Meet the Teacher

Today was meet the teacher and I am SO excited about my students! I will have a very diverse class and I'm looking forward to learning all cultures! I have a Muslim student, an Indian student (from India), Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian! We're covering several continents! It's going to be a great, ENERGETIC, year full of growth in all areas of life!

Video for Digital Citizenship

During our "Meet the Teacher" this Friday, I'm going to have our Netbooks open and online to show parents what technology their students will be using. While browsing, I'm going to require they watch this video with their children and discuss Digital Citizenship with their student through a Worksheet with questions. Here's the video! Take a look and think about sharing this with your parents!




This also brings up "Cyber-Bullying." This might be important for not only the student, but the parents may be involved in "Cyber-Bullying" too!

Touches on Plagiarism as well. Start it early!

Another DonorsChoose.org Inspiring Video

Donorschoose.org

 The music teacher in my school said she has had two projects funded already so far for recorders and keyboards. Another kinder teacher received a very large carpet for carpet time, and another third grade teacher received science materials. They all expressed how EASY it is to create and post a project. No money is required to post, just an extra effort by the teacher. So, I decided to join and create a project! And they were right, it was SO easy! Every year I probably spend $500-$700 (don't tell my husband) on my classroom. Having some help is much appreciated! Receiving hundreds of dollars of supplies, technology, etc for an hour of your time, a thank you note, and a few pictures seems to be nothing at all.

This year my main focus is to thoroughly implement Guided Reading and ACTUALLY teach science, well, like it's meant to be. I went to a science professional development early in the summer and it made me feel HORRIBLE for butchering my science lessons and motivate me to be an excellent science teacher.  I created a project that will fund science supplies to conduct hands-on labs in my classroom and to share with the other 6 first grade classrooms at my school. I am so excited to see if it gets funded! Maybe then I will be able to do another project to ask for iPads!!!!!  I'll be posting

Share it Maybe: BOY Rules Discussion Focus

 I saw this video on Dr. Lori's Blog, Lori's Latest Links while I was browsing for Promethean Board Activities. It's so cute!!!!! I'll probably be using it at the beginning of the year when we are discussing rules and how to act in a group. Good Focus for a lesson.

11 Tools: 11th Tool FINALLY!!!!!

Overall, I feel some tools were more beneficial than others. I am thankful for the lists of resources for web tools, apps, and uses for the technology. I've always loved incorporating technology in my classroom and I'm so excited to have iPods, netbooks, and an active board in my classroom! I will be posting about my experiences throughout the school year.

11 Tools: Tool #10: Digital Citizenship

Just going to say that it hadn't occurred to me how important it is to not only teach kids how to be a good citizen in daily life in our community, but also online in the digital world! Man! Kids today have so much more to learn, what happened to the simple life! Luckily I'll be teaching 1st grade this year which highlights the community and citizenship, so it will be a smooth add on to teach Digital Citizenship as well! For the most part, I feel it's common sense but everything has to be spelled out for the young kids. Three most important things I want my kids to know:
1) Give credit to those who deserve it.
2) Whatever you say or do online, it is saved somewhere FOREVER!!! So be judicious...
3) Keep personal information to yourself. NEVER reveal private information on public social networks.

How will I share Digital Citizenship with my parents..... a home project! Have parents work with their kids together to watch videos about digital citizenship and discuss what it is and why it's important. There probably will not be computers in many of the house holds, so on Meet the Teacher night and Open house, I will have the Netbooks open and available for the parents to do the project. If they still are unable to attend, maybe I can work something out with the librarian to have an "Open Computer Lab" Night.

11 Tools: Tool #9: Incorporating Technology in the Classroom

First of All, TECHNOLOGY IS NOT A BABYSITTER! Contrary to what some parents may use it as, in the classroom technology should be worth the students' time and help to master the objective and/or go broader and deeper for those who need it.  This Tool on the blog gives a great list of resources for stations and uses for iPods and Netbooks in the classroom. Also, it lists some great Apps that are worth while.

It's important to hold students accountable for what they do while using technology and for their own learning in general! They should WANT to use their time to learn and get better, but how to do that? While thinking and researching for an answer, using a buddy system and/or forms to fill out during or after use will have to do.

11 Tools: Tool #8: Technology "Toys" in the Classroom

Well, I've been blessed this year to have iPod Touches and Netbooks in my classroom! The Netbook has a camera for video/pictures. I am SUPER excited to use both in my classroom! I will most likely use the iPods for a listening station, to watch Brain Pop and take the quizzes, and math fact practice games. The Netbooks I'd like to Skype, have kids make videos of themselves (maybe from Readers' Theater or other projects?), to make comic strips of things they learned, and use them as a math technology station.

First and foremost, the students need to be taught how to handle and use these precious devices.  Kids don't treat items in the classroom with enough care most of the time, so MODEL MODEL MODEL. If you aren't getting the results from the kids you want, it might be because you haven't modeled it enough. Or they just can't behave and don't deserve to use them.

11 Tools: Tool #7: Online Digital Projects

For this tool, we are required to create an online digital project to potentially use this year. I have decided to do "Reading Buddies" through Skype. So just as there is EEKK reading in The Daily Five by the sisters, the "EEKK" partner reading will be through the computer. One partner can listen, or both can have the same book and take turns reading. They will each have a form to fill out after reading to ensure comprehension and participation. I will hopefully be Skyping with an old teacher friend to her 3rd grade classroom.

Objective: The student will be able to read fluently, listen, and discuss text while participating correctly with a partner.

11 Tools: Tool #6 Using Web 2.0 for Discussion

Online Discussion Boards and Social Networks are a great place to collaborate with fellow teachers. They're an even better place for students to have discussions too. Most students by the 5th grade have a twitter and/or Facebook account. And they're discussing things, it might as well be about information learned in the classroom! I feel that intermediate grades and above can utilize social networks more effectively than primary. However, teachers can have an account for the whole classroom and "socialize" with other classrooms. Obviously there are Facebook and Twitter, but to bring other classrooms into your own, Skype is a neat way to get students discussing. This past year, I had a student diagnosed with cancer, so he would Skype in to our lessons and feel included while out for treatments. It was great! This year, I would like to try and set up "Reading Buddies" on Skype with some students from my old school. We will see how it goes!

11 Tools: Tool #5 Web 2.0 Tools

This tool is the most beneficial to me I think. I'm excited to use these websites because they truly engage the kids! There are websites that you can create your own comics, books, presentations, videos, word clouds,  etc etc! If you know of any more to add to the list, please don't hesitate to let me know! When I taught 5th grade, I had the kids make comics and collages all of the time and they LOVED it!


I think I may use word clouds to introduce analogies to the kids. I'm going to put all related words in a cloud and have the kids come up with a sentence in how they are related. Then I'll introduce the Bridge map.
Here's one about Michael Phelps that someone created on the Tagxedo Facebook Page.

Another really awesome website in the classroom that's really fun and hilarious is Blabberize! You can choose a picture of your own or borrow one of theirs, then insert the text you want it to say and the picture talks! On the home page they have a talking llama, or you can do a historical figure such as Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Edison. It's really neat! Beware of ads though...I'm having issues with he audio on mine and awaiting a reply but here is a sample.
 

11 Tools: Tool #4 Google Apps

Google Apps is a great resource to use in classrooms and schools. I constantly share all documents, presentations, etc that I make for lessons with my colleagues easily without any hassle of attaching anything (which I often send the email without the attachment, argh!) In my district, all students have a google apps account that are deemed for classroom use only (with permission from the parents of course!).  I think in the older grades, Google Forms, SpreadSheet, and Documents can be a powerful tool during group work and research projects. In the younger grades, I think the teachers are able to collaborate with each other more easily and be able to have classroom accounts since the babies may be unable to be independent on a computer.

Since I'm very proactive about being fit and healthy, I might try creating forms, presentations, documents to share with the whole school to collect research and teach kids how to make the right choices about food and exercise. I'll start with my weekly Yoga class I host for my teachers. Interested? Yes/No? What day is best for you?

11 Tools: Tool #3 Online Video/Images

Well, if you are unaware of online video websites, I'm afraid you're in the minority. HOWEVER, just in case you haven't heard of ALL of the cool websites, here are some

TeacherTube
Youtube
Schooltube
Kidstube

Be careful about YouTube! There are inappropriate ads and videos that somehow make their way onto your search. However, this past year my students introduced me to some pretty awesome videos that have Lego men dancing which is hilarious!!!

Here is one: "Lab Safety" by Rhythm, Rhyme, Results


 Discovery Education is also another website I use often in my classroom. I'm lucky to have it this year in my new district, I sorely missed is last year! It has great videos for science and social studies! Every year for Earth Day I show the kids some Planet Earth episodes which they LOVE! (and so do I!)


Using images in the classroom is a great tool to engage students and get students asking questions. However, are you using them legally? Make sure to give credit to those who did the work! We as teachers need to plant the seed of anti-plagiarism early in our students heads! I met a professor from New York on a train in Thailand, and he said he's about to give up assigning books to read and papers to write in his classes because most papers are plagiarized from the same sources even! He said he can tell when a rare student comes along and actually reads the assignment he gives and the student actually has genuine thoughts. These kids are supposed to be the cream of the crop for us! The next leaders of America! Yikes! Does it make anyone else a little squeamish?

11 Tools: Tool #2 Developing a PLN

Oh, teaching and its acronyms... A new one I learned today is PLN. A PLN is a Professional Learning Network, which you can learn new ideas from, exchange lessons, interact with other teachers, etc. And what do you know! I've been doing this all along! Most of the blogs I follow are on the left hand side of my blog. I also use Google Reader to keep up with all of the posts! Another "Google Reader" type app is Diigo. I've never used it but, if you want to venture out and look into it, go for it!

I have really enjoyed blogging over the past two years, and now that I've found the Blogger app, it will be even easier! I think it's a great way to inform parents, colleagues, and fellow teachers about the awesome things going on in classrooms everyday.

Pinterest.com has also been an awesome PLN and source of ideas as well. If you aren't pinning like crazy, I suggest you start! Great ideas from teachers and home schooling moms as well!

11 Tools "Training": Tool #1

For school I have to do a technology training called "11 Tools" which introduces teachers to new websites and gadgets online to use in the classroom. So I will be posting the assignments on my blog to receive credit!

1st tool: Create a Blog. CHECK! Add a VOKI... I don't want to!!!!!! :( They creep me out.