Thing 2: Chrome Apps and Extensions

I have been playing around with Google Chrome for years now.  I tend to appreciate an uncluttered browsing experience, so I limit the amount of extras I tack on.  Here are some of the apps and extensions that I've tried recently:

Apps:

Hapera Teacher Dashboard: This is a handle little application that lets me quickly get to Teacher Dashboard.  I use TD frequently in class and at home.  It lets me get a pulled back view of what my students are doing, and I can drill down into each individual document.  This is a great tool for monitoring progress of students while they do extensive writing.

Pixlr Editor: This is a handy web app for messing around with pictures. Pixlr has a few different versions of their editing program, and all are neat.  This one has the right amount of functionality for me, but their whole suite is great.

Google Finance: This is one that isn't necessary for teachers in the classroom, but it is great for teachers (and everyone else) at home.  My wife and I have begun to invest in order to secure our retirement, and this is a simple way to monitor our portfolio rather than having to login to our brokerage account.

Extensions:

Currently:  This is a very simple little extension.  Once installed, whenever you open a new tab it will display the current time and a weather forecast.  The design is elegant and simple.  Good for anyone.

Any.do: This is an embedded to-do list.  Once installed, you can easily add things you need to get done.  The power here can come from its function in Gmail.  You can easily add items to list list within the Gmail client.  Great for teachers and non-teachers.

Save to Google Drive:  This is a great extension that lets you save screenshots or photos directly to your Google Drive account.  This extension isn't going to be one you always use, but it is handy to have there.

I commented on Adam Winton and Neil Freeman's blogs.

Thing 1: VoiceThread

Here is a a short VoiceThread that I have created to use with students while they work on their Relocation Guides in Social Studies.  We have used these revision techniques before, so this VoiceThread will work well as a reminder.

The VoiceThread program is a neat one, but I'm not sure how often I will use it.  The item I created is useful for students, but we often don't have access to computers.  In terms of actually creating the piece, it was fairly intuitive and simple.  However, one issue I had was having to upload text.  I couldn't find a simple way to create a "slide" with some words on it.  Instead, I had to convert it to a picture (I used PowerPoint) and then upload the image.  A slide functionality would help with the over all creation.  I can see myself using this if I really plan it out and my students have consistent computer access.  Otherwise, I can't see it being overly functional for me.  A flipped-classroom approach could make this tool more useable.

The Introduction

This blog will serve as an organizational tool for the course 11 Things on a Jeepney.  My name is Jeff Phillips, and I am an English and Social Studies teacher in Grade Six at International School Manila.  My wife and I moved here at the beginning of the school year, and we are both very excited to be here.  We haven't traveled extensively yet, but one of our favorite places has to be Legaspi Sunday Market.

I have always had an interest in technology, and since I became a teacher I have looked for ways to integrate tech tools into what I teach.  The most difficult part about integrating technology into the classroom is keeping up with what's new.  From Class Dojo and Edmodo to Explain Everything and Pages, I have tried to incorporate many tools to help students interact with their learning in a way they understand.