Actively Learn

Actively Learn is a site I've blogged about in the past that is ideal for increasing reading comprehension or adding "depth" to any text.  AL reminds me a lot of EDpuzzle but instead of "making a video your own" it is "making reading material your own".  This can be done using any text and lets educators track student's learning and understanding of a passage through the use of asking questions, annotating, collaborating, and more all in real-time.  This is a great resource for teachers and easily lets them gauge a student's understanding, differentiate instruction, or even "flip" a lesson.

More updated features include:

• Updated instruction for thousands of ELA, Science, and Social Studies texts
• Text pairings for topics and novels that help teachers find content related to what they already teach
• Videos that tie to academic topics, w/ embedded questions to monitor student comprehension
• The ability for students to highlight key vocabulary right in the text and hear an entire text read aloud
• A redesigned catalog and workspace to improve navigation and usability

Below is a brief demo video...



I highly recommend checking out Actively Learn by clicking here!!!

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 Lockdowns

• Video Feedbacks - great for leaving feedback and more personalized for students then just reading comments.

• Schedule Assessments - a nice feature to let teachers have control of when they want to assess students/assignments

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.

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.

More features...

• 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.hand

Recast

Recast is an excellent site for creating videos/presentations that can then be embedded into a site or blog.  Recast offers lots of templates for users to choose through and then easy-drag-drop controls to add text, colors, animations and more to create a stunning product.  Finally, Recast be used in the classroom for digital storytelling, project based learning, and even to introduce a topic.

Below is a brief demo...



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

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog for the tip.

Knoword

Knoword is a super fun Vocabulary game that I just found out about from Richard Byrne's blog.  The way this works is definitions are given w/ the starting letter of the word while a timer counts down.  The player tries to answer as many correct words by typing/spelling them correctly before the timer runs out.  Best of all, there is a teacher portal where educators can create their own "word" packs to integrate w/ their curriculum as well as track student data.

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

*Knoword is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

DOGOnews

DOGOnews is an excellent site for creating Reading assignments for grades K-8 that can then be integrated into Google Classroom.  This is done through 1000s of curated educated articles in a wide variety of subjects (i.e. Science, History, Current Events, etc.) where educators can then select lesson plans, create assignments, and help students increase their Reading and Vocabulary skills.

Below is a brief demo...



I highly recommend checking out DOGOnews for teachers by clicking here!!!

Microsoft Math

Microsoft Math is an excellent free mobile (iOS/Google Play) app for all things Math grades K-12.  All a user had to do is scan, type, or draw a math problem to get a answer and other results.  Also, Microsoft Math generates detail step-by-step instructions on how to solve the problem, videos, graphs, and more.  Finally, Microsoft Math lets teachers create printable Math worksheets for their students to use.

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

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog for the tip.