Starting out with Evernote

We had a great start to the year this morning in our Techie Brekkie session. We began our year with a focus on the one and only Evernote. Emily and Bec lead us through how they have used Evernote in the classroom and highlighted how great the program is terms of keeping everything in one place and staying organised within the classroom.

We learnt that Evernote is an application that can be used across multiple devices including computers, i Pads, i Phones, Andriods etc.

We also learnt about notes, notebooks and notebook stacks:
A notebook is a containter that holds notes.
A notebooks stack is a container that holds notebooks.

We covered many areas of Evernote beginning with how to use Evernote as an assessment tool. Attendees had the oportunity to set up a Notebook for each of their students which then became a part of their notebook stack. Within this notebook, teachers can take anecdotal notes, record students reading, take photos of students work and much more. Bec showed an example of how she had taken a photo of a students writing and annotated this in Evernote.

As well as anecdotal notes, Emily and Bec shared with us how to create checklists and calendars in Evernote to monitor student conferencing. A very valuable tool!

If you have any further questions add them to the comment section of this post and someone will try to answer these for you. Alternatively, you can visit Bec's blog Miss Spink on Tech and there are blog posts/guides and tutorials that may help. There is also a great presentation below to help if required.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next week,

Lauren

Twitter for Teachers

Ways to use Twitter with students:

• Sharing class updates
• Sharing blog posts
• Tweeting reflections on learning activities
• Sharing what they have learnt
• Asking questions
• Gathering information and data
• Create global connections with other classes and teachers

Some classes who Tweet:

• @tmattearoom2
• @neh5th
• @Grade45T
• @slblackburnsth
• @mrmitchellsu
• @mrstgskiddos

Some worthwhile teachers to follow (Just a few, too many to include all). Join the conversation! 

 Check out Edudemics 60 best teachers on Twitter.

• @richielambert
• @adelebrice
• @kathleen_morris
• @missT1point0
• @judithway
• @gcouros

Educational hashtags to follow:

• Victorian Professional Learning Network- #VicPLN
• #comments4kids
• #edchat
• #edtech
• #education
• #CBLearn

So many more here- The Unofficial Index to Educational Twitter Hashtags

Running Records and the iPad

In September and October last year I wrote a few posts about assessing student reading on the iPad by taking running records using the GoodReader app and then saving the assessments in Evernote to have everything in the one spot. This process has worked well for me for more than a year but recently I was reminded of a Record of Reading app (thanks to@richielambert) which I had previously dismissed due to not being able to export the completed record to Evernote. Rich suggested taking a screen shot and saving it to Evernote that way, which would work and is a great suggestion but I found it to be a little clunky and fiddly when in the classroom and on the go. After playing around with the app a little more, I found that you are able to email a completed record as either a .jpeg or .pdf file. By doing this I was able to email it directly to my Evernote account in less clicks (or taps) than taking a screen shot, just a little more efficient.

The Record of Reading app is a nifty idea and unlike annotating a .pdf using GoodReader, it allows the teacher to complete a miscue analysis by simply tapping instead of spending time writing more. I would still suggest using a stylus rather than your finger to complete the annotations.

Another good feature of the app is being able to add all the data- words read, errors and self corrections and then it automatically calculates the accuracy rate. Very handy in a busy classroom!

Ok, after the pros, there must come some cons…I still prefer to record the audio of my students reading in Evernote, that way I can access all of my data the one place and the emailing part is a little annoying but no more annoying than what it was saving an annotated .pdf from GoodReader. Another inconvenience is that the app still has a few glitches and tends to crash! Hoping this will be fixed soon! 

Thank you to Janine for taking the following notes from the session.

Record of Reading-(Free App)- Notes

• You can type straight into the document (by clicking next to the relevant headings) and then using the keypad/stylus pen to type in the; student name, book title, running words etc.
• The date is automatically put into the template for you.
• When completing the running record, use the stylus pen to draw/write in the relevant symbols and words.
• If students make an error, tap the ‘error column’ and numbers will appear (each time you touch it, it will add another error to the total amount of errors). As you tap the error column, you will notice the MSV prompts appear in the next column. Select the relevant ‘Meaning’, ‘Structure’ and/or ‘Visual’ option to add this information in.
• If a child makes a ‘self-correction’ within the running record you must also tap the SC column and similarly to the ‘error’ process/function, a self-correction will appear.
• To access a ‘new page’, click on the top right hand corner. To go back- click on record of reading.
• All of the calculations are completed for you (by the app).
• Once you have finished your running record you can email it to yourself. Send it to your Evernote email account and it will appear in default notebook and you will then need to move it into the student’s notebooks.
• GoodReader to be used for PM benchmarking books (if you want the text to be up on the screen- as ‘Record of Reading App’ cannot have words added to it). See instructions here.

Xtranormal

Xtranormal.com is a free text to movie maker. The tool allows users to create movies easily and efficiently. You choose a scene and characters and add text, emotions and movements by simply clicking on the options. 

I have used this tool to motivate my class to manage their own learning. There are many different ways you can incorporate xtranormal.com in the classroom. These can include:

- Publishing student writing- explanations, recounts, book reviews.

- Demonstrating how characters solve problems. 

- Debating

- Persuasive writing

- Advertising class events

Here is an example-

To get started-

- Go to www.xtranormal.com

- Click on create account

- Click on create

- Choose your scene and character from the options.

- Decide on the number of actors to be used

- Follow the prompts  to choose your set, actors, sounds and begin writing your story. 

 

- You can choose to save your movie and continue working on it at a later date or have the option to listen, preview and publish your story online. 

- Once your story is finished your can embed on your blog or website. 

It's a Bird Thing- Publishing Tools

Two tools to use with students to publish their writing.

The first tool is Little Bird Tales.

Little Bird Tales is a creative story building tool that allows users to make photo stories of their writing. Students are able to upload photos, pictures and illustrations they have created, record their voice and add text to produce a creative story presentation.

The students in my class are currently working on a class collection of limericks to create into a ‘little bird tale’. The possibilites for using this tool in the classroom are endless. Teachers are able to create class accounts and set assignments.

Here is an example of a little bird tale that was shared in the public library.

• Click to view my tale.
• 

The second tool I shared is called Storybird.

Storybird is a tool that allows users to create short, ‘art-inspired’ stories. They browse art work and and use the art work as a springboard for their writing.

Like Little Bird Tales, teachers are able to create student accounts and set assignments. Storybird is suitable for primary and secondary students. It allows students to practise their writing skills in authentic way. Storybird also allows students to work on the same story together, taking turns writing. This process allows students to further develop their collaboration and creativity skills!

Here is an example of a Storybird-
An Inchworm’s Journey on Storybird

How have you used these tools in the classroom?

What other possibilities can you see for the use of these tools in the classroom?

What other tools do you use for student writing in the classroom?