Using Jamboard (Part II) - mobile device app

This is the second part of the two-part Jamboard tutorial, where I show how to use a mobile device with this app.  Though I show the demonstration in portrait mode you can change the orientation to landscape mode for additional real estate if needed.

Jamboard is a collaborative whiteboard where people can be invited to work as a group, the work can be shared in the traditional Google product sharing mechanism and permissions available. 





INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: 

Bloom's Level: 1-6  (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating)

-Creativity
-Promotional
-Infographics
-Digital Storytelling
-Presentations
-Student-centered
-Visually appealing
-Whiteboard

Using Jamboard as a Digital Whiteboard (Part I)

Jamboard is a Google product that can be turned on in the G-Suite platform. You can access it at Jamboard on a laptop or desktop computer, but this app is equally usable (maybe more so) on a mobile device.  It works very well for those devices that are touchscreen, with the only parameters being your screen size real estate! If you are going to use this tool on a mobile device you will need to load the appropriate app from Google Play (Android) or the App Store (Apple IOS).

Jamboard is a collaborative whiteboard where people can be invited to work as a group, the work can be shared in the traditional Google product sharing mechanism and permissions available. 

Before you are going to tell your story, it can be helpful to lay it out first. Photographers, Graphic Designers, and Videographers will often "storyboard" out the message they wish to share in the presentation.  Use Jamboard for brainstorming, teamwork (because of the sharing feature), visual storytelling, digital bulletin board, as well as storyboarding presentations.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: 

Bloom's Level: 1-6  (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating)

-Creativity
-Promotional
-Infographics
-Digital Storytelling
-Presentations
-Student-centered
-Visually appealing
-Whiteboard


There is the second part of the two-part tutorial, where I show how to use a mobile device with this app.  Searched the labels to the right, and click on Jamboard to access the other one.

Easy Digital Storytelling with Sutori

Sutori is a free digital learning tool that allows users to create interactive stories. Both teachers and students can get an account and use this free tool (premium version available as well). Sutori is an instructional presentation tool which enables the user to engage in critical thinking, research, and inquiry, enhance literacy, allow creativity and collaborate.






This tool works in multiple disciplines such as social sciences, English and communication, Math, and many others. It allows for a different way to tell stories!  Add text, images, links, audio, video, and quizzes to the presentation and share in a number of ways and formats for your users.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: 

Bloom's Level: 1-6  (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating)

-Creativity
-Promotional
-Infographics
-Digital Storytelling
-Presentations
-Student-centered
-Visually appealing

Build media rich content with Buncee

Use a creation and communication tool, called Buncee, to build media-rich content for your classes.




Buncee can be used for any subject, any class, by both students and instructors. You can create digital flyers, invitations, slide presentations, digital/print signage, design mockups, graphic directions, newsletters and much more. There is a free basic version, but it is a limited trial for 30 days of premium usage, then reduces to the free version and what it offers, which is quite a bit. You can download your finished project or have access to various ways to share with a link and embed code.

Instructional Strategy: Concept Formation
Bloom's Levels: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating and Creating

• Categorize learning (help students group content based on certain characteristics)
• Explore ideas by making connections
• A visual way to present information and demonstrate learning
• See relationships between items of information
• Classify objects, events, or ideas
• Compare items of information
• Present a cause & effect relationship
• Sequence items of information

Create animation videos using Moovly

Moovly is an animation video/presenter tool loaded with images, infographics, clips, templates, and animations capable of providing the user with an easy way to create a digital story.




There is a free basic version, but it is a limited trial before one needs to upgrade to the paid version. However, there is an educational version that allows access to a lot of the usable content, for free, no time limit and unlimited downloads of the finished projects.

Instructional Strategy: Concept Formation
Bloom's Levels: Remembering, Understanding, and Applying

• Categorize learning (help students group content based on certain characteristics)
• Explore ideas by making connections
• See relationships between items of information
• Classify objects, events, or ideas
• Compare items of information
• Present a cause & effect relationship
• Sequence items of information

Using Canva to easily create graphic designs for many uses without having to know complicated, expensive design software

Canva is a free web based graphic design software that works on computers and mobile devices.  Get access to millions of photos, thousands of graphics and fonts, and hundreds of tools and templates!

There is a short learning curve to get up and running as the tool has many templates to start your design and just make modifications, or you can get real creative and design from scratch.  Though most features come with the basic package (free) there are additional features available in the premium package (paid).





You can design cover sheets, presentations, social media graphics and more with many layout templates, tools, and design elements already provided in this free version. Let you imagination and creativity guide you as you create inspiring, attention grabbing, stunning graphical images and documents.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: 

Bloom's Level: 1-6  (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating)

-Creativity
-Promotional
-Infographics
-Digital Storytelling
-Presentations
-Digital Posters
-Digital Bulletin board
-Cover sheet for a report
-YouTube Thumbnail image

Screencastify 2017 - update to the Chrome extension which allows you to do screen capturing

Screencastify is a Google Chrome extension that allows you to share your screen in your browser.  You can capture mouse movements, audio, and webcam and record it all for a sharing and later playback.

There are no downloads of any software which is nice as other programs require Java, thus it works great on a Chromebook. 

There is a free version (Screencastify Lite) which has limits on 10 minutes per recording, limit of 50 videos per month, and recordings will contain the Screencastify watermark. Some of the options are limited (can't move the video image around, no or limited marking tools, etc.

The premium version is $2 per month (annual contract), unlimited time, unlimited videos, no watermark, minor editing (crop/trim) and can also export as an .mp4 or GIF, webcam recording can be moved to different parts of the screen, editing tools enhanced.

You can record the TAB, the DESKTOP or the WEBCAM as part of the recording.




Instructional Strategy: Lecture, Digital Storytelling, Reflection
Blooms Levels= 1-2 without activity (knowledge, comprehension) 3-4 with activity (application, analysis) 

Stimulate reflection
Tutorials 
Challenge the imagination 
Develop curiosity and sense of inquiry 
Push content 
Demonstration 
Introduce topic/content, followed by a discussion to support the concepts covered in the lecture 
Lecture method should include the types of experiences students will be afforded and the kinds of learning outcomes expected 
Teacher-centered (unless activity is involved) 
Incorporating an activity can help to enforce learning as the attention span of students may be limited 
Lecture should not repeat the textbook but should provide additional information and examples 
Provides the instructor the opportunity to apply the concepts from the book and course to real-world experiences
Collaborations
Feedback
Current event alert

Venngage - a great infographics tool

Use Venngage, a free app, to make infographics to use for digital storytelling purposes.

Venngage is a web-based application which allows you to create stunning visual representations of information you wish to show to your audience.  In five easy steps you can use this tool to create infographics, posters, reports, promotions and social media mockups using visual media.

It is very helpful to storyboard out your idea, then you start to create your new Venngage diagram by adjusting text, icons, charts, background and then publishing your creation.






INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Compare/contrast, Digital Storytelling, Creation, Reflection

Bloom's Level: 3-6  (Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating)

-Creativity
-Innovation
-Promotional
-Infographics
-Digital Storytelling
-Resource gathering
-Project based learning
-Digital repository
-Compare/Contrast
-Presentations

New Google Sites!

Periodically, Google does updates to its most popular apps.  This has recently happened to Google Sites.  If you have tried Google Sites in the past and found it to be a little clunky, you need to look at it again!

Google Sites is easier to use than ever, though it is not quite as feature rich as the "classic" version, I see more updates coming to add back these features and more!

Google Sites is a free website creation app, built right into your Google Apps for Education (GAFE) tool set, as well as for those who have an individual Google account.





It is easy to build a website from scratch, using Google Sites.  You can add pages to the home page, edit any page add items (links, folders, documents, files, images, etc.) to any part of the webpage.  Adjust themes, colors, fonts, check readability of your color and font choices, to create a professional looking readable website.  The website is responsive, and the preview mode will allow you to check what the users will see on computers, tablets and smartphones.  Google provides you with access to many commercial usage approved images for enhancing your pages, and linking anything that is part of some other Google app is one click away.  Google Sites uses WYSIWYG to make things real simple on the site construction.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Compare/Contrast, Reflection, Digital Storytelling, Creating, Collaborating

Bloom's Level: 3-6  (Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating)

-ePortfolio
-Creativity
-Innovation
-Infographics
-Collaboration
-Digital repository
-Project Based Learning
-Resource gathering and storing

Use Google Sites to create free easy website to house your information.

You can use Google Sites to create a website, ePortfolio, digital storybook, infographics or use as a digital repository to store content of any kind: text, spreadsheets, drawings, presentation, image, web links, audio files and videos.

Google Sites is a free website creation app, built right into your Google Apps For Education (GAFE) tool set, with a short learning curve. 




Quickly build, edit and publish a website that can be shared with who every you want to get access to.  Easy to build, templates available, be creative or use a nice starting point to launch your website.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Compare/Contrast, Reflection, Digital Storytelling, Creating

Bloom's Level 3-6  (Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating)

-ePortfolio
-Creativity
-Innovation
-Infographics
-Digital storytelling
-Resource gathering
-Project Based Learning
-Digital repository

Using Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark is a free web-based tool that allows you to create social media graphics, web stories and animated video slide shows.

Use the Inspiration Gallery to get ideas, and create your own using templates or building from scratch.  Use images you already have on your computer, photo sharing side or get creative commons images direct from Adobe.  Modify as you go, in real time, add music and narration to your animated video slides to create the perfect digital story!

Your finished product is an MP4 which means it can be viewed on a lot of different devices.  There is no download required, it is stored on Adobe's server, but can also store a copy on your computer.  Use the "Post" "Page" or "Video" type to create your Spark!



INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Compare/Contrast, Collaboration, Demonstration, Brainstorming  

Bloom's Level: 1-5 (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing and Evaluating)


- Clarify thinking
- Organization
- Collaboration
- Project management
- Classify ideas
- Explain meaning
- Graphic organizer
- Digital storytelling
- Reflective judgment (Affective Learning)
- Highlight similarities and differences (which shows student has a deeper understanding that goes beyond surface level)
- Form generalizations based on categorized items - BYOD ideas - Visualization

Blackboard Collaborate - July 16, 2016 Update!

Blackboard Collaborate is a built-in web conferencing tool.  You can launch live video sessions, invite guests, and record and archive the entire session!

This is the second Blackboard Collaborate video - make sure you watch the first one, as this just contains the updates as of July 16, 2016.





This update contains built-in polling and a new User Interface.  BB Collaborate has a monthly update that contains either improved performance or enhanced capabilities. 

If you regularly use this tool you will want to check back for period update tutorials.

Easel.ly - infographics tool

Use Easel.ly, a free web-based infographics tool  which makes it easy to convey information with a strong visual approach.  This is a great way to show numbers and numerical data.




INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY: Compare/Contrast, Digital Storytelling, Infographics Bloom Level = 3+ (apply, analysis, etc.) 

- Clarify thinking
- Classify ideas
- Explain meaning
- Graphic organizer
- Digital storytelling- Reflective judgment (Affective Learning)
- Highlight similarities and differences (which shows student has a deeper understanding that goes beyond surface level)

- Form generalizations based on categorized items

Easel.ly is a free web-based app (pro version for $3/month is also available) is a great infographic tool.  This tool makes for easy construction of digital storytelling assignments, digital bulletin boards and anything where a visual could be as powerful or more powerful than just text.

Trello: A great free web-based tool for organizing, project management, and collaboration activities!

Trello is a free web-based application which allows one person or a team of collaborators to organize information, keep track of a workflow using project management skills, and share some or all of the work with other collaborators.

Use Trello to individually or in a team, develop the workflow for a project.  Create the activities, due dates, areas of responsibility, people responsible, resources required, etc. - needed in the workflow for project management.  Share with others outside, or just with members of your team.  She your entire project in a single glance.  Get a summary or a detailed look of all activities, due dates, and status toward completion.

Sync across devices (there is an app for iOS and Android devices)!



INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Compare/Contrast, Collaboration, Demonstration, Brainstorming

Bloom's Level: 1-5  (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing and Evaluating)

- Clarify thinking
- Organization
- Collaboration
- Project management
- Classify ideas
- Explain meaning
- Graphic organizer
- Digital storytelling- Reflective judgment (Affective Learning)
- Highlight similarities and differences (which shows student has a deeper understanding that goes beyond surface level)

- Form generalizations based on categorized items

- BYOD ideas

- Visualization

Screencastify: Great screen capture recorder for use with the Chrome broswer

Screencastify is a Google Chrome browser extension that allows for the recording and capturing of what is on your computer screen and allow for mouse movement capture, audio and video overlays.

This is a free Chrome extension so Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, PCs, and Macs - all using the Chrome browser - can do screen capture recordings and upload to Google Drive (automatically) and to YouTube for further sharing.

Other screencapture tools don't always work with Chromebooks, as they require Java!  This tool does not!

Use the TAB recording feature when you want to record just the tab and would like to use digital ink to annotate your page.

Use the DESKTOP recording feature when you don't need to use the digital ink and would like to capture multiple windows during your recording.


In the recording there is mention of an upgraded account for a one-time fee of $30.  That was for 2015.  For 2016, it is now $24 annually.  For the most part, the unlimited time and the removal of the Screencastify watermark are the major differences.



Instructional Strategy: Lecture, Digital Storytelling, Reflection
Blooms Levels= 1-2 without activity (knowledge, comprehension) 3-4 with activity (application, analysis) 

Stimulate reflection
Tutorials 
Challenge the imagination 
Develop curiosity and sense of inquiry 
Push content 
Demonstration 
Introduce topic/content, followed by a discussion to support the concepts covered in the lecture 
Lecture method should include the types of experiences students will be afforded and the kinds of learning outcomes expected 
Teacher-centered (unless activity is involved) 
Incorporating an activity can help to enforce learning as the attention span of students may be limited 
Lecture should not repeat the textbook but should provide additional information and examples 
Provides the instructor the opportunity to apply the concepts from the book and course to real-world experiences

Twiddla - collaborative interactive whiteboard

Twiddla is an interactive whiteboard with the ability to do collaborative activities in the classroom.

You can mark up and collaborate on webpages, Microsoft Office documents or images.  Or, you can start with a blank canvas and collaborate together to create or communicate something. This is a real-time based collaboration interactive whiteboard.  Use this in class, face-to-face or in a synchronous component of a distance learning situation, to allow students the ability to collaborate in real-time.




INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Compare/Contrast, Collaboration, Demonstration, Brainstorming

Bloom's Level: 1-4  (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, and Analyzing)

- Clarify thinking
- Classify ideas
- Explain meaning
- Graphic organizer
- Digital storytelling- Reflective judgment (Affective Learning)
- Highlight similarities and differences (which shows student has a deeper understanding that goes beyond surface level)

- Form generalizations based on categorized items

- BYOD ideas

VoiceThread - web based voice over tool for images and videos.

Improve your presentations beyond just text.  Improve a PowerPoint presentation by adding voice and video, along with text components to it.  Add to an image or video with additional content to set it apart from strictly static graphics.  Access to third party sources (i.e. Khan Academy, Flickr, etc.) to use in your own presentations is as easy as a click away!



INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Didactic Questioning, Critical Thinking, Lecture, Reflection, Presenting, Digital Storytelling, Demonstration of process workflow

Bloom's Level: 1-4  (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, and Analyzing)

- Flipped Classroom
- Blended Learning
- Learner centered
- Reflection
- Live discussion
- BYOD uses
- Presentation enhancement

Nearpod: Interactive Lesson Creator

Nearpod is a free web-based interactive presentation tool.  Students can participate on any device: PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone!  There is no download required for students, just an individual access code the instructor shares.   

The instructor creates a presentation that can contain content, activities, interactions and formative assessments.  The students view the instructor's screen on their devices, and in some cases can move through the presentation at their own pace.  Other presentations can be imported into Nearpod to build a powerful learning experience.  Images, videos, polls, quizzes and drawing tools are some of the activities possible with this app.






INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Didactic Questioning, Critical Thinking, Lecture, Reflection, Presenting

Bloom's Level: 1-5  (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, and Evaluating)

Nearpod is a free, web-based platform for creating presentations with interaction and formative assessment pieces that can be presented live.  You can use a presentation your build yourself or one you import - starting with PowerPoint or Keynote slides.   

Students can access your completed Nearpod on smartphones, laptops or tablets and you can determine whether students can see the responses of everyone live, or let everyone respond and you can then share the results.

- Flipped Classroom
- Blended Learning
- Formative Assessment
- Learner centered
- Reflection
- Live discussion
- BYOD uses

Zaption: Great tool for creating/customizing video mash-ups

Zaption is an easy way to find a video and customize it - it is a video mashup builder. You can crop just the portion you want, include text, images, and build quizzes right inside the video!  This can be done on videos you create or ones you find.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Concept formation, Compare/Contrast, Reflection, Digital Storytelling, Creating, Lecture

Bloom's Level 3-6 (Application, Analyze, Evaluate, Create)

-Flipped Classroom

-Blended Learning

-Formative Assessment

-Maker Movement

-Creativity

-Innovation

-BYOD uses

Learn how to use Zaption to search for great videos by subject, from some well respected sources like PBS, National Geographic and TED. Both instructors and students can use this tool to create video mashups.  You can crop a video to be just the length you need it.  You can splice together multiple videos, include text screen, images, and illustrations (drawings), as well as create formative assessment opportunities with multiple choice, choose from a list, or open ended questions.  You also have the ability to pull analytics to assess how long your viewer was engaged with the lesson as well as scores on the assessments.

Creating a website with Weebly

Using easy website creation tools to create an ePortfolio.

Weebly is a free website creation app with a short learner curve.  There are add-ons available for purchases as well, but the basic app is more than capable of delivering the goods!




Weebly is a free website builder used by over 25 million people!

Here is a example site built with Weebly, for use as an ePortfolio idea.

Sample (click to view)

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: Compare/Contrast, Reflection, Digital Storytelling, Creating

Bloom's Lever 3-6  (Apply, Analysis, Evaluate, Create)

-ePortfolio
-Creativity
-Innovation
-Digital storytelling
-Resource gathering
-Project Based Learning