iPad and Other Technology Resources

  • There is so much to learn! Here are some links to helpful sites as we begin and continue this techno-journey.

    iPad APPS RESOURCES

    SPPS iPad Resources

    TEACHING BLOGS/WEBSITES

    • Using YouTube in the Classroom - Great resources for using YouTube and other excellent video resources in the classroom.
    • Cybrary Man - The internet catalogue for students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Over 20,000 relevant links personally selected by an educator/author with over 30 years of experience. Includes comprehensive list of Educational Twitter Hashtags
    • Teaching Like It's 2999 - Redefining the Digital Classroom - Jennie Magiera is a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools, an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Google Certified Teacher, etc. etc. She has so much good advice on her blog! Go there now!!!
    • Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - Kathy Schrock has been teaching/using technology for a long time, and she, too, has an AMAZING storehouse of information on her site. It's almost too hard to decide where to go first, but don't miss this!!
    • Blue Skunk Blog - Doug Johnson is the Director of Media and Technology for the Mankato Public Schools. His observations and advice for those of us trying to do the technology thing well - or at least not horribly!! - is invaluable (and funny, too!).
    • ELL/LA iPad Resources (collected by Sandy Lucas) - When I was collaborating in the SPPS iPad Pilot/Language Academy Classroom at Frost Lake Elementary in 2010-'11, my amazing co-teacher, Allison Theissen, and I were trying everything! These are some of the apps we liked/used. 
    • English Teaching 101 - A blog/website put together by a guy who quit law school to follow his dream of teaching English as another language. CHOCK FULL of great ideas!

    Sites/Apps to Use on iPad 

    • News ELA - Leveled daily news articles (non-fiction)
    • SeeSaw - Student-driven portfolios that can be managed by the teacher.
    • Aurasma - App - Augmented reality! Watch this first grade teacher explain how she started using Aurasma.
    • Listenwise - An award-winning listening skills platform with a collection of podcasts and public radio stories keeps teaching connected to the real world and builds student listening skills at the same time. With graphic organizers and vocabulary.
    • EdPuzzle - Make any video (YouTube, your own, etc.) a lesson!

    TEACHING IDEAS

    • Visual Gallery Walk in Schoology (video) - Students can post their projects, and all the students in the Schoology course can view and comment on each others' work.
    • Zunal.com - Webquest site with MANY pre-made Webquests. Check it out!!