Organize and Collaborate with Pearltrees

Recently my friend, Ms. Lyon, told me about an awesome app that she uses with her grade 7 language arts class.  I just got around to taking it for a test drive today and it is definitely worthy of sharing.

Pearltrees is both an iPad App and a web-based app that allows for organizing and accessing files from anywhere.   How is this different than tools such as Google Drive or Evernote?  Well, let me tell you what this App can do!

Like other free bookmarking or file sharing tools, Pearltrees can store many different file types, websites, photos, links, and notes.  Pearltrees also allows for sharing of topics, or "pearltrees" with specific users or groups of users.

What really sets Pearltrees apart is the visual layout.  Information is stored in a tree-like format, rather than lists, which makes it easy to categorize, sub-categorize, and follow.  Each node or "pearl" can be simply dragged with one finger to re-categorize it.

Another amazing feature of this App is the ability to add content in a huge variety of ways.  Unlike any other iPad App I've seen, Pearltrees comes with a "Pearler Tool".  The "Pearler Tool" allows me to tap the Safari bookmark from within any website to immediately and automatically add that site to my Pearltrees.    I can even specify which tree I want it added to.  If you've ever "pinned" something to Pinterest from a website, you know how slick this is.  Other ways to add content are from within the App, using the "Open In" from other apps, and emailing add@pearltrees.com

The ability to "Team Up" on a Pearltree is pretty neat too.  Teaming up allows more than one user, or a team of users to contribute to the same tree in real time.

I asked Ms. Lyon what the learning curve was for her students.  She said that it was less than 12 minutes to download the app, create an account, log in, and locate her resources.  Once the credentials are entered into the App, students area logged in forever, unless they manually log out.

I did not find much in the way of drawbacks.  It is not possible with a free account to create private workspaces.  So, that would preclude this from being storage for personal content.  The free App has a 1GB storage limit, but that is pretty generous since it is mostly comprised of links.   Private messaging is allowed between users without teacher moderation, if that is a concern for you or your students.

Overall, this App is free, fun, very easy to use, visually appealing, collaborative, and extremely useful.   Besides simply organizing files, links, and other media, it could be used for webquests, to distribute materials to students, group projects, assessment links (google forms), collecting resources for a project, sharing bookmarks for any reason, and more!

Here is a summarized list of what Pearltrees can do:

• Organize resources in a visually friendly way
• Easy drop and drag management of resources
• Multiple resource types - Links, emails, documents, websites, photos, notes
• Multiple simple ways to add content:
•  +Add from within the App
• "Pearler Tool" (strait from web)
• Email
• "Open in" from other iPad Apps, including Explain Everything, Pages, and Keynote
• Camera
• Camera Roll
• Follow or add other people's related Pearltrees to your own
• Team Up to work on a tree collaboratively

Check it out for Mac, for iPad or Book Me for a quick demo of how it works!

Three Tools for Digital Portfolio Creation on the iPad

I spend significant time finding ways and means to do the everyday things we've always done when the iPad is the only tool, as it is for our grade 6 through 12 students.  Recently, a few teachers have asked questions about digital portfolios, and similar projects for students.  So, I dug in and tried to exhaust the resources of three tools:  Evernote, Google Sites, and Blogger.  While Evernote is, by far, the richest in ease and options on the iPad, I guess that the best tool for the job depends on what the outcome goal is.  Hopefully, my evaluation below will be helpful.

Blogger 

Blogger Pros:  The Blogger app is simple to use.  The layout is attractive and chronological.  Login is simple since it is a Google product and we already have a login (our spsdme.org email).  It is easy to add photos and type directly into a post.  I like that I can post to my Blogger by emailing it.  Attaching a hand drawn sketch or any other attachment to the email will embed that media into my blog.

Blogger Cons:  I cannot post to Blogger from other apps on my iPad.  It is also not possible to paste in the blogger edit mode, so I can't paste a link to an external location or even text for that matter.  The only way I found to do that was to email the blog.  I was not able to change settings for the blog, such as sharing to Google+ or blog email address from within the app.  I had to go out to the web version to do that.  Using the app, it was not easy to add any media other than text and photo.


Google Site

Google Site Pros:  Google sites are accessible to anyone with a spsdme.org gmail account.  Using Google Chrome app to set up my site allowed me to use almost all the functions available in Google Sites.  The layout is very attractive, flexible, and customizable.  There are a lot of options for backgrounds, themes, layouts, and more.  I set up a test site with horizontal navigation tabs and categorized my pages by subject.  Gadgets seemed to work fine on the iPad.

Google Site Cons:  It is not possible to use the FileCabinet feature or upload files, other than photos.  I could create links, but I had to use the link button first, as opposed to selecting the text I wanted to link and then choosing the link button.  I was happy to find a work around.   No apps on the iPad will open in Google Sites (ie. from Pages or other, select "open in..."), so getting content from another app would involve posting to the web to obtain a URL or a copy/paste.


Evernote

Evernote Pros:  Evernote was an extremely flexible app.  I was able to quickly add text, photo, audio, a checklist, or photo from my camera.  Many other apps on the iPad allow for opening in Evernote, including Explain Everything, eBackpack, and Pages.   Evernote is organized by creating notebooks.  Additionally tags can be added to posts for easy searching.  Notebooks can be quickly shared with others.  The email feature is awesome!  I can email my Evernote account and by using the @ and # symbols in the subject of my email, my post automatically lands in the folder I want with the tags I want associated with it.    Cut/paste works in Evernote edit mode, so adding links is also quite easy.

Evernote Cons:  Layout is not particularly visually appealing, like Google Sites or Blogger.

Add a Super-Fast Entry to Your Google Calendar

In a hurry?  Do you need to add something to your Google calendar really fast?  Try this.  It is amazing!

1. Click the arrow next to the Create button in Google Calendar to Quick Add.
2. Type what you want to put on the calendar, just as you'd say it.    That's it!

Examples:

• Soccer tomorrow at 5pm
• Appointment Monday from 1-2pm
• Meeting at school with Robert Today at 12 for 15 minutes
• ACTEM Conference in Augusta 10/4-10/5

A few more tips:

• Quick Add defaults to 1 hour unless "until" is specified.
• If no date is added, the entry will go to the next possible date at the time specified, which may even be the same day.
• If no time is specified, Quick Add will assume an all day event.
• If your location contains a date, such as "TGI Friday's", use quotes around the location.

Copyright, Fair Use, and Public Domain Made Simple-r

I am often asked questions about what materials or media are OK for teachers and students to use for various purposes.  So, today I researched, and learned a lot about, Copyright, Fair Use, and Public Domain.  

The available information on this topic is voluminous and much of it is written in legal terms.   So,  I wanted to make a reference for myself and others that would be easy to understand.  

Here's what I found...

COPYRIGHT

Copyrighted material is any original content in fixed form.  Copyright gives the owner exclusive rights to the material and others must obtain permission from the author to use it.

Copyright does not include ideas in your head, government generated materials, titles, phrases, slogans, or other non-fixed materials.  It is not legal to use copyrighted material without the permission of the author.  Copyright is automatic upon creation of your original work in fixed, tangible form.  Registration with the US Copyright Office is not needed for protection, unless you want to take someone to court for infringement.  Exceptions to copyright use are Public Domain and Fair Use (see below)

Creative Commons License:  A creative commons license is a copyright license that gives credit to the author while allowing others to have creative use of the material.  There are several types of Creative Commons licences.   Here is an overview:

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Not covered by copyright law for one of three reasons:

1.  Copyright has expired.  See here for more detailed information.

2.  Author put them in public domain.

3.  Not copyrightable - Ideas, slogans, government documents, etc.

FAIR USE

Legal use of copyrighted material.  When courts decide whether a copyrighted work qualifies for “fair use”, there is no clear definition.  However, here are the general guidelines:

1.  Purpose and Character 

• Is money being made from using the work?  Is it being used for personal or educational purposes?
• Has the work been transformed or used as is?

2.  Nature of Work 

• Factual work is more often considered fair when re-used, than creative work

3.  Relative Amount of Work Used 

• Was all, almost all, or the heart of the work used?
• How much is too much depends on the purpose of the seconds use (See #1)

1.  Effect on the Market

• Is the use of the material a substitute for the original?
• Uses for a different audience or purpose may be considered more fair.

The above Fair Use guidelines are not definite rules.  In general, courts are most interested in whether the use of copyrighted work was in good faith.

CONTENT USE GUIDELINES:

Checklist when using someone’s content:

• Check who owns it
• Get permission to use it, if necessary
• Give credit to the creator
• Buy it (if necessary)
• Use it responsibly
• What might be the consequence of using it?
• How would the owner or creator of the content react?

Rules of Thumb:  This document has actual “safe minimums” for use of multimedia content for educational purposes. It is posted on INFOhio.org, which is Ohio’s PreK-12 Digital Library.  I was not able to find any such information on our own MARVEL- Maine’s Virtual Library.

Sources & More Information:

Teaching Copyright:  http://www.teachingcopyright.org/handout/, See FAQs on Copyright, Fair Use, and Public Domain

Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

Common Sense Media: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

How to Make a Long web Address (URL) Short

Do you have a website or a list of websites you want your students to visit?

Ideally, they might be posted on your website or printed as QR codes for students to simply click or scan for access.  Definitely BOOK ME if you are interested in these options.

In the event that students must type the URL into the browser, here is a VERY QUICK tip to get the URL as short as possible:

1. From the website you want to share with students, locate the web address (URL) and click on it once to highlight the whole thing.
   
   
   

2.  Hold down the Command key and press C to copy.

3.  Navigate to goo.gl

4.  Click in the "Enter Long URL Here:" window, hold down Control and press V to paste.

5.  Click the Shorten URL button.  That's it!

Extra Bonus:  Clicking on the "Details" Button just under your URL will also give you a QR Code that people can scan to get to your URL.

Viewing Websites That use Flash on the iPad

Viewing sites that use Flash on the iPad is a frequent frustration for some teachers, not just at RSU57, but all over Maine (at least).  Unfortunately, there are currently no awesome & free solutions.  

The only way to view Flash on the iPad is to use a "flash browser".  After much discussion and comparing notes with other Integrators, I have discovered that there are three, and ONLY three, viable flash browsers.  They are as follows:

Rover - Free, but limited to vendors who "partner" with them.  They pressure you (the user) to pressure the vendor (website owner) to "partner" with them.  So, many popular educational sites which use Flash, cannot be viewed via Rover.  Rover does filter content though.

Puffin - Free for 30 days and then $2.99.  It is eligible for the MLTI volume discount ($1.50).  Puffin does not filter content (but neither does Safari or Google).  Puffin can tend to get very slow when many students are using it at once.

Photon EDU - Currently on sale for $4.99 but not eligible for volume discount.  This one has no limitations that I have heard from anyone.  People using it say that they love it.  It has a back end that can black/white list certain sites.   

If it is not possible to budget for the needed apps, here are some possible workarounds:

1.  Check with the owner of the site you wish to use.  Many Companies are quickly realizing that they are going to lose huge numbers of users if they continue to use Flash, so they either create a html version of their site or develop an App.  It may be that the site owner will soon launch an App.

2.  Find financing from a donor.  some possible donors are donorschoose.org, Local Lions Clubs, or even Walmart may donate iTunes cards to a local school if asked.

3.  Research (or ask me to research) a similar site which does not use Flash.  

While I debated posting an article that does not provide a great solution, the question about Flash on the iPad regularly pops up.  Hopefully, it is helpful to at least have the facts.

Easy Peasy Parent Conference Scheduling

Use YouCanBook.Me to schedule your parent conferences.

All you have to do is log in with your RSU57 email, set your availability and other preferences, and provide parents with the link to your page.

Parents simply click your link, select an available time slot, fill out a little information that you specify, and...blam!  They are on your Google Calendar.  You will receive an email informing you that you have been booked.

Here's how...

1.  Go to https://youcanbook.me/

2.  Click "I already have a Google account."

3.  Choose your rsu57.org email account.

4.  Click "allow access' to allow YouCanBook.Me to access your Google Calendar.

5.  Once you are logged in, click on the "Manage Tab" and then "Launch Settings Editor".

Basics Tab:
Here you can set your customized URL, add a logo, and choose the text that parents will see when they click your link.

Times Tab:
Here is where you set what your available schedule is, what the smallest and largest time increment someone can book you for, if you want padding between appointments, and how far from right now you want to allow someone to book.

Booking Form Tab:
Here is where you specify what information you need to gather from the parent who is scheduling the appointment.  Possibly names of others attending, student name, concerns, or contact information.

You can click through other tabs and change settings as you like.  I didn't bother with much of the advanced stuff.

6.  Once you have made all desired changes, click on the Dashboard pull down and select Publish.

7.  Copy/Paste the displayed URL for your YouCanBook.Me to your parent communication.  You can put it in an email, on your website, or even make a QR code for people to simply scan with a mobile device.

I think you will LOVE how your calendar fills up in a way that is effortless to you.

My link is sarahglatzrsu57.youcanbook.me , so go ahead and book me!