What: I don't know about you but I get annoyed with file clutter on my computer, in the cloud and any other place that I keep files. Sometimes this is due to having multiple PDF files that all pertain to the same topic. Have you ever dreamed of magically making all those individual PDF files into one file? What about doing it for free? PDF Merge provides a web tool that can complete this process for you in a snap.
1) Select the files that you want to merge into one single file. If you do not have enough blanks click the red plus sign to add more files.
2) Once you have all the files you want to merge into one file, click the Merge! button and let PDF Merge do the rest.
Techtastic Integration
As I had previously mentioned, file clutter can be obnoxious. If you are looking for a way to organize your PDF files, PDF Merge can help. What about students? If students are doing a collaborative project and need to combine their PDF resources, PDF Merge can serve as a tool to combine all their files.
What:Google Maps has done it again!!! Whether you are a football fan or not, this is a truly amazing showcase of Google's persistent drive to make the most elaborate collection of maps. You can see what it is like to make your way down the tunnel. Maybe you would rather check out the locker room or even see the quarterback suite. Make sure to check out the whole collection of the Lucas Oil Stadium.
Techtastic Integration
So you may be asking how is this something that I can integrate into my classroom. Want to give students an inside perspective on a story or research paper? Most students won't have a chance to experience a professional football game. They can watch the games on T.V. or even see pictures in magazines but being able to manipulate their virtual experience in real time is priceless. If you are looking for a way to integrate this into math, you can take a screen shot of the stadium and use Skitch to point out geometrical shapes or even patterns. If you have a SMART Board, you can use the screen capture tool instead and use your markers to do the same as Skitch.
What: Ever get a giant PDF packet only to find out you just want to keep one page out of the packet? PDF Split is a free web tool that will solve this problem for you. It is super simple. Select the file you want to split, choose the pages you want to split out and choose split.
Step 1---Choose your file
Step 2--Specify your pages
Step 3---Split your page or pages out into a new file
Techtastic integration
If students find a resource for a project and need to extract a single page, they can use PDF Split to obtain the resource that they need. In addition, if the student needs to print out information from a PDF and only need one page, he/she can use PDF Split to save on printing out numerous unwanted pages. Teachers can use this resource to help separate files out of PDF files received from meetings.
I have been using PDF Split to get pages out for my reading curriculum. I can download an entire unit's practice book pages into a single PDF file. However, there are times that I only want a couple pages to put into the SMART Notebook software. PDF Splits lets me extract only the pages I want.
What: Bindle is a simple app ($1.99) that allows you to quickly create PDFs of your pictures.
1) From the main screen choose to make a book or an album.
2) Click the plus sign to add pictures.
3) You can import images from your camera roll, take a photo as well as import from a few other sites like Facebook, Instagram, Flickr and Picasa.
4) Once you have your selected images read to import, click done and let Bindle ad them to your grid.
5) Once Bindle is done working its magic, you have the option to share it.
How to use.....
We have been using this app as a simple tool for create digital e-books coupled with FlipSnack. FlipSnack turns your PDFs into flippable, digital books. Simply upload your PDF and let Flipsnack do the rest. Students could use this app to curate their learning. Send students on a scavenger hunt and use Bindle to catalog their learning. Use the app to snap some photos during PD sessions and turn into PDFs for later reference.
What: Google Maps continues to add to its comprehensive collection of resources for making it the go to resource when navigating. They recently added 38 new run and lift maps to their collection.
Techtastic Integration
You may be thinking how is this relevant into my own teaching? How can I implement run and lift maps into my daily practices. You can have students use the map scale to determine the longest ski run, shortest ski run, and the median of the ski runs. Students could figure out the ratio of beginner runs to expert runs.
What are your ideas for using these new run and lift maps in your classroom?
What: Working with younger students, I am always drawn to visual tools that can be integrated into my daily, weekly and/or yearly routines. When sharing resources with my students, I try to present it in a visual manner for those students that can not read the text being displayed. Below are some of the tools that are available to create visual links for your students.
Symbaloo provides options for teachers as well as districts. While these options have a cost associated with them, Symbaloo does offer a free version that allows you to share visual links with your students. You create a "webmix" which is a grid with open spots for tiles. See more in the video below.
I have created a webmix for my 1st graders to easily access our most commonly used web tools. From our Kidblog site to drawing and clipart resources, Symbaloo has made it easy for my students to navigate the plethora of online resources in a visually user friendly format. For
MyLinkCloud is very similar to Symbaloo but users are not tied to grid style tile layouts. My Link Cloud allows you to drag and drop your links in a visually appealing "cloud" format. You can move and resize your links across the page to make your "cloud" appear as you want. Check out the video below for more ideas for how to use it in your classroom
Thinglink is a tool that allows you to make your images interactive. You create hotspots on your picture that allow users to click and learn more about the image. Find out more by watching the video below.
Techtastic Integration
The possibilities seem endless for these resources. I have always been a visual learner and these visual linking tools serve as a vehicle for providing multitudes of information in a single location. Use them to create subject specific resource, lesson plan resources, research topics and much more.
What:Storybots is a great interactive website that is really geared toward youngsters. I came across this site when I was looking for some fun videos that talked about the alphabet and the sounds represented by the letters.
ABC Fun provides fun and engaging videos that explain each letter in the alphabet. They are short and to the point but presented with fun, energetic robots.
Starring You! Make your students movie stars. You can put yourself into a video with the Storybots. Upload an image from your webcam, computer or Facebook and let the Storybots do the rest. Kids will love it!
Activity Sheets provide fun practice that are Storybot themed. Connect the dots, color and word searches are just a few samples of what Storybots provides with their activity sheets.
Create Books is a free iPad app that will let your students create their own Storybot books. There is a fee to create a book once the app is downloaded. However, what a fun way for students to put themselves into books.
Beep & Boop! is a behavior game for your IOS device. Set goals for your kids as well as prizes for when those goals are reached. Good behavior/choices are rewarded with a beep while poor choices receive a boop which in turn takes away a beep point.
Techtastic Integration
While the Storybot family of resources are really geared towards primary aged kids, they really do an effective job at engaging kids in learning with the fun, energetic Storybot robots. Use the videos as attention getters for introducing letters in the alphabet. Activity sheets can reinforce newly learned letters.
