This afternoon I was talking with some of my students about computer programs that are in still in use but are older than they are. I mentioned PowerPoint and their response was, “Boomer.” Dismissing their insult for a minute, they did raise a good point that there are lots of older programs that continue to get updated with new features. Here are the five PowerPoint features that are worth trying if you haven’t done so before today. (I’ve previously featured all of these individually on Free Technology for Teachers).
Technology
Two Ways to Create Online Sorting Games
Playing a sorting game can be a fun way to review a set of vocabulary words and terms. This week I came across two templates that you can use to create your own online sorting games. Both are free and relatively easy to use. The first template is Vortex from ClassTools. The second template is Google Sheets template from Flippity called Manipulatives.
Vortex by ClassTools lets you create an online sorting activity that has up to four categories. You specify the categories and the vocabulary terms that players have to sort. Your game is assigned its own unique URL. Give that URL to students to play your game. Watch the following video to see how the whole game creation and play process works.
Flippity is a site that I’ve used for many years to find Google Sheets templates to make things like multimedia flashcards, word games, and timelines. Flippity recently added a new template called Manipulatives. The Manipulatives template lets you create an online sorting activity from information that you enter into a Google Sheet. Watch my video below to see how it works.
Bottom Line
Flippity’s Manipulatives template offers more flexibility and design options than the Vortex template from ClassTools. However, the ClassTools Vortex template does provide a true game experience with points and instant feedback for students.
How to Make Sure You Don’t Use “Reply All” At the Wrong Time
We all have that one colleague that uses “reply all” way too often. I made the following video to help that person. By the way, if you can’t think of who needs to watch this video, it might be you.
There’s nothing wrong with using “reply all” when it’s necessary, but it’s usually not necessary. We all have plenty of email and don’t need twenty more messages saying, “yes” or “ok” or “I can’t make it because my sister’s brother-in-law is having an in-grown toenail removed that day.”
Three Ways to Create Online Comics
Creating a comic strip can be a great way to get students to start writing. When I taught social studies I had students create comic strips based on historical events. When I taught language arts I had students make comic strips to summarize key points The Odyssey and Romeo & Juliet. If you want to have your students try making comics, here are three online tools that I’ve used extensively and recommend to others.
Make Beliefs Comix
Make Beliefs Comix is a free service for creating online comic strips. It doesn’t have the most features that you’ll find in an online comic strip tool, but it does have all of the features that the vast majority of students need. Make Beliefs Comix provides a simple interface that lets students search for and add drawings to comic strip frames. Most importantly, Make Beliefs Comix offers support for writing in eleven languages. Registration is not required in order to use Make Beliefs Comix. Watch my tutorial below to see how it works.
Storyboard That
Storyboard That offers an education product that allows you to create an online classroom in which you give assignments to students to complete using Storyboard That’s comic strip or storyboard tools. In addition to distributing and viewing assignments in Storyboard That classrooms, you can create templates for your students to follow. My introduction to Storyboard That is embedded below.
Google Slides
Google Slides doesn’t have a comic strip template, but it’s easy to make one with it. Check out my video below to learn how to make comic strips with Google Slides.
Other Options
There are other tools out there that I’ve tried and used at various times for making comic strips. The ones listed above are the ones I’ve used the most. Some other tools you might consider using to make comic strips include Pixton, Book Creator, Write Reader, and good ol’ PowerPoint.
Three Ways to Create a Podcast
NPR recently announced their second annual Student Podcast Challenge. The challenge is open to students in grades five through twelve in the U.S. Students can produce a podcast on any topic of interest to them. Winning submissions will be aired on NPR broadcasts. If you’d like to have your students participate, but you’re not quite sure how to create a podcast, here are three tutorial videos to get you started.
Create a Podcast With Anchor
Anchor is podcasting platform that includes built-in audio recording and editing tools. You can use Anchor on any computer. In the first video below I demonstrate how to record directly into Anchor. In the second video I demonstrate how to import audio that was created with Garage Band.
Create a Podcast With Garage Band
If your students have Macs, Garage Band offers everything a student needs to record and edit a podcast. The video below provides an overview of how to create a podcast on Garage Band.
Create a Podcast With Audacity
Audacity is open-source software that you can use on a Mac or Windows computer. If you’re ready to move beyond the basics of Anchor and Garage Band, Audacity is the tool for you.
Upload a Podcast to SoundCloud
If you are going to have your students participate in NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge, you’ll have to upload their podcasts to SoundCloud. In the following video I demonstrate how to do that.
Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo for the tip about the podcast contest.
My Experience With the Peloton Bike, the Peloton App, and Affordable Alternatives
In this post I’m going to provide my completely amateur opinion on indoor cycling apps and bikes. I’m not a professional trainer and everything that follows is just the opinion of a 40-something guy who did a whole lot of bike riding last year.
This morning on Instagram I answered the following question from a follower about the Peloton app.
“I didn’t buy a Peloton but just got a Schwinn. Do you still recommend the Peloton subscription? Or there’s plenty of free rides? “
My short answer was that the Peloton app is good if you’re a person who needs or likes having someone coaching them through a workout. Otherwise, depending on the bike and trainer I’d look into a program like Zwift or Sufferfest.
Peloton vs. Peloton App
If you live in the U.S. you have probably seen the Peloton indoor bike advertised on television and online. Their ads all have perfect-looking people who get into even more perfect shape by riding the expensive Peloton bike. What a lot of people don’t know is that there is also a Peloton mobile app that you can use even if you don’t have one of the bikes.
The Peloton mobile app requires a subscription to the Peloton service at a minimum cost of $12.95/month (first 30 days are free). The app gives you access to all of the classes that Peloton offers. You just have to follow along on the stationary bike you’re riding or the treadmill that you’re running on. The app won’t track your power output, heart rate, or speed like you could if you were on a Peloton bike or treadmill. But you can sync your workout time to other apps like Strava or Garmin Connect.
One of the things that you might not know about the Peloton mobile app unless you tried it is that in addition to cycling and running workouts the app offers guided stretching routines, yoga sessions, and strength training workouts.
About the Peloton Bike
They’re very expensive compared to the rest of the indoor bike market. So I was skeptical of it when my partner bought one last July. She loves it and in December I finally tried it one day instead of riding my bike on a stationary trainer.
I’ve done 22 sessions on the Peloton bike in the last month. My favorite workouts are the ones that I’ve planned myself and executed while using the “scenic rides” in Peloton. Scenic Rides are simply street level views of interesting places around the world. The scenes move while you pedal.
I’ve also taken a handful of complete structured workouts on the Peloton bike. I haven’t enjoyed them as much as other people do. That’s probably because I generally prefer silence to someone trying to encourage or coach me through a workout. Most of the instructors I’ve tried to follow are a bit too “rah rah” or overly enthusiastic for my taste. But if you’re the type of person who likes that style, then the Peloton structured workouts are for you.
Affordable Alternatives to the Peloton Bike
Prior to the arrival of the Peloton bike our house, I did lots and lots of workouts on one of my older road bikes that was hooked up to an inexpensive Travel Trac stationary trainer. I use it for at least half of my workouts. To the right of my bike I have an old Chromebook on a small table. From the Chromebook I play YouTube videos. Usually, I follow along to a Global Cycling Network training video (I’m partial to the ones led by Matt Stephens and Dan Lloyd). The Wahoo Elmnt computer that I use on all of my bikes displays my cadence, time, and speed throughout the ride.
I tried using Zwift with my current stationary bike set-up. I was able to make it work through a series of steps that seemed more complicated than necessary. Since I didn’t have a smart trainer that automatically adjusts resistance I had to manually adjust resistance by shifting up or down. Doing that took away some of the perceived benefits of using Zwift. But the real reason that I didn’t stick with it was that I prefer to look at real landscapes and people than Second Life-like scenes and people. The bottom line was that at $14.99/month I didn’t think it was worth it to me without a smart trainer.
A friend of mine gave me a promotional code to try Sufferfest so I gave it a try. Like Zwift, Sufferfest works best if you have a smart trainer. Since I don’t have a smart trainer I had to hook up my bike computer to my Windows 10 laptop through a Bluetooth dongle (worth noting that I couldn’t get it work at all on my Chromebook). Again, this was cumbersome and glitchy. I did a few workouts with Sufferfest then went back to old method of non-smart trainer and YouTube videos.
Admittedly, my attempts at using Zwift and Sufferfest were limited because of the equipment that I have. That said, both companies do advertise that you can use their services without a smart trainer. The reality is that you really do need a smart trainer to get the full benefits of Zwift or Sufferfest.
Bottom Line
My partner, Jess, tells me that I’m unique in that I like to suffer in silence on the bike and that I can stick to a workout plan without someone coaching me through it. That’s probably why I enjoy Peloton’s scenic rides and why I like riding my stationary trainer with or without YouTube on. If that doesn’t sound like you, then the Peloton app might be what you need to keep yourself motivated throughout a workout.