Graphing

Hey math teachers! (and anyone else that needs to do a little graphing)

Is Desmos dragging you down?

Doesn't Geogebra get your group going?

Perhaps you would want to give Graphit a go?


Graphit is quick, easy to use, and web-based, so there's no big downloading to use it.  Students can quickly customize, create, and save their work.  Check it out.


See screenshot here:

Using QR Codes

QR Codes may be used for many different classroom applications, the most common is in creating a quick link to a website.  However, there are many other applications.

How to create a QR Code:

There are several web resources to create QR Codes.  My favorite is at qrstuff.com.  The site is easy to use, free, and not loaded with unwanted advertisements.  For a web link, simply paste in the desired address and the code will show up on the right side of the page.

Now click on the Download button below your new QR Code.  It will download as an image to your computer.  It may be inserted into a word processor document or printed out by itself. As an alternative, here is a web link to another QR generation website.

How to Scan a QR code:

There are many free apps for smartphones and tablets to scan QR codes, available on the Apple and Android stores .  For a phone, I like a free app called i-nigma.  It is very easy to operate.  Make sure to 'allow' the application to connect to your camera though on your first use.

Here is a web link to a great QR scanner.  It is very quick and easy to use.  With the scanning application open, simply hold up the code in front of the camera and watch go to your desired link.

Web Presentation Applications

We often think of a presentation in the context of a person talking in the front of an audience, often with some type of visual aid to add interest to what is being said.  With digital tools available today, the presenter does not have to be talking or even in the same room as the audience.   The intended audience can be made much larger by using a number of different web presentation tools. There are many different options available.   Here are just a few:

Newsletter-Style Presentations
These tools provide much more flexibility than what can be found in a newsletter or brochure.  Pictures, videos, and interactive links can be easily included.  These are great resources for students to build Portfolios of Learning for large projects.

• Smore - This free web application has the feel of a newsletter.  It is quick to build and is visually very easy to follow.
• Movenote - This is a twisted combination of YouTube and Smore.  A video clip can be created to be coordinated with multimedia products.  This is a really slick tool.
• Google Sites - Features like tables, images, videos, and google document can be easily embedded in the web pages.  Sites provides an easy connection with many other Google Applications for Education (GAFE).
• Weebly - The templates in Weebly are very attractive and easy to build on, especially for novice users.  It does not contain as many advanced features as Google Sites, but will make a small website look like it's been built by a pro.
• Blendspace - This application will bundle digital resources into a single, easy-to-use site.  It works well for projects for students, as well as a lesson-builder for teachers.

Video-Based Presentation Platforms:

• YouTube - This is a video player only. Videos and custom playlists can be easily shared or embedded into other projects.  Students can write, film, edit, and produce their own work and share with the world to see using their school Google accounts.
• Moovly - This is an online video editor with many unique animated visuals.  Anyone with experience using iMovie will see a familiar layout.  This works very well for short presentations.

Animation Presentation Tools:
These tools work great for those presentations that need to add a little visual appeal to make it more engaging.

• Animoto
• Powtoons

Are you looking for more presentation tools?
Check out Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything for more.

What are your go-to web presentation tools?

Formative Assessment Resources

Video Tools for Formative Learning:
Videos may be used to front-load a lesson, that is, they would be viewed ahead of the next classroom activity.  This is what is often used as part of a 'flipped' learning environment.

These first three tools all allow students to watch the prescribed videos and answer formative assessment questions.  They may be simple, multiple-choice questions or open-ended constructive questions.  Students have control to view, rewind, and replay any content as desired.  Teachers can collect results and adapt the classroom lesson, based on the results.

           Zaption
           EdPuzzle   - Tutorial
           eduCanon - Tutorial

Quiz-Based Formative Assessments
These often do not have the feel of a typical quiz.  These can be be quick, fun, and engaging ways to collect feedback from students.
        
           Quizizz - very good
           Kahoot
           Socrative
           Quizlet

           GoFormative

Lesson-Plan Tools for Formative Assessment
These tools can be used to build lessons for a single day or in units using different forms of digital media, including video, documents, and websites.  These may also be created by students as part of a summative project.
            Blendspace
            gooru
            Versal

            Pear Deck

Interactive Tools
Students can use these sites to create artifacts of their classroom learning.
            ReadWriteThink - a link to the site's interactive resources
            Graphite - these are tested web resources by Common Sense Media
            ClassTools.net

             See Saw - Think of this as more of a learning portfolio.  This is teacher-managed, and a great substitute for many blogging applications.

Multimedia
Students can make  their pictures talk
              ThingLink for Education

Gaming in Formative Assessment
Check out the templates that be used to quickly build familiar game-based assessments
                 Jeopardy Labs

Exit Ticket as Formative Assessment
                 Google Forms
                 Poll Everywhere
                 Quia






Thanks to a blog posting by Michael Gorman from August 15, 2015 for help with these resources.