The ed Newsstand

This week I look at some of the most important iPadOS 15 updates that were released on September 20th. Some of the simplest changes are that the App Library and Widgets have now come to the iPad. Widgets and the App Library were on the iPhone with iOS 14 and if you were familiar with them on the iPhone this will not be much of a change. I’ve talked about Multitasking in the past but now Apple has made it so much easier and it’s open to more apps. FaceTime, Messages, and Do Not Disturb (now renamed Focus) have made some minor tweaks but are more improved for productivity. I found some great TikTok resources to demonstrate these updates. Finally, the two best new features are the Quick Note and Live Text in Photos. I have some TikTok resources that demonstrate these changes. Read the overview of these new features in the newsletter, there’s a link to the Apple website to read about all the new features, or you can watch the video or listen to the podcast to learn about the new features in action.

You can find links to all the resources in the newsletter found here.

This week I look at some of the most important Google Workspace updates that were released over the summer for Classroom, Forms, and Docs. I will also discuss some of those updates that will be released very soon. A new showcase on the podcast comes from great users on TikTok who share the technology they are using in their classroom. The first resource is Quiver Vision. This website was demonstrated by a TikTok user _nicholsanddimes. The website allows students to color a picture and have the picture come alive in many ways through augmented reality. There are both free and paid items on the website and the app is free in both the Apple and Google Play app stores.  To visit all the links to the resources mentioned please click the link to the newsletter.

This week’s podcast contains a list of resources and programs to help you take a closer look at the technology in your classroom and learn it at a pace that’s more favorable to how you learn.   

The self-paced resources contain PD for Apple, Google, and Microsoft users. There are also self-paced resources for classroom software, learning management systems, or chrome extensions. Many of the resources provide free, entry-level social media connections or communities you can join to learn how other educators are using the technology in their classroom. The step beyond social media and communities are resources to becoming a leader, ambassador, or certified educator. At these levels, you are part of a community but also gain valuable tools, insights, and training into ways to impact your students and other educators in your district. Most resources are free but there are some that will cost money at varying amounts. You may also receive continuing education credits for completing their programs.

To get started, either click the link to visit my newsletter and go right to the companies PD resources. However, if you follow the bit.ly link it will take you to the resources on my website. On my website, you will find a deeper description of each resource and links to every level of PD the software provides. My website has a much more comprehensive layout and explanation of the software’s PD. With some of the software, I list the time commitment and any other requirements necessary to complete the program.

If there are any resources you use in your classroom that I missed or that didn’t make the list please let me know through an email or on social media and I will make sure to add them to the list.

https://bit.ly/ednewsstandmcbc - Resource Website

https://bit.ly/edNewsstand2021 - Newsletter

Raindrop.io is a really nice digital bookmarking site. The extension is very intuitive if you've used other digital bookmarks before, the resource works as an extension in any web browser, on any mobile device, and a downloadable app on any computer platform. The layout of the website can be anything from functional to beautiful, you can change the icons on your collections, and you can add any file from your computer into any collection. Raindrop.io is a wonderful resource and a resource I think you'll really like.  

Weekly Newsletter

Evernote is an online note-taking and digital bookmarking website that syncs across all devices. Save websites, images, audio, scan documents, upload PDFs, and take notes any way that works for you. You can also document all of the important resources in one note, tag them in a group, or put them into their own notebook. Lightning-fast searches, app integrations with Google, Microsoft, and Slack, and a rich text editor make Evernote the go-to resources to keep you organized. Three tiers of features to fit everyone's needs.  Find out more by clicking on the links below:  

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/edNewsstand2021

Website: https://evernote.com

Diigo is a social bookmarking site that allows you to tag and group articles for better organization. You can annotate websites and PDFs by highlighting passages or adding notes. Also, add articles, annotations, and notes to an outline for more organized and comprehensive research. Finally, share and collaborate easily by creating groups of websites, PDFs, images, or outlines for your family, class, team, or district. 

Diigo Newsletter

Pocket and Instapaper are two very similar digital bookmarking tools. Both resources allow you to save full website articles, videos, and other resources to read or watch later. You can take notes within the articles, share out the resources, and discover other resources curated for you based on your interests. There are subtle differences between the two resources explored in this podcast.

https://www.pocket.com 

https://www.instapaper.com 

Newsletter: bit.ly/edNewsstand2021

Toby is an extension for your browser that will organize and store your bookmarks into collections. You can easily open a collection with one click and share collections with your team or organization. Toby is one of the easiest and most useful organizational extensions you can install and use within your browser.  

Newsletter: bit.ly/edNewsstand2021

Symbaloo has two unique features when it comes to creating online bookmarks. First, Symbaloo organizes its bookmarks in a grid. However, that grid can be all about one subject or the grid can be organized according to smaller subjects within a larger theme of the bookmark's webmix.   

Symbaloo also allows educators to create learning paths for their students based on resources and material they've curated personally or from around the internet. The resources can be websites, documents, videos, or information embedded right in the mix. The learning paths allow students choice in how they move through the material and get from the start to the end of the learning path. Giving students a path to their learning gives them power and choice with the material.

edNewsstand Newsletter

One of the most powerful and used online bookmarking tools is Wakelet. If you are familiar with Pinterest, Wakelet is similar to Pinterest in that you can create different collections in Wakelet the same way you can create different boards in Pinterest. However, with Wakelet, you can save anything you find on the internet from websites, to videos, PDFs. tweets, songs, and more. You can also take all of those resources and put them into a beautiful collection that is arranged to build stories through text, images, bookmarks, or other apps. The podcast provides you a lot of resources to get started using Wakelet if you are new to the platform. The podcast contains walkthroughs for curating a set of resources within Wakelet. I will show you how to use the Chrome extension new tab feature and how to harness the power of Wakelet Spaces to compartmentalize your online world.