7 Super Tech Tools Spied at #ASCD15

I feel like a kid in the candy store at #ASCD15 as I go from session to session, tour the exhibit hall, and network with awesome educators from around the world.  I truly feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have the opportunity to learn from so many!  My favorite sessions have been the ones that were hands-on, engaging, and packed with technology, of course. (You know that I am a geek at heart!)  I ran across tons of new tools, but I have narrowed down my list to what I think are the Super 7.  So, here they are... in no certain order, the 7 Super Tech Tools I Spied at #ASCD15:

1.  Plickers - Collect real-time formative assessment without student devices! Give each student a printed card unique to them. Ask a question.  Have students hold up their "vote". Scan the room with your iOS device and... voila...all student responses are recorded.  Genius!

2.  EdPuzzle -EdPuzzle allows a teacher to insert audio notes and embed questions into a video of your choosing.  Questions may be multiple choice or open ended thus allowing for a "check for understanding" while the students are viewing.  It also allows you to see who has viewed the video and how they responded to the embedded questions.
3.  Photo Math - PhotoMath helps students solve equations any place  and at any time.  Simply scan a math problem with the app and see how to work it out step by step. I have used an online platform for independent math practice for the past several years. One of my students favorite features in the web-based tool is the "Help Me Solve This" option.  PhotoMath takes the same idea and puts the "Help Me Solve This" button directly in students' hands.

4.  AdobeVoice - AdobeVoice makes projects with backgrounds, photos, music, and voice overs a snap to create and it allows your design to be saved directly to your camera roll!

5.  Pixel Press Floors - Love! Love! Love! This app allows students to turn their drawings into an original video game that is playable!!! I am so excited to roll this out in our Makerspace.  The kids are going to love this.


6.  Discovery Education's STEM Camp Resources - Discovery Education has done it again.  If you are thinking of hosting a summer camp, starting an after-school club focused on STEM, or even just looking for resources to use in your own classroom, definitely check out DE's STEM Camp Curriculum.

This all encompassing resource includes detailed guides to running a week long camp, From a daily schedule to links to digital resources, DE has provided everything you need to be successful.

7.  Tricider - Tricider allows you to pose a question and then invite others to answer and then vote on what they think is the best response. I know you are probably thinking, "How can I use this in the classroom?"  Well, I recently had the opportunity to visit a Master Teacher's English classroom at East High School in Memphis.  While there, I saw this incredible educator lead her students through a character analysis.  In the activity, the teacher would ask a question, allow for a response, and then quickly fire off, "How do you know?" or "What made you think that?"  She was fishing for textual evidence.  Tricider with its "Pros and Cons" section might be the perfect place for students to voice an opinion, provide textual evidence to support their thoughts, and then respond to other students' responses.