New Google Forms Updates

Google Forms recently updated everyone to the newest version of Forms. With that change came some cool new features. Check out The Gooru's 4 Update to Google Forms You're Going to Love.

Kahoot: Ghost Mode

Kahoot is an assessment tool that can be used with BYOD or school owned devices.

How ghost mode works:
First, run a Kahoot game as you normally would. At the end of the game select "ghost mode" to run the game again. In ghost mode students play against their own scores from the previous game. Then when you run the game students will be competing against the "ghost" version of themselves from the previous running of the game. For example, I play a game as a student in the first running of a game then in the second running of the game I'll be competing against my previous score as well as those of my classmates.

This article explains all about it. 

How to Cite Social Media in Scholarly Writing

I thought this article titled How to Cite Social Media in Scholarly Writing was interesting and helpful!

Pixar in a Box

Pixar in a Box is a collaboration between Pixar and Khan Academy. Each topic begins with a design focused lesson which is appropriate for grades 5+, followed by a math focused lesson which is grade specific. Our lessons touch on concepts ranging from grade 4 through high school and beyond.

Educator's Guide

Explore how realistic blades of grass are modeled using parabolic arcs.

Explore how clay models are transformed into digital characters using weighted averages.

Explore how swarms of robots were created for WALL-E using combinatorics.

Explore how animators bring characters to life with the help of Animation curves.

Explore how virtual sets are constructed using geometric transformations.

Explore how pixels are painted by solving systems of linear equations.

Environment Modeling

·         Lesson 1: Modeling grass with parabolas - all ages

·         Lesson 2: Calculating parabolas - grades 7 - high school

Character Modeling

·         Lesson 1: Modeling with subdivision surfaces - all ages

·         Lesson 2: Mathematics of subdivision - grades 7 - high school

Animation

·         Lesson 1: Introduction to animation curves - all ages

·         Lesson 2: Mathematics of animation curves - grades 8 - high school

Crowds

·         Lesson 1: Building crowds (combinations) - grades 4-7

·         Lesson 2: Counting crowds (binomial coefficient) - high school

Sets & Staging

·         Lesson 1: Geometric transformations - grades 7-8

·         Lesson 2: Mathematics of rotation - high school

Rendering

·         Lesson 1: Rendering 101 - all ages

·         Lesson 2: Mathematics of rendering - high school+

Chrome: Passwords, History, Incognito

From last week's email about Chrome... 

If you’re having trouble with passwords in Chrome, clear out the passwords that Chrome has saved for you.
 1) Click  then Settings.
 2) On the bottom click Show advanced settings…
 3) Under Privacy --> Passwords and forms, click Manage passwords (blue words)
 4) Evaluate and adjust the list of passwords that are saved for you in Chrome.


If you haven’t done so recently, it’s also recommended that you clear your Chrome browsing history.
 1) <Ctrl>+H (or Settings --> History) This list shows your browsing history on the current device as well as any other devices from which you have logged in to your Google Chrome account. To clear those histories, log in on those devices.
 2) Clear browsing data…
 3) Select which types of data to clear.
 4) Change the drop down to the beginning of time.
 5) Clear browsing data
If it’s been a while since you cleared this data, it may take a while.


Another way to keep your web activity out of your Chrome browsing history is to use an Incognito window.
Either <Ctrl>+<Shift>+N OR click on your name near the top right and select Go incognito.

Good Enough for Bill

I found this article, Good Enough for Bill..., from 4 O'Clock Faculty to be quite inspirational. I hope you do too.

Soundtrap: Online Music Creator

Soundtrap is a new browser-based music creation program that harnesses the same simple but powerful approach and combines it with an HTML5 interface and video features that make it easy to collaborate with other musicians wherever they are. Here’s a great article about it.

Features include:

• Opportunity to collaborate in real-time with other SoundTrap users!! 
• You can even video chat while you’re working together.
• The free plan gives you access to 480 loops and allows you to create up to 5 projects with 125 instruments.
• Can store up to 5 songs, but you can download your song as an mp3! (Makes it easier to add to your video.)
• Appears to be device-neutral because it runs on HTML5.

7 Strategies from Pixar to Incorporate into Your Classroom

Click here for 4 O'Clock Faculty's 7 Strategies from Pixar to Incorporate into Your Classroom. There is a link to a PDF of the poster and a link to their Become the Chief Education Officer (CEO) of your Classroom article. 

Building Your PLN

A Personal Learning Network, or PLN, is an integral part of being a life-long learner. Edublogs put together this resource to help you get started. It includes tips on using Twitter, blogs, Diigo (social bookmarks) and more to find and curate (collect and organize) resources and ideas.

If you would like help with anything mentioned in the article, please contact Penney Matos!

Public Domain Collections

It can sometimes be hard to locate quality public domain images. Check out New York Public Library's Public Domain collection.