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.