Author Archives: Troy Stein

About Troy Stein

Troy Stein is an erstwhile German teacher turned Product Manager for TechSmith's EDU apps. Best job ever!
You can follow him at @troystein
  • In his spare time, he plays and coaches soccer.
  • He has been known to jump up and down like a giddy school girl at his daughter's soccer games.

    • Circling Back: Notification of Ask3 Responses

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    Last week, I visited Jennie Magiera and some extraordinary teachers in Chicago. The students used Ask3 to work on math problems and then gave feedback to their 'Power Partner.' Cool concept: an Ask3 Buddy. As I looked closely at the feedback, I could see the learning and the conversation evolve. One student would respond with an an idea, another would chime in. The only problem was that the student who made the original video didn't know that comments had been left. Problem solved. With Continue reading

    Eric Marcos, Tom Sawyer and Painting the Fence with Ask3

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    Tom Sawyer got kids to paint the fence for him... and they paid him for the privilege! Meet Eric Marcos, a Modern Day Tom Sawyer. (cue Rush). Eric is an amazing teacher in Santa Monica, California. When I visited him a few years back, and saw how incredibly engaged his students were in the creation process -- Blooms Taxonomy, anyone? -- I wanted to bottle that kind of magic: Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube. For those classes that have iPads, Ask3 puts a paint brush in every Continue reading

    Ask3 is getting personal… see what’s coming next!

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    We love competition and the AppMadness13 competition for best, free EDU app is a ton of fun. We're in tight competition, so we're coming out with a full court press in the second half. Years of training are paying off for our teachers and their students. Get a peek into the Ask3 locker room to see what's coming next in Ask3 to help engage students even more in the learning process! Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube. Vote for Ask3 and ScreenChomp at http://bit.ly/AppMad13! Invite Continue reading

    A new kind of March Madness for Ask3. Who is on the team!

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    I love sports. This week my love of competition and education collided into a world of fun! A quartet of creative teachers created #AppMadness13, with 32 free educational apps vying for the championship. Their hilarious pre-tournament selection process can be watched here: Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube. Now, like I said, I love competition. So, we picked up our Ask3 game a notch: 5 am workouts. And as we take the court this week in our first round competition, Jason Valade Continue reading

    No home Wi-Fi? Ask3 & Videos To-Go.

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    For me, teaching is the art of improvisation.  Over time, my lesson plan became, "Use plan B." When we made Ask3, we thought:  "Let's make teachers' lives easier by having kids help each other."  Teachers would then tell us about the students who had iPads, but who didn't have Wi-Fi at home.  Hello, plan B. This week we leveled the playing field for 1-to-1 iPad classes.  Ask3 version 1.3 still: - Makes it easy to make a video screencast from your iPad - Automatically delivers the video Continue reading

    21 Ways to Use Ask3

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    We asked Ask3 users how they are using the app.  We found some really cool ones and wanted to share!  The text is taken verbatim from a recent survey: 1)  I'm using it as a way for my cousin in Kalamazoo to ask me questions about algebra that he is having issues with. I am using just one video where he just replies or sends me a video. 2)  In class to pose questions to each other during work time. 3) We use it in class as a "check for understanding" tool. I give students problems and Continue reading