Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Debra Spear on August 7, 2013 at 8:24pm

Great idea! There are 2 apps that I can think of right off the bat -

edmodo and notability.

Debbie

Permalink Reply by Katie Dunbar on December 16, 2014 at 8:29am

I heard that Edmodo integrates now with Google Apps.  Have you tried it? I use Edmodo but have not tried to use the Google piece of it yet until I hear how well it works.

Permalink Reply by Scott Tobias on August 10, 2013 at 5:02pm

Hi Joanne,

I like GDrive a lot. its free and gets better ratings in the App store then the official Google drive app.

when I get back to work on Monday I am going to work on setting up our iPads to paly well with Google apps for education.  I will post the list when I get it done (probably around the end of the week)

Permalink Reply by Casey Tarrant on March 16, 2015 at 6:14pm

Joanne-

I'm also curious about apps that work well with Google Drive and am starting to incorporate it more into my classroom. I love idea of using it with iMovie, as it is a seamless upload. While I don't know too many apps that work with Google Drive, I did find this article that could be of some help: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3896-37-Google-Drive-Apps. Of course, it mentions Google Docs and Google Sheets as being easily compatible, but most of us have those downloaded with our Google Drive already. After going through the list, here are some of my favorites: PixIr Express seems to be a very useful app because students can create visuals for assignments; I could see using this alongside reading and writing assignments and sharing this student work through Google Drive. HelloFax or HelloSign may be a good way to keep up communication with parents by asking them to sign documents and send them back to school online. RealTimeBoard is an app that could help students organize with group members online.

Does anyone else know some Google Drive compatible apps they have used that help students visualize, help you collaborate with parents, and/or help groups collaborate easier? I find that these are some the core purposes for Google Drive in my classroom.

-Casey

Permalink Reply by Katie Dunbar on March 17, 2015 at 1:12pm

Casey,

Thanks for this link!  I saw a number of options on here that I like.  I have used Pixlr Express on the web before with my technology classes.  I like it except for the fact that you can't save your work to continue later.  Although I thought the kids could do all their editing in one class that didn't happen.  We had to save their work where they were and then re-upload it the following week to continue working.  This didn't seem to be an issue until we came across several spelling errors that were made in the first week and could no longer be edited!  Well, live and learn. I will download the pixlr app to my Chromebook and see if there are any saving options.  The editor itself was easy to use and the kids liked the fancy extras.

I'm also intrigued with the Realtime Board listed on site you posted.  It looks like it could be an interesting way to track assignments, post announcements, keep track of schedules, etc. I would think it would work for communicating with students and families.  I'm going to download that one as well to play with. I'll let you know what I discover!

I like MindMeister for visualizing and making mind maps.  Too bad it isn't free as a Chrome app.

Katie

Permalink Reply by Katie Dunbar on March 31, 2015 at 8:57am

Today I downloaded Pixlr Express on my Chromebook and linked it to my Google account.  Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to get files from Google Drive or save to Google Drive.  I was also a bit disappointed in how slowly the app was working on the Chromebook, but that may have just been my Chromebook and not the app. I was hoping that by linking to Google I could save my picture there and then open it whenever I wanted to continue editing.  With Pixlr Express Online you can't save and then continue editing later, you are basically exporting your picture when you are finished and creating a final copy. Overall, integrating Pixlr Express with Google Drive was a fail for me.  I couldn't even find help files about how it works.

Permalink Reply by Katie Dunbar on March 31, 2015 at 9:01am

I took a look at Realtime Board. It looks like it is easy to drag files from Google Drive onto the board to share. You can also save your board to your drive folder so it is easily accessible.  I couldn't tell if the board in your Drive updates along with the board in Realtime, though.  My only concern is that with a free account you can only make 3 boards and you only get 100MB of space.  I'm not sure if dragging and dropping Google Docs on there uses space or just creates a link.  If it uses space you can fill up your quota pretty quickly. I think I'd have to try it with some students to see if it really works the way I want it to.

Permalink Reply by Gayle Parola on April 12, 2015 at 8:56am

Casey,

Thanks for the article.  There were some very good apps on there, some of which I would definitely use myself.  I have used Lucid to create mind maps and other diagrams and it converts relatively easy.  I have also made PowToon videos which are easily played on the iPad or through YouTube.  

Has anyone used Pear Deck?  It sounds like a very useful app that not only creates the presentation, but formative assessments as well?  And it looks engaging and inviting.  I am very curious about some feedback on this app.  Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Jenna Sinnamon on March 30, 2015 at 5:32pm

Joanne,

I'm glad you were looking for apps that integrate well with Google Drive because I have been curious myself. Everyone's replies have been very helpful. I have used Edmodo before but have not used the Google aspect. I haven't heard of the GDrive before nor Notability. The article that Casey provided was extremely useful and I hope to explore some of these apps in the near future.

I hope everyone keeps us posted on their experience with the different apps that were mentioned. I would love to "share out" what we thought, pros and cons, etc. to the group since it can be very time consuming to explore this many apps in great detail.

 

--Jenna

Permalink Reply by Donna Bonavia on April 5, 2015 at 2:05pm

Hello Joanne,

Have you consider the App, SlideShark? It has received great reviews. It is a wonderful slide presentation solution designed for sales but can be adapted for education. From a computer or your iOS mobile device, simply upload a PowerPoint file to your secure online account. The slides are then automatically converted to a mobile-optimized format. Then simply use the SlideShark app to download and show your presentation on your mobile device or through a projector, or broadcast it over the web. You can also share an online version of your presentation for others to view on-demand, anytime from any device, and then track the viewing results. All the presentations can be upload or stored directly onto Google Drive. Here are some links to more information. Good Luck! And please share your list when it is comprised, I would love to have a look at the list. Thank you.

Donna

https://www.brainshark.com/~/media/files/Help-and-Training/Document...

http://www.slideshark.com/Products/SlideShark-Features.aspx

Permalink Reply by Katie Dunbar on April 13, 2015 at 9:44am

Hi Donna,

Does each student need a separate Slide Shark account to upload a file to?  Is signup easy for the kids? I'm interested in trying it but I hate making 40 accounts that require email confirmations and all that.  I'm hoping it is easier than I think it will be!

Thanks!

Katie

Permalink Reply by Daren Goff on June 29, 2015 at 4:06am

I think in my opinion to manage schools school app like schoola2z is  a good idea, advance feature is require where the Google drive give limitations to certain extent.