Diary of a Digital Learning Coach

Once upon a time, I took some 2nd graders on a trip to Ellis Island.  We observed details about Lady Liberty and then explored the actual buildings where many of our ancestors were processed as they came to America. No, we don't live in New York and no, I did not write a grant for traveling. But we did have an immersive experience in a place some of us may never get to visit. Last week, I launched a Pryor Takeover to explore something I had never used before.  I borrowed my friend, Suzanne Saxon's class and used the Google Expeditions app to guide her learners through the experience.  We did it only with our iPads using full screen mode to access the 360 view, no Google Cardboard was even needed. There are a ton of expeditions from which to choose.  We could have gone to the Space Station, the Great Barrier Reef or even the San Diego Zoo if it fit our instructional needs. Since Suzanne's class will soon be simulating a trip to Ellis Island as part of a st...

Welcome to a Thursday edition of Teach Me Something Tuesday.  Today, I will be trying not to squeal with glee as I write because, drumroll please, I think my teammate and friend, Leigh Ann Howard may have found us an alternative to Explain Everything for our kids.   Know Recorder is a screencasting/whiteboard app.  It has many similar features as Explain Everything, allows you to save your video directly to the camera roll for easy uploading and sharing,  You heard that correctly.   Don't get me wrong.  I love Explain Everything and will continue to use my educator license.  But when I think of our elementary kids that do not currently have Explain Everything, I am overjoyed.  We have a ton of screencasting tools available, but many have moved toward a paid model or have limited features.  We have needed an easy to use way for them to record their thinking through drawing, inserting pictures and interacting with whiteboard tools. W...