Key to a Paperless Classroom, the Skitch APP

Skitch is a remarkable app that allows students to annotate over images.  I am currently working daily with Bree Campbell , @breeanneshay, at Bellevue East to implement iPads in her English classroom.  We used Skitch in the classroom to it’s fullest potential in our effort to create a paperless classroom and a learning environment that is ubiquitous, not device dependent.

One of the challenges we faced this week was taking a character analysis chart and and transforming it into the digital, cloud-based world so students can interact with the content anywhere. Since the chart contained a table, Google Docs mobile was out, because the table feature is not available yet on the iPad.  We brainstormed several alternatives including Pages, Notability, and Doceri, but settled on Skitch since it allowed students to type on the image, size it easily, save to a camera roll, and can be uploaded to Google Drive.

Step 1:  Getting the image to Skitch

First we tried to take a picture of the paper and import it into Skitch. The quality was of the image ok, but we weren’t quite satisfied.  There had to be an even better solution.  And we found it!

On the computer, I copied the chart from Word (edità Select All-> Copy)  to a PowerPoint slide (New Slide à Paste) and saved the slide as an image, a JPEG. 

To Save a PowerPoint Slide as an image do the following:

      1.     File -->  Save As

       2.    Click the Arrow and select   JPEG from the choices listed.

3.  Voila! A crystal clear chart and NO PAPER!

Note: Remember where you save the image. I like to save to my desktop. 

Then, we e-mailed the image to all the students to save in their camera roll.

Photo taken of the chart.

Chart saved as a JPEG from PPT

Step 2: Editing and Saving the Image

The kids saved the image into their camera roll on the iPad, then opened Skitch, and imported the image.  Each student added information to the chart daily and saved the image to the camera roll at the end of the class period. 

The classroom workflow for the week was, students open Skitch, import their edited image from the previous day, and keep adding content.  On Friday, students saved it to the camera roll and e-mailed the completed chart to us for grading.  

Camera Roll = Save; E-mail = Hand In

Here is a sample of the completed chart:

 Now on to paperless grading!

Written by Ann Feldmann
@techiefeldie

Google Workflow for iPads in the Classroom

Google Apps for education allows for a whole new way to manage the classroom workflow and create a paperless environment.  This is especially powerful on the iPad where Google Drive is instrumental in creating an uncomplicated paperless system that eliminates the need for multiple apps to collect student work.  

Sharing material and collecting papers can all be done digitally by taking advantage of the shared folders feature in Google Apps for Education.  Shared folders creates a seamless workflow between student and teacher.  Not only can assignments be created, shared, and graded without a single exchange of paper, it can be done anywhere in the world that can access the web.  Have materials to share with students? With a click of the mouse and a simple drag into a shared class folder, the document is available to all students.

Let’s talk about the details.  Here is how to get started on the iPad.

Apps Needed: Google Drive

Initial Setup

Students:

1.  Students personalize the iPad with their gmail account and login with Google credential into the Drive app.
2.  Students drag the Mail and Drive apps to the doc for easy access.
3.  Students create a folder in Drive.  Students share the folder with the teacher so the teacher can view and edit all material in the folder.  Students will submit work to the teacher via this shared folder.


Teacher:
1.  Set up gmail and Drive on the iPad.
2.  Create a folder for the class.  Drag all the folders students have share with you from Share With Me to My Drive in the folder created for the class.  Then drag all student folders into one folder called, for example, Period 1.
3.  Create a folder in My Drive to share material with students. Set the share settings to View Only.  As you, the teacher, share information, student can view the material but do not have rights to edit or delete items.  Their workflow is to copy/paste content to drive.

Classroom Workflow now looks like this!

 

Written by Ann Feldmann
@annfeldmann1