If youre still paying for texting, you might want to sit down, because we have some news for you. Instant messaging apps are slowly taking over and replacing SMS messaging on smartphones. Free and usually easy to navigate, users are making the switch to save money on text messaging rates and text their friends overseas. Some of these apps are cross-platform, and others have a group-messaging feature, encryption, and much more. So weve decided to round up the top five texting apps available for Android.

5. Skype
Free Although its not the best communication app for Android, Skype is definitely useful for keeping in touch with certain people like long-distance relatives or friends. Users can place free voice and video calls and also send instant messages to other Skype users on almost any device. When placing a video call, you can switch between your front and rear facing camera. Now with a revamped interface, Skype has a whole new look and a few new features, such as sending video messages to offline users.

4. Google Voice
FreeGoogle Voice offers low-cost international voice calls and unlimited free text messages for your unique Google Voice number. The app also includes group messaging, offline voicemail, and conference calling. Users have the option to read transcripts of their voicemail (though this depends on the quality of the call, making it a far from perfect feature) and record their incoming calls. One thing to keep in mind is that when placing domestic or international calls, Google Voice for Android will use minutes from your cell phone plan, so watch out.

3.TextSecure
FreeAre you paranoid about your texts being seen or accessed by someone other than the recipient? If you are, then this is the app for you. TextSecure has you create a password upon startup and then proceeds to enter your existing SMS and MMS messages into an encrypted database. You can also send secure texts from the built-in messenger app or participate in a group chat. One downside is that the text is only encrypted when the recipient is also using TextSecure. On the up side, the settings on this app are pretty powerful, giving the user a range of options. The app itself isnt perfect, but it is certainly a viable option for someone who is looking for a decent secure texting app.

2.WhatsApp
FreeOf all the texting applications available, WhatsApp probably has the largest user base. It supports Android, iOS, Symbian, Blackberry, and Windows Phone smartphones. Feature-wise, it has a few more customization options than your standard text-messaging service: multimedia messages, inserting emoticons, and changing the conversations wallpaper are among its abilities. Another awesome feature is the group messaging with titles you can edit. What makes WhatsApp better than regular texting is the ability to leave the conversation to avoid pesky notifications after youve had your say. Unless youre satisfied with your existing instant messaging app, then youll definitely want to try this one out.

1.Viber
Free This VoIP app aims to improve users talk and text experience with some impressive features like OS integration, group chatting with up to 40 people, no ads, and push notifications even when the app is off. You can save money in the process when you send free calls and text messages to other people who use Viber (though it only applies when youre on a WiFi network). Users also have the ability to transfer their conversation (voice or text) to their desktop provided they have the Viber software installed. The app itself is well-designed and if youre looking to save money in voice calls (especially to other countries), Viber might be what youre looking for.

Source pcmag.com
Top 5: Free Android Texting Apps

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So, you know how to snap an image of your iPhone’s screen—but what if you want to take a screenshot of your Mac’s desktop?
Well, there are actually four ways to snap a screenshot on your Mac, and they’re all just a few keystrokes away.

1. Take a screenshot of the entire screen

Press and hold the SHIFT, COMMAND, and NUMBER 3 keys, and an image file of the screenshot will appear on your Mac’s desktop.

2. Copy an image of the entire screen to your Mac’s clipboard

Press and hold CONTROL, SHIFT, COMMAND, and the NUMBER 3 keys to snap a screenshot and copy it to your Mac’s clipboard, perfect for pasting the image (COMMAND + V) into another document.

You can take a screenshot of just a portion of your Mac’s screen; press and hold Shift, Command, and the number 4 key, then click and drag.

3. Take a screenshot of a selected area of the screen

Want to capture an image of, say, just a single corner of your Mac’s desktop, rather than the entire screen?
Press and hold the SHIFT, COMMAND, and NUMBER 4 keys; when you do, your mouse pointer will turn into a target.
Click, hold and drag your mouse over the area you’d like to capture, then release the mouse button. Your screenshot will appear as an image file on your desktop.

4. Copy an image of a selected area of the screen to your Mac’s clipboard

Same basic idea as the command above, except you’re copying a picture of the selected screen area to your Mac’s clipboard.
Press and hold CONTROL, SHIFT, COMMAND, and the NUMBER 4 keys, then paste the screenshot into a document by pressing COMMAND + V.

Bonus tip

Having a hard time pressing and holding all those keys? You can create new, easier keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots from the Keyboard preferences pane.
Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, select System Preferences, click the Keyboard icon, then click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab.
From here, you can tweak all kinds of keyboard shortcut settings—including those for screenshots. Just click the “Screen Shots” heading in the left column to get started. (I went ahead and picked the F5 key for snapping a screenshot of the whole screen.)
Sources http://heresthethingblog.com
4 ways to take a screenshot

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Love them or hate them, the Common Core is a reality for the majority of educators and schools across the country.  As a principal I am always on the look out for resources that can aid my teachers with the successful implementation of these standards.  While attending the 2013 ASCD Conference in Chicago I attended a session entitled Unwrapping Standards to Drive the Adoption of the Common Core State Standards.  The presentation was facilitated by the Clark Country School District in Nevada.  As they stated, many teachers are not unwrapping standards themselves.  As a result they are blinding using information and tend to focus on parts of a standard as opposed to the whole thing.  By unwrapping standards educators see the interconnectedness within the Common Core.

Image credit: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=485958

During the presentation Wiki-Teacher was shared.  This is a free resource for any educator to use to assist with unwrapping the Common Core Standards. As the Wiki states the lesson plans, unit plans, centers, textbook supplements, and other resources found on Wiki-Teacher are created and shared by educators. Resources contributed to the site are reviewed by content experts and peer-rated by all of the members of Wiki-Teacher.  Educators can also access demonstration videos once a free account is created. I will most certainly be sharing this resource with my staff upon my return to New Milford High School.

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Educators across the country are grappling with the Common Core Standards and the significant changes that have come with them.  Many Districts spent the end of last year and this past summer re-writing curriculum to address the new standards while also spending a great deal of money providing needed professional development to teachers.  With upgraded curricula and the knowledge gained from trainings teachers began in earnest this past September developing lessons to implement and assess the new standards.

With all the hoopla it took me a while to realize that something was missing.  Then it hit me last week as I was conducting an observation in a 10th grade English class.  How do administrators tasked with observing teachers know what they are looking for in a Common Core classroom?   Are students being assessed on the standards to demonstrate conceptual mastery and if so how?  Where is the professional development for administrators?  These essential questions need to be addressed if we are to provide valuable feedback  to teachers we observe and evaluate.  I needed help and fast.  As I continued to ponder some of these crucial questions while scripting the lesson on my iPad I remembered a free app that I had recently downloaded from Mastery Connect.

I know what you are thinking, this is one of those sponsored posts that a company has asked me to write.  I can assure you this is not the case and that I have absolutely no connection with Mastery Connect.  Now back to my story.  Once I launched the app I was kicking myself for not using it sooner.  I was able to quickly select Grade 10 Language Arts and locate what I thought were the Common Core Standards being addressed in the lesson. The key point here is that I was pretty sure on the standards being addressed, but not one hundred percent.  What is really great about this app is that it let me select the specific standards by content area and grade level, which then displayed key ideas and details related to the standards. It even broke down the corresponding College and Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standard.  Now I was sure of the standards that were being addressed and the effectiveness of the lesson.  This also led to, in my opinion, a much better prepared observation write-up and a discussion with the teacher on ways that she could better assess the standards during the lesson.

In my opinion a great deal more training needs to be provided to principals on observing the Common Core classroom.  Until then, I highly recommend that any administrator download the free Mastery Connect App, which is available for iOS, Android, and Windows devices. For more resources specifically for school administrators check out the list from NICHCY.  You can also visit my Pinterest board highlighting come Common Core resources, but be advised that this is still a work in progress.  How have you prepared to observe the Common Core Classroom? What resources have you found to be helpful with this transition? 

If you want to learn more about Mastery Connect and the resources they have for teachers check out this article from Getting Smart.

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Educators across America are grappling with what the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) mean for their instruction and have key questions around successful implementation:

• What are the core components of the CCSS and how do they impact me?
• How do I integrate the CCSS most effectively into my curriculum and instruction?
• How do I create assessments that align to the CCSS?
• How do I plan for the successful implementation of the CCSS in my classroom? My school?  My district?

As a trusted educational partner, Discovery Education has worked with thousands of educational leaders to transform teaching and learning. They understand that successful implementation requires a focus on fundamentals: curriculum, instruction, assessment, and leadership.

Educators are invited to join their peers for Common Core Academies that are:

• Research-based: Their professional development integrates proven curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices from expert practitioners and thought leaders.
• Personalized: Each Academy addresses educator-identified needs related to the transition to more rigorous standards.
• Actionable: They provide classroom applications that support long-term action planning with strategies for immediate classroom integration.

ELA Academy: This two-day, hands-on Academy will engage K-12 educators in an intense focus on research-based English Language Arts (ELA) instructional practices to successfully implement the rigors of text complexity, evidence-based writing, and vocabulary development in their ELA and content area classrooms. Specifically, this Academy will dive into what these practices look like and how to build them into the curriculum to maximize student engagement and achievement. Educators will then utilize this knowledge to develop CCSS lesson plans and assessment tasks for immediate use in their ELA or content area classroom.

Math Academy: The CCSS not only require shifts in what we teach, but most importantly, in how we teach. During this two-day Academy, K-12 educators will dive into each of the Standards for Mathematical Practice and analyze the types of instruction these standards warrant. Practical strategies as well as options for balanced assessment of the content standards will be explored and discussed. Educators will leave with tools, including lessons and assessment tasks for immediate use.

Leadership Academy: The CCSS require a number of shifts that need to be made in current curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices. As leaders, we need to think, plan, and act differently. What changes have you made as an instructional leader? In this two-day, hands-on Academy, central office, building, and teacher leaders will discuss implications for curriculum, instruction, and assessment as a result of the CCSS shifts and share practices that work. In particular, leaders will focus on the CCSS classroom and what it looks like. Participants will explore research-based strategies and tools to monitor teachers’ use of best practices to effectively teach the new standards so all students can meet them. Participants will also explore and develop strategies to use with students and parents to prepare them for more rigorous standards.

Specialized Instruction: The CCSS are for all students, including those who receive special education services. These rigorous expectations require that students have a deep level of understanding in ELA and Mathematics. This two-day, hands-on Academy will provide K-12 educators with research-based practices to connect the demands of the CCSS to instruction that supports students with special needs. Specifically, participants will closely examine the ELA and Mathematics CCSS to investigate strategies for students to access, respond to, engage in, and ultimately, meet their learning targets.

These Academies will provide educators with the support they need in the Common Core era. Click HERE to register to attend.

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