Here is a great Tech tidbit!

Need to download and convert a YouTube video for a project? There is a very user-friendly way to do that. Forget KeepVid.com or ClipGrab.org. Instead, use Savefrom.net

This is surprisingly easy. Just follow these steps.

1. Find your YouTube video!

2. In that YouTube URL, delete the https://www. before your video web address.

3. Enter the letters ss before the y in youtube.

4. A new window, Savefrom.net, will automatically open.

5. On the left side of the screen click on "download" and choose one of the MP4 formats.

6. Your video will automatically open in QuickTime.

7. Save the video to your desktop and import/drag into your project.

The video will remain in your downloads, so if you need it again, just drag it from your downloads right on to your desktop.

See, I told you it was easy!

LET'S GET ORGANIZED!

Managing and Organizing Google Drive Files

Google Drive has many features to help manage and organize files. You can search for files by name, you can narrow or filter a search, and you can sort your files. Additionally you can create folders and then color code the folders to help keep things organized.

Searching For Files

Use the search box at the top of the Google Drive screen to enter a file name. Files that match the search name will be listed. Click the file name to open the document.

Narrow or Filter Your Search
If you get too many results from your search, click the down arrow at the right end of the Google Drive search box to open a list of search options. Pick one of the options, or a combination of options to use to search Google Drive. If you still don't find the file you want or there are still too many results, you can add a word after your search options to further narrow your results.

Sort Your Files

Click the sort options icon in the upper right corner of your Google Drive screen. A drop down menu of choices lists: Last modified, Last edited by me, Last opened by me, and Name. The default sort for Google Drive files is A to Z by file name.  Chose one of the other options to see if it makes it easier to find your files.

Organize Your Files

Use folders to help organize your files. In the upper left corner of the Google Drive screen, click on the red box labeled 'NEW' and then select 'Folder'. A dialog box will appear asking you to name your new folder. Type in the name and click the blue 'CREATE' button and your new folder will be created. 

Move Google Drive Files to Your Folders

To add files to your folder, just drag and drop the files that you would like to add to the folder. 

Organize Your Folders By Color

On the left side of the Google Drive screen under 'My Drive,' click on one of the folders you'd like to have a color other than the default color of gray. Click the down arrow next to your folder name for a list of options and then scroll down and click on 'Change color.' A palette of color choices will appear.  Click on your choice of color.

For More Information...

There are several great 'how to' videos on Youtube. You can go to Youtube and do a search, or check out one of my favorites at: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8rYmt-C9VY

Getting the Most out of Tasks in Gmail

Did you know you can keep a "to-do" list within your Gmail with the task feature? To get started, click the down arrow next to Gmail in the top left corner of your Gmail page, then choose Tasks. To enter tasks, click in the Tasks window and start typing. Once you've typed in a task, press 'Enter' to create another task, or use the + button at the bottom of your list. Simply check off each item as you finish them, and/or press the trashcan icon to delete that task.

There are many ways to customize and organize your task list. You can add more information for each task, such as a due date or more notes, and you can create multiple lists for different categories of tasks.

One of the best features of tasks is that you can add items directly from an email. When you are looking at an email, click on the More button at the top of your email. One of the options is "Add to Tasks." When you click that, Gmail will add the title of that email to your task list. Then, when you look back at your task list later, you can click on the link and it will bring you right back to the email.

I made a quick (under two minute) tutorial video demonstrating these features. Take a look!

Fabulous Fonts

A few tips for making the most of Apple fonts. In Pages, select the Format drop down menu, then select Font and slide over to choose Show Fonts.  This will bring up the fonts window below that you have seen before. If you look under the action menu (it looks like a gear sprocket) you will find the option to Show Preview.  That opens a window that will show what the fonts actually look like.

Another option under the action menu is Characters. Selecting that will give you many screens of characters that you can insert into your document by clicking on your choice.  If you switch to the larger version of the character window, glyphs are shown in your current font but you can see how the glyph appears in other fonts in the lower left under font variations.  If you use a particular glyph frequently, it can be added to your favorites.

Images: Photos for Class

Are you looking for a safe place for students to search for images to use in their academic work?

After Britannica Image Quest, check out Photos for Class! This is a great free resource for safe images that are licensed for school use. Best of all, each image comes with a built-in citation! Yes, the citation is literally part of the image when you download it. Look at the bottom of this image!

See more at: http://www.photosforclass.com. 

Images: Britannica Image Quest

Looking for a reliable source of high-quality images for students to use in academic work? Your first choice should be Britannica Images, a district-paid resource full of millions of beautiful professional-quality images.

Give it a try by typing a keyword into this search box.

• If you are asked to log in, ask your MRC Director for the username and password (they are the same as for the Encyclopedia Britannica and World Book Web).
• You can access Britannica Image Quest through your schools' Alexandria Researcher web page (or Classjump at CHMS).

Take a tour of the database to learn more. 

Tips for using Britannica Image Quest with students:

1. Counsel students not to use the thumbnail images in their projects. Thumbnail images will pixelate and lose quality when enlarged in a project. If students click on the text below the thumbnail image, they will get the option to download the image.  

2. When students download an image, it will come with a .txt file with the caption and credit information. Students can simply copy the caption and credit information from the database screen as well.

Kahoot!

                                             

    

                                               

Kahoot! is a free game-based classroom response system that allows you to introduce topics and create a formative assessment with real-time feedback. The student (player) can join  the experience by going to kahoot.it  and entering an assigned game-pin number. The teacher has an account but the student doesn’t need one, they just respond to the game prompts and enter the pin.  It is easy and fun to use.

There is a drag and drop feature that allows you to build quizzes and surveys based on educational content.  Users may browse public access quizzes as well.  Kahoot is an easy and engaging way to work with students in real time  Quizzes and/or surveys can be projected  and the students can respond without needing an account,

Go to the following site and take a look at the tutorials … https://getkahoot.com/tutorials/Kahoot_Tutorials.pdf

Go to https://getkahoot.com to open a free teacher account.
To open a Kahoot account follow these easy steps:
•Select the button that says “free account”
•Select ‘Teacher’ from this list of roles
•Type the name of your school

• Username: Create a username
• Type the email address you will be using

•  Create a password

• Press the purple Create Account button and you will have instant access and email account
cconfirmation.

Google Slides Carnival: Free Templates for Google Slides Presentations

Check out slidescarnival.com for beautifully-designed, free templates to use in Google Slides presentations.  We all owe a big thanks to Jimena Catalina, a web designer who lives in Madrid, for sharing these fabulous templates with the world.  All she asks in return is that we keep the Credits slide in our copies of the presentations.

Slides Carnival templates are easy to access and are divided into categories:

• Formal
• Inspirational
• Creative
• Simple
• Startup
• Elegant
• Playful

Simply find a template you like and click the "Use This Presentation Template" button below the sample image. This opens a "view only" copy of the template in your Google Slides account. Save a copy, rename it, and wow your audience with a stunning presentation.

The website and templates include design tips, and the FAQs guide you through the "How do I use a template?" process.

Remember to keep the Credits slide! Enjoy.

“The more strikingly visual your presentation is, the more people will remember it. And more importantly, they will remember you.”

--Paul Arden

AirDrop

  

Blendspace.com

Looking for a new way to present information to your students or for a new platform for students to share their projects? If so, then take a look at Blendspace.com. Meghan Carey, Differentiation Specialist at CHMS, saw Blendspace in use at a conference and knew this was a tool she wanted to use in the classroom and introduce to her students.

Blendspace is a place to compile electronic media and resources together in one lesson. It’s free and very user-friendly! Each customizable “canvas” is composed of individual spaces/boxes that allow you or your students to drag and drop videos, images, documents and websites in one place and then share your lesson or projects with others.

As a teacher you can compile a lesson for students to go through step-by-step, you can post tutorial videos on a topic, and you can link your Blendspace project to your website. You can post multiple documents and images for a specific lesson in one place. Megan Hoff, sixth grade social studies teacher at CHMS, is using Blendspace in just that way right now for the World Religions unit. Take a look https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/UpSowSL53KHD8w/

Students can use Blendspace to gather multiple resources for research and then create projects. Since all the information is stored in one place, it is easy for them to find a certain resource they used to get more information or to check some facts. According to Meghan Carey, "Using Blendspace keeps research fluid, evolving as it should. As students evaluate different resources they can discard and replace resources." The teacher can look at the canvas to see the progress of the student, to verify sources and to check for plagiarism. The canvas is a visual representation of sources. Below are two examples from 8th grade students doing research on World War II.

https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/cPB7zVDupAszWA/the-concentration-camps

https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/jerXjZU5eY6nkw/how-did-switzerland-stay-neutral-throughout-the-war

So, how do you begin to use Blendspace? First, you need to create an account. Don't forget, it really is FREE. Once you get into your account, Blendspace provides a 30 second tutorial on how to begin a lesson. It’s amazing and very encouraging. Then just begin! You can search with a panel on the right for videos on the web from You Tube, Teacher Tube or any web format. You can upload your own videos or other digital files and find or upload images on Flickr or Google. It’s pretty amazing.

The site says you can create a digital project in five minutes. You can! I encourage you to check it out.

Apple TV Tips

New to Apple TV? 
Check out Apple TV Tips from Pike School.

Is your classroom not showing up on the Apple TV list? There's a quick fix.

• Make sure your Apple TV is turned on.
  
• Click on Menu on the remote control.
• Make sure the little white status light is on.
• Your classroom still doesn't show up?
• Click on Menu on the remote.
• Navigate to Settings by pressing the right dot on the navigating circle. Press the center button to select it.
• Navigate to General>>Software Update.
• It takes a few minutes to update, but it should not require a restart.
• You might need to tell it to update even if you have it set to update automatically.

Do you keep getting kicked off Apple TV?

• Change the screen saver to Never.
• Menu>>Settings>>General>>Screen Saver>>Start After  
• Press the center button until you get to Never. See the diagram of the remote control below.

Does everything get tiny when you switch to Apple TV?

• Click on the AirPlay icon on the top toolbar.
• Click on Open Display Preferences, the bottom item.
• Select 720. 
• Miraculously everything will get bigger and easier to read!

How do I switch from Apple TV to my document camera?

• Use the projector remote control and press the Seek Source button.
• Select Computer 1.
• You might need to toggle to the document camera on the document camera itself the same way you switch from projecting from your computer to the document camera.

Tired to seeing movie covers? Turn on Restrictions.

• Menu>>Settings>>General>>Restrictions>>Turn On Restrictions
• You will need to set a 4-digit passcode. Check with your MRC Director to see if there is a recommended passcode for your building.
• Next go down to Purchase and Rental and select it.
• Change the words from "ask" to "hide."

How to use the Apple TV remote:

1, 2, 3, 6 move the cursor around

5, the center button, will select the highlighted option

4 is the menu button

7 is the play/pause button if showing a movie

• Use the dots on the circle to move left, right, up, or down.
• Use the center circle to select what is highlighted.
• Use Menu to make sure the Apple TV is on and to access the menu choices.

Thanks to Matt Haeger for his Apple TV tips and explaining how to use the remote control.

Image credits:

http://blogs.pikeschool.org/allthingstech/2014/10/28/apple-tv-tips/

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT3176 

PARCC Readiness Activities - Trackpad / Mouse Practice

Using the trackpad on a Mac is not always easy for young children to get used to, especially if they are used to touch screens. Below are some sites and activities for students K-5 to use to become familiar with the trackpad / mouse. 
This is the fourth post in a series of suggestions for tech skills to help all K-5 students be prepared for computerized testing like PARCC. Make sure to check out the original post here, since that also contains a list of websites with a variety of activities, including mouse practice.

Drag and Drop Activities:

• Introductory practice dragging and dropping: http://www.seniornet.org/howto/mouseexercises/dragpractice1.html (K-2)
• Practice using the trackpad with a wide variety of educational games at ABCya. Many of them include dragging and dropping: http://www.abcya.com/
• Create a Kidspiration template in which students need to drag and drop labels onto images. For example, drag and drop onomatopoeia words onto pictures; sort fiction and nonfiction; drag words onto pictures of that word (K-2), drag genre onto book cover, or continent/state name onto map (3-5)
• Quizlet - “Scatter” activity https://quizlet.com/ (Remember we have a district Quizlet account to share activities) (3-5)
• The Mathematics Common Core Toolbox. Includes dragging and dropping items and making selections. http://ccsstoolbox.agilemind.com/parcc/PARCCPrototype_elementary.html  (2-5)

• 

  From Code.org

  Code.Org: Practice using the mouse and dragging and dropping. K-2 students could start with Course 1, Stage 3: Jigsaw. http://studio.code.org/ (K-5)

Hot Spots:

Hot spot items contain "hot spot zones" which represent student answer options. Hot spot zones are answer options that may be part of a graphic, art, numbers, or text that are selected in response to a question. Practice with State Capital activity, “Locate It” option: http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-geography-venture-capital/  (4-5)

Other General Mouse/Trackpad Skills:

• Practice using the trackpad with activities from Minimouse. Includes clicking, scrolling, cursor control, drag and drop: http://www.minimouse.us/ (K-3)
• Practice using the trackpad with a wide variety of educational games at ABCya. Includes math, language arts, mouse manipulation, keyboarding, and more: http://www.abcya.com/  (K-5)

PARCC Readiness Activities - Keyboarding

From TypingTraining.com

Being an efficient typist is an important skill and students should be comfortable composing responses on the computer. Here are some activities that can help prepare our students.

Keyboarding:

• Keyboarding prep: Use space bar with thumbs, Use shift key for capital letters, include end punctuation (K-1)
• Begin keyboard familiarity using ABCya Keyboarding http://www.abcya.com/keyboarding_practice.htm (K-1)
• Begin keyboard familiarity using Dance Mat Typing http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr (1-2)
• Practice keyboarding letters through games: at Slime Kids Typing: http://www.slimekids.com/games/typing-games/ (2-5)
• Use Typing Training http://www.typingtraining.com/login/  (3-5)
• Produce and publish grade-level appropriate writing pieces using keyboarding skills (1-5) (Note: CCSS Writing 4.6: “Demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting;” CCSS Writing 5.6: “Demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.”)
• Student often do not transfer punctuation and capitalization in constructed responses on the computer. They will need to practice doing so. Additionally, they will need opportunities to practice using the text editing tools available to them on the text (Bold, italicize, underline, bullets, numbered lists, cut, copy, paste, undo, redo). (2-5)
• Compose at the keyboard rather than writing rough draft first (3-5).
• Blogging on Kidblog.org (1-5)
• Short answer questions in Edmodo or other learning management system (3-5)
• Journal activities in Google Docs, etc. (3-5)
• Use Google Classroom to have students compose and type responses to prompts or questions (3-5)
• Use Google forms to have students compose and answer “long answer” questions with “paragraph” type questions
• Use Discovery Education to assign students a video and a writing prompt to go along with the video (2-5)

PARCC Readiness Activities - Using Online Manipulatives

From Mathplayground.com

Using virtual manipulatives is not quite the same as holding and using actual manipulatives, yet for PARCC, students will need to be comfortable with using virtual ones. Here are some sites and ideas that will give them some practice in virtual manipulatives as well as highlighting. Also, don't forget about the PARCC site, including the Nav 8 tutorial, for more practice.

Using Online Calculators:

• Use online calculator to solve problems and answer questions online: http://www.tv411.org/math/basic-math/using-calculator/activity/1/1 (3-5)

Use Virtual Manipulatives:

• Math Playground: Area and Perimeter -  uses virtual ruler: http://www.mathplayground.com/manipulatives/AreaandPerimeter_secure.swf
• Math Playground: Measuring Angles with an online protractor: http://www.mathplayground.com/measuringangles.html
• Math Playground: Think Blocks Addition and Subtraction -  drag parts and wholes and numbers to model story problems: http://www.mathplayground.com/tb_addition/thinking_blocks_addition_subtraction.html
• Math Playground: Think Blocks Multiplication - drag parts and wholes and numbers to model story problems: http://www.mathplayground.com/NewThinkingBlocks/thinking_blocks_multiplication_division.html
• Build a Bar Graph - This site lets you build a bar graph by clicking to indicate bar height (most sites ask the use to input numbers and automatically create the bar graph for the user.) http://www.mathsisfun.com/data/data- graph.php

PARCC Readiness Activities - Reading and Answering Questions Online

Below are some general resources and ideas that will give students practice in reading and answering questions online. 

From Newsela.com

Answering Questions Online:

• Take quiz after reading a Tumblebooks story (K-2)
• Take Newsela quizzes. The format of quiz questions mirrors some PARCC question types such as highlighting text to prove your answer. As a teacher, you can assign articles of different Lexile levels to your students. Try searching for articles that do have quizzes (3-5)
• Use Google Forms to create questions for students with different kinds of answers, including drop down menus, radio buttons and multiple choice with more than one correct answer (checkboxes). For example, use to describe and define vocabulary or “wow” words. For a finished example of a student practice, see this created by River Bend Schools: https://docs.google.com/a/riverbendschools.net/presentation/d/1SNBvN-Q6jAzMZO9OZaSpFfl3niqTygpeH5 hJh9-BcWE/present?slide=id.p13   (2-5)
• Using BrainPop, students can watch videos and fill out graphic organizers under the activities tab. They can open two different windows to watch a video and fill out the graphic organizer/worksheet at the same time, pausing and restarting the video as needed. (3-5)

Highlighting

• Have students highlight text they’ve written in Pages (or Google Docs) to find different kinds of words (adjectives, long o words, etc.) (1-5)
• Type a response to a text they’ve read in Pages or Google Docs and highlight the sentences that show support from the text (3-5)
• Share with students a PDF text to open in Preview. Highlight texts in different colors for different purposes (3-5)

• Read articles from “Constructed Response Items and Student Responses.” The articles open up in a smaller window. Students can read the article and recognize that they need to scroll down to see the whole article. Teacher could assign them to write a response in another window (in Google Docs, Google Classroom, or Pages) http://mdk12.org/assessments/k_8/index_d.html (3-5)
• Use Sample Assessments from the "Next Generation Assessments" to practice reading a longer passage online (including scrolling down to read the whole passage) and answering a question in the other column. http://nextgen.apps.sparcc.org/la/3-5.

Reading and Responding:

• Read articles from “Constructed Response Items and Student Responses” on this School Improvement in MD site. The articles open up in a smaller window. Students can read the article and recognize that they need to scroll down to see the whole article. Teacher could assign them to write a response in another window (in Google Docs, Google Classroom, or Pages) http://mdk12.org/assessments/k_8/index_d.html (3-5)
• Use Sample Assessments from the "Next Generation Assessments" to practice reading a longer passage online (including scrolling down to read the whole passage) and answering a question in the other column. http://nextgen.apps.sparcc.org/la/3-5.

Toggling Between Different Tabs

• Students will need to be able toggle between tabs on the test. Make sure they understand how multiple tabs work using Safari (1-5)

PARCC Readiness Activities

PARCC Readiness Activities

Welcome to the MRC Director's Tech Resources blog! The first few posts will be collections of technology resources that can be used to help students develop familiarity and proficiency with the tech skills they will need for the PARCC assessment. These resources include both sample assessment items and interactive online activities that practice some of the skills they may see on the PARCC assessment. 

PARCC Resources:

PARCC Readiness Activities - http://parcc.pearson.com/

PARCC tutorial: http://parcc.pearson.com/tutorial/ use the Nav 8 tutorial

Practice Tests: http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/

Other websites with a variety of activities:

• Dot’s DotCom Blog Post: Tech Skills for PARCC Online State Testing (Some of the links lead back to the Pearson PARCC site but others are different) https://dotgarman.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/tech-skills-for-parcc-online-state-testing/comment-page-1/#comment-8

• Next Gen Assessments: Includes some links to the PARCC website, but especially helpful are the links to the "Smarter Balanced" page. http://nextgen.apps.sparcc.org/

• Edulastic: Teachers need to create an account and students log in with their class code. Teachers can quickly create Common Core aligned assessment for specific standards using thousands of questions in the site's open resources—or create own from over 40 different technology enhanced Common Core-aligned question types. http://www.edulastic.com/

• Edcite: Teachers create an account and students log in. Teachers can use Common Core aligned assessments that others have created, or create their own. Activities are customizable and includes passage highlighting, dynamic graphs and more. https://www.edcite.com/