Use Just 1Password To Log In to All of Your Web 2.0 Tools

Our week at the University of Northern Iowa for my Digital and Social Media class in my graduate program is off to a great start. We are learning a lot from each other and filling our teacher toolbox with handy Web 2.0 apps. Some highlights include:

• Renee and Becky showed us tools to use for augmented reality. Becky gave us coloring pages that came to life with Chromeville. Renee showed us how to share information and add to printed materials with Aurasma. I joked that it was like Harry Potter newspapers with moving portraits. Wouldn't it be great if students could "take a picture" of a picture of food and be brought to a recipe or tutorial?
• Do you use QR codes in your classroom? QRStuff is a great resource for adding color and choosing the application type for your code. We saw dice that had a QR code on each face. That would make a great tool for students who understand a concept sooner than others. Roll the QR dice for a leading question for a new project.
• I shared a bit of how I organize my life with Evernote. Renee organized for a fantastic student, Ian Coon, to join us via Zoom. He shared how he stays organized (a little overwhelmingly so) with Evernote.

A great tool I am using to wrap my head around all of these apps is 1Password. 1Passwordis an program that creates a different, secure password for each time you log in to a new application. As I log in to the various apps I use, 1Password asks to store the information. Here is me logging in to Kidblog:

I have one very complicated, very long password that I use to log in to 1Password. The program stores the password. Next time I log in, I click the Chrome Extension, select the app I am logging in to, and 1Password will autofill the information for me. It is not necessary for me to program each username and password into 1Password, the program just stores them as I log in. I am enjoying this program so far, but it will become even more useful as I do online shopping and banking. I can also create secure notes within the program to store personal notes and information. Let's be honest now... Do you use the same passwords, or only a few, for every application? Is the password you are using actually secure, or does it contain personal information like phone numbers or birthdays? If you are in this habit, like I used to be, I highly suggest giving 1Password a try.

Cake Decorating Planning With Pinterest

Students continued their Pinterest fun by creating inspiration boards for their upcoming cake projects.

Their board needed several components:

• Description of board should describe event and customer
• Link to and watch tutorials used for your cake
• Each link should describe how it will be used
• Include non-cake inspiration pictures
• At least 12 pictures

I like for the students to have a plan in mind before their lab. It helps them have higher quality finished products and keeps them focused to finish during one class period.

The students really enjoy Pinterest and I can be pretty sure that the images they find will be appropriate. Those bachelorette cakes can get pretty risque though!

Quizlet Vocabulary Review Tool

How have I been teaching for three years without knowing Quizlet existed?!

Yesterday, while I covered a class for a Spanish teacher, students used their phones to add vocabulary words to Quizlet.  Today I explored the tool for myself and discovered that words and definitions can be copy/pasted from a spreadsheet. How cool!

I created and shared a Google spreadsheet with my volunteer and will have her input vocabulary words and definitions.  The spreadsheet can easily become vocabulary flash cards for my students.  For those less tech-savvy, the spreadsheet can just be printed and studied from the "old fashioned" way.

I'm pretty sure that Quizlet can be shared with anyone.  Of course, I will keep you posted and share my sets with you as they become available!

Recipe Substitutions: A Classroom Project Using Google Presentations

Today students began their Recipe Substitutions presentations.  Each group is assigned a food product to replace or add to a recipe to make it more healthful.  They will use 1-3 slides to answer:

• What is the purpose of your assigned ingredient in a baked goods recipe?
• Why would someone want to omit or add your assigned ingredient?
• What are three different "tricks" for omitting or adding your ingredient?
• Can your "tricks" be traded with a 1:1 ratio or does the whole recipe need to change?
• How does each substitution affect the finished product?

Google Presentations was a handy technology tool for this project.  I made a Google Presentation and gave access to everyone in the Marion district with the link to edit. That way I do not have to add each student individually.  The students will have to sign in to edit the presentation so I will be able to monitor their activity. Unfortunately that means I will not be able to let you view it until all of the projects are done.  Expect an update by this Thursday!

Another great source is Pinterest.  It is full of infographics of healthy substitutions. Check out my collection here.

The introductory slide is a list of expectations.  Each table has a slide to add to with their recipe modification.

• Reduce Fat
• Replace Eggs
• Increase Fiber
• Omit refined sugars
• Replace Gluten and Casein
• I like to sneak in special diets to each activity. In the future I may choose vegan recipes, "Paleo" recipes, etc.

Later this week students will receive a basic muffin recipe and decide how to modify it. I will have them divide the recipe in half and figure the unit price of the recipe.  It will be a practical assessment of the unit. And students always enjoy edible assessments! :)