Category Archives: Technology

Prepping for a New Year

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Not having a classroom hasn’t stopped me for prepping for a new school year.  I’ve completely organized my TPT purchases into a categorized PowerPoint thanks to a template by Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd.  Have you ever gone to plan, then realized later there was a file you had downloaded from TPT that would have been perfect, but it was lost in an abyss of resources?  I filled 92 pages – well including the category pages, but, wow, that is a lot.  I’ve also created a class set of Writing Resource folders, including a 7 page picture dictionary to aid students struggling with reading or new ESL learners.  This will supplement my word wall, color coded by subject, that will need to be revamped with a new job.  I’m up for the challenge – eager really.  This year I will focus on technology.  Though I use technology routinely such as Padlet, PeppleGo, Epic, NewELA, xtramath, etcetera, I’d like to utilize SeeSaw and Google products more extensively.  To this end, I’ve been doing some exploring through different educational web pages.  I’ve re-created my Parent Contact Information, which I used last year.  This is an incredible idea I found on Pinterest; no more illegible email addresses or phone numbers and it’s all congregated into one Excel style page.  I’ve also created a Google Form for reading assessments in case I teach Language Arts.  Again, it will be all documented for me in individual student folders for better individualized instruction.  Right now, I’m creating my own Symbaloo of recommended websites for parents to provide a fuller list.  Typically, I have a handful of links on my webpage and the grade level webpage.  Other than that, I’m working on small items: making sure my newsletter is ready minus the year expectations, placing Meet the Teacher items in a bucket, and preparing a new teacher planner.  It’s late in the summer, but the area here is growing rapidly so one can still hope for new classes to be needed.  I’m ready to share my passion for learning with a new group of students.  Regardless of the outcome, may all educators and staff have a fabulous 2017 – 2018 school year!

Here’s a link to my Google Form for a Reading Assessment.

My symbaloo is in the early stages, but here are two pictures from my TPT PowerPoint Organizer:

 

Latest Technology Finds

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This week I came across two teacher tech tools to use in the classroom.

First of all, I joined The 40 Hour Workweek Club earlier this month; it’s a year long cohort to learn more efficient teaching strategies.  No, I’m not hoping to reduce my hours to 40 hours per week, but I thought it would be helpful to learn more organization tips.  It seems that much of what we learn as teachers is through trial and error.  When I can use professional development to avoid pitfalls and improve my teaching in a collaborative manner, then I’m all in.  In the Club, we are beginning with planning and time management as a means to organize before school begins.  Angela Watson shares great resources to help with this.  What I wanted to find for time management was a paperless structure that I could easily access.  I tried Google Keep, then Google Sheets, then stumbled upon Trello, a software and app to manage tasks.  Guys, I can create task lists for home, school, lesson planning, project based learning, etcetera AND choose participants to join so it’s collaborative in real time.  Yes!  As far as the Workweek Club is concerned, I am receiving great value out of this program already.  The number of resources we are given is outstanding, plus the shared information comes in different formats so you can choose what works best for you.

Then proof that Facebook can sometimes be a valid use of time, I discovered classroomscreen.com.  I already use dailyalarms.com to manage our multiple reminders for transitions, but I can see using the timer for a quick write, partner discussion, or other use.  I usually use Online-Stopwatch.  However, I prefer that this screen has multiple tools incorporated into one page.  The traffic light could be used as a reminder during BAS assessments or one to one conferences as a visual for when it is appropriate to approach the teacher or not. It could be a gentle reminder for volume control, but I saw another app called Too Noisy that has incentives for volume control that I’m interested in if I have access to Ipads.  Another tool on the screen are the work symbols for volume expectations.  This might be a great visual at the front of the class if the screen is not being used for the lesson/activity.  There are other gadgets on the screen, but I’ve discussed the ones of personal interest.  Overall, I wanted to document this website so I can try it out this coming year.  Hopefully, it will evolve.

I love technology when it’s relevant and makes work easier.  If there is a more effective alternative, then I think we should teach the students to evaluate when and how to use technology.  We’re still in the infant stages of using technology in the classroom so we want to be careful to not use “a square peg in a round hole,” but use the right tool for the right job.

*I want to add this website: http://www.visnos.com/demos/clock because it’s an excellent interactive clock.  You can turn off the time, then check your answer.  I found it earlier this summer.

Get Your Teach On – Dallas Day 2 Review

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Day 2 was all about Writing, More Games, Technology, Back to School, and Top Tips.  It was just as jam packed with new information as Day 1; I believe I enjoyed it even more, excited to try new ideas, excited to get back to school.  This is something because I love summer time with family and friends.  To be honest, something most teachers understand, school breaks and summer are practically the only time I get to visit with friends.  Luckily I have some golden ones.

However, back to GYTO.  I will give a general review because it would be unfair to give away someone else’s material.  This is to spark interest or remind myself of specific action points.

Writing is an area in which I feel confident.  Yet I feel I will be a stronger teacher this year due to the ideas presented by Hope King.  She has a way of breaking information down for students that stays relevant, yet gives easy clarity for the students.  I kept thinking, “Ooh, I like that one.  Let me add it on my “Try It Out” list.  The index is long enough that I’ve decided to use a Table of Contents this year for Professional Development ideas.  It’s not even August.  I’m even going to follow the suggestion to move out of my comfort zone by trying a couple of content songs taught by the King team, one being about the writing process.  Poor children :).  For writing, Hope uses a hamburger paragraph with on point explanations that are fun for the students.  There were also new ways to learn grammar.

For technology, I plan to look further into tes teach, formerly blendspace,  to congregate links for students and parents under concept categories.  It was a little awkward to be presented with blendspace, then find out the name/format of the website were all changed 10 months before the conference.  There were 4 ideas in this session that look interesting.  Some I already use, but again, the session was worth my time.  For a two day conference, there were no sessions where I didn’t come away with several new ideas.   For games, again, I received new ideas.  One used the human hippos you may have seen on Pinterest, but in an educational fashion.

Amy Lemons presented more math games and fresh back to school ideas.  For math, I really like using the Origo Fundamentals books so this part of the day was probably the least exciting, but only because I feel I have a really strong set of games.  I already own the orange and purple books, and I will buy the green book this year, dependent upon the job I receive.  However, there were still games I can use.  For Back to School, I was excited to see something beyond the same quilt, t-shirt, or books for the beginning of the year.  The games were highly engaging.

Lastly, were the Top 10 Tips for Teachers.  Think of this as the motivational session.  I left feeling as if I had a new perspective on Engagement, new strategies, and new lesson ideas.  Five out of five stars for a comprehensive professional development – definitely worth the money.  Check them out to see if they are presenting on your grade level in an area near you (two at my table were from out of state) Get Your Teach On.  I receive nothing for my review; I’m just a teacher who loves to teach and share.

 

Get Your Teach On Conference – Dallas!

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Each summer I like to learn something new, usually choosing a subject focus such as reading or math. However, I want to try something different, so this year I plan to look for workshops that catch my eye or have been on my never-ending to do list. To Do list – check. That would be the book study Making Thinking Visible for the summer. I’ve already written a couple of posts. To Do list – check again – working to add readily available resources to my Writing Resources page. Eye Catcher – chaching. This came across my Facebook page: Get Your Teach On Dallas Conference. Check out the two day agenda.
I’ll attend the second through fourth grade block. The best ideas often come from our coworkers at large and this conference will give me a little bit of everything: math, reading, writing, technology, and engagement. Deeana Jump and Hope King both hold master’s degrees in education with over 10 years experience so I think I’ll come away with a lot. Deeana is going to talk about close reading, which I’ve tried, but would like to learn more.  Amy Lemons will also present; it was her Facebook post that inspired me. Amy has a reading program, Rooted in Reading, where she focuses on one mentor text a week. The books she has chosen are amazing.  I’ve used her idea some this past year with success. Students feel comfortable with the familiar text, showing higher engagement and thinking.  In this conference, she’s going to cover math.  I have great games and love to use number talks, but I’m looking forward to seeing something new.

I can’t wait to learn from these guys. Let’s be totally honest – I also look forward to Me Time, alone in a hotel room at night. Of course I’ll geek out pouring through my goodies from the day, clicking down internet rabbit holes influenced from my fresh ideas. I bet every teacher can relate.

NPR Is Launching Its First Podcast For Kids With Updated Review| USA Extra News

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I am so excited! I just stumbled across this on Facebook. I have another way to bring relevant current events to my students. I’ve received great interest from my kids when I use newsela. Now I have podcast to add to the agenda. I’m thinking writing responses, persuasive essays, research inquiry, and teaching standards such as generating questions. This is technology I can use well. I love a good story, but nonfiction fosters engagement and discussion so easily. Click on the title below to learn more.

Wow in the World: NPR for Children Ages 5 – 12

Update Review May 22, 2017

This podcast is divided into multiple segments with highly expressive presenters, Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas.  When I first saw the podcast was 24 minutes, I thought, oh no, this is simply too long.  Once I began listening, I realized the format covers multiple topics.  This means a teacher would need to preview, then notate the beginning/end of each segment.  Since this a method that is effective for auditory learners, plus provides practice in active listening, then my opinion is that it’s worth my time.  Each episode, written by number Ex: Episode 1, has Conversation Starters for the family/class and links to written articles.  If you use only one section in the podcast, you could push the link to the entire podcast and included features through an app such as Bloomz, Remind, or your website.

Introduction 0:00 – 1:44

Planet 9  1:45 – 7:12

Conversation and Creative Story told by young girl, Birdy 7:14 – 9:05

Commercial 9:05 – 9:50

Origin of Humans and How our Brains became Smarter with Seaweed 9:50 – 17:50

Conversation with Kids 17:55 – 18:30

Gratitude is Healthy 18:35 – 22:20

Conclusion 22:21 – 24:16

In the first segment about the search for Planet 9, I thought about how it could be used during a solar system or for a research unit. Questions I would model during this podcast would be: How can kids and adults with simple telescopes help scientists with sophisticated technology find this planet?  Why do scientist estimate the size of this planet to be 15 times the size of Earth?  Visuals could be present for groups to collaborate in putting the planets in the correct order, generating questions, and coming up with a practical plan of how to answer these questions.

How our brains become smarter was mildly interesting.  Mainly I wondered if so much seaweed and eating diet evolved our brains, what will be the long term effect of how we eat today?  I could research, but I might not like the answer. 🙂  In the Gratitude segment, I can visualize setting up a classroom environment of respect and appreciation.

As you can see by the time segments, I’ve noted you can move the cursor forward and backwards to play only the parts relevant to your lesson.  My final thoughts:  I think I will use pieces of this.  The hardest aspect will be making the time to preview and jot down the times.  It helps that the conversation starters and article links included tell you which topics will be presented.  This will save time because you know if a topic may coordinate with the current or future standards which need to be addressed.

 

Open House Trailer “Success in School”

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I wondered, “If trailers work for kids, why not for adults?”  Along these lines, I created an animoto trailer on how to help students succeed in school.  I’ll have handouts/PowerPoint as well.  I found a great reading data sheet on Makayla Schenkelberg’s blog, “Stuff Students Say and Other Classroom Treasures.”  I made it into a jpeg for the video after I downloaded her free pdf on TeachersNotebook.  Here’s my first parent video:

First Time Presenter

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Yesterday evening, I presented “Technology Tools for the New Teacher” at Texas State University.  I was so nervous that I lost several nights of sleep.  Present were a mix of undergraduate and graduate pre-service teachers.  One professor brought her class.  I spoke from the premise of not being an expert, but rather an active learner similar to the way children learn – find something of interest and interact with the material.  It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, yet I jumped at the opportunity for the experience.  Within the presentation, I tried to incorporate sites for professional development, organization, collaboration, web tools, classroom management, teacher lesson resources, classroom resources, and games.  I hate to go to a conference, then hear, “If you learn one thing from each presentation, then it is worth it.”  I believe time in life is more valuable than that so I inundated my presentation with sources though I was a little concerned it would water the information down.  Everyone comes to technology with different strengths so my objective was to share multiple areas of interest for engagement.  It seemed to go well; the professor, a principal in another district, asked me to present to her staff.  However, I goofed with some of the links and I’m not sure how.  I logged into all sites which required a password, which should have allowed for the links to work, but they didn’t.  At these points, I continued speaking as I manually pulled up the web page.  It was clunky; I’m not going to lie.  Lesson learned (well, as soon as I realize how to solve the issue).  I learned about new tools in the process of building my Power Point.  One I particularly like is thinglink.com.  You upload an image, then add text, media, and/or images.  Imagine using this for a writing assignment!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Siberian_Husky_pho_.jpg

The PowerPoint (Join SlideShare, Upload, then Share via SlideShare)

And lastly, my handouts via SlideShare

 

Book Trailer Readbox and Cards

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Trader Cards to Readbox

I’ve nixed the trader card idea – tried it today, but didn’t like it for this project. I’ve decided to use a Readbox idea from Pinterest for the wall, along with library cards in the classroom library file box.  Both will utilize QR codes to access the book trailer video (see yesterday’s post). Here’s a picture from lessonswithlaughter.com where the students made the book trailers. At some point, I’d like to use this as a student activity, but I think it can also be useful through the year to encourage interest in reading.

lessonswithlaughter.com

lessonswithlaughter.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My cards
Using PowerPoint, I’ve created two separate cards for each book on one page to be cut apart once laminated).  One card has a picture of the book cover with a QR code superimposed onto the image.  This card will go onto the Readbox display.  The corresponding card has a title, author, and QR code minus the image of the book.  This card will go into a library file accessed by students during scheduled or earned periods during language arts.  The Readbox display will rotate, but the library file will grow over the year.  Here is a scan of two of my cards (ignore title because it will not be used).

PowerPoint in .jpg format

PowerPoint in .jpg format

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animoto Book Trailer

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This past semester I came across the idea of using Animoto in the classroom for student created book trailers.  The blog where I discovered this lesson belongs to Holly Mueller.  I set aside the idea of playing with this project for the summer when more time would be available.  This morning I decided to explore the Animoto website.  I could not stop until I finished my trailer because it was so much fun!  Because Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin hits the middle of elementary reading levels, plus is a personal favorite, it was my first book of choice to create a video.  Using Flickr creative commons, Wikimedia commons, and the advanced search of Google images, I found pictures which I could repost without copyright infringement.  When my video reached 30 seconds, but was incomplete, I bought the yearly subscription.  I couldn’t help myself.  My next project will be to utilize a website I found this past week to create a trading card with a QR code in order to access the book trailer.  Learning is like giving Numeroff’s mouse a cookie: it expands, grows, and evolves.  Exciting, right?  Here’s my video:

Prezi or PowerPoint

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After trying Prezi late last year, I discovered I prefer PowerPoint.  It feels as if PP has better variety with more options.  The way Prezi moves from one screen to another feels disjointed to me.  However, Prezi is useful for the choice it provides students in form of presentation.  I always prefer giving choices when possible.  Below is my prezi from a literature study of one chapter of The Skin That We Speak by Lisa Delpit.  The book conveys first account experiences about the impact of language in the classroom.