The Rearview Mirror 11-30-2013

For those of you who may have missed an EDge21 featured post or who didn't have the opportunity to look at some of them during this past week, here's a second chance.

 

Monday

Kahoot! delivers educational content through asking meaningful questions in real-time, resulting in a social, fun, and game-like environment.

Tuesday

ThinkWave Educator is a free online grade book with a flexible grading engine, powerful reporting, and easy access for students and parents.

Wednesday

Flubaroo is a free tool that helps you quickly grade multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank assignments using forms in Google Drive.

Featured: 11-27-2013 Flubaroo

Flubaroo is a free tool that helps you quickly grade multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank assignments using forms in Google Drive.

Flubaroo also:

• Computes average assignment score.
• Computes average score per question and flags low-scoring questions.
• Shows you a grade distribution graph.
• Gives you the option to email each student their grade and an answer key.
• Lets you send individualized feedback to each student.

Create a new form (your quiz, test, etc) in your Google Drive account. These can be shared with your students. Email the form to your class, email a link to the form, or put the link on your class website.

Create an answer key by opening up the form, filling it out with the correct answers and submitting it.

Every time a student fills out the form, the responses are automatically entered as a new row in an accompanying spreadsheet. Once answered, Flubaroo will grade your assignment. The grades will be recorded in an adjacent worksheet.

Flubaroo will now offer you the opportunity to email each student his or her grade, view a summary report, or regrade the assignment. When emailing grades, you can optionally send each student individualized feedback. You can also choose to send all students "Help Tips" for each question.

View Flubaroo - Grading Made Easy

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/

Created with Blogsy

Featured: 11-26-2013 ThinkWave Educator

ThinkWave Educator is a free online grade book with a flexible grading engine, powerful reporting, and easy access for students and parents.

 

Versatile grading options let teachers use an all-points grading system or a flexible grading system that can include points, letter grades, check, check plus, and more. You can also create your own assignment types and use weighting.

 

ThinkWave Educator generates reports as professionally-formatted, ready-to-print PDF documents. Reports can be designed with an image, header, and multiple other customization options. 

 

Students can upload their homework files with a simple upload function. Files are immediately available in the grade book, organized by assignment and date. 

 

An intutive, easy-to-use interface can be learned quickly. ThinkWave Educator allows you to keep multiple classes in a single grade book making it easy to access different classes.

 

 

ThinkWave Educator is completely web based, no software to install. Teachers can access data from anywhere with an Internet connection using any modern web browser.

 

 Watch a video overview of ThinkWave Educator

 

ThinkWave Educator is available in a free, ad-supported version, or as a premium version for $49.95 (USD) annually per teacher. 

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 11-25-2013 Kahoot!

Kahoot! delivers educational content through asking meaningful questions in real-time, resulting in a social, fun, and game-like environment.

Build quizzes, called Kahoots!, on any device using a simple drag-and-drop tool. Include embedded images and video.

Project the quiz onto a screen or interactive whiteboard to engage and focus students who quickly join through their personal device, seeing their name appear (without needing an account).

Students play against each other, answering questions in real-time through an easy-to-use interface, while you facilitate and discuss the content.

Kahoot! allows learners to both respond and create with any device that has a web browser and works over wifi or 3G/4G. Students can share their knowledge by playing their Kahoot back to classmates. You can assess the quality of student questions, while the other students answer the questions.

 Watch a video demonstrating the basics of the Kahoot! website for the K-12 classroom.

Formatively assess individual knowledge and adapt learning. Kahoot! data provides you with a ‘snapshot’ of each learner's current understanding and tracks longer term progress.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

The Rearview Mirror 11-23-2013

For those of you who may have missed an EDge21 featured post or who didn't have the opportunity to look at some of them during this past week, here's a second chance.

 

Monday

Cometdocs is a popular, free, online document management system that has served more than 3 million customers. Document sharing, transfers, and storage are among the many many free services it offers. You can now experience the benefits of Cometdocs’ features on your smartphones and tablets.

Tuesday

Spongelab is community driven global site offering science content and features to help you organize your resources, lessons, classes, and community.

Wednesday

Race 2 Achieve is a free supplemental curriculum for 11th and 12th grade math classes aligned to Common Core standards. The focus is on how the Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR team uses key concepts from Algebra II and trigonometry, and applies them in a real-world context. 

 

Thursday

TinkerBox is a fun, free, iPad physics puzzle game full of interesting science facts and basic engineering concepts.

Featured: 11-21-2013 Tinkerbox

TinkerBox is a fun, free, iPad physics puzzle game full of interesting science facts and basic engineering concepts.

 

TinkerBox is a product of Autodesk, the 3D design software firm whose products include AutoCAD, Inventor, and SketchBook Pro.

 

The objective of TinkerBox is to make physics less ominous and more fun for teens. TinkerBox is designed with the intent of sparking teen interest in mechanical engineering. Players are challenged to solve puzzles, create, and share inventions with their friends.

 

 

In Invent mode, manipulate tools to explore your creativity and imagination. Build unbelieveable machines and share them with your friends. Puzzle mode immerses you in physics-based puzzles and mechanical concepts, where creative problem solving is your only hope for success.

 

 See a video trailer for TinkerBox

 

TinkerBox is available for iPad in the iTunes App Store for free. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0 

Featured: 11-20-2013 Race2Achieve

Race 2 Achieve is a free supplemental curriculum for 11th and 12th grade math classes aligned to Common Core standards. The focus is on how the Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR team uses key concepts from Algebra II and trigonometry, and applies them in a real-world context. 

 

The project-based curriculum includes a complete and adaptable kit with: 

• A comprehensive teacher’s guide
• Student notebooks
• Videos featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports Engineers
• Car kits for each team of 5 students 
• Pre- and post- curriculum assessments

 

Race 2 Achieve is designed to be used over approximately five-ten class periods. Small teams of students work together to each build a race-ready car culminating with a class “race day” competition to determine which team has built the most efficient car from the car kits provided with the curriculum materials. Teachers are provided with all of the components necessary for teams to assemble their cars. 

 

 

Race 2 Achieve was free to the first thousand 11th and 12th grade math classrooms interested. Unfortunately that number has been reached. However, complete the signup form here and you will be placed on a waiting list.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 11-19-2013 Spongelab

Spongelab is community driven global site offering science content and features to help you organize your resources, lessons, classes, and community.

The Spongelab library of remarkable free content includes games, images, animations, and lesson plans, screened to bring you the best digital learning resources. 

Features of Spongelab:

• Powerful tools for organizing, delivering, and sharing customizable lessons with your students and fellow teachers.
• Real-time data tracking metrics provide immediate feedback and insights into learning. Assess, track, and evaluate usage and engagement. 
• Award winning games and simulations to engage your students and promote their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. 

 Watch the Spongelabtrailer

Spongelab is the product of a group of scientists, teachers, animators, artists, and programmers passionate about science education who believe that cutting-edge technology and stunning interactive media should be available to everyone.  

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 11-18-2013 Cometdocs Mobile App

 

Cometdocs is a popular, free, online document management system that has served more than 3 million customers. Document sharing, transfers, and storage are among the many many free services it offers. You can now experience the benefits of Cometdocs’ features on your smartphones and tablets.

 

 

The Cometdocs mobile apps give you the ability to do document conversions to and from multiple formats on-the-go from iOS and Android devices. Transfer large files to anyone from your mobile device. There is no limitation on converted pages or size.

 

Find the document on your device, and open it with Cometdocs. The file is then uploaded to your Cometdocs account, after which you can choose the conversion type you desire. Shortly, the converted file will be available. 

 

Supported conversion formats:

• Converting from PDF to Word, Excel, Images, HTML, and AutoCAD, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Text, PowerPoint, and more.
• Converting to PDF from numerous formats such as jpg, xls, xlsx, doc, docx, pptx, ppt, rtf, png, pub, and more

 

Your documents can be accessed from anywhere - your desktop browser, mobile phone, or tablet. Have them with you and ready to be edited or converted at all times. 

 

 

 

 

 See a short how-to-use guide for Cometdocs mobile apps

 

The Cometdocs app for iOS or Android is available free of charge. To use Cometdocs from your mobile app, you need to have a registered account.

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

The Rearview Mirror 11-16-2013

For those of you who may have missed an EDge21 featured post or who didn't have the opportunity to look at some of them during this past week, here's a second chance.

 

Monday

ExitTicket is a student response system made by teachers for teachers to provide a real-time personalized learning experience for every student.

Tuesday

Yacapaca is a free formative assessment tool for educators at all levels using many different kinds of questions to deliver instant grading, baselining, and test prep.

Wednesday

The iResponse Classroom Responder System is a classroom response and assessment distribution system that functions on iOS devices.

Thursday

Classroom Quiz Master is a universal iOS app that allows a teacher to take on the role of a quiz question master or game show host, with the students taking on the role of the contestants.

Featured: 11-14-2013 Classroom Quiz Master

Classroom Quiz Master is a universal iOS app that allows a teacher to take on the role of a quiz question master or game show host, with the students taking on the role of the contestants.

Students are divided into two teams and are presented with quizzes and questions that the teacher has already entered into the Classroom Quiz Master app. The teams compete against each other. A quiz can consist of up to 10 questions and quizzes can be added or deleted at any time (the lite version of the app is limited to 3 quizzes).

The contestants scores are recorded graphically on the scoreboard in the app. Background music, sound effects, and animation all enhance the game show atmosphere.

Classroom Quiz Master Pro is $1.99 (US) and the lite version is free. Both versions are compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch running iOS 5.0 or later.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 11-13-2013 iResponse

The iResponse Classroom Responder System is a classroom response and assessment distribution system that functions on iOS devices.

iResponse enables teachers to transform every class into an interactive learning environment. Student comprehension can be monitored through the Utility program, creating a differentiated educational environment where individual student progress can be measured and pace adjusted.

The iResponse Classroom Responder System has two components, the iResponse app for iOS and the iResponse Utility.

Students using their iOS device during class, log-in to a session to receive and respond to questions, or tests. Students can also view individual and class results if the teacher enables this function.

The Utility is where teachers create and push content to student devices. Questions and tests can be created and saved ahead of time and retrieved during class, or created on the fly during a class session. View who is connected to the system, who has responded to the question, and what response was given. Both class and individual statistics can be displayed and tracked through the Utility.

 Watch the iResponse Pro tutorial

The Standard iResponse version allows for in-class question and answer sessions and instant feedback over a stand-alone network router or wireless Internet connection. The Pro version adds the ability to distribute and receive in-class and take-home tests, as well as functions to export, save and print student and class statistics.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 11-12-2013 Yacapaca

Yacapaca is a free formative assessment tool for educators at all levels using many different kinds of questions to deliver instant grading, baselining, and test prep.

Create, share, deliver, grade, and analyze a range of assessments such as quizzes, tests, surveys, e-portfolios and more with Yacapaca.

Yacapaca contains a huge database of formative assessments that includes over 15,000 quizzes drawn from a database of approximately 130,000 questions covering nearly 400 syllabi.

You can also create your own quizzes. Even mix and match your own questions with ones from the existing database. Modify existing questions, as well. 

Yacapaca supports 5 basic question types, each with many permutations:

• Multiple choice
• Checkbox
• Cloze (gap fill, with both strict and fuzzy match)
• Pair match
• Locate on an image

 Watch a video introduction to Yacapaca

Teachers use Yacapaca across a full age range including adult learning. They use it for starters, lessons, flipped classrooms, homework, and study.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 11-11-2013 ExitTicket

ExitTicket is a student response system made by teachers for teachers to provide a real-time personalized learning experience for every student.

 

 

ExitTicket provides an immediate check for student understanding. Results are calculated in real-time for immediate feedback. Teachers can get specific student-by-student data while students are responding allowing for immediate intervention.

A teacher dashboard provides overall class performance data, highest and lowest performers, and analytics so that teachers can better meet specific student needs with targeted instruction. A detailed Reteach page helps quickly identify common mistakes and gives students the opportunity to understand concepts in more depth.

 

Other instructional strategy features:

• Encourages students to participate through web-enabled technology
• Increases engagement of students in discussions of right and wrong answers
• Gives students their own individual log-in with performance statistics over time to increase engagement and a growth mindset
• Allows sharing of questions between teachers and between schools, saving time and increasing data-driven collaboration
• An iPad-optimized Teacher View that populates real-time with rich data about individual student responses and the highest and lowest performers

 

ExitTicket provides each student with immediate and personalized performance feedback, backed by real-time analytics as might be found in familiar video games.

 

 View What is ExitTicket?

 

ExitTicket is Common Core State Standard-compatible to integrate seamlessly with formative assessments that you already use in class.

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

The Rearview Mirror 11-9-2013

For those of you who may have missed an EDge21 featured post or who didn't have the opportunity to look at some of them during this past week, here's a second chance.

 

Monday

ArtBabble showcases high quality art-related video content from more than fifty cultural institutions from around the world.

Tuesday 

Wolfram Problem Generator makes problems on the fly instead of pulling them out of a database, so you can have new practice problems and worksheets in each practice session.

Wednesday

Getting families to enjoy mathematics outside school through a series of fun and engaging, high-quality challenges is the goal of Figure This!.

Thursday

Journalists who believe that "an independent local press is vital to ensuring that education improves," created the nonprofit news organizationChalkbeat.

Featured: 11-7-2013 Chalkbeat

Journalists who believe that "an independent local press is vital to ensuring that education improves," created the nonprofit news organization Chalkbeat.

Chalkbeat reporters are currently working in four bureaus across the country, New York, Colorado, Tennessee, and Indiana. Plans are to add others as funding becomes available.

Chalkbeat reporters, tell the story every day of educational change, focusing on the low-income communities that have the most at stake. It is Chalkbeat's policy to not take a position on the complex changes happening in education. They strive to faithfully report on events as they happen, both the good and the bad.

Chalkbeat doesn’t publish a print edition, and as a nonprofit, their business model is an unconventional blend of philanthropic donations and revenue generated from sponsorships and their jobs board.

Chalkbeat stories appears on their own websites, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and the news sites of our partners in the press.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 11-6-2013 Figure This!

Getting families to enjoy mathematics outside school through a series of fun and engaging, high-quality challenges is the goal of Figure This!.

To meet the need to master the higher-level concepts and approaches to problem solving that are key to success in work and everyday life, the NCTM, in cooperation with the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Widmeyer Communications, and the Learning First Alliance, launched Figure This!.

Figure This! presents interesting middle school mathematics challenges for families to do at home and emphasizes the importance of high-quality math education.

Each challenge features:

• A description of the important math involved
• A note on where the math is used in the real world
• A hint to get started
• Complete solutions
• A "Try This" section
• Additional related problems with answers
• Questions to think about
• Fun facts related to the math
• Resources for further exploration

In the Family Corner, Figure This! offers family support materials including:

• Sample questions to ask teachers and administrators about the school setting
• Information on how to prepare students for continuing education
• Suggestions to help with math homework
• Information on the changes in mathematics education
• Examples of math in literature.

Funding for Figure This! was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Education.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0