MACUL 2020: 25 Insanely Great Ways to Use Keynote

Watch this session virtually via Zoom. 

Whether on a Mac or on an iOS device, no app is more versatile than Keynote. This fast-paced session will detail 25 innovative ways Keynote can impact learning, ramp up student engagement, and add production value to anything you or your kids create. Whether it's creating professional-looking images, creating animated GIFs, high-end videos and a bunch of cool other stuff you'll never see Keynote as just Apple's version of PowerPoint ever again.

MACUL Conference session: Thursday, March 12, 2020, 1:00 PM - Vandenberg B
Follow-up time in up Amway lobby immediately following the session. 

MACUL 2020 Keynote Deck - iCloud

PDF version of session slides

#AppleTeacher iBooks Collection - Teaching with Mac OS Sierra

Whether you've set it as a professional goal to earn Apple Teacher certification or just want to sharpen your abilities to teach with a Mac, this iBooks collection from Apple Education has everything you need to up your
game. All books are free and feature realistic teaching scenarios. The Teaching with iPad collection is also available in iTunesU and the iBooks store.

Mac OS Starter Guide	iBook
Enhancing Productivity with Mac	iBook
Fostering Creativity with Mac	iBook
Pages for Mac	iBook
Keynote for Mac	iBook
Numbers for Mac	iBook
iMovie for Mac	iBook
GarageBand for Mac	iBook

Hamilton Codes with Swift Playgrounds

Fourth Graders are the perfect age for learning to code. Apple's Swift Playgrounds combines fun challenges that build upon each other to increase student skills. It's fun and engaging and builds many other thinking skills.

Apple also provides great teaching materials in its Swift iTunes U courses.

Opportunities Abound in Relationships with Educational Vendors | MACUL Community

One late summer evening I was enjoying the company of several other educators who were all presenters at the next day’s large edtech conference. Somehow a little friendly razzing found its way in my direction. The other teachers in the group were giving me a hard time about all of the “corporate” ties I have.

Check out the whole article at the new MACUL Community: Opportunities Abound in Relationships with Educational Vendors | MACUL Community

Use Swift Playgrounds Resources with any Coding Program

Apple's  Swift Playgrounds app and their "Everyone Can Code" initiative is a great program for learning the coding language that powers iOS apps. Not only is there a puzzle-based app an immersive learning experience, there are numerous teacher resources in both iBooks and iTunes U. For iBooks there are three teacher guides: Level 1 and 2, Level 3, and App Development.

Now, the Swift Playgrounds program might not be a fit for every classroom because it has to be done on an iPad running iOS 10 and be one of the following generations:  iPad Air, iPad mini 2 or newer, or any size iPad Pro. I work out of four elementary schools and only one has iPads that can run the app.

Even though I use other others like studio.code.org and Google CS-First in my other buildings, there are still a lot of great resources that Apple offers that I use as demonstration even when our activities are Scratch-based. Fellow Apple Distinguished Educator Gabriella Meyers hosts a number of videos within the iTunes U course that explain concepts like algorithms and functions but don't reference Swift specifically. I have found them to be great, concise explanations my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders really understand. Sometime you just need someone else to explain it.

So, it doesn't matter what coding instructions you are using. Take a look inside of what Apple offers for Swift Playgrounds. You might find a lot that is useful.

[caption id="attachment_1428" align="aligncenter" width="452"] Apple Distinguished Educator Gabriella Meyers explains functions in an iTunes U course.[/caption]

Find Great Apple Teacher Resources In iBooks Store

Whether you are pursuing the various badges that Apple now offers as part of its Apple Teacher program or just looking to sharpen your Mac and iPad skills, the iBooks store is full of great resources. Two series of multi-touch iBooks are available for using iPads and Macs in the classroom. Here are some of the titles available.

Each iBook contain video tutorials that allows the user to actually see the skill being performed in detail. Below is a page from the iMovie for Mac guide.

Additionally, Apple Teacher just began offering a path for earning badges for its new coding tutorial app Swift Playgrounds.

Below is a direct link to  the iBooks resources. For more information about the program, click here.


 

Epic, Brain Pop, and Seesaw Lead the Educational Migration to Apple TV OS

Just a couple of weeks ago it was hard for me to justify paying nearly double for the newest generation of Apple TV for classrooms compared to the previous generation. In my living room tons of great entertainment apps make the difference well worth the money. In the classroom there have not been many reasons to not just buy the cheaper model since Airplay is really  the feature most want.

My thinking is starting to change now that educational entities are starting to code for the TVOS platform. There is still a lot of space for growth but three key players are charting a course through these open waters.



Epic - Think "Netflix meets Childrens Lit." This great site is full of the latest children's fiction and non-fiction and is 100% free for elementary teachers and librarians. These aren't poorly made ebooks; they are digital versions of some of the most-loved and newest books on the market. With the AppleTV app teachers can display the book on the big screen and read it aloud to the class. No more sore arms and no more hearing, "I can't see," as you try to read a picture book aloud to the class. Several books even have a "read to me" feature.

BrainPop Jr. - Movie of the Week - BrainPop has been producing great non-fiction animated shorts for years and now has brought its K-3 focused "Brain Pop Jr. Movie of the Week" to TVOS. Check out a different one each week with included educational activities. BrainPop Jr. subscribers can also login and access even more content.

Seesaw - This digital portfolio suite is taking classrooms by storm and now it comes to the Apple TV.  Teachers can log in to their classroom accounts and share on a big screen examples of student work or create slide shows and galleries. Think of how cool that would be to have playing during conferences or parents' night. Parents can log in to the app at home and then be connected with their child's individual portfolio. Now there is a great way for kids to show off some accomplishments the next time grandparents come to visit.

There are other non-education-specific apps too that could lend themselves to the educational setting. Word Girl and Super Why are great programs available through the PBS Kids app and a number of virtual planetariums are now available on TVOS.

Let's hope that more educational entities continue to write for Apple's newest platform, further bolstering an argument for choosing the newest generation of Apple TV over the previous generation.

 

 

Think Different Tim Cook: 10 Reasons Chromebooks Are Winning...And It Has Nothing To Do With Testing

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="990"] Apple CEO Tim Cook calls Chrome devices "test machines" - Buzzfeed Photo[/caption]

On Wednesday in a Buzzfeed interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook called Chromebooks "test machines" and cited Google's take over of the education market as primarily a result of schools just buying hardware for standardized assessments.

There is no denying that recent mass purchases from school districts have been in response to needing more equipment for tests that have moved from paper to web browser. What is in question is why schools are choosing Chromebooks over Macs and iPads. Cook sells educational leaders and teachers short when he implies that testing is all that went into the decision making and all that is being done with the products once they reach schools.

Now, don't write me off as a hater. Heck, one of the proudest recognitions I have received is that of being named an Apple Distinguished Educator. I am a huge Apple advocate and I truly believe that Cupertino builds the most durable and best designed products in the tech world. For a long long time Apple won the classroom because its stuff "just worked" and it still does. The six-year-old  Macbooks I teach with just hum along. The three-year-old cart of HPs...don't.  The iPad has opened worlds previously un-explorable to people with disabilities. Apple has done great things in the classroom and I still believe schools need a number of Macs or iPads around for tasks Chrome devices can't. I am just not convinced anymore that Apple products are the only solution.

Here Mr. Cook are 10 reasons why educators are choosing Chrome devices over Apple products...and they don't have anything to do with testing.

1. The Reality of Classroom Technology Integration - “We create products that are whole solutions for people — that allow kids to learn how to create and engage on a different level,” Cook stated in the and he's correct. iMovie, Keynote, Pages, Final Cut Pro, Motion, and other high level apps are the staples when it comes to kids creating high level content. The only problem for Apple is that the vast majority of students and teachers don't learn and teach constantly at this level. As great as all of these Apple tools are, right or wrong, they have taken a support role to the tools students and teachers use most.The SAMR framework discusses how teachers use tech at varied levels between basic "substitution" and creating previously inconceivable activities in a level defined as "redefinition". The Apple stuff excels in the hands of teachers who have mastered ways of getting to redefinition but the vast majority of educators are somewhere in the middle and most of the learning tasks they ask students to do with technology doesn't require the high end apps.


2. Price - Chrome devices continue to drop in price to the point where schools can buy five Chromebooks with touchscreens for the price of one Macbook. It's hard to justify the extra cost if the job can be done with a solid device at a fraction of the money. I just bought a fully functioning Chrome computer in the $85 Chromebit. $85! Yes it requires me to connect it to an HDMI display and I have to supply the keyboard and mouse but that price point alone makes it wildly affordable for a number of functions around a school.


3. They Just Work - It is still the number one reason I always choose Apple stuff over Windows stuff and I was very suspect of the Chrome products when they first hit the market. Aside from getting used to the layout of where everything is on these devices my experience has been that the simplicity of the Chrome "just works" as well. With less operating system there are less hassles.


4. Ease of Management - Managing a cart of iPads is incredibly time consuming and not something most classroom teachers are entrusted to do. Apple has put out a series of management solutions but none have been the silver bullet that actually make life easier for teachers. With Chrome there is virtually no management because when a kid logs in with their Google Apps for Education account, all of their stuff is available.


5. Google Apps - No, the free suite won't let you make your documents as cute as Word or Pages will, but with a little skill you and your kids can get darn close. Cute isn't deal closer on GAFE though. Storage is unlimited for schools and with a little foresight educators can help kids set up portfolios that will follow them all of the way through high school. No one will ever lose their work due to a dead laptop battery because Google saves every few seconds. Plus, it's just automatically already set up with every Google account. Yes, Apple offers a version of its iWork suite online for free and it can do a lot but space is limited and the sharing options aren't close to what GAFE does. What is really cool though is that if you want to use the online versions of iLife you can do it on a Chromebook.


6. Collaboration - The whole game changed way back in the day when Google bought Writely from an upstart called Upstartle. Simply being able to edit something simultaneously ten years ago was groundbreaking. Google has used the last decade to further enhance the collaborative capabilities. Apple is bringing that to iLife but are essentially playing catch up. The collaboration built into a Google Apps/Chrome environment helps teachers better communicate with students and provide useful feedback. The same is true with students communicating and collaborating better with each other.


7. Google Classroom - From its introduction teachers have been flocking to the free learning management system. As it evolves and becomes more stable it is becoming the go-to, even by die hard Edmodo and Schoology users. What is the big deal? See all six of the previous reasons. Seriously, you can apply all of them. As a classroom teacher, paper was my Achilles heel. In Classroom it's all digital and the interface shows who has completed work and who hasn't. Once it's turned in, it's locked until the teacher grades and returns it. Apple offers iTunes U which is a beautiful way to present content and develop courses that don't rely on Internet connectivity but they only run on an Apple device. Classroom works everywhere.


8. Access Everywhere - Speaking working everywhere, students and teachers can access the work they started on the Chrome device at school anywhere they can find a web browser with an Internet connection. It is something kids have come to take completely for granted. Ubiquitous access is their normal. A perfect example was when we were making book report trailers on iMovie and my students all wanted to know how they could find their work when they got home so they could continue working. They were put off when I told them it was only available on the one device they'd been using.


9. Open To Innovation - Google Apps has evolved at light speed because of the way individuals can create add-ons. Doctopus and Goobric are examples of innovation created by a user that have made the product better fit teacher needs. This isn't just in Docs either. There are a ton of new Chrome apps being developed that bring a lot of the creativity and depth of exploration to the Chrome browser.  Apple obviously innovates all of the time too but doesn't adapt as fast as Google because the innovation all takes place within Apple.


10. Big Yet Nimble - Lebron James and Cam Newton are special athletes because they are big yet have uncharacteristic speed. Google Chrome and the devices that run it are a lot like that. Google is massive with unlimited resources to support its products yet has retained a simplicity that makes stuff work at the highest level of efficiency. There is no reason to expect that won't continue to be the case.

Ultimately schools have to find the platforms and devices that work best for their needs. I always have a Mac nearby because I use so many levels of its functionality. My students don't always need the firepower and Google is picking up a lot of believers in educators who see all of the benefits Chrome devices can deliver at a fraction of the cost.

I understand and appreciate Tim Cook's passion for giving educators and learners amazing stuff but if Chrome devices are just "test machines", he needs to Think Different. 

Education on Air- Keynote from Jennie Magiera: "Power to the pupil" - YouTube

The definite high point for me of the recent Google Education on Air conference my friend Jennie Magiera's great presentation. She really nails the power of empowering students has on the educational process.

Education on Air- Keynote from Jennie Magiera: "Power to the pupil" - YouTube.

Power to the pupil | Jennifer Magiera | TEDxBurnsvilleED - YouTube

Jennie Magiera folks.......As good as it gets! A great friend and great inspiration.

via Power to the pupil | Jennifer Magiera | TEDxBurnsvilleED - YouTube.

Taking the Shooting Gallery to the Wild Side - Jon Corippo's new book

[caption id="attachment_704" align="alignleft" width="225"] Studying environmental impacts and learning to think cinematically[/caption]

Yesterday presented a chance to work with innovative teachers and embed some technology instruction into middle school math and science investigations. Despite the 49 degree temps and constant mist, it proved to be a tremendously rewarding afternoon.

A lesson I have used for three years now is called the Shooting Gallery. It was developed by Jon Corippo as a way to lay film making foundations for students in the classroom. It is one thing to provide the opportunity for students to share learning in video form, but it is a whole other ballgame when you can give them techniques that greatly ramp up the quality of video they are producing.  That is how I use this lesson and it's why I approached a couple of our middle school teachers who are leading an integrated math and science class that studies our local watershed.

Students in the STREAM class at Hamilton Middle School by Ted Malefyt and Nate Alkire study and then share their learning in a number of ways beyond pencil and paper. Coming up they will be presenting projects to a panel similar to the ABC show Shark Tank. We want to give these kids all of the digital tools we can so that their work impresses somebody besides their grandma.

Here is a slide deck Jon and his students built.

Shooting Gallery Level One from Jon Corippo

Download the shot sheet here so your students can track their progress as they practice these cinematic angles.

Here is an example from years past of kids using iMovie to assemble all of their clips. 

In addition to these resources you can now download Jon's free iBook that is an expansion of this lesson. It can serve as a great digital text for giving your students more tricks and tools for making great videos.

 

iMovie McGyver Green Screen Special Effects Collection

Mr. Losik's iMovie McGyver Green Screen Special Effects from Andy Losik on Vimeo.

 

Action Movie FX and Extreme FX are tremendously fun apps....especially if you are forced to kill time in a Children's Place while your wife and daughter shop.

Don't limit the destruction to just what you can capture on your phone. Filming nothing but a green background allows these clips to be downloaded and dropped into any footage on iMovie using the green screen effect.

Check out the initial post I wrote after discovering this was possible this summer. That should give you a little bit of how-to.

Have fun and see what magic you can create.

Download the collection clips directly from Vimeo.

 Google Drive Folder with individual clips

EducationAmbassador.com: An easy tablet management trick

Here is my latest post at Sony's EducationAmbassador.com



I first met the amazing Jenny Magiera in 2011 at a summer tech camp in Arizona. The connection has produced a wealth of learning, but one of the most practical pieces of information I have learned from her surrounds using a device's background as a management tool.

All of the laptops and Sony Xperia tablets I use in my Infotech program have been customized with unique backgrounds. We would love to be 1:1 with the 600 students I see weekly but sharing works because only a handful of students use each machine each week. Most remember their numbers pretty well but problems arise when the devices aren't easiy identifiable, hence the need for the background trick.

Read the rest.

Mobile Reach #55: Summer Acronym Summary ~ ADE, DEN, GCT, and More

Last week I had the chance to join the hosts of the Mobile Reach Show and talk about the various professional learning organization that fuel our teaching.

Hosting the show are Jennie Magiera, Sue Gorman, and Dave Freeburg who I first met face-to-face in 2011 at the Apple Distinguished Educator institute. We were joined by Josh Mika and Scott Meech who both became ADE's with us that summer.  Scott and I first met in 2008 as we became Google Certified Teachers together at the Google Teacher Academy in Chicago.

Prior to the show I had just returned from my week at the Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute and shared how that experience compared to the acronym opportunities other teachers are attending this summer.

Head on over to the Mobile Reach homepage to either listen or watch this episode.