Tech EDGE: Mobile Learning in the Classroom Podcasts
Tech EDGE is a series of video tutorials over different apps and websites for educators to utilize in the classroom. Educators can access Tech EDGE for free by visiting their YouTube channel. Tech EDGE was created by Guy Trainin, who is a professor of education at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Trainin is dedicated to making sure that all teachers are prepared to teach in the twenty-first century. Today, most schools have some sort of technology for students and teachers to use, whether it is an iPad or laptop. Technology is a very powerful resource in the classroom, but teachers need to know how to effectively use it. Tech EDGE is a fantastic resource for educators to use to help them achieve this goal. This Youtube channel shows educators how to use various apps and websites in the classroom. If you are not a tech-savvy person, then this is definitely your go-to website because it will show you how to successfully integrate technology into your classroom. Tech EDGE features many videos that preview different apps and websites for both teachers and students to use. It not only shows you apps and websites to use for different content areas, but also different apps and websites for implementing creativity in your classroom. After viewing some of Tech EDGE's videos, I found three specific apps that stood out to me. I actually dowloaded them on my iPad to explore what they are all about! I found out that I absolutely love them and know that I will be using them in my future classroom. Tech EDGE is most definitely a YouTube channel that I would highly encourage any educator to check out, as it has hundreds of videos to help you become successful at integrating technology in your classroom! Click on the link above or the Tech EDGE icon on the upper-right to explore their YouTube Channel in depth! Take advantage of this free resource!
Properties of Matter: Pirate Adventure App
The Pirate Adventure App is the first app I downloaded and explored after visiting the Tech EDGE YouTube channel. This is a free app designed for elementary school students who are learning about the properties of matter in science class. More specifically, this app is focused on Kindergarten-2nd Grade because it follows along with their standards. Pirate Adventure was designed to help students understand the misconceptions that children have about the properties of matter. Students learn about these properties by participating in different games and activities on the app. At the beginning, students will start on island one and work their way through five islands. Each island has games and activities for the students to participate in. For example, at island 1, students pack the boat with different materials in treasure chests. Once they have enough items in the treasure chests, the green check mark will light up green. This means that students can move on to the next island. Before students move to the next island, they will be asked a certain question. An example of one of these questions is "will the bowling bowl sink or float if placed in the water?" Students choose the correct answer in order to gain points. At island 2 students balance out the boat with the materials provided by placing the items on certain sides of the boat. Next, students move to island 3. At this island, students feed the monkey by giving him the hot and cold liquids that he asks for. They may have to set it on ice or the heated stove to get the liquid to the correct temperature. Now, the students can move to island 4. At island 4, students have to understand the different densities of the objects to successfully wheel the wheelbarrow across water, land, and lava to the parrot. After this mission is finally accomplished, students can spend their coins that they earned throughout their adventure on clothes for the parrot. This is a great way to keep the students engaged in certain content that might otherwise be very tedious and boring. This could be used as a HOOK for a science lesson over the properties of matter or even as an activity to assess what your students have learned. I believe that students will really enjoy joining in on the adventures of this app. They probably won't even realize that they are gaining more knowledge in this lesson because they will be having so much fun. This is a very motivating app because you have to work your way through each island to unlock the next. The only downside to this app is once you've played it all the way through once, the activities and games never change. It also does not provide very many directions, so students may become very irritated and frustrated with this app. Overall, I think that this is an app that will be very engaging to all students, especially visual learners. I will definitely use this app in my future classroom when teaching about the properties of matter in elementary science! Download this app for free now by clicking here!
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Todo Math:
The second app that I downloaded and explored from the Tech EDGE YouTube channel is Todo Math. This is another free app that can be used to enhance your students' math skills. It is geared towards lower elementary aged students. This app is a great way to encourage students to practice their math skills every day because the math skills are presented as games. When students open this app, they can choose between a few different options; they can choose daily adventure, free choice, or mission. If the students choose daily adventure, their device shows a little map and takes them through different steps. Each of the steps works on different math skills through games. For example, the first step might have the students trace the numbers, while the second step might have students draw the number of items on the screen. They keep working through each step until the student reaches the end of the map to complete their journey. If the student chooses free choice, they can choose from different games that deal with different math skills. For example, there are games for counting and cardinality, number operations, mathematical reasoning, time and money, and geometry. This is fantastic for the teacher because if they know that a student is struggling with a certain math skill, they can have the students practice by playing certain games. The final option for students to choose is mission. Missions are very motivating for students. Students work towards "monsters" which are like badges. This apps give students very clear directions and instant feedback. A really useful feature on this app is the parent tool. The parent tool not only allows parents to view their child's progress and scores, but also allows them to set a goal for their child. This app is a tremendous tool to have in your classroom if you teach elementary math. It could be used as a bell-ringer activity, in students' free time, or in the lesson. Click here to download this app for FREE!
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Gracie & Friends Breakfast Time:
Gracie & Friends Breakfast Time is the final free app I downloaded and explored from the Tech EDGE YouTube channel. This app is designed for very young students (Kindergarten) who are just starting to learn math. This app shows students how to separate different foods into equal parts. I like that it starts out with an example describing exactly what needs to be done. It also provides a line on the food item so that the student knows where the food can be split. The directions on this app are very clear which I think is great because Kindergarteners need direct instructions to be able to accomplish a task. The first level has the student divide a waffle into two equal parts for two friends. As the students continue to play this game, more and more friends are added. For example on level eight, students are dividing food among four friends. This game also asks students to give each friend a school of yogurt with an equal share of berries in each bowl. This game also reminds students how to count because it counts as you place each plate on the shadows. I really like the terminology used in this app because it uses words that are easy to understand for Kindergarteners. It uses words such as equal, fair, same, etc. If the student divides the food incorrectly, one of the friends tells you which plate has the wrong number. If the student divides the food correctly, the student moves to the next level. This app is great for students who are visual and auditory learners. If I get the opportunity to teach Kindergarteners or even 1st graders math, I will definitely have this app downloaded to their devices. I can not think of anything that I would change about this app. My favorite part about it is that it continuously gives the students directions throughout each level. This will prevent the students from getting frusterated. I would use this app to have the students practice what they learned after my lesson. I would highly recommend downloading this app if you are teaching young students who are just beginning math. Click here to access this app for FREE!
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