How To Turn on Parental Controls on an iOS Device

The iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch are great resources for many children and adults alike. If you want more control over what your child is doing while using their iOS device restrictions is the place to go. To enable restrictions go to settings then general and then restrictions. From there you will have to set a password so no one else can change the settings. You will want to make sure that you remember the password. Once you have typed in your password you can block access to different features such as the internet, downloading apps, deleting app, FaceTime, camera and more. These built in options are great for parents and educators who want more control over what children are doing on their iOS device.

To learn more and see step by step instructions watch the video above.  

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CBL iMovie Grant Trailers

Our class is continuing to explore essential issues in our school and write grants to resolve them as part of our Challenge Based Learning project.

Students created teacher surveys on Google Forms, Skyped with professional grant experts and other classrooms, and determined essential issues in their school. They then began to collaborate to write grants to address these issues.

See these previous posts to learn more about our Challenge Based Learning grant project, our unit plan, using QR codes to explore prices/budgeting and how students share their thoughts with an authentic audience (through Twitter).

Students are still working hard to complete their grants and craft budget spreadsheets. However, to whet the appetites of their grant evaluators (peers and school teaching staff), they have created iMovie trailers about their essential issues. This is their first stab at this app, and are still working out some kinks (i.e., how to add in still photos and how to credit pictures they find on the Internet). We will explore these questions as we continue, but they wanted to share what they have now!

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Ginger Extension for Chrome Adds Contextual Spelling And Grammar Correction

Ginger, the contextual spelling and grammar correction software is now available as a free Chrome Extension. If you are not familiar with Ginger click here. The software can correct spelling and grammar for any written text in the Chrome web browser. Ginger is great for people that struggle with spelling or people who are learning English. To download Ginger for Chrome click here.

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Flipboard Updated to Support VoiceOver

Today, Flipboard was updated to support iOS VoiceOver. The update finally allows people who are blind, visually impaired or have print disabilities to access Flipboard. For those who are unfamiliar Flipboard is a popular news and social app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Click here to download Flipboard for free.

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What Accessibility Features will iOS 6 Include?

Apple's WWDC developer conference is a month away. Last year at WWDC Apple announced iOS 5 and  if rumors are correct Apple is planing to announced iOS 6 in about a month. iOS is the software that runs the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. iOS 5 brought many accessibility improvements including, Speak Selection, AssistiveTouch, custom vibration and VoiceOver improvements. In the above I discuss accessibility features that I would like to see included in iOS 6. Hopefully iOS 6 continues the trend of accessibility improvements that benefit people with disabilities.

What accessibility features are you hoping to see in iOS 6? Let us know in the comments.

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My Kids are So Smart

On Tuesday, one of my students came to me, frustrated with their iPad. He said, "My iPad is messed up." Upon further prodding, it turned out that "messed up" meant that the keyboard was floating randomly in the middle of their screen and they could no longer see their text box. I tried for a few minutes to fix this problem. In vain.

Luckily, my good friend and tech whiz Sue Gorman was visiting my class that day. So I asked her to come over and see if she could fix it. Before she could make it the few steps over to the table, another student called out, "Oh I know how to fix that. It's so easy." She jumped up and tapped-held the keyboard button. Lo and behold the option came up to split the keyboard or dock it. Wow. Another great example of our students, when left to their own devices, can be surprisingly perceptive and self-sufficient. More reason to give up the power struggle and release control.

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The Price is Right & QR Codes

As part of our Challenge Based Learning Unit exploring the essential question, "Can funding equalize our education system?", today my students played The Price is Right. Before the kids write a grant to improve their school, I want them to understand the relative costs that go into their classroom. I had a feeling that they did not have a solid understand of prices and boy was I right about that.

First, I gave them a Numbers spreadsheet (see right) to use as a template. I scaffolded this between my different levels of students based on the number of classroom items listed. They downloaded this file from my class page and opened it in the Numbers app on their iPads.

Their first task was to work in their groups to estimate the price of each item. The, they wrote a number sentence to find the total cost of all of those items. For example, if they estimated that the Headphones were each $10, then they would write $10 x 35 (quantity) = $350. I had them do these calculations by hand because later in this unit we will learn how to input formulas into the Numbers spreadsheet, but I want them first to understand why this is an important and helpful tool. After calculating 40 equations by hand, I think they will better appreciate this. Moreover, as their math teacher, I want them to think carefully about the number sentences they write - so when they are inputting formulas into the spreadsheet, they understand what they are doing.

After they had completed the red columns, they walked around the room and scanned QR codes to find the actual price of each item.
Following this, they once again calculated the total costs of items and then found the sum of that column to determine the "total actual cost of our classroom."

Their reactions were quite interesting... we talked at length about what surprised them and what how their reactions shaped their thinking about school spending and equity. As a reflection activity, they tweeted their thoughts to share with the world. See this post about how we got 9 and 10 year olds to tweet, and read some of their tweets.

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Tweeting with Tweens

As part of our Challenge Based Learning project, my students are sharing their reflections on each activity or segment of their challenge with the world. While they are posting their thoughts in Kidblogs, I also wanted to try to get their thinking out via Twitter. One big problem with that: they're 4th and 5th graders; the Twitter age minimum is 13. Well that can't stop us!

I created a twitter account for my entire class to use: @NTAStudents1. I made sure the account made clear that the words were my students' but I was reviewing all tweets back and forth.

Then I gave my students a quick overview of Twitter. We discussed what social media is, what it is used for. The students explored Internet safety and why Twitter and other forms of social media can be potentially dangerous. The next day - Tuesday - we declared to be Twitter Tuesday. We talked about how Twitter is a special form of social media, and discussed the 140 character limit. I explained that when students tweet through the Twitter website, it has a handy gadget that keeps track of your characters so you don't have to.

However, since my students are too young to have direct access to this site, they are tweeting through a Google Form. They respond to prompts aimed at helping them focus their thoughts and tweets (based on our learning experience that day) and then submit single sentences responding to that prompt. I explained that they are welcome to attempt to limit their sentences to 140 characters, but I could help cut it down for them.

I then tweeted their thoughts through our class Twitter handle and invited educator friends to respond. I posted all of the class' tweets and responses to those tweets on our class page so that my students could experience the interaction. Then, they had a chance to respond to direct messages, tweet replies, etc. as I put up a new Google Form for this purpose.

So far we've gone through one cycle of this process, and it has worked well. The students are so excited to share their thoughts with the world and were amazed by how quickly people responded. See some of the interactions below. (Note: The prompt was to reflect on the exploration described in the previous blog post.)

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Text to 911 Will Benefit the Deaf

This weekend Verizon announced its plans to make a nationwide system allowing cell phone users to text message 911. The system will be in place as early as 2013. This service will be helpful for the deaf or hard of hearing who find voice calls difficult if not impossible. Verizon says the following about text to 911's benefit for the deaf or hard of hearing,

"While consumers should always first try to contact a 911 center by making a voice call, this enhanced SMS service, when deployed, will offer an alternative for customers on the Verizon Wireless network who are deaf or hard of hearing and cannot make voice calls or who could be placed in additional danger by speaking."

To be clear if you are able to make voice calls to 911 it remains the preferred method. Text to 911 service has not been deployed so texts to 911 will not be answered. Click read more below to read the Verizon's press release.

The following is copied from Verizon's press release.

Verizon Selects TeleCommunication Systems to Provide Text to 911 National Gateway Solution

New Service Will Enable Customers to Send 911 Short-Code Messages to Emergency Response Centers

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Demonstrating its continued commitment to advancing public safety, Verizon Wireless is taking steps toward offering many of its customers a new way to communicate with 911 call centers run by public safety officials. The company announced today that it has selected TeleCommunication Systems Inc., of Annapolis, Md., to participate in an initiative that will enable customers to send 911 SMS (Short Message Service) texts to the call centers, which are known as public-service answering points, or PSAPs.

While consumers should always first try to contact a 911 center by making a voice call, this enhanced SMS service, when deployed, will offer an alternative for customers on the Verizon Wireless network who are deaf or hard of hearing and cannot make voice calls or who could be placed in additional danger by speaking.

"Verizon is at the forefront of 911 public-safety innovations, and today's announcement is another step in making SMS-to-911 service available to those who cannot make a voice call to 911," said Marjorie Hsu, Verizon Wireless vice president of technology. "Our company is continuing its long-standing commitment to address the needs of public safety and our customers by offering another way to get help in an emergency by using wireless technology."

The company is working on plans to make the new capabilities available to select PSAPs by early 2013. Verizon plans to use its existing CDMA SMS network for 911 text notifications. The new service will be offered to Verizon Wireless customers who have a text-capable phone and a service plan that includes text messaging.

"TeleCommunication Systems has worked closely with the FCC over the past two years to develop its innovative technology for SMS to 911," said Maurice B. Tose, president and CEO of TCS. "As the preeminent U.S. supplier of SMS and pioneer in wireless E911, TCS is well positioned to enable Verizon in advancing its public safety commitment."

Verizon is working with others in the communications industry, PSAPs, the Federal Communications Commission and other federal and state agencies in the eventual deployment of this new service aimed at giving consumers new ways to communicate with designated public safety agencies.

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We're on iTunes U! Digital Differentiation with Screencasting

Last summer, as part of the Apple Distinguished Educator summer institute, Chad Kafka, Cindy Hart, John Shoemaker and I spent many hours creating an iTunes U collection about digital differentiation with screencasting. It was finally published yesterday!

This collection will teach you how to leverage screencasting for flipping your classroom, student creation, and differentiation. There are video guides, ePubs and PDF how-tos.

Tip: Download #2 - the ePub (iBook) - on your mobile device (iPhone, iPad, iPod). It contains all of the text, videos and PDFs in the course. It also has a helpful video we made (not shown in the episode listing on iTunes) that gives you a guide for how to implement this in your classroom.

Please take a look - it's free! We'd be so grateful for a 5-star rating! Thanks everyone!
P.S. Please disregard my goofy eyes as I read the teleprompter at the beginning of one video... I need to practice how to not look cross eyed while doing that :).

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Apple to Introduce New Software with Accessibility Features Built-In

Apple recently announced that they will hold their World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC). At the conference apple is expected to announce iOS 6 the operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Last year at WWDC Apple announced  iOS 5 which included features such as AssistiveTouch, reader, speak selection, custom vibrations, reminders, Siri and more. If Apple continues its habit of making its mobile devices accessible to a wide variety of users, iOS 6 should have a lot in store.

What accessibility features are you hoping for in iOS 6? Let us know in the comments.

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