Virtual Field Trip: Ivan the Gorilla: Beyond the Book

Today Mrs. Azark's class attended a Virtual Field Trip to the +Zoo Atlanta  to talk about Ivan the Gorilla.  Mrs. Azark's class was joined by classes from Washington School, Field School, a school in Texas, and a school in Missouri.  The Newbery Medal-winning book The One and Only Ivan has brought the story of Ivan to the forefront for a new generation of readers. We chatted with Zoo Atlanta's educator instrutor, Carvel Bennett and primate keeper Jodi Carrigan to discuss the real Ivan, who called Zoo Atlanta home for 18 years. From the jungles of Africa to the shores of the Pacific Northwest to The Ford African Rain Forest at Zoo Atlanta, his life has become a symbol of the way animals shape our lives – and the power we have to shape theirs.   I honestly could feel with talking with Jodi and Carvel that Ivan was a part of their zoo family and was glad that we got to learn about it today. .

Chipotle Teacher Appreciation Day

I wouldn't want anyone to miss this great Chipotle deal...

Gmail Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Have you see this cheat sheet for GMail shortcuts?  There are a bunch on here I didn't know about, so I had to share!

Here is Google's version, however, I think you'll find VISUALEKS is a little nicer to look at!

Looking for Ways to use Comic Life?

I know back in January, I wrote about Comic Life.   However, recently I co-taught a fun project in 5th grade using Comic Life and I couldn't be more impressed with the results - and the students' creativity!  Walk past Erin McCoy's room to see what I'm talking about - they are awesome!!!

If you are interested in trying out Comic Life, let me know!  I'm always happy to help!!!

Want to see some baby chicks?

The 1st grade is doing there Science Unit looking at Chick Development.   In each first grade classroom, they have eggs in an incubator that they are watching closely and recording data.   This year, we were one of two schools able to test out one classroom having a webcam to monitor the chicks while the kids aren't at school.

They chicks are scheduled to hatch soon... check them out by following these directions!

Click Here to See What is Happening in Room 123's Incubator

User Name: rowebcast

Password: teddy1001

• Click on Webcast on the top red tool bar
• Click on the Webcast by name.
• Ro 1st Grade Chick Webcast

Speaking of chicks, look at these male penguin chick that were just born at the Minnesota Zoo!

The Minnesota Zoo also has a chick cam, similar to 123's where you can see what the penguin chick is up to from 6:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.    You can check it out by clicking here.

Word Order Matters

This is a great 2 minute video about why word order matters in Google Searches.  This video was created by Daniel M. Russell, whose job is to study the way people search and research. 

I hope that you and/or your students find this information useful!   Check out Daniel M. Russell's blog to learn more about searching in Google!

Voice Comments On Google Docs

Wouldn't it be great if you could leave your students feed back on their Google Docs - but not have to write it?   They could listen to your suggestions while you read their essays that they read with you?  You could highlight while talking about suggestions and comments.  That is now possible!   Today I watched a cool screencast about using an app for Crome called, Voice Comments.  Simply highlight and speak - the Voice Comments app for Google Drive is the fastest way to give high quality feedback on a document.

Here is a great tutorial made by a teacher who uses Voice Comments with her students.

There is also a great step by step on getting stated once you install the app into your chrome browser.   You must be using chrome for this feature to work.   Currently, the Voice Comments feature only works with Google Docs, not presentations or spreadsheets.  Hopefully we'll see that in the future!

Does this sound like something that could be helpful for you and your students?   Let me know and I can walk through how to set this up for you and your students.