A 6-bar progression (so really this is 18 bars). Bass and guitars are all live. Garageband drummer.

Whether it was graph paper or lined paper, I didn't always have an easy time keeping my math work neat as a student. Maybe it would start that way but by the end it would be a mess. In the new version of Explain Everything, you can add a template background that has lined paper, graph paper, and many more. This way, depending on whether or not the background is helpful for working through steps of abstract problems, a user can choose what works best for him/herself. If you press record - even for just a few problems - it can create an interesting artifact. Not a tutorial and not a polished demonstration of understanding necessarily, just a richer story than a flat image/document.

Some people might think it would be nice to have a day to explore London, but I just want to go home to my family! Winter Storm Jonas has kept me (and many, many, others) away from home. I could have just stayed in my hotel room all day, but I decided to try out one of those free self-guided walks. I didn't do too much research butthis was a good one as it gave me something to do - or at least a catalyst for starting my day. I didn't stop and take any pictures, and I didn't complete the walk as I had lunch (noodles!) and decided to catch a movie (The Revenant!).

Though I prefer playing the digital drums on the iOS version of Garageband, I am excited to see the 'Drummer' instrument from the Mac OS X version of the app now in the iPad version. Here is another track that opens with a string arrangement, but then the drummer kicks in.

When presenting I often share a version of the image below to describe four common patterns of Explain Everything usage I have observed in K-12 settings. 

For the next few weeks, I am going to share one specific idea that fits into one of these four categories, contextualized in traditional K-12 disciplines (Math, Language Arts, Fine and Performing Arts, Science, History and Social Studies, World Languages, Physical Education, and so on) and in typical K-12 school breakdowns (early childhood, elementary, middle, and high schools).

This first example is for Middle School Math: Live Instruction and Feedback. During moments of brief direct instruction, Explain Everything can be used in support of visualizing concepts in a clear and colorful manner and in a format that is easily saved and shared. In this example, a teacher might model not only the solution of an abstract linear equation but also the process by which one might check whether or not a solution is valid.

From a design perspective, I find it easy to write really large letters and then either shrink them using two fingers or using the Zoom and Pan Tool. 

I also frequently switch from the Draw Tool to the Hand Tool when completing  a word or a line or when switching colors. This ensures that the drawings will be created as separate objects. This makes it easy to delete drawings I am not happy with and to duplicate elements that I might reuse. For example, instead of rewriting the original equation (3x - 4 = 2x + 8), I just duplicated the one I had originally created and then deleted the colored underlines which had automatically been grouped to it, but exist as a separate object.

Tomorrow we'll be launching a bunch of new services and tools which we are very excited about (at Explain Everything). You can view and download a copy of the project mentioned above at this link.

At the FETC in Orlando, FL, I had the privilege of hearing and then meeting NASA Astronaut Leland Melvin. He is a great storyteller and has great stories to tell. I most appreciated his clear understanding on focus that what we do as educators is directly tied to the future of civilization. Hearing him talk about it actually helped me to decide to stop focusing on 'The Future of Our Species' as it restored my faith that other people are thinking about it as well. I took notes during his talk in Explain Everything, then I got a picture taken with Leland, and then I combined the notes with the pictures. Oh, he also autographed them which is really cool.

Here are a couple more images and photos.