Getting Scores from Examview into Your Gradebook

For those of you who you Examview frequently and are tire of entering grades by hand, try exporting the quiz/test scores from Examview and importing them into PowerTeacher's Gradebook. If you are interested, watch this handy how-to video:



Give it a try. At first, I thought I could have entered them by hand faster, but after a little practice, I use this method all the time. Less chance for error and the student's who haven't taken the quiz/test are left blank.

Good luck!

Cell Phones in the Classroom?

Most teachers only deal with cell phones in the classroom when they are taking them away from students who are secretly trying to text one of their friends. But not anymore! Poll Everywhere is changing how cell phones are used when it comes to students in your classroom. Here is a quick video introduction from the company's Website. What Poll Everywhere basically lets you do is create a student response system (clickers) using the student's phones. You can create the questions and students can text in their answers. Here is a demo video from a teacher who uses it in his classroom:



Of course students who have phones will love this feature, but remember that not all students will have cell phones or unlimited texting. (There is a charge for the texts.) But for a review or to get some anonymous feedback from students, it is great.  Try it out.

Thanks.

How to Download YouTube Videos (Again!)

This is like deja vu all over again. We are revisiting how to download YouTube for use in the classroom. Here is a video showing two ways. One is with KeepVid and the other is using YouTube Downloader. Check them both out. I am quickly becoming a fan of the latter, but have used KeepVid for the past two years. A shout out to Paul for bringing YouTube Downloader to my attention.



Of course we know that we are "supposed" to ask permission from the video's owner and that YouTube doesn't really like people to download videos from their site. But, hey anything is good under the banner of educating our youth. Especially when we are reselling the videos or making a profit from it.  :)

November Staff Meeting--Tech Time

Welcome back,

This post is devoted to a couple of items you might like to try at home or school. The first one is Windows Speech Recognition. You can find Speech Recognition on your Control Panel in either Windows Vista or Windows 7. You will need a microphone of some sort to get started. Set up your microphone and work through the tutorial. The more you use Speech Recognition with your computer, the better it will work. It actually "learns" your voice patterns over time. It is fun to try, but it takes a little getting used to.

The second item is a shout out to the Flip Video. Here is an earlier post. Paul and I use them a lot in class. They are easy to use and work like a USB flash drive to view and save the video. Give them a try. SEF grant?

Thanks!

October Staff Meeting Tech Time

Paul and I would like to talk about two items today. The first one is more personal in nature and the second one is more for classroom use. Here we go!

Paul told me about Google Voice earlier in the year and how his son Luke uses it. It sounded like a pretty cool feature for those of us that have to juggle multiple phones and answering machines. Oh, by the way, did I mention that you can also use your new Google number to call anywhere in the US or Canada for free. Here is a quick video about it:




If you think that Google Voice might be helpful to you, give it a try. Here is some additional information if you would like to read more on the subject. Remember, as with all things Google, all you need is a Gmail account to get started.

Next up is a quick review. Paul has talked before about ZoomIt, his favorite computer presentation tool. Here is a quick review on how it works and how you can start using it tomorrow in your classroom. Yes, another video. (Why should I type when you can watch and listen?)






Remember, it is located on the high school's Shared drive in the Staff folder. Give it a try.


We hope you find this info helpful, thanks.

Google's App Inventor for Android

I usually don't talk a lot of programming on this blog, but I do actually teach it, so what the heh. Google has done it again. Try App Inventor for Android in your programming or math class! Watch obligatory YouTube video below:



Now, for some of the facts. This is still just a Beta version. But, if you are a teacher (or student) interested in programming or programming smart phone apps, this is a great place to start. You need to sign up to receive information on how to get started with App Inventor for Android. I signed up, downloaded/installed Android, set up the Android Extras, and I was soon completing the first tutorial shown in the video. Don't worry if you don't actually have an Android phone, the Android Extras download includes a phone emulator (fancy jargon for a fake digital version of a phone) to test your apps on.

Like I said, I just finished the first tutorial and am starting on the next one. I teach Computer Programming in the Spring and this could be a great tool to use with students. There is a wealth of information at the App Inventor Site and if you are a visual learner try searching YouTube for tutorial videos. There are a ton!

I will follow-up in a few months after I have more time to work with App Inventor.

Thanks.

Blogging 101

Welcome back to school people! It is professional development time. For today's PD, we are talking about blogging. What is it? Why is it so cool? How can I use it in the classroom? Great questions. Check out my presentation on Blogging 101 for answers to all these questions and more.

Visit Blogger or Sparta's Blog Site to start your classroom blog now!