What do you want kids to do with technology?

Some food for thought...

Google Like a Boss

This weekend, I spent some time on Pinterest.  In addition to some yummy recipes, I came across this helpful "Google Like a Boss" post, which seems like it would be very helpful for both teachers and students.   Enjoy!

Just for Fun

I love Jimmy Fallon as I think he's pretty hysterical.   Here's a new kid friendly video from him...

 

Podcasting and Fluency

Check out this week's post from Bits & Bytes:

This year, more teachers across grade levels are implementing The Daily Five in their Reading blocks. The Daily Five is a structure that helps students develop the daily habits of reading, writing, and working independently that will lead to a lifetime of literacy independence.   When implementing the Daily Five structure students can choose between the following literacy activities:

• Read to Self
• Work on Writing 
• Word Work
• Listening to Reading
• Read to Someone

Currently, many teachers are working on building up these routines in their classrooms and getting in the groove of these activities while the teacher works with small groups or conferences with individual students. I've been lucky enough to plan some lessons with teachers to help infuse technology in the Daily Five.   I've been training classrooms and working with individual students on Podcasting as a part of the "Listening to Reading" component.   How this activity works is a student goes to the "Listening to Reading" Center where there are headphones with a microphone and a laptop that has the program Garage Band.  Students then record themselves reading a passage or poem selected by their teacher.  Once they record themselves reading, they then can listen to their recording and make notes on the page of what they've read.   Students then save their Podcast, then fill out a self evaluation about their reading.   By making this a regular part of the reading block, students will be able to go back and listen to themselves read and track improvement over time.  Teachers can also go and listen to what the student records and have the ability to conference with their students with their Oral Reading Fluency progress.   Students can then set their own goals for improvement.   Technology is changing how students learn in this activity as it is giving them the opportunity to go back and hear themselves read.   We used to accomplish this task with whisper phones or PVC pipes where they could read to themselves but offered little opportunity for reflection.  Everyone benefits from this use of technology!

A student records herself reading a poem. 

Here a student listens to their recording of himself reading a poem.

If you'd like to implement this in your classroom, just ask!    

"If we teach today's students the way we taught them yesterday, we rob them of tomorrow." John Dewey

"In the 20th century, we taught our kids what to what to learn. We lined their desks up in rows and put the teacher at the front of the classroom. But in today's world, many teachers are questioning the status quo by meeting young people where they are. They're using 21st century tools to help prepare kids for a 21st century world."

The first 30 seconds of PBS's documentary New Learners of the 21st Century offers a perfect thesis on 21st century learners. The program is worth viewing if you are a teacher or a parent of a student. The 60 minute documentary can be viewed here. Watch the first 4 minutes below.

This post is courtesy of Mike Johnson, ITC at Field.   Thanks so much for sharing this awesome resource!

Storybots

I know that I've posted about the Storybots website in the past, however, they have a lot of FREE videos that are on You Tube for you to access with your students!   Storybots, whose main goal is to make learning fun for kids, is related to JibJab, another fun video site to send ecards.    To learn more about the company, click here.

To check out some of the videos, see below.  Or please visit their You Tube page (which is not blocked at school) and you can check it out for yourself!  They are cute, short, very informative, and lastly FUN!

If you like what you see, you may be interested in joining their Educator Network. To request a code to join the Educator Network please fill out the form here.  By joining their educator network you can access all of their other videos on their website, Storybots.    The YouTube videos are free no matter what.  

Enjoy!

Bones in Your Body
Science

 



When You Breathe (Lungs)
Health




Seasons

Goals & LoTi Survey

As you recall, a few weeks ago at our staff meeting, we took the Levels of Teaching Intervention (LoTi) survey.   I know that it being the beginning of the year, and parent night being on a lot of teacher's mind, it was a stressful survey, especially with all of the log in issues and it being 4:00 p.m.   That aside, this survey was meant to help give you some areas to improve on in your teaching.  I know I have a few goal areas to work on in my coaching as well!  These could be used in an evaluation setting, or in an informal setting, working with me, as your coach.  


Now that we're a solid month into school, and hopefully in the "routine" of things, I was hoping that you would consider goal setting with me in one of the areas of the LoTi survey.   Just as a background,

• the LoTi® Digital-Age Survey is based on Moersch’s LoTi® Framework (1994)—is an empirically-validated tool that creates a personalized digital-age professional development profile for participants aligned to the NETS for Teachers (NETS-T). Since its inception in 1994, the LoTi® Framework has been used as the basis for (1) statewide technology use surveys, (2) LoTi’s®Digital-Age School improvement model, and (3) a classroom walkthrough tool impacting thousands of schools nationally.  For more information, click here. 

I would love to set up a meeting (or series of meetings) with you to help you set a goal based on your results.   No worries if you didn't print it out the first time we did it, I can always log back in with you and we can read them (and maybe translate some of the language to be more teacher friendly), and then come up with a goal area to work on.   In the spring we'll be taking this survey again, and I'd love it if the growth that's occurring in the building would translate to the survey!    I consider myself a life long learner, who is always looking for ways to improve.  This LoTi survey has given me a lot to think about - and I'm hoping that it can do the same for you!

If this has sparked some curiosity with you, and your forgot how to log in, just click here to be taken to the log in information!

21st Century Classroom

Today I had a meeting with all of the Instructional Coaches in the district.  We had a ton of great discussion and planning, but were also sharing many resources with each other.  Amanda Pelsor, ITC at Carpenter, shared this awesome infograph on her blog... and I thought it was very interesting. Click here to make it bigger and easier to read.  Enjoy & have a great weekend!

A great infographic about some of the major shifts in teaching and learning in a 21st Century Classroom from Open Colleges.

Math Rocks!

Today I received an email from the W.B. Goodwin Community Center's mentoring program.  They stumbled upon an old web page that I had created my first year at Roosevelt to share some math resources.  The students in the program really liked some of the games and resources that I had shared, and they wanted to share a fun one with me!   Upon looking at it, I thought is was an awesome resource to share on my blog here!

Now for the new site from my new friends at the W.B. Goodwin Community Center...  Online Math Calculators!  This site upon first glance doesn't look too flashy or engaging, however, once you scroll down and start looking at all of the awesome calculator links that they have, you'll be hooked!  With almost 30 different calculators, it's a great tool to explore with your students.   Some of my favorites include:

• Use a Simple Basic Online Calculator for Math
• Healthy Eating Meal Planner Calculator
• The Kids’ Talking Calculator
• Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI)
• The Piggy Bank Allowance Savings Calculator
• Figure Out How Many Coins are in a Jar
• How Much Do You Have to Save to Buy Something?
• Which Day Were You Born On?
• Calculate Your Age in Dog Years
• How Many Days Have You Been Alive?
• How Tall Will You Be As An Adult?
• The Decimal to Binary Calculator Tool
• The Map Scale Conversion Calculator

There's so many more where those came from too!  Be sure to check out the Online Math Calculators with your students!   Thanks again to the students at the W.B. Goodwin Community Center for sharing this awesome resource with me!

Oh, and if you are looking for a refresher on the resources I shared a few years ago, check them out below!

• Khan Academy - modeling of math algorithms & practice exercises
• Study Island - differentiated practice & reteaching
• IXL - Subscription Required - however, sign up for a 30 day free trial!   Great site to practice math skills.  
• National Library of Virtual Manipulatives - collection of manipulatives by grade level to help illustrate math concepts.
• CCC SMART Math - a collection of interactive lessons to help students understand math concepts.
• SMART Exchange - Look for teacher created interactive lessons for use with your SMART Board.  The best part is, if you don't have a SMART Board you can still use them!

Leveled Readers & the iPads

Did you know, that you can access the Leveled Readers that are associated with Storytown on our iPads?   All you need to do is from an ipad, either scan this QR code below or go to this link.  If you are are not logged into your Google account, it will prompt you to do that first.  Then you can click on your grade level, choose your lesson, download the book, then open it in iBooks.  Quite a few teachers are using these for Running Records or in their classrooms during their reading blocks.

Do you need a step by step tutorial?  Check one out by clicking here.     If you'd like a handy print out with the QR code - click here and you can print it from Google Docs.    Let me know if you need any help!

Happy Wednesday!

I can't see this commercial without laughing or at least smiling... so happy Wednesday!

Success at the Core Library of Congress Digital Primary Sources

I follow a blog and have a membership at the website, Success at the Core.   Success at the Core's mission is to:

• Strengthens leadership teams' ability to define quality instruction and advocate for it in their schools
• Offers teachers practical methods to implement a shared vision of quality instruction in their classrooms

I follow their blog which offers some great coaching tips as well as resources.   Over the weekend, they shared a great resource at the Library of Congress.  The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effective use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching.    You can also search these primary sources by common core standard, state content, and organizations.   Pulling up some of these resources would be great on your SMART Board.    Check them out by clicking here.

Library of the Future

Check out this awesome library of the future... I'm not too sure that I want my kids growing up WITHOUT physical books... however, this is a very interesting concept.   I'll all about a good balance - but this would be an awesome resource to have at your disposal.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Bits & Bytes

http://robitsandbytes.blogspot.com/

Please check out this new weekly blog for parents and families for what’s going on in the Technology World at Roosevelt. There will also be some tech tips for families and kids on how to use technology at home!

Be sure to check out this week’s post about ARTKIVE – a useful app for parents to help archive their student’s work - and earn some money for Roosevelt School!

If you have any questions or would like to see something featured on the blog, or are doing something in your classroom and would like to be featured,  please email me!

Happy Birthday Clifford!

Happy Birthday to our favorite Big Red Dog!

Enjoy this mini episode courtesy of 1st grade!

Mother of Sandy Hook Victims Writes Powerful Letter to Teachers

Yesterday, on Facebook, a friend of mine posted a link to a very powerful article that I thought I would share here as well, as I feel all teachers should read it.   The mother of one of the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre has written a moving letter to the teachers of America.  You can find the original article here.    The letter to teachers is below.

As another school year begins and old routines settle back into place, I wanted to share my story in honor of the teachers everywhere who care for our children.

I lost my 6-year-old daughter Ana Grace on Dec. 14, 2012, in the rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School. My son, who was in the building and heard the shooting, survived.

While waiting in the firehouse that day to hear the official news that our daughter was dead, my husband and I made promises to ourselves, to each other, and to our son. We promised to face the future with courage, faith, and love.

As teachers and school employees begin this new year, my wish for you is that same courage, faith, and love.

It takes guts to be a teacher. Six brave women gave their lives trying to protect their students at Sandy Hook. Other teachers were forced to run from the building, stepping over the bodies of their friends and colleagues, and they came right back to work.

When I asked my son’s teacher why she returned, she responded, “Because they are my kids. And my students need me now more than ever.” She sent daily updates on my son’s progress, from his behavior to what he’d eaten for lunch. And four months later, when my son finally smiled one day after school, I asked him about it. His response? “Mom. My teacher is so funny. I had an epic day.”

While I pray you will never find yourself in the position of the teachers at Sandy Hook, your courage will support students like my son, who have lived through traumas no child should have to.

Your courage will support students who are left out and overlooked, like the isolated young man who killed my daughter. At some point he was a young, impressionable student, often sitting all alone at school. You will have kids facing long odds for whom your smile, your encouraging word, and your willingness to go the extra mile will provide the comfort and security they need to try again tomorrow.

When you Google “hero,” there should be a picture of a principal, a school lunch worker, a custodian, a reading specialist, a teacher, or a bus monitor. Real heroes don’t wear capes. They work in America’s schools.

Being courageous requires faith. It took faith to go back to work at Sandy Hook after the shooting. Nobody had the answers or knew what would come tomorrow, but they just kept going. Every opportunity you have to create welcoming environments in our schools where parents and students feel connected counts.

Have faith that your hard work is having a profound impact on your students. Of the 15,000 personal letters I received after the shooting, only one stays at my bedside. It’s from my high school English teacher, Robert Buckley.

But you can’t be courageous or step out on faith without a deep love for what you do.

Parents are sending their precious children to you this fall. Some will come fully prepared, and others not. They will come fed and with empty bellies. They will come from intact homes and fractured ones. Love them all.

When my son returned to school in January, I thought I was going to lose my mind. Imagine the difficulty in sending your surviving child into a classroom when you lost your baby in a school shooting. We sent him because we didn’t want him to be afraid.

 We sent him because we wanted him to understand that while our lives would never be the same, our lives still needed to move forward.

According to the 2011-12 National Survey of Children’s Health, nearly half of America’s children will have suffered at least one childhood trauma before the age of 18. They need your love.

A few weeks before the shooting, Ana Grace and I shared a special morning. Lunches were packed and clothes were picked out the night before, so we had extra time to snuggle. And while I lay in bed with my beautiful caramel princess, she sensed that I was distracted and asked, “What’s the matter, Mom?” I remember saying to her, “Nothing, baby. It’s just work.” She looked at me for a very long time with a thoughtful stare, then she told me, “Don’t let them suck your fun circuits dry, Mom.”

As you begin this school year, remember Ana Grace. Walk with courage, with faith, and with love. And don’t let them suck your fun circuits dry.

We Give Books

I'm all about a good, free resource.   Especially one that will help others by using it.

Today, a friend of mine shared with me the site We Give Books.  This site allows you to read books on your computer or SMART Board from their extensive library!   They are broken into various age categories.  There are books for various age groups - starting at babies all the way until age ten. The books include a mix of fiction and nonfiction, a range of authors, and an equal balance between read alouds and books for independent readers.    The We Give Books team is committed to adding books every month, together with seasonal offerings.  This digital initiative enables anyone with access to the internet to put books in the hands of children who don't have them, simply by reading online!   The more books you and your class read from We Give Books, the more books they donate to children in need.

To get started, all you need to do is create a free account, then click on read - and scroll through this here.  
surprising large library.   There are also some great educator resources which has activities to go along with the various book - check them out by clicking

After exploring this website today - I could see uses at all elementary grade levels - as well as reading some of these stories to my kids at home!    Some of the "editors picks" books even work on the iPad - no app required.   The library isn't as large, but using the Safari Internet App that is on all iPads, you can log into your account and read books on there as well.    I hope you find this to be an awesome resource - as I think it's truly a fabulous find.

 

Special thanks to Barbie Murphy for sharing this awesome site with me!

SMARTBoard Resource: ABCYa!

http://www.abcya.com/

I know that I've blogged about the word clouds in ABCYa before, however, for all of our new SMART Board users, this is an underused resource!  There are various games and activities that are SMART Board friendly that would be fabulous for whole group, small group, or even as a center.  They arrange their activities by grade level, then by different subject areas.    You can find activities for:

• Letters/Language Arts
• Numbers/Math
• More (Various subject areas)
• Holiday Activities
• Just for Fun

These are a fabulous set of resources that are available to all students... using the SMART Board or even on your student computers.  We also have various ABCYa apps on our iPads.   

To see what ABCYa has to offer simply click the logo above or click here. 

New Google Drive Tip!

New in Docs & Slides: polish up your documents and presentations with custom line, paragraph, and list spacing.  http://goo.gl/lLojgE

My little icon looked like it was in a different spot when I went into a few of my Google Drive Docs, however, this was an awesome tool to play with the formatting!   I'm sure this will be very useful for our students as well who are using Google Drive.  Let me know if you have any questions and I'd be happy to help you navigate!

African Penguin Chick Google Hangout

Do you want to take your class to visit some African Penguin Chicks?   The Minnesota Zoo hosted an up close and personal visit with their African Penguin Chicks.   Feel free to check it out below... they are super cute and the hangout is loaded with awesome facts.   Enjoy!

SMART Board Assignment Notebook File

Are you interested in using your SMART Board with the new assignment notebook?   Please visit the Roosevelt Staff Portal's new SMART Board file page to download two pages per month (you can add in your own dates at the top) making a complete assignment notebook.  Click here to visit the page and download the file. 

I'm hoping that we can continue to share files that many grade levels can use, let me know if there is something that you may want to see on the SMART Board file page and I can work to make it happen.

Also, please check the Daily Bulletin for information about Roosevelt Substitute SMART Board Training.   You can access the flyer to share with your favorite subs by clicking here.

TEACH Documentary

I know I've posted about Khan Academy before, however, today this video was shared with me as a sneak peak of a new documentary, TEACH. This new documentary from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim will air on Friday, September 6th at 7pm CST.  This 2 hour special follows the journey of Shelby Harris, an exceptional teacher from Idaho, as she uses Khan Academy in her classroom.  From this sneak peak - it looks like an awesome example of the way technology is transforming classrooms around the country.  I also think it's a great example of Khan Academy in the classroom.  Check it out!

If you want to try using Khan Academy in the classroom or have any questions about implementing, just ask!