12 Days of Tech Tools

                                                                                       

Welcome to the first of the 12 Days of Tech Tools.  As we approach Christmas break, our goal is that you will take 1, 2, or even all 12 of these tools and begin using them to help you and your students in 2014. 

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On the 12th Day of Tech Tools my ITRT gave to me.......Backing up to the Cloud so I won't worry about a broken flash drive again!

The first set of tools will give you the ability to access your files anywhere you have Internet access.  Gone are the days of leaving your flash drive at school or in your pocket before you wash clothes.  I know of at least two teachers that have had their flash drives “give up the ghost” in the last two weeks.  Don’t let that be you! “The cloud” has remedied our flash drive issues. 

"The cloud" is a term that is thrown around a lot these days.  In simple terms it just means you are not storing things on your local computer.  It is a great option for backing up your files. There are four options listed.  Make sure you look into the details before deciding what is best for you.  Each one has a different amount of storage.  Some of the sites have apps so you can access files on your phone or tablet.  There is not a one size fits all solution. Here are 4 free options.

1. DropBox – 2GB of storage

2. Box – 10GB storage

3. Google Drive – This is available with any Google account, even the county 'gtest' accounts.  

4. SkyDrive - That's right, right here in your school e-mail you have access to cloud backup.  Just click on SkyDrive in the blue bar at the top of the screen.  Then you click the blue addition sign where it says new document.  Choose a file to upload and you have backed up to the cloud!

HAPPY SAVING (backing up)!!!

Dropbox

I thought it was time to showcase Dropbox to our readers as not only a MEGA tool but also a Teaching/Learning Tool. I call Dropbox a MEGA tool for a number of reasons:

• 250MB storage with many ways to earn more FREE storage (see below for an extra 500MB).
• Platform Friendly ...no matter what device you use (PC/Mac/Android/Apple/iPhone/iPad/Droid/Blackberry).
• Syncs at all times on all devices!

Extra Handouts
Think about a place online for your class that is just for extra copies of handouts for students that lose their paper copy or are absent on the day you hand it out. By sharing the folder with your students they can access it anytime. And since most students all have cell phones now...they could also now access your study guide handouts on their phone to review for today's test!
Homework
Shared folders can also be used as homework drops too for students. Forget receiving 30+ emails for one class assignment. Have your students 'drop' it in the class project folder and be done! Dropbox will time stamp it so you will know exactly when each assignment was submitted.
Presentations
And finally, use Dropbox as a place for students or for yourself to load PowerPoint files or other large presentation files that won't fit as an attachment or on a flash-drive  If everyone loads their files into the same project folder then class presentations will breeze by without each student having to login/logout of their own accounts. 

Contact your ITRT if you'd like help getting started using Dropbox. We'd be happy to help you! Use this link to get an EXTRA 500MB of STORAGE when you install Dropbox on your desktop.

Presentations that POP!

This week I'm working with a group of students that requested alternatives to PowerPoint. This sliderocket presentation offers three new vaccines to prevent Death by PowerPoint. Also take a minute to see this Prezi Perspective: Moving Beyond Slides or this short Louisa Cares example I made using the cloud-based software 280 slides.