Guest TeCH Takes March 16th, 2015
First, let me thank Lydia for giving me the opportunity to give you this week's Tech Takes. I will be reviewing a few resources I enjoy using in my High School ELA Classroom and for professional development. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about them.
Easybib Chrome Extension
The first resource I use is my EasyBib Chrome Extension. (To install Chrome extensions, visit this Google Help Page). This allows students to create their works cited as they go & helps keep all of the webpages straight. I use it for my graduate classes a lot, too. I also cite most of the handouts I give to my students to continually familiarize them with MLA Works Cited format.
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Crash Course Videos
I use a lot of YouTube videos in my class. One of best web-series is Crash Course. They have videos for World History, Biology, Literature, Ecology, Chemistry, Psychology, and US History, US Government, Astronomy, and Anatomy & Physiology. I know lots of students in Government & AP US History have found them helpful when studying for tests. My favorite introductory video is below.
Google Classroom
For classroom management, I have not found a better LMS than Google Classroom. With new features rolling out every couple of months, plus features that fit right into GAFE, Google Classroom has helped me manage turning in assignments online and communicating expectations to my students. It also has features to allow me to give individual copies of a Google Doc to every student with one click. The students do need to use their school account (and remember to check it!) but overall Google Classroom has been a success in my classroom.
Weebly for Education WEbsite CReation
Lots of teachers are using Weebly in the classroom (here's a cool website full of great Teacher Weebly Websites). I use Weebly to store most of my classroom information, handouts, student resources, and unit plans for all of my classes. It's easy to use and the free education accounts allow unlimited pages. It's simple to embed videos (no pesky ads!) or create a webquest, like my Gatsby one.
Lit2Go
This website, previously an awesome iOS app, houses many commonly-taught audiobooks. It is broken down by grade level, genre, or readability. My students are currently using it to listen to Macbeth.
CANVAS Online Courses
Canvas Network has several fantastic online courses in various technology related fields. I've taken the Digital Literacies Level 1 and am currently taking Level 2. The courses sometimes come with certificates, but they're mostly for personal professional development and to network with other teachers who are like-minded. The course offerings, in my opinion, were better last year, but I still found several that seem interesting. And, because they're free, if you decide a course isn't for you, it can be dropped at any time.
Quizlet
Many of you have probably heard of Quizlet, but I thought I should include it because my students (especially Reading Strategies) enjoy using it. Quizlet has flashcards, games, and (if they create a login) can track a student's progress. I really like that students can use it without creating a pesky login -- even the iPad App-- they simply have to search for my username, which is gosslingkari. It's great to review concepts & study vocabulay. Also, the flash cards can be embeded into a website to allow students to study from there. I use it with Reading Strategies & have linked a few flashcard sets to my website (see the Nonfiction Unit)
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