10 Favorite Apps for the Busy Educator

On the go? Have a lot on your plate but still want to post on your blog, pin, make a few products, or learn about the latest and greatest technology tool? Then this post might be just what you have been looking for to help you multi-task when you are super busy like me! I have three kids and they keep me "on the go" with all of their activities especially my youngest daughter. Since I have been away from home so much at night with all of my kids' activities I have been spending a lot of my time learning a little more about social media and productivity apps to help me stay connected. So here are the top 10 apps that I love to use when I am away from home!

1. Twitter @TechwithJen

If you haven't jumped on the Twitter bandwagon then stop what you are doing and create an account NOW! This is a one stop shop for all your professional development needs as long as you are following people that inspire and make you think! I don't know that I can really give you tips and tricks on HOW to use it because I am relatively new, but I can tell you that there are a lot of great minds that provide so many wonderful resources on a day-to-day basis! I have learned a lot in such a short time!

2. HootSuite
Now if you are doing Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms then it is really hard to keep up posting to all of these different sites. So I thought there had to be a better way to post all at once! And of course, there is! Actually, there are several ways but this is the one that I use. It is called HootSuite! HootSuite lets you post and view all of your media in one place! Makes it so much easier! If you haven't tried it then I highly recommend you check it out!

3. Pinterest
Of course, I have been pinning for a little while but not really pinning products, blog posts etc. The biggest thing that I have learned over the last couple of months is to be sure to use proper etiquette when pinning! I have to admit when I first started pinning my products I had no idea that I was not "following the rules" but the more I read I realized that I shouldn't only pin my products or pin them all at once to different boards. I was being rather obnoxious I am sure and quickly decided to change my ways. Also, I learned I should always try to delete when I repin something! Of course, some boards have thousands of pins so I just make sure I give it sufficient time before I repin something.

So I decided to go back to my old ways and just pin things I like for my boards and every once in awhile I'll pin my products. I also found that I could "tweet" pins as well. Here's how:
Click on the picture you would like to pin. You will see a share button. Click on it and then share to Twitter, Facebook, email, or embed. It is that simple!

Another cool feature is to pin directly from your phone or iPad. Here is a great video to show you how to add this feature.

4 & 5. Dropbox and Pages
I have been using Dropbox for years! Not only does it keep me from having to email files to myself and save files on a flash drive but it also allows me to pull things into documents that I want to work on using the Pages app. So I save everything I create and/or purchase to Dropbox. For example, I purchased these great borders on TpT. The file is in my Dropbox, if I want to work on a document I can just download the border to my camera role and then pull it into the Pages app. It looks something like this:

You will notice that I just added the border from my camera roll into the Pages app and then added a text box to create my document. I can also add my clip art etc. to the document for the finishing touches. Pages allows you to export as a pdf, Word document, and/or Pages document. It is that simple!

6. Evernote
This is a great way to organize yourself. Since this is web-based you can find everything that you create on ANY device! You can download Evernote on your phone, Nook, iPad, MacBook, in Google Chrome, go to the website! As long as you have internet access you can get to your documents. Create folders, share folders, add audio, video, pictures, text, etc. It is a great way to keep track of projects, students, and/or teachers you are working with in your classroom. I am really considering using Evernote to create digital portfolios.

7. Posts
Now I just found this app. This app let's me post to my blog directly from my iPad. I have played around with the Blogger app and Blogsy but this app looks like it might become my favorite! I really need a way to blog when I am on the go. I would love to be able to post to my blog pictures and video without having to go back and forth from my iPad to my computer. This app takes care of that for me. I can also work offline which is great for when I am sitting in between games at a baseball doubleheader or a tournament. I also like that Posts allow me to add html when needed which is a nice feature.

8. Instagram
I have noticed that many teachers have gotten on the Instagram bandwagon and so I thought I would give it a shot! I have my own personal Instagram but really didn't use it much! However, I am going to try really hard to post pictures of some of the projects, conferences, and other "nerdy" activities I am planning for the summer! Here is a picture of my home page:

Someone asked me why I created an Instagram account and the main reason was that I think pictures are worth a thousand words. Maybe some of the pictures I post can spark conversations and get a glimpse into me as a person! 

9 & 10. Google Drive & CalenMob - I have to always add something Google! I love most everything that I have learned about Google products and Google Drive is no exception. While it is not my favorite on the list, it is helpful to have access to all of the documents that I have in my Drive when I need them. I wish I had the option of creating forms on my iPad but maybe one day! A girl can dream. I use this calendar because it seems to work better. I can actually see my schedule for the day! 

So there you have it my 10 favorite apps for the busy teacher! What are your favorite apps? How do you use them when you are on the go?

A Technology Blog Hop

Spring into Technology with Classroom Freebies!

Several phenomenal teachers, Technology Tailgate Coaches and bloggers are joining forces for an amazing classroom technology blog hop!  As you hop from blog to blog, you will visit some of your favorite blogs and discover a few new blogs too!  Each with a fabulous freebie just for you!

Thank you for hopping over!

So excited to be a part of this wonderful blog hop! Leah @ Learn with Leah has done an amazing job of organizing everything!

I decided to share with everyone my newest project. I have been so intrigued with QR codes and how to use them in the classroom. I decided to create video tutorials to teach others how to make these wonderful resources for students. In this freebie, you will find links to several videos I created to teach how to create a variety of QR codes as well as options for using them in the classroom for research. Would love to know how you use QR codes in the classroom! Hope you enjoy the freebie!

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting!  If you are new to my blog and liked what you see, don't forget to follow me!  The next stop on the path is  

Kay at A Little Tech

In case you didn't start from the beginning, here is an ordered list of all participating blogs!

The Technology Tailgate

Kate from EduKate and Inspire

Kristin from iTeach 1:1

Heidi from Rakis Rad Resources

Leah from Learn With Leah

Amanda and Aylin from Learning to the Core

Nikki from An Uncommon to the Core Teacher

Karla at The Connected Teacher

Shana at Enchanted with Technology

Kristen at Teacher Playground

Jen at Tech with Jen

Kay at A Little Tech

Melanie at I Luv Twek

Carrie and Caitlin at Table Talk with C & C

Lauren at iWonder

Jan at The Science Vault

A special thank you to Jen at Tech with Jen for designing the blog hop button!

Interested in joining our next blog hop?  Join here! 

New Apple Widget Builders

Thanks to Ashleigh Davis for Tweeting about this great widget builder that Apple has created! There are several widgets to choose from such as sharing your own app lists, Mac apps, and iBook lists. I created two app lists of my favorite free apps and my favorite purchased apps. What would you add to my list?

iOS 6 Features to Assist in Teaching Struggling Readers

Did you know that the new iOS6 update has a new feature in the settings to allow Siri to read to the students? You can change the speaking rate as well as turn on the highlight words function. Once this feature has been changed in the settings; students can highlight the words they want to be read and press speak. The voice is not that great as it relates to fluency but it sure can help those students who are needing to read more complex texts and are struggling.

Another option for struggling students is the Reader feature. If you have an iPad, you have probably noticed where it says Reader in the URL. If you click on it, the clutter of the web changes to a regular passage that students can read more easily. Of course, you guessed it...you can do the speak selection with this as well. If you want to know more about how this works, click on the link below to download the "how-to" guide.

Let me know what you think about this new feature, if you have used it before, and how you did or might use it in your classroom! I'd love to hear from you!

Retelling Apps

I really love to allow students to retell their stories using a variety of apps. Some of my favorite apps to use are Educreations, Puppet Pals, and Toontastic. However, I really want to make sure that students are adding the right vocabulary when they are retelling. This is why when I found the idea of the retelling rope at Chalk Talk I had to create one for my students. This visual would be a great way to move students higher in Blooms because as they are retelling they must evaluate how well they retold the story. If you are not sure how to get the characters and rope on the Educreations app so students can retell click here. This is an example for math but it still is the same process. I can't wait to post videos of students retelling stories using this method. If you want to know more about how to create a Puppet Pal presentation you can find it by clicking on the Puppet Pal picture below:

If you use Toontastic or Puppet Pals with little ones be sure to make it simple. I would suggest only allowing students to do one or two scenes. With Toontastic, it teaches students about the Story Arc and haves several scenes but they can be deleted.

Dropbox

There are several ways to solve workflow issues as it relates to the iPad and student work but for now my favorite way is using Dropbox. Basically, what I would do is download Dropbox and create an account for my classroom. If you already have a Dropbox account for yourself, then I would suggest you still create one for your classroom. You do not want students to have access to your files nor do you want students to have a cluttered workspace. I have created a video to show you how you can add handouts that you have created and add them to your dropbox folder. For this particular example, the handout had already been exported as an image file in Keynote. However, you can also use PowerPoint, SMART, and I'm sure other types of software.

Little Bird Tales

I love the Web 2.0 Tool Little Bird Tales. It is a great tool for students to create their own books. I have created some "how-to" videos to teach how to use this tool. I will be downloading them throughout the week. It just takes a little while. Hope these videos will help you in understanding how to use this great tool!