This blog will no longer be updated. All current information, along with new articles and tips will be located at www.mrbyot.com. The website is currently under development and will be available beginning in late August/early September. The website will be filled with articles related to BYOT, and ideas for implementing BYOT in your classroom.
Thanks!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
ShowMe
Name: ShowMe
Price: Free
Format:
IOS iPad only App. Uploaded to website www.showme.com
Difficulty: Moderate
Email Required: No
Description:
ShowMe is an app particularly useful for math. Students are able to record themselves annotating and speaking onto a blank background. This is useful for math, where teachers typically want students to show their work. Students can solve a problem and use ShowMe as a tutorial video. Even if students are shy and don't wish to speak while they are solving a problem, just watching a student work through a problem is usually enough to see if they really grasp a concept, or to pick out what they are doing wrong.
There are a couple of neat features ShowMe has built in. The first is the ability to annotate over a picture that is inserted from the internet or iPad camera. This is useful for several math topics that are difficult to draw such as graphing on a coordinate plane or 3d figures. ShowMe also has a pause button that allows users to easily create long videos. After finishing one problem, my students will pause the ShowMe, erase the screen, then click resume to start a new math problem. This allows them to create ~10 minute videos with several math problems on it.
ShowMe has a feature that allows a teacher user to create accounts. I made a teacher account and set up ~30 different accounts (a very simple process). ShowMe randomly generated passwords for the users (and even has an option for students that are under 13 years of age), and I printed out a list of usernames and passwords on an Excel spreadsheet. Now, anytime a student wants to use ShowMe, I can simply select one of the usernames I have already created and assign it to them. When students upload a video using the account I have created for them, it automatically emails the video to me. I can then show the video through my computer onto my classroom's projector.
Student Examples:
Final Note:ShowMe was a difficult sell to my students. They were nervous about recording themselves and having to work out problems. Knowing that many of my students would really enjoy the app once they got past their initial fear, I made the decision to "voluntell" some of them to use the app. It worked. The app was such a huge success that I now have to limit the number of students that can use ShowMe on projects, as it is one of the favorites among my classes.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Padlet/Wallwisher
Name: Padlet (name recently changed from Wallwisher.)
Price: Free
Format: Website.
www.padlet.com
*Website will work on all smart phones and tablets
Difficulty: Easy
Email Required: No
Description:
The full potential of Padlet is only now becoming clear to me. I have used it in almost every BYOT activity since I went 1:1 with my iPads. It has become an invaluable tool for my class.
In short, Padlet is an online wall. Simply go to padlet.com, and click build a wall to begin creating an online collaboration hub for your students. I would highly recommend creating a free account; however, as this gives you the ability to move, edit, and delete posts that your students make. Once a wall has been created, the teacher may change the wall's title, make posts, and most importantly, change the URL to the wall. Students can then visit the URL and post on the wall. They are able to post pictures, videos, text, and URL's. Padlet also has a built in share function that allows you to email, screen-capture or share a QR code for the wall.
The question of "how does a student get their work to me?" comes up a lot when discussing BYOT. Even more so in my class now that we have gone 1:1. Padlet has pretty much put that question to rest. With Padlet, as long as a student can take a screen shot of their work, they can post it to me on a wall. If an app only has a "save to camera" function, then students can save the picture to their photo library, and then post it directly to Padlet. This means that students do not need to email me with their work. Instead, they can post it to a wall and I can view/download the file from the Padlet wall. If students are making videos for a project, I have them post it to their own wall (that I create for them).
The many uses of Padlet become clear with examples. The following links go to some of the walls my students or I have created.
- http://padlet.com/wall/ujausqxbpa -- Padlet as a collaboration tool for studens to post work and view their peers work.
- http://padlet.com/wall/volumedefinition -- More collaboration
- http://padlet.com/wall/65onor6tgp -- Padlet as an online poster board for a student's project
- http://padlet.com/wall/Postermovies -- Padlet as a place to post ShowMe/iMotion videos. This page loads slow due to the large amount of videos on the wall.
The following two walls are embedded into the blog. This means that posts can be made to the wall from this blog. Edits on the blog will show up on the URL version and vice versa.
Screenshots of Minecraft and pictures of Minecraft in class posted to Padlet. One student used PicCollage to write the surface area of their building, while another used a photo editor and then took a screen shot.
Students uploaded PicCollages and a few ShowMe videos to the above Padlet.
Conclusion:
Padlet is a great tool that can fill a variety of roles. It can serve as an online collaboration board, an individual student-website, or a sort of drop-box for student work. It is easy to use and easily shared.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
GoAnimate
Name: Go Animate
Price: Free/Premium Subscription
Format: Website.www.goanimate.com
**not compatible with Apple devices (requires flash)
Difficulty: Easy
GoAnimate is one of the easiest to use websites for animated video creation
Email Required: Yes
Description:
GoAnimate is a website used to create animated videos. While users are limited with the free version, there is still more than enough content to create simple and effective videos.
There is a Quick Video Maker and a Full Video Maker. I have a small group of students that use the full video maker, but the rest stick with the quick video choice. The full video maker requires much more work, as the video starts from scratch and the user must add everything. The quick video creator, on the other hand, only involves choosing a package, setting, characters, and adding the text.
As of now, there are a total of 15 packages, each with its own set of characters and settings, for the free version of GoAnimate. The user selects one of the packages, then selects a setting, then the scene's characters, and finally, the user adds dialogue. For instance, I may choose to use the Space Odyssey package, the setting "Left Alone on an Unknown Planet," using two male actors in red space suites.
Obviously, the dialogue is the most important part of GoAnimate. This is where your students add content. With the free version, there is a limit of 10 lines of dialogue, with each character saying no more than 180 characters at one time. The user may also choose to change the accent, language, and emotion of their characters.
When using the quick video creator, there is not an option to save the project. This means that students must finish their assignment in one session. The full video creator does have a save function.
Once a student has previewed and published their video, a link to the video can be easily emailed out or shared with the teacher. The ability to easily share a video is one of the main benefits of using GoAnimate.
While GoAnimate is a popular choice among many teachers and students, it tends to lose its flare eventually. Alternatives such as Pixton, Powtoon, or just using the camera function of a BYOT device allow for much more variation and creativity Still, GoAnimate is one of the most popular tools for teachers just getting stated with BYOT. Students love getting to make their own videos and to share them with their peers or watch them on a Smart Board.
Teacher Examples:
Multi-step equations by smbrot8150 on GoAnimate
Video Maker - Powered by GoAnimate.
Decimal/Fraction practice by smbrot8150 on GoAnimate
Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.
Student Examples:
Andrew by andi_dw on GoAnimate
Animated Presentations - Powered by GoAnimate.
EXPONETS Mary Beth and KAY KAY by mbh212 on GoAnimate
Video Maker - Powered by GoAnimate.
Summary
GoAnimate is an easy-to-use animated video creation tool. Its main flaws are that it cannot be used on an Apple device and there is no save function on the quick video creator. For teachers looking for a quick assignment that is easily shared and entertaining to students, however, GoAnimate is one of the best available options.
Price: Free/Premium Subscription
Format: Website.www.goanimate.com
**not compatible with Apple devices (requires flash)
Difficulty: Easy
GoAnimate is one of the easiest to use websites for animated video creation
Email Required: Yes
Description:
GoAnimate is a website used to create animated videos. While users are limited with the free version, there is still more than enough content to create simple and effective videos.
There is a Quick Video Maker and a Full Video Maker. I have a small group of students that use the full video maker, but the rest stick with the quick video choice. The full video maker requires much more work, as the video starts from scratch and the user must add everything. The quick video creator, on the other hand, only involves choosing a package, setting, characters, and adding the text.
As of now, there are a total of 15 packages, each with its own set of characters and settings, for the free version of GoAnimate. The user selects one of the packages, then selects a setting, then the scene's characters, and finally, the user adds dialogue. For instance, I may choose to use the Space Odyssey package, the setting "Left Alone on an Unknown Planet," using two male actors in red space suites.
Obviously, the dialogue is the most important part of GoAnimate. This is where your students add content. With the free version, there is a limit of 10 lines of dialogue, with each character saying no more than 180 characters at one time. The user may also choose to change the accent, language, and emotion of their characters.
When using the quick video creator, there is not an option to save the project. This means that students must finish their assignment in one session. The full video creator does have a save function.
Once a student has previewed and published their video, a link to the video can be easily emailed out or shared with the teacher. The ability to easily share a video is one of the main benefits of using GoAnimate.
While GoAnimate is a popular choice among many teachers and students, it tends to lose its flare eventually. Alternatives such as Pixton, Powtoon, or just using the camera function of a BYOT device allow for much more variation and creativity Still, GoAnimate is one of the most popular tools for teachers just getting stated with BYOT. Students love getting to make their own videos and to share them with their peers or watch them on a Smart Board.
Teacher Examples:
Multi-step equations by smbrot8150 on GoAnimate
Video Maker - Powered by GoAnimate.
Decimal/Fraction practice by smbrot8150 on GoAnimate
Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.
Student Examples:
Andrew by andi_dw on GoAnimate
Animated Presentations - Powered by GoAnimate.
EXPONETS Mary Beth and KAY KAY by mbh212 on GoAnimate
Video Maker - Powered by GoAnimate.
Summary
GoAnimate is an easy-to-use animated video creation tool. Its main flaws are that it cannot be used on an Apple device and there is no save function on the quick video creator. For teachers looking for a quick assignment that is easily shared and entertaining to students, however, GoAnimate is one of the best available options.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
iMotion
Name: iMotion
Price: Free
Format: iPad app
-https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/imotion-hd/id421365625?mt=8
Difficulty: Moderate
iMotion involves using the camera device. Students unfamiliar with the app may accidentally delete movies, or do their work and forget to hit the record button.
Email Required: No
Description:
iMotion is a time-lapse and stop-motion app. You record using the app and your device's built in camera, and then the app puts the video into frames. My students have only used two of the four settings when creating videos.
The "time-lapse" setting is most often used. Students simply select the start button, begin recording, and the app breaks the video into 1-30 frames per second (how many times a new picture appears on the screen per second). The fewer frames per second, the easier it is for me to grade. I usually have students submit their videos to me in the 10-20 frames per second range. This is fast enough for them to not get bored watching their own video, but slow enough for me to be able to check their work.
The "manual" setting is used less often by my students. It requires the students to continuously take pictures, as opposed to the auto-record feature of the time-lapse setting. The manual setting is best used in subjects other than math, in which it is not important to see how a student arrived at a particular conclusion, and the finished product is the most important aspect. After finishing a video, the app will still put the pictures into a video and the student can pick the speed it shows the pictures.
iMotion is a great alternative to the traditional video presentations. Not only is it more fun for the students to make, it is more fun for the teacher to grade (and less time consuming!). For math teachers looking to incorporate BYOT into their classroom, this is a perfect app. iMotion makes it easy to see the problem-solving process of your students, and to pinpoint where a students makes a mistake.
Uploading iMotion videos is easy and can be done in a couple of different ways. The easiest way is to upload the video into the device's camera roll using the app's built in export feature, and then upload the video onto a website such as Edmodo, Wallwisher, Dropbox, or Google Drive.
Student Examples:
More examples can be found on the following Wallwisher websites. To upload a video onto Wallwisher, students just saved the iMotion to their photo library, went to the Wallwisher link, and uploaded it to the page (no email required).
http://wallwisher.com/wall/imotiongraph
http://wallwisher.com/wall/imotion
Summary:
iMotion is a simple, yet effective app. Once students get over the slight learning curve, the recording process becomes natural to them. It can be difficult at first, however, and teachers should expect a few "I forgot to hit the record button" remarks from students learning to use the app.
Price: Free
Format: iPad app
-https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/imotion-hd/id421365625?mt=8
Difficulty: Moderate
iMotion involves using the camera device. Students unfamiliar with the app may accidentally delete movies, or do their work and forget to hit the record button.
Email Required: No
Description:
iMotion is a time-lapse and stop-motion app. You record using the app and your device's built in camera, and then the app puts the video into frames. My students have only used two of the four settings when creating videos.
The "time-lapse" setting is most often used. Students simply select the start button, begin recording, and the app breaks the video into 1-30 frames per second (how many times a new picture appears on the screen per second). The fewer frames per second, the easier it is for me to grade. I usually have students submit their videos to me in the 10-20 frames per second range. This is fast enough for them to not get bored watching their own video, but slow enough for me to be able to check their work.
The "manual" setting is used less often by my students. It requires the students to continuously take pictures, as opposed to the auto-record feature of the time-lapse setting. The manual setting is best used in subjects other than math, in which it is not important to see how a student arrived at a particular conclusion, and the finished product is the most important aspect. After finishing a video, the app will still put the pictures into a video and the student can pick the speed it shows the pictures.
iMotion is a great alternative to the traditional video presentations. Not only is it more fun for the students to make, it is more fun for the teacher to grade (and less time consuming!). For math teachers looking to incorporate BYOT into their classroom, this is a perfect app. iMotion makes it easy to see the problem-solving process of your students, and to pinpoint where a students makes a mistake.
Uploading iMotion videos is easy and can be done in a couple of different ways. The easiest way is to upload the video into the device's camera roll using the app's built in export feature, and then upload the video onto a website such as Edmodo, Wallwisher, Dropbox, or Google Drive.
Student Examples:
More examples can be found on the following Wallwisher websites. To upload a video onto Wallwisher, students just saved the iMotion to their photo library, went to the Wallwisher link, and uploaded it to the page (no email required).
http://wallwisher.com/wall/imotiongraph
http://wallwisher.com/wall/imotion
Summary:
iMotion is a simple, yet effective app. Once students get over the slight learning curve, the recording process becomes natural to them. It can be difficult at first, however, and teachers should expect a few "I forgot to hit the record button" remarks from students learning to use the app.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Pixton
Name: Pixton
Price: Free/Paid Options
Format: Website
-www.pixton.com
Difficulty: Moderate
I began using Pixton as an extension tool for students that finished early, and have started allowing small groups on the program. It is not something that I would give to the entire class to use all at once, unless all students were familiar with Pixton.
Email Required: Yes for free version. No for school version (paid).
Description:Pixton is a comic creator. There are different types of comics the user can create, ranging from a simple three-line comic to a 14 row poster comic. To begin, the user selects the type of comic they wish to create and a template or layout for their choice. The user is then taken to their comic strip, and can begin editing.
The comic creation process can be a bit difficult at first. There are tons of options... enough to confuse most students. My general strategy when introducing new technology into the classroom is to give it to the students and tell them to figure it out. With Pixton, I find that most students need some guidance. I show them how to add a single character, a speech bubble, and a new comic panel. This has always been enough information to get them started. They have no problems figuring out how to alter the appearance of their characters (look, color, positioning, etc.), changing the backgrounds, or adding props.
Upon completion, the user can easily share the comic via a link. This makes it easy for me to view the comics my students have created, and it gives the students a way to show off their work to teachers or parents. Because Pixton requires an account of some type (even the paid education version sets up individual student accounts), students are able to log on and edit their comics from any computer with internet access.
Student Examples:
Teacher examples:
Pixton is a great tool. However, it can be complicated to many students. Start by giving assignments to small groups, and slowly work your way up to class-wide assignments. With the huge amount of customization available, Pixton really provides a great outlet for students to express their creativity.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Pic Collage
Name: Pic Collage
Price: Free
Format: Apple/Android App
-Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardinalblue.piccollage.google
-Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id448639966
Difficulty: Easy
For teachers looking to get into BYOT, Pic Collage is THE app to go to. It is simple enough to use, yet it has enough features to keep the more technically minded students entertained.
Email Required: No
Description:
Pic Collage is an app that can be used to create collages on a student’s device. The best thing about this app is its simplistic interface. There are no complicated controls, or random text floating around to confuse students. Instead, users are given a blank screen with a plus sign on the bottom. To add objects to the screen, the user clicks the plus sign, or double taps on the screen. Pic Collage gives the user the option to add photos from the device’s photo album, photos from the web, text, stickers, and to alter the background. The app also provides users with an option to insert photos with a “use camera” option. This option lets the user take a picture directly from the app, and automatically insert it onto the screen. All objects added to the collage can be rotated, magnified, and cropped.
The “use camera” option opens up a wide variety of interesting options for the students. For instance, some of my students take pictures of their work on dry erase boards, and then insert the picture onto Pic Collage. The ability to insert pictures from an album means that pictures saved from using apps such as Mematic or Comic Puppets can be inserted onto the Pic Collage.
Finally, Pic Collages are be easily shared to a teacher. Students that do not have an email set up on their device can save the Pic Collage to their device’s camera roll, and then upload it onto a digital poster such as Wallwisher or Linoit. Students can also easily upload images onto Edmodo.
Student Examples:
Summary:
I highly recommend this app for teachers looking to enhance their instruction through the use of technology. The apps basic features are easy to use; yet, once students and teachers master the basics, there are numerous ways to really get creative.
Word of Warning:
Because students are given the option to insert images from the web, watch out for the typical inappropriate searches that come with internet researches. Be prepared for many backgrounds that consist of One Direction and/or Beat headphones.
Price: Free
Format: Apple/Android App
-Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardinalblue.piccollage.google
-Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id448639966
Difficulty: Easy
For teachers looking to get into BYOT, Pic Collage is THE app to go to. It is simple enough to use, yet it has enough features to keep the more technically minded students entertained.
Email Required: No
Description:
Pic Collage is an app that can be used to create collages on a student’s device. The best thing about this app is its simplistic interface. There are no complicated controls, or random text floating around to confuse students. Instead, users are given a blank screen with a plus sign on the bottom. To add objects to the screen, the user clicks the plus sign, or double taps on the screen. Pic Collage gives the user the option to add photos from the device’s photo album, photos from the web, text, stickers, and to alter the background. The app also provides users with an option to insert photos with a “use camera” option. This option lets the user take a picture directly from the app, and automatically insert it onto the screen. All objects added to the collage can be rotated, magnified, and cropped.
The “use camera” option opens up a wide variety of interesting options for the students. For instance, some of my students take pictures of their work on dry erase boards, and then insert the picture onto Pic Collage. The ability to insert pictures from an album means that pictures saved from using apps such as Mematic or Comic Puppets can be inserted onto the Pic Collage.
Finally, Pic Collages are be easily shared to a teacher. Students that do not have an email set up on their device can save the Pic Collage to their device’s camera roll, and then upload it onto a digital poster such as Wallwisher or Linoit. Students can also easily upload images onto Edmodo.
Student Examples:
Summary:
I highly recommend this app for teachers looking to enhance their instruction through the use of technology. The apps basic features are easy to use; yet, once students and teachers master the basics, there are numerous ways to really get creative.
Word of Warning:
Because students are given the option to insert images from the web, watch out for the typical inappropriate searches that come with internet researches. Be prepared for many backgrounds that consist of One Direction and/or Beat headphones.
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