Looking Back: My Year of Technology in Review

Every year, I am always eager to try something new, learn something different, and really know a  new site or app that I can tell teachers and students about.  This year has been no different, and I am excited about the possibilities of teaching and learning more about them!  Here are the sites/apps I looked into from August 2012 to June 2013.  Some of them are pretty commonplace now and I'm on the prowl for new sites and apps for next year . I recommend any and all of these :)

Apps:                                                              Sites:
Doceri/Reflector                                             EdCanvas
Haiku Deck                                                     Scoop.it
Vine                                                                 Piktochart
Smart Office 2                                                 Smore
Pic Collage                                                      StudyBlue
Videolicious
Educreations



iPAD APPS:
Doceri and Reflector are two great ways to show your ipad or desktop via data projector through tandem connections between the two.  Of course, the paid apps are much better than the free, but both are top-notch.  If you like to walk around and talk with an iPad, check into these.

Haikudeck started out as a simple presentation app that included CC images from Flickr.  Since its debut, it has become so much more, including private and public notes and other enhancements.  Easy to use, free....what could possibly be better?

Vine is a quickie six second video.  If you have creativity and imagination, you can make six seconds really count.  I was blown away by the amazing things people created!  Hmmmmmm....I've been thinking about a Vine book trailer....

Smart Office 2 is a paid app but if you were lucky, you got onto this one when it was offered free.  iPad doesn't come with an office suite, but if it were to, this one would be THE one to use.  Includes Word, Powerpoint and Excel.  There are so many suites out there to choose from, but this one works

Pic Collage is an app where the sky's the limit.  You can collage pics together to send out, but more than that, you can also use this to make a quick and handy infographic.  This is a product driven by your creativity.

Videolicious is an app I came across as I was looking for an alternative to create book trailers using an iPad that I didn't have to pay for.  Simple and easy, this will do the trick for that project and so many other ones from different curriculum areas.  Point and shoot with built-in music so all is fair use.

Educreations is the to-go whiteboard.  Draw and record, use voice over, and share.  It'll also add text to the page.  Think about the flipped classroom for this tool or use it with Doceri or Reflector to real-time teaching and archiving



SITES:

Edcanvas is the tool I think about when I think digital curation in the classroom.  It truly is a white canvas that you paint how you'd like by adding video, text, links, websites, quizzes and uploads.  Compartmentalize, collaborate - this is a curation tool that can do no wrong.

Scoop.it is another curation tool I've come to love.  Although it only gives you five topics, that's more than enough to curate on different ideas, thoughts, technology, professional sites and so much more.  Follow those  who have the same passion as you, curate through personal searching or recommendations, and leave feedback and comments to make each "scoop" timely.

Piktochart is the infographic tool I fell in love with.  While the free site is great, the paid site is even more excellent! Use this to create an eye-popping infographic from any source.  With your thoughts and creativity in condensing information and pairing it with graphics, it becomes a tool to use in any professional situation.

Smore is another excellent infographic tool.  Simple and easy to use, an infographic is just minutes away from creation.  Share, post, watch your analytics built into your site...so much you can do with this.  Although  images are not part of the package, you can upload them onto your infographic (just make sure you teach CC and copyright free image searching!)

Study Blue is a site I stumbled on when searching for infographics, but it's so much more than that.  Create a class and add materials such as flashcards you create or uploads for students to access.  Search the archive for lessons already created or classes you can join.  If you need something free to create an online class, try this one.  You can also upgrade to a Pro account if you like it.