Posts on “ mobile learning ”

Last year, Dr. Kari Stubbs was recognized as one of Daily Edventures’ global heroes in education and they’ve recently caught up with her again for an update on BrainPOP’s work, her thoughts on the intersection of education and technology, and future trends. Daily Edventures is an education-centered blog that has a focus of identifying inspiring advocates for education, 365 days a year.  The site’s editor, Anthony Salcito, is Vice President of Education for Microsoft Corp.’s Worldwide Public Sector organization and works with education institutions around the world to facilitate optimal use for technology in learning environments. Head on over to read about Kari’s thoughts on mobile learning and BYOD environments, and catch a short screencast of BrainPOP’s Windows 8 app in action. She also goes on to discuss the growing popularity of game-based learning and BrainPOP’s ability to meet these new demands for educational games with GameUp. Kari’s interview further includes news on BrainPOP’s future plans for more individualized instruction, as well as an audio clip of her discussing BrainPOP’s recent work around education and technology. We have a lot of exciting plans on the horizon, so be sure to check back often for updates!

It’s with pride and excitement that BrainPOP has released a new app for Windows 8 and its sidekick Windows RT for use on mobile devices such as the Microsoft Surface.  Our Windows app highlights the “tiled” beauty of the operating systems, incorporating an elegant look into the topic search and quiz features, while providing a gorgeous two toned blue sunburst background. It’s simply pretty to look at! The Windows app is available free of charge and provides access to the featured movie of the day. Featured movie topics tie in to current events, historical milestones and figures, holidays, and more! Additionally, current site subscribers can log in directly from the app to access all of BrainPOP’s award-winning content at no additional cost. This is a great benefit for school subscribers who want to provide access to BrainPOP content on Windows device that students may have at home! So, if you’re using Windows 8, download the app from the Windows 8 store and let us know what you think! After all, “the more you know, the more you know!” (and the more we want to know!)  

Angela Nixon Kiser is a National Board Certified Teacher who works tirelessly to provide interactive and meaningful learning in a technology enriched classroom. She provides technology tips, fun, and advice through a collaborative blog called www.techieteachertales.blogspot.com  If you missed her post on BrainPOP Educators last week, be sure to check it out here! I have one iPad in my classroom. How do you use one iPad with 26 greedy little fingers dying to get their hands on the technology? I think that is one of the biggest mountains to climb in our world of learning. I have researched numerous websites and blogs looking for helpful tips just to keep the growl of “my turn” to a patient whisper. So I endeavored to explore what many sources suggest. Adding the iPad into your center (or stations if the students are older) rotation. Easy enough, right? I would have hoped so, but it had its kinks. I encountered a kink with the length of time each child, in the group of four, would spend with an app. The first few center rotations became problematic primarily due to the game I featured for the week. Not every student played and not every student even touched… Read the Rest»

On Friday, December 14th, ALTEC will be hosting a mini-conference at the University of Kansas School of Education building in Lawrence, KS.  Focusing on mobile learning in the classroom, this action packed day will engage educational technology leaders in sharing what mobile learning strategies and tools are successful in schools.  Breakout sessions will be led by teachers, administrators and technology directors from Kansas districts implementing mobile learning solutions. Our very own Kari Stubbs, Vice President of Learning and Innovation, will be presenting “Forward Thinking: A Look at the Ed Tech Horizon” at 11:00 AM.  This session will focus on the path that education technology will likely take over the next five years. Taking a look at the Horizon K12 report, a go-to resource by leaders in education technology, Kari will discuss the report findings, including both trends and challenges in the field on the foreseeable horizon. She’ll focus on the collaborative process that is used by experts across the world to develop the findings each year, as well take a close peek at two of the predicted technologies – Mobile Devices & Apps and Game Based Learning – to see evidence of those predictions. If you won’t be an attendee at the conference, you can… Read the Rest»

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»

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»

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!  

With thousands of educational apps available today, it can be a difficult task to find the best ones for using in your classroom.  Identifying those that will engage students while staying relevant to the curriculum is a common hurdle for educators.  Put your frustrations to rest and join Dr. Alice Christie as part of the ISTE webinar series this Wednesday, March 21st at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PDT).  Dr. Christie will share some of the best educational apps for iPads, iPhones, and other mobile devices, including BrainPOP’s very own Featured Movie App!  With over forty years of teaching experience and a commitment to identifying the best of the best mobile apps, this webinar is not one be missed.  Be sure to stick around after for our BrainPOP presented webinar at 5:30 p.m. ET!  

The growing interest in mobile learning has BrainPOP on the go!  Have you been using the BrainPOP mobile app with your students?  Whether it’s on a field trip or in the classroom, we want to hear about the exciting ways you’ve been able to integrate it into your daily lessons. We are looking for high quality lesson plans that meaningfully incorporate the use of either the iOS or Chrome BrainPOP app.  If you haven’t yet used the app, we encourage you to explore it with your class and determine how it could fit into your curriculum.  Once you’ve had some time to play, submit a lesson plan to share your ideas.  The best lesson plans will be featured on our blog and we’ll send those lesson plan authors a free BrainPOP t-shirt!

You may not realize it, but by turning to BrainPOP’s content, you’re playing a role in improving teaching and learning through technology. And that quest for teaching and learning improvement is exactly what inspired Digital Learning Day, taking place today across the country. Digital Learning Day marks the culmination of a year-long national awareness campaign by the policy/advocacy organization Alliance for Excellent Education, which is dedicated to helping students succeed in school and beyond.  Hundreds of thousands of students and teachers are currently signed up to participate, and there’s time for you to jump in as well. Start a conversation, share perspectives, and exchange your ideas. Schools across the U.S. will interact live during a virtual National Town Hall Meeting [time?] that spotlights innovative teachers and creative projects. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joins FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski for a special appearance. There’s also a daylong webcast [start/finish time?] that showcases the myriad ways digital tools are being used in real classrooms. As a trusted provider of digital content, we wanted to show our support for Digital Learning Day.  To that end, we’ve designated Blogs as today’s Featured Movie.  Blogs – a truly 21st-century medium that fosters the same kind… Read the Rest»