Using mobile app for Art and Science

I am always amazed by how mobile app can help in engaging the students in learning. This is especially so when most students own a smart phone nowadays and they could download many apps free. I have shared earlier on how mobile apps can be used for Geography  - http://ezitnew.blogspot.sg/2012/06/applications-from-google-play-android.html 

Though the followings are mobile apps for Art and Science, I must say I was quite fascinated by them. This is especially so for Prisma which I could turn my photos into the different Art piece immediately. A great way to learn the different Art style!

You can either take a photo or choose from your gallery a photo and then click on the various art filters to see them being converted in seconds! I have converted two photos which I took and I am really awed by the effects.

Another similar one is Deep Art Effects - more filters but can be quite laggy.

Using the free wRiteFormula app, students played a game to understand the nomenclature of ionic compounds. Students advanced in the game by gaining experience points and they’d receive immediate feedback on their performance. As a results, Chemistry concepts came alive in an exciting form, helping students to enjoy the process of learning that much more.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ixorastudios.writeformula&hl=en

• Race against time to form chemical compounds (IUPAC Nomenclature) in this new and exciting educational game!
• Form chemical compounds using various ions that appear in the game!
• Answer multiple choice questions with the correct chemical formula and name of the compound to achieve higher scores!
• Consecutively form compounds and answer questions correctly to earn huge score bonuses!
• Learn from the mistakes you make during the game by looking through the game summary and feedback after a game!

Another good one is on periodic table - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.rsc.periodictable

• See elements in their natural state and real-life applications.
• Incorporated Podcasts and videos.
• Use the interactive slider to see how elements change state as temperature increases, or explore the discovery of the elements through history. 
• Use the simple table for quick access to data – like sorting elements in order of increasing density.

Khan academy provides more than 4,000, free downloadable videos, so you can brush up on everything from K-12 math and earth science to art history and computer science. You can also track your progress and unlock basic achievements. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.khanacademy.android

The PlantNet Plant identification app is also very good for Bology or even Geog!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.plantnet&hl=en

Just take a picture with your camera or select from your picture from your gallery. 

It can be a flower like the one above or a fruit like the one below.

Then click on which part of the plant the picture shows. 

The results will be shown as above and the scientific name of the plant shown.

I have shared in an earlier post on the use of mobile app for Geography:

http://ezitnew.blogspot.sg/2012/06/applications-from-google-play-android.html

ICT Symposium 2016 pear deck vs Nearpod

Grateful for the comparison of pear deck and Nearpod. Will try out and update
https://mrrobkamrowski.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/app-tested-pear-deck-vs-nearpod/

Google Site

My sharing with the teachers in the humanities teachers on the use of Google Site for self-directed and collaborative learning. 

The use of google site allow students to be self-directed in their learning as they can select, manage, and assess their own learning activities any time beyond their curriculum time. To further engage the students in their learning, interactive resources such as Zaption interactive videos and Quizlet can be embedded into the Google site. 

Physical Geography Lessons http://tinyurl.com/sec3geog  
Human Geography Lessons tinyurl.com/sec4geog

Update 2017 - I have created two more sites for lower sec:
Sec 1 - https://tinyurl.com/y1geog 
Sec 2 - https://tinyurl.com/y2geography

Inquiry-based learning is infused through geographical investigation using the Google Site. The use of Google site helps the groups direct their geographical inquiry collaboratively as well as allowing them to review the steps needed in the geographical investigation to encourage self-directed learning. An example will be an inquiry on water quality by the Secondary 1 students from Edgefield Secondary School. Permission I a given by level which means some pages can be viewed by public but students group work can only be viewed with sign in. After they have signed in, they can only on the age assigned on their findings and reflection as well as attach a copy of their final product.
I have also used Google sites to guide the students for GI on Coastal Studies and Tourism

Sec 1 GI on Water Resources 2015 http://tinyurl.com/watergi2015
Sec 3 GI on Coastal studies @East Coast Park   tinyurl.com/gicoast
Sec 4 GI on Tourism @ Chinatown tinyurl.com/gitourism

It is also great for sharing resources among the department teachers as it is a secured platform which access permission can be controlled - only share with a certain group of people - intranet. It is a great platform as a repository of resources and the whole site can be duplicated for another year or level. Instead of webpage, you can change the page format to file cabinet. Those who had been given permission to access the site can click on subscribe to changes and a email will be sent once a file is added.

Google site from Lily Teo Hp

Zaption - interactive video lesson

Sad to update that Zaption platform was officially closed on the 30 September 2016

I was introduced to Zaption by a fellow colleague and decided to try it out as I could embed it on my Google site for self-directed learning, especially those who had missed my lessons.

You can sign up for an account free @ https://www.zaption.com/ 

It is easy to use and great for self-directed learning and definitely a great tool for flipped classroom. I definitely agree that Zaption makes online video interactive and this will definitely engage students better and drives deeper learning. The student also can pace his/her learning using the interactive video.

I have screenshot the steps I took to create a lesson using a video. After you have logged into Zaption, click on"lessons"on the top menu and click on "New Lesson"on the scrolled down menu.

Copy and paste the url of the online video or upload one from your folder.

Confirm the video clip and click on "add this video for lesson".

I like the ability to trim the video clip by dragging the markers to mark the start and end of the clip as some video clips might be too long. A more effective video clip should be less than 5 mins.

You can then choose to include interactive elements from the top menu - multiple choice, check box, open response, drawings, image or text slides into your video lesson.

Other than MCQ, you can also add in check box, drawing, image or text slide just by clicking on the icons shown below and drag them to the main panel or side bar:

Click on publish and a pop-up window will appear for you to enter a title for your lesson.

The best part of using this tool is that you can analyse the responses of your students to keep track of their learning!

I have tried created 2 lessons - one on internal structure of the earth (http://zapt.io/tvh8bz2u) and the other on Kyoto Protocol (http://zapt.io/trap3wss) and embedded the clips onto my Geography Google site - https://sites.google.com/a/moe.edu.sg/sec3geog/weather-and-climate/wc-k2-lesson-8