When I first heard about the app Haiku Deck, I assumed that it was an app that would walk me through or had something to do with writing Haiku poems. I could not have been more wrong.  I quickly fell in love with this app.  Haiku Deck is a free app for the iPad that helps you create simple, yet amazing presentations. 

I like the simplicity of this app.  You start off by creating a deck, aka a new presentation, select a theme and provide a title for the new deck. Once your deck has been created you can add slides to your presentation.  Each slide can contain an animated graph, text on a solid-colored slide, or text overlaid a picture.  When adding pictures to slides you have the option to add your own pictures from Facebook, Instagram, Flickr or from the camera roll on your iPad. If you don’t have your own pictures to use, Haiku Deck allows you to search for pictures that are copyright free. (Yes, copyright free!) Haiku Deck will even do the search for you based on the text that is added to your slide.

Once your presentation is complete you can publish and share your presentation on Facebook, Twitter, email, blogs and websites.  I will admit that there are some limitations to this app.  For example, you don’t have control of the size and color of the font.  However, this is an app that is simple and powerful enough to create a meaningful learning experience for students.  It's an app that I highly recommend for elementary age students and students with disabilities.  

Check out Haiku Deck'sPinterest board and well as a presentation that I created titled, Animals of the Masai Mara.

Have you ever wondered how to get videos onto your iPad? Well, here is how you do it.

The first and easiest way is to purchase them from iTunes. . . But that isn’t always possible especially if you record it on your camera. Well, whatever way you get the video, you need to have it on the computer that you sync your iPad to. Then you open up iTunes on your computer. If your left sidebar isn’t showing then turn it on by going to View and click on Show Sidebar.

Next, you will want to drag your movie from the computer into iTunes and drop it on the word Movies in the Sidebar.

Now, plug in your iPad to your computer. It will show up on the left side in the Sidebar. Click on your iPad so that it is highlighted in the Sidebar. A new menu will appear on the right side of iTunes at the top. Click on the menu called Movies.

Then you will need to make sure that you have a check mark in the box next to Sync Movies. Then select the movies that you want on your iPad and click on Apply button in the lower right corner.

Sometimes you will get a warning that the movies can’t be copied to the iPad because it isn’t in the correct format. To correct this, click on the Movies tab in the Sidebar. Then select the movie and go to the Menu bar on the Mac and select File and scroll down to Create New Version and select Create iPad or Apple TV Version. This will create your movie and then go back and sync it to your iPad.

If the video is in a version that won’t even play on the Mac, then you will have to use some third party video conversion software like Handbrake or something else.

Good luck and have fun.

Ross Rogers

Evernote is digital notebook that allows you to take notes, clip web pages, upload images and files, and much more.  It is ideal for note taking, organization, and storage because it syncs between computer, smartphone, and tablets making your information available everywhere.  Evernote's tagline is "Remember Everything."

Evernote is a great tool for educators to become familiar with and use for classroom organization, management, and file saving purposes.  Teachers are getting excited about the ability to begin going paperless and are finding many uses for Evernote in their classrooms.  

A few ideas for how teachers can use Evernote:

• Creating lesson plans and organizing in notebooks and with tags 
• Taking notes during Professional Development, faculty meetings, etc.
• Anecdotal Notes including images of student work samples
• Audio recordings of students explaining work, oral presentations, and reading fluency samples
• Create notes including PDF's, instructions, uploads to share and email to parents and students
• Save articles and web clippings that can be organized and shared later
• Upload and save pictures of students, their work, and important events
• Creating check lists and to do check boxes
• Set email reminders for a specific date and time in notes
  
• Online file storage including PDF's and images to be accessed anywhere
• Sharing information through social networking like Facebook, Twitter, email, and more
• Writing sub plans that can include links, pictures of assignments, and other resources which can be shared through email

The Prezi below is an great example of how one teachers is using Evernote in their classroom on a daily basis.  This Prezi was created by Rebecca Spink and was found here.

By Lindsi Sullivan

The Canyons District Technology Endorsement cohorts recently participated in a  week long hands-on Community Mapping class. Throughout the week, the participants covered three basic ideas:
1. The participants learned how to use a Garmin GPS Device.

• Track Points
• Mark Waypoints (with averaging)
• Find Waypoints/Geocache
  We discussed how geocaching can be used to enhance the curriculum. Click here to see some  of our ideas.  Feel free to add to the list!
• etc., etc., etc.

2.  The participants learned how to find and use mapping resources for their classrooms.

• http://www.esri.com/
  
• http://www.esri.storymaps.com
• http://www.arcgis.com/
• http://resources.arcgis.com/
• http://cmap.maps.arcgis.com
• www.worldmapper.org

3. The participants learned how to create their own interactive maps in multiple steps.

• Mark Waypoints
• Import into Garmin Basecamp
• Export as .csv file
• Open .csv file in Excel and add other info as desired (more info about the specific location/waypoint, such as a picture link).
• Resave .csv file
  
• Import the .csv file onto a new map on arcgis.com
• Customize the map
  

Below are examples of some of the projects the participants completed in this course. Each project built on the skills of the prior project. 

For this project, the students learned how to use their GPS to track their initials in the field. They recorded their tracks on the GPS, and then created a map.

The tree project allowed the students to take the process a step farther by adding extra information to the map.  The students went around and collected information about the trees in their assigned area, compiled it into a spreadsheet, then created a map.

The watershed project gave meaning to the mapping.  It allowed the participants an opportunity to create a story map.  The students went on a field trip, where they collected water samples and other information at five different locations of Little Cottonwood Creek.  Then, they compiled the information and again mapped it.

TED (http://www.ted.com) stands for Technology, Entertainment, & Design -- three broad subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future. TED is a collection of  riveting talks by remarkable people and are free to the world.  In classrooms, TED talks add inspiring introductions to core curriculum topics and bring traditional lessons to life.  Teachers can utilizeTED.ED resources for flipping video use in their classroom, browse playlists of already curated collections, and use talk “tags” to easily find resources to enhance student learning, and explore mobile app alternatives.

Why TED Talks in the Classroom?

• First of all, Great Content!!  Below are a few of my favorites
• Bring Traditional Lessons to Life - Learning about DNA, show a talk about DNA research.
• Real-life examples of knowledge, curriculum knowledge, being put to use in incredible ways.
• Show contributions youth have to make to the world!
• NETS for Teachers, Standard #1, Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, Item b. 'Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources."  More about ISTE Standards.....
  
• From the TED website, TED Talks focus on the "power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world."  What a great message!
• And finally, TED Talks connects to Core Curriculum!

By Rachel Murphy

When creating a Google Document, there is a feature available to help easily research the topic in Google, Images, Scholarly information, Quotes and the Dictionary definition.   the Research feature is found in the Tools tab and appears as on the right side of your document.  Once you find the information or images you are searching, simple drag or choose insert link to add it to your document.  When you do this, it automatically cites the information and adds it to the bottom of the document.  Below are some images of what you will see when using this helpful feature.  Danae Reff