The ed Newsstand

In this week's episode, I breakdown the similarities and differences between Loom, Screencastify, and Screencast-O-Matic to show you which application might be best for you. This podcast is a full breakdown with all three applications but I've also created videos on my YouTube channel that break down the applications individually.  Each tool has its own benefits and drawbacks. Loom has a lot of good tools and allows for free upgrades for teachers. Screencastify's paid version is robust in its editing and assignment features but the free version only allows for videos of 5 minutes. Screencast-O-Matic's free version allows for 15-minute videos and has great Google integration but not as many tools. I encourage you to review the newsletter and click on each link on my website at ednewsstand.weebly.com to really dig into the resources.

https://www.loom.com 

https://www.screencastify.com 

https://www.screencast-o-matic.com

In this episode, I dive back into the great PDF resource Kami to explore how to use the tool to create brand new PDFs from PDFs you already have. You can split a larger PDF into smaller files or take smaller files and merge them into a larger PDF. Listen to the resources presented, watch the tutorial on my YouTube Channel, and find the links on my website at ednewsstand.weebly.com.

In this episode, I demonstrate the Google Classroom To-Do button that was once available in Google Classroom, was taken away and has now returned to Google Classroom. This is a short podcast demonstrating how teachers can benefit from the To Review button and students can benefit from the To-Do button to stay up to date and organized in their Google Classroom. Listen to the podcast, watch the video on my YouTube channel, and check out the resources from the newsletter on my website at ednewsstand.weebly.com. There's also a great resource slideshow from Sarah Kiefer from Tech You Can Do.

In this episode, I look at five resources from Edtech Emma, Maneuvering the Middle, Ditch that Textbook, Shake Up Learning, and Alice Keeler that will help you better organize your Google Classroom. The resources cover everything from naming conventions to topic organization and a template to help you get the week started right. Listen to the resources presented, watch the tutorial on my YouTube Channel, and find the links on my website at ednewsstand.weebly.com.

There are similar features in Google Earth and Google Tour builder for creating cool presentations about places around the globe. Google Earth also has some games you can play, including Carmen Sandiego. Listen to this week’s podcast to learn more.

You can visit the March 6, 2020 newsletter to learn more and access all the links: https://tinyurl.com/edNewsstand2020

This week I looked at Google Tour Builder. Tour Builder is a web-based tool for storytelling. It’s easy to integrate text, photos, and videos onto Google Maps to create an immersive storytelling experience. You can collaborate with other users and utilize the website for creating a tour of a summer vacation, a book review (lit trip), a tour of your local community or country, animal habitats, geographic biomes, and weather & climate change. You can use the Tour Builder for anything as long as students have a place to mark on the map. When students mark something on the map they can add multiple pictures to their locations and add information about each location with a link (works cited) to where they found the information on the internet. It is a great and easy resource for you to incorporate into your lesson and students into their learning.

You can visit the February 28, 2020 newsletter to learn more and access all the links: https://tinyurl.com/edNewsstand2020

This week's episode provides a walkthrough of Adobe Spark Video. Adobe Spark Video allows you to create quick, presentation style videos with no editing necessary. Spark Video comes fully loaded with several customization options. You can make changes to music, images, text and the layout of your video. There are templates to help you make a video about an idea, tell a simple story, tell an inspirational story, describe something that matters, share a personal growth story, teach a lesson, create an invitation, or start from scratch. If you can make a slideshow then you can easily create an Adobe Spark Video.

You can visit the February 21, 2020 newsletter to learn more and access all the links: https://tinyurl.com/edNewsstand2020

This week's episode provides a walkthrough of Adobe Spark Page. If you want to create a quick, attention-grabbing website, Spark Page doesn’t create the website in a traditional sense, but instead, readers scroll down the site, retrieving information as it scrolls by. Using Spark Page you can design things like Portfolios, Resumes, Presentations, Blog Posts, Photo Galleries, Product Catalog, Newsletter, and more. Spark Page says it creates great magazine-style websites and I would agree. Spark Page is easy to use and can be collaborative for the classroom. 

You can visit the February 14, 2020 newsletter to learn more and access all the links: https://tinyurl.com/edNewsstand2020

The second installment on my introduction to Adobe Spark is this week's podcast episode. This week's episode looks at Adobe Spark Post and all the fun things you can do with the online software. Adobe Spark Post allows you to create various graphics for the web and publications either through templates or from a blank canvas. You can use graphics from Adobe or you can upload your own. Spark Post will help you with complimentary colors and resize your images if you resize your canvas. It is a very versatile software and it's all free. Listen to my tutorial this week or watch the video on my YouTube channel.

You can visit the February 7, 2020 newsletter to learn more and access all the links: https://tinyurl.com/edNewsstand2020

If you are looking for an all-in-one tool to create a webpage, video, or graphic then you've found the right resource. Affordably priced at free, Adobe Spark might be the only classroom tech tool you need. This podcast is a quick introduction telling you about the three parts of Adobe Spark; Post, Page, and Video. There are also descriptions of the Adobe Spark blog and Education Exchange where you can find great resources and inspiration for your students. For links and other resources please visit the newsletter on my website. Next week I will look specifically at Adobe Spark Post and give a broader view of all the tools available.

You can visit the January 31, 2020 newsletter to learn more and access all the links: https://tinyurl.com/edNewsstand2020