Educational Technology and Mobile Learning blog provides all the tips, tutorials, and guides that you need to effectively integrate technology in your teaching.
10 Good Google Drive Apps for Teachers
Here is another back-to-school goodie for teachers. This is basically a selection of some of the best educational Google Drive apps to use in your instruction. As is the case with Mac, Chromebook, and Chrome lists, all of these apps have been covered in separate review posts in the past and are also deemed to be among the most popular among teachers and educators based on the feedback we received following their publication.
The Best Coding Apps for Students
Coding is one of the most demanded skills in the 21st century learning. There is a growing need for teaching students the fundamentals of coding and computer programming not only because these are the skills needed for the future job market but also because coding allows learners to better understand their digitally focused life and therefore enhance their interaction with digital media.
We have already featured a plethora of interesting resources, apps, and tools that teachers and parents can draw on to introduce coding to their kids. However, today and as part of the back-to-school goodies we have been sharing here during this week, we are sharing with you this list comprising some of the best iPad apps to use with students to introduce and teach them about coding and programming.
Apps to Help You Turn Your iPad Into A Second Monitor
“For those of you asking about apps to turn your iPad into a second screen monitor, the best app we would recommend here is Duet Display ($13,99). Duet works seamlessly with zero lag and offers a wide variety of powerful features that include Retina display resolution with 60 frames per second, touch-enabled screen, works in different modes ( landscape or portrait) and many more. Also the process of setting up Duet Display is very simple, you simply install the app and connect you iPad to your Mac or PC using a USB cable (Lightning or 30-pin cable) and there you go. Duet is compatible with all desktops ( OS X10.0+ or Windows 7+), all iPads running iOS 7.0 or up and all iPhones with iOS 7.0 or up. Watch the video below to learn more about Duet Display.
Air Display 3 ($13,99) is another good app to use to convert your iPad into a second monitor. Unlike the previous versions of Air Display that supported only Wi-Fi connection and causing a lot of lagging, This new version supports both USB and Wi-Fi and so far the use of USB cable proves to be a huge improvement. Air Display 3 is available for both iOS and Android. Watch the video below to learn more about this app.
Here is A Good Tool to Help You Make The Best of Technology in Your Instruction
Lesson Flows is a new service provided by Common Sense Graphite to enable teachers to effectively integrate technology in their lesson plans. The premise behind Lesson Flows is to help teachers combine inspiring teaching practices with great digital tools. For each part of the lesson plan you will be able to curate and add web tools that can best meet its objectives.
To better understand how to align technology with the different parts of your lesson plan, here is an excellent example of a Lesson Flow created by digital learning specialist Rachelle W. In this lesson plan, Rachelle assigns a web tool for each of the five section of her lesson plan together with providing the rationale behind the use of each of these tools. This is indeed a great example of how a tech-rich lesson plan should be designed.
Handy Google Classroom Features for Teachers
Here are some practical features to help you make the best of Google Classroom in your instruction. Most of these features are focused on rendering Classroom more interactive and collaborative.
Re-Use Post
Teachers now are able to re-use materials they used in the previous school year. You can easily grab an assignment or an announcement from one of your last year’s classes and add the changes you want then share it with your students. This applies both to the classes you teach or the ones you co-teach.
Calendar Integration
Starting next month, Classroom will automatically create a calendar for each of your classes in Google Calendar and all assignments with due dates will be kept updated. You will also be able to access your calendar right from your Classroom page.
Attach a Google Form to a post
Many teachers have been using Google Forms as an easy way to assign a test, quiz or survey to the class. Coming in the next few weeks, teachers and students will soon be able to attach Google Forms from Drive to posts and assignments, and get a link in Classroom to easily view the answers.