ClassDojo Portfolios

*ClassDojo Portfolios is live and FREE for all teachers!!!

ClassDojo the widely used (free) tool for behavior management and communication for education now offers digital portfolios.  ClassDojo Portfolios is a great and safe way for students to share digital stories, projects, classwork, etc.  Best of all, this is done through the innovative ClassDojo app/web interface where the teacher moderates/approves all of the their student's work and the parent sees only their own child's work.

More info from their press release...

• Students take the lead - students can share and celebrate their learning by snapping photos of projects, taking videos of presentations, and writing reflections.
• Work is shared, not stored away  - rather than being stashed in desks or stored in boxes, work is shared instantly w/ parents sparking hours of conversations at home.
• All communication in one place - parents, teachers, students, and school leaders on ClassDojo can now use it for all communication between home and school.
• Perfect for shared device classrooms - no need for every student to have their own device; Student Stories can be used on one device shared by all students in the classroom.
• Closed platform creates a safe space for sharing - a student's Story can only be seen by the teacher, and that student's parents.

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

*ClassDojo is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Top 25 Sites/Apps of 2018

It's the time of year again for my favorite annual sites and apps.  Again, this years list sees a lot of tools for STEM that focuses on programming/coding.  As w/ any of my previous annual top lists, all tools listed in previous posts will not be eligible for this years'.

Top 25 Sites/Apps of 2018

1. YO Teach! - With Today's Meet shutting down this year, Palms created a very user friendly tool for creating a "backchannel" that can be used in any number of ways in education.
2. Book Creator - A fantastic mobile (iOS/Chrome) app for creating stunning eBooks/presentations, that can be used for digital storytelling, project based learning, and more.
3. Think Fluency - A wonderful iOS/Google Play app for assessing a student's reading fluency.  This is all done w/out the user of paper, provides instant real-time feedback, and saves teacher's valuable time.
4. Dystopia 2153 - An innovative new site that teaches programming/coding through the use of game based learning and graphic novels.
5. Night Zookeeper - A excellent new free writing tool filled w/ interactive lessons as well as an educational portal to help teachers track and monitor student progress.
6. Hippo Video - One of my favorite sites around for creating digital videos that can be used to "flip" a classroom or create explainer videos.
7. TypeTastic - The best site around for student's K-12 (w/ educational portal) learning how to type/keyboard.
8. Socrates - A cutting-edge new site where educators can seamlessly differentiate instruction through game based learning.
9. Project Pals - A great all-in-one collaborative learning platform that is ideal for project based learning.
10. I Know It - One of my favorite new free sites around for Math grades K-5.  Best of all, the educators can assign lessons and track student progress.
11. Oodlu - A excellent new site/app for creating games that lets parents or educators track student progress.
12. Klassroom - A free mobile (Android/iOS) that reminds me of a cross between Remind and ClassDojo, where educators can share: photos, videos, or documents in a secure environment.
13. Badaboom - A new game based learning tool (similar to Kahoot) where educators can make quizzes/games to assess student's learning.
14. Edji - An innovative new site for annotating texts for collaborative learning.
15. Elementari - A fun site for digital storytelling and project based learning where students can create: digital stories, portfolios, or choose-your-own adventures.  There is an educational portal in the works for easier student tracking/management.
16. Codemoji - A cool new sites where grades 1st-8th can learn how to program/code through the use of emojis.
17. Pixorize - A intersting site for US History that reminds me of ThingLink where students learn facts through the use of pictures.
18. Reading Racer - A wonderful new iOS app that uses speech recognition to assess a student's Reading ability/comprehension.
19. CodeCombat - A fantastic way for educators to teach programming/coding through an innovative game.
20. UMU - A excellent mobile app (iOS/Android) that can be used in a any number of different ways.  Educators are using it for assessing students, creating quizzes/games, professional development, and even for blended learning.
21. Waypoint EDU - An innovative new iOS app that uses augmented reality to let educators create  scavenger hunts or geocaching.
22. Grasshopper - A cool mobile app (iOS/Android) that teaches students how to code in Javascript through fun puzzles/games.
23. Typing Agent - A great web based typing/keyboarding tool for grades K-12 w/ lots of features such as: multiplayer games, certificates, type-to-code, and more.
24. Khan Academy Kids - A new iOS/Google Play app for finding educational resources for Math, Reading, Writing, and more.
25. ClassPad - Is a free digital scratch paper that students can use to solve all their Math problems.

Otus

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

• Differentiate Instruction - now easier w/ more efficient tools 

• Side by Side - new view for for rubrics w/ documents, better organization, and synced calendars

• 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.

Jab! Jab!

Jab! Jab! is a new game for keyboarding/typing from RoomRecess, one of my favorite sites around for Game Based Learning.  The goal of the game is simple, select between: home row, top row, or bottom row, and then type the letters to throw a punch and try to knock out your opponent before they do.

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

I Know It

"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!" 

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

I highly recommend checking out I Know it by clicking here!!!

*I Know It is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Pexels

Pexels is a nice site where people can find free "stock" videos.  All videos are curated and tagged by subject and can be downloaded.

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

Thanks to TechChef4U for the heads up.

Project Pals

Project Pals is a innovative all-in-one collaborative learning platform ideal for project based learning
that K-12 teachers are using for any subject or curriculum.  Through the Project Pals platform educators will track, monitor, and guide student progress while students work collaboratively.  This is all done through a easy-to-use visual interface that helps students organize and collaborate on their projects.  Project Pals is a great tool for educators to not only use for group projects but to asses
student learning as well.

Finally, Project Pals has a wide range of resources for educators such as: lesson plans, eBooks, and more.  Teachers can find a vast array of common core aligned already created projects to help integrate Project Pals intro the classroom.  Educators can even use existing rubrics or create their own to use w/ detailed reports generated by Project Pals making it easy to differentiate instruction.

Below is a brief demo...



I highly recommend checking out Project Pals by clicking here!!!

Teachers can sign up for a free license by clicking here!!!

For another detailed review check out Class Tech Tips by clicking here.

TypeTastic School Edition

TypeTastic is an excellent K-12 site for students learning how to Type/Keyboard.  TypeTastic's School Edition has an educational portal that allows educators to track, monitor, and assess student progress.  This is a fun and great way to integrate technology into a classroom's curriculum.  TypeTastic uses over 400 innovative games, activities and drills to help teach and reinforce keyboarding/typing skills.

The expanded curriculum introduces students to more than 250 entertaining new keyboarding activities that move from locating letters to fluent typing in four fun steps:

1. Explore the Keyboard: Unique keyboard visualization splits the letters into nine color-coded groups so students see the keyboard like a map and can quickly find the correct letters. 

2. All Fingers Aboard: These games are designed to challenge kids to learn the fundamentals of typing. All sections are centered on finger movement, often first separated into either right- or left-hand activities, followed by more challenging games that use both hands.

3. Ready, Set, Type!: Keyboarding activities take kids on an adventure through underwater coral reefs, thick jungle vegetation, and serene beach vistas to collect words and letters, with the goal of typing simple words and sentences. 

4. Master Those Keys: In the final step, students dig into the secrets of fluent typing, challenging themselves with more complex words, building up their typing speed, and discovering numbers and symbols.

TypeTastic School Edition starts at $99 for 1 year for a class of 40 students.  TypeTastic is offering a special 60-day free trial to Technology Tidbits readers! To get started, click here.

Below is brief demo...



I highly recommend checking out TypeTastic!!!

For more information from their blog click here.

*TypeTastic is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Storyboard That for Winter Holidays

Storyboard That the free online resources that educators everywhere are using for a wide variety of teaching strategies has just released their Winter Holiday Classroom Activities teacher guides...

From their site.... Sometimes we use the seasons and holidays around us to engage our students in the skills we are teaching. Whether you want to use these activities just for fun, or if you have lesson plans centered around the winter holidays, Storyboard That is an excellent resource. Check out some of the great things your students can do!

I highly recommend checking out Storyboard That for Winter Classroom Activities by clicking here!!!

Storyboard that is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Extempore

Extempore is an innovative new app (iOS/Google Play) for Foreign Language instructors.  Extempore makes it easy for teachers to manage student's audio and visual assignments.  This is all done in a simple to use app where educators can create assignments and seamlessly assess/grade student's work w/out having to worrying about them "reading" from a script.  Also, the built in rubrics and unlimited 'teacher training" training makes it easy to integrate Extempore into the
curriculum.

Below is a brief demo...



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