Thursday, October 24, 2013

lingro: word lookup made easy

Make any webpage definition-rich
Lingro turns any webpage into a clickable interactive text that supplies you with an instant translation of the word you are struggling with. Rather than translate the entire passage, users can practice reading in their second language with comprehension support only a mouse click away. It even works English to English. For example, an HTML article from EBSCO can be viewed with Lingro to provide a built-in English dictionary!

===========

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Museum of Science and Industry - app GoREACT

Make the world your laboratory!
Play with the iOS app, or use the web-based version.

"Experiment with chemistry virtually anywhere with goREACT! In this drag-and-drop laboratory, combine elements from the Periodic Table to create chemical reactions and discover the chemistry in the world around you! With goREACT, you can become a virtual chemist. Whether you're a novice or expert, the free play and guided modes make it fun and fascinating."

================

McLaren's Workshop App

Spark student creativity - video animation maker
"The McLaren's Workshop app is free to download, and comes with options that allow you to upgrade various features and enrich your animation experience. It lets you make your own films, using 3 animation techniques made famous by McLaren: paper cut-out, etching on film and synthetic sound creation. It also gives you access to 51 films from McLaren's collection, including 11 documentaries about McLaren's techniques. Before getting started, screen one of these docs for your students to help spark their creativity and get them acquainted with the medium."

============

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Rhythm Cat - Learn To Read Music

Make Rhythm and Note reading fun
Rhythm Cat is a fun way to learn to read beats. Tap and hold the green button to copy the note duration. The app adds complexity as you progress. You get rated after each level is complete, and once you master it, you get to move on. (The makers of Rhythm Cat have also produced Treble Cat and Bass Cat: games that help students learn to read notes in both clefs.)

=================

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Flippity.net: Easily Turn Google Spreadsheets into Online Flashcards

Are you a googledocs user? You'll love this!
Yes, you can use Google Docs templates to create your flash cards (https://docs.google.com/templates?q=flashcards&sort=user&view=public) but flippity is so easy, you might want to skip all the templates and give it a try. Clean interface, the ability to put in images, shuffle, randomize - it's all here. Changing a card stack is as simple as republishing your spreadsheet after you make any additions. It even comes with a QR code so kids can access the stack from the projector. Brilliant. Try it.
(Here's a sample.)

================

Friday, October 11, 2013

Neuratron's NotateMe App For iOS and Android

Convert written music instantly
NotateMe takes hand-written music, made with your finger or a stylus on your device's screen, and instantly changes it into a form than can be printed, edited, or exported to a music notation program.

============

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

YouTube Audio Library - 150 Royalty-Free Tracks

Download and remix!

"YouTube currently offers more than 150,000 audio tracks on its site that video producers can use as background music for their videos. For users who want to do a bit more with their background music, however, YouTube today is expanding this library with a selection of 150 new royalty-free tracks. The music in this new YouTube Audio Library can be downloaded, remixed and used for free forever."


=========

Bring Your Own Device - BYOD - 5 things to know

What can you do to make it work?

"A successful pilot is one that is planned in advanced and communicated with the people that need to be involved to make it happen.  Advance communication with other experienced BYOD teachers in and outside your district and seeing what issues they have run across may save you a lot of time, heartache, and headaches as well...."   

Her five suggestions:
1) Plan in the correct environment - where will you be doing the lesson?
2) Know expectations - What are you expecting out of BYOD?
3) Device agnostic is key for BYOD - any device, no single platform
4) Apps or software are not best for BYOD - think "big idea"
5) Communication is key - who can help you?

=============