Screencastify

Easy screen-recording tool facilitates outside-the-box teaching 

Pros: This simple browser extension is easy to use and very versatile.
Cons: Only works with Chrome browser and devices.
Bottom Line:If you're able to access a Chrome product, Screencastify lets teachers and kids communicate in new and creative ways.

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.  

By Common Sense Education

The Encyclopaedia Britannica Group today announced Britannica Insights, a free Chrome browser extension.

Britannica Insights works with major search engines – Google, Bing, Yahoo, and others – on the Chrome browser and is available for download at http://britannica.com/insights. Watch the video here.

[Annotate, Bookmark, Cite & Highlight With One Tool]

Another recently launched initiative, Demystified, provides engaging and revealing answers to commonly asked questions such as: What’s the difference between veins and arteries? Does listening to Mozart in the womb really make babies smarter? Britannica also makes it easier for young learners and non-native English speakers to look up word definitions without leaving the page by linking hard words to definitions from Merriam-Webster, a sister company.

While Internet Explorer has joined the "product graveyard," Microsoft Edge has entered the scene as more than the standard web browser. Innovative Educators will appreciate the learning tools and extensions proven to improve reading comprehension, strengthen writing, level the playing field for struggling learners and help teachers personalize learning in less time.Learning Tools are built into the Windows 10 Edge browser. They allow your device to read aloud text using a voice of your choosing. The tools also allow for content to be accessed via "Reading View" which increases text readability by removing distracting content, adjusting font and line spacing, as well as identify syllables and parts of speech.

Here is an overview of some of the features and benefits.

In the next several screenshots, I will share various ways students and teachers can use Edge to enrich teaching, learning, and make content more accessible.

Grammarly Extension

When you add an extension like Grammarly you have a tool that will check spelling and grammar. It will also define and give synonyms for any word. Just double click.

Read Aloud

Right click on any word to begin read aloud.

Customize Voice & Speed

Next you can adjust the speed and add voices.

This is the screen where you add voices. I selected Catherine from Australia.

Track Reading with Highlighted Text

It's important to notice when the screen is reading to you, the line it is reading is highlighted and the word it is reading is emphasized.

Translation

If you have students for whom English is not their first language, you can use the translation feature to read the text aloud.

We all know that machine translation is not perfect, and that's okay. It still helps make language much more accessible than without it. Do a lesson on this with students to help them do as good of a job as possible to make meaning of what they're reading.

High & Low Tech Techniques to Organize Lessons & Track Standards

Read with fewer distractions

Here is another view. Notice also that as it reads in this view, the spoken word is highlighted.

Focus Assist

You can help students limit distracting notifications by selecting "Focus Assist" in the action center.

View Syllables & Parts of Speech

Using the "Grammar Tools" accessible from the "Reading View" you can choose to have syllables and parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives) displayed.

Annotate a Webpage

Teachers will enjoy being able to be untethered from the board in the front of the room with the ability to annotate a web page right from Edge using the pen shaped "Write Notes" tool. The tool allows you to highlight, draw, add comments, and then save or share the screen with others. To unteather use Skype to share your screen (or that of a student or expert) with the projecting device.

Student Anecdotes

This video highlights some student feedback on using learning tools.

Lisa Nielsen writes for and speaks to audiences across the globe about learning innovatively and is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Passion (not data) Driven Learning,” "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning, and using the power of social media to provide a voice to educators and students. Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities to support learning in real and innovative ways that will prepare students for success. In addition to her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator, Ms. Nielsen’s writing is featured in places such as Huffington Post, Tech & Learning, ISTE Connects, ASCD Wholechild, MindShift, Leading & Learning, The Unplugged Mom, and is the author the book Teaching Generation Text.

Weava

Chrome extension helps organize web-based research

Pros: All-in-one tool for highlighting, annotating, organizing, citing, and exporting website and PDFs research.

Cons: Highlighting colors are easily mixed up. No built-in plagiarism info.

Bottom Line: For Chrome users and mostly digital classrooms, this is a fairly intuitive tool that'll help students wrangle their research.

Read more.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

Students need to have opportunities to apply what they’ve learned and connect it to the real world. Providing students with ways to demonstrate their understanding and create content is even easier with technology tools. Students who have access to a computer with a web browser – including Chromebooks – will be able to create with the tools on this list.

• Thinglink lets students upload an image and add tags on top of the picture. These tags could include text like a sentence or keyword, links to audio recordings or other content on the web, YouTube clips or images. This is perfect for layering information on top of a picture, such as a life cycle diagram or map of a location.
• Adobe Spark Page is a tool for students to create a publish pages for the web. They can add text, images, links and video and customize the format. This is perfect for publishing reports, step by step guides or newsletters.
• Google Slides is a web browser friendly tool for creating presentations. Kids can collaborate using this tool, making it perfect for group projects.
• Canvais a poster making tool that is easy to use and full of design resources. Kids can make infographics, posters, and triggers for augmented reality experiences.
• StoryBoard That provides a space for students to create their own comics. They can choose from different layouts and add characters, props, and talk bubbles.
• Glogster lets students create interactive media presentations. This tools is perfect for connecting with real world audiences and showcasing student work.
• Buncee is a student-friendly creation tool. Students can combine text, images and animation to make a final product that is engaging for their audience and totally shareable.
• Popplet is an online mind mapping tool. Kids can create graphic organizers that represent their thinking on a topic. It lets users incorporate images, text, videos and sketches.
• Explain Everything can be accessed in the Chrome Web Store and is an amazing screencasting tool. Students can record their screen, voice and movements to create tutorials and videos.
• Adobe Spark Video is a terrific creation tool for Chromebook users. On this website kids can make their own video clips by combining text, icons and images with music and animation. It’s totally free and one of my favorites!

My new book Deeper Learning with QR Codes and Augmented Reality: A Scannable Solution for Your Classroom talks about all the ways you can use #ScannableTech to share digital student creations.

Are you looking to integrate creation tools into your student’s learning experiences? Click here for more information on school visits and virtual consulting.

cross posted at classtechtips.com

Monica Burns is a fifth grade teacher in a 1:1 iPad classroom. Visit her website at classtechtips.com for creative education technology tips and technology lesson plans aligned to the Common Core Standards.