus Keeper helps you keep your productivity high avoiding burnout using the timer. Work with time. Not against it!

App offers:

• Simple, beautiful and intuitive interface.

• Customize focus sessions, goals, colors and sounds.

• Track your productivity with insightful charts.

• Universal(iPhone/iPad) app with iCloud support.


Basic Focus Steps - It’s all about focusing your work efforts in timed 25-minute chunks, with a 5-minute break in between each burst of activity.

1) Choose a task to be done.

2) Set the timer for 25 minutes.

3) Focus on the task until the timer rings

4) Take a short break (just do something relaxing for 5 minutes)

5) Once you’ve completed 4 focus sessions, take a longer break. (20~30 minutes)


Features:

• Adjust the timer with your fingers just like you do with real egg-timer.

• Next session starts automatically when the current session ends.

• Track your progress with two different charts (14 days and 30 days)

• Set your daily goal (number of Focus Sessions per day)

• Set how many Focus Sessions you want to finish before taking a long break(number of Focus per round)

• Customize the length of Focus Session, short break, and long break.

• Choose your ticking from 10 different ticking sounds and your own music library.

• Choose your alarm from 14 different ring sounds.

• Set any sounds separately for the short break, long break, and Focus session.

• Set any colors separately for the​ short break, long break, and Focus session.

• Receive alarm notifications even when the app is running in the background.

• Today Widget for Focus Sessions

• Icon Badge shows how much time you left to finish the current session in the home screen Focus Keeper icon when the timer is ticking.

• Focus Reminder: If you're struggling to make a habit of using Focus Keeper, this could come in hand. You can set when you want to be notified to use Focus Keeper through weekdays and weekends.

• Option for resetting the Focus Count at midnight automatically. Now you can set your own reset time.

• Set different volume sounds for each ticking and alarm sound.

Here is an example of how the app would track a student's time and progress:




While in work mode the screen is colored red and turns blue in break mode.

Pro's:

This would provide a great visual for her and other children with ADHD as they can see the time as they worked. It tracks their progress and changes color.

Simple to use.

Con's:

Only the Pro version ($1.99 in the app store) gives the option to change the alarm sounds, ticking sounds, and colors.

Assessment technology

Schoology

According to the developers website with Schoology, you'll be able to:
Communicate Beyond the Classroom
Schoology’s LMS connects everyone in the district 24/7 (even parents)

Unlock Your Collaborative Potential: Tap into the experience of all faculty and administrators across your district
Educate Based on Individual Needs: Make it easier for teachers to identify student needs and design a more personalized learning experience

You can assign a standard and write a note about how and when they did or did not achieve a standard.

Pro's:

The MA standards we use are already stored in the program so very easy to access and assign

Con's:

It isn't very user friendly at first and takes a while to get used to how to assign students standards, how to make a note etc

Scootpad

Parent communication

My school uses ClassDojo to communicate with parents.

Here are the documents I give out at orientation day before our new school year starts:

This is what I see so I can see when all parents are connected:

This is an example of a parent sign up sheet using their cell numbers:

Global citizens

“An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.”
Dr. Maria Montessori , Education and Peace

Of all the characteristics of the future classroom mentioned by November, students as global communicators and collaborators is perhaps the one where I feel I could put the most emphasis on technology. . While researching I found was able to find two different programs that would assist my students in becoming global communicators.

 PenPal Schools

PenPal Schools is "the world's largest collaborative community". With this program, you can learn a different about history, art, geography, and even another language all by collaborating with other students. It connects students from over 150 different countries. My interest, however, is to simply have my students send and receive mail from other students across the globe.

Many topics

I chose schools around the world to look a little deeper:

Safe and easy to use

Negatives:

The website says ideally for ages 6 and up.

Would I use in my classroom:

I would introduce the concept by writing letters to another friend that has a daycare and having them write/ draw letters to us back using the regular mail then explain that we can do a similar thing but on a computer/ device and maybe email that same friend and have her email back.
Then I would introduce our pen pal system across the globe.

Similar websites to note:

Teachers corner

https://www.theteacherscorner.net/penpals/#7469

Negative:

From the site: "*IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Teacher's Corner DOES NOT SCREEN ANYONE that uses our penpals service. Remember: penpals are intrinsically strangers, and the anonymity of the internet can provide an ideal environment for scammers. Please use due diligence when making a penpal connection."

Skype-Classrooms.

https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/overview

Students as researchers

Libraries are such an important source of information and knowledge. Virtual libraries are a great source and easy to have access to it.

Libby app

"Libby is a free app where you can borrow ebooks and digital audiobooks from your public library. You can stream books with Wi-Fi or mobile data, or download them for offline use and read anytime, anywhere. All you need to get started is a library card."
Is Libby free to use?
Yes, Libby is completely free. The Libby app is free to install from your device's app store, and all the digital content from your library is free to borrow with a valid library card. There are no subscription costs, no in-app purchases, and no late fees (books are automatically returned on their due dates).
What devices are compatible with Libby?
You can download the Libby app on most iOS, Android, and Windows 10 devices. Learn more about device compatibility, or download it now:
Apple App Store
Google Play
Microsoft Windows Store
If your device isn't compatible with the app, you can still use Libby by going to libbyapp.com in a web browser. We suggest using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.
Is Libby the same as OverDrive?
Libby is built by OverDrive, who also developed the classic OverDrive app. Both apps let you borrow the same free digital content from your library. However, Libby was designed to make finding, borrowing, and enjoying free ebooks and audiobooks easier than ever.
What books does Libby have?
Your library chooses which digital books they'd like to provide in Libby. They also set lending policies, like how long you can borrow books and how many you can borrow at a time.
Libby is only for digital books. It doesn't include any physical materials from your library.

How do I use Libby?
The first time you open Libby, you'll be prompted to find a library and add a library card.
Then, you can browse your library's collection of ebooks and audiobooks or search for a specific title, author, or series.
When you borrow a book, it's added to your Loans (on your Shelf). You can start reading or listening in Libby, or send a book to a Kindle device (U.S. libraries only). Books are automatically returned on their due dates, so you never need to worry about late fees.
If you're interested in a book that isn't available right away, you can place a hold and be added to a wait list. Once the book is available, it'll be automatically borrowed and added to your Shelf.
To learn more about using Libby, browse or search the other articles on Libby Help.

Easy to find libraries and add cards.

Here is a video explaining the app.

Would I use it in my classroom?

Yes, it is easy to use and would give the older children in my school access to a great research tool so that they can explore things that interest them.