After I played with Chatterpix for a while, the original title of this post had to be changed just a bit.
Don't misunderstand me ... kids will LOVE Chatterpix. Adults will too. It's simple, it's fun, and there are all sorts of ways you can use it in the classroom.
Chatterpix from Duck Duck Moose (how cute is that?!?!) is available for FREE in the app store. It's easy ... Snap a picture or use one from your gallery, draw a mouth, then record up to 30 seconds of audio. When you're finished, save your video to your camera roll. You can then send it via email, post it to YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo.
Check out this short video to see how easy it is to create your own talking pictures.
Remember that you can make anything talk with Chatterpix - a book cover, a picture of a famous person, or the students themselves! How can you use it in your classroom?
Are you as obsessed with DrawSomething as everyone else is these days? If so, you might be interested in flipping through this infographic. (Wow ... what a clever way to display these mind-boggling numbers and facts!) Just use the arrows below to learn about the Metoric Rise of DrawSomething!
Thank you Erin (Kleinspiration) for sharing this great tool! If you haven't checked out her blog yet, you're missing out!
I love my iPad. My only real complaint is that it doesn't use Flash, which is limiting. Although you can't actually LOAD flash on your iPad, this is a neat workaround. You will basically be using an app on your device to remote in to your computer. You will be able to browse the internet (watching Flash videos, playing Flash games, using Eduphoria!, etc. as well as access any of the programs or documents on your machine.)
All of this being said, I know our schools do not provide iPads, so this post is mainly for people who have their own personal devices.
It's really easy to set up and even easier to use ...
Download the Splashtop Remote app from the App store ($4.99 on 9/4/11)
Create a password for your computer (my iPad found my computer right away - you may need to enter your computer's ip address though)
Open the Splashtop App and follow the directions
Why am I so excited about this? What types of things can I do now that I couldn't do before? I'm so glad you asked! I can ...
use Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer to surf the web rather than only relying on Safari.
use tabbed browsing - my favorite!
watch Flash videos online.
access files saved on my computer.
edit the files saved on my computer or create new documents (yep, in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, even Photoshop!)
access Eduphoria to check on class schedules, submit a help request, etc. (This is probably only important to employees in districts that use Eduphoria, but it's a big one to me!)
All of these things are well and good, but what about Educational Purposes? (This is a blog about using Technology in the Classroom!) Well, there are many great uses for a tool like this. To me, the biggest advantage to using Splashtop Remote with an iPhone or iPad or something similar is that it allows the teacher to use the computer without being tethered to the actual desktop machine.
You do have to be on wi-fi to use the application, which might be a problem in some spots in our schools.
Let me know if you download it and what you think!
I am an Instructional Technologist for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD. The bulk of my classroom experience was in the elementary school - 5th, 6th, and ten years in 3rd grade. I also enjoyed two years in the middle school teaching Technology Applications to 8th graders. I currently work with teachers from seven (and a half) elementary schools to integrate technology into their classrooms. I love sharing new "techy" tools and sites with others, so I hope this blog can be a good resource for others.
Chatterpix from Duck Duck Moose (how cute is that?!?!) is available for FREE in the app store. It's easy ... Snap a picture or use one from your gallery, draw a mouth, then record up to 30 seconds of audio. When you're finished, save your video to your camera roll. You can then send it via email, post it to YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo. 
