Be the Master of Presentations With Pear Deck!
Be the Master of Presentations With Pear Deck!
Check out Maggie’s blog “Nearpod” here for even more presentation ideas!
Nearpod
Nearpod
Why Should I Use Nearpod?
Nearpod is a more interactive version of PowerPoint and Google Slides. It’s perfect for classroom use because there are reports available that show student activity for a particular lesson. Nearpod maybe modified to fit all teaching needs, and it is a great tool for increasing classroom engagement. All teachers should use Nearpod since it is easy to use, engages students in lessons, and can be used for any subject.
What can I do with Nearpod?
When you create your own Nearpod or use a prebuilt Nearpod, there are many features that you can add to a presentation. Polls may be inserted to test student’s comprehension. Likewise, singular questions or quizzes may also be added to assess knowledge retention. There are also less traditional was of testing if the students were paying attention such as memory tests or sharing boards. Sharing boards may also be used as a collaborative space as well as think-pair-shares.
How to Use Nearpod
You can create a Nearpod account with your own Google account. From there you can explore lessons or create your own lesson. Students join with a unique code to your presentation. Once they join, you can see a roster of students, so it is great for tracking who is participating in the activity. You can teach at your own pace or at the pace of the students. You pick!
Gold Edition Perks
Upgrade to gold edition for: “Get more storage, bigger lessons, more students and extra features. Teachers especially like adding to their lessons: Web Page, Virtual Field Trips, Video, and Fill in the blanks”
Pear Deck
How to Make your Own Nearpod
Making your own Nearpod presentation is super easy. You can take one that is already created, and edit it to fit your personal classroom needs or keep it if you like the exact presentation. If you do not find one that fits your objectives, then you can simply start from scratch and make your own. There is also an upgrade, Gold Edition, that allows for more storage, bigger lessons, more students, and extra features such as: adding web pages, virtual field trips, fill in the blanks, and videos.
Chromesquad’s Trip to TCEA
Chromesquad’s Trip to TCEA
On February 8th, four members of the Chrome Squad drove down to Austin, Texas. It was a quick trip, but the experience was unforgettable. The presentation was called 1-1 with a Chrome Squad. We talked about our teams and how they function, core values and why they are important, and the summer training given by Mr. Holt.
What is the TCEA Convention & Exposition?
TCEA Convention empowers teachers and administrators all around to change the way they teach and learn in the classroom setting. TCEA provides +1,000 informative sessions and workshops that bring new ways to engage students, charge up your curriculum, and how to increase student productivity. This convention helps educators incorporate technology in their schools, classrooms, and libraries.
Our experience at TCEA
Personally, I had a blast! At our session, I was pretty nervous, but people genuinely just wanted to know how the Chromesquad functions and how we engage with teachers and students in the Chrome Lounge. Destiny, a member of our Store team, describes TCEA as this,”I enjoyed the opportunity to speak in front of people who were engaged and interested in knowing about the Chromesquad. The Vendor Hall was interesting because of the booths all relating to educational technology. Being surrounded by so much innovative products, we felt like kids in a candy store.”
What we learned
The community of people at the convention were so incredibly nice and inspiring. They challenged us to pursue careers in technology. Nearpod was so pumped to hear about students teaching educators about their program and how our Ninja Badge Team has a badge especially for them. They even asked us to collaborate on a blog with them! We met Mobi from Brainpop and were told Toby was on vacation. Overall, the trip was great! I’m excited to see what we learn from our trip to Google to Austin next week!
Human 3.0 Review
Human Anatomy and Disease in Interactive 3D Review
Human Anatomy and Disease In Interactive 3D (or Human 3.0 for short) is powered by Biodigital. This application allows the user to observe and manipulate different models and figures to learn more about the body. This is helpful to those who learn visually. The software allows the user to toggle different body systems and parts depending on the model selected from the database/library provided.
When using this app the user interface worked well. The interface is simple and easy to understand even though there are a lot of parts to work with. One of my favorite things about the application is that when you click a body part a pop-up window appears with information about the function of that part. This app provides tons of information about the body and different diseases that happen.
Some of the negatives of the application is that sometimes the app lags and works slowly on chromebooks. For the most part, the app is free, but some features are locked and only accessible by premium membership (you must pay for this) These are the only real criticism I have for this application.
I would definitely rate this app a 4 out of 5. For the most part it has all you could ask for for an app of its kind. The app features so much and has tons of options. I would especially recommend this app to anatomy and medical terminology students who are studying the body. This application could also be good for students in Biology to give them a good idea where body parts are located.
Get the app: Human 3.0
You Know What Makes Sense? Using Common Sense!
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization that writes reviews on all types of media. From movies to videogames, Common Sense Media has a review that gives recommendations for all types of media that are specific to your student’s age. Along with an age restriction for the product, the review gives a detailed summary of the content, the plot, and key topics to talk to your kids about before using the specified media.
Their Goal
Common Sense Media’s goal is to empower Parents and Teachers to be a positive influence when it comes to growing media demographic. By providing unbiased opinions on widestream media, parents can take control and fully understand what students are taking in while they are on the internet. Common Sense Media understands that keeping up in the digital world can be difficult, and right now, a tool like this can be essential in understanding what your kids are taking in right as the new media is released.
Parent’s Concerns
The site has a section for key concerns that parents are going through. They have videos for parents of all ages, and advice for key media concerns any person could be going through.Topics such as: screen time, cyberbullying, and appropriate age limits are new gray areas that parents now have to deal with. Common Sense Media can be a huge relief to parents that have no idea where to start. Not only does the site address media, they point out other key topics parents need insight on. Drugs, body image, and life skills are also addressed in articles ready to help you, help your kids succeed.
Rating System
Common Sense Media’s Rating system is an unbiased rating of the media your child is taking in. Their guidelines help better understand what content isn’t only age-appropriate, but also developmentally appropriate for the student. Each rating is based on the fundamental development of the child’s age. How easy the game is, how violent the media is, and the learning value contribute to the rating of the media.
Teaching to Students or handling your child’s media intake can be hard, but with Common Sense Media you have an aid helping you navigate through key concerns with a breeze.
Healthy Extensions for Techies
Working on the computer all day can be very tiring; backs begin to ache from slouching, eyes burn from staring at the big bright screen, and fingers cramp up from tireless typing. Luckily there are extensions to prevent the problems that come along with using computers 24/7. Posture Minder and Save My Eyes are extensions that help your health.
Posture minder
A lot of people have the tendency to slouch when they are on the computer, and this particular extension reminds you to sit up straight to prevent back pains and strains. The reminders come as pop-ups on the screen with a tiny message that may be something like, “Sit up straight, chum.” You can set reminders on any time interval you choose, and there is also an optional alert sound. Not only does the extension remind you to sit up, there is also an option to set walking reminders that tell you to get up and walk around to save your back from painful aches.
Save my eyes
When you binge watch Netflix for hours on end, your eyes probably begin to burn. This extension is a very simple and easy solution to burning or watering eyes due to computer use. Save My Eyes reminds you to take a break when working on the computer. All you have to do is set how long you wish to work on the computer and how long the break will be. Then simply click start to begin saving your eyes. The extension will reduce eye fatigue and dryness when you have a long day at work or late night Netflix binging.
Everyone uses computers, and everyone experiences the pain that comes with them. In order to avoid the pain, download these extensions to save the health of your back and eyes. But if you ever need a break from the alerts, both extensions may be turned off.