Learning in the Lou

This post is part of a series dedicated to mobile devices. The BIG idea is learning new ways to make the most out of the phones we carry. All the recommendations will be free. Scenario I need to learn about an app and all the videos are so old and out of date. How can I find the newest how-to videos in a snap? Solution Using the hidden filters in YouTube will make your how-to video watching 90% more efficient.  Getting Started Make sure you have downloaded the YouTube app to your device. You can use similar techniques on your laptop, the key is the filters. Next Steps Open the YouTube app. Click the ice cream cone, the three dots in the upper right. Click Filters. The section you are looking for is Update Date. Click and change it to This Month or This Year. Click Apply. The videos that you now see are the newest! Do Now Find an app or site you use in the beginning of the school year and search for new videos on it.

This post is part of a series dedicated to mobile devices. The BIG idea is learning new ways to make the most out of the phones we carry. All the recommendations will be free. Scenario There are times when I see something I want to quickly identify but I don't have the time to google a million similar images of the thing. I wish there was a way my phone could identify things through the camera. Solution Google Lens! It uses the power of your camera to help identify whatever it is pointed at. I have used it to identify plants, bugs, rashes on my kids, and more. While it isn't perfect, it does a pretty good job. Getting Started Update the Google app on your device. You might need to search Google on your device to see if there is an update. My iPad didn't show an update was available until I searched for the specific app.  You can also visit the Lens page and install the app through the QR codes. Next Steps I opened Google on my iPad. Lens can be accessed by clicking the sma...

  This post is part of a series dedicated to mobile devices. The BIG idea is learning new ways to make the most out of the phones we carry. All the recommendations will be free. Scenario I want to read more books but I am always on the run. By the time I get home, I am exhausted. Is there a way I can read more with my ears? Solution The public library! All you need is a library card and your pin Getting Started I opened the St. Louis County Library page to double-check what apps I needed to download to my phone. All the libraries have a similar button, some say eMedia and others say something like Digital Content. I downloaded Libby and hoopla to my phone. I did skip OverDrive for now, I feel this is an older version of Libby. Next Steps You will need to add your library card number and your pin when setting up the apps. For this example, I am using Libbry. I searched for the author Vince Flynn and found a bunch of books. The key is to click on the little link that says 19 audioboo...

This post is part of a series dedicated to mobile devices. The BIG idea is learning new ways to make the most out of the phones we carry. All the recommendations will be free. Scenario We create lists for the grocery and Costco but there are times when that list never leaves the table. When we arrive at the store a frantic search reveals no list and a budget-busting trip is sure to follow. I have a million things to remember to do when I get to the office but there are days I totally forget! I do write things down in my notebook but the problem is I get lost in email and the calendar so quickly that I forget about my list. Solution Google Keep! It is always with me, I never forget my phone, and the note will automatically pop up on my phone when I arrive at the store or work. This one app will save you in more than one way. Getting Started Download Google Keep on your device. If you do not have a Google account, create one now .  Next Steps There are three main areas you need to be...

  This post is part of a series dedicated to mobile devices. The BIG idea is learning new ways to make the most out of the phones we carry. All the recommendations will be free. Scenario There are so many great articles to read but I just can't find the time. Things are busy, I have more ear time than eye time. I need to have someone read them out loud to me when I am driving, walking, or at the gym. So far my kids are not taking me up on this so I had to find another way. Solution Pocket! This simple freemium app will read articles out loud. It has been a lifesaver and helps me stay up to date on things I find important or interesting. Getting Started Download Pocket to your device. Sign up, I recommend using your Google account. Next Steps Find something you want to read about but just don't have time. Maybe it is about a political candidate or gene editing. Once you have found the article, click the little share icon in your web browser. Find your newly installed Pocket app ...

  This post is part of a series dedicated to mobile devices. The BIG idea is learning new ways to make the most out of the phones we carry. All the recommendations will be free. Scenario It is super hard to concentrate at home and in the classroom when I am trying to get work done. I can't listen to music and the TV is distracting. What I would love is a good rainy day, those always helped me focus. How can I do that when it is sunny outside? Solution It turns your phone into a sound machine.  It will bring soft rain any time you want. Getting Started Send this link to your phone - https://rainbowhunt.com/?maxzzneo#slide-4 Then turn it into a shortcut so you can access it in a snap. How to on iPhone. How to on Android. Next Steps When you open the site on your phone you will have five options. Click to turn on and then adjust the intensity. Click the hamburger, the three lines in the upper right. Click timer to have the sounds run for a set amount of time. You can also ac...

  This post was created to introduce a new idea on presenting for and by students. Problem Statement Students give countless presentations per year. After a while all the presentations start to look and sound the same, even worse is kids are just reading the words off the slides! Solution PechaKucha. 20 slides, each slide is only 20 seconds long. Once you hit 20 seconds it automatically advances to the next slide. In 6 minutes and 40 seconds, the presentation is over. The only thing on the slide is a single image. No words. No text. When the screen is full of dense text the viewers read the text and ignore what the person is saying. Think about some of the meetings we have attended over the years. This is especially true if the presentation lasts more than two minutes, we tune out when there are too many words. What is on the screen for a PechaKucha, the images, are there to help tell the story. Think of it like a picture book, the images reinforce what is happening. Example Here i...