A Powerful Combo: Notability and Google Drive

It had been over 15 years since I'd been in an Algebra 2 classroom. Until yesterday. 

I've wanted to see how Ryan Pingrey conducts his math class for most of the year. Last summer, Ryan attended several of our Google sessions to see how to utilize Google docs in his math classes. You could tell the wheels were spinning when he saw the great collaborative features that Google offers as well as the convenience of online access. He also saw great potential in his new iPad. Yesterday, I was able to see how it all came together. 

I knew that Ryan had a lot of his math content on Google Drive. And I also knew that he liked the Notability app for its Google integration as well the ability to annotate documents. But it was so impressive to see it in action. Here's a snapshot of how he puts it all together:

1. The math curriculum is available as a PDF. Ryan starts out by accessing the PDFs and pulling the content he wants to use. He then moves it into his Google account. This piece is important because it enables him to pick and choose what content he wants for each lesson.
2. Next comes Notability ($1.99 in the App Store). This versatile app lets you access your Google content from inside the app. Ryan pulls up that lesson on his iPad through Notability.
3. Ryan uses Airserver to mirror his iPad through his data projector. It's a great little program and pretty inexpensive. Read this post if you want more info on Airserver. Basically, he can now teach from anywhere in the room. Great for classroom management. 
4. Now the students can see the lesson materials on the SMARTboard. The second feature of Notability that Ryan loves is the ability to annotate. He can quickly write equations, draw graphs, or anything else directly on the document. Notability allows you to pinch and zoom (which was great because I was sitting in the back of the room; my eyes aren't what they used to be).
5. At this point, Ryan has a documented record of what he's taught on the file. But that's not it. When he's done, Ryan can send that document right back into his Google account as a PDF. Because he has multiple sections of the same class, Ryan can open the same lesson from his Google account for the next class and save a copy from that class as well. A great way to keep record of what you've done with each group of students. 
6. Of course, because all of this process is on the iPad, Ryan can quickly move from Notability to any other app or web browser in order to access other information on the fly.

Seems like a lot, right? But think of the possibilities. Ryan told me that he prepares a few lessons at a time. Like anything, it's important not to try to rework an entire year's worth of material at a time. By the end of this year, he has next year canned and ready to go. And making chances is easy. Just open up that lesson and modify it to meet the needs of that particular class. 

As you can see, powerful teaching can take place with the combination of a few free and inexpensive apps. I'm always impressed with the methods that teachers come up with to deliver instruction. Ryan is an awesome example of that process. Thank you, Ryan, for sharing your knowledge with us!

App Review: Penultimate

Another great release from Evernote, although it's not a new release. There are lots of folks out there who really, really want to write notes by hand on their iPad. I am not one of those people, so it's not something that I've been stressing about. There are a lot of good apps that let you write on the screen. Skitch (by Evernote) would be a good example. But Penultimate is a good option, and a free one, I might add. 

First off, it's a good looking app. Which definitely counts. You'll want to create an Evernote account if you haven't already done so. Once you have Penultimate downloaded to your iPad, you'll be able to sign in to your Evernote account to link the apps. First, you have the ability to create multiple notebooks. When you open a notebook, the app automatically orients to portrait mode. Now you are ready to create.


Let's look at the features. There is the ability to change the background paper. You can choose from graph paper, lined, plain, or shop for other options. From there, you'll see a lot of the same functionality as you get with Skitch. You can insert an image from your camera roll or take one with the embedded camera feature. Easily resize the image by dragging the corners and move it anywhere on the page with a swipe of your finger. You can also rotate it with a twist. However, it only sticks in 90 degree increments - kind of a pain. And here's the funkier part (is funkier a word?). Once you drop the image, it's stuck there. You can't easily pick it up and move it to another location. Go figure.


The writing function is straightforward. You can choose from ten different colors and vary the thickness of the line. Then write. The eraser erases. The scissors needs work. As I'm playing around here, sometimes it cuts and sometimes it crashes. When I was on it earlier this week, I was able to cut out parts of the page and move it around. Not so much right now. I should put in a work order to Evernote to check that out.


When you have your notes completed, there are many options to choose from. Because it's an Evernote product, it syncs and sends your notebooks to your Evernote app. Then you can manage the Penultimate notebooks just like you would an Evernote notebook. You can also save pages to the camera roll, email, or open in another app.

That's about it. If you are a heavy writer, then this might not be the app for you. I hear from my handwriting-crazy colleagues that there are better ones like GoodNotes. But if you want something simple that you can use to take simple notes or annotate images, then give Penultimate a try. At the very least, it won't cost you much. 

Airserver Part II

Airserver is a great way to display your iPad through your projector. If you missed my earlier post about this software, visit the post here. Because we've had some time with it now, we are learning some valuable lessons about how to deploy it more efficiently. Maybe you can learn from what we've seen. 

Airserver has been spreading like wildfire through Columbia Public Schools over the last month. Teachers have seen just what a valuable tool it is. However, that has caused a few growing pains. So here are a few tips to make your Airserver experience less stressful.

• Purchase the commercial license - It's a bit more expensive, $3.99 per computer. But in a school setting, it's much easier to manage. Here's the problem we've seen. Teachers have jumped on the opportunity to buy the software. They purchase a personal license and then install it on multiple computers. But like all districts, computers get swapped out, moved, reimaged. So the teacher doesn't retract that license before the computer gets removed and the license goes with it. And it's hard to know where each of those licenses are unless you keep a detailed spreadsheet. If you go commercial, Airserver gives you one unique activation code that you can use multiple times. That makes it much easier to manage. 
• Keep a detailed spreadsheet - If you went commercial, it's simple. Keep a record of which computers have the software. If you went personal, you need to record which license went on which computer. You might also want to mark the computers with a sticker so you can remember to pull the license when it's time for that computer or teacher to move on. 
• Retract your activation code to reuse it - We've been successful through two ways. First, you can uninstall Airserver, making the activation code ready to use on your next computer. Or you can run this script:  "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\AirServer\AirServer\AirServerConsole" to keep the software on the computer, but use the activation code elsewhere. If you are running a 32 bit computer, then remove the (x86).
• Use a passcode - There are great activities for mirroring more than one iPad on your screen. Students can show their responses all at the same time. But unless you are using it specifically for that type of activity, then you should probably put a password on so others can't "accidentally" hijack your computer.
• Shutdown Airserver when you aren't using it - This issue has popped up because of the heavier usage. Some teachers have said that other iPads have appeared on their screen. Because it uses Bonjour, it's a good idea to shut it down when you aren't using it to eliminate unnecessary chatter on your wireless network. 

Hopefully those tips can help you out in your deployment. It's a wonderful tool which I would argue is essential to teaching effectively with the iPad. Let me know if you have any questions or tips on how you are using it. 

App Review: Class Dojo

Class Dojo has been around for awhile. Many teachers I've worked with over the last year have used it for various purposes. If you are new to Class Dojo, it's essentially a program that allows you to track progress, behavior, participation, etc, through a points system. Class Dojo is web-based, so you can access your account from anywhere. Here's how to get started.

Visit Class Dojo's website or app. You'll need to create your account first. Remember to write down your password. Once you have your account created, you can go in and add classes and assign students to each class. Unique avatars can be added to the students to add a bit of flavor. Finally, you need to customize the behaviors you would like to monitor. You can add positives (hard work, on-task, participation) and negatives (talking, off-task, unprepared). I'll have more thoughts about this piece later.

Time to start class. Open up your class on your iPad and you'll see all your students and their avatars. All you have to do is choose a student and select the behavior. If it's a positive, a green number will appear. If it's a negative, then it's red. Simple as that.

Now some thoughts on how to use it. Teachers will find different uses based on grade level and content area. On a surface level, you could use it for monitoring behavior. However, there is no need to include negatives if you don't want them. Focus on the positives. Or you can use it to identify great questions, clarifying responses, connections, or predictions. And the age of the students doesn't matter. I've heard from high school teachers who use Class Dojo for their socrative seminars and kindergarten teachers who use it to monitor center time.

Display is another thing to consider. I've heard from teachers who have their Class Dojo displayed on the SmartBoard for students to view. You can be logged in to the iPad app and have the web version displayed through the projector. When you add/subtract points on the iPad, it changes on the computer as well. But displaying the Dojo is another personal decision that would depend on the purpose. Personally, I wouldn't display it if I was monitoring behavior. I don't see the need for that. But if we were focusing on discussion skills, then I think it would make sense. 

Finally, there are some great options for sharing the class data. From the web version, you can enter parent email addresses alongside the students. Class Dojo sends the parent a request to join the class. A login is created by the parent so he or she can view the child's report at any time. It also shows a breakdown, not just a number total. So you can see that Billy had 5 points for questions, 2 for hard work, but lost 1 for being unprepared. Great job, Billy. We all have ups and downs.  

Overall, the app is easy to use and has some great potential when matched to your teaching goals. Try it out for awhile and then determine if you want to open it up to parents. It's always easy to add access instead of taking it away. 

Forget "the New iPad". Go Mini

So I've had an iPad2 for about a year and half. It's great. Mobile, powerful, multi-functional. Everything I thought I'd want in a tablet. But then our team received iPad Mini's to review just before winter break. Now I'm not sure where the old iPad is because it means nothing to me now. The Mini has taken over all my needs. 

Now before you say that the new mini must be a system upgrade, let me tell you the stats. The iPad2 I was using was 32 gig with 3G capability. The Mini is 16 gig, wifi only. Because I am usually in wireless zones at work and home, losing 3G wasn't an issue. In fact, I never signed up for any data plan on the old iPad. I was a bit concerned about losing half my storage capabilities when I moved to the Mini. But that hasn't been an issue. 

We've only deployed 16 gig iPads to our teachers and schools. There are usually between 120 and 160 apps on the iPads I help deploy to our schools. Space has not been a problem. Personally, I loved the need to start over on my work iPad. When I set up the Mini, I was able to only install the apps that I use the most, not the hundred others that I thought would be cool but don't use regularly. With my work, I demo a lot of apps for teachers. Apple's Cloud fits my needs perfectly here. If I need an app, I visit my purchased content and install it. Then I can delete it if necessary. At this point, I have 4.8 gig of storage left on the Mini. And that includes 159 songs.

The size of the Mini is perfect. I can fit the Mini into my coat pockets quite easily. It's so thin, even in a case. And the screen size isn't an issue. In fact, it's not a lot smaller than the full sized iPad. It didn't take me long to start thinking that the normal iPad was too big. The first thought I have when I pick up an iPad2 now: it's so huge. 

The most surprising aspect of my switch as been with typing. On the iPad2, I was always a one finger typist. Inefficient, yes, but it got the job down. With the Mini, I'm splitting the keyboard and using the dual-thumb approach, or the "teenage-girl texting method". Because of my demographic, I can't compete with your junior high daughter. But I'm getting better. In fact, I think I'm faster in the end because I'm not trying to go quickly. 

Other features that are superior on the Mini:

• The Mini's camera is much better: 5mp back camera with full HD
• 1024x768 screen resolution. It's not retina display, but it allows better pixels per inch than the full sized iPad2. It's noticeably crisper.
• Siri
• It's less expensive: $309 if you are buying ten-packs for schools

Everywhere I go, teachers ask my opinion when they see the Mini. My answer is always the same: go with a Mini for students, no question about it. It's a perfect size for the little hands of elementary students and for the mobile needs of secondary students. Teachers might be a different because, well, teachers are different. But the majority of teachers who already have iPads have said they would prefer the Mini. 

Basically, I'm over the "New iPad". Go Mini. 

App Review: Pixntell

Ever use Photostory to make video projects with students? If not, you need to. Just in case you aren't familiar with Photostory, it's free software for combining pictures and narration into a video. Finally, there is a great app to create similar projects, all on your iPad. It's called Pixntell, and you should download it immediately because it's free and awesome. 

Pixntell is very easy to use. You create a new project and name it. Then you can add images. Students can take pictures from inside the app. Images can also be added from your camera roll. Choose up to five images per project with the free version. The images will appear on your project screen. You can even perform some editing of those images similar to what you'd find in Instagram. Choose "next". This is where you can add narration. Press the microphone button to start recording. When you are ready to switch slides, swipe left or right to move to the next slide. You can go backwards to revisit slides. When you are finished, choose the option to save your project. And that's it. Videos can be exported to Dropbox, Facebook, YouTube or through email.

Now that's the description of the free version. For $.99, you can upgrade to pro. The pro version will let you add more than five images. You can also create custom slides that include text. Those are great features, but probably not something you have to purchase. 

Pixntell is a great app. I'm really glad that I found it. It's easy to use and the instructional possibilities are endless. Check it out. 

App Review: MyOn Reader

This year, our school district purchased the online reading program called MyON Reader. Basically, it's a database of electronic books that students can read online or download to a mobile device to read locally. Students are loaded into classes and teachers can assign books, create book groups, and monitor reading activity. In theory, it's a really nice setup. I say "in theory" because we are just starting to learn how to use it. But I'm only going to focus on the iPad app for this post.

So let's just assume that a teacher is a MyON expert. He or she has all students enrolled in the class, book groups are created based on reading ability, and book sets are created to assign to specific book groups based on interest and levels. Students log in to a computer and can access the content that is designated for them. So it only stands to reason that when a student picks up an iPad to access the app, he or she would be able to do the same. Wrong.

There is none of the functionality you would expect in the app. You can access thousands of books through the app. But students won't see their reading groups, don't have access to assigned book sets, and worst of all, have no good way to search for books that are suited to their instructional level. Inside the app, you find and download books based on a "visual search". You choose a category, such as animals, then choose from more specific categories. Once the books are found, you choose the book that most interests you. Except you don't know the reading level until you choose the book. And as a parent of a kindergartner in the district, I find it a bit annoying that I have to continually hunt to find a book that would fit his needs. 

Now, my favorite media specialist/English teacher who sits behind me would argue that those features don't matter. All that matters is the access to reading materials. We are going to agree to disagree on this one. In my elementary world, it's important that I direct students to reading materials that are developmentally and instructionally appropriate. Right now, the MyON app doesn't do it for me. 

I can only imagine that MyON is currently working on this issue. I find it almost unbelievable that they would have so much functionality on their website, but not on the app. With so much computing going to the tablet format, MyON really needs to get these changes applied so they can continue to serve the needs of students and teachers.