There's a Map For That

There’s A Map For That

How often do you mention locations in class without showing students where that location actually is? The Internet has revolutionized the way that we get directions, and now maps can be easily integrated into any course, topic or project. Everything takes place somewhere, now you can show it on a map.

How to get started with Google’s My Maps

A Trip of A Lifetime

• Use Google Lit Trips to follow characters in your favorite story.
• Create a collaborative map to identify locations of major WWII Battles.
• Explore significant steps towards the revolution on thisRevolutionary War Map.
• Link a street view images to your map and explore real or historic sites.
• Compare and Contrast the construction of Mayan and Incan Architecture.
• Create maps that track migratory patterns.
• Map the volcanoes along the Ring Of Fire, or different state reservoirs with their current water levels.

Tour the White House, Which Presidential Portraits can you find?

Chrome Apps/Extensions to Improve Workflow and Make Your Life Better

Have you ever found yourself completing a task on your computer thinking 

"There has got to be a better way!"

Well...There Probably Is
This list of Chrome Extensions and Apps have made my life better and I hope they can help improve yours. If you know of something that is missing from this list, post it in the comments.

Extensions: Shortcuts that perform a function, located at the top right of your browser. Application: Stored in your Apps, shortcuts for programs with more developed user interfaces. Add-Ons: Scripts designed to complete some function in Google Docs, Sheets, Forms All will help you bit.ly/Workbetter
Shortened URLS	Bitly Customize and shorten your URL - bit.ly/Workbetter	Shorten Me Shorten URLs and create QR Codes to Scan
Tab Management	Too Many Tabs Open a window listing tabs when you have too many open	Tab Cloud Create sets of tabs to open together
Images	Nimbus Screen Shot Take Screenshots and Annotate on them	Pixlar Editor Edit Photos and Images
Makes Life Better	Clearly   Remove Ads and junk on text	Adblock Block ads on web pages
Makes Life Even Better	Google Docs Quick Create Create Docs in one click!	Save as PDF Save an entire webpage as a PDF
Video’s	Snagit Screencasting Made Easy	MoveNote Import Slides and create a video presentation
Text To Speech & Speech To Text	Speakit! Convert Text To Speech	Voice Note II This App opens a notepad that will transcribe your voice. The notes can be copied and pasted over on a google doc
Literacy Tools	Cite This For Me Create a citation for a site	Diigo / Diigo Webcollector Annotate Text, annotations can be copied to a notepad
Literacy Tools	Scrible Annotate Text, and Save notes and links.	Lucid Chart Students can create graphic organizers, and Charts in Google Docs.
Form Add-Ons	Autocrat Mail Merge Form Responses to a Doc	Form Mule Create Automated E-mails from a spreadsheet list.
Not Chrome But Super Useful	Create recipes that work for you

PUSD's First Student Film Festival #Films

The first PUSD Film Festival was a huge success. We had over 120 Films submitted from over 50 different classrooms. Projects spanned many genres and levels, even Kindergarden students got involved. It was incredible event highlighting Student Voice. This opportunity was something that was not possible just a few short years ago, but now with the technology that students have at their fingertips,  it is truly incredible to see the diversity of the films submitted.

On May 15th at the Firehouse Arts Center 48 of our best films were screened using several YouTube playlists that are linked below.

    A Few Of My Favorites

            Weird and Awkward                 Toy Wars 3                     New Beginnings
                  Music Video                              Animation                              Stories

     

The Full Playlists

Trailers/Promo Videos, Animations, and Stories

Public Service Announcements. Documentaries, Spoken Word Poetry and Music Videos

High School Appropriate Films