Screen Sharing Made Easy

I am a nerd for screen sharing, as I have to teach software programs often.  Most of the time, we force our students to squint across the room at our projected screen, moving a tiny mouse cursor around, clicking here  and there. We hope that our students can 1) See what we're clicking, 2) Remember what menu each option is under and 3) Pay attention to something abstract and far away.

The solution? ... join.me!   Join.me is a free (trial) software you can install (local install, don't need network administrator rights) and share your screen. I believe the trial allows you to share with up to 9 screens (iPads included) and seems pretty quick.

Ideally, you would share your screen, students would log on to their workstation, and view your screen while you demo (they watch, close up, while they listen).  You could also "hand over" control and allow them to present to the rest of the class (maybe they found a trick or shortcut), or maybe you want them to share their slideshow (PowerPoint, Sliderocket) with the group on more than just the projector.

Try it! They also have a blog (I stole the banner) here.

55 iPad Apps for Teachers

55 Free iPad Apps for Teachers

I am not a big fan of sending people away from a site, but the list above was compiled on March 13, 2013 and is fantastic.  

Obviously, some of the apps have hidden costs or attempt to persuade you to "go pro," but many of them are truly useful, and free!

Google Earth, Edmodo, PBSKids, and TeacherKit seem like some good ones to begin with.