Let The Countdown Begin!!

Ok...so this is going to be about as basic as it gets for technology. Today I am going to introduce you to the countdown timer from classtools.net. You can find it here.

This is a website that has a countdown timer that can be displayed in fullscreen mode on your projector. You can set the countdown to whatever you want it to be, but there is a catch...the real reason why I like this so much. It has music to go with the timer!

Ok...so it may not be the catchiest music, but I guess that is the allure for me. What music does it play? Well, there is the usual classical music like Fur Elise, William Tell Overture, and others. But then you get the really good songs like the themes for Hawaii 5-O, Pink Panther, The A-Team, Mission Impossible, Indiana Jones, and.......Star Wars! I know that these are nerdy, but that is really the point! My students always make comments about this music. They will always complain when it is on, and then as soon as I don't use it once they complain that the music isn't there.

I often use this timer on a review day. I use the timer to time them on a specific problem or set of problems. Then when the music stops and the timer runs out I use the random name generator that I posted previously to pull a name. That student (or their group) has to answer the question or show the solution on the whiteboard. It is an easy way to make a normal "sit down and do some problems for practice" assignment into something engaging and fun. I have gotten a lot of use out of this and I hope other do as well!

Feel free to post any new ideas in the comment section.

OK...Back to the Blog!!

Alright...it has been a while since I last posted. My wife and I just moved and the process of unpacking when you have too much junk is simply overwhelming!

That being said, I am going to post tonight about an app that was recently introduced to me by a co-worker/tech buddy/fellow ed techie, Angela! The app is called SlideShark. So what does it do? Well, if you are like me, then you use PowerPoint in some form or another in your classroom. I have always liked using PowerPoint in my classroom but when I started making the transition to the iPad, it became kind of a pain to pull this off.

This is where SlideShark comes in. SlideShark gives you the ability to control your PowerPoint slides from your iPad. You simply have to import your presentations into SlideShark (I do this using dropbox). Through dropbox, this process is extremely simple because SlideShark can connect directly to your dropbox to import your slideshows.

When you download the app and connect to it, they will have you sign up for a free account, which gives you 100MB of storage space. This may not seem like a ton of space, but if you connect it to dropbox (which can hold about 16GB for free if you get enough referrals) this is quite a bit of storage for PowerPoint files.

I have recently started using an Apple TV to display my iPad on my projector, which really makes this program invaluable (especially since it is free!). So when the app is running, it displays your presentations the same as if they were running from your laptop. On your iPad, you can see all of your slide notes if you use them. You can see the collection of slides in thumbnail view as well, which is nice to keep track of where you are and what slides are up next. The best part, in my opinion, is the ease of use. It is so user friendly that it is almost unfair. You swipe left to advance a slide, swipe right to go back, and swipe up to see the thumbnail view of your slides.

I looked at some other apps, and still may in the future, to accomplish the goal of PowerPoint from the iPad, but this one was an instant fit for me. Hopefully you can find it useful as well. My next goal is to find the best way to write on the slides from my iPad. I have a couple of things I've tried, but I'm still working on finding the best way to pull this off.


------------------------------EDIT--------------------------------------------

Good news today (3/27/13)!!! I just downloaded the newest version of SlideShark and they really beefed it up! They must have heard my cry for help because they have added the ability to write on the slides during the presentation. This solves my biggest issue with the app. Also, they have a pretty neat "laser pointer" feature so you can move your finger on the screen and it emulates a laser pointer on the projection. Lastly, there is a completely new feature that allows for someone to remotely view your presentation. I haven't investigated this one much, but it seems like it may be a great solution to helping the sick kid at home who misses a lesson! If I get more on this one I'll add another edit here or a completely new post.

Also, I noticed the ability to control your presentation from the iPhone instead of the iPad. This is great for me because I talk with my hands a lot and the iPhone is much more compatible with walking around class.

Thanks SlideShark!