Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen Come to App Smashing

Last year I used the Numbered Heads strategy and it was okay, but not the most engaging strategy.
Two weeks later, I decided to try it again but this time I came up with a completely arbitrary points system, added a stuffed monkey to be a place holder for what group spoke next, and referred to it as a game to m students. It was the EXACT same strategy just with some bells and whistles. Kids in third period walked in with "I heard we are doing something really fun today!" Minus the obvious insinuation that my classroom is not always amazingly fun ;), I found this comment hilarious. Turn something into a game and add a points system and all of a sudden something is "really fun!"

Our rewards system of our brain rewards the brain with little bursts of dopamine every time kids get points. Watching Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen got be thinking of App Smashing. What is app smashing besides taking a bunch of ingredients (apps) to create a dish (objective of the app smash). 

Principles of cooking competitions:

- throw in surprises that make the task harder (Chopped does this with an odd ingredient that doesn't go with the rest and Cutthroat does this with sabotages)  

- make a challenging time frame

- narrows pool down with each round (apps, entree, dessert)

1. Introduce the concept as App Chopping and build up excitement. Explain briefly for students who are not glued to Food Network (Foolish youth!)

2. Explain there will be courses (if you choose) each with a time limit. Each course could actually feature its own app, which when combined with iMovie or similar app, creates the app smash

3. Give student task  - example: analyze a character's traits - and the apps to be used.

4. Post timer for board 

5. At intervals, add in the twists! You can make each twist offer extra credit to the presentation, that way instead of causing undo stress, it is more of a fun suggestion. Twist ideas:

• put random props - stapler, inflatable shark, a set of plastic cups - in bags and have students randomly select. They can include prop in video.
• give everyone a silly word - "pineapple" or "boomerang" - that they have to integrate in their App Chop and those who do so in a seamless manner get bonus points.
• If using an app with backgrounds like Tellagami, have students pick the most inappropriate background and have it make sense
• Have students use a feature in an app and make it work for their video. For example, giving an iMovie filter like "aged film"

6. Students create videos and can post to edmodo, google folder, or wherever you prefer. 

7. For additional "courses" you can build upon the first course. In my example, course 1 is analyze character traits with evidence, course 2 is analyze how the character's traits contribute to a conflict in the story, course 3 is what lesson should we learn about the way the character's traits influences the creation or resolution of that conflict (aka, theme!)

Instant Poetry 2: Beautiful Poetry App

Instant Poetry 2 is a great app for teachers - students can make a poem quickly and it is a very non-threatening app. Teachers not used to iPads will quickly get their students making poetry in thirty minutes or less. The finished products are lovely and the free "stripped down" version does not feel stripped down at all.

Paper: the free app you never knew you absolutely needed

Paper touts itself as a note taking device - and what snazzy one! - and makes up for the weaknesses of some of the other note taking devices by seamlessly integrating pictures, annotations, and texts with an ease that required almost no time to acclimate to the user interface.

I love to take pictures at conferences, but with some of the other note-taking apps, taking a pic of the PowerPoint Slide and then annotating can be more of a hassle, making me lose valuable information. When using Paper, I can immediately begin writing on the picture, add text to the bottom, and be on my way.

It doesn't just stop at notes - which is what makes it so priceless! Lists and drawing diagrams. This makes it perfect for going upward into the higher level of Blooms by doing assignments like creating a charticle or diagram.

If Evernote and Doodle Splash had a baby that an elementary student could use, you'd have Paper. Just as versatile as its namesake, it is a must have for teachers and students. It goes right to the top of the list for students, who research shows are way more prone to taking a picture than typing something in an electronic planner, to be able to take a picture of the homework assignment on the board and quickly add whatever notes they need as well as interact with diagrams and other visuals they need throughout the day.

Text Smash/App Smash

With commonlit.org, creating a project-based learning experience is easy in that the website is organized by PBL questions! This makes it perfect for across text comparison and an opportunity for students to examine two texts answering the same question.

Thinking of across text comparison got me thinking of App Smashing - combining apps to make a project. So why not a text smash/app smash?

My instructions are specifically for The Outsiders, but check out my lesson flow on graphite to get a generic lesson that can fit no matter what whole class text your students have read.

Poetry and Tech Unite!

Inspired by the Color Splash that Jonas sees in The Giver and this lesson on ReadWriteThink.org,
students analyze and create imagist poetry. You by no means need to do The Giver to do this lesson, but it is a nice companion lesson.

How to use this technique for Adobe Photoshop (or iPads):

1. Students analyze “The Red Wheelbarrow”. This website is my favorite collection of commentary on the poem and a wonderful resource for upper level students to see there is no one correct way to view a poem. Personally, I tend to analyze it as the poem itself depends upon the image and therefore the role of the poet is to take note of things we might otherwise ignore.
2.  Open Photoshop or Get a free color splash app. I have used the one from Kite Games Studio which let me get rid of the watermark after I reviewed it. 
3. After showing them what a finished product will look like, help students download a large image that allows for use with modification or take their own images using the iPad camera.
   
4. Open the image in Photoshop or upload the image into the app and have students select the focus of the photo by selecting one object to have color. The easiest way to do this is put a black and white layer of the image over it and use the eraser to erase that back and white layer so the color original shows through.
   
5. Once complete, students save the modified photo.
6. Students then write a vivid sentence describing the focus of their image AFTER the teacher has MODELED.
7. Using the handout on ReadWriteThink.org  as a guide, I put students into small groups to answer those questions. When students are able to receive feedback on their writing and hear the writing of others, everyone improves! Students use an app like Pic Collage to put their poem on their image. Don’t forget to have students add name and class period if you need. If you plan on sharing the images online, make sure students use only first name and last name initial.
8.  My favorite way to upload these types of media rich items is to also publish it at the same time. Create a Google Slides with blank slides – I like using a black background on all of them – and then have students upload the image onto a blank slide. (There are some issues with students not being able to access Google Folders on an iPad app. Ugh! I get around this by having students upload and submit their work via Edmodo and then have them take turns on the back PCs to upload on Slides. It is annoying, but I prefer it over me having to take the time to pull them off Edmodo! This year we are switching to Office 365 for the entire district, so I see if we can upload it onto the 365 version of PowerPoint. While putting the finished work on a presentation is not a necessary step, I do feel is rewarding and important part of the publishing process.) 
9. Change the usage rights of the presentation to view only and send a link to parents, Tweet it, and/or show the presentation in presentation mode while parents file in for Open House!
   

How to modify for PCs:

Instead of using color splash app, students can use Photoshop. There are a lot of YouTube videos and websites that feature multiple ways to do this. They can add the text on Photoshop as well!

Shakespeare's Globe App

Stop lecturing about Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and instead have your students participate in a walking tour. Not able to make it to London, you say? Enter the app Globe 360. Students can use the marker - downloadable from the website - or use it without a marker and students can still explore the globe, watch video, and tour the building.

By using ipads, students will be able to look up at the bright blue sky by lifting the ipad above their heads and make a complete 360. So much fun to incorporate into a webquest (appquest?)!

Digital Tools Review Site with Lesson Plans: Graphite.org

Looking for tech savvy lessons? Found a new app or website and not sure how to use it for your class?  Need to know if an app or website is right for your students? Common Sense's graphite.org to the rescue!

Reviews 

What I like the about the teacher-created reviews is the way you can use buttons to easily narrow a
search depending on needs. So if you have iPads and know you need a free app for your fourth grade reading class, reviews will show up for that. Or if you have a computer lab and need a website for high school history students, results are easily narrowed. You can even combine elements if you want to widen selections. Then the reviews written by educators in the field give authentic reviews to help you explore what suits your needs.

Lesson Flows

Graphite's term for lesson plans! Flexible in what technology tools you will be using? Use the lesson flow search feature to see lessons written by educators. 

Common Core Explorer

Want to search by standard? They have English and Math (with Science coming soon!) Searches will provide you with a list of technology resources that have lesson flows with those TEKS listed.

Check out my lessons and reviews!

Adobe Voice - Hero's Journey Analysis for Full Tilt

I love apps that are versatile and Adobe Voice does NOT disappoint! It is one of the easiest ways to digital storytelling. Use it in science to create a digital record of a lab or in history class to explain important events or a foreign language course to practice pronunciation.

Why Adobe Voice?

It offers little options – just 5 layouts and a dozen themes, with no ability to alter things like locations of text boxes or transitions – students weren’t as bogged down with selecting visual effects. The focus was able to be on the content, while the technological components kept kids engaged.

How did I use it?

To analyze Hero’s Journey in Full Tilt! Students enjoyed themselves and it was great to see them try to think metaphorically about the colors and images used.  

Issues with Images?

When adding images, students can add from their camera roll or use the search function in Adobe Voice, which in turn searches the internet for images marked Creative Commons and labeled that search term. Issue is that images are not vetted for appropriateness of children, so in an effort to ensure inappropriate images would not appear, I asked students to only use the icons that were uploaded. It gives the presentation a very polished, clean look. Problem is there are some icons that are not appropriate either! Images “love” had some raunchy results. Solution? I think that a teacher would need to consider the age of their students and the way they would want images to be searched and collected. It would be absolutely perfect for having students act things out or draw their own images.