Top Hat & Nearpod

Top Hat	Nearpod
Price: 1 semester = $26            1 year = $36            4 years = $75	Price: Silver Package = free            Gold Package = $120/year per teacher
Features: Free access to textbooks, free assignments, upload slides easily, add interactive questions, launch polls, mark attendance, BYOD to sync to app in class	Features: Polls, slide shows, interactive quizzes, virtual field trips, assign homework, add last minute activities
Notes: $10 for tests, fees are for students, professors are free	Notes: Fees are for the teachers to pay

Top Hat and Nearpod are both educational apps that are great to use in the classroom. Top Hat seems to appeal more towards a college or university class. Nearpod is geared towards elementary or secondary grades.

Top Hat has an interesting feature that allows the professor of a classroom to take a view of the class and the app will automatically take roll. The app also allows the students to use the discussion feature as the professor is going over notes. Students can also use the discussion feature anonymously, and the professor can sync your device with the lecture so that you can move along with the lecture as it is being taught. All tests and assignments can be integrated throughout the app. Another great feature is that textbooks are uploaded for free (with the exception of the app price), so that a student can access this material any time.

Nearpod allows a teacher to have access to thousands of lesson plans. This app is an interactive classroom tool that engages students with lessons. Teachers can create presentations, quizzes, polls, videos, images, drawing boards and web content.

Both apps seem fairly similar. However, they are geared toward different audiences.

RealSense Technology

RealSense technology feature 3D cameras that include three lenses, a 2D Camera for regular photos and videos, and an infrared camera/laser projector. The infrared part of the camera is use to see distance between objects. The infrared part also separates objects from the background layers so that there is better facial and gesture recognition. These cameras also feature front-facing, rear-facing and snapshot.

So, what does this mean for images, gesture control, video, scanning 3D images and collaborating?

RealSense is great at scanning faces and turning them into something else. There is an app called FaceShift that will scan and replace your real face with an avatar during a video chat. The app mimics all facial gestures. However, if you stick your tongue out, it will not detect this since it doesn’t scan the inside of your mouth.

Intel has also come out with a prototype tablet that can scan people’s torsos and then 3D print them on a crystal paperweight! See the picture below.

Another app named Personify, will automatically remove the background and replace it with a graphic or a white space. RealSense depth-sensors help with this feature.

The RealSense Snapshot camera adds depth information to any photo that it takes. For example, you can take a picture and measure the distance between two points by drawing a line with your finger. The software will also tell you the radius of objects in the picture. There are also features of photo layer editing and focusing.

RealSense has completely transformed the way we use cameras. This software is historical in a way because we are able to use technology more intimately now than we ever were in the past.

Nearpod

Link to Nearpod: https://nearpod.com/

According to the Nearpod website, this app is best described as, “An interactive classroom tool for teachers to engage students with interactive lessons”. The app allows teachers to create presentations that can include quiz’s, polls, videos, images, drawing boards, and web content. After a lesson is created, the app will generate a code that the teacher can share with students so that they can access the lesson on any mobile device as well.

I am not a teacher, but I created a presentation on this app titled, “Music and History”. Instead of using Microsoft Powerpoint, I utilized the presentation tools within Nearpod. Creating the presentation was very easy, and I felt that the tools were simple to use. I was able to input pictures from the web and audio clips. Below is a picture from my lesson.

Nearpod is not just a teacher driven app. Students can also utilize the app with the “Draw It” feature. This allows students to take control and draw their answer on a device such as their cell-phones or a school issued chrome book. Open-Ended Questions is another feature on the app that allows students to write their own answer after a teacher poses a question or sets up a scenario.

Nearpod is truly a great app to use if you are a teacher. There are so many tools and features within the app that can benefit the teacher and students.

Seesaw

The free educational app known as Seesaw is best described as, “a platform for student engagement.” Teachers are able to upload photos, videos, drawings, text, PDFs and links. Seesaw engages students, improves the quality of student work and teaches key tech skills. Seesaw created an efficacy study to assess student engagement and development of 21^st Century skills, classroom management and student assessment, parent engagement and involvement, and teacher satisfaction. The results displayed 98% of teachers felt that Seesaw helped them use technology effectively in their classroom. 94% of teachers state that Seesaw made it easier to show evidence of student learning at parent-teacher conferences and on progress reports.

Seesaw was made for students, teachers and family members to collaborate. By Seesaw promoting these 21^st Century skills, they are helping students thrive in today’s world. This app is easy to use when sharing student work and sharing with families. It is important to note that nothing is shared on the app without teacher approval. As previously mentioned, the app is free. However there are extra tools included if a teacher or school wanted to pay for the app.

Link to Seesaw: https://web.seesaw.me/

Top Technology Trends in 2018-19

Link to article: https://elearningindustry.com/educational-technology-trends-top-right-now

With technology’s ever growing process these days, there is no surprise on my end of the latest technology trends for the classroom! Below are six educational technology trends that is discussed in the article, “Top 6 Educational Technology Trends Right Now”.

1. Custom Learning Experiences – Accommodations for those who had limits to their education or were at a different level of education was not possible in the past (when it came to technology). Mobile apps development for education has created a new way for students to have need-based learning. The article even states that a junior surgeon can now seek guidance for a procedure during an operation!
2. Cloud Computing – We have all heard of “the cloud” ever since Apple came out with their products. Cloud computing has made it to where information can be accessed anytime, anywhere. For example, you can read a book and collaborate with your students/other teachers about homework through any device at any time.
3. Speech-To-Text Options – I’m sure we are all familiar with Apple’s Siri. This is the exact example of a speech-to-text option. Note taking and writing is easier and fast-paced with this function.
4. Virtual and Augmented Learning Experiences – Known as VR and AR, learners can literally immersive themselves into an app (without moving their entire body). There are a plethora of apps that makes learning fun and hands-on with these experiences.
5. 3D Printing – This is also known as prototyping. 3D printers give students the ability to learn with a physical experience. Students can shape their idea of a project with a 3D printer. This technological trend allows students to unleash their imagination and creativity.
6. Learning Analytics – The ever rising volume of education information and data created what is now known as learning analytics. This function makes it easier for teachers to assess and evaluate student involvement, traction and learning output.

Wearable Technology (WT)

The Smart Cane

This new WT was developed by researchers at the University of Malaga (UMA) in Spain. The smart cane is supposed to provide important information while the individual uses their cane. The information that the smart cane gathers is relevant to their rehabilitation process. While the individual is walking with the cane, the cane will monitor the weight-bearing while walking. The cane works by, “embedding pressure sensors placed at two different depths in the tip of a regular cane so that they don’t affect cane ergonomics” (Russey, 2019). The smart cane has a wireless charger and data can be collected by a mobile phone via Bluetooth. The smart cane is also low cost and promotes active ageing.

Video on Smart Cane for the Elderly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdF0nxXagZ8

Article about the Smart Cane: https://www.wearable-technologies.com/2019/03/this-smart-cane-can-double-as-an-activity-tracker-for-the-elderly/

Smart Fabric

Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have constructed a fabric made from that can release heat and trap heat. The yarn used is from synthetic yarn and “includes a carbon nanotube coating that activates by temperature and humidity” (Russey, 2019). If the conditions outside are warm and/or humid, the fabric will release heat. When conditions are cool and dry, the fabric will trap heat. 

The base yarn has two different synthetic threads, one absorbs water and the other repels water. The strands are coated with a special type of lightweight, carbon-based, conductive metal called carbon nanotubes (Russey, 2019). At this time the fabric is not being sold. In order for the fabric to hit the stores, more work is needed.

Video discussing Smart Fabric: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o91f2wmpJRQ

Article about the Smart Fabric: https://www.wearable-technologies.com/2019/03/smart-fabric-automatically-cools-or-insulates-depending-on-conditions/

Newsela

Newsela is a data base that includes various articles related to current events. There are many different themes included such as: Arts, Science, Health, Law, etc. The best thing about Newsela, in my opinion, is that it is student friendly. As a teacher, you can create a profile on Newsela and add your students to the class. After this is done, you can assign articles for students to read and take quizzes on submit a writing prompt. You can also adjust the reading level of an article for your students. 

This website is a great tool for students to stay up to date on current events while reading at their grade level. This website also encourages researching and understanding news articles.

Link: https://newsela.com/

Below is a screenshot of the home page when you first log in to Newsela: