Got a Minute, Literally? Watch the Stick Pick Demo Video

This one-minute video succinctly demonstrates the core features of Stick Pick: the first app of its kind to let teachers (or students) tie Bloom's-style or ESL-style questions to each individual learner's cognitive or linguistic level.

Teachers: if you're hoping to use your summer to gear up for the next school year, take one minute to familiarize yourself with Stick Pick. Watch how easy it is to ask the right student the right question at the right time.

Stick Pick is available in the iTunes app store for $2.99 (iTunes Link)

Stick Pick Now Available in the App Store

June 2, 2011, Corona, California -- Noteworthy Education teacher-tool app for iPhone called Stick Pick, created by sixth grade teacher, Buzz Garwood, is now available in the App Store worldwide.

Stick Pick is the first app of its kind to allow teachers to tie leveled question stems to the cognitive or linguistic needs of each individual learner. It all starts when a teacher names an on-screen soup can (class) and then fills it with popsicle sticks (students). During setup, teachers choose a category of question stems they wish to target for each learner: either "higher order thinking" (based on Bloom's Taxonomy) or "English as a Second Language" skills. Teachers can then set the degree of difficulty for each learner.

Once a class is set up, teachers can randomly (or intentionally) draw a student's stick from the soup can with either a "swipe," "tap," or a "shake." Subsequently, a customized set of appropriate question stems appears on the screen. Teachers can then scroll through these question stems until they find one they would like to form into a complete question. After a student answers a question, teachers can either mark the student's stick as "used" (which sends it to a used soup can) or reset the stick (which places it back in the new can).

The app goes one step further by giving teachers a third option: to assess each student's response. This is accomplished by touching the "assess" icon (in the form of a check mark) and then tappping the corresponding "correct," "incorrect," or "opinion" button. Teachers can then rate each student's answer by selecting 0-5 on a Critical Thinking rubric (for the higher order thinking question stems) or an Elaboration rubric (for the English as a Second Language question stems). Student data is automatically saved within the app and can be conveniently e-mailed to the student's parents or the principal by pressing "Send."

“Wow!!!  I was blown away with the unique combination of stimulating technology, and with the level of understanding, application, and assessment of Bloom’s Taxonomy. This app goes far beyond the concept of using technology for the sake of technology…it is truly using technology to enhance instruction and student engagement.”

-Dr. Robert Taylor, Administrative Director of Educational Services, Corona-Norco Unified School District, Corona, CA

Students in small groups can run the app, too. Imagine a table group of young learners with iPod touches or iPads asking one another deep, targeted questions based on Bloom's Taxonomy, all with the swipe of a finger!

Stick Pick is a handy tool for any teacher device. Stick Pick can guide classroom discussion and formative assessment in really helpful ways.  Teachers can mark sticks so that they aren’t constantly calling on the same students or asking students the same questions over and over again.

-iPad Curriculum, June 6, 2011

Stick Pick provides the right question for the right learner at the right time.

Device Requirements
* Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
* iOS 3.2 or later
* 5.7 MB of space

Pricing and Availability
Stick Pick for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad is only $2.99 (USD) and available exclusively through Apple's App Store.

Stick Pick: http://www.stickpickapp.com
Purchase and Download: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stick-pick/id436682059?mt=8&ls=1

Screen Shots:

A Case for the iPad: Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)

Just over six months old, the iPad has already become a viable, sustainable platform. With sales topping over 2 million in the first three months, it has quickly captured the hearts and imagination of teachers and administrators around the world. When considering how to best teach ELD, an iPad comes to mind for four compelling reasons.

The iPad is engaging; the App store is bursting with educational apps; the price is reasonable; and many in education are rallying around it. First of all, right out of the box, the iPad is instantly engaging. Because it's so hands-on, user-friendly and easy to use, the iPad is an instant hit with young people. Teachers resonate with the iPad, too, because they see the potential a device like this can have in the classroom. Forget the stigma once felt by some English language learners as they trudge to the back of the classroom for ELD; with iPads, these students will be counting the minutes until ELD starts.

Second, as slick and popular as the iPad is, it would be nothing without apps. There are literally thousands of educational apps available for iPad, with more being added every hour, and for EL students, this is great news. For example, three apps come to mind right off the bat: Dragon Dictation, Keynote, and Comic Touch. Dragon Dictation is an easy-to-use voice recognition application that allows you to easily speak and instantly see your words as text. With the iPad's built-in mic, students can immediately see what they're saying out loud! Keynote is like PowerPoint, but better, because it’s even easier to pull in pictures from the Internet and add labels and captions. Students can create their own mini-presentations based on the day’s objective. Comic Touch is a fun way to jazz up any picture with text, such as targeted vocabulary words from the day’s objective. A student can analyze and discuss with a partner the content of a given photograph, then using Comic Touch, he or she can add talking bubbles, titles, labels, captions, and more.

Third, the price is attractive to the education sector. Starting at $499, it’s a price-point that competes heavily with laptops but without all the complications and frustrations of a PC. But the best thing about the price is the apps. When a teacher finds an app they’d like their students to use on their iPads, Apple offers the app for half price with their new volume pricing program. Most apps are inexpensive anyway, ranging from $.99 to $4.99 (although some cost a bit more than that), but Apple’s new volume pricing is a big win for education.

Finally, the iPad community is growing and vibrant. Developers are quick to write engaging apps for the device and responsive to user-feedback so updates occur frequently. And what’s nice is that updates are always free; you never have to purchase the next-generation of an app to receive updates. Teachers are regularly posting reviews online of new apps they’ve tried out in their classrooms, so there’s never a shortage of great ideas. iTunes University has almost half a million videos available for free on all kinds of educational topics. And of course, the iPad is an amazing e-book reader and audio book reader. All in all, the iPad is by far the most compelling, best supported, easy to use, engaging advancement in technology to hit the hallways of America ever.



E-Reader Poll Results Are In: iWonder Who Won?

Last month, I polled my readers to find out what e-reader they prefer. After all, if you're in the market for an e-reader, it's a big decision. Below are the results, and some commentary on matter:

Sony e-reader: 0%

I prefer paper: 10%

Other: 10%

Barnes & Noble Nook: 20%

Amazon Kindle: 30%

Apple iPad: 30%

In dead last, with 0%, was the Sony e-reader. (Coincidentally, I just sold my Sony PRS-500 on e-Bay last month). When it first came out, I was impressed, mainly because it was the first device of its kind. But in this competitive market, e-readers that require PC connectivity to receive content are not what people want- especially with the availability of WiFi and 3G wireless connectivity. The Sony line has yet to deliver in this category. Equally disappointing to me has been Sony's lack of Mac support. 10% of my readers actually prefer paper; it's not like paper will ever go away any time soon. The Barnes and Noble Nook received 20%. Tied for first place was the Apple iPad and the Amazon Kindle, splitting 60% between them. My two cents? If you are a serious bookworm and you don't care about apps, video, or other computer-like features, (for twice the price) then the Kindle 2 is for you; however, pay double, and you get an e-book reader, and then some-- like apps, multimedia-- you know the rest.

One final note: there is a lot of talk about readability (e-ink on the Kindle vs. the iPad's LED back-lit display). I have experience with both, and to me, it's a matter of personal preference. The Kindle has a sort of "screen flash" when you turn the page due to the e-ink reordering itself and can be annoying at times. Of course, since that's the only energy drain, battery life is significantly higher than the iPad, so it's a trade off. Readability on the iPad can also be a concern to some people for other reasons. If you don't like reading on a computer screen, you won't like reading on the iPad either. Though, keep in mind, the brightness can be adjusted, which may help if you are sensitive to bright whites on a computer screen. My advice: try before you buy. What do you prefer? Feel free to leave your comments on how you prefer to read content.

Textbook Publishers Push for iPad Apps

According to a February, 2010 post by vatornews, an Online news source for emerging tech, major textbook publishers have turned to ScrollMotion Inc. to bring their textbooks to Apple's iPad. Which publishers? How about heavy weights like Houghon Mifflin, Kaplan, McGraw-Hill, and Pearson? Features included in the proposed app will include the ability for students to color-categorize while highlighting words on the page. In addition, students will be able to write text notes or record audio notes directly onto the device. They'll even be able to search the text for a key phrase! How many times did you wish you could do that when you were in school?

Is this how easy it's going to be to get e-textbooks in the hands of students? I thought there'd be shady deals in smokey back rooms between Steve Jobs, state politicians, school district head mucky mucks, and gray-haired publishers resisting new ways, much the same way music publishers resisted the paradigm shift from phycial CDs to Online distribution. But instead, it looks like it's the publishers are the ones doing the pushing. It could actually come down to a single app; granted, a single expensive app.

How much will it cost? Will school districts be able to give special promo codes to students who own iPads so they can download textbooks straight to their devices? Won't school districts save a ton of money purchasing a device like this instead of physical textbooks? Many schools in our district purchase two copies of each textbook for each student: one for the classroom, and one to stay at home. It'll be interesting to see the textbook landscape this time next year. What do you think?