Scoop it

In last month's post on ipads for learning  you might have noticed that other educators had used Scoop.it to collect articles about ipad usage in schools.Scoop.it has become a popular  social networking platform that allows you to curate and dissemminate information.It is basically a website that allows you to collect relevant or interesting articles from the web  based around your topic of choice.It differs from other social bookmarking sites in that rather than you trawling the web looking for resources it  trawls the web searching for content which it then suggests to you.Other Scoop.it users who are following your topic can also suggest new resources to you.A quick way to build up you resources.It would be great for research work and an excellent tool to develop students 'critical thinking skills as they would still have to decide which articles are worth collecting.
Its layout is "magazine" style and so is visually far more appealing than the Delicious and Diigo curating tools.I like the way you can click on the articles and go straight to the article itself, and have websites suggested.  You can even follow other peoples' Scoop.it.
You can subscribe to Scoop.it for free if you limit your topics to five.However, the ISC will subscribe to an education account which is US6.99 per month, allowing us to  have 20 topics.This will be a great way to provide access to resources for our students and share professional learning resources with teachers.

Watch the You tube video below for a quick introduction or for more detail  click on the link below.
Scoop it training video

Scootle Keeps Improving

There is now a formative assessment tool   called Improve on Scootle.I haven't heard of anyone using it as yet but  it sounds  very useful and well worth exploring. You can create customised tests and quizzes for students as well as access a number of English and maths tests and quizzes (NAPLAN) that already exist.
Students are able to join classes via an Improve Teacher Pin code. After they complete a test or quiz Improve provides them with results and access to other activities to help them to further improve their learning.

 To access from Scootle, just click on the "Use Improve" button on the top right hand corner.
For further details  and teacher support click on this link

TED -ED - Lessons worth Sharing

Last month TED(Technology,Entertainment,Design), the nonprofit organisation devoted to "Ideas worth Spreading" launched its TED-ed "Lessons worth Sharing" Youtube channel that contains short,animated videos for teachers and students.TED -Ed's mission is to
 "capture and amplify the voices of great educators around the world"
Each video comes accompanied with supplementary materials that include quiz questions,open answer questions and links to more information on the topic.
TED -Ed launched another exciting initiative this week that allows teachers to create customised or "flipped" lessons based on any TED -ED video or any video on Youtube for that matter.The creator of these lessons can then distribute them to their classes or offer them up for wider distribution so that others can make use of them.Not unlike how Scootle allows you to customise lessons and share them.TED's curator, Chris Anderson, states that it is not their intention to build an exhaustive video database like the Khan Academy but to harness the talent of the best teachers around the globe by giving them tools that spark and faciltate learning.
For further information  click here
To view the  video and lessons below,click on this link 

For videos about the future of education click on 8 Great TED Talks about the future of Education

eSchool News

For some time now I have been subscribing to eShoolNews.It's a free weekly newsletter that helps to keep you up todate with technology in the classroom and how it is transforming education. If you would like to subscribe to this free publication,just click on this sign up link.

Evaluating Apps for ipads

Already there are  over 30,000 educational apps available to teachers and so we need all the help that we can get when it comes to sorting the treasure from the trash.Kathy Schrock has made available an evaluation rubric which will assist you in selecting apps appropriate for learning.

My last blog also contained  many helpful resources  that suggested apps for learning. eSchoolNews also has recommended their 10 best apps for learning which are worth looking at.

iPads for learning

With some of our teachers shortly to receive an ipad as a teaching tool, its probably time to look at some worthwhile websites and educational apps for ipads.Check out the recommended sites below:
 An introduction to ipads is a good place to start.
Kel Hathaway's wiki  is useful as is her Scoop it collection.
Robin Seller's Scoop it also has some great links.
All about ipads is a very comprehensive site.
10 ipad tips for teachers  gives some helpful advice.
Joyce Valenza  has collated an incredible list of apps for storytelling

You will also be interested in The iPads for Learning website that features details of the Victorian ipad trial.

Finally, iTunes U is an excellent site as it gives you access to over 500,000 free lectures,videos,books and othe resources.Gift Cards on Sale also helps you to keep track of discounted itunes cards.

Qwiki

I have just discovered Qwiki although its been around for over 12 months.Its a website and ipad app that provides an interactive wiki experience.There are over 3 million topics that run for about 2 minutes each, all with pictures, text and infographics.
Qwiki was recently recognised by Apple as the 2011 iPad App of the Year in the "Search and Reference" category.
Its easy to use.You just enter a topic in its search bar and it finds the most relevant page where you can listen to the text-to -speech generated audio and picture slides.

If you are looking for an interactive medium for your students I suggest you have a play with this useful tool.
For more info watch the video below:


Qwiki Alumni Update at TechCrunch Disrupt SF, 2011 from Qwiki on Vimeo.