1. Top 13 Tech Tools
for 2013
Dr. Devin Vodicka, Superintendent
Vista Unified School District
Dr. Lisa Gonzales, Coordinator
Santa Clara County Office of Education
TICAL Leadership Cadre
ACSA Tech Leader
http://bit.ly/acsanorthtop13
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16. Connecting the Dots
We live in the “mashable” age
Uploads to one platform can migrate to
others
Editor's Notes
http://slidesha.re/ywXTzc
Lisa “ storage in the cloud ” free site that downloads a folder on your computer also a smart-phone and tablet app The first 2 GB of space is free, but as you share with others and refer them to Dropbox, you increase your “free” space.
Devin Prezi makes our list this year because it has become so versatile alternative to a flat ppt presentation cloud/web-based storytelling program a zooming interface if you aren’t that accustomed to the program, you can upload a traditional powerpoint presentation and it will convert it to a moving, right-brained, non-linear presentation one challenge - has very rudimentary printing options at this point in time
Lisa Today’s Meet is a great site to use as a back-channel or side conversation during instruction, meetings, or even with huge crowds during a conference. The livestream conversation can be used with as small as a handful and as large as 400. The audience can use Today’s Meet to share resources, ask questions, and deepen the discussion. Keep in mind that if you are presenting with a powerpoint on a projector, you will need an additional screen, computer, and projector for maximum capabilities to enhance your presentation and discussion. If presenting as a team, we suggest having one person monitor the Today’s Meet while others are presenting.
Devin Asana is like a task list combined with a social networking site a fantastic way to organize the busy, ever-changing “to do” items for teams and groups not only can tasks be generated and checked-off when they are completed, but participants can comment, upload files, add other participants as followers, and track progress on tasks that have been delegated web-based resources (that also has slick apps for phone access) is free for teams of up to 30 people
Devin the ultimate app for accessing and annotating files on phones or tablets notations can be made on just about type of file via “typewriter,” sticky notes, lines, or freehand drawings annotated versions can then be saved for future access and review we have found this to be particular useful during meetings as a transitional tool to move away from paper-based distribution of information unlike most of these resources, Good Reader will run $4.99 per license. Considering the cost of the paper that would be used otherwise, that seems a rather modest investment.
Lisa the Facebook of education most robust use comes out of the set-up for classrooms or as a professional development meeting place secure site that can be used with students Teachers can set up an entire class where students are able to participate in discussions, take quizzes, respond to polls and receive assignment reminders. Its versatility means adults can use it as a meeting space to share handouts and maintain ongoing conversations. Edmodo is now available as iOs and Android apps, easily accessible on smartphones, tablets, and computers.
Lisa a computer and iPad application that allows for the creation of screencast tutorials students designing their own Khan Academy-type videos. EduCreations a recordable whiteboard where users can record and re-record their explanations with drawing that can be done directly on the screen and easily saved to be shared with others easy enough for a kindergartener to explain how to add 2+2 and robust enough for the biology teacher to discuss cell mitosis and meiosis this site is a “must” see and has caught on with educators worldwide, with more than 100,000 active users in its first year of existence.
Devin Wolfram Alpha is the most amazing website for mathematics and data analysis. According to the site, they have over 50,000 pre-built algorithms and more than 5,000 visualization tools to display data. In addition, the “computational search engine” provides access to to over 10 trillion pieces of data from primary sources such as population databases, public health records, and even educational achievement results. The combination of data sources, algorithms, and display options make this a veritable playground for those that love numbers and data. While the foundation of Wolfram Alpha is web-based, they have also launched a number of apps--including “course assistants” for calculus, algebra, and other topics. For the unititiated, start with the website tour and prepare to be impressed.
Lisa LinkedIn has always been marketed to the non-educational, “business” world growing expanse of groups and connectivity, more education leaders are using it think social networking for professionals has 164 million users and that number grows significantly daily we recommend you use it, not to connect with others, but to access information, resources, and support from a national and international audience. GROUPS area Great for HR folks in districts
Devin took some time to resonate in the educational world visually-rich social site with women’s attire, crafting, or food recipes, there are an emerging array of applications for school leaders for example, a number of “boards” have been created that assemble useful resources that are easy to navigate and “re-pin” for future access one of our favorites is the ASCD site ( http://pinterest.com/officialascd/ ) that includes boards on professional development, common core state standards, and other high-impact topics.
Devin google-developed web browser that works elegantly on just about any kind of device, including phones and tablets not only is the browser a wise choice due to the fact that it seems faster than other options, we have to encounter any sites that are incompatible with Chrome the best part of using Chrome is the array of plugins and tools that are free and easy to use - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions extensions to integrate with many social media tools (such as Facebook or Instagram) are very popular, as are tools like “send to Kindle” or easy screen capture option
Lisa – add video from Screencastomatic download videos directly from YouTube and embed them into presentations or run them from your laptop. How simple is it? Just paste in the video’s url/link, allow it access to your computer, and download it as an MP4 to your desktop The best part about downloading the video and embedding it into a presentation is that you no longer need to worry about having access to the internet or during a presentation to run a video
Devin Buffer is an application that helps you to spread out your social media posts over a period of time currently integrates with twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook in addition to a website, there are also Chrome plugins, apps for phones and tablets, and even extensions so that you can post through an email one of the great features is that it helps to ensure that your posts will go live when others are more likely to read them after you post, you can also track the analytics to determine what kinds of content is generating the most interest.
