McNair's Tech Toolbox

 This online video editing tool offers very different features than that of a tool discussed in a previous post of mine, screencastify. With Type Studio, it looks like you can't make videos (at least with the free version) but you can upload a video to edit. What separates this tool from others is that it creates a transcript for your video and allows you to edit the text if need be. With the transcript, you can simply delete the words you want and it will take that portion of the video out. Instead of trying to navigate a timeline and get the exact moment perfectly, just highlight the words and delete. Also, another nice feature is that you can add subtitles to your video which are automatically created for their software.  I am a creature of habit and will likely continue using screencastify for most of my video lesson making instead of creating an extra step of uploading the video to Type Studio. I'm not sure of its compatibility with videos made with screencastify. I tried...

In a typical classroom, you can find a plethora of math manipulatives. Anything from base-10 blocks to geo-boards are stowed away in cabinets, ready for a lesson at a moments notice. Going to virtual instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic has presented a particular challenge. How can we get students the tools they need to help them understand math instruction and complete math tasks? Didax math offers one such solution, and one that does not require hours of packaging materials and delivering to students. On the didax website, they offer a set of virtual manipulatives that encompasses the aforementioned items in addition to quite a few others.  On my search for virtual manipulatives at the beginning of this virtual teaching/learning experience, I came across several other websites that offered similar tools. However, I did find that Didax's virtual tools were pretty extensive and very easy to navigate. My students and I use the base-10 blocks most frequently and I think some may ...

 Screencastify has been one of my most used tools during virtual instruction. With screencastify, you can record videos of just your computer screen, just yourself, or have both your screen and a small window of yourself. With virtual learning seeming so impersonal at times, it is a nice feature for students who are accessing recorded lessons to see a familiar face. This tool can actually be added as a chrome extension and is extremely to access and navigate. It allows you to save videos and even has an option to upload directly to youtube or google classroom which many of us are using as our virtual classroom.  When schools went to virtual learning in March of 2020, screencastify offered educators access to their services that normally would require a membership. Using their membership services, screencastify allows you to record video at extended lengths (normal free version is limited to 5 minutes) and you can edit the recorded video (unavailable in normal free version). Th...

Richard Byrne of Free Tech 4 Teachers, creates multiple posts each week centered around technology that many of us did not realize was available at our fingertips, and are free! Mr. Byrne's blog posts are to the point, quick but effective. He often includes a "how to" youtube video with his posts when applicable. The first post that I read already gave me a sense of a relief as it was centered around a tool that I desperately need. Annotate google meet is a wonderful tool for educators teaching remotely via google meet as it allows you to draw, type, and highlight, among a few other features. You can also save or "capture" the annotations to post them or share them later. You do have to present your screen first to use annotate meet but that is a pretty simple step to remember. I will definitely be trying out Annotate Meet this week during a few math and reading sessions. I can also see this as a very useful tool for creating instructional videos or posts for pa...