Digital Learning Consultant
Adobe Spark has long been one of my favorite creative tools for educators to use in the classroom. It’s free, works on mobile or the web, and it has a suite of tools that can be used across multiple curricular areas. This week, Adobe unveiled Spark for Education, a service that is aimed specifically at schools and as you may imagine, it has a variety of useful advantages for teachers. Here’s what you need to know.
Apple had an education focused event today that was designed to outline their vision for how devices like the iPad can be better integrated into K-12 classrooms. The event was held at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, and saw a slew of new products and services for teachers. Here are ten of my top takeaways from their keynote presentation.
Continue reading “10 Takeaways from the Spring Apple Education Event in Chicago”
Anchor, a popular mobile podcasting platform, has been around for a couple of years now, but today’s update may be the breakthrough moment it needs to establish itself as the go-to podcasting platform for would-be podcasters who want powerful features without the complexity that usually comes with producing a professional podcast. Here’s what you need to know.
Up until today, Anchor was an app you could use on iOS or Android to record short podcasts that you upload to the web and share with others. So, what’s new in version 3? Quite a lot actually. Here are some highlights:
These features are added to existing functionality that includes the ability to record with up to 10 other people, the ability to play call-in voice messages, automatic audio to text transcription, and the option to add a variety of musical transition effects.
Anchor is an iPhone app on iOS, but it works on iPads too. It is supported on Android, and now has a web platform that works on Mac, PC and Chromebooks. Anchor is also 100% free right now. There is nothing you can pay for, even if you wanted to. This makes it an appealing option for educators, but is there a catch?
At some point, Anchor will need to start paying back its investors. My guess is that this will come in the form of ads that are placed before, during or after your podcast, with the addition of an ad-free tier that you can pay for if you want to. This is just speculation on my part, but something to think about if you are considering Anchor for podcasting with your students or colleagues.
Until then, it’s still a compelling option for teachers. Opinion Podcasts was a favorite of mine right up until they decided they could no longer afford to host your podcasts for free. But, there’s nothing to say that you can’t enjoy Anchor while you can because who knows what the future will hold.
If you’re reading this post because you are thinking of creating a podcast yourself, then I would encourage you to listen to episode 39 of The Edtech Take Out, a podcast that I co-host with Mindy Cairney. In this episode, we talk about how to plan and produce your first podcast. We don’t mention Anchor specifically, but there are lots of ideas and options here that would be transferable if you did decide to make a leap into podcasting. You can find The Edtech Take Out in the Apple Podcasts app or on Google Play Music. You can also find it in Overcast, Pocket Casts, and other good podcast players.
Apple Classroom was released in March 2016, but from things I read online, or hear when talking to other educators, I feel that it still gets mistakenly compared to Google Classroom. I can absolutely see why that happens. Both products have very similar names, and both were created to help solve technology problems in the classroom. However, the truth is, these two products could not be more different. So, in this post, I wanted to take some time to run through everything that Apple Classroom can do, and compare that to Google Classroom, in order to give you some ideas on how you can use these useful tech tools at your school.
The addition of screen recording in iOS 11 was a great feature for teachers and tech enthusiasts who wanted to show people how you can master the power of the iPad. However, it’s also a great way for students to show what they know. If your iPad is up to date, it doesn’t need any additional software, or devices, because this new recording ability is built-in to iOS 11. Screen recording on the iPad is a little different from screencasting on other devices, so in this post I am going to run through a few of my top tips for success when recording your iPad. Are you ready?
One of the features that educators have been most looking forward to in iOS 11 is screen recording. There are lots of ways to record your iPad screen, and I’ve written about some of those in the past, but native iOS screen recording is likely going to be the most convenient option for most people. However, it’s somewhat hidden in Settings, so here’s a quick guide on how to set it up and start recording your own iPad screencasts.
Apple describes iOS 11 as “a giant leap for iPhones but a monumental leap for iPads.” Whether you agree or not, there are a number of fantastic new features available for iOS devices when iOS 11 is released. What’s more, many of these additions are only available on iPads and that is great news for those using iOS devices in the classroom. In this post I wanted to run through a few of my favorite new iPad features for efficiency, power and ease of use. Here’s what you need to know. Continue reading “11 iOS 11 Features for iPad Educators”
When Apple launches iOS 11 this Fall, they are ending support for 32-bit apps. This means that there could be some apps on your iPhone or iPad that won’t work unless they are updated to run as a 64-bit application. Some of these apps will be updated by developers, others will not, but you can plan ahead by seeing which ones are compatible and which ones are not. So, here’s a quick way for you to find apps that won’t work when you decide to upgrade to iOS 11.
Apple’s coding curriculum for schools has been expanded and updated recently to include a full spectrum of offerings for students in K-12 classrooms. It even includes the ability to code smart toys like Spheros and drones. So, if you have access to Apple devices in your school, you should definitely take a look at what this program can offer teachers and students. Here’s what you can expect.
Continue reading “Everyone Can Code With Apple’s K-12 Coding Initiative”
Osmo has released a new game for its popular and award-winning iPad game system called Coding Jam. Like other Osmo games, there is a strong focus on combining learning and play to create an educational experience that is somewhat unique at home or in today’s classrooms. Here’s a rundown of what you can expect from Osmo Coding Jam.
