Thanks for participating. Check out some of the great ways fellow Vermont educators plan on using iBooks Author…
Description
“Apple’s announcement of the new iBooks Author publishing software introduced a new realm of possibilities for students and educators. Now anybody can easily create and publish a fully interactive digital textbook that integrates multiple forms of engaging media. The software is so simple to use one can simply drag and drop a document into the program and it will automatically format it. And it’s all free! Come learn more about how to create and publish your very own iBook! Plus you will also learn about the amazing new features of iBooks2 including, note taking, flipcards and other research tools.”
Agenda
Who am I?
Funny Take on the iPad
Two Quick Polls
Differentiating for the Tortoise and the Hare
What is iBooks2 and iBooks Author?
How to create an iBook using iBooks Author?
How to share an iBook that was created using iBooks Author
Exit Task – How could you use iBooks Author in your practice?
Teachers already use Skype to connect with other classrooms around the globe, bring in guest speakers without asking them to travel, and take virtual field trips. Now, Skype is making it easier for them to do so.
The company launched Skype in the Classroom, a dedicated teacher network, on Tuesday. Using the platform, teachers can create profiles that describe their classes and teaching interests. They can also search a directory of teachers from all over the world by student age range, language and subject.
Since the beta version launched in December, about 4,000 teachers have signed up. Many of them have used the network to coordinate Skype projects with other schools. Teacher Kara Cornejo, for instance, used the directory to find five partner classes for a “weather around the world” unit she was coordinating for her fifth-grade class in Missouri.
“We use Skype all the time in my classroom. … I always had to find teachers over Twitter or some other resources,” she said in a video about her experience. “Now to know that Skype has their own directory is awesome.”
A “project” tab in the new version of Skype in the Classroom allows users to post and search for projects that, like Cornejo’s weather project, require collaboration. A map that shows teachers by location is also a new addition to the site.
Interested in ‘flipping’ your classroom or creating a quick and easy how-to tutorial? If so, then Screencast-o-matic is the right tool for you! Click ‘Read More’ to watch a quick tutorial on how you can use Screencast-O-Matic to record your computer’s screen, audio, and even your webcam. Screencast-o-matic is easy to use, functional, and free. We cannot recommend it highly enough.
Learn how to replicate a rubirc on Google Forms, save it as a Google Template, and use it over and over again for peer assessment. The beauty of this set-up is the rich data that the student being assessed automatically receives after the particular performance.
1. Dipity – Allows you to add pictures, video and text to your timeline. What really makes it stand out from the crowd is that if you give your timeline points a geographical tag it will automatically produce a google map of all your key points. So, for example, if you collected the points in a person’s life you could also see their geographical journey.
2. Capzles – This is one of the best looking Tools around. You can begin building a Capzle without validating your e-mail. The Uploader works quickly and is striaghtforward to use.
3. XTimeline – You can start building the timeline without password validation. When creating the timeline you set the editing permissions. You can have a public timeline that anyone can edit or a private one where editors must be invited. You do not need to add a complete date, year and month are suffcient. (If you don’t add the month it automatically becomes a 0 on the timeline)There is also the ability to show an event over a period of time by adding an end time. There is also an option to go AD/BC which is particularly useful for anyone making a history timeline. Events are added reasonably easily and can include a picture, video and a written description. It is not the best looking timeline on the market but it works well. An added bonus is that the timeline can be printed. You can view more or less detail by clicking on the green icons in the top right of the page.
4.Our Story – Comes with a Parenting Magazine ‘Mom Tested’ recommendation so should be relatively safe to use. You can add video or photos to your timeline. You can be as specific or vague about the date as you like. You can tagg photos and there is also a place to edit your photos and videos. The timeline can be private or public and others can comment on it if you wish. You also have control of who can edit your timeline. There is a small choice of designs for your timeline. Each user can only create one timeline on the free account therefore you would need to delete the existing line before adding a new one. There is no facility to print the timeline although you can purchase a book version if you want. There is a question function which I never quite worked out. One of the best features of this tool is that the finished timeline can be played like a movie as you can see in the example below.
5. TimeRime – Your e-mail address needs to be authenticated to begin using this tool. As always make sure the posted Timelines are suitable for students. There is a BC function by using minus numbers (-500) You can add additional text, links, pics and video which appear beneath the Timeline. You can add a general period which appears at the bottom of the timeline. (Civil Rights 1960-1970) It seems to be possible to only have photos/items appear at different zoom levels but I found it simplest when they just appeared at level 1. It took a while to work out how to edit the items after they had been entered in order to correct mistakes. The easiest way was to click on the name of the item which was in a small box to the right of the screen just above the Google ads. You can have several timelines appearing in different tabs for comparison but you couldn’t superimpose one on the other which would be a useful feature.
6. Timetoast- You must validate your e-mail before beginnning. It has a very simple interface which allows you to add an event which includes a small description, a picture and a link. You must use the exact date and the timeline automatically puts the events in order. The finished timeline is a cisp, clear timeline. You can share the timeline with others although it cannot be edited without using the original password. There is a comment box for viewers to leave feedback. Multiple timelines can be made although they must be viewed separately.
7. Xakasha- You don’t need to validate the password to begin. Dates only go back to 1700 and is designed more for your own life. However, you could use for a timeline in the last 300 years. Full date needs entered and once event is created you can add pictures, video etc. You can only create one timeline. The only way to allow group editing would be to share the password. There are a range of backgrounds to choose from and the finished product looks very stylish. I particularly like the way it integrates the video into the timeline. (It has now become Kronomy, still looks great although a lot of celebrity type timelines now on site – sexiest women etc. which may be unsuitable for school use)
8. Dandelife – Timeline that also enables streams to be added. This is a mash-up tool designed to compete with social networking sites. May be a bit more than is needed for classroom use
9. Rememble – See the review under Multimedia scrapbooks
10. Timeglider- Good looking timeline maker. Has a simple bar at the side to change the view from decades to days. You can insert pictures and text as well as the date. This is an example of world war 1.
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