Current and Emerging Technologies Blog - Cassie Hancock

Remind 101 is a great way to communicate with parents and even students.  The teacher can send out text messages without giving out their cell phone number. You simply create an account and it will give you a number for parents to text a personalized code for them to enter so that they receive your texts.  You can send out mass messages to everyone that subscribes to your Remind101 class or you can send out individual messages. I use this for our sixth graders in case we forget to tell them something during class (announcements). I used it tonight because we got a message from PTO that popcorn would be sold tomorrow. I also use it to remind parents of important events happening.  I have found that even though 98% of our parents have cell phone they do not sign up for our Remind 101and it is frustrating because it is free and I am trying to have a way to communicate with them. C. Hancock's Remind 101

Three apps/games that I could use to reinforce reading and language skills are: - iTooch 6th Grade Language Arts - This app used to be available in a lite version and paid version, but now it is free and available (it has ads) 1st - 8th Grade! It has five categories Reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and communication. This app has questions in the five categories and it gives instant feedback for the students. This is a good way to reinforce 6th-grade skills. - DuoLingo is a free app that can be used for reading for our ELL students. It is a free app that teaches our students English, Spanish, French, and many others. You can set practice time each day and the students will complete lessons each day and earn badges. - BrainPop Featured Movie is another app that can be used in the classroom to reinforce skills through videos and questioning. My students enjoy watching the videos and answering the questions. There are some free movies on the app, but in order

Google glass originally cost around $1500.00, but currently, it sells for around $1000 from third party sellers because it has been discontinued.   Google Glass is a headset that you wear like glasses, and it provides information that your cellphone can provide but in a hands-free format.  Google Glass keeps you connected to the world but through your eyes. Google Glass can capture photos or videos that you can share via Google Hangout so that the other person can see what you are looking at.  It can also be a search engine using voice dictation, and it can also identify an object or answer a question.  Another feature that Google Glass has is navigation right in front of your face.  It can show you maps and also give you step-by-step directions.  In my opinion, one of the coolest features is that is can translate how to say something in another language.  It also has features like your cell phone such as reminding you to do a task and syncing your calendar, the difference is Google Gl

Today we have technology at our fingertips.  Everywhere you look, people are glued to their devices surfing the web or communicating with friends and family through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other social media outlets.  Almost everyone has a cellphone and/or tablet regardless of their socioeconomic status.  The key is to use the technology in ways that help promote our students to connect with others around the country and world while keeping an open mind, being respectful, and accepting of others.  With all of the technology around us it helps makes it easier to promote diversity, cultural understanding, and global awareness. Teachers can use Skype or Google Hangout to connect with students in different parts of the world.  In my classroom, we have used Google Hangout to connect with Matt Murrie the author of "The Book of What If...?"  and then he came to our school district and met with my homeroom and others.  This was a wonderful experience and it shows how a tea

Good afternoon everyone!  Teachers, we know that video tutorials have become an excellent way to reinforce skills that we have taught in class.  If our students are struggling with a math homework problem, they can go home and pull up a Khan Academy video or even use the Photomath app to help them figure out how to solve the problem.  You guys may think this idea is crazy, but what if we allowed our students to make their own videos to show what they know?!  Our students making videos would not only be beneficial for them, but it would also benefit our struggling students.  Some students may grasp the skill better by hearing the information from a peer because they can relate to each other’s way of thinking.  Also, allowing our students to create videos also shows that they have a deeper understanding of the skill that they are teaching.  Some students have difficulty putting their thoughts and work on paper, and this will give those students an opportunity to express themse

According to the article by Jillian D'Onfro, Tactus Technology is like magic.  This technology turns your smartphone's screen into a keyboard that has bubbly buttons that seem to morph out of nowhere and they disappear the same way.  "The screen has a thin layer that replaces the Gorilla Glass on top of a touch sensor and displays layers on a smartphone or tablet.  The surface of that layer is a semi-elastic polymer under which there are liquid channels that are filled with a special transparent micro-fluid." (D'Onfro, J.).  This micro-fluid is what makes the buttons appear by applying pressure to an area.  TheTactus Technology makes the keyboard feel more natural and it also makes it easier for the user to type. D'Onfro, J.  (2014, Jan. 9). Tech Insider.  "This insane technology that makes buttons appear on a flat smartphone screen is pretty close to magic." Retrieved from  http://www.businessinsider.com/tactus-technology-tactile-touchscreen-