Explore the Possibilities

Donna Murray – Instructional Technology Specialist @ Catawba County Schools


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Apps for Earth Science

Earth Now

earth now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“NASA’s Earth Now is an application that visualizes recent global climate data from Earth Science satellites, including surface air temperature, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and water vapor as well as gravity and sea level variations.”

Top 7 Apps for Earth Science Teachers

top 7 apps

Ten Great Climate Apps

10 climate apps

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skeptical Science

skeptical science

“Skeptical Science helps you find out what the peer reviewed science has to say about global warming. The easy navigation by skeptical argument allows you to take a statement and find out for yourself whether it is based on credible science or not.”

Wonders of Geology:  An Aerial View of America’s Mountains 

wonders of geology 2

$12.99 app “As we swipe through each photograph, we hear Collier’s smooth, accessible narration telling us where to look on the mountain, what to look for and what it means. He introduces the processes that build and shape mountains: .Tectonics .Volcanoes .Glaciers .Faults .Erosion”

Space Images 

space images

“NASA/JPL’s Space Images app offers a unique view of the sky via hundreds of images taken by spacecraft studying planets, stars, galaxies, weather on Earth and more. Save to your device as backgrounds or wallpaper and share them with friends on Facebook, Twitter and email as you scan through our extensive photo albums and rate your favorites.

NASA App HD

nasa app


Fragile Earth 

fragile earth

$2.99 app “Fragile Earth is a stunning photography app giving a birdseye view of climate change, urbanization and nature’s raw power. It shows what happens to our planet when rivers flood or dry up, mountains erupt, glaciers melt and cities sprawl outward.”

Just Science 

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“”Just Science” highlights the easy-to-understand video map of climate change recently released by the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) study.  The app features a color-coded map of the world that displays how the Earth’s land temperature has changed between 1800 and 2009. Monthly data from local recording stations produce a red, green, and blue global visualization of the temperature’s deviation from historical average.”

iMoonU 

imoon u

$0.99 app “iMoon is an application that will display the current phase of the moon. It will also allow you to enter any date, and see what the moon phase will be or was. Monthly moon phase calendars can also be displayed. There is also a countdown feature that will tell you how many days are left until the next full moon.”

EarthObserver 

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$0.99 app “Explore your planet as never before with the mobility of EarthObserver. Use your fingertips to travel through terrestrial landscapes and across the ocean floor. Visit frozen icecaps, study geological maps, scout mountains to climb and trips on coastal waters and exploit a rich atlas of other earth and environmental imagery. EarthObserver brings to you the latest compilation of detailed ocean floor relief gathered by oceanographic research ships using modern swath mapping technologies, combined with land elevations from satellite stereo imagery.”

Puzzling Plates for iPad on the iTunes App Store

puzzling plates

$1.99 app “Puzzling Plates provides an interactive, engaging experience that inspires you to explore the large, tectonic plates that make up the surface of Earth. The app includes three levels, each with a hands-on activity and a bonus round. In Level 1, you’ll first learn how tectonic plates fit together by moving them into position like a jigsaw puzzle. Get it right on the first move or you lose points! See where earthquakes and volcanoes form on Earth’s surface and explore Earth’s interior in Level 2. In Level 3 you first see how plate boundaries collide and split apart and then you actually move tectonic plates in different directions to find out what type of boundary is shown.”

 

 


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iPad Resources

ipad



Want to create/use a personal Apple ID to download apps/music to your school iPad?

  • Tap “App Store” icon
  • Tap the “Featured” option on the menu at the bottom of the screen
  • Scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen
  • Log out of the school Apple ID

BEFORE you continue… if you want to create an account and NOT attach a credit card to the account, skip to the next bold section below…

  • (Scroll back to the bottom and notice that the button now reads “Sign in”)
  • Tap “Create New Apple ID.”
  • Complete the following screens with your information (create a user ID, password, billing address (which you have to enter even if you don’t use a credit card with the account), etc.)

Want to create a personal Apple ID without attaching it to a credit card?  There’s only ONE way to do that.  Here’s how:

  • Find a free app to download (usually, there’s a free one on the highlighted on the “featured” screen.  If you can’t find a free app, click on “Top Charts” on the menu, and you’ll see a list of popular free apps.)
  • Beside the app icon and description, tap the “FREE” button.
  • The button changes to “INSTALL APP”.  Tap the button to install the app.
  • A pop-up screen will prompt you to log in.
  • Tap “Create New Apple ID.”
  • Complete the following screens with your information (create a user ID, password, billing address (which you have to enter even if you don’t use a credit card with the account), etc.)
  • When you get to the screen asking for payment information, choose “None.”
  • You can still purchase items, but you will have to use an iTunes gift card.  Beside the “Sign In” button on the main App Store screen, you will see a “Redeem” button where you can enter the code for an iTunes gift card.


Instructional technology resources for YOU!

You can also find some iPad resources on my instructional technology website.  (You can get updates from my website by email, Facebook, and more!)

Get updates by email  http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=murraygirl


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Data Collection on the iPad

data collection apps

Looking for ways to collect student data on your iPad?  Here are a couple of resources for you.

Check out this Pinterest board with a bunch of data collection apps:
http://pinterest.com/dougpiper/lsp-ieps-data-collection-apps/

Or you can create a Google form and fill it out on your iPad:
http://chapelhillsnippets.blogspot.com/2011/06/idata-with-ipad-tutorial-for-therapists.html


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Interactive Whiteboard Resources

(As you browse free SMART Notebook files, look for the “Open in SMART Notebook Express” button next to the “Download” button.  This allows you to open the file in a web browser, enabling you to use it even without a SMART Board or the Notebook software!)


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Take time to explore!

Explore the possibilities of effective technology integration!

Flipped Classroom Resources

Exploring Tech Integration Strategies


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Learn NC Monthly Chat

Starting this month, LEARN NC will host monthly Twitter chats.

The first chat is Tuesday, September 25, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Learn NC’s new executive director, Andy Mink (@andyLEARNs), will lead the conversation. The chat will focus on creating authentic hands-on experiential learning opportunities for teachers and students.

Join the chat by using the hashtag #learnchat.

New to Twitter?  Learn more here.  Don’t know what a hashtag is?  Learn about hashtags here.


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High-speed Internet a Must

A study by Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission states that broadband connectivity is vital to improving education.

Here are some highlights from the study:

  • 96% of teachers and 92% of parents believe that schools’ integration of technology in teaching and learning is important to the education of American students today
  • 54% of teachers and 64% of parents believe that the role of technology in educating students will become much more important during the next 10 years
  • 61% of teachers and 63% of parents responded that the country is somewhat or far behind the curve when it comes to American public schools’ use of technology in education
  • 82% of teachers and 71% of parents believe a greater use of technology would be helpful in connecting learning inside and outside of the classroom
  • 89% of teachers and 76% of parents would choose to spend $200 per student for an Internet-connected device over $200 per student for new science textbooks
  • 82% of teachers believe that they are not receiving the necessary training to use technology to its fullest potential in the classroom
  • 95% of teachers and 90% of parents believe that home access to high-speed Internet gives students a big or moderate advantage when it comes to classroom performance

Read more about the poll here: http://www.leadcommission.org/poll-finds-overwhelming-support-for-greater-use-of-technology-in-k-12-education-among-teachers-and-parents-a-diverse-sampling-of-u-s-teachers-and-parents-strongly-believe-schools-should-increase-ado


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Classroom Library Manager (for free!)

Want a way to manage your classroom library? Need an easy way to track which students have borrowed which books? Want students to share reviews of books from your classroom?

Oh, have I got a (FREE!) tool for you!

Recently, a teacher approached me and asked if I had heard of an app that will enable you to scan and document details about books you have in your classroom library. A short time later, after a search for an app with this functionality, I came across this site:

http://classroom.booksource.com/

Watch this short video to see how Classroom Organizer works and/or read my tutorial below (with screenshots) to help you get started.

Create a free Teacher account.  Note that the Classroom name and Password will need to be shared with your students in order for them to log in for check in/out. There is a separate area later to set the teacher admin password.

The Teacher Page is the dashboard for setting up your “classroom library rules,” adding/editing/deleting books and students, and viewing reports.

Here is a screenshot to show where I added my daughter as a student.  I was able to enter a reading group name (if desired), and even an image.  You will need a unique ID for each student.  (You can import your students from Excel, but you will have to enter the data into the Excel template.)

Here is a screenshot to show where I added a book to my library.  I manually entered the ISBN number.  The remaining data populated automatically (including the image of the book).

The reports available are great for tracking the types of books you have in your classroom as well as the checkout history of your students.

When you log in with your classroom login on the main site: http://classroom.booksource.com/, you will be able to choose whether you want to enter the teacher or student area.  (You will have to enter the teacher admin password to access the teacher area.)

When a student clicks “STUDENTS,” this is the screen he/she will see:

The student can then click “Find Me” to find and click his/her name.

Then the student can type in the ISBN number or type in a keyword, then “GO” to find the book.  The student can then click the “Checkout” link to log the book as checked out to him/her.  (The process for checking in the book is similar.)

To make the process of building your library database a bit easier, check out the free app that lets you scan your books into the system!  There is an app in iTunes as well as an Android app.

Login, then begin scanning in titles by clicking the “Scan” button.  (If you want to log your books by “location” in your room, click “Manage Classroom” first and set up your locations.)

I began scanning the barcode on the back of library books in an elementary school library to test the app.  I found that about half of the books I tried to scan could “not be found,” but it sure could save a lot of manual entry even if it only recognizes some of your books.

You can select the location (if you set up locations) and then “Add to Library.”  When you log back in to the website, your library data will be updated.

This just seems like a great, easy, free tool for managing your classroom library.  If you use it, let me know what you (and your students) think about it!

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