Posts on “ apps ”

BrainPOP Superstar Educator, Andrea Keller, Reflects on the Podstock Conference The middle of July marked the 4th annual Podstock Conference in Wichita, Kansas. Podstock is that conference that once you go, you will keep going back.  I have to say that I am a Podstock Original. Why do people come to Podstock? As their website says, “So what is Podstock? It’s a tech integration conference. But it’s more than a conference. It’s conversation. It’s family.  It’s a bunch of cool folks getting together to learn more about how to improve education.  And we’ll use whatever it takes -technology, PBL, gaming, online tools . . . we’ll try anything as long as it helps kids learn.  Podstock is about creativity, about inspiration, about what’s good for kids. Our formal and informal conversations change how we do school.” The conference is already on my calendar for next year (July 17, 18, and 19, 2013). Podstock is a voice, family, and friendship, and is so much more than just a conference to me. It is a family with the same ideals. It is those who are making a change or who want to make a change to give all of our students the… Read the Rest»

Last week, Senior Manager of BrainPOP Educators Andrew Gardner presented at the Apple Store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  The topic was “iPad in the Classroom” and Andrew spoke about the device and the specific apps using the SMAR (Substitution, Modification, Augmentation and Redefinition) framework defined by Dr. Ruben Puentedura.  The rise of tablet computing and the rapid adaptation of the devices in schools, requires us to think deeply about best use.   “Substitution” apps do things that you can do with regular classroom tools, like reading a ebook, creating flashcards, or practicing fast facts and phonics.  ”Modification” and “Augmentation” apps do things similar to regular classroom tools but with added functionality, like an ebook that reads to you, an encyclopedia that calculates equations or a magazine that is built around your interests.  The most exciting category is Redefinition apps that do things previously impossible without the use of technology and the device, like building collaborative narrated digital slideshows or helping students with Autism learn social cues. BrainPOP’s favorite example of the using a “Redefinition” app is the first grade project that BrainPOP Educators Eliza Chung and Jan Bird submitted at the end of last school year. Using Puppet… Read the Rest»

BrainPOP is now more mobile- and BYOD-friendly than ever before with the recent Android debut of all our apps!  We’re pleased to announce that you can access BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., and BrainPOP Espanol on any Android device AND, best of all, these apps are FREE! With the BrainPOP Featured Movie app, you can watch a different animated movie every day and then take the accompanying interactive quiz.  Changing every Monday, the BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week app gives you the opportunity to view a different BrainPOP Jr. movie each week.  We’ve even included the featured quiz, Pop-a-Joke, and Belly Up comic for each movie!  Whether you’re fluent in Spanish or just learning the language, we’ve got you covered with the BrainPOP Español Película del Día app.  Learn something new every day- in Spanish!- and complete the interactive quiz after watching the movie. Our Android apps are perfect for taking the BrainPOP gang on the go or using in a mobile-friendly and BYOD classroom and are available on Google Play.  If you’ve already got a username and password for BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., or BrainPOP Espanol, you can log in and access all of the content directly from the corresponding app… Read the Rest»

Heading to the Google Apps for Education California Summit in Santa Clara?  So are we!  Our very own Andrew Gardner, Senior Manager of BrainPOP Educators, will be there to join in the fun today and tomorrow.  If you are one of the lucky ones to be attending this event, be sure to visit the Demo Slam this afternoon from 4:30-5:30.  Andrew will be demonstrating BrainPOP’s seamless integration with GAFE.  With the opportunity to learn about single sign-on and automatic quiz score collection, this session is one you won’t want to miss.  

Bring learning to your fingertips with Annie and Moby!  We are excited to announce that we’ve recently released our BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week app.  You can now access BrainPOP Jr.’s movies and quizzes from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, as well their accompanying Belly Up comics and Pop A Jokes.  The app itself is completely free to download from the iTunes App Store and we’re proud to say it’s currently the 2nd most popular free EDU app and is featured as “New & Noteworthy”. Current BrainPOP Jr. subscribers can log in from the Movie of the Week app and view all of BrainPOP Jr.’s content at no additional cost.  Non-subscribers can take advantage of our free content by accessing our featured movie of the week and it’s quiz, comic, and joke.  We’re just in time for summer, so whether it’s on vacation or in the car, be sure to take BrainPOP Jr. on the go!  

Guest Bloggers and BrainPOP Educators Eliza Chung and Jan Bird worked with students from class 1a at The School at Columbia to create their own BrainPOP style movie about raising baby chicks. Here at BrainPOP Educators, we were thrilled to Skype with their students and help create the parameters for the awesome project. Eliza writes: “We wanted our first grade students to show their learning about writing procedural text in a creative manner. We’d been watching BrainPop Jr. videos all year long when they’ve connected with our curriculum, so the kids were familiar with the format and characters. When we Skyped with Andrew, from BrainPOP Educators, he asked us to create content about the changes involved with chicks and how to care for them, (which “coincidentally” was what we’d studied in our classroom). The kids were excited to make a movie for BrainPOP and be famous! They loved knowing other children would learn from what they could share. We brainstormed important knowledge we would need to include in the movie, and kids took charge of various aspects: the backgrounds, characters, and props. We wrote a script together, and each student had a part. They especially enjoyed drawing inspiration from the… Read the Rest»

As the end of the school year approaches, students need to review lots of material they’ve already learned. Why not use BrainPOP to help? In this new lesson plan, you’ll find ideas for helping students reflect on their progress and areas of strength and weakness, and review key skills and concepts. This lesson can be used in preparation for standardized testing or even unit tests in various subject areas. Preview the lesson and determine how you can adapt it for your class and differentiate for student needs. If your students have mobile devices, you may want to teach them in advance how to download the BrainPOP app. You may want to re-use this lesson plan throughout the school year for different subject area assessments. Encourage students to explore the movies and quizzes on their own, and check out topics that are relevant to their interests (including those topics that are not covered on a test.)    

Unfortunately scheduled presenter Mike Amante is unavailable to present this afternoon.  Though we are disappointed not to hear from him, we are pleased that Lisa Johnson will be joing us instead. Lisa has a tremendous knowledge of the free ios app landscape.  Her passion for helping teachers identify the best educational apps has led her to develop “techchef4you,” an app that indexes free educational apps by subject. It’s getting a lot of buzz, because it’s awesome! Lisa will share some of her favorite apps with you, our dedicated BrainPOP educators. Same time, Same place For more info about Lisa See her bio below! We look forward to seeing you this afternoon, and we will also let you know when we reschedule Mike’s webinar. About Lisa Johnson: Appaholic, Apptivity Author, Social Geek, iPad Evangelist, WordPress Addict, MOPS Mom, Caffeine Dependent. After graduating with a degree in elementary education with an English certification, Lisa taught secondary mathematics and began writing technology-infused curriculum for Computer Explorers. She then completed her master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction & Technology Integration and was “appy” to take an an Instructional Technology Position with North East ISD in TX. Her love for “cooking up” technology integrated lessons, the… Read the Rest»

Wednesday, May 9 3:00PM ET: The App-solute Best Advice with Mike Amante Overwhelmed by lists describing “the best” educational apps for iOS? Need advice and guidance for what to use . . . tomorrow? Have no fear, BrainPOP is here! This week we are thrilled to welcome Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified teacher, and New York based technology integrationist mastermind Mike Amante for a inspiring hour exploring educational trends in mobility, the best apps for iOS, and useful advice about best pedagogical practice.

Do you and your students use BrainPOP’s resources in the classroom … and beyond?  We’ve partnered with Intel to sponsor a lesson plan contest and we want to hear how you’re taking BrainPOP to go!  Implemented through We Are Teachers, the contest invites educators to submit lesson plans that showcase the use of BrainPOP’s interactive resources on mobile devices.  Submit by May 22nd! Voting is open to the public; weigh in on what you consider the best submissions between May 24th and June 7th.  Winners will be announced on June 11th, and grand prizes include $200 cash and a Flip cam – ideal for filming all your creative ideas in action!  We’ll even feature the winners on BrainPOP Educators.  We can’t wait to see what you come up with! Get the details and great ideas here.