Prepping for that Spring Online Assessment

Edcite Interactive Digital Practice

Edcite allows teachers to create a variety of online assignments that mirror the style of the new computer-based assessments. There are many ready-to-use assignments, or teachers can create their own. Many of the questions are instantly graded as students complete them.

Customizable, assignable, free for teachers. Click here to find out more and sign up.

Make Your Chrome Experience Platinum

Tips on Google Chrome Extensions

Several teachers at PlaydateLA came up with a few great Google Chrome extensions. Here are a few that caught my attention:

• EdPuzzle: Add your own questions to videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and other video sources to provide accountability, tie in with lessons, and spark interest. Click here for more info.
• DFYouTube: "Distraction free" YouTube pages... this extension hides the distracting playlist on the right side of a YouTube page. Pretty clever! Click here to see and download.
• ScreenCastify: Record up to 10 minutes of your computer screen with your narration, and save to your Google Drive. Nice! You can use a webcam feed with your smiling face as well. Click here for details.
• ProjectNAPTHA: Need to grab some text from a webpage? Many times you're denied, especially if it's in an image. ProjectNAPTHA works to pull text from just about any image onscreen, allowing you to copy and paste it elsewhere. More info is here.

All of these extensions and more can be added from the Google Web Store; all listed above are free.

Your Classroom Library Just Blew out the Walls

Epic! Free access to books from major publishers

Looking for a library that's open 24/7, with no late returns? Take a close look at Epic!, a free app that provides access to thousands of books which is now available to all U.S. and Canada-based elementary school teachers and librarians.

Thanks to Helen Mui and Nancy Delgadillo for turning us onto this one at PlaydateLA 2015! And yes, it's free! Click here to find out more.

*Here's a tip I found handy: I had parents download Epic to their iDevices, send them to class, and I tied in our classroom account for students at home.