Morpholio App

MORPHOLIO

Morpholio is a great media and information presentation app. Morpholio allows you to beautifully construct presentations of pictures, videos and more in a creative way. You can then use any form of media you have gathered and import them into the app. Another feature is that you can categorize each set of projects you have made into different categories and presentations. Whether its that big business presentation you've been working on, or simply gathering a collage of pictures from that family vacation, Morpholio has you covered.

Once you enter Morpholio and create an account you enter the project menu screen. On the left hand side you are prompted to add your name and a cover photo for yourself. Next you can see projects on the right hand side. Each photo is a thumbnail for the presentation inside of it.

For example this photo shows one of the presentations once you click on it. On the left hand side you see the thumbnail photo for the projects, the title below it, and the date created. All of this can all be changed as desired. The right hand side is the pictures for the presentation. Morpholio makes it simple to add any media file to your given project or presentation in a simple, no-hassle way. 

by Austin Bond '14

An Hour of Code

An Hour of Code

In the spirit of Computer Science Education Week (December 9 - December 15, 2013), code.org has sponsored a program called an Hour of Code. This is an opportunity for people with no programming background to learn the basic idea behind coding. This is even great for people who do have experience programming. I personally have taken a couple classes that included programming and I still found this activity challenging my skills. The activities all seem like a game, and then you realize that you're actually writing lines of code, and you see that it's actually fairly simple to pick up. Along the way you earn trophies for executing different steps in your codes. You can earn up to 27 trophies, and when that is complete, you earn a prize. I chose an iTunes gift card worth $10, but they also offer things like Skype credits, Dropbox space and other great prizes.

This week was put on by code.org, but they had many sponsors including celebrities, some well known companies and several other people and corporations. Some of the well known donors include Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn, Dropbox, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook).

After participating in this program, I think that it is a great way to open people up to the world of programming. I believe that this program should definitely be advertised more, so that students who may not take computer classes can hear about it and have the opportunity to experience coding. I hope code.org sponsors this week again in years to come, and it would be great to see it get more popular throughout the entire world.

by Jessica Razza-Lindsey '14

Creating and Remembering Passwords

By Jessica Razza-Lindsey

You would think creating a password is a simple task, but creating one that you'll be able to remember, now that can be tricky. Here are some tips to creating a memorable and safe password.

1.     One word: You don't want to have to remember several words, try sticking to one word that is easy for you to remember and then make it more secure by using the tips below. 

2.     A number: A good password has a number in it somewhere. You should not use a number that is important to you that your close friends can guess. (i.e., number on your sports jersey, birth year, house number, etc.). If you're creative, you can use numbers instead of letters, like a 1 for an L or a 0 for an O.

3.     A capital: The easiest way to remember where you put the capital is to put it where it would normally be; the beginning of a word. To keep your password even more secure, capitalize a random letter in your password.

4.     A symbol: Sometimes you are required to use a symbol. The symbols are  ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ - + = { } [ ] \ | : ; " ' < > , . ? /. You could use the @ to replace an a or the $ to replace an s.

Remembering your password:

·       Write it down. If you have bad memory, or tend to forget passwords, write it down and keep it somewhere only you go, like your sock drawer.

·       Create a hint. Some sites will let you write down a hint if you forget your password. (ex. hint: Spanish class. password: Failing45).

·       Keep a list. Keep a list of websites and passwords. This can be easily kept on your cellphone, or you can write it down on a piece of paper. Disguise the document by making the document title something like “English Paper”.  Make sure you update the list whenever you change your password.

VideoNot.es

VideoNot.es

Chris R.

VideoNotes is a new website I tried out today while watching a TED Talk. Although I was skeptical at first, I really like this system because it allows me to take notes while watching a video in a smooth, seamless interface. Not only that, but I can also click on my different lines of notes to go back to different points in the video. This allows me to quickly absorb information, while condensing it for me to read and review later.

Now, that isn't to say there aren't any problems. I have personally found that the time which notes are linked to are a bit too late in the video than what I would want. When I take notes, I often listen to the sentences or phrases and evaluate them to determine if I should type them out - which works well enough that I don't usually have to pause that often unless I am taking a lot of notes. But this means that the point in time that I start typing is later in the video than when the speaker actually says it. Perhaps this varies from person to person, and should be adjustable.

Also, it would be useful if there were ways to add personal comments or opinions as well as headings that are not linked to specific time segments - especially if you decide to add them after watching.

But nevertheless, it's a product that I might try using in the future more often and see how it is improved.

123D Catch Review 
by Eric Thompson

Today I reviewed an app called 123D Catch and this app is used for making 3d models of real life objects. My first impression was that the app was awesome but once I started using it I found many flaws. 

Cons- You have to take at least 30-40 photos for it come out clear. If you don't take enough photos or if some are blurry the 3d image will not appear. It is also difficult to take pictures of a small object with the iPad so in my opinion I would only download it if you have an iPhone or iTouch. It also takes very long to produce your image and all of my images came out unclear and not very useful. 

Pros- Soon you will be able to print using a 3d printer. It also lets you view others work so it is easier to find new objects to use. 

 This app was a really good idea but it needs a lot of work. I would not recommend this app at the moment but hopefully they update it and fix some of the cons I listed.

My Homework App

My Homework App

by Elyse LaBounty

One of my favorite apps for writing down my homework is the "My Homework" app.  In this app you can add classes to the side bar and for each class you can add the assignments you have for that class or reminders that you may have. I like this app because you can separate the assignments by "All", "Class", "Priority", or "Type" and each assignment will be labeled with a different color so you can tell which are for which class. You can add as many classes and assignments as you need. It is a great app for writing things down so you remember.

ScreenChomp Review

ScreenChomp Review

by Brady Anderson

ScreenChomp is a very straightforward, attractive, and FREE app with some interesting features. The app provides you with an open canvas to start with. You have the option to choose from three pens, each can be customized to be a different color and thickness. You can then draw with these, switching easily between them. The screen can be swiped down with three or more fingers at any time to allow more space. There is an option to clear the whole screen at one time. Now this all probably seems very basic but the special part is the recording aspect. ScreenChomp allows you to record your drawings in sync with voice recordings. These voice recordings are uploaded to Screenchomp.com where they can be viewed by anyone. There are sharing options given to easily view the screencast as well.

I personally use ScreenChomp in two ways. First, I record myself doing problems, or an explanation of a concept in Physics and use those for homework points. Secondly in many note taking apps you don't have the option to freely draw. In class notes aren't strictly dialect, often there are diagrams and pictures that you need to replicate. I easily switch to ScreenChomp, draw whatever is needed, then take a screenshot and upload it to the notes app. 

AssistiveTouch

AssistiveTouch

by Lauren Montgomery

If you are having difficulty touching your screen you should activate AssistiveTouch. To activate it go to settings, then general, and click AssistiveTouch. Switch the button to on. 

A black square with a white circle should appear on your screen. When you click on the circle you will get different options from having it being a home button to it locking your screen. It can control your volume and also take a screenshot. AssistiveTouch is also useful if your home or lock or any other buttons don't work.

Note Taking & Annotation Apps - Which is Best?

Note Taking & Annotation Apps - Which is Best?

by Jon Coleman

There are so many iOS apps that can be great tools for in-class note taking and/or file annotation, each one has a strong suit, but which one stands on top? Which ones are free? Which one does what you want it to do? Here's a bit of a list I've accumulated of the apps I use.

Adobe Reader - The Basic Annotator

I started using Adobe Reader when I first got my iPad via a recommendation from both my school and concert band director. It's a good annotator to start out with, and it's free. It's also your run of the mill file annotator; You can type, draw, and highlight text. The file storage is a simple "folder and file" organizer, somewhat like the storage on a desktop computer. The app also features online storage through Acrobat.com, and though it's no iCloud, it is simple and easy to retrieve your files. Like the Adobe Reader computer program, the app also features an option to use a keyword search within a file, and also allows you to both e-mail and print from the app.

Pages - The Word Processor

Once I got into writing papers in my classes, I came to enjoy using Pages for all my document creation needs. The app costs a hefty $9.99, but in my opinion, it's worth it. It has full ability to open and edit Microsoft Word documents, and create the same documents so that it's cross-compatible. It has almost all the same settings Word has when it comes to typing, along with a "folder and file" organizer. In addition it includes many advanced formatting options: 62 fonts, 279 text sizes (9-288,) 12 preset text styles, bolding, italicizing, underlining, text slashing, text alignment, a document ruler, and a header & footer editor. Also, like Word, you can easily insert images, tables, charts, and shapes within the app. It's nearly perfect for writing a research paper on the go since you can e-mail, print and upload your files to WebDAV from the app. It also includes an in-text search, an ability to check recent changes to a document, a word count and different spacing options (edge and word spacing.) And for the sake of online storage, Pages isiCloud compatible through iWorks, so you'll never lose your documents.

Evernote - The Note-Taker

Evernote appears to be the app that "everybody" is using though with all the issues it's had and has, another option may be better... For a price. Evernote is a free app that is mainly used for taking notes, it works best partnered with the other apps owned by the Evernotecompany: Penultimate and Skitch. The way the app organizes files is a bit different from the norm, since it's more of a tab layout with a tab for notes which you can set up notebooks to easier organize notes. Evernote also includes some basic formatting options, such as, bolding, italicizing, underlining, text slashing, highlighting, bulleting options, 4 preset text styles, check boxes (work like checkable bullets,) and indentation options. You can also insert audio and pictures into your notes, and iMessage, print and e-mail notes directly from the app, and online storage is done through your profile on Evernote.com. Another tab found in this app is called "Places" and this is a way to tag places on a full in-app map, this traces the locations that you've created your notes. You can also add tags to your notes to make them easier to find, for example, you have a note for history on Napoleon Bonapart, and you have dozens of other history notes you don't want to look through, well if you've tagged it properly, then you can simply search for that tag, and there you go.

Penultimate - The Notebook

Not a fan of typing? Then Penultimate is your app. This app is great if you have a stylus and would rather write than type. Penultimate is free and uses different notebooks as organization with individual sheets you can flip through within them. Online storage is also handled throughEvernote.com through your same Evernote username. You can also e-mail and print your notes from the app. Like Evernote, you can insert images into the app, but no audio. Now, since your drawing tool is your best friend, there are a couple of options to work with: 10 colors, a pen size slider (small to large.) The app also includes a cut & paste tool, and a clear page tool, and as an added bonus, you can change the style of the paper you write on from, gridded, to lined, to blank; Now your app can look just like a real notebook.

Skitch - The Doodle-Pad

Like Penultimate and Evernote, Skitch is by the Evernote company, so it works best partnered with the other two apps. Skitch is a free app that is used as a drawing board, like a classroom whiteboard with cooler options. You can both type and draw on the page, and pages are stored as individual files and can also be synched to your personal Evernote notebook, this also means that your files are stored online via Evernote.com. In the app, you have a couple drawing tools which will just about get you through the day, this includes both a pen and a highlighter with 8 colors and a size slider. With this, you also have an ability to create different shapes (squares, both rounded and straight, circles, lines, and arrows of various sizes) and use a pixel tool to blur things, a cropping tool and an undo tool instead of an eraser. Other features in the app allow you to both email and allow for a public link for people to view what you've created via a link, though, there's no option to print from the app. And finally, even though you can't insert images, you can draw on images and a map that is included within the app which is a good feature for a presentation or a good example for the classroom.

Paper - The Sketchbook

Paper is a very simplistic app, but it looks wonderful. For the artsy type, this is a blank easel, and all your art tools are laid out in front of you. All of your artworks are organized in sketchbooks, and both pages and sketchbooks can be added easily via the push of a button. For the free portion of the app, you've only got a fountain pen and eraser tool, but for the "small" payment of $6.99 you get the addition of a: pencil, marker, ballpoint pen and paintbrush tools. Each tool has it's own specific style, no two tools write the same. Also, after paying your 7 colors become 28 colors, 14 customizable paint slots and a color mixer for all of the other colors in between. Sadly, there is no online storage for your works of art, so if you wipe your device, you lose all your work. And if you have a case that covers the rim around your screen, it can be a tad difficult to turn pages at times.

Notability - The Package

Now, I know what you're thinking; "What could be better than all of these fantastic apps I've heard so much about?" Well, what if we combined all of the above apps into one app for $1.99? Thanks to Notability you can annotate files, type notes, and write notes. It also uses a "folder and file" organization, but it's slightly different than other apps, it organizes notes by subject and subjects by category which you can create and edit yourself. Each subject can be edited to have it's own color as well, this allows for better organization for the user. Notability, although it doesn't have it's own storage or iCloud capabilities, lets you store all of your files on Dropbox, Google Drive,Box.com, and WebDAV under the settings within the app, and you can both e-mail and print. Within files you can insert both images, web clips and audio which can make taking notes quite easy. And like, Pages the app has plenty of formatting options including 47 fonts, 16 text colors, 88 text sizes [8-96], italicizing, underlining, bullet list options, and 3 editable text styles. Your drawing tool options also includes 2 styles, 12 sizes, 16 colors, an eraser tool, and a cut & paste tool. You can also edit your paper style with 15 paper colors, 9 styles (blank, 4 different line spacings, and 4 grid spacings.

Which is Best? - The Review

To summarize, all of these apps are great, though some are better in certain categories, and I have all of them to use for different situations. If I had to choose just one, though, it'd beNotability because it really takes all of the best from all other note taking and annotating apps and puts it into one package for $1.99. It hasn't even once failed me yet, and I really do love that about Notability, it's fantastic, try it out for yourself.

CloudOn

 by Eric Thompson

I have recently downloaded a free app called CloudOn. This app is great because its like having Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all in one place on your iPad.

You can do a lot of work on here and it syncs well with Adobe Reader, Dropbox, and other similar applications. This app can sync with Google Drive and makes it very easy to upload and download docs from your iPad. It also saves your work automatically so you never have to worry about your iPad dying and losing all of your work. I would recommend this app to someone looking for a an alternative to Pages and Keynote. It does have some flaws though. For example when transferring something like an essay, the font and layout of the document can change and look disfigured when opened in pages, but if you can get over that small bump it is well worth it. They are still coming up with updates and I think most of their problems should be fixed shortly.

Top 5 Productivity Apps - A Student's Perspective*

Top 5 Productivity Apps - A Student's Perspective*

Jessica Razza-Lindsey Class of 2014

5. PowerSchool

"See live attendance, assignments, scores, grades and more, right from your teachers' grade books."

Every student should follow up on how their grades are doing. With the PowerSchool app it's easy to access assignment grades, and class grades so you know what to expect when report card time rolls around.

4. iBooks

"iBooks is an amazing way to download and read books."

Lugging around heavy books, along with all other school materials, can be exhausting and that can discourage kids from bringing books home or to class every day. Having text books available electronically whenever you need them, in your iBook library, is like a gift for students of all ages.

3. Adobe Reader

"Adobe Reader is the free, trusted leader for reliably viewing and interacting with PDF documents across platforms and devices."

Many teachers (in schools like Grafton High) give worksheets in the form of a PDF, and what program is better to view or edit a PDF other than the known Adobe Reader?

2. Pages

"Pages is the most beautiful word processor you've ever seen on a mobile device."

Being a student, you have to take enormous amounts of notes, do small class projects, write papers, answer open response questions, and so much more. With Pages, you can keep all of your files organized, and you have almost all of the capabilities that you would in a Word program, in a very user friendly format.

1. inClass

"Organize your schedule. Share your notes. Ace your classes."

Aside from actually doing all of your work, the most important key to being productive is knowing what you need to do, when you need to have it done by, and how much time you need to do it. With inClass you have a big amount of options and ways to organize your schedule, with a calendar, and to do list, you'll always have all of your work done on time.

*All quotes are from the descriptions in iTunes.

Creating a Gmail Contact Group

Creating a Gmail Contact Group

by Jon Coleman

1. To begin, click the arrow next to the mail button once on your Gmail.

2. Then click Contacts.

3. Click “New Group...” (Found below My Contacts)

4. Type in the desired Group name, then click “OK”

5. To add people to a group that have a Grafton Public Schools email address (grafton.k12.ma.us)type their name (first, last, or both) in the search box and hit enter.

6. Find the student (or teacher) you’re looking for and click on the checkbox next to their name. A check will appear next to their name, and the row will become highlighted.

7. Click the Group Selection button.

8.  Click the desired group(s) you wish to place them in (no matter which groups are selected, it will automatically add them to “My Contacts.”)

9. Then click "Apply" below the items you've checked off.10. If you think you've added them in the wrong groups, click "Undo" on the prompt that appears after you've clicked "Apply"

11. Once complete, the following changes will occur; the person will appear under a "My Contacts" tab that follows.

Congratulations! You have now successfully created a Gmail contact group, you can continue adding contacts and groups in this manner.

Posted by Chris Cuzzupe

Class of 2013

Today, I want to tell you about one of my favorite apps. I absolutely love the Box.com app and Box.com. I use this primarily as a storage system to transfer my work from my iPad, personal computer, and other school computers. I am able to upload various files types including: word and pages documents, powerpoint and keynote presentations, excel spreadsheets  movies, images, interactive videos, and abobe files.

I use this in a few specific classes where the teachers want me to submit my work so that they can grade it online, and comment on my work. The Box.com app and Box.com are different than the traditional storage apps and sites, as teachers can be invited to be collaborators, editors, or just straight viewers. It is user friendly and easy to use, as you can create many folders to organize your work. The best part about this app and website is that it is free!!!! :)  Suggest this to your friends, students, and fellow teachers!!! This is a great work flow option.

Gmail is here!

Students received Gmail accounts in the summer of 2012 and began using the emails when they had to create their Apple IDs for the 1:1 iPad deployment at Grafton High School. As of February break, high school teachers are joining in and being switched to Gmail as well. To the right of this blog are links to instructions for setting up Gmail accounts on the iPads and MacBook Pros. This blog will continue to be updated by students and faculty that are part of the Grafton High Tech Force. Guest bloggers will be welcomed and encouraged!