Classroom App (Apple)

Are you an educator who is hesitant about handing out those laptops or tablets to kids during class time? Well, you are not the only educator that is like this, and understandably so. There are two fundamental issues with cutting the tablets/laptops loose to the kids. First, the risk of damage towards expensive classroom material. Secondly, and most importantly, the kids would just goof off doing unrelated work with the devices. The following graphic depicts how long an average child should be able to focus on the same task.

Source: Studydog.com

Well... you must be thinking, "I thought this was a pro-tech education blog. Why are there arguments that may actually be against a greater use of technology in the classroom?".

However, I would use these arguments to support a specific educational technology called the Classroom App by Apple. Frankly, regardless of whatever task you are doing with your students, their listed "concentration time" above will still probably apply. I believe in the Classroom App and the usage of iPads because using these devices could make your students more engaged, leading them to reaching the upper echelons of the "concentration times" listed above. For example, an 8 year old having fun with an assignment on an iPad may concentrate for 40 minutes. On the contrary, when a teacher lecture is given, the same 8 year old may only have a concentration period of 16 minutes. 

So why the Classroom App?

I recommend the classroom app because of the vast number of co-op tools it provides, and sadly, it's big-brother like monitoring tools. 

Source: https://www.apple.com/education/teaching-tools/

As a teacher, you can remotely create assignments and group projects. In fact, you can even create groups using your teacher device. In terms of monitoring and making sure your students stay on task, the classroom app provides screen monitoring for every student tablet. There are many more tools to be discovered within this app and I encourage you to watch this demo.

You can also read the teachers' guide for the Classroom App here.

Costs

I understand that cutting-edge technology is usually not very cheap, especially Apple products. However, I believe technology is an investment worth investing in because students will become so much more engaged in classwork. I can honestly still remember the middle/elementary school days when my friends and I would get super excited if the teacher rolled in a computer cart into our classroom. As long as the devices are maintained in good condition, they could be used for many years to come, perhaps even cutting down on costs for other supplies. 

For your convenience, you can find the Apple hardware/software price lists for US institutions here. 

URLs:

Apple Teaching Tools:

https://www.apple.com/education/teaching-tools/

Video Demo of Classroom App:

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/education/2018/58294786_e60e_42db_be00_20b3c18747da/films/classroom-app/education-classroom-app-cc-us-20180124_1280x720h.mp4

Classroom App teachers' guide:

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/education/2018/58294786_e60e_42db_be00_20b3c18747da/films/classroom-app/education-classroom-app-cc-us-20180124_1280x720h.mp4

Apple hardware/software price lists for US institutions:

https://www.apple.com/education/pricelists/pdfs/US-EDUCATION-INSTITUTION-Price-List-07-19-2018.pdf

Garageband!

Apples GarageBand has been updated for Macs and iOS devices.

And now, the video lessons are FREE in this latest update.

I know of at least three, well-known, Hawaiian professional performers who build their own backup band, both Composing and Performing onstage with GarageBand plugging their laptop into the sound system.

Over the years GarageBand has attracted many famous performers/musicians/singers/composers to contribute features to the GarageBand software.  Many of the loops are by your favorite musicians/performers.

Compose new music. Transpose for other instruments. Create NEW music.  Build your Podcast using audio/midi hardware you already own. 

Apple's Garage band can add instrumental accompaniment to your otherwise solo performance.  

Many professional singers and instrumental soloists use GarageBand to add an unseen Band backup.

Here is the Announcement from Macworld.com about the cost-free Artist Lessons just released in the newest GarageBand update:

<https://www.macworld.com/article/3283243/macs/garageband-10-3-update-makes-artist-lessons-free-and-adds-1-000-new-loops.html>

Added information:

History of Appleʻs GarageBand

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GarageBand>

The current version of GarageBand for Macs and iOS.

<https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/>

Donʻt have a Mac or iOS device?  Hereʻs your intro to GarageBand for your PC:

<https://windows10helps.com/garageband-for-pc-download-garageband-for-windows-10-8-7-latest-edition/>

Or, Google ʻGarageBand for PCʻ for other 3rd party solutions for getting Apples GarageBand onto your PC.

If you are a new or practicing musician/singer, and you arenʻt using GarageBand, you should take a hard look at this software.

By: Bill Martin

Do you think you got what it takes to be a developer? Learn by applying the DevOps theory!

It is a common misconception that a person can only become a software developer through the expensive college education systems of America. This can be very discouraging for many, but the purpose of this article is to put any of those fallacies to rest. The belief that a college education is the only way software developers are bred cannot be any further from the truth because there are so many cheap, or maybe even free educational resources for software development. It is now up to YOU, a fortunate citizen of this era, where there are endless low-cost educational resources available simply at the discretion of your laptop, to take advantage of this great opportunity.

Your guide to becoming a DevOps engineer starts with these six online courses
URL shared by Win Straube

The above link is an amazing article by Mashable regarding DevOps and computer software development. You may be confused at this point about DevOps, so I found a short summary which explains the purpose of DevOps. If the text in the image below is too small, click here.

Source: What is DevOps?

The image/source above provides background information regarding DevOps. However, the Mashable article actually discusses the key principles of DevOps (recommended read after the "What is DevOps" reading). 

At the end of the Mashable article, it provides an essential low-cost educational tool. For around $13 or so, a newbie like you can purchase a, "Pay What You Want DevOps Bundle" to start training to become a DevOps developer. 

As a software development enthusiasts, YOU have all the resources at your discretion. Take control and start your training now!

Cheers!

Put a dazzle on your lessons with Infogram!

Many would say that every lesson's most essential element is the content and that the dazzle should always come last. In school, students are told to complete a powerpoint first then mess with font/designs last. However, I beg to differ. I believe that the overall presentation is the most essential element of any lesson. How will we even capture an audience's attention without something eye-catching? If the lesson fails to capture the audience's attention, what good is even the best/most meaningful content in the world? 

It is important to understand that being a teacher or a student is difficult and time-consuming in our world today. I often hear of students pulling all-nighters to study or work on a project or teachers finding themselves grading a stack of paper well after their work hours. Due to all of these factors, many students and educators may skip over dazzling a project in order to crunch out the content. 

With technology improving day by day, we should aim to utilize the plethora of free online tools we actually possess! Technology is present so we can do things in a more efficient manner. In terms of dazzle for a presentation, I really recommend Infogram. It allows users to create presentations with both dazzle and content in a timely manner. As a student, I have a basic free account, however, there are many other free and paid options for different types of user.

To put it simply, Infogram is a site with many templates for projects. In my opinion, they are almost always aesthetically pleasing and already pre-made. 

URL: Infogram.com

Enjoy!

Connections Academy!

Connections Academy

Why do I recommend this online tool?: It is an American company and it is tuition-free where supported.

"Connections Academy’s K–12 accredited online public school program is tuition-free and aligned with your state’s educational standards. All required texts and instructional materials are included and provided to all students at no additional cost.”

(It MAY not be in all states!)

Only additional costs are Field Trips and personal study supplies: paper, notebooks, pens, pencils, printer cartridges, etc.

https://www.connectionsacademy.com/

By: Bill Martin

Let's be Innovative! InsertLearning!

As a student, I have always appreciated the teachers that tried their best in being innovative in the classroom with technology. Even though deviation from traditional methods of education may be difficult for the more experienced teachers, I strongly recommend it. In my opinion, having the ability to adapt is the strongest trait for any teacher. The purpose of this blog today is to back up a May 10th posting about "Flipping the Classroom". Well... What do I mean by backing up that posting? Simply, I wanted to share an excellent online tool for educators to utilize in their everyday class preparation. This online tool I am about to share backs up the theory mentioned in the "Flipping the Classroom" posting. 

Insert this into your repertoire of online educational tools: InsertLearning 

This tool is actually quite simple to use and it should save any educator a great deal of time in terms of class preparation. How this tool works is that if a teacher sees an article online that he/she finds worthwhile to share as an educational tool, then he/she can immediately create a worksheet on the spot! 

The most exciting part of using this online tool is that any educator can use this tool free of charge! All that is required is the Chrome browser to be installed. This tool is an extension of the Chrome browser and can be found on the Chrome Web Store or directly from the InsertLearning webpage.

Have fun exploring this new tool!!!

Comparing the basic structures of the German and American Education Systems (Student POV)

To start off, this blog is based off my personal experiences in two German secondary schools and this online article: Demystifying the German educational system.

Over the past school year, I attended a German secondary school and encountered many experiences that are vastly different compared to an American high school. However, from my point of view, both systems have their flaws. The article in the link above is written from a standpoint of an educator and this article is written from a student standpoint.


Source: Demystifying the German educational system

In the United States, the public school system is rather simple. Children typically begin education at the kindergarten level and they attend the public school their municipality offers. Students are not sorted into different schools at any point between first grade and twelfth grade. In addition, institutions of tertiary education within the American education system tend to only evaluate grades in high school (9-12 Grades), therefore grades before ninth grade are technically unessential and it is only a readiness indicator for high school.

In Germany, the system is a bit more complicated. Children within the same municipality do not always attend the same school as one another because they are sorted into different schools based on ability levels beginning in fifth grade. Due to the ability level sort starting at fifth grade, grades actually matter in the long term at a much younger age within the German system.

Contrary to the article, my opinion is that the structure of the American education system is better than the German education system because it essentially allows students to have a clean slate going into high school.

Some people may question why having a clean slate in ninth grade is important, but my answer to this would be because educators need to put students on a fair playing field. Kids mature at different times than one another, especially boys versus girls. The German education system diminishes the potential of students that are simply maturing at a later point in their childhood. This is a major flaw within the German educational system.

In addition to the point regarding maturity, I believe that children between the ages of 9 and 10 are not ready to undertake stress. Some will be pressured by parents to study hard and to forget the essentials of being a kid due to the long-term ramifications of being sorted into a lower level school. In my point of view, being a kid is special because it is the one point in your life when you can be carefree, such as having no bills to pay and having very little responsibilities. This only happens once in a lifetime. Within the German educational system, childhood experiences are reduced.

All in all, this is not just a German problem. In general, educational systems around the world have a more similar structure to Germany than the United States. Many Americans take the American education system for granted and fail to realize that America's educational structure is actually very unique relative to the rest of the world. Not every country in the world has an educational environment where children CAN be children.