Max's Formative Project / Blog Post

Now that I know the basics of iOS app development, I have started working on a more complicated project. I am working on an app that has the user enter their personal information such as email and phone number. The app then displays that information on a profile page. These are the two views in the app.

Next I will make it so that you can make a contact list of people and their personal information. I will add another view with a table that you can add people to.

Ian Blog Entry for The Month of March

            For the past few weeks at the help desk I've been improving my skills with the 3D modeling and animation program Maya. I started using Maya two years ago but ended up taking a long break, so I had to spend the first few classes relearning some of the tools. The project I’m currently working on is a model of a robot, which I’m going to use to try and learn rigging. I just completed the first phase of my project, which was to make the actual model of the robot. The whole thing went well and I finished in good time.

            Soon I’ll be starting the second phase of my project, which will be to learn how to rig and begin rigging the model. I actually have never tried rigging before, but I've heard it’s an incredibly time-consuming process, so much apparently that I've been told I may not finish by the end of the term. I’ll do my best though and if I somehow manage to finish the rigging with time left I’ll make a simple animation with the robot.

Why We Love Chromebooks / Zachary Griffin

The Advantages of a Google Chromebook
Google is one of the biggest multinational corporations in the world, and with its goal of trying to create seamless and universal devices and programs for any type of audience, such as the Google Apps, it only seems fitting that they would create a Chrome-based laptop that takes full advantage of its App interface and cloud-based service.

Cloud-Based Interface
As is the direction Google are going with the Google Docs, the Chromebooks take advantage of the Chrome OS device. An internet-based storage system that stores anything from online video streaming to sharing emails via a social network, is all implemented seamlessly on the Chromebooks.

Despite the several advantages to an always online storage system, this could have its own negative outcome for people who are more protective of their content and don’t feel comfortable pushing their content on an always-online storage space.

Full Advantage of the Google Docs
A more cloud-based online environment is coming, and with big manufacturers like Sony, Apple, and Microsoft utilizing a streamed-based service, Google Docs will become even more efficient in creating and sharing documents in the future. Among the various things that the Google Docs allow you to do, you can also take advantage of its exclusive apps that can used for education such as Quicknote or Scratchpad.

Apps that Instructional Staff can take advantage of using Chromebooks:

• Google Books
• SlideRocket
• Google Docs
• Google Dictionary
• Alarm Clock App
• Zoho Projects

Affordability of a Chromebook versus any other standard laptop
One of the best parts of obtaining a Chromebook is how cheap they are. The Acer Chromebook C720-2848 laptop with an 11.6-inch screen is only $200. Compared to similar laptops from other manufacturers such as a Windows 8.1 Dell, which sells the Asus 13.3-inch laptop at $400 with a lower end Intel Duo processor, the Chromebook, relying more heavily on its streaming service rather than its tech, would not only provide better value, but you wouldn't need to worry about getting hardware upgrades on an always clouded device.

How we, at the Andover Innovation Lab use Google Docs
Google Forms 
We use Google forms to create various spreadsheets and forms that assist us in keeping track of our students progress regardless of where we are and what device we are using, as these are the advantages of a streamed catalog! One of the examples that we use is the Student Attendance sheet which was created using Google Forms.

Google Calendar
Keeping track of our students attendance online for the Help Desk is not only beneficial for us, but also for the students. Using Google Calendar, we posted the Help Desk’s students names and the times and days they are scheduled to attend class on the Calendar, which is set to public so both teachers and students can view it. Using the embed tool the Google Calendar provides, we can also post that Calendar on Wiki Spaces and Blogger so our students can always see it as a useful reminder as to when they are expected to attend our class.

Blogger
Among the many resources the Google Apps provide us, the Google Blogger is among our most used app at the Help Desk. Blogging is an essential way of keeping our viewers and students up to date with the current events of the Help Desk. Students are also asked to post their own blogs regarding their progress on their projects on the Help Desk blogger.

       The Google Apps are essential to the Andover Innovation Lab’s progress, and using the Chromebook interface to take even more advantage of these features would even further its value to both the staff and the students. Chromebooks are affordable, durable, and up-to-date with the newest cloud-based technology, and with Google pushing towards becoming an even more universal technology based company than it already is, Chromebooks will surely prove to be the way to go for education in the near future.

Useful Links for further information on Chromebooks:
https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/1056325?hl=en
https://sites.google.com/site/chromeoswikisite/home/choosing-a-chromebook
https://sites.google.com/site/chromebookclassroominthecloud/classroom-resources

Andover Innovation Lab Links:
http://andoverhighschoolstudenthelpdesk.blogspot.com/
http://andoverinnovationlabhelpdesk.wikispaces.com/

Eight Suggestions for Formative Projects / Zachary Griffin

     Now that we are on week 3 of the Andover Help Desk with our new students this semester, they are now preparing to enter Phase 2 of their progress. Phase 2 is where the students will be expected to have a design plan laid out, which will show us how they plan on getting what done and when, and several samples of their work from this point. Below is a list of eight suggestions on what they can be working on for their Phase 2 part of their project if it helps them:

Drafts: Drafts are a vital part of any project. Anything that a student has worked on that led them to where they are now is the essence how their project has progressed. While it is not required, a student at the Help Desk could gain a lot of support by looking at some of the resources they developed during their progress on their project.

Info Graphics: These will allow our students to create simple and informative graphics explaining what their outline of their projects are, as well as outlining the various different steps of Phase 2  A convenient and free site to do this is "Easelly.com".

Script and Storyboard: Mainly useful for students working on video projects, creating a short and informative video that explains your progress up to this point is a very efficient way to both show your work and explain where you progress is up to this point.

Videos: Creating video tutorials that showcase your work up to this point is a great way of showcasing your work up to this point. Often times, viewers may not understand what the students project is about and how it works, and creating a tutorial or lecture video on what it is the student is working on is a great way to explain to his/her viewers what they plan to accomplish at the Help Desk.

Tutorials: While creating a video is one of the more efficient ways of showing off a tutorial, creating graphics, charts or other types of forms can also prove to be a useful approach on teaching others about your work. By using Google Forms, a student could create a list of things to know about their project as well as some simple tutorials steps that will help viewers understand more about what they are writing about.

Content Outline: Students who are creating a website or online app may find this useful. By creating a simple form that lists all of your content alongside a sketch of how your project will look with it can help the students understand how they plan on putting forward their content. You can create a form using the Google Docs.

Blogs: While we are always putting out blogs from the students progress every two weeks at the Help Desk, some students may find it useful to create blogs as their way of explaining their progress. Writing up a simple doc telling us where they are and what they plan on doing will help them in many ways.

Location Map: Location maps are similar to info graphics in that they allow for the students to create an image showcasing what their goals are for their project. However, a location map acts more akin to a hierarchy chart which illustrates where and when a students plans on going forward with each part of a project.



While none of these suggestions are required by any of our students for phase 2, it will still prove to be useful if they are looking for an efficient way to present their work and progress up to this point.

Here are a few links to a few valuable sites that can assist students in processing their information:
http://www.easel.ly/ (Easelly is a useful site for trying to create info graphics.)

docs.google.com/ (Create forms using Google Docs.)

http://www.fraps.com/ (A free to use program that allows you to record your PC and create a video)

Andover Innovation Lab-Help Desk:Updating The IPad Carts- Zach Griffin

At the Andover High School, it is always in the better interest of the faculty to ensure that students are learning about the newest features in technology to assist them in their academic goals. This includes what king of the tools and resources provide the most convenient ways of doing this. While Google Apps is great software for students to work with, the Apple iPad's provide the appropriate hardware for students to work with. No longer are the days of old Mac computers that can hardly operate a class essential, now we have modern technology students can use to keep themselves up to date with the latest tools in the world.

Often times, teachers will have difficulty operating an iPad or the apps they use for teaching their classes. It is important to keep iPad's updated and charged, and the Help Desk is always here to assist instructors in their technology needs. Each day, Dan and I will tour around the school and offer our support to teachers with their technology needs, and the iPad cart is usually the one we are summoned to work on more frequently. 

While working on the iPad carts, the first thing you must do is to ensure each iPad is plugged in. The iPad carts we use have over 24 ports that each iPad is inserted into, and when plugged in, they not only charge the iPad, but also sync it with any material our laptop is installing. As the instructors at Andover High School require all of the iPad's to be up to date with the latest apps, it is important that we ensure they are all being synced with each other. It isn't a difficult task, but it can be time consuming, and considering the teachers at Andover High have very busy schedules, the Help Desk is more than happy to take care of any issues the iPad's are running into.

Introducing Info Graphics to the Andover Innovation Lab Help Desk / Zachary Griffin / Easelly

    With the new influx of students the Help Desk is getting starting next semester, it is critical that we prepare with as many media tools as possible to ensure they understand the three different phases they must cover when they work on their projects. As the Andover Innovation Lab promotes consistent use of technology, having these resources available online to our students will help us reach that goal. Easelly is one of the many free tools on the web that we use, and definitely worth investing time into for anyone that needs to create a free and efficient visual theme. 

    Easelly (http://www.easel.ly/) is a info graphic design tool used for creating an image hierarchy that you can implement into any subject. For example, if I wanted to make a hierarchy about the food menu at the school cafe, I would simply drag and drop media images into the background and it's their! It's very simple to use, and does not require prior knowledge on image editing software to fully understand. Do you wish to create a chart or a bullet list for your next project? Easelly enables you to do this!

    As for my Easelly theme; I wanted to develop something that our new students could use when they need a quick and easy reference on the three different phase and final presentation outlines for their Help Desk project. Tools like Easelly and Google Docs assist us greatly in creating convenient tools for our students and since we are always encouraging them to create accounts on these various sources, it should be a major convenience for them to get a reminder on what they need to know about during this course. 

    Of course, Easelly is just one of the many major tools we use at the Andover Innovation Lab Help Desk, and it will always be one of the many tools we use as long as we stay on top of the current tend in the multimedia world and continue to use valuable online resources to our advantage. Our goal is not only to make things more simple for our students by using this software, but also to encourage them to use it themselves for their professional and personal life. I am looking forward to seeing how our students will implement these resources available to them on the web, and hopefully they will use them beyond the Help Desk.

Instructional Technology & Digital Learning Andover High School Week of January 13-17

Instructional Technology & Digital Learning Andover High School Week of January 13-17

Daniel Downs

During a week in which most teachers are preparing for the end of semester exams many teachers are still working at integrating a variety of tools into the classroom. I had a chance at the last faculty meeting to present some of the components of using Google Docs with files and some of the benefits of collaboration with these tools. Being able to share these tools has opened up a variety of conversations with teacher’s which has extended from just creating Gmail accounts and exploring the collaboration features to developing Google Forms for Assessment in the classroom.

Teacher Highlights:

Teachers in Foreign Language are integrating variety of podcast tools in the foreign language department to help students learn language. Students can participate in lessons driven with native speakers and deep embedded vocabulary.

For the purpose of improving her connection to her students with web based content a teacher is developing a blog using the Blogger format from Google. She has developed a variety of lessons and media to support her existing curriculum. She will be rolling out the website in the new semester. I have had the benefit of working with her to develop the technology which supports her teaching methodology.

Teachers in the Social Studies department are in the process of reviewing web based tools in which to store and share links of curriculum content to share and collaborate with. Teachers were introduced to tools such a Wikispaces (http://www.wikispaces.com/), Portaportal (http://www.portaportal.com/), Urlist (http://urli.st/) and https://delicious.com . These tools can add layers of productivity and collaboration between teachers. For the document outlining these tools click here.

Teachers are beginning to integrate Apple TV into their classroom environments either by projecting their desktops to their class or using the built in applications. Apple TV is an additional piece of hardware which enables “sharing“of Apple devices (IPad, MacBook’s, and Phone’s) to the projector. This technology is particularly beneficial to classrooms in which has access to the IPad or MacBook carts so that students can project their device as well. To learn more about this technology check out this page from Apple.

Co-Teaching Experiences

I had the opportunity to go back into Karen Stevens-Mazmans' class and teach a web design lesson using HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for a marketing webpage assignment she is giving to students. Students are creating promotional websites based on a product. Click here to see her lesson write up. Going into her classroom is a great opportunity to share my skills and deepen the skills learned in the Marketing curriculum. It’s great to see the student’s interest grows as they learn how to code and change the appearance of websites.

Andover Innovation Lab/Help Desk

Students are in the final phases of their independent technology driven projects at the Innovation Lab. We currently have a student creating a mobile application (Eli Gukovsky), researching Minecraft in Education (Viabhav Patel) and learning the programming language Lua (John Makiej). These students will be presenting their final projects during the finals week in an online platform. For more information visit:

http://www.andoverstudentrunhelpdesk.blogspot.com .

Teachers are well into the swing of adapting to all the new technology provided to enhance their teaching and learning. Wireless projection and understanding the intricacies of their new MacBook’s  is beneficial to student engagement but we also want to continue a deeper level of integration of a variety of web tools such as Google tools, Workspaces and a variety of Ipad applications which enhances student understanding of core concepts. In the Science Department a recent influx of new applications for their Ipad carts has enabled them to demonstrate Physics, Engineering and core Physical Science content online.

These updates are just some of the continual evolvement that is going on with technology driven initiatives at the high school across curriculums.