Technology Rocks @ BCS

Online Planbook

Tired of the old paper lesson planbook that you write in from year to year. Try PlanbookEDU. It is an online lesson planbook that can be accessed from anywhere. Copy and paste to save on typing. You can use it free but are limited with the features it offers. For $25 a year, you can attach files to your plans, share your plans with colleagues and export to Word. Check it out planbookedu.com.

Flip Quiz

FlipQuiz™ was created to provide educators with a quick way to create gameshow-style boards for test reviews in the classroom. Traditionally, these are created (tediously) using posterboard, chalkboards, or dry-erase markers on an overhead slide. The review questions are usually even written on a separate sheet of paper.

With FlipQuiz™, questions are displayed on-screen and boards are saved for later use. Combined with a well-designed board, students are more likely to be interested and stay engaged with an otherwise disjunct test review process.

60-Second Civics Podcasts

60 Second Civics podcasts come to you from the Center for Civics Education. Each day a new podcast is posted about our nation's government, the Constitution, and our history. Along with the daily podcast is a one question quiz about that episode. If the podcast of the day does not correspond to your day's lesson, you also have access to over 1,500 previously recorded podcasts (just scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Show More Episodes). This would be a great starter activity to set the stage for that day's lesson!

appydazeblog

educational apps for kids and the adults in their lives

Appydazeblog features the best FREE educational apps – apps that teach, apps that make kids think, apps that tell great stories, apps that spark creativity.
There are thousands of excellent apps for kids.There are thousands of FREE apps for kids. And, there are plenty of sites that review kids’ apps. So what makes this site unique?

It’s written by a retired teacher with 30+ years of experience.
It does not include game apps – unless they are educational (word, math, geography, etc.)
It features apps that help teachers do their jobs more efficiently – apps that collect and report data.
It suggests ways to use the app in your curriculum.
It features many apps that are not “educational apps” but they have a lot of potential in an educational environment. They are apps that make kids think and create!

Twiddla

Twiddla is one of the better collaborative whiteboards I've encountered. Twiddla not only allows you and students to collaborate on a whiteboard in real time, but you can upload and work on websites, graphics, photos, or worksheets. Once you start a meeting you can invite collaborators with an email or simply handout the meeting number with a QR code. With or without an account, you can take advantage of Twiddla and collaborate with desktops, laptops, or tablets. No downloads or plug-ins are required, the site is totally web based. If you do create a free trial membership you can request a free educators account by emailing the site from your school email account.

iPad-centered Centers!

Don't have enough iPads at your school for each student? No problem! Consider creating centers with the ones you have, like Señora McAllister did at SRHS! Here is a list of the stations that the students visited throughout the class (in 10 minutes, students completed the activity and recorded answers):
1 & 2--Quizlet app for vocabulary flashcard review
3 & 4--2 different readings on teacher's wiki
5--QR codes with directions vocabulary taking students to different locations on a map secured to the bulletin board
The students were engaged the entire time!