Thing 5: Screencasting

I have played around with screencasting before, but mostly through Google Hangouts.  Screencast-o-matic is pretty easy to use, but I had to download the program due to the Java problem that Alicia mentioned.  The interface is simple and purposeful, and it is a very easy-to-use program.  The one caveat to that it that the screencaster has to be well-rehearsed.  This particular screencast is one I made for the beginning of next year, highlighting two websites (classroom blog and Common Sense Media) that I want parents to know about.  It wasn't the first one I made, and it probably won't be the last.  Practice makes perfect when doing screencasts, as it is very easy to lose track of where you are, or what you are saying or doing.  There are a couple of issues with this one, but it is serviceable for the moment.

As a practice, I like screencasting.  However, I am unsure how frequently I will use it in class.  It is probably best used as a flipped classroom or review tool.  I can imagine covering a topic, or introducing one, and then posting screencast tasks or instructions on the blog, and having students watch and complete them at home.  I think that could be a valuable tool for repeated experiences with the material, and, hopefully, it would help it "stick" to a greater degree.

This week I posted comments on Rena and Neil's blogs.

Thing 4: Online Quizzes & Student Response Systems

Kahoot! is a simple, intuitive program, most of the time.  The process of making a quiz is not demanding, nor is it complicated.  However, I think that the developers need to expand the abilities of the program and focus on what it is trying to do/be at its core.   You can't create a variety of question types, but you can add video for some odd reason.  If you create a question and then make a second one, the program forces you to delete or enter in information for Q2 before you can go back to the first one (which I needed to do in order to adjust something).  It is a minor quibble, but it is part of a larger usability and interface problem.  I think there might be too much flash and not enough substance here.  As it stands right now, Kahoot! is almost too basic for me to use, but I could see my students using it to work together on review or other activities.  My quiz can be found here.

Socrative is a great program, however it has its own set of frustrations.  Currently, they have two versions of the program/site running: the "classic" one and a beta.  If you create a profile and quiz within the beta version, no one can open the quiz unless they too navigate to the beta website.  The beta site can be accessed by going to b.socrative.com and not socrative.com.  I spent quite a while trying to figure out this odd issue.  

Having said that, the beta version is great.  They have added another feature (true/false questions), and the design is beautiful.  The site is intuitive, clean, and does exactly what I want.  I love the idea of using it as a review tool or a brain break activity.  The exit ticket idea is nice, but not as necessary for Grade 6 students (some of whom don't have phones).  I really like creating tasks in in Socrative, and I plan on using it more frequently in my teaching.

I commented on these blogs:

Meg

Courtney

Thing 3: Mind Maps, Diagrams, and Flow Charts

Both programs were new to me, so I am glad to have had some time to play with them.  For both, I looked at how it could be useful for my students and myself.  I think that Lucidchart is a full featured program that probably has too much functionality for what I, or my students, would need.  I can relate it to Photoshop.  I need to be able to edit my photos, but I don't have the need of all of the complexity or depth of that program.  Similarly, Lucidchart has a lot of options that simply clutter the working space.

On the flip side, I think that Mindmup is a great alternative.  It is simple, intuitive, and it does what I, and my students, need.  Visually, it is much nicer looking (both the program and the final products) than Lucidchart.  I could see my students using this to help them brainstorm for their upcoming short stories, or their essays earlier in the year.

I posted on the following blogs:
Pao V
Bill Laulo

In Grade 6, we have a unit where the students learn about different types of governments and societies.  Their performance task sees them working together to create their own ideal society and then justifying it.  This MindMup is an example of the prewriting they do before writing their essays justifying their choices.

Government: Theocracy on MindMup

This Lucidchart was created as a simple example of a story string.  Grade 6 students are exploring short stories in their last unit of the year, and they will be creating their own story strings.

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.