Are you studying...

The White House?  Washington D.C?  The Presidents?

Click here to go on a Virtual Tour of the White House using Google Maps!   It's a very cool way to travel though the White House.   If you want to hear a funny story about me actually visiting the White House in 5th grade, just ask!   It starts of with, "I was separated from my family when I set off the metal detector..."   Let me know if you want to know more!

United States of America - by Lincoln Middle School Students!

The middle schoolers over at Lincoln have been very busy!   They have created a Google Site with videos for each one of the 50 states!  Some states even have more than one video.  This would be great to share with students, as they learn about the 50 states, or even regions in 4th grade.  

Check out all of their hard work - as you may recognize some of them at Roosevelt Alumni.  Click here to visit their United States of America Videos!   Thanks to Amanda Walsh, ITC at Lincoln, and Tom Nasshan for sharing their students hard work with us!

Check out the new Google Maps

Google has been working on updating their maps.  Check out the video above to see how they've improved their Maps product.   Google Maps would awesome for teaching kids about certain places, or if your students have their own Google accounts, they can create their own maps!   Of course, Google Maps is also awesome for finding your way somewhere.   Enjoy the updates!

GeoGuessr

One of my favorite primary friends shared a new game with me this week called, GeoGuessr.   She thought that would be more appropriate for intermediate grades... which I would agree with, but I think you will enjoy it as well. 

GeoGuessr is a geography game which takes you on a journey around the world and challenges your ability to recognize your surroundings.   It shows you a random street corner somewhere in the world using Google Street View images. Your goal is to figure out where you are, using only the cues in the Street View images. Then place your guess on a map. The closer you are to the actual location, the higher you score.

This would be a great way to start a Social Studies class, have on the board in the morning or before lunch, or a great social studies activity.  Enjoy!

If you want to challenge us with your score or your classes' score, send it to me and I'll post a leader board in my office!

Happy Inauguration Day!

Are you looking to share some of Inauguration Day with your students?  TIME has published President Obama's Inauguration Speech in 180 seconds.   Watch below!

Brian Williams of NBC News shares a great summary of the day with sights and sounds from the day.  Watch below!  (a little over 2 minutes).

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

After watching the videos, check out this writing activity that could be used with your students, or be a great discussion!

App of the Week: Comic Life

What is it?
Comic Life is an awesome app on the iPad that allows users to create comics from a variety of templates, or allows you to build your own.  You can integrate photos, drawings, pictures, and text to create the perfect comic.

Key benefits of using comics in education

- A great visual Representation of Knowledge
- Presents what is essential
- Easier to remember a visual graphic containing key information
- Engaging through thinking, creating and writing.
- Perfect avenue for writing dialogue
- Incites students with low interest in writing
- Helps organization through storytelling and storyboarding
- Using visual images convey meaning to a story or topic
- Develops creative and higher level thought processes
- Develops composition techniques through visual-verbal connections
- Enriches reading, writing, and thinking
- Serves as and assessment and evaluation tool
- Sequencing promotes understanding

Who is it good for?

This really can be used at all levels and across various subject areas.   Students can collaborate on comics or work alone.  Once the comics are finished, students can print them to display. 

If you are interested in giving this a try, let me know and I'd be happy to show you or model making comics in your classroom!

App of the Week: American Revolution Interactive Timeline

American Revolution Interactive Timeline

What is it?
This award-winning, graphically rich timeline, developed by The American Revolution Center, a non-profit educational institution working to build The Museum of the American Revolution, offers information and access to rare treasures from the Center’s collection that will be displayed in the new museum.  Designed specifically for iPad, the app offers beautiful imagery, video, and information through an interactive, zoomable timeline showcasing artwork, weapons, clothing, objects, and manuscripts from the Center’s collection. Image captions and video podcasts provide an overview of key milestones of the American Revolution.


Who is it good for?
5th grade for your American Revolution Unit.  This would work great with your Airserver too!

Want to see it in action or need help figuring it out?  Let me know and I'd be happy to help!

Record MP3

On Wednesday, I attended a conference geared towards primary students and using technology.  In the coming weeks, I'm looking forward to sharing many of these awesome resources with you.

Record mp3

This site allows you to record your voice or your student's voice.  It then turns the recording into a web address which you could turn into a QR Code that can be scanned on iPads, Smart Phones, etc. or you can keep it as a web address to share with parents.

My mind is racing about how to use this in the classroom!   I've spoken with a few teachers about these ideas...

• Recording a reflection on a piece created in art, then posting a QR code that can be scanned to hear the artist's reflection - OR even about an art style/concept learned in class and how they applied it in their piece.
• Recording a student's singing to be shared
• Recording a student's fluency passage 
• Recording a student reading a piece of their writing
• Recording directions to give to students... or homework!

The possibilities are endless!  Do you think you could have a use for this?   Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!  If you'd like help integrating this into your classroom, please let me know!  I look forward to sharing a sample in the future.

App of the Week: Barefoot World Atlas

Barefoot World Atlas

What is it?

Barefoot World Atlas is a magical interactive 3D globe that invites children to explore the regions and countries of the world, discovering hundreds of fascinating features and immersing themselves in the rich wonders of our planet. 

Who is it good for?

This is an interactive atlas for the digital age. This engaging and educational app vividly communicates how all parts of our world are interconnected and reveals some of the ideas and initiatives that are helping to shape a sustainable future. Young children will delight in playing with the 3D globe and exploring its features; while older children can delve deeper to discover a wealth of facts and insights including live data for every country from Wolfram|Alpha.

CCSS Connection?

Click on your grade level for the CCSS connection. 

1st grade

2nd grade

3rd grade

4th grade 

5th grade

Want to see more?

Click here to see a  3 minute demo on You Tube of Barefoot Word Atlas or click here to see what kids are saying.    I’ll will be doing a demo of Barefoot World Atlas on Tuesday morning at 8:20 in the LRC.  I’d love to see you there!!!  If you can’t make it, contact  Coach Caroline if you’d like to set up a time for me to show it to you.