Quick thoughts on Qwiki for iPad #iear #edapp #edtech #ttdn

Just before the end of the school year I was able to check out an iPad from our RESA Assistive Technology lending library and test a few different apps with students. One of the apps I felt had great potential in the classroom was Qwiki. Qwiki compiles reference information from sites like wikipedia, images, videos, and maps to create an immersive information experience. But the most unique feature is the text-to-speech narration that accompanies every Qwiki. Captioning at the bottom of the screen is read by the text-to-speech engine giving the user the option to listen or read along. In essence, Qwiki turns your searches into movies.

In the short video clip above, students used Qwiki to research elements from the periodic table for a science project. I was impressed by the engagement level I saw, but also noted that the students using the Qwiki app were jotting down notes for their projects and reviewed their Qwiki search multiple times before moving on to the related searches presented at the end of the presentation. Because we were testing in an open environment without headphones other students paused to watch as well and even started discussing some of the qualities of the element being shown. This was vastly different from the disinterested search process that I had witnessed before I introduced the app.

It is worth noting that Qwiki is not just an iPad app. Their website http://www.qwiki.com offers an identical experience minus the intuitive touch screen interface. I'd love to see Qwiki develop some editing features that would allow students to curate their own resources and create dynamic presentations that could be shared.

Have you used Qwiki in your classroom? Please share your thoughts on how you think this website and app might support struggling learners or help increase engagement.

Reinspired

It has been a while since I have written a blog post. I've recently acquired an android smart phone which has inspired me to write this post today. Actually I'm speaking this post using the blogger app and the android voice recognition. It works surprisingly well. 

I'm looking forward to writing or speaking more blog posts about the use of cell phones in education. I'm also looking forward to my Macul conference presentation entitled "cell phones are 4 learning." See you there!

Edtechkit: Student solutions for Audio books and text-to-speech ebook readers for the iPod Touch

I've been fielding some questions today about the best solution for students who would like to listen to books read aloud using an iPod touch.  I'm reposting my response below with a few additions and links.  Please comment if you have suggestions or ideas to share.

The Vbookz app would be a great option for students who want to read and listen to books like Huck Finn, Dracula, Pride and Predjudice etc.  The app is a full ebook reader plus text-to-speech engine.  It even magnifies the words as they are being read to help the reader track words as they are read aloud.  The app gives you access to over 30,000 books for free download once installed ($1.99 for the app).  Here’s a Youtube video explaining the app.

Another suggestion is to browse this list of free audio/ebooks for the iPod touch on Appolicious. I've downloaded the Wind in the Willows app and found that it works quite well.  My only wish is that it included word tracking.

I also recommend checking out Lit2go which has hundreds of books read by actors in Mp3 format.  Like Vbookz these are public domain books which are no longer covered by copyright law.  These Mp3 files and the text can be viewed on a computer or downloaded and added to an ipod touch.

But if your students wanted to read the book Hatchet, which is still under copyright, you would need to purchase an audiobook copy through iTunes or from a service like Audible or Amazon.

Finally, I highly recommend checking with your local library online services to see if they are using a service like Overdrive.com which allows you to check out ebooks and audio books using your library card.  You can check for libraries using Overdrive.com by entering your area code  I used my local library card to check out the audio book version of The Giver by Lois Lowry which students in 10th Grade ELA have been reading at my school.

Link of the Week #6 - Google Dictionary

Google Dictionary No, this one won't save any lives or cause a camp out in front of the Apple store, but Google Dictionary is fast, accurate, and ad free (for now).

Star your favorite words. Translate some French (handy for the father of a French immersion student such as myself). Move on to more interesting and engaging tasks.

Hey, it just works.

Link of the Week #5 - ipadio

Here's a look at a great new phonecasting, podcasting tool called ipadio.

And here is a direct link to my ipadio page.

Here's the transcript from Spin Vox:

Good afternoon, this is link of the week no. 5 and I am testing out a phonecasting site called ipadio. I set up the account. It wasn't too difficult to do from a website and then set up 2 phones, my work phone and my home phone so that I could call from either of those phones and do an ipadio broadcast. Probably would be easier to use a cell phone if you have one which I don't but I have Dan couple little test, ipadio recordings and they turned out pretty well. I actually just did a recording using Audasity(?) which allowed me to do a little bit of editing unlike the phone call and then uploaded that Audasity(?) filed in an MP3 format to my ipadio account and.

Link of the Week #3 - Vocaroo

Looking for a quick, no frills, web based audio recording tool.  Look no further than Vocaroo.  No account sign up, no software to down load.  Just click record, agree to let Vocaroo access your microphone, and click stop recording when you are finished.  You are given a weblink, embed code, and a download file link. Pretty much all you would ever need.

Just remember that the weblink is really your only way back to the recording since there is no account to save it to.  And every recording is more or less public once you share the link or embed the Vocaroo player.  Just for fun you can try it out below.

Powered by Vocaroo

Update: The Vocaroo Server seems to be down at the moment, but hopefully not for long.  In the meantime, I recommend AudioPal.  Recordings are limited to 60 seconds, but the are a few extra features like text-to-speech and phone call recording.