meta name="p:domain_verify" content="ba6c53820c8bba96ab73b23 A Chick with 'App'titude!: 2012
Welcome to my 'app' site! It is powered by Pam McGhee. I am a crazy chick who loves any type of technology...from iPads, Kindles to Android devices and in-between! Here I will list tips, tricks and ideas on how to use all this information in your classroom!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Awesome new app...how about 'chirping?'

I was reading one of the blogs that I follow...TechChef4u...and they were talking about 'chirping.' Wait...I thought we were 'twittering!' This technology is moving way too fast for me!! LOL!

To access the blog entry, click here...there is also an awesome video explaining what 'chirping' is!

Download the Chirp app today! It is awesome! So, how can you use it in your classroom?

Blast out a message, task or link to all students in a classroom. Consider giving a PDF, a url or sharing an entire Dropbox folder of documents with one little chirp.
Or… let out a cheery chirp over the morning announcements and allow students to receive the unique link or message through their mobile devices… school wide!
If you use it, please leave a comment letting me know how you incorporated it into your teaching.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Using IPads in the Classroom

The first day of school is just around the corner! For us, students arrive on August 27.

How do you plan to use your iPad in the classroom that first week?

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Our presentation went really well yesterday. It is fun to see the dynamics that each attendee brings to these workshops and how that influences the type of workshop that you have. We had lots of great sharing of ideas from all of the teachers, librarians and others who were there.

Didi Blagg shared a great website and I encourage everyone to bookmark this one...you won't want to lose it once you spend some time looking around. An article added yesterday is titled: "50 resources for iPad use in the Classroom." Another timely article that was posted on August 5, 2012 is "A Simple Guide to All That Teachers Need to Know about Digital Citizenship."

You can even subscribe for emails to be delivered directly to your inbox when the website is updated.

Be sure to visit Technology Bits Bytes & Nibbles.

A big thank you to everyone...you made this one so much fun...even Donnetta with her sound effects app! LOL!

Monday, August 6, 2012

Split Keyboard

Would it be easier for you to have a split keyboard on your iPad? If you hold your iPad at the bottom corners, sometimes it is easier if you can type with your thumbs while you hold onto the iPad. It is very simple to 'split' your keyboard.

Simply take two fingers and touch the middle of your keyboard (usually between the 'g' and the 'h' keys) and simply slide your fingers across the screen 'pulling' the keyboard apart. The keyboard shrinks and is now in two sections.

To put your keyboard back together, simply touch both pieces of the keyboard and 'pull' it back together by sliding your fingers back to the center.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Another workshop

Connie and I are putting together another workshop for August 6. We will feature new apps and some of the same ones we covered in our previous workshop. Morning session will cover a 'how to' using Destiny: eBooks, school standards, making lists, WebPath Express and more! You make take one workshop or both. Come join us!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Everyday Apps for You From 7-25-12 Workshop

OK, ladies and gentlemen, you asked for it, so here is a partial list which will probably always be a work in progress!  This is a partial list of some of the apps that we used today (July 25, 2012) in our presentation.

Map Overlay - Social Studies, Economics, Geography, Foreign Language, Marketing
Animal Effects - Reading, Spelling, Ag. Science, Elementary Social Studies?
Sight Words - Reading, Spelling
Motivational Poster - Any subject area, any grade level
Missing Link - Spelling, English, Vocabulary, Dictionary Skills
Us Timeline - Social Studies, Research,
Sparkle Fish - Reading, Grammar, English, Math
Videolicious - Any subject area, any grade level - Be Creative!!!!
Story Lines - Any subject area, any grade level - Be Creative!!!!!
Translator Express - Foreign Language, classroom management
Shakespeare - English/language arts, Social Studies/History
Graphbook - Physics?, Geometry?
Epic Citadel - I think this could be used in a variety of classroom situations!  Be Creative!
Today's Doc - Social Studies/History
Letter Words - Vocabulary builder, Reading, Spelling
iPad Tips & Tricks - getting more familiar with your iPad.
Speak & Send
Mad Libs - Any subject
3D Brain - Science, Child Development
21 Flags - Social Studies
360 - photo app for 3D photography
SpiroDoodle - art, design
Creatures of LIght - Science
Apod - Science
Arounder - Social Studies, Foreign Langauge, Food Science
Sightwords Hangman
Sight Words Free
Magic Piano - Music, Theater, Choir, Band?
Guitar - Music, Choir, Theater, Band?
Flashcardlet - any subject
iFLIPchart - any subject

Apps to Find Free Apps!

App Hits - my favorite!
App Tracker
Apps Promo
TechChef4U
AppShopper
FreeAppADay
HotAppFinder - my least favorite!



Here are some more free apps supplied to me by a co-worker:


Preschool:
Toddler Shapes
ABC Tracing
Timmy's Preschool Adventure
Phototouch Farm Animals
FarmSounds (this would be just silly fun for HS kids)
Cursive Practice

English Stuff:
The Raven
Quotes and More
Shake and Tell (subject/story starter)
Gardens of Time (create your own story)
Quotes wp
Blurb mobile
Idioms
Novel Idea
Scribble Press

Other stuff:
The States
Evernote
iTunes U
Pass the Past
Smithsonian
JogNog (study helper)




The first list is the apps from my notes for our 7-25-12 workshop.  We will continue to update this list as time goes by.  Thanks for being so supportive of our efforts in education!

DISCLAIMER:  please remember, that we troll the free app applications often looking for new apps to share.  Apps are often free for a short period of time to showcase them and promote them, and then they will become a paid app again.  So, don't be upset with us if you go to get an app and it is no longer a free app.  I am starting a wish list with notifications turned on on Appshopper so I might be able to pick up some of the paid apps I like without having to pay for them!  After all, I am the original cheap skate!  Happy App Shopping!

Screen Shot

Browsing the Internet or working in an app and you want a picture to use in a slide show or a Keynote presentation? Take a screen shot by pressing the home button and the sleep/wake button at the same time. You will hear a camera shutter sound and the picture saves into your Photos folder! How cool is that?

Monday, July 23, 2012

Awesome Apps

Just one more day and then Connie and I will be presenting a workshop featuring some awesome apps to use in your classroom! After our presentation (or before if I have time) we will be posting those apps here so check back soon!!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

More Copyright Nightmares...........

Here is a link back to a blog by a writer who has unpleasant personal experience with copyright trouble.


http://www.roniloren.com/blog/2012/7/20/bloggers-beware-you-can-get-sued-for-using-pics-on-your-blog.html

Just one more example of what could happen if you are not very careful of what you are doing!

Friday, July 20, 2012

What were we thinking?

Welcome to our blog about technology in the classroom! We plan to focus mainly on iPads and Apps and how to use them in the classroom, but it will also include any ideas and suggestions that we come up with whether it be Apple, Android, or anything else that can help students learn.

After attending TCEA in Austin (Texas Computer Educator's Association) we decided that we needed to share the information that we found and we also realized that we had some good ideas of our own!

We decided that we would conduct a training for teachers this summer and that we could all learn something awesome while we were at it. Sooooo...we are busy getting ready for that inservice. I don't know about my partner in crime...but I am getting nervous!

We hope that you will find something here that will help you! Any comments, questions, ideas, tips, etc. are really appreciated!