Creating on iPad

      Over the past three years, we have learned so much about using iPads in the classroom!  We now use the device for content delivery in eBackpack, for real-time feedback and assessment with apps like Padlet and Socrative, and for communicating with outside experts using Skype, Google Hangouts, and Twitter!  Students are also creating using the iPad.  They use iMovie, Keynote, and Shadow Puppet for presentations and create their own books and comics using Book Creator!  Here are a few more ideas for you to think about over the holidays!

Video Collage and Digital Storytelling
    
     There are so many ways to incorporate these creation activities in the classroom!  Students can create a video collage in iMovie or Shadow Puppet using a series of images.  They can record their own narration along the way and insert subtitles to label important information or terms.  This would be a great way for them to demonstrate their understanding of historical concepts, novels, vocabulary, and more!  Using copy-right free images from the Library of Congress and other sites, students can create powerful movies to show what they know, recreate historical events, and teach their classmates! They can create interactive book talks, commercials, or public service announcements!  They can use images and record themselves reading their original stories or poems, too!

Keynote

     Many people have been using Keynote in their classrooms for presentations, but it can be used for much more!  Because students have Keynote on their devices, teachers can put a slide or presentation into eBackpack, and students can open the file in Keynote on their devices and edit it.  Some teachers have put slides with images on them and students then create their own versions of it.  Perhaps they label a diagram, explain a concept, or point out examples of literary elements.  Students can create animations using the build and magic move tools in Keynote, too.  They can make interesting stories with their own uniquely-created characters.  Keynote could also be used to create post cards with pictures of places important in history.  Students could then send the post card via email or share it in eBackpack and ask their peers to investigate that particular location and to come up with important facts about it.

Aurasma

     Students and teachers can use Aurasma to create a learning wall full of target images that when scanned launch informational videos about the image.  Historical newspapers, primary source photographs, diagrams, math problems, vocabulary words, mentor text book jacket covers, etc. could all be the triggers on the wall that launch student-created iMovies, book talks, PSA's video collages, Doceri whiteboard tutorials, and more!

eBackpack File Sharing

     If your students have created something in digital format, and you would love for other students to be able to see it, you can create a group for the project in eBackpack.  Call it oral history interviews, Book Creator books, or iMovies.  Then, add your students or have them join the group with a code.  In the class settings, turn on "Member File Sharing."  Now students can load files to the group and view other students' work as well.  Be sure to tell students what to name their files so it will be distinguishable among all the other creations. You can also turn on "Member Commenting."  This will enable students to be able to comment on others' work as well.  Since their comments always include their names, it will be simple to see who says what.

Instaweb Webpage to PDF Converter (iPad / iPhone App)

   

      Instaweb is an app for the iPad that will convert any website or article to PDF quickly and easily. The app also allows you to take your newly created PDF and move it to another app, such as eBackpack, Google Drive, Notability, Evernote, and more!

     When you open Instaweb, you are immediately taken to the Google search page.  In the search bar, type in the website you would like to convert.  For example, you can search for Fox News, CNN, etc. For language arts teachers, this also works with Inspire Databases.  When a research article is only available in HTML full text and not PDF, you can create your own PDF.  

      Once you are on the webpage you want, tap in the lower left hand corner on the set of horizontal lines.  This will clean the webpage up and remove ads and other clutter from the page.  Next, tap on PDF in the lower right hand corner.  To get to your newly created document, tap on Files at the bottom of the screen.  Now, when you tap on the PDF you want, you can choose to move the file by tapping on the sharing icon (the box with the arrow up). 

     If you want to organize your PDFs within the app, you can create folders!  While on your Files page, tap on My PDFs.  Now, tap on "Tap to add a new folder."  Name your folder.  If you have some files you'd like to move to a folder, swipe from right to left next to the file.  Tap on the folder icon. Tap on your PDF file, and then tap on the folder in which you'd like your PDF to be saved.

     Instaweb is a great tool to use while gathering materials for students and lessons!  If you didn't grab this awesome app while it was free, email me, Angie Smith, and I will arrange to get it for you!

Real Time Collaboration in Pages and Word Online

For those of us who have loved the real-time online collaboration that Google Docs has offered us,we now have additional tools we can use for the same results!  Once an iPad is updated to iOS 10, and Pages is also updated, students can collaborate in real time on their devices!  This is an wonderful feature for which many of us have been waiting a very long time!  Although it is an AWESOME upgdate to Pages, there is one drawback.  The person who creates the original document to share must have iCloud storage available.  Many students and teachers have limited or no iCloud storage space, so that is going to be a challenge.  The good news is that only the person who originally creates the document needs to have the space.  The collaborators do not have to have iCloud storage available.

To start collaborating in Pages on the iPad, start a new document (or open an existing one) and tap in the upper right hand corner on the three dots.  Tap on "Collaborate With Others."  Tap continue and then choose how you would like to send the invitation to your collaborators.  Email is a great option! Type in the email addresses of the people you want to share with, and send the invite!  Once a collaborator receives the email, all he or she needs to do is tap on the link in the email.  That link will open the document in Pages, and the collaboration can begin!  It will be important for everyone to have a chance to practice, as collaborating on a document in real time can be a challenge.  Giving each person his or her own space on the document helps a lot!

In addition to real-time online collaboration in Pages, we can also collaborate in Word online.   Students need to login to their Office 365 account. They can use the webclip on their iPads or go through Safari.  Beneath where it says Collaborate with Office Online, they will need to click on Word. Be sure to tell them not to click on Open Now to open and work in the app.  To collaborate online in real-time, they need work in their browser, not the app.Now they can start the document by choosing New Blank Document. When they are ready to share, they simply tap Share. Now they begin to type in the name of the person with whom they would like to share. Names will start to pop up as they type. They should select the person with whom they would like to share. Then hit share again at the bottom of the screen. The invited person will receive an email with a link to the document.  They should click on the link and choose to edit in Word Online.

Real-time collaboration brings many awesome possibilities into the classroom!

Aurasma

           

          Aurasma is an exciting tool to use in the classroom! This app / website allows you to create interactive images in just three steps. When users open the Aurasma app, they simply hold their device over the printed image, and they are suddenly taken to videos, PDFs, and websites! Students can hold their device over a picture of a math problem and watch it come alive with directions on how to work through it. Then, they can double tap the screen to be taken to a website where they can practice with the skill. Students can scan a picture of a polar bear and suddenly find themselves watching a video of a polar bear running on ice. The best part is that students can create these “auras” too!

          To begin, we will start with the website. Go to: https://studio.aurasma.com/home. Sign up for a free account.You will probably want to set up a username and password that are simple and generic so that your students can login and use the account as well. Your username will be how parents and others can follow your account, so you might want to make it something easy to remember. To be sure you get access to all the awesome features, click on My Account in the upper right hand corner. Under Account Administration, click on Enable Features. Click the box where it says Web Overlays and then click Upgrade. This is completely free. Now you are ready to create an Aura.

1. In the upper right hand corner, click on the plus sign next to where it says Create New Aura.

2. Click on the plus sign to upload a new trigger image. This is the image that you plan to print (that students will scan to launch the video). You can take a picture with your iPad and airdrop it to your Mac or download from the internet! Name the image, and choose BROWSE to get the picture from your files. Once you have your trigger image chosen, click Save. Then, click next.

3. Now you will choose your Overlay. This is the video or PDF or website that will appear on top of the trigger image. Once you have chosen the video, click save. If you’d like, you can add more actions to the Aura. In the box to the right, click Add Actions. Under where it says When Overlay is tapped, click on Add Action. Now you can add a URL that will take students to a website. Just paste the URL in the box. Then, click SAVE. 

4. Now you are ready to share with students! Click Save in the upper right hand corner. Then, click share. Now your aura is ready to be viewed! 

Parents and others can view your Auras by downloading the app (Android and iPhone) and searching for your username. Once they find you, they simply need to follow you. Once this happens, anytime you print a trigger image or post one, users will be able to experience the aura. The Aurasma app can be found in the app portal on student iPads. Creating an Aura on the iPad is just like doing it on the web. It will be easier if students all use the same login and password ( the username and password you used to set up the account). This way, they can add their own auras and view others. 

To create an Aura on iPad: 

1. Click on the plus sign in the upper right hand corner to create a new aura. 

2. Take the photo of the image you want to be your trigger image. 

3. Now choose your overlay (video). 

4. Share.

Aurasma makes it easy to create amazing images in just a few short, simple steps! 

Overlays can be videos from Doceri, iMovie, or the camera roll. Teachers can download videos to their Mac or Pc and use those videos as overlays in their Auras. The possibilities are truly endless!

Panorama 360

Teachers, are you planning a summer vacation trip to the Grand Canyon, Washington D.C., or New York City?  Now you can bring those experiences back to the classroom and to your students in the fall.  Using an iPad app called Panorama 360, you can take 360 degree pictures of the sites you visit and upload them to the Panorama 360 site.  You will then be given a URL to your pictures.  That URL can be placed in an iBooks Author Book or a Nearpod Presentation to create a virtual field trip for your students!  Virtual field trips are becoming more and more popular with the use of tools such as Google Cardboard, Nearpod, and more.  Now you can use Panorama 360 to create your own customized field trips.  To get started:

1. On your MacBook, go to https://bookry.com and set up a free account if you don’t already have one.
2. At the top of the screen, go to Author Tools, and choose to start a new book or simply open a book you have already created.
3. Name the book (if you have created a new one) and click create. You are only creating a book to have somewhere to store the widget you are going to create. So, don’t stress about the name!
4. On the right hand side, click on Add Widget.
5. Choose the 360 PanoramaWidget.
6. Now, go to your iPad and download the 360 Panorama app from the app store ($1.99).
7. Use the app to take your 360 degree photo.
8. Once you've finished taking your photo, you will need to touch the 'Upload' button and upload your photo. (You will need to create an account the first time you do this).
9. When your upload has finished you can now touch 'View my panorama'. This will open your panorama in Safari. Write down the URL of the photo listed at the top of the screen.
10. Go back to your MacBook to the Bookry website and the 360 Panorama page.
11. Type in the URL of the photo into the box where it says Panorama link. 12. Click Save.
13. Now, click Download.
14. Open your iBooks Author book.
15. Open Finder and go to Downloads to find the new widget you just made.
16. Once you find the new widget, drag it onto your page in iBooks Author. At this point, you might want to edit the caption and title above the widget.

That’s it! You now have a Virtual Field Trip widget in your iBooks Author book for students! If you want to use the field trip in a NearPod presentation, choose to add content from the web. In the box that pops up, type your photo’s URL. Now students can experience the field trip in multiple places!

Technology Newsletters

 

Below you will find past issues of the NWCS Tech Tidbits Newsletters. We hope you find them helpful!

September 2014

October 2014

November 2014

December 2014

January 2015

October 16, 2015

October 30, 2015

November 30, 2015

December 11, 2015

January 2016

February 2016

March 2016

April 2016

May 2016

October 2016

November 2016

December 2016

February 2017

March 2017

Time to Reflect and Celebrate!

iBooks Author

   

     If you are looking for an engaging way to package your lesson materials and resources for students, iBooks Author is a fantastic option!  iBooks Author is a free tool for the MacBook that allows you to create awesome interactive iBooks that include your class materials.  An iBook doesn't have to be long.  Many teachers create an iBook for a unit of study!
     To get started, you first need to identify the unit of study you'd like to use for the book.  Think of the way you have your digital files saved to your computer.  You probably have folders that include materials for one particular topic.  That folder of materials can now be put into an interactive iBook that includes Word or Pages documents, PDFs, images, videos, hyperlinks, interactive quizzes, an interactive glossary with study cards, and more.
     Once you have an idea in mind, to get started with the book, you will need to download iBooks Author on your MacBook by going to the app store.  In the search bar in the upper right hand corner, search for iBooks Author. Once it appears on the screen, click Get to download to your device.
While iBooks Author is downloading to your Mac, pick up your iPad and go to iTunes U.  Open the app and go to the upper left hand corner and tap on the plus sign.  Choose to enroll in a course.  Enter the following code:  DMD-TYP-ARB.  This will enroll you in a course called iBooks Author.  It is a course I put together solely for the purpose of getting an instructional iBook to you.  Once you have enrolled in the course, tap on the materials icon at the bottom of the screen.  An iBook will appear in the upper right hand corner.  Tap the cloud with the arrow to download the book to your iPad.
     The book you just downloaded has everything you need to get started with iBooks Author.  In it, you will find video tutorials to walk you through the tools and options in iBooks Author.  It will also walk you through the creation of a book.  You won't even need to read the text if you watch the videos because they include the same information.  You can watch the video tutorials on your iPad while you work on your Mac to create a book!  Rewind and re-watch as many times as necessary!
     The most important thing to remember when working with iBooks Author is to be patient.  It is a new tool, and it takes a little time to get comfortable with it!  Be patient with yourself and iBooks Author.  It will be well worth it in the end!  By the time you finish your first book, you will be ready to start a second one, and the process will be so much faster!
   

Post-it Note App for iPad

If you are an avid Post-it note user like me, this free app is for you! The app will allow you to take a picture of a group of Post-it Notes (or generic sticky notes . . . they all work) and create a board with them.You can drag and drop them into any type of order, category, or group.You can add new Post-its to the board (handwritten or typed), and you can rename the board and share it with others! They can then edit their own version of the board. In this way, the boards can be somewhat collaborative in nature. There are so many possibilities with this app!Think of all the ways we use Post-its in our classrooms and in our meetings! Now, we can take those Post -its, use the app to capture them, and have them in an editable, digital format on our iPads. To get started, just go to the app store on your iPad and search for Post-it Plus.

Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. On the main screen that opens in the app, you will choose to Capture a New Board.
2. Your screen will then open your camera. Position the screen so that you can view all of your Post-its.
3. Push and hold on the camera icon at the side of the screen. This will take a photo of the sticky notes.
4. When you are finished, at the bottom of the screen, tap Create Board.  Your Post-its will now be brought onto a digital board.
5. Tap on the board and options will appear above it. You can choose to align your Post-its in different ways. Tap and hold on a Post-it to drag it somewhere else on the board. Tap on a Post-it to enlarge it so you can see it better.
6. In addition to moving the current Post-its, you can also add another Post-it to the board by tapping on the white page with the plus sign next to it in the upper right hand corner of the screen. A new Post-it will appear, and you can change the pen color and Post-it color at the bottom of the screen. If
you tap on the keyboard icon, it will allow you to type on the Post-it. Tap Add in the upper right hand corner when you are finished. Drag the new Post-it wherever you’d like!
7. In the upper right hand corner, you will see an orange camera. Tap on it to take a picture of another collection of Post-its. They will then be added to the same board in a different “group”. You can combine the sticky notes into one group on the board or move notes from one group to another. This
helps to create categories.
8. To rename a group, simply tap on the board. It will turn orange and your options will appear at the top. Tap on Rename Group.
9. To share a board, tap on the box with the arrow up in the upper right hand corner. Tap on Share Board and you can Air Drop or open the board in another app. If you email from this option, recipients will not be able to edit the board. They will receive a PDF version of it to view only. You can choose to save the image to your camera roll here as well. This would allow you to upload the board to eBackpack.
10. If you want to email the board to someone so that they can edit it, when you tap the sharing icon (the box with the arrow up), choose Export Board.  Then, choose the format (Post-it Plus Board Export). Tap on Choose Destination. Next, select mail and email it to the person of your choice.
They will then be able to open and edit the board in the app.

This app is so very helpful to have on your iPad. Now, when your class creates a brainstorming list or you have a chart of Post-its created in a meeting, everyone can have digital, editable version on their iPad!  And you don't have to find a place to store the chart for later use!  It is always available on your iPad!

Apple Distinguished Educator: One Best Thing Series

One Best Thing 

          If you are looking for great resources for the classroom,  look no further than the iBooks app on your iPad.  A group of trained and talented teachers called Apple Distinguished Educators have been writing short iBooks about their favorite digital tools in the classroom.  These books have been put into a collection called One Best Thing.  The books are typically around 25 pages, and they include lesson ideas, suggested apps and digital tools, videos, and more.  To access these books,  simply open your iBooks app on the iPad.  Tap on Featured at the bottom of the     screen.  Scroll down toward the middle of the screen, and you will see a section called Popular Categories.  Scroll over until you find Education.  Tap to open it.  Next, scroll down the page until you find the Learning Resources section.  Then, scroll until you see One Best Thing.  You can also search “One Best Thing” in the search bar in iBooks.  The books in this series are separated by subject area. There are books on language arts, math and science, art, music, and media arts, digital citizenship, content creation, assessment, and more!
          Another helpful collection in iBooks is called Lesson Ideas.  Each of the books in this collection identifies one particular digital tool or app.  The book (usually 10 pages or less) then explains what the tool or app is, how to use it, and proceeds to provide ideas for using the app with students in the classroom.  To get to this collection, go to the Popular Categories section again on the Featured page in iBooks.  Scroll to Education.  Scroll across the top featured books and collections until to find Lesson Ideas.
In the Education category, you will also find a section called For Educators.  In this section, you will find both of the collections we just discussed as well as books on teaching with iPads, tools for formative assessment, digital literacy, accessibility, and special education.  These books are so short but so beneficial!  You can sit down and read for 20 minutes and walk away with  a number of great new ideas and resources.  They are certainly worth checking out!

iTunes U Collections

          In addition to the One Best Thing Collection in iBooks, there is also an iTunes U collection created by Apple Distinguished Educators.  The collection is called Lessons for the Classroom and contains lessons for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.  Some elementary lessons include:  Learn to Read with iPad, Retelling Story Elements, 3-D Geometry, Getting Buggy with It, Endangered Animals, and more.  A few of the middle school topics include:  Tapping into Digital Media for Storytelling, Figurative Language in Descriptive Wriring, Maximizing Volume, Pythagorean Theorem, etc.  Some of the high school topics include:  To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, Communication in the 21 Century, Beautiful Functions, Using iMovie to Support Content, and more.

          On the featured screen in iTunes U, scroll down to the section called Learning Resources.  Tap on Featured Collections box.  In this collection, you will find collections that include:  The Civil War, Food and Nutrition, Primary Sources, United States History and Politics, Virtual Field Trips, and more.  Each of the collections includes different materials ranging from speeches and photos to iBooks and apps to explore that are related to the topic.

          The Virtual Field Trips collection offers videos of art museums and audio tours, tours, photos, and videos of historic sites, and video and audio tours of national parks in the United States.  In addition, there are also suggested apps for students and teachers.  Apps such as National Parks by National Geographic, Docs Teach, and the Smithsonian. 

          The Primary Sources collection gives users access historic films, documents, and oral histories.  Users can access the Library of Congress vaults to view early films of San Francisco in 1897, videos and photos of American presidents, and much more. Once again this section also provides users with suggested apps such as Docs Teach( National Archives and Records Administration) Congressional Moments, American History, and the Timeline apps for World War I and World War II.  

Creating Contact Lists in Office 365

   

Now that students have their own school email accounts, teachers can create a class list of those emails and send out a group message.  This is particularly helpful on eLearning days when we need to give additional instructions, or we see that a number of students are having similar questions or misunderstandings.  To create a class list of student emails, follow these quick steps below.

1.  Go to the web and login to Office 365.
2.  Click on the icon that says People.
3.  Click on the arrow next to New.
4.  Select Contact List.
5.  Name your list.  You can name it whatever you'd like.  Just make it memorable so you can find the list when you need it.
6.  Click to add members. Start typing a student's name.  If it doesn't automatically pop up, you might have to click on Search Directory.
7.  Once you are done adding members, click Save.
8.  Now, a screen will appear that lists the members of the group.  To the right, it says, "Send Email." Send a quick test email to your students.
9.  Now that you have sent a test email to your students, you should be able to create an email in your mail.  When you start typing the name of your list, it should pop up.
10.  Sending an email to an entire class is now just as simple as sending an email to an individual student!

Working with 2 PDFs in eBackpack

         

         During our first eLearning day, some students expressed that they had difficulty with some assignment materials in eBackpack.  They had two PDFs with which they were supposed to work.  One PDF was a text they needed to read.  The other PDF was an answer sheet.  Because you can't have more than one PDF on the screen at one time, it was difficult and time consuming for students to switch back and forth, closing one to open another.  One way to fix this problem is for teachers to merge the answer sheet and the text together prior to loading it in eBackpack.  To do this, teachers can go to http://www.pdfmerge.com.  Once the PDFs are merged into one document, that document can be loaded into eBackpack.  Now, students can see a thumbnail version of the document at the bottom of eBackpack and can choose which page to view.
          One of the newer features on iPad is the split screen function.  This function allows users to view items and work in two apps at once.  Not all apps allow this function, so you will have to try it out to see which ones work and which don't.  For example, when working in eBackpack, you can choose to open Notability beside it to work.  However, the reverse isn't true (at least not yet).  When working in Notability, you cannot choose eBackpack as a secondary app in split view.  So, if students want to work in both eBackpack and Notability side by side, they must open eBackpack first.  Then, tap on the right side of the iPad and swipe right to left.  Pull down on the black bar at the top of the screen to choose Notability.  Now students can work in both apps on the same screen.  While in eBackpack, you cannot make the secondary app window bigger.  However, if you are working in other apps such as Pages, Keynote, Safari, etc., you can enlarge the secondary window by clicking on the vertical white line on the dividing line between apps.  Drag the window the size you'd like. Tap on the screen when you are satisfied.  This is another way to help students who need to read a PDF and work on another one.  They can read in Notability and write in eBackpack or vice versa.


   

Office 365 Student Email Accounts

All students at NWCS now have school-issued email accounts.   The advantages to using these accounts is that they are standard in format and can be accessed by simply knowing the students’ first and last names.  Students can access their email by following the steps listed below:

1.  Find the Office 365 web clip on the iPad and tap on it.

2.  Login with their student number@stu.nwcs.k12.in.us. They will only have to do this part once.

3.  Enter their password (the one they use with their number when they login to Safari).  

4.  Set the time zone to Eastern Standard (this only has to be done the first time they login).

Now they are ready to send and receive email!

To check or send an email:

1.  Find where it says:  Collaborate with Office Online.

2.  Tap mail.

3.  To send a new email, start typing in the name of the recipient.  Names should start to pop up as you type.

4.  This will make communicating with individual students much simpler . . . especially on an eLearning day.

After setting this up the first time, students will just need to tap on their number and enter their password.

eBackpack Tips and Hints for Teachers

                  

Our first eLearning day has come and gone, and overall, it was a great success!  As with all new experiences, there were a few little things that came up that we didn’t expect.  For example, some students were confused by the number of assignments showing in eBackpack. Here are some ways to clean up the list.

1.  First, if students “turn in and mark as complete” when they submit assignments in eBackpack, they can then filter what they see in their assignment lists.  When they tap on the assignment tray, at the top of the screen, they will see Completed and Not Completed tabs.  That will help narrow things down a bit.  

2.  Another way to help the situation is for teachers to delete or archive assignments when they are finished.  Deleting an assignment will remove it permanently.  To delete an assignment on the iPad, tap on the assignment tray, open the assignment, and tap on the wrench in the top right corner.  Now, tap on delete.  To delete an assignment on Mac or PC, click on the class you want to work with.  Next, click on the assignment.  Go to the actions drop down and choose to delete the assignment.  Archiving an assignment will make the assignment disappear but it will be accessible for later.  To archive an assignment on the iPad, go to the assignment tray.  Open the assignment you’d like to archive.  In the right hand corner, under the wrench and due date,  you will see “Archived”.  Tap yes.  To archive an assignment on the Mac or PC, click on “assignments” on the left hand side of the screen.  Click on the box that says “Archived” on the right side of the screen.                          

3.  Finally, teachers can “hide” an assignment as well.  To do this, simply open the assignment and choose to edit it.  Next, at the bottom of the screen, you can change visibility options. You can choose to hide an assignment on a certain date.                                                         

4.  It might be a good idea to encourage students to check their graded work throughout the day. This way, they can see the feedback you provide and correct any problems.

          Some students and parents were confused as to what assignments to complete on the eLearning day (especially since we had two days of eLearning material loaded).  There is no right or wrong way to load assignments for an eLearning day!  However, it might help to hear the different options available so you can choose what’s best for your students! 

1.  Some teachers loaded all the materials for one eLearning day in one assignment.  For example, if elementary students had math, reading, and social studies work, all of that work was loaded and assigned in one place.  So, as they finished work, students submitted it to the same assignment.  Teachers would then have 3 submissions in that assignment tray for each student (math, reading, and social studies).  That could potentially make it easier for parents of elementary students simply because they only have to work in one assignment.  All the instructions for the assignments can be in the instruction box as well.  

2.  Remember, you can also record audio instructions in eBackpack below the instruction box or you can embed audio right on a document if that would be more helpful!  Audio instructions will definitely help struggling readers and students working with little adult help.

3.  Due dates seemed to confuse parents as well.  Some of us set the due date as the eLearning date (so it would show up on the calendar and be easily recognized).  Others set it out five days (to include the grace period).  While others set the due date for the day after the eLearning day.  Since you can allow “late “ turn in, it would probably be best to set the due date for the eLearning day.  That way, students and parents know to work on that assignment on the actual eLearning day.

Including eLearning day 1 or eLearning day 2 in the name of the assignments seemed to help parents / students find what they needed.

          According to student feedback, there are a couple of things tripping them up in eBackpack.  If we can work together to share this information with them wherever and whenever possible, hopefully, we can reduce the challenges they encounter.

1.  Some students have had trouble saving their work in eBackpack.  This is often due to the fact that they open a document to “Mark it” in the assignments for a class.  After they mark it, they often tap save and then are not sure where they have saved the document. If students are not done with an assignment, they should always tap save.  Then, tap pick a location, and save to My Files.  To continue their work on that document, occasionally students will go back to the assignment tray.  When they open the document, they are surprised to see that none of their work is there.  That is because they are opening the original document that the teacher posted.  They must go to My Files to get the document they marked upon.

2.  On the eLearning day, some parents and students said that they had difficulties hearing the sound from audio or videos that were in eBackpack.  Sometimes, this is as simple as turning up the volume on the iPad.  However, many times this occurs because the side switch on the iPad is set to mute.  When the switch shows a red dot, that means the side switch is locking something. Depending on the settings in the iPad, it could be locking screen rotation or muting the iPad.  In any case, it is a good idea for students to turn the side switch off (so the red dot is no longer showing) to see if the volume will work.

3.  We have amazing teachers at NWCS!  A couple of K-2 teachers noticed that it was taking a long time to bring videos offline in eBackpack.  So, these teachers decided they would simply airdrop videos to students who did not have wifi.  That way, the videos would be in their camera roll, and there would be no need to wait for them to load offline.  Great idea!  

4.  On the eLearning day, some students were asked to read a document placed in eBackpack.  They were then told to answer questions about the document.  It is difficult to read, close that document, open another one, answer a few questions, then go back and read again.  So, one solution to this is to teach the kids to screen shot the text.  Then, when they are marking up the answer sheet, they can insert the screen shot onto the page so they have everything in one spot.  You will just have to remind them to delete the screen shot of the text before they submit their answer sheet!

5.  A few students forgot that they needed to keep eBackpack running in the background if they need offline items.  This is something we will just have to keep reminding them about.  Remember, if students have lots of difficulty with this, they can always open documents in Pages or Notability and open videos in iMovie.  Those items are always available without internet.  It might be helpful for those students to also screen shot the instructions for the assignment in eBackpack as well.

eBackpack Tips for Parents

   

eBackpack has been a great addition to our digital learning initiative this year!  With inclement weather a definite possibility in January and February, eLearning days may be just around the corner, and eBackpack is a tool that many students will be using on these days.  So, here are some tips and hints about using eBackpack at home.

1.  Students should be sure they login to the internet via the Safari icon when they get on their iPads.  To login, they use their student number and password.  This needs to be done before they enter into eBackpack.
2.  If you cannot get Internet access:

• Turn Wi-Fi off (Settings/Wi-Fi, then toggle the switch on the right so it is no longer green). Restart the iPad by holding the top button and the home button down until the Apple logo appears on the iPad. When the iPad reloads, turn the Wi-Fi back on (Settings/Wi-Fi, then toggle the switch on the right so it is green). Try to access the Internet and repeat logging into the NWCS Lightspeed filter device.* 
• Go to Settings/Safari and select “Clear History and Website Data”. Return to NWCS Lightspeed filter device.* 
• Go to Settings/General/Reset and select “Reset Network Settings”. This will not delete anything from the iPad, it will just reset the network connections. DO NOT select “Erase All Content and Settings”, this will wipe everything from the device. Return to NWCS Lightspeed filter device.* 
• Go to Settings/General/Reset and select “Reset All Settings”. This will not delete anything from the iPad, but will restore the settings back to their original state. If there was a passcode on the iPad, it will be removed. Return to NWCS Lightspeed filter device.* 
• Home router/modem security may be blocking the iPad from accessing our global proxy filtering device. You may need to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to set your security on your modem/router to the low setting. If so, you can turn this back up when the iPad is not in use. 

3.  If students do not have access to wifi, they should have moved items offline while at school.  They need to keep the eBackpack app running in the background to have access to materials that have been moved offline.  If the app is closed (by double tapping on the home button and flicking the app to the top of the screen) offline materials will be lost.  However, students can recover the items once they have access to wifi again.  

Tiny Scanner

     A free app called Tiny Scanner will allow you to scan a document you need in a hurry. Then, in just a couple of taps, you can add that document to any folder or assignment you’d like in eBackpack. To get started:

1. Download the free app from the app store onto your iPad.2. Open the app and tap the plus sign at the bottom of the screen to start. Tap on the button on the right to take a picture (scan) your document.
3. Drag the white circles to crop the document in the way you’d like. 4. Tap next at the bottom right of the screen. 5. Now, tap the check mark in the bottom right of the screen.6. If you have more pages of the document to scan, tap on the camera icon at the bottom of the screen. If you are finished, tap on the sharing icon (box with the arrow up) in the upper right hand corner.
7. Tap on Open In. Select Save to eBackpack. Now select where you like to save the document. If you want to put it in an assignment (that you have already created) for your classes, tap on Shared Class and Group Files or Current Assignments, and find the assignment to which you’d like to add it.
8. Tiny Scanner only lets you keep two scanned documents at a time. However, once you have loaded them to eBackpack, you can delete them from Tiny Scanner. 

eBackpack Parent Portal Available Now!

     Parents can now access their child's eBackpack account through the parent portal! To begin, you simply need to visit: https://parent.ebackpack.com or download the eBackpack for Parents app on your mobile device, and create a new parent account. When doing so, you will be asked to enter your parent code, your child’s last name, and your email address.
     The parent code will be printed at the top of your child’s next report card, which will be coming home in the next few days. eBackpack will provide you with the steps needed to create your account and to add each of your children. However, if you would like to view a step by step tutorial, please see the video below!