Friday, February 21, 2014

Freebie Friday

Hello everyone! I thought I would  post some free resources for you. What are some of your favorite freebies, please add a comment below! 


'188.365 || Surprise!' photo (c) 2011, Aman Deshmukh - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
  • Free apps - Today only find some free and discounted apps. Today's freebies include puzzles, interactive stories, math, and science apps.

  • Free ipad apps - Here is a list with descriptions of each app for your classroom. I would suggest subscribing to this site! It is a great resource.

  • Teacher's guide to free apps - Another resource for free apps complete with descriptions. Some of my favorites are talking tom, popplet, and puppet pals. 








Thursday, February 20, 2014

Goin' for the Gold!

Go for the gold in your classroom with these interactive Olympics inspired activities.

'Cat on Olympic Mountain' photo (c) 2008, sburke2478 - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
  • BrainPOP - Olympics - Learn about the origins of the Olympics from Tim & Moby, with plenty of cross-curricular interactive activities that will bridge Ancient Greece to 2010

For more Olympic fun check out these activities here

Have some Olympic inspired activities that you use in your classroom? Please share! 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Literacy apps for students who are deaf or hard of hearing

"Klimt - The Fulfilment (detail) & Kotek by Robin, Flickr (via Wylio), license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Students who are deaf or hard of hearing differ in many ways especially when it comes to academics. Some of our students are right on par with their typically developing peers, others are functioning below grade level, and some are gifted learners. Attached below is a checklist to feature match apps. 


Literacy apps


 App name    Website Description Cost
iWriteWordshttp://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iwritewords-lite/id308152258?mt=8Learn how to write letters and words Lite - free,  Full version  $2.99
  StoryKithttp://itunes.apple.com/us/app/storykit/id329374595?mt=8Create an electronic storybook.  Free
 Sentence Builderhttp://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sentence-builder/id344378741?mt=8Sentence Builder is used to help students learn how to build grammatically correct sentences.   $5.99
 See.Touch.Learn.http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/see.touch.learn./id406826506?mt=8 A picture learning system that can be used to make  individual  lessons.   Free
ABC Tracer Litehttp://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abc-tracer-lite-free-alphabet/id327036079?mt=8Animates  how to write letters with strokes in the right order on the traditional red-blue guiding lines Free
MindMeister http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mindmeister-mind-mapping/id291226775?mt=8Create, edit and share mind maps Free
Danny the Dragon meets Jimmy   http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/danny-the-dragon-meets-jimmy/id383272257?mt=8 This is a story that not only provides text but also shows the reader sign language.  $2.99

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

Greetings! 

Hope you are all staying warm. I don' t know about you but I am tired of all this snow! I found some great activities related to snow, that you can do on your computer as an individual lesson or interactive whiteboard for whole class instruction. A few favorites are listed below, but more activities are listed here:



Have some fun winter interactive resources to share? Please add a comment! 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Valentine's Day Activities 2014

Lookin to share some love with technology this Valentine's Day? Check out some great valentine's day activities here.  But here are some of my favorites:

  • Clifford kisses- Who will get a kiss from Clifford? Match T-bones balloons.






Thursday, February 13, 2014

5-5-5 Challenge...Accepted!



Hi everyone

I want to apologize for the hideous, as I was working to finish up my PhD.  I just got back from PETE&C and I am rejuvenated and ready to start up this blog again. Therefor, I want to share something that I learned from PETE&C.

One idea I learned is something I plan to put into practice not only in my professional life as a student but as a future instructor.  This idea is 5-5-5 and was done at the end of Aaron Sams' presentation  (yeah that's right Aaron Sams from flipped classroom). He got it from somewhere else, but I'm going to try my best to adapt it. The only thing I found closely related was here.

The 5-5-5 concept is geared towards adult learners. It talks about giving adult learners a challenge at the end of a presentation or lesson.
1. What do you plan to do with the information you learned in the next 5 days?
2. What do you plan to do with the information in the next 5 weeks?
3. What do you plan to do with the information in the next 5 months?

As Barney from How I met your Mother would say, "Challenge accepted".
In the next five days I planned to start this blog up again and share information I come across. In the next five weeks I plan to post to this blog t at least one time a week. In the next five months I plan to build this blog up to something I can share with students as a resource to use during their teaching.

 I challenge you, have you been to a professional development session lately? a conference? a webinar? If so:
1. What do you plan to do with the information you learned in the next 5 days?
2. What do you plan to do with the information in the next 5 weeks?
3. What do you plan to do with the information in the next 5 months?

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Communication apps for students who are deaf or hard of hearing


"Learning sign language" by daveynin, Flickr (via Wylio), license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
As we know students who are deaf or hard of hearing communicate in a variety of ways: verbally, use of sign language (cued speech, ASL, manual), lip reading, and writing. Below are some apps that can be used on the iPad to help students develop or maintain their communication skills in and out of the classroom. 

 App name      Website      Description  Cost
 IP - Relay
http://itunes.apple.com/app/ip-relay/id351385414?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&mt=8  IP-Relay allows individuals to use their device to call people who are able to hear. It acts like an instant message system.  The individual who is deaf or hard of hearing type out their message and IP relay operator speaks the message to the individual who is hearing. Then relays what the individual who could hear says to the individual who is deaf through text.   Free
 Dragon Dictation

http://itunes.apple.com/app/dragon-dictation/id341446764?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&mt=8 Dragon dictation allows users to speak directly into the microphone, the words that they spoke appear in text on the screen.   Free
 Face Time
 
Pre-downloaded on device FaceTime is a phone calling app that features video and works through a Wi-Fi internet connection. It is very similar to Skype as it uses video to relay messages. FaceTime is ideal for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing because a user can easily observe facial expressions, gesture, and communicate using American Sign Language or lip reading.    Pre-downloaded on device
 Signing time Lite ASL       http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/signing-time-lite-asl-sign/id306355760?mt=8 The lite version includes six flash cards and three shortened music videos.  Free but full version is $2.99
ABA Flash Cards & Games - Emotions http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aba-flash-cards-games-emotions/id446105144?mt=8  Identifying, understanding, and responding appropriately to emotions.   Free
**All ABA apps are free during the month of April!!**    
Baby sign and sing    http://www.babysignandlearn.com/baby-sign-and-learn-asl-for-iphone-and-ipad           Learn sign language to a children's song. Great for young learners.  Free but you can buy additional songs
PCS Sign language flash cards http://www.mayer-johnson.com/pcs-sign-language-flash-cards/   Learn signs, picture representations, and text all in the same app!  Free
ASL Dictionary for iPad   http://www.asl-dictionary.com/ A great reference for signs and phrases   $6.49
 My Smarty hands    http://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id366804871?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4 Learn and practice 300 ASL signs Lite - free full is $4.99
SparkleFish   http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sparklefish/id432462341?mt=8&ls=1  This app allows users to record word in their voice. It is similar to madlibs and comes with four free stories. 

 Free
Splingo's Language Universe    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/splingos-language-universe/id457526530?mt=8&ls=J Helps students learn and practice listening skills    $2.99
Learn American Sign Language   http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-american-sign-language/id435624458?mt=8  Learn American Sign Language is a simple and fun way to learn signing, covering such useful topics as Greetings, Emergency Situations and more.   $2.99