Tips for All Teachers

Free Technology for Teachers asked readers to share their best tips for new teachers.  He compiled all the tips into a google docs slide show. The tips are great for all teachers, not just the new ones.  Several people talked about surrounding yourself with positive people, which I definitely agree with.  My favorite tip and the one most relevant to this class came from @ACLjohn:

"Technology won't replace teachers but, teachers who don't use technology may loose their jobs.  Prepare your learners for today's world not the one you grew up in!"

Check out the other tips at http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/08/43-new-tips-for-new-teachers-174-total.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29&utm_content=Google+Reader#.UCfUWI7rTzI

Cyberlearning

This is a pretty interesting video on cyberlearning from the article "Technology Adds Spark to Science Education".  I think it's really cool to see a group of girls working on building science and math video games.  It's all way over my head, but is inspiring to see what some young people are doing.  The augmented reality activity looked really neat too.

New Type of Classroom

Katie Dahlstrom of the Clinton Herald, a newspaper out of Iowa, wrote an article about the innovative new way a high school there is setting up their learning.  Instead of a traditional classroom, they using tables for grouping and a room that is about double the size of a normal classroom.  The number of students is also about double.  The students will use computers to collaborate with their group, other groups, and other classes around the world so that the students are the ones leading the work.  The teachers is used as a facilitator and guider, enabling the students to engage more with their learning and become better prepared for the real world.  The University of Iowa calls these types of classrooms TILE which means transform, interact, learn, and engage and they claim that this is revolutionalry and groundbreaking and brand new, but the model sounds a lot like the inspired classroom to me.  The only difference I really see is that the inspired classroom doesn't enlarge the class size or the classroom size.  There may also be a little more traditional teaching with the inspired model since you can do it at all levels and first graders are going to need some more assistance.  But, either of these new classroom designs seem like the way our education is moving and I think that's a great thing!  I just hope there will still be a need for teachers down the road.

Video in the Classroom

I'm pretty interested in having my kids use video for their assessments.  It just seems like a really meaningful way for them to review the information, practice skills of researching, writing, and editing, and be creative.  As an added bonus, the finished products are much more fun to present to classmates and parents.  So, I was happy to see this post over at Free Technology for Teachers.  Richard Byrne discusses 5 video projects that you can do with your students.  When I taught 4th grade, I had my students work on some slide videos which sounds similar to the Common Crafty style videos he mentions.  I think my first graders will be able to handle this type of project too later in the year.  I know I definitely need to try out Animoto as well. Many teachers around my school are using it, but I have yet to test it out.
Do you all use any specific types of video projects?  What do you think is the best for young students? 

Back to School

Whew!  I met my new class today and we start school Monday.  I always forget how busy the beginning of the year is and I found out this year how difficult preplanning is without a computer!  My work computer got a virus and was being repaired for a full 7 days!  It's really nice to finally have it back.
Anyway, I am excited about this new group of students.  I think we're going to have a great year and I really hope to incorporate a lot of the resources we've learned about through this class.  My biggest goal is to have my students work their way to having their own blog and for us to connect more with classes from around the country and world even.  If any of you want to be blogging buddies, let me know! :)  I'd like to have my kids use technology to create more this year too.  I think we could definitely do some podcasts and video blogs.  I plan to take advantage of what Flickr has to offer as well.
I'll try to update this blog with some of the activities we work on and I'd love to stay connected with all of you!

Best Classroom Apps

We have iPads at my school, but I haven't used them a lot for their apps (more for their internet).  I guess when we try to buy apps, we have to buy them separately for each iPad?  Anyway, I have used apps on my phone a little bit with my students.  One I do use is for ClassDojo which is a behavior point type system.  I can give and take points from my students with my phone. 
Hope King hosted a link up on her blog, Second Grade Shenanigans, for the best classroom apps.  The "So App Happy Linky Party" has some good places to start if you're wanting to use your phone or iPad with your class.  The app Hope King talked about seems like a good one.  It's called Book Retriever and is a library system for your classroom.  You can scan in all your books and keep up with them when students check out and return them.  It even updates parents when their child has a book out!  The apps First Grade Garden posted also look very good and educational.  I'm looking forward to trying out more apps this year!  Are there any great ones y'all use?

Real World Math Mistakes

I always love the Jay Leno "Headlines" segment where viewers send in real-life headlines that have some sort of mistake.  Mr. Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers posted the article "Bad Math in the Real World" talking about a similar example he noticed at McDonald's that involved a math mistake!  He then discovered the Bad Maths Flickr group where people post pictures of math mistakes they find in the real world.  Showing your class one of these pictures a day could be a great way for kids to use some of their math skills.  There are pictures on the Flickr group that could be used at every level, so it is worth checking out.  It seems like something kids would enjoy and benefit from as a great skill review and connection with the real world. 

Olympic Studies

I always become very interested in the Olympics and end up becoming mesmorized by events I'd normally pay no attention to.  I also become fascinated by the athletes and their stories and countries.  So, it's very likely that our students are also involved and engaged by the Olympics.  It makes sense to connect some learning with the current world event.  Mr. Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers highlights some resources worth checking out in his post, "Exploring the Olympics on Google Earth and Google Maps."  You can take Google Earth tours of the competition sites and view maps of the medal distributions.  It'd be a great way to tie in some geography. 
In first grade, we teach a lot of sportmanship/teamwork as well as patriotism so the Olympics would be a great way to tie in those concepts.  I wonder if there are apps of sites that would be good for connecting those topics?

Cell Phone Handout

We all know how popular smartphones are these days and we've heard of college professor and some high school teachers embracing the use of them with their students, but have you heard of colleges giving their incoming freshmen free smartphones?  Well, that is what Seton Hall University is trying.  Ryan Lytle detailed the initiative in his article "Free Cell Phones for College Students."  The goals are that freshmen will be able to connect with each other and their teachers, that they will stay engaged in school from wherever they happen to be, and that they can be taught how to use the phones professionally and productively.  Because students are so familiar with using smartphones, the school's vice president thinks that having them for educational purposes is a great way to keep the learners engaged.  While college instructors have mixed feelings about smartphones in the classroom, many teachers are using it to their advantage in helping students connect with the real world and engage in more meaningful learning.
I just wonder if the phones will then be used strictly for educational purposes or if students are allowed to conduct all of their "personal" business on them as well.  Will students no longer go to college with their own cell phones?  Do you think this type of initiative will take off among other colleges?

6 Web Tools Worth Exploring

In the article "Summer School for Teachers" on Edutopia, Nicholas Provenzano discusses 6 web tools that he thinks teachers should take the time to explore.  He listed If This Then That, Livebinders, Prezi, Glogster, Evernote, and edshelf and gave descriptions of each.  While I have heard of a few of these, many are new to me.  Prezi is something I've seen before and I know several teachers who use it, but I haven't tried it out yet.  I'll have to give it a shot this year.  Evernote is one that caught my interest as it is a way to organize your teaching materials!  The author said he went from 3 filing cabinets to just one half filing cabinet when he started filing all his stuff with Evernote. 
Have you guys tried any of these web tools?  What are your favorites?

Connecting the Community with Live Streaming

Principal and blogger, Joe Mazza, posted a story on Edutopia about how live streaming can be used to broadcast school events to family and community members.  Free tools like UStream make it possible for far away relatives or busy parents to virtually attend everything from graduations to band concerts to PTA meetings.  Several schools have decided to embrace this type of connection and ensure they prepare the appropriate technology before events.  Through this live streaming, schools have seen their meeting attendance rise and parents are even able to contribute their thoughts and questions and participate in online polls.  Integrating live streaming is just one way technology is helping connect home and school.

Student Blogs

This post is great for anyone who is still hesitant about starting a blog with your class.  Mrs. Patton at www.pattonspatch.blogspot.com wrote an entry called "Blogging with students? Yes please! (Even the little ones!)."  She attended a conference about using technology to support good teaching and was very impressed with Kathy Cassidy's session on blogging with students.  Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog is such a great example of how useful blogging can be.  I'm very interested in letting my students have their own blogs for this upcoming year and her site is very inspirational in how to make that happen effectively.  Mrs. Patton discusses how the blogs can be set up and how Mrs. Cassidy ensures student privacy is protected while still letting people all over the world see their digital porfolios.  Getting comments from parents, other students, and random people from around the world would be so motivational to my students and I know it would enhance their writing and effort.  I really hope I can make that happen this year, so if any of you want to stop by our blogs and leave comments, that would be great!  Check out Mrs. Cassidy's blog for some wonderful ideas and examples and head to Mrs. Patton's blog too for a nice summary.

Overlap Maps

Mr. Byrne at Free Technology for Teacher highlighted a website that could be great for social studies/geography lessons.  His post discusses some of the features of OverlapMaps.com.  The site lets you compare the size of two places (countries, states, bodies of water) by having one overlap the other.  A lot of times, my students have trouble visualizing differences in size and viewing it on an ordinary wall map or globe doesn't always help much.  This site lets them easily compare the size of places and could be a nice addition to any study of places.  It could even work for comparing settings in stories or birthplaces of famous Americans.  You might as well use it in math too when discussing measurement topics like size and distance.  It is a relatively simple tool, but I think kids would enjoy it and benefit from what it shows them.  Plus, it is easy enough to do whole group or for the kids to do on their own. 

Best Apps for College Students

Allegra Tepper wrote an article for USA Today titled "10 apps for the connected co-ed."  The article highlighted some of the best and most useful apps for kids who've gone to college and are suddenly out on their own.  She discussed apps for fitness, budgeting, cooking, and planning, but the one that intrigued me the most was the free app called gFlash+ Flashcards & Tests.  It sounds like it's a better, high tech version of the traditional index card.  With the app, you can download and create flashcards that also include pictures and videos.  There is a way that you can sort them for what you know and what you don't know and you can sync your cards with your classmates' through Google Docs.  It seems pretty handy and like something I probably could have benefitted from when I was in undergrad or high school even.  I wonder if this app could be used in the classroom at the elementary level?

News in Pictures

Free Technology for Teachers recently posted the article "Discovering the World's News in Pictures" about a feature on BBC News' website called "Day in Pictures."  I'm so happy I saw this post because I think it could be a great educational tool.  I've really been thinking that I need to include more current event discussion in my class and this site would be a perfect way to do that.  It gives a few pictures a day from all around the world including photos of serious situations and more light hearted day to day life images.  The pictures also include brief captions that would be great for teaching non-fiction text structures as well as geography and map skills as you discuss where each picture came from.  I definitely need to remember this site and incorporate it into our daily routine.  Do any of you have good activities for using current events in a meaningful way, specifically with younger students?

Blogging in Your Class

I found another good post at Free Technology for Teachers.  I really love what Kathleen Morris had to say in her article "Making Educational Blogging Work for You." She mentions how commenting is important in the beginning to get students connected and collaborating.  She also emphasizes the necessity of modeling how to leave quality comments.  I don't think I've done enough of this in the past and will try to do it better this upcoming year.  I love that she has her students work to earn their own blog!  I haven't given my 1st graders their own blog before, but I know that I have some students who could handle it and really use it productively.  I'll have to try it!!
Morris also discusses how blogging can help your class connect with classes all over the world.  I really want to make that happen with our class blog this year.  It seems like a perfect way to expand horizons, learn about different cultures, and make learning more authentic.  So, if any of you want to be blogging buddies, let me know!

A New Way to Interview

Over at Free Technology for Teachers, Scott Ziegler is telling us how to interview for a teaching position is this technological age.  Since it's been four years since I've had to interview for a job, I haven't really thought about how it might be different now.  However, in the article "How to Ace Your Interview for a Teaching Position," Ziegler gives some interesting tips for proving you'll be an excellent 21st century educator.  He recommends showing the interviewer your professional social media persona, your blog, your digital portfolio, and your professional email.  Currently, the only thing I have going for me is a professional email address!  I guess I do have a couple of blogs as well.  I use one with my students, I have a personal/family blog, and now the one for this class.  Ziegler says everone should have one where they write about their professional life, so I can probably do that some with the future of this blog. 
I've never considered making a professional twitter or facebook though.  Have you?!  I'm not really sure what I would put on there, but it is something to consider.  As for the digitial portfolio, I think that's a great idea.  The author suggests creating a Glogster (or some other site) with links to student videos, web projects, Animotos, etc.  This is something I should begin working on, especially if I want to try to get a job in a different county soon.  What do I say at the interview though?  Would you mind turning on your computer and going to this site?  Or should I bring my own laptop/ipad and log on with it?  Do y'all have digital portfolios?  Do you think administrators prefer them over the old fashioned 3-ring binder portfolios?

Choosing Technology

Heather Wolport-Gawron posted the article "Teachers and Tech Use: It's Time!" on edutopia.  It's sort of crazy to think about some teachers turning their back on all types of technology, but it does happen.  The author gave the example of the teacher taking her one classroom computer to the teacher's lounge for whoever wanted it.  I can even think of a few coworkers who have a hard time embracing and integrating the wonderful technological resources we have at our school.  This article focuses on persuading us that using technology in the classroom can no longer be debatable; it has to happen.  Instead of deciding whether or not to use technology, teachers need to decide how to use it and what types to use.  The author listed reasons for greater technological use and pointed out that that means more than a weekly trip to the computer lab. 
She also emphasized the importance of choice and differentiation even with technology.  She believes there should be several types of technology and that students should have choice in what they use and what they create with it. While I am a big fan of technology and use it regularly in my teaching, I very rarely let my students choose how they want to use it.  Wolport-Gawron says, "our classrooms should offer choices to students, choices of what to produce, how to produce it, with whom to produce it with, and with what tool to use." 
Do you agree with this and do you offer all of those choices to your students?

Pinterest and Instagram

Richard MacManus posted the article "Top Trends of 2012: The Visual Web" on ReadWriteWeb.  The article discusses the popularity of Pinterest and Instagram as being big contributors to the emergence of the visual web.  I found the post interesting since Pinterest and Instagram are both some of my favorite social networking sites.  Even though Pinterest is predominantly used by females, it has still had a really great year with lots of growth!  I know I find lots of teaching and classroom ideas there.  If fact, my biggest board is definitely the "school" one.  While I don't use Instagram for school (yet), it too has really taken off, especially since Facebook acquired it.  The article talked about how people aren't calling great pictures "Kodak moments" anymore, but "Facebook moments" instead.  While I haven't started saying that yet, I do ask people if the photos they take are "gram worthy." Ha!

Do any of you use Instagram at school?

Just for fun, here is one of my recent Instagram pics. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

PowToon

Free Technology for Teachers recently posted about a new service called PowToon.  The site seems to be a new twist on powerpoint with more of a video aspect.  Since it's still in its startup phase, you can't really try it out yet, but the video makes it seem really simple to use.  It don't think it's designed for children, but certainly looks kid-friendly enough.  It looks like a program that could make presentations more interesting and seems like it'd be something kids would really enjoy working with as a way to show their understanding.

Should the School Year be Shorter?

I just read a thought provoking article by Elena Silva for The Quick & the Ed titled The Value of a School Day.  With all the budget issues, school districts are cutting costs where ever they can.  One cut that Silva disagrees with is shortening the school year, but many districts are going to that.  This year, my students came for 177 days.  I think that we did add 5 or 10 minutes to each day to make up for it though.  She provides a list of money saving alternatives to consider before getting rid of school days as she feels that greatly hinders student learning.  One of the suggestions was to freeze salary step increases for all employees for one year.  My county did this, but not just for one year.  No one (teachers anyway) has gotten a raise in 4 years.  In fact, because of furlough days, I now make less money than I did when I first started teaching.  I'm really nervous that I won't be paid for this master's degree I'm currently working on.
Silva did point out that reducing the days of the school year negatively effects poor children the most.  I hadn't really thought of that before, but it is true due to lack of child care and lack of summer learning opportunities.  What do y'all think of the 4-day school week? I'm sure it'd be extremely hard on parents and maybe not beneficial to students?  Are y'all still getting your salary steps?  What do your districts do to save money?

http://www.quickanded.com/2012/06/the-value-of-a-school-day.html

Organized Books

Several of the teacher bloggers I follow (including Natalie Kay from What the Teacher Wants) have recently posted about a new site called The Clever School Teacher.  It was created by a fellow teacher/blogger named DeeDee from www.mrswillskindergarten.com.  The site sells children's books, but what makes it unique is that it has all the books organized very efficiently for teachers.  You can search books for reading and writing strategies that you teach and that are specific for your grade level. It looks like the site is still in its early stages because a lot of the categories say "coming soon."  I'm excited to see what they post for the author studies category.  This seems like it could be a great time saver and even if you didn't want to buy books, you could go there to research which books might be good for your topic.  Then you can check them out from your library. :)  Do y'all think this website will be a success?  Is it something you would use?

Embracing Social Media

Betty Ray posted the article SocialEdCon: What the Heck Do We Do with Social Media? on Edutopia to discuss the benefits of using social media in the classroom and ways in which you can do so.  I found it very interesting and encouraging.  She pointed out how social media is not going anywhere and that if we, as educators, take a leadership role in modeling how to effectively and appropriately use such media, it can become an integral and beneficial asset to education.  Ray states that, "With social media, and Twitter in particular, anyone can have a voice in a global conversation." It can be very empowering and can make a difference.  The article also posted a nice list of ways to incorporate social media into the classroom including scavenger hunts created by students, promoting school events, and sharing daily class and school news.  To me, it seems like a great idea to embrace this type of technology.  You know students would love it!  And, using it in such a setting would be helpful in teaching children how to appropriately use this media.  Unfortunately, many counties (mine included) have all those social media sites blocked.  Does your county block it or embrace it?  What ways could you use social media in your classroom and what's your favorite type?  I'm really loving Instagram lately and I just realized I've been on Facebook for 8 years!


Ray, Betty. "SocialEdCon: What the Heck Do We Do with Social  
        Media". Edutopia. June 24, 2012.  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/getting-started-social-media-betty-ray?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Teaching Internet Research Skills

Welcome to the first post of this blog! 
I just finished reading (and watching) an article from the Teaching Channel.  The article was titled "3 Video Lesson Guides on Digital Literacy" and it was written by Marie White.  This website seems like it will be a very helpful one as it provides videos, discussion, and lesson plans.  This particular article had great resources for the important topic of teaching internet research skills.  I LOVED how it applied the concepts to the Common Core standards as my county has just adopted them for the upcoming school year.  I found the third video to be very interesting since I just completed the plagiarism/copy right lessons for this course.  The teacher in the video did a great job motivating her students to understand and be aware of "fair use."  As a first grade teacher, I don't deal a whole lot with this issue, but I know it is important for kids to learn early about fairly using other people's work.  I think the Creative Commons/plagiarism activities we did in this course were all good reminders to us as adult students, but how do you all teach your children these necesarry "fair use" skills?

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2012/05/15/3-video-lesson-guides-on-digital-literacy/