BoomWriter Summer Camps

Summer is here and so is BoomWriter's Virtual Summer Camps!! This is an excellent solution for teachers looking to make some extra money over the summer (from the comfort of their own home) using BoomWriter's innovative collaborative writing tool.

More info below...

BoomWriter is a site that I’ve written about many times because it lets elementary, middle, and high school teachers conduct engaging nonfiction, fiction, and vocabulary development group-writing activities in almost any subject area. But their new offering is not just another product- it’s a chance for teachers to completely change how they make money (and relax) over the summer!

BoomWriter announced a while back, that they are developing The BoomWriter Virtual Summer Camp to create engaging, flexible, and profitable experiences for teachers as they work to make extra money over the summer. Teachers can make upwards of $1,200 per week with their camp by facilitating online instruction and writing activities for campers in Grades 4-9 using BoomWriter’s easy to use group writing site.

At $0 cost to teachers, BoomWriter will provide the curriculum, camper sign-up web page, and everything else needed to run a camp, so all teachers have to do is recruit students from their own schools or learning communities to participate. Educators can run as many sessions as they want from wherever they want and truly become their own boss on their own schedule.

Register for their mailing list to receive more information and updates to get you ready for Summer of 2018. BoomWriter is a free site that keeps finding new and better ways to support teachers through technology, and The BoomWriter Virtual Summer Camp is no exception!

I highly recommend checking out BoomWriter Virtual Summer Camps by clicking here!!!

View a sample Virtual Summer Camp "splash page" by clicking here.

Below is a brief video...

 
Also, check out the BoomWriter community to engage w/ other educators about their summer camps as well as other ways to incorporate BW into their curriculum by clicking here!!!

*BoomWriter is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Seesaw 6.0

Seesaw the mega popular student engagement platform that educators/students are using to build digital portfolios, activities, and more, has recently updated their learning tool to version 6.0.

Updated Features include:
(from their press release)

● Expanded Activity Library: Seesaw 6.0 includes our new, expanded Activity Library
where teachers can find thousands of activities created by other teachers who are
Seesaw Ambassadors. In the expanded library, you can search for activities, filter them by
grade level or subject area and share any activity with multiple classes at once.

● Seesaw Activities and Labels on Android: The Seesaw app for Android now has
Activities and Labels! Students on Android can now respond to activities and add text
labels to pictures or drawings. Teachers using Android can also see the expanded Activity
Library.

● Organize and Schedule Activities: If you’re using Seesaw Plus or Seesaw for Schools,
you can now organize saved activities into collections. You can also schedule activities
ahead of time.

Click here to browse their updated Activity Library.

I highly recommend checking out Seesaw by clicking here!!!

Playing for a Better World

Playing for a Better World is a new educational iOS game that teaches students about the environment, recycling, values, good habits, and more.  This is done through seven different mini-games (i.e. platform, etc.) as the player tries to collect stars.  Once a number of stars are collected a student can unlock special items such as: outfits, environmental phrases, and stickers.

Below is a brief demo...



I highly recommend checking out Playing for a Better World by clicking here!!!

For a more detailed review click here.

ClassDojo's Summer Kindness Series

ClassDojo is one of the most popular free educational/communicative tools for schools has just released their "Summer Kindness Series" for parents and students.  This weekly series will include ideas and activities for students to learn about kindness and what all that entails.

For more information click here.

I highly recommend checking out ClassDojo by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Web 2.0 click here.
For my Edshelf board on Web 2.0 click here.

*ClassDojo is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

I Know It Contest

"i Know it just keeps getting bigger and better! Currently, there are more than 22,000 interactive math questions live on the site! Sign up for a free account, and you'll see why iKnowit.com is the next best thing for your classroom!" 

I Know it is running an online contest where any person over 18 yrs of age can win a collection of 6 Math Board Games.  

Here are the rules:

No purchase necessary. Both members and non-members can enter. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.

Only one entry per person and per e-mail address. The contest will end on June 30th, 2018.

Winner agrees to let iKnowIt publish his/her full name after the contest has ended. The winner will be notified by e-mail. If you win, you will need to provide a mailing address so the prize can be sent to your home or school. If the winner does not respond to our e-mail within 3 days, a new winner will be selected.

I highly recommend checking out I Know It's contest by clicking here!!!

Be sure to check out this excellent site for grades K-5th for interactive Math practice in these fun engaging games/exercises.

*I Know It is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Otus

*Be sure to check out Otus at ISTE, booth #2152.

Otus is a all-in-one mobile learning solution for schools that combines the best features of a: learning management system, data management system, and more.  The sleek new design, allows for easier functionality, a brighter customizable color interface, and real-time analytics and third party integration (i.e. Khan Academy), and of course Otus Worksheets.

Here is a list of some of their features...

• Cleaner Interface: A polished, streamlined functionality lets users more easily navigate existing features including polling for instant feedback, a real-time assessment center, blogging capabilities and classroom organization tools.

• Real-Time Analytics: A comprehensive analytics dashboard integrates a wide range of performance indicators into one place, including content from select third-party apps like Khan Academy. Teachers can link data to Common Core State Standards or integrate their own custom standards to report on. Otus tracks a variety of data like attendance, participation, student blogs, assessments and grades. In addition, teachers can also create and track meaningful behaviors like grit, leadership and staying on task through Otus ‘Recognitions’. Because Otus logs all student activity in real-time, teachers can quickly gauge their impact on student growth and provide timely, constructive feedback.

• Toolbox:  Otus functions as an open, interoperable educational ecosystem allowing teachers to integrate and quickly access the third party apps and content that they use everyday in their classroom. Any Otus user can access free third-party apps or content. If third-party apps and content require a subscription, the subscriber must simply link their account to Otus and they will never have to sign-in to access it again.

• Colorful Work Environments: Now teachers and students can choose from a variety of theme and background color options to create a more personalized, vibrant work environment.

• New Lesson Builder - makes it easier then ever to create, share, and view learning activities

• New Student Profile

• Browser Lockdown

Below is a brief demo...



I highly recommend checking out Otus by clicking here!!!
For more information check out Otus on Technology and Learning.

*Otus is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Hopster Coding Safari for Kids

Hopster is a free new iOS app for kids learning the basics of programming/coding.  Hopster is a fun game designed for young kids that have them guiding animals around to complete tasks (i.e. guide a penguin to it's home).  This is done by selecting different commands and learning/solving puzzles through computational thinking.  As a student progress further in the game they can advance to
command line mode which is even closer to "real" coding.

I highly recommend checking out Hopster by clicking here!!!

Math TuThor

Math TuThor is a wonderful mobile app (iOS/Android) for student's working on their basic Math skills (i.e. multiplication, division, etc. ). Math TuThor is ideal for integrating Game Based Learning in the classroom and has students using answering questions while defeating enemies using the Norse god himself, Thor.  This game has super-high replay value, sporting over 30 levels and monsters to defeat, and 9 characters to choose from.

I highly recommend checking out Math TuThor by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo...

Owl Eyes

Owl Eyes is an innovative site that lets teachers create "classrooms" where their students can read and interact w/ texts.  Student's are able to select through a wide variety of literature and then annotate the text.  This is helpful as they can take notes and pickup right where they left off when reading.  Best of all, the teacher tools allows educators to create quizzes to assess how students are doing and they can even track/manage their student accounts.  Educators are using Owl Eyes in a number of different ways such as: differentiating instruction or flipping a classroom.

I highly recommend checking out Owl Eyes by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo...



*Owl Eyes is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Buncee

*Be sure to check out Buncee at ISTE June 24-27th, booth #2136

Buncee is the award winning learning tool that provides a digital canvas for students to create amazing projects, presentations, and much much more.  Educators have been using Buncee in a wide variety of ways through their educational portal "Buncee Classroom" to create virtual classrooms for students to complete assignments, take quizzes, etc.  Best of all, Buncee Classroom lets educators track students, assign quizzes, and even differentiate/assess instruction.  Finally, w/ the vast amount resources, lesson plans, templates, and tutorials, teachers can easily integrate Buncee into any
subject/curriculum.  It's the ultimate all-in-one tool for education!!!

More features include:

• Stitching Slides
• Google Classroom Integration
• State of the art/custom animations, clipart, and backgrounds
• COPPA compliant
• Complete Multimedia integration w/ voice recording
• Quiz/assignment creation (multiple choice/free answer)
• iPad app
• Buncee Boards
• much much more...

Below is a brief demo of Buncee Classroom...



***For more exciting news from Buncee such as: ISTE, Buncee Chat on Twitter, and more, check out their blog by clicking here!!!

*Buncee is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Night Zookeeper June Challenge

Night Zookeeper is an excellent new site for students to help them w/ their Writing skills through fun interactive lessons/competition.  Also, it has an educational portal that allows educators to: assign lessons, track student progress, and assess their work in real-time.  This makes it easy for teachers to differentiate instruction and implement project based learning in their classroom.

Recently Night Zookeeper announced they are running a new writing competition for students to create a NEW location on the Night Zoo map.

The challenge
"Hello, young zookeepers! We have a new competition for you to enter. All you have to do is invent and describe a new location for the Night Zoo. You can also illustrate your location as well. The winning entry will be illustrated and added to the map that you can see above. Good luck to everyone taking part!"

How to enter
There are two ways to enter the competition:

1. Visit the star writing page to enter the competition with your students
2. If you would prefer, you can also print this activity sheet and ask your students to complete it. Then email all entries to paul@nightzookeeper.com or Tweet us on @nightzookeeper

The prizes
We are giving away a couple of prizes to the winning entry:
1. The location will be illustrated by our team and placed in the map above. 
2. The child will receive a poster of their location delivered to their school or house. 

Click here for more info about Star Writing!!!

For more information on Night Zookeeper's latest online challenge click here.

Tutoo

Tutoo is a site I just found out about that is ideal for finding a tutor in your area.  This can be done by searching through grade levels or subjects.  Best of all, a student can either find a face to face tutor or one online.  Finally, this is a nice place for educators looking to become a tutor earn some extra
income.

I highly recommend checking out Tutoo by clicking here!!!

Super Teacher Worksheets for Father's Day

Super Teacher Worksheets is one of the best sites around for finding educational resources on a wide range of subjects.  Educators can find, worksheets, printables, puzzle generators and more.  Also, they are constantly updating their site w/ more resources all the time and have lots of activities for Father's Day such as: cards, crafts, and more.

I highly recommend checking out Super Teacher Worksheets by clicking here!!!

Super Teacher Worksheets is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

ThinkFluency

ThinkFluency is an innovative new iOS app that lets teachers assess a student's Reading fluency in real-time.  All a educator has to do after creating a account, is add students/classes, select a Reading passage or create your own, and then begin the assessment.  ThinkFluency makes it super easy for the teacher to track errors by tapping a button on the screen while the student is reading. Once this is done ThinkFluency will generate a detailed report and develop a individualized instruction that can be shared w/ others.  This is a great app that saves teachers time as well as helping them differentiate instruction.

I highly recommend checking out ThinkFluency by clicking here!!!

Human Resource Machine EDU

Human Resource Machine EDU is a fun iOS game designed to teach students how to program/code through Game Based Learning.  Human Resource Machine is a puzzle game where your boss gives you a job that you solve by programming your worker.  This is done by dragging sequence of code in the correct order to accomplish your task and get to the next level.  Best of all, like all Filament
Learning games their is a teacher dashboard to track student progress.

I highly recommend checking out Human Resource Machine EDU by clicking here!!!

Edji

Edji is an innovative site for annotating texts for collaborative learning that I just found out about from Larry Ferlazzo's blog.  Edji lets users read a online text and then interact w/ it by: highlighting passages, annotate w/ text, images, or emojis, and, more.  Educators can then view a "heat map" which shows highlighting being done in real-time that helps them differentiate instruction and assess student's understanding.

I highly recommend checking out Edji by clicking here!!!

Aris

Aris is a free iOS app that is ideal for educators looking to create robust learning experiences or games.  Aris lets users create scavengers hunts, interactive stories, and location based games (i.e. Pokemon Go) using the latest tools.  Also, there are lots of online courses and a forum to help teachers learn how to integrate Aris into their classroom.

I highly recommend checking out Aris by clicking here!!!

For a more detailed review click here.

30hands Learning

30hands Learning is the excellent company for creating an innovative LMS (Learning Management System) as well as the popular mobile iOS app that is ideal for digital storytelling 30hands Pro.  The 30hands community is a perfect cloud based solution that allows educators to: manage/track students, hand in/out assignments, schedule events, and more.  While the mobile is being used in education for project based learning, digital storytelling, and more.

30hands has lots of exciting news on the horizon...

After upgrading to Pro, users will have access to existing advanced features and new features in the works:

• Video clips as slides

• Google Drive + Dropbox Integration

• Importing of Google Slides and PDFs as 30hands slides

• Backgrounds and scenes

• Higher quality videos

• Advanced drag-and-drop drawing with editing 

• Slide sharing with parents and students 

• Slide Transitions 

• Unlimited presentations

• Unlimited saves to Camera Roll

For more info on how your school can participate, email info@30hands.com.

Join our newsletter here: http://30hands.com/newsletter.

*30hands Learning is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

PurposeGames

PurposeGames is a nice little site for Game Based Learning that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  A user can search through different subjects such as: math, geography, foreign languages, and more.  Also, there is a game creator section where teachers can create their own different types of games/quizzes.

I highly recommend checking out PurposeGames by clicking here!!!