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Friday, June 23, 2017

Storybird



Storybird is a unique language arts tool. They use illustrations to inspire students to write stories: picture books for K-5, longform chapter books for Grades 5-9, and poetry for everything in-between.
In a learning scenario, “starting with pictures” is powerful: it stirs the emotions while it engages the brain and jumpstarts students into their text, avoiding the blank-page syndrome. And it's effective. Schools have seen as much as 3-grade level jumps in literacy when using Storybird throughout the year.
Today, more than 5 million students and 400,000 educators use Storybird. They've published 15 million stories, and read them for several billion minutes. Storybird is free to use—and even helps schools raise funds.
This looks really great.  Try it out by going to the link below!

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Chrome QRCode Generator


Create QR Codes for any website with "QRCode" the QR Code generator extension in Google Chrome. It is FREE. There are no registration and no limitations for its use.

With the posting of a QR (Quick Response) code, you can lead students to information by just using a computer's or mobile device's camera. Following are just some suggestions for QR code use in education from Four Ways QR Codes Could Revolutionize Education by Liz Dwyer:

1. Digital portfolios for students. Imagine if all students were assigned a QR code at the beginning of the school year—or even the start of their educational career? Every year, instead of putting that student's assignments or projects into a manila file folder that gets sent home (and oftentimes chucked in the trash) the teacher could upload a few examples of papers, projects, tests and quizzes to the QR code. The code could also include links to student videos, blog posts or other multimedia projects. That QR code-portfolio could then be printed on the student's report card, so that the grade becomes about more than just one single letter.
2. Connecting with parents. Teachers could create their own individual QR code that includes links to classroom goals, behavior expectations and other pertinent information, and send the code home with students. The teacher could even include sample questions the parent might want to ask their child about the class, thus equipping the parent with the knowledge she needs to have a conversation with their child about what they're doing in school. On back-to-school night or during open house, teachers could post QR codes throughout the classroom. Once a parent scans the code, they'd be digitally whisked to explanations of the curricula being used or of student work displayed in the classroom. Sure, the teacher could accomplish all of this with print-outs, but scanning with a QR code is definitely more eco-friendly.
3. Engaging students. Many K-12 schools ban smartphones, but as their potential as a learning tool starts to be better understood, they could end up working well with QR codes. At both the K-12 and college level, the number of textbooks featuring QR codes is sure to grow. And teachers and professors could hand out an assignment or study guide with a QR code printed on it. Once students scan it, they could be taken to additional resources or activities.
4. Easing the transition to college. This year the University of Illinois jumped on the QR code bandwagon and started using them to help acclimate incoming freshman. QR codes are scattered throughout the campus, and when a student scans one, they're taken to campus maps, videos, and other resources. The codes also connected students to the school's Facebook and Twitter feeds—a smart move since connected students are less likely to drop out.
I love QR codes!!!!