Save time and increase productivity - Classroom Screen

Save time and increase productivity - Classroom Screen
Today's post looks at Classroom Screen - https://www.classroomscreen.com/ - a free website that offers a wide variety of tools that are useful in all Learning Environments.

Education practitioners can...

• use the text block to post instructions, links, objectives for the day,
• utilise the noise meter to visualise an acceptable level of talking and
• use the built-in QR Code generator which saves steps when sharing URLs.

There are other tools built-in making it
well worth while taking a closer look!

View the possibilities in the video at https://www.youtube.com/embed/3SalknXhumI

NOTE: It is not possible to save your screen. But it is designed that it should not take more than 30 seconds to put up a screen.

If you give Classroom Screen a try or have already used Classroom Screen, do share your feedback, positive and/or negative, in the comments.
Thank you.

Animated Gifs for Younger Learners

Animated Gifs for Younger Learners
Gifs4Kids - https://sites.google.com/view/gorogueedu/gifs4kids - is a new on-line resource for education practitioners and learners that is aggregating learner friendly animated gifs to be used in projects.

Yes there are many websites providing animated gifs (Giphy, Gfycat, etc.) but they contain gifs that are not appropriate for younger learners.

Gifs4Kids is a SAFE resource for educators and learners!

The creators of this learner friendly tool are wanting to grow their library of gifs and are accepting submissions that can be entered on their GIF Submission Form - https://sites.google.com/view/gorogueedu/gifs4kids/gif-submissions 

NOTE: Currently the Gifs4Kids search tool supports 12 different languages and more are on the way! They are also working on adding...

• a Chrome extension for drag and drop usage of GIFs
• a Repository of GIF-based classroom activities and 
• Instructional videos and resources that demonstrate how to create/ use GIFs and instructional best practices (a YouTube Channel)

An already useful resource and, with the proposed additions, must be worth keeping an eye on!

If you give Gifs4Kids a try or have already used Gifs4Kids, do share your feedback, positive and/or negative, in the comments.
Thank you.

Adding Audio to presentations

Adding Audio to presentations
If educators would like their learners to record their own narration for their Google Slides presentations, this relatively new Audio Player for Slides Chrome extension is one that they should consider and give a try.

The Audio Player for Slides Chrome extension - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/audioplayer-for-slides/anlkfbpodhealnhnmdaflcekcmcjpnil - was recently updated with some features that educators have wanted for years!

Users can...

• - now use the extension to have music play continuously throughout a presentation even when they change slides and...
• now make audio recordings directly in their slides.

Richard Byrne's Video clip - https://www.youtube.com/embed/6LQJ3f2gWVw - well worth a closer look, demonstrates how users can record audio directly within Google Slides.

If you give Audio Player for Slides a try or have already used Audio Player for Slides, do share your feedback, positive and/or negative, in the comments.

Thank you.

Gathering or creating Voice Recordings

Gathering or creating Voice Recordings
SpeakPipe - https://www.speakpipe.com/ - provides education practitioners with the ability to collect voicemail messages through their blog and/or website etc.


To set up...

• create a SpeakPipe account,
• place the SpeakPipe widget in a blog/website, and then

...learners/visitors/etc., can click the widget to record and send a voice message.

SpeakPipe has recently added a new feature
called SpeakPipe Pages.

SpeakPipe Pages lets users...

• create a simple landing page through which people can send them voice messages. 
• use the landing page even if they don't use the widget in their blog or have a blog. 
• send people directly to their SpeakPipe landing page to send you voice messages that you can then playback in your email, read a transcript, or access directly through SpeakPipe.

In addition, SpeakPipe provides a "Free on-line voice recorder" - https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder - which allows users to create an audio recording directly from a browser by using their microphone.

The recording is produced locally on their computer, iPhone, iPad, iPod and/or Android devices, and users can record as many times as they need.

There is the option to save a recording on the SpeakPipe server and get a link to it, so users can send it via email or use on the web.

For SpeakPipe Plans and Pricing take a look at https://www.speakpipe.com/plans

NOTE: SpeakPipe also offer a free plan for 20 messages per month, max duration of each message 90 seconds

If you give SpeakPipe a try or have already used SpeakPipe, do share your feedback, positive and/or negative, in the comments.
Thank you.

Scratch 3.0 Beta + Creative Computing Curriculum Guide

#HeadsUp - Scratch 3.0 Beta + Creative Computing Curriculum Guide

The Beta version of Scratch 3.0 - https://beta.scratch.mit.edu/ - is available now. 

Educators can try the new Scratch on-line editor right now!

Scratch 3.0 offers the following new features...

• A new extension system for programming physical devices.
• New characters, sounds, and backgrounds.
• Updated editors for characters and sounds.
• Improved support for use on tablets.

It is important to note that Scratch 3.0 is still a beta product. 

The full, stable version is expected to be ready in January 2019. 

The current desktop and browser versions of Scratch (Scratch 2.0) are still available and all projects created in those versions will continue to work as normal.

Creative Computing Curriculum Guide

New Creative Computing Curriculum Guide!

Take a look at the new Creative Computing Curriculum Guide (link opens PDF) - http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/sneak_peek_creative_computing_curriculum_guide_v3.pdf - published by the ScratchEd team at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The 32 page guide includes...

• a nice template for planning a mini Scratch project, 
• prompts for thinking about remixing projects, and 
• guidelines for assessment.

If you give Scratch 3.0 or the New Creative Computing Curriculum Guide a try or have already used Scratch 3.0 or the New Creative Computing Curriculum Guide, do share your feedback, positive and/or negative, in the comments.

Thank you.

Guided Access for learners

Guided Access for learners

If as educational practitioners, your learners are iPad users, you may or may not know about an important Accessibility feature called Guided Access. 

This feature is helpful when educators want to lock their learners into using only 1 application. 

This may be helpful when educators have learners who are easily distracted and need to focus on the current task and shouldn't be exploring other Apps.

How does it work?

Check out Matt Bergman's video at https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qzm6IhSQ6Xk

If you give Guided Access a try or have already used Guided Access, do share your feedback, positive and/or negative, in the comments.

Thank you.

Dropbox add-on for Gmail

Dropbox add-on for Gmail
The Dropbox add-on for Gmail will allow users to... 

“view, store, and share any file—from the smallest doc to the largest video—without leaving their inbox.”

Dropbox suggests that this will allow users to...

• “stop worrying about file size or inbox space,” 
• “eliminate distractions i.e. no more “jumping back and forth between apps,” and
• “keep all their work in one place”.

Once installed, the Dropbox add-on for Gmail resides on the right-hand side of a users inbox, next to Calendar, Keep, and Tasks.

Clicking on the Dropbox icon (It appears when users open an email) will make the app scan their current email thread for attachments, and offer contextual information on what it finds.

Users will then be able to store those files in their Dropbox, and they’ll be available across the different browsers and platforms they use.

NOTE: Later this year Dropbox will also be adding the option to share files with others from right within a users Gmail inbox.

Download: Dropbox for Gmail from the G Suite Marketplace at https://gsuite.google.com/marketplace/app/dropbox_for_gmail/33761876029

Dropbox for Gmail should make finding, saving, and sharing attachments a breeze, potentially saving users a lot of time and effort.

If you give Dropbox for Gmail a try or have already used Dropbox for Gmail, do share your feedback, positive and/or negative, in the comments.

Thank you.