SAMR Revisited

During the October institute days, the BHS staff were introduced to the SAMR model and ideas to engage students using technology. As a follow-up, here are the SAMR resources that were used in the presentation. 

• Kathy Schrock's Guide to SAMR - see "works from others" for more great resources.
• 10 Ways to Reach Redefinition
• The SAMR Model of Technology Integration using Google Docs
• Examining SAMR - Moving Towards Redefinition

Web 2.0 Tools used during "Engaging Instruction"workshop:

• Google Presentation - used for the slide presentation and collaborative group work.
• Kahoot! - Game-based assessment tool.
• PowToons - Make animated videos and presentations.

Multi-Task by Extending Your Mac Screen

+Kathy Hempel  and +Marijana Jensen recently taught me how to extend the Mac screen, which allows you to show a video on the smartboard and work on another screen. Kathy is the librarian teacher at Station middle school and Marijana is a Technology Support Assistant in the district. They put together the directions below. Thanks for sharing Kathy and Marijana!

Learnerator: the Practice Your AP Students Need

Rob Ridenour recently showed me Learnerator, a formative assessment tool for Advanced Placement courses. Learnerator has thousands of practice questions with solutions for all the following AP courses: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB/BC, AP Chemistry, AP Comparative Government, AP Computer Science, AP English Language, AP English Lit, AP Environmental Science, AP European History, AP French Language, AP Human Geography, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP Physics 1 & 2, AP Physics C - E&M, AP Physics C - Mech., AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish Lit, AP Statistics, AP US Government and Politics, AP US History, and AP World History.


As students answer questions, they get immediate feedback. Questions are also aligned to learning objectives, which allows you to track student progress over time. The free version gives students access to easy and medium difficulty questions. Simply go to www.learnerator.com and create an account to get started. Give your AP students the practice they need! 

Explain Your Thinking Using Movenote

This week at TPACK Tuesday we will discuss Movenote. Movenote is a free tool that allows you to easily create video of a presentation. A teacher or student can take a presentation, document, or series of images, upload them to Movenote, and record themselves explaining what is being viewed in the presentation.

Movenote can be a powerful tool for student reflection. After going over a set of problems/questions in any content area, ask students to take one problem/question they missed and explain why they missed it using Movenote. Below are some other ideas for Movenote.

Teachers can use Movenote to:

• Create sub plans for when they are out.
• Explain a concept.

Students can use Movenote to:

• Explain a concept.
• Create book reviews.
• Self assess the writing process.
• Analyze a website.
• Analyze lab results.
• Practice speaking a language.
• Explain their work in a digital portfolio.

The possibilities are endless. Stop by TPACK Tuesday and check it out!

Change the Way Your Students Watch Videos

A well used video can help students make connections to ideas and concepts. The problem is many students miss key parts of the video simply because it is hard to keep their attention. EduCanon to the rescue! EduCanon is a great tool that I recently learned about from +Tony Venetico. It allows you take videos from Youtube, Vimeo, TeacherTube, etc. and insert reflective pauses, multiple choice questions, and audio clips. You can even track student responses to ensure they watched the video and were engaged. Whether you use video to hook your students into a topic or flip a lesson, EduCanon can turn students from passive learners to active learners.

Learn more about EduCanon from this tutorial. Checkout a sample EduCanon lesson.