AutoDraw - create your own icons

Thanks, Cheryl Torrie for taking this online workshop.  Was a cool tool to play around with.  

Auto Draw 

Today's workshop was all about Auto Draw and turning scribbles into interesting and engaging icons.  There are lots of ways that this could be used in the classroom both by teachers and students.  

One way is for a visual timetable for students, as well as making icons for sites and slide presentations.

I found that you could also use it on the iPad just as easily.  You could also download the drawings to the camera roll and then by opening another chrome tab you could also remove the background.

It will be interesting to see if this can be incorporated into 'explain everything' and other apps that we use in class. - But that will be another day's task.

 Link to Slide deck

Link to Remove Background

Incredibox - Workshop by Phil Margetts

Thanks, Phil for taking this workshop to share with us all another tool to fill our Kete.  

Today's workshop was on a tool called Incredibox.  This is a quick and easy way to mix music to create and record a sound that can then be used as part of a video (as a backing track).  The examples that were shared of this in use were screencastify's that had this pre-setup incredibox sound playing in the background (e.g. in another tab).  This then became part of the screencastify recording.  This is a fantastic idea and so easy to just add a little extra pizazz to a recording.  Loved the workshop.

Link to first trial of this tool

Link to presentation

This was a great tool for Chromebook users as a free "web version", however was not so great for iPad users.  I couldn't find a way to use the web version on the iPad and it kept prompting me to download and use the paid version.  

Still think Garage Band is a fantastic tool for creating music on the iPad - and the kids like to create using it.  Key point to take away ... CREATE MORE!

Better late than Never - Catching up in AKL.

 Despite having a LOVELY cold and feeling really yuck.  I arrived at the airport in time to check in and board my flight scheduled to leave at 6am.   6am came and went (but the fog did not) - First Delay notice beeped on my phone, followed by an announcement over the loud speaker.  6:30 came and went, another announcement ... followed my another and other.  I logged onto my computer and started revisiting my moonshot and by 9am I was still stuck in Kerikeri Airport.  After messaging Dorothy, and Anne I decided to follow the document by tethering to my phone.  This was definitely not the same as being there in person.  10am came and went, along with a bus load of people sceduled to board the 7 am and 8 am flights.  I was beginning to think I was completely bonkers for even being at the airport, but instead of going home I popped another pill (or 2), and waited for yet another delay.  Finally rang Dorothy again (only to be put on loud speaker for everyone in Auckland to hear) and it was decided that I would still catch the plane, then a taxi to KPMG headquarters to touch base for a few hours.  So off I go, across the tarmac and onto the plane.

Flight down was BEAUTIFUL, with very little cloud and lots of viability.  My tissue box and Vics  vapour drops were my friend, the entire flight.  LOL.

Arriving at the airport, I excited the Domestic terminal and hailed my very first taxi (I had only ever been on one before and that had been about a month ago with Heather from MIT- when we were heading off to the Coromandal Hui).  Again Tissue box was my friend.

On arriving at KPMG we all briefly caught up before continuing on with the days program (of which I was feeling substantially behind in).  The next thing on the agenda was to discuss the EdTech Summit in Sydney (in July this year).  We all started working on a shared document to outline what our proposals were so we could support each other in this process.  Love how people from different teaching positions, levels, experiences and parts of NZ can work so collaboratively.  Then it was Lunch time.

 Following lunch we had a guided tour of the ______ building including its creative spaces and nooks and crannies ... Very exciting BUT OOOOOOOOHHHHHH so quiet!

 After the guided tour it was back at it and as I had missed the mornings session Ann whisked me away for some 1:1 catch up!   Although I still had a foggy head as I was unwell, and my ears made me feel like I was in a underwater bubble, this was totally worth my time, and I came away with ideas swirling around.

More delays when heading home (due to the earlier delays in the day).  So I had time to catch up and do some more editing of my prototype offline.  lucky it wasn't delayed as long this time!

Note for next time: Don't joke on Friday afternoon that it your flight will get delayed (or stay the night before hand).