Since I began teaching in 2008, the times have definitely started to change. At the high school where I teach we have an annual School Wide Write where the kids read a prompt, write an essay and the teachers grade the papers. With the change of time, this year the School Wide Write is would to be a little different. Our students will be reading a prompts, reading an article and watching a video. They will then be required to write a paper based on all three components that they were given. The change was prompted by the change in state testing. We are hoping to give student practice for the move towards Smarter Balanced testing that will take place this year. We hope to prepare our students and teachers for testing this school year. I read the 60 Educational Apps in 60 Minutes which was created by Clint Stephens. Here are my thoughts about educational apps...
The state of California is moving towards a technology driven testing which means schools will too. With the move towards utilizing technology in schools there's definitely a use for apps with in the classroom. Teachers can use them as they please with the capability to modify based on their circumstance. An app that I feel is useful for all different levels of teaching is Number Line. It's an educational game that helps students learn about fractions, decimals and percentages.
One of the best apps that I saw that I could use would be Near Pod. It's essentially a place where you can create presentations, videos, polls, and quizzes. It can then be projected on student iPads or an iPhone. It's pretty cool because the view is different for the students versus the teacher. Another app that I think is pretty awesome for education is Infuse. While it might not be useful for me as a physical education teacher because I do not have iPad, it would be useful for those teachers who do. It is a clicker for teachers and students to use. The teacher can create tests or quizzes and then project them on the iPod. Students can choose their answer and then the teacher can get the results.
Dragon is the last app that I think is a great educational app. I actually created this post using Dragon. You just speak into your iPhone, iPod or iPad and it types it up what you are saying. I find it useful because I have carpal tunnel syndrome and one of my wrists, so I can speak into my phone my thoughts will get typed. I just have to do a little bit of editing, and then publish it.