QR Code

WHAT'S A QR CODE?

A QR Code (it stands for "Quick Response") is a mobile phone readable bar code that can store website URL's, plain text, phone numbers, email addresses and pretty much any other alphanumeric data.

Why Are QR Codes So Popular ?

The main impetus for the popularity of these codes came from the smartphone market, as this market expanded so did the codes. Added to this is the exponential growth of social media - for instance a QR code embedded in your phone can give out contact information such as photos, videos, favorite things and links to social media pages like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Flickr.

Here's the QR Code for my blog.

Download QR Reader App here and here, and check it out :)

Glogster

Glogster is an online tool that allows you to create interactive online posters; complete with text,images,graphics,audio and videos. 
1. Glogs can be used to present lessons complete with links to outside resources,with audio and videos related to the subject and topic.
2. Glogs support and meet the needs of special education, general education and ESOL students as they can have images,audio and video on them.
3. Glogs are a fun way to learn and engage students in learning.

Here's my Glog about one of my favorite cities in the world, London. It looks beautiful, isn't it :)

Aurasma

If you go back a few pages or check my menu, you might remember I've shared some information about Augmented Reality,why it's important and how to use it in education. I'm here to share Aurasma which is the world's leading augmented reality platform.

Here are 7 videos that will show you how to use Aurasma in education,Aurasma Demo,Aurasma Ipad etc.

Let's give it a try,shall we ? :)

1. Download Aurasma Android App.
2. Learn how to sign up and do so.
3. Now,hold your device away from the image below.

It's a great demonstration as to what Aurasma can do. You hold your device over your homework page and your teacher pops up to help you. It's fantastic. (If it doesn't work tilt your device slightly)

Tagul

Tagul is a web service that enables you to create gorgeous looking word cloud art and place it on your web page.

Here is a great page that enlightens us about how to use Tagul in education. Scroll down a bit, you'll see 12 amazing ways for language arts,too :)

This is my work cloud art that I've used to showcase some verbs we use with to-infinitive.

Created with Tagul.com

Linoit (Padlet)

What is Lino It ?

Lino it is a free service that allows you to create a canvas of online multimedia sticky notes. In addition to basic text, the sticky notes you place on your canvas can contain videos,images and file attachments.

How To Use Linoit:
To use Linoit,you have to register for an account. Once you've registered, you can create as many sticky note canvases as you like. You can make your canvases and notes public or private. If you choose to make a canvas public, other users can add sticky notes to it and read all of the notes on it.

Here are a few ways you can use Lino it in class:

• Students can use Lino it to brainstorm on collaborative projects then outline tasks necessary to complete those projects.
• Tasks can be assigned due dates on each sticky note.
• Attaching files to Lino It stickies allows you and your students to post PDFs or other documents that may not be available online.

Here's my canvas on Gerunds. As you can see, I've used it to stick notes that contains information,videos and photos about Gerunds to make it effective and enjoyable. 

Have a great day :)

My Midterm Presentation

This presentation is about tools I've already give you information about on my blog. It contains some more information and videos about the use of technology in education and about the newest technology trends that I've shared such as AR,Digital Storytelling. 

I had fun making it, hope you enjoy it :)

Kahoot, Socrative, Plickers

1. Kahoot

Kahoot is my favorite activity during class as a student. That's why I believe we can make use of it motivate our students to participate in class. Here are a few ideas:

• Kahoot! is great to initialize a discussion where students can vote on e.g. ethical issues anonymously. It is also a great tool to summarize a topic in a fun and engaging way. 
• Another way of using Kahoot! is to probe the students before you go through a topic to learn how much they actually know about a topic.
•  In addition, you can run the same quiz after you have taught the topic to assess how much the students learned. 
• The highest learning outcome is to make the students create their own kahoots. In order to be able to ask good questions and find good correct and incorrect answers, you have to know the topic well. 

2. Socrative

Socrative is a great tool for teachers to assess students and collect immediate feedback. Because;

• Its interative and engaging
• It provides immediate feedback via formative assessments
• It is paperless
• It saves time when grading assignments
• Students can use Socratic on any device, on any platform. 

You can use different ways to assess your studens via Socrative such as;

1. True or False Questions 
2. Multiple Choice Questions 
3. Short Response 
4. Create Short Quizzes
5. Upload Premade Quizzes
6. Quick Check for Understanding 
7. Voting on best responses

3. Plickers

Another great tool to use games in classroom is Plickers. Plickers is a powerfully simple tool that lets teachers collect real-time formative assessment date without the need for student devices. 

 I,personally,have no experience using Plickers. That's why I'd like to direct you here, where you can get your answer about Plickers after watching the tutorial below. 

Enjoy :)

Games And Simulations

• Games and Simulations can be defined as interactive multimedia with dynamic elements that are under user control.
• Games differ from simulations by including a goal or challenge.

Why are they important for us teachers ?

Because;

1. They increase student motivation.
2. They facilitate the affective aspect of learning.
3. They tend to produce improved communication and discussion within the classroom.
4. They promote individual discovery in learning from the learner's own perspective.

UP NEXT..

3 great examples of games we can use in classroom.

Virtual Field Trips

Virtual Field Trip... What is it ?

A virtual field trip is a guided exploration through the internet that organizes a collection of pre-screened, thematically based web pages into a structured online learning experience. It’s a simulated, real-time field trip.

Educational Benefit of VFT

During a classroom virtual field trip, students can explore places across the high seas, states across our country, and many nearby or far away people, places, and things. This is an opportunity to see and experience the world without ever leaving the classroom.

Arounder...The next best thing to being there...

Arounder features 100+ world’s top destinations including thousands of attractions and places to see such as prestigious museums and historical cathedrals, unspoiled natural paradises and UNESCO sites as well as the most luxurious hotel and the finest restaurants all over the world.

Have a wonderfully day :)

Augmented Reality

WHAT IS AUGMENTED REALITY ?

• Augmented Reality (AR) is the process of superimposing digitally rendered images onto our real-world surroundings, giving a sense of an illusion or virtual reality. Recent developments have made this technology accessible using a smartphone.
• The goal of Augmented Reality is to create a system in which the user cannot tell the difference between the real world and the virtual augmentation of it. Today Augmented Reality is used in entertainment, military training, engineering design, robotics, manufacturing and other industries.
• AR is getting more common each day. Let me show you a video to make you understand why it is so popular.

Here is a list of best Augmented Reality apps.

And here you can see some apps that you can use in classroom to make your lessons more fun :)

Hope you all have a wonderful day :)

Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. In general, they all revolve around the idea of combining the art of telling stories with a variety of multimedia, including graphics, audio, video, and Web publishing.

Like traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view. As you can understand from it's name, digital stories usually contain some mages, text, recorded audio narration, video clips, and/or music. The stories used in education typically last between 2-10 minutes. The topics used in digital storytelling vary. It's a large range from personal stories to historical events,from health issues to our nation's biggest issues and literally everyting in between.



One of the most popular digital storytelling sites is Storybird. Storybird is a publishing platform and community based around digital storytelling. We curate illustrations from artist all around the world and let anyone use them as inspiration for original picture books,poems etc. This simple premise inspires a constant loop of creation,conspumtion,conversation for the millions of tweens,teens and creatives who use Storybird to write,read,discover and share memorable stories.

Here is a list of best sites and apps for Digital Storytelling.

Hope y'all have a wonderful day :)

Social Bookmarking

   Hello,everyone. What I'd like to share with you today is something that'll help you in every field of your life. Your profession,age,gender simply doesn't matter. You are about to learn something that will improve your life online :) As someone who have lots of trouble with remembering,categorizing and making a use of the websites I liked; finding about social bookmarking has been a blessing for me. It's not hard to understand what social bookmarking is from the way I described my problems. But I'll try to summarize what exactly it is and what sorf of benefits it has for us.

Social bookmarking helps people to store,organize,search,share and manage "bookmarks" of web pages. Unlike storing bookmarks in a folder on your computer, tagged pages are stored on the Web and can be accessed from any computer. Most social bookmark services are organized by users applying “tags” or keywords to content on a Web site. You can keep your bookmars private or make them public which means you can easily share them with friends.


Here, you can watch and learn how to use Diigo, a social bookmarking site which allows signed-up users to bookmark and tag web-pages. Additionally, it allows users to highlight any part of a webpage and attach sticky notes to specific highlights or to a whole page. (which is great,imo!) 
*You can check my Diigo account here :)

If you'd like to find other sites, you should check out this page that offers you 50+ social bookmarking sites.

Regardless,hope you all have a wonderful day :)

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites. Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.

Effects of cyberbullying 

•  Kids who are cyberbullied are more likely to:
• Use alcohol and drugs
•  Skip school
• Experience in-person bullying
• Be unwilling to attend school Receive poor grades
• Have lower self-esteem
• Have more health problems

How To Stop Cyberbullying

• Encourage teens to report incidents of cyber bullying to an adult.
• Reassure the bullying victim that they are not at fault for these attacks against them.
• Encourage adolescents and teens to save cyber bullying messages as proof that the cyber bullying is occurring. 
• Since much of the cyber bullying attacks happen via cell phones, victims should start by changing their cell phone number and/or email addresses. 
• Cyberbullying statistics  indicate that many instances involve the bully impersonating someone else. Therefore, encourage young people not to send information or photos via text  they wouldn’t want shared publicly.

To make you understand how important to raise awareness about this topic, here are some statics regarding the issue in 2014.

Hope you all have wonderful day :)

Sources:
http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/

E-Safety

What is E-Safety ?

E-safety is the knowledge of maximizing the user's personal safety while using the internet, and the self-protection from computer crime in general. As the number of internet users continues to grow worldwide, internet safety is a growing concern for both children and adults.

PREVENTION TIPS

Keep shared information at a minimum.

Your passwords should consist of at least 10 characters,both upper and lower case letters,numbers,Symbols and it shouldn’t contain dictionary words.Avoid scams and illegal activity(such as torrents).

Don’t forget to log off from your accounts on public computers.

An example of this would be "Cyberbullying" which I'll talk about shortly after this post.

STAY SAFE.