Aurasma

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aurasma/id432526396?mt=8

iTunes rating 3 stars

My rating 3 stars

The app takes an object or image and allows you to use layers  of information over the object or image for augmented exploration. It allows both the learner and creator to interact with the world.

I would like to start off the year with examples of different medias in art for the k-2 and different types of art for 3-5 laid out on table tops that have been augmented. The learners by choice would scan an artwork and see the process and explore several related artworks. Later on in the year I would like 3-5 to find a famous artwork that was created with historical, social, or scientific connections and augment it for their classmates and younger students at our school. Augmenting the famous work of art with a visual interactive explanations of the WHY this artwork was created and so famous.

I rated it a 3 it is challenging to get the hang of. The app does stall quite a bit. I'm looking forward to the improvements that will come and the places this type of creating and learning will take us.

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Comic Maker

Comic Maker provides an easy way to create comics. Many options are available for layout and pictures. You can even upload your own pictures. This would be a great tool to use in the classroom. It serves as a new avenue for students to write while having fun and expressing their creativity. I can see it being especially popular with boy writers. Many times, they don't enjoy writing, so this gives them a new approach.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/comic-maker-hd/id649271605?mt=8

Photocard

I enjoyed exploring the Photocard app today. First of all, it is a free app, so anyone can create an account and explore on their own. Essentially, Photocard allows you to send a postcard through email (or actually send a real one). You can customize the postcard with a picture or select from several provided. I plan to have learners use this tool to capture a moment in history (a final goodbye note from a soldier in the Alamo, a postcard to a relative after moving to a new country) or document correspondence between characters in a book. The possibilities are endless. My learners could show their understanding of a topic while using correct friendly letter format and showcase their writing skills. I can't wait to share this with my campus!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photocard-by-bill-atkinson/id333208430?mt=8

Jennifer Braafladt

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ThingLink

Great app that allows you to add video, music, and notes to your images. I would use this app for students to describe structure and function of a body system or, cell and it's organelles. This app is easy to use I rate it as 5.


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Haiku Deck and BookPress

I spent my time looking at 4 different apps and these two were my favorites. I had fun making a Haiku Deck presentation using the tutorial first and then creating my own without it. It was very easy to use and has lots of built in resources. 

BookPress is the other app that I'm excited about. If you've ever wondered how to write and publish your own book, BookPress makes this easy for you. I plan on using this in the classroom and reminding students that each time they write a report or an essay, it will come together in a published ebook at the end of the year. Hopefully this will motivate them to produce better work.

Write About This

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/write-about-this-free/id601382666?mt=8

This app serves many purposes. It allows learners to create digital stories using either photos they have taken, or there are a plethora of photos already in the app ready for use.  Learners can also voice record what they have written. Another cool feature is the writing prompts that are associated with photos on the app. I would use this app as a tool used for writing. 

I would rate this app as a 5, as it seems like an awesome way to incorporate creative writing and inferring into the classroom. 

Haiku Deck

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/haiku-deck-presentation-slideshow/id536328724?mt=8

Haiku Deck is a great presentation tool that allows students to "easily and quickly create slides that have copyright-friendly images and are easy to share." I can't wait to use this apps with my students by giving them a way to share/present creatively to the classroom. Whether they are sharing the biography of a famous Texan, or providing the synopsis of a book that they are reading- the opportunities are endless! The images are safe for my students and they are challenged to write their thoughts in a concise way. No more cluttered PP presentations that students read off of while presenting. I haven't had the opportunity to master this app, but would give it high stars based on what I have seen thus far. I am interested to see how I can utilize this in my 1:1 classroom.

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Chatterpix Kids

With this app, learners can take a photo, record their voice, and make it appear as if the picture is speaking.

Since I will be teaching First Grade next year, I thought that this would be a user-friendly app to use for checking for understanding, presenting information, etc.

Kidblog

Kidblog is a student friendly app where you can create a class blog. It is easy to set up usernames and allows you to use the same password for all students. I loved looking around on the website for Kidblog and seeing how other teachers used this in their classroom. My favorite was a teacher set up a rubric for students to post weekly blogs about the book they were currently reading. It would be a great way to open up the classroom for students to be able to reflect and learn about books their peers are reading as well as reflect and make connections in their own reading. 

Here is the link for this App. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kidblog/id565951433?mt=8

 I would give this app 4 stars simply because I have not used it in the classroom so I do not know how it would fully work with a class of 26 students. 

Taylor Miles 

Subtext

I chose to write about the app Subtext. This app allows for teachers to have a book discussion online with their students. The teacher can search for any type of book or article that they would like their students to read and then discuss. They also offer both Fiction and Non Fiction. Once the teacher finds a book, they can upload it to the class discussion board. From there the students can read it and then upload a comment. This app allows for critical thinking, because the teacher can begin the discussion by asking a higher level question, and then students can take over. The teacher can also facilitate throughout the entire discussion. The teacher can also make it private to where no one can see the students response except for the teacher. Students will be very motivated and engaged during this, because they can to use technology to have a whole book discussion. It also allows for teachers to assess students by following the responses of each students during the discussion. This app does need an account, but you can just use your email and then add your class from there.

I would use this app with my students in order to get them to read more nonfiction or current events and then be able to use it to have a meaningful conversation. I would use this to go along with another project or a book study more as a supplement to my lesson instead of just using it on its own.





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Administrators and Apps

Maybe that's my next presentation title! I like it!

Being a lover of learning and Administrator in the district, I am beyond excited to see so many resources in one place. I focused on grouping them in the categories provided, taking notes on each one (surface level notes), and tweeting out what I could. I want to be able to use myself as a resource when it comes to teachers needs regarding professional learning...and other things.
Tami and Nancy did an excellent job providing teachers with choice and TIME, which led to empowerment of everyone who was in the session today. I am inspired to go and share...all that I have seen and all that I know. Bravo job ladies! My iPad app list is STOCKED for the 2014-2015 school year!

Fotobabble

I used Fotobabble and enjoyed it. I think I will use it for book trailers for the library. I will add a picture then record my voice describing the book and try to hook my readers. I also used Comic app and did not like it. I found that it was not very easy to use and need to spend more time looking into it and playing with it before I feel comfortable using it. Thanks!

Courtney George

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BookPress

BookPress is an app that allows anyone to create a storybook, cookbook, photo book, children's  book or yearbook in minutes.  I could use this in class by having learners create a class book about story elements.  Learners can create a poetry book or a book on the top 20 books middle school kids love. It helps to watch the video for simple features and tools. You can app smash it with sketchbook.  

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bookpress-best-book-creator/id531606316?mt=8

http://youtu.be/8Qbhxjng708 -       Video link

Comic Maker

I had a great time using Comic Maker because it is straightforward and easy to use. I was looking for an App for my 8th graders to use to create graphic stories as an exercise in word choice and dialogue writing and Comic Maker is an excellent avenue for this. Learners can use pictures from their camera roll and add text boxes and speech bubbles over the pictures to convey speech and captions in the frames.  There are pre-created frames as well. I would rate it a 4.5 out of 5- it's sometimes difficult to fit the images into the designated frame boxes.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/comic-maker-hd/id649271605?mt=8

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