Clint's Tech Integration Resources

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About Me

Howdy - I'm Clint and I am the Technology Integration Specialist for SEDC, Southwest Educational Development Center in the beautiful SW corner of Utah. Welcome to my posterous site.

Any training I do, any resource that I need to share, or anything that I stumble across that is just plain cool I'll share here. Check out the Tags below to quickly get to a topic, or do a Search for what you can remember from a training of mine.

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2012 (10)
2011 (167)
2010 (71)
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2008 (1)
 

Apple - iTunes U - Learn anything, anywhere, anytime

Media_httpimagesapple_jdebd
via apple.com

This was a huge announcement from Apple for K-12 education. I'm ecstatic with the potential possibilities that the new iBooks, iBooks Author, and the new iTunes U app have. More to come!

Filed under  //  eBooks   iOS   iPad  
Posted
 

Intermediate/Advanced iPad Uses for Teachers

Today we'll be going through a few of the more advanced things you can do with your iPad in the classroom - for you, your teaching, and for student produced projects. We'll be covering a lot of ground today, so instead of giving you copious notes to read through, I'll archive the training session on my UStream Profile Page, which you'll be able to view below once uploaded.

Video here!

Here's the agenda for our session today, complete with links to the apps that I'll be highlighting and their cost (if any). If the cost does not follow the name of the app, it's a free one.
Notes:

Filed under  //  BCSD   iPad  
Posted
 

Top Ten Uses for Google Apps for Education

Google Apps for Education has brought some amazing tools to Garfield School District, to the SEDC region, and to all that use this service around the US. I'm constantly finding new ways that these tools can and should be used in the classroom to make both teachers and students life easier. If I were to share them all with you, it would take much more than the time that we have allotted today, so I'll try to highlight 10 of my favorite uses or applications that you have access to simply by logging into your school email account. 

Before I begin, however, I'd like to direct you to an amazing resource that will help guide our time today, and will be a valuable resource after - the Google Apps Education Training Center. Whatever you'd like to learn how to do in Google Apps: Gmail, Calendar, Docs Sites, or some of their other tools, this site has easy to follow instructions and training modules that will help you learn how in just a few minutes. 

Now, let's go to the Top Ten List!
  1. Gmail: Creating contact groups for parents, classes, teachers, & organizations
  2. Gmail: Built in Chat using text, voice - even video!
  3. Calendar: Creating different calendars for classes, projects and school activities
  4. Calendar: Sharing your calendars as a web page
  5. Docs: Manage documents with multiple editors, up to 50 simultaneous editors/collaborators, adding and replying to comments
  6. Docs: Improving the writing process with feedback and revision, tracking progress, and publishing work
  7. Presentations: Collaborative presentations that student groups create from your template
  8. Spreadsheets: Collaborative editing of spreadsheets - up to 50 at once
  9. Forms: Collecting student/parent contact information, and then creating contact groups in Gmail
  10. Forms: Check and submit assignments, or delivering quizzes and assessment - even automatic grading and score notification!
If you've never seen or experienced a collaboration session in a Google Doc, feel free to join me here or type in http://goo.gl/s5aXd to take a look! Also, if you have any questions about what I've presented today, or anything else about Google Docs, let me know here.

Filed under  //  Garfield   Gmail   Google Apps   Google Calendar   Google Docs  
Posted
 

UTIPS Core for Teachers

Thanks for your time, patience and energy today for our UTIPS Core training! It's a new system that is and will be a great tool for formative assessment for you - in both the current core and for the new Common Core.

First, a little background philosophy about the new UTIPS Core system. This system has been rewritten from the ground up to be a great assessment system for ALL stakeholders in Utah. As such, ALL users have a login into the system and a unique way to identify that user. This makes the data and information created by the tests that are taken can be used (eventually) in other data system, such as SIS. Not long from now, you'll probably be able to give a UTIPS Core test and have those results show up in your gradebook!

Since everyone has an account, everyone has a 'Role' or what rights and privileges they have been granted. The way that you can easily assign new users (administrators, teachers, and students) is to assign an Enrollment Code to put that user in the right level of the organization, whether they can just take a test, administer it, or share it. Enrollment codes will be how we let the system know that you are a teacher at your school, and to let it know that your students belong in your class to take your tests.

UTIPS Core has been written using the latest web technologies. Because of this, it works very well on mobile devices like the iPad. It also requires a modern web browser, like Google Chrome or Firefox 4.0 or later. Follow those links to download and install an updated browser if needed.

I've attached the most current User Manual for your reference - you can find it at the bottom of this article. As we go through the training, I'll direct you to the page of the manual that goes along with the task at hand. Please know that over time, this resource will be improved upon and I'll make sure that I have the most current version available to you here on my site - Just click on the 'UTIPS Core' tag on the left to find the newest stuff!

Here's what we'll be covering today:
  • Creating a Teacher Account (ignore the manual for this one)
    • Head to http://kane.utips.org
    • Under the login area, click on the 'Create a new account' link
    • Enter the Enrollment Code that will identify you as a teacher of your school:
      • For Valley High School:
        • Use grain23 to create a teacher account
        • Use brown72 to create an admin account
    • Click 'Continue'
    • Enter in your first and last name, and your school email address, and click 'Continue'
    • Enter in the username you'd like to use (the same as your email address is fine), and your password twice, and click 'Continue' again.
    • You are now an official UTIPS Core user!
  • Create Your Class(es)
    • In order for your students to be enrolled in your classes, you need to create a class first! 
    • Once you are logged in, click on 'Organizations' on the left.
    • You should see your school listed in the 'Edit Organizations' pane (with possibly more teachers and classes listed beneath it). Click on your school name above.
    • Click the '+New' button that will light up above, and select 'Teacher's Class'.
    • Add a name for your class in the pane that appears to the right. You can leave the other fields blank for now.
    • Click the 'Save' button above to the left.
    • If you have multiple classes (middle or high school), repeat the process for your classes. 
  • What Enrollment Codes are, and how to create them (See the information above) - Page 22
  • Add an Enrollment Code to your account:
    • I've set up grade levels in your school, and created an enrollment code for each of these grade levels. You'll need to add this code to your account to place you as a teacher in that grade level. Here's how:
    • Click on the 'Settings' option on the left
    • On the bottom of the 'Settings' pane, you'll see a button to 'Add an enrollment code' - click it!
    • Find the appropriate enrollment code for your grade level below, enter it, and click the 'Apply enrollment code' button
    • Enrollment Codes for DMS:
      • 8th: count86
      • 9th: mine20
    • NOTE: Students will use this same process to add enrollment codes to become students in your classes.
  • About Student Accounts
    • Since UTIPS Core is a state-wide system, your students will need to have a username that is unique in the state. The way that this will be accomplished is by using your school ID number and your students school ID or lunch number. 
      • For example, Dixie Middle is school number 404 and if a student has an ID/Lunch number of 123456, then their username will be 404123456
  • Adding student accounts yourself
    • Once you are logged in, click on 'Organizations' on the left.
    • You should see your school listed in the 'Edit Organizations' pane (with possibly more teachers and classes listed beneath it). Click on the class name that you have created earlier.
    • In the pane that appears on the right, click on the 'User Accounts' option.
    • Click the '+New' button above.
    • In the new pane, 'Settings for New User', fill out the information for the student account, using the unique school/student number described above for the username. For passwords, it does not matter what you use, as long as you are consistent and use something that you can remember.
    • The username, the two password fields, first and last name fields are the only required fields. You do not need to add an email address (students can add their own later).
    • Once those fields are filled in, you MUST click the '+Choose a role' button - click '+Student' in the pane that appears on the right.
    • Be sure to click the 'Save' button beneath the student information.
    • To add additional students, click back on the blue bar with your class name on the far left and repeat the steps outlined above.
  • How students add their own accounts - Page 23
    • Be sure to follow the username creation convention described above with using the school ID number followed by the students ID/Lunch number.
  • Build assessments from the USOE Item Pool - Page 6
  • How to Assign Students to a Test - Page 21
  • How to Share Assessments with Other Educators - Page 15
  • How student participants take a test - Page 25
  • How to Build Assessments with Your Own Items - Page 9 (Optional for today)
  • Aligning Your Own Items to a Core Area - Page 12 (Optional for today)
  • Adding new Items to an Existing Test
    • Click on 'My Tests' on the left, then click on the test that you'd like to update
    • Click on the 'Items' tab, and your test should appear on the right
    • To add a specific item on a topic:
      • Click on the 'Items' button on the top of the test on the right. A new items search pane will appear on the right
      • Search for a specific topic or word that deals with the question you'd like to add
      • You will see all of the question stems that pertain to your search. Click on the question to see the answers that go with the question beneath.
      • To add a question that you find, just click on the question and drag it into your test on the left.
      • To change the order of the questions, just hover your mouse over the question number. You'll see a little trash can (to delete the question) oran up/down arrow icon. Click that icon and drag the question up/down the test until you reach the place you'd like that question to be, and let go of the mouse button.
      • To close the 'Items' search pane, just click on the 'Items' button on the top right again.
    • To add a question from a specific core standard, objective, or indicator:
      • Click on the 'Standards' button on the top of the test to the right. A new pane will appear on the right.
      • Choose the subject, grade level and core document that you'd like to add questions for. The standards within that core will appear beneath.
      • Using the arrows on the left of the displayed options, open up the standard and objective that y9u are looking for. If you are not sure, they are listed beneath.
      • After each objective or indicator, there will be a link with the number of items each contains. Click on that link to view all of the questions within.
      • UTIPS Core will then do a search for the items you have selected.
      • To add a question that you find, just click on the question and drag it into your test on the left.
      • To change the order of the questions, just hover your mouse over the question number. You'll see a little trash can (to delete the question) or an up/down arrow icon. Click that icon and drag the question up/down the test until you reach the place you'd like that question to be, and let go of the mouse button.
      • To close the 'Items' search pane, just click on the 'Items' button on the top right.
If the handout or the notes here are missing any important steps or instructions that you need, please leave a comment below, along with your name and your school. I'll get those instructions written up for you, send them to you and add them to this posting.

Click here to download:
UTIPS Core Manual.pdf (4.7 MB)
(download)

Filed under  //  DMS   KES   MHS   UTIPS Core   VES   VHS   Vista  
Posted
 

Podcasting for SUU

UPDATE!

Not more than an hour after the second presentation of the day, I participated in a Faculty Lounge presentation from UEN on apps for the iPad that will allow you to create those Khan Academy-style recordings and podcasts. With just one app, you have everything you need - even the tablet to write on! You might want to look at a stylus to make writing easier, but this solution is MUCH less trouble and expense (unless you don't already have an iPad!).

Here are my two favorites from what I saw:

  • ScreenChomp from TechSmith (Free): Basic app that gives you a white board and a pen to sketch out your ideas. Bring in images from your camera roll and records your actions and voice. Recordings are saved to their site, but you can download the videos from there.
  • Explain Everything ($2.99): A more full-featured screencasting app that allows you more flexibility for your lessons like bringing in documents for annotation, multiple slides, and far more sharing and exporting options.

Presentation available here:

(download)
Links from the presentation:

Filed under  //  Podcasts   SUU   Video Streaming   YouTube   iPad  
Posted
 

Geocaching and Education

Geocaching and Education

Welcome educators, group leaders and facilitators!

Geocaching is a cross-curricular activity that educators, leaders and facilitators are incorporating into their programs with great success. Geocaching combines outdoor play with team-building, problem-solving and other valuable educational outcomes.

This is a collection of our resources so you can combine geocaching and education in your classroom, camp, or seminar.

via geocaching.com

Excellent. Although I've been doing this sort of thing for years, it's great to see Geocaching.com start to provide a clearinghouse of resources for educators.

Filed under  //  GPS   Geocaching  
Posted
 

Pew Research Center Reports on Internet and Technology

Publications on Internet and Technology

This section features selected Pew Research Center reports (since 2005) on the social and political impact of the internet and other technology trends. Individual project websites contain more reports related to this topic. In particular, please visit the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which reports on impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life.

Why Americans Use Social Media
15 Nov 11The top reason cited by adults for using social media is to maintain connections with family and friends. Social media users also say these platforms help connect them to old friends with whom they've lost touch.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

How Mainstream Media Outlets Use Twitter
Content Analysis Shows an Evolving Relationship
14 Nov 11A new study of the practices of 13 major news organizations by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism and George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs reveals that these news organizations use Twitter in limited ways-primarily as an added means to disseminate their own material.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network Sites
How American Teens Navigate the New World of "Digital Citizenship"
9 Nov 11A comprehensive study finds that almost seven-in-ten American teens who use social networking sites say that people their age are mostly kind to one another on the sites; another 20% say that they are mostly unkind. Most teens say they have witnessed other people being mean or cruel to each other on the sites.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

via pewresearch.org

LOADS of research, data and statistics on how folks are using the Internet, social media, cell phones...

Posted
 

The Innovative Educator: Ten Ideas for Educating Innovatively with Phone Casting (aka Podcasting made easy)

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via theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com

Some great ideas here on how to use any cell phone in class for educational 'Phone-Casting' for both teachers and student projects. The highlight? Learning that creating a phonecast with iPadio of ANY recorded speech will be automatically transcribed into text!

Filed under  //  Cell Phones   Podcasts   Web 2.0   iPad   iPhone   iPod Touch  
Posted
 

Video Streaming on the iPad?

Another iPad question that I received yesterday:

An art teacher wants to use her iPad during class to show students' work on the screen.  But, she doesn't want the iPad to have to be stationary (like a doc cam). Is there a way to connect the iPad to her computer wirelessly in this way? WiFi or Bluetooth camera?

What first came to mind is that it's possible to mirror what is on the iPad using an Apple TV to an HD TV (or to a projector with an HDMI to VGA adapter), but that's an expensive option. There is an application for the Mac called AirServer that will allow you to stream AirPlay compatible iPad apps (iTunes, YouTube, Photos and others) to the Mac. 

That's better than buying an Apple TV expressly for this reason, but unfortunately right now it does not support the AirPlay Mirroring function, which is what is needed since the Camera app does not have an AirPlay option.

If we are only worried about getting the video from the iPad camera to the computer, there is another crafty work-around. Take a look at the Ustream app. I'm sure that you've heard of Ustream - it is a service that will allow a teacher to stream audio and video from a mobile device (like an iPad!) and broadcast it to the Ustream site which can be viewed on the class computer & projector, or by anyone else in the world. 

The good news? Both the Ustream account and the Ustream app are free! Here's what needs to happen to get this going:
  • On the computer: Head to Ustream and sign up for an account. Log in, and click the big yellow 'Go To Channel' button on the left. In the big black video window below, either click the 'Pop Out' button or the full screen button to display the video that will be coming full-screen.
  • On the iPad 2: Install the Ustream app. When you are ready to 'broadcast', launch the app on the iPad and click on the camera icon on the top right of the screen and in the 'Broadcast' menu that appears, select 'Go Live'. The app will give you the option to share your broadcast link on Facebook or Twitter, but all you need to do is hit the 'Broadcast' or 'HQ Broadcast' button to begin.
  • On the computer, you may get a short 15- or 30-second ad, but then the video from the iPad will begin to stream to the screen!
  • When you are done with what you'd like to share, just tap the iPad screen and hit the big glowing red square on the right, which will stop the video stream. 
  • Here you have the option to archive the video that you just captured - great for sharing with other classes, with students who were absent, or with parents at home! The video is archived on the Ustream site, and you can share your channel address or individual links to each broadcast/video archive. This is a great option, and after some searching I can't find a limit as to either the amount of video that can be archived or a length limit.
  • You can even embed the video on your web page with a little extra work!
The only drawback is that there is about a 5 second delay between what is happening on the camera and the video streamed back to the computer, but that should not be too much of an issue.

Give this a look. Hopefully this will be a good solution for many teachers!

Filed under  //  Video Streaming   iOS   iPad  
Posted