ScreenLeap...Share your Computer Screen!

ScreenLeap is a neat tool that you can use to share your computer screen with anyone in the world. You do not need to download any special software, and you can share with multiple people easily.

I foresee countless uses of ScreenLeap. If a student is having a hard time finding a website or completing an assignment, you can literally view their screen and show them how to resolve their problem.

The directions are simple. View them below.

Dropbox Saved My Life!

Oh Monday...so I get to work this morning and begin setting up my desk like normal. But wait...something goes terribly wrong! My MacBook Pro refuses to turn on. After spending 15 minutes trying different ways to turn the computer on, I realized I have a big problem.

Dropbox to the rescue! Because I use Dropbox to save my files, all of my files were/are backed up automatically to the Dropbox website and to my computers connected to Dropbox. What could have been a big disaster turned out to be a bump in the road thanks to Dropbox. I went on with my day a bit dejected that my relatively new MacBook Pro needs to be fixed, but I wasn't that depressed since my files were/are safe and sound :)

I have written about Dropbox before (see the hyperlink above). If you haven't started using Dropbox to store your files, you are missing out. Because Dropbox saves your files to their site, as well as to your connected computers, you never have to worry about losing your valuable files. Additionally, you can share certain folders with people, making it easy to collaborate.

By the way, it's FREE!

Pinterest...What is this thing?

Pinterest is receiving much buzz these days. The idea is simple, a user can post an image on a virtual pinboard to share with the world or your students. This website lists 37 ways teachers can use Pinterest. I am rather new to Pinterest. I plan on playing with it more over Spring Break. Let me know if/how you use Pinterest with your students.


The video below does a pretty good job explaining how you can use Pinterest in your classroom.

Looking for Statistics?

I enjoy including relevant statistics in my lessons. Students need to be able to create arguments that infuse logos like statistics. As we all become teachers of the Common Core, we will need to teach our students to become better persuaders. FedStats can provide you and your students with a centralized source of data from over 100 federal agencies. I encourage my students to back up their claims with valid data. To me, a passionate argument is not as effective compared to an argument based upon logic and reason.

 No matter your content area, you will be able to use something from FedStats to supplement a future lesson!

FREE Practice AP, SAT, PSAT Exams

Through my school district, I was able to order the 2012-13 AP US Government and Politics review book. Inside the front cover is a link to free practice exam questions that they promise to update regularly. Overall, I found the questions fair, and I enjoyed how after taking the 25 question exam that they provide an explanation for every answer.

If you do not teach an AP class, I highly recommend you show your students the free SAT and PSAT practice questions.

For the past five years I have been teaching AP US Government and Politics. Part of the challenge and fun of teaching an AP course is becoming familiar with the content and types of questions students need to know. Compared to many state curriculums, the College Board does not provide a "list" of content that students need to know for the annual exams. Therefore, I have found that McGraw Hill's 5 Steps to a 5 review books are a great resource for helping students get ready for AP exams in May. The books do a great job explaining complex concepts, while also providing well written practice questions. You can purchase a new version of their review books for approximately $10, though you can buy older versions from sites like Amazon for just a few bucks (and the information is pretty much the same!).

Frontline...A Great Source for Free Documentaries!

For many years I have used the wonderful resources released by Frontline. Not only do they offer documentaries on contemporary issues, but they also provide teacher resources with most of their programs. Because they received more funding over the last few years, Fontline is realeasing more terrific documentaries. As technology becomes better, their newer works can be embedded into websites and wikis. If you were thinking about creating a Webquest or an Internet scavenger hunt, you could find some great resources from Frontline. 

A documentary I have used for many years is called The Storm. The 50 minute documentary shows the slow response from all levels of government before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. I used their teacher resources to help me with an observation. Watch this clip below...

Whether you teach English, social studies, science, arts, or mathematics, I bet you will be able to find an amazing documentary to assist with a future lesson!

Here is a list of other Frontline documentaries I have used with my government classes:
- The Plea
- Obama's Deal
- Hot Politics

Watch The Storm on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Save YouTube Videos to Your Computer!

A colleague of mine asked me if there was a way to download and save a YouTube video in order to use the video without connecting to the Internet. After checking some of my sources (tip of the hat to Mr. Ken Halla), I came across saveyoutube.com. The website works well and it is relatively easy to use.

Directions/Tips for Saving a YouTube Video:
1. When you are viewing your YouTube video, copy and paste the URL into the box (image is above), then click on the download button.

2. On my MacBook, I have to click on a window to allow the website to have access to my computer. I am not sure if you will need to do this on your Windows device.

3. After allowing the website to have access, you will need to select the format of the file. I recommend you download the video as an MP4. An MP4 video file can be played on Quicktime and any IOS device. However, if you have a Windows computer, a FLV file (Flash Player) might work better for your needs.

4. Finally, depending on the size of the file you will wait for the YouTube video to download. After downloading the file, open to file to see if the video plays.

Good Luck!

GradeCam Update...Thumbs Up!

In a previous post, I discussed GradeCam. I am not going to waste time explaining how it works with my words.  The short video above above can explain GradeCam better. I have only used the free version. The paid version has more bells and whistles.

I used GradeCam yesterday to grade an 24 question multiple choice exam. It worked perfectly! I noticed I made an error on the answer key after I scanned the exams, and I was able to fix the answer key and rescan the forms quite easily. I LOVE how I can get item analysis on questions immediately, helping understand where I need to spend more time reviewing. I LOVE that I can print the bubble forms on plain paper rather than using EXPENSIVE scantron sheets.

As you know, we teachers are told that we need to be using data to shape our instruction and GradeCam makes this practical and relatively easy. The image below is from their website and simply states the main features of GradeCam.

Simple Visual Showing GradeCam's Main Features

Keep the following information in mind:
 - Before you can scan an exam, you need to set up classes. This can be rather tedious, though you can upload a .csv file of each class or you can type in the names and ID numbers individually.

- As noted above, in order for GradeCam to work you must input a number to represent each student. I used the student number assigned via our school district, though you can make your own.

Overall, I LOVE GradeCam! I hope you try it out and find it useful in your classroom. GradeCam will definitely make student assessment more useful and helpful in your teaching.

NewsHour Extra

A "long time ago" a college professor told me that the PBS Newshour was the best newscast on American television because it delves into the issues without all the fluff found on the 24/7 cable networks. Since then, I regularly watch the PBS Newshour and use the great resources found on their NewsHour Extra website.

No matter your content area (social studies, science, English, health, math/economics, arts), you will be able to find great articles, videos, and lesson plans to make your lessons more relevant to the lives of your students on the NewsHour Extra website.

The PBS Newshour uploads quality videos of their nightly news clips. Not only can you link to the videos, but you can embed the clips into your website. Note that most clips are at least ten minutes in length, thus I often show pieces to correspond with my lesson.

One of my goals as an educator is to try daily to show how what I teach my students matters to their lives. Using current events is the best way to show students why what we teach matters. I teach three sections of ESOL government, and I love how the writing in the articles is written in an easy to read way, without watering down the content.

Since I do emphasize in my blog that I like sharing pragmatic resources, I would bookmark the NewsHour Extra website on those days when you need to create sub work. You can print an article (in PDF format) and comprehension/discussion questions that correspond to the article. A tip, I copy the questions, paste them into a Microsoft Word document in order to format the questions and add other questions.

A video from a recent PBS Newshour episode about a scientist who puts an interesting spin on health and population statistics.

Watch Rosling Brings Life, Sword-Swallowing to Health Statistics on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Plagium...A FREE Plagiarism Checker!

In a previous post, I wrote about duplichecker.com. I have found that plagium is much better! It is simple and easy. Copy and paste the work of a student and after a minute, Plagium will inform you if selected text from the student is plagiarized.

Please note that the free search is limited 25,000 characters. If you want more, you will have to pay.

I caught one student plagiarizing today. Plagium worked like a charm!

eSchoolnews.com...My New Favorite Website

I have come across eSchool News and I am in love with it! If you notice the right side of my blog, you will see the new widgets that update technology news and new grants.

As you know, there are a zillion websites with education news. However, I believe that eSchool News is one of the best. Besides putting up great news articles and best practices from other teachers, I am a big fan of their list of grants, scholarships, and other awards.

When I hear the word "grant", I usually think about large amounts of paperwork. Some grants do require lots of info, however, there are many grants listed that don't take much time to complete. Like many of you, I spend my own money to purchase classroom resources. There is lots of money out there to help you purchase items to create your ideal learning environment.

Let me know if you find any cool grants :)