Google Reader Review:
I have enjoyed reading blogs on my Google Reader account. I have read many blogs from Cool Cat Teacher Blog, Will Richardson, Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day, A Media Specialist's Guide to the Internet, and Free Technology for Teachers which is my favorite. I have also been following two more blogs: HTS 1st Grade Technology Blog,http://cmiller-1stgradetech.blogspot.com/ and Elementary Science, http://cicobb.typepad.com/es/.
Free Technology for Teachers is my favorite blog because it has many resources and tools which are free and let's face it...we all love free stuff! The blogs are very easy to understand and they have so many helpful topics and resources, for example, my favorite blog post was about Cinelab. http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/04/cinelab-simple-video-editing-for.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29#.UX3MLrWkqsM The post was on April 15, 2013 titled, Cinelab- Simple Video Editing for Windows 8. The post discusses a free Windows 8 app that allows students to edit and create video clips. I love to have my students make PowerPoint in my classroom on things they have learned in class and I know they will love to make videos even more than PowerPoint. I teach 1st grade so I would have to help them in the process of making the videos, but by the end of the year they can do more in the process of editing the videos we make in class.
I have learned so much from these blogs and I will continue to follow each one and hopefully I will discover many more to follow!
2.0 Resources:
I loved using the animoto technology tool. It is a wonderful short tool for a quick review or an introduction to a new lesson. I used the animoto link to make a 30 second video about past and present transportation. You can see the video by clicking on the following link: http://animoto.com/play/OS3xf9kKZgkYTpvzvzRu8A.
I must be honest, I did not like this technology tool as much as I have enjoyed the others I have learned about. I think this would be too difficult for my first grade class to use. I did make a glogster page for past and present unit in social studies. The link to see the page is here: http://hilla7972.edu.glogster.com/hilla-past-and-present-glogster/.
I had a blast making these Fakebook pages! I think my students would also love using these as an end of the year assessment for technology skills. My Fakebook pages are past and present recreation toys. The links are here: http://www.classtools.net/fb/23/gNBhhiK and here: http://www.classtools.net/fb/21/ETRhFX9.
I am learning so much!!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Week # 6: An App a Day Keeps the Boredom Away!
As a first grade teacher I try to keep my students as engaged as possible, but no matter how entertaining I am, I cannot hold their attention all day. We sing, we dance, we play classroom games, we have centers, we have group talk time, but there is nothing like playing a game on the iPad! (Let's face it....adults even love to play iPad games!)
There are a lot of apps out there and it is very difficult to choose my favorite, so I will try to tell you about a few of my favorite apps! (I teach first grade and all subjects, so I have a few apps that cover math, spelling, and reading!)
The first app I will tell you about is a free app, you know teachers....we LOVE free! The app is: Abby's Sight Words and it is a wonderful app. This app is wonderful for first grade because it helps reinforce sight words that help build fluency in reading. The app has several games, different levels, and grade levels for the students to navigate through. The app can be found on the following link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abby-sight-words-games-flash/id518258478?mt=8
The next app is also free....YES FREE :) The app is: First Grade Learning. This app has 10 games for my first graders. This app has it all...math, sight words, contractions, spelling, and even fractions! This is one of my favorite apps of all times! The following link will take you there: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/first-grade-learning-games/id530703273?mt=8
The next app I will share is not free, but worth every penny...all 199 of them! The reviews on this page said the app is no good, but my students love it! This app is great for children who are having trouble switching b's and d's or students who have been diagnosed with dyslexic. The app is called Letter Reflex and the link is: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/letterreflex-overcoming-letter/id485920074?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
The next app I am going to talk about I found on a blog Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne on Google Reader. The link for that particular blog can be found here: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/01/six-weeks-of-ipad-apps-for-school-or-46.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29&utm_content=Google+Reader#.UXs1brWkqsM
The app is called Sushi Monster and guess what teachers.....IT'S FREE!!!! This app is a wonderful reinforcement of math skills. This app helps to build math fluency; I use this app in my intervention groups. The students love the game and they are getting faster! This app also allows students the opportunity to earn stars and trophies. My students love to compete with each other as well as beat their previous scores. The link to this wonderful app is: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sushi-monster/id512651258?mt=8
I hope you find some of these apps helpful in your classroom!
Until next time...Drive safe :)
There are a lot of apps out there and it is very difficult to choose my favorite, so I will try to tell you about a few of my favorite apps! (I teach first grade and all subjects, so I have a few apps that cover math, spelling, and reading!)
The first app I will tell you about is a free app, you know teachers....we LOVE free! The app is: Abby's Sight Words and it is a wonderful app. This app is wonderful for first grade because it helps reinforce sight words that help build fluency in reading. The app has several games, different levels, and grade levels for the students to navigate through. The app can be found on the following link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abby-sight-words-games-flash/id518258478?mt=8
The next app is also free....YES FREE :) The app is: First Grade Learning. This app has 10 games for my first graders. This app has it all...math, sight words, contractions, spelling, and even fractions! This is one of my favorite apps of all times! The following link will take you there: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/first-grade-learning-games/id530703273?mt=8
The next app I will share is not free, but worth every penny...all 199 of them! The reviews on this page said the app is no good, but my students love it! This app is great for children who are having trouble switching b's and d's or students who have been diagnosed with dyslexic. The app is called Letter Reflex and the link is: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/letterreflex-overcoming-letter/id485920074?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
The next app I am going to talk about I found on a blog Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne on Google Reader. The link for that particular blog can be found here: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/01/six-weeks-of-ipad-apps-for-school-or-46.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29&utm_content=Google+Reader#.UXs1brWkqsM
The app is called Sushi Monster and guess what teachers.....IT'S FREE!!!! This app is a wonderful reinforcement of math skills. This app helps to build math fluency; I use this app in my intervention groups. The students love the game and they are getting faster! This app also allows students the opportunity to earn stars and trophies. My students love to compete with each other as well as beat their previous scores. The link to this wonderful app is: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sushi-monster/id512651258?mt=8
I hope you find some of these apps helpful in your classroom!
Until next time...Drive safe :)
Friday, April 19, 2013
Week #5 Fun! Fun! Fun!
Fun, Games, and Learning!
In the classroom, we want the children to be engaged at all times and what is better than using games to do this! The students in my classroom love to play games on the computers and centers. The students think they are just have fun playing the games, but they are learning through games.
Games provide instruction, practice, reinforcement of skills, feedback, data, and of course FUN! Our teaching jobs are made so much easier with all of the new instructional software that is available.
One such type of instructional software is drill-and-practice software. This software is wonderful for students to practice what they have learned in class. I use this type of software in my classroom to help get my students ready for tests. I love this type of software because it provides the students with immediate feedback. We are working on time in math and one type of drill-and-practice software I will use to help my students is a game on the website on learning planet found at: http://www.learningplanet.com/act/tw/index.asp
Another type of software is tutorial which is where the students have more control over their learning. I use this type of software to teach my students typing skills. In first grade we have technology in our course of study; I meet this requirement through tutorials. I have my student learn typing skills through a game called Dance Mat on the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/
Simulation is another fun way for students to learn in the classroom. We learn about plants in our classroom; we learn what plants need to grow and I have found a game where students simulate a garden and they must provide their plants with the correct amount of water, sunlight, and care in order for it to grow. This software is found on the following website: http://www.schooltimegames.com/science/GardenGrow.html
Our class loves the instructional software which turns learning and competing into a game. My class loves to use the instructional games to help them prepare for a test. Our favorite game is "Class Feud." We were researching different ocean animals for our science lesson and we made our question cards for our game. We made a game from our research and it helps us prepare for the test. I found a blog by Richard Byrne titled "Free Technology for Teachers" on http://www.freetech4teachers.com/ it discusses this type of software.
Problem-Solving is another type of software that we use in our classroom. We are a "Leader In Me" school and we are all about achieving goals. The students make personal goals, we make classroom goals, and we discuss how to achieve those goals. I think this is the reason why we love this type of software in our classroom. One of the games we use with problem-solving software is helping a frog get to the other side of the bank by getting the math problem correct and jumping on the lily pads across the pond. This game can be found on the following website: http://www.kidsmathgamesonline.com/problemsolving/frogjump.html
The last type of instructional software is integrated learning. This type of software can be a teacher's best friend; computer-based learning that tracks the progress of the students in your classroom. We use this type of software in our classroom for centers in math and reading. My class spends a lot of time on Education City and this provides me with data on their progress. The website is: http://us.educationcity.com/
With all of these types of instructional software, you are sure to find something that works best for you and your situation. I have had fun learning about the different types of software and where each of my classroom websites fall under.
In the classroom, we want the children to be engaged at all times and what is better than using games to do this! The students in my classroom love to play games on the computers and centers. The students think they are just have fun playing the games, but they are learning through games.
Games provide instruction, practice, reinforcement of skills, feedback, data, and of course FUN! Our teaching jobs are made so much easier with all of the new instructional software that is available.
One such type of instructional software is drill-and-practice software. This software is wonderful for students to practice what they have learned in class. I use this type of software in my classroom to help get my students ready for tests. I love this type of software because it provides the students with immediate feedback. We are working on time in math and one type of drill-and-practice software I will use to help my students is a game on the website on learning planet found at: http://www.learningplanet.com/act/tw/index.asp
Another type of software is tutorial which is where the students have more control over their learning. I use this type of software to teach my students typing skills. In first grade we have technology in our course of study; I meet this requirement through tutorials. I have my student learn typing skills through a game called Dance Mat on the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/
Simulation is another fun way for students to learn in the classroom. We learn about plants in our classroom; we learn what plants need to grow and I have found a game where students simulate a garden and they must provide their plants with the correct amount of water, sunlight, and care in order for it to grow. This software is found on the following website: http://www.schooltimegames.com/science/GardenGrow.html
Our class loves the instructional software which turns learning and competing into a game. My class loves to use the instructional games to help them prepare for a test. Our favorite game is "Class Feud." We were researching different ocean animals for our science lesson and we made our question cards for our game. We made a game from our research and it helps us prepare for the test. I found a blog by Richard Byrne titled "Free Technology for Teachers" on http://www.freetech4teachers.com/ it discusses this type of software.
Problem-Solving is another type of software that we use in our classroom. We are a "Leader In Me" school and we are all about achieving goals. The students make personal goals, we make classroom goals, and we discuss how to achieve those goals. I think this is the reason why we love this type of software in our classroom. One of the games we use with problem-solving software is helping a frog get to the other side of the bank by getting the math problem correct and jumping on the lily pads across the pond. This game can be found on the following website: http://www.kidsmathgamesonline.com/problemsolving/frogjump.html
The last type of instructional software is integrated learning. This type of software can be a teacher's best friend; computer-based learning that tracks the progress of the students in your classroom. We use this type of software in our classroom for centers in math and reading. My class spends a lot of time on Education City and this provides me with data on their progress. The website is: http://us.educationcity.com/
With all of these types of instructional software, you are sure to find something that works best for you and your situation. I have had fun learning about the different types of software and where each of my classroom websites fall under.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Week #4 Blog Post: Using the iPad in First Grade
I walked into my first grade classroom in 1983 and our first assignment for the day was to write in our journal. We got our folder with the blank white printer paper, copied the date off the board, and wrote about the topic the teacher chose for that particular day. The next assignment was to copy and solve the five math problems on our half sheet of paper. Once we were done we knew to pick a book from the buckets or read the sight words on the index cards quietly as everyone finished their work.
Now I teach first grade and our morning starts pretty much the same way. My students begin their day with journal time but instead of the folder with blank printer paper, the students type their journal entry on the computer and save it to a word document. The students choose a topic from a variety of topics instead of the same topic for everyone. My students then work through their math problems, get a calculator, and check their own math answers. Once my students are finished with their math problems they know it is time to read, but instead of heading for a book they reach for the Nooks, iPads, and digital picture frames. The students read stories on the Nook and use headphones so they do not disturb other readers. The students practice reading fluently by drawing "swoop" marks under the words on the iPad with their fingers. The students can choose to go to the digital picture frame and quietly read the sight words that are shown on the digital picture frame as a slide show. Wow, how things have changed!
The video below shows a classroom teacher using iPads in a first grade classroom and talks with students asking them how they like using technology.
I love the many different devices and resources we have available in our classrooms today! The more resources you have the more students you can keep engaged in learning. There are studies being done which prove students with disabilities can communicate with teachers better using iPads. I have been researching iPad applications for students with autism on Google Reader and found an insightful entry on cool cat teacher blog. I have included the link to the blog page below.
http://www.securedgenetworks.com/secure-edge-networks-blog/?Tag=iPad+in+education
For those of you who are like me, always looking for great iPad apps for reading, below is a wonderful sight words application.
http://www.padgadget.com/2010/09/02/sight-words-hd-for-ipad-first-look/
I will have the students help me think of words to enter in the word bank. I will also show my students how to enter new words into the bank and allow them to enter them. I am looking forward to using this app in my classroom.
Now I teach first grade and our morning starts pretty much the same way. My students begin their day with journal time but instead of the folder with blank printer paper, the students type their journal entry on the computer and save it to a word document. The students choose a topic from a variety of topics instead of the same topic for everyone. My students then work through their math problems, get a calculator, and check their own math answers. Once my students are finished with their math problems they know it is time to read, but instead of heading for a book they reach for the Nooks, iPads, and digital picture frames. The students read stories on the Nook and use headphones so they do not disturb other readers. The students practice reading fluently by drawing "swoop" marks under the words on the iPad with their fingers. The students can choose to go to the digital picture frame and quietly read the sight words that are shown on the digital picture frame as a slide show. Wow, how things have changed!
The video below shows a classroom teacher using iPads in a first grade classroom and talks with students asking them how they like using technology.
I love the many different devices and resources we have available in our classrooms today! The more resources you have the more students you can keep engaged in learning. There are studies being done which prove students with disabilities can communicate with teachers better using iPads. I have been researching iPad applications for students with autism on Google Reader and found an insightful entry on cool cat teacher blog. I have included the link to the blog page below.
http://www.securedgenetworks.com/secure-edge-networks-blog/?Tag=iPad+in+education
For those of you who are like me, always looking for great iPad apps for reading, below is a wonderful sight words application.
http://www.padgadget.com/2010/09/02/sight-words-hd-for-ipad-first-look/
I will have the students help me think of words to enter in the word bank. I will also show my students how to enter new words into the bank and allow them to enter them. I am looking forward to using this app in my classroom.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Week #3 Blog: Internet Safety in our Technology-Filled Classroom
I work in a Title One school in Alabama and our technology is limited, but it is growing. We have Mimio boards, laptops, computers, Elmos, and projectors in our room currently with hopes of getting more laptops for the students in the future. Our high school is in the process of becoming a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) school, but it is just in the beginning stage.
I love using technology in my classroom. I am always looking for new ways to use it in my classroom. I am always showing my students, in first grade, how to look up educational videos on APTPlus and National Geographic for kids. We love these websites; we use them in our science and social studies class all of the time. I show the students how to get to the websites by typing the web address in while the students spell the website for me. This helps them to remember the websites for themselves and it shows them where they need to type it in as well.
We use websites during math centers. We have several favorite websites: www.abcya.com; www.us.educationcity.com; and www.aaamath.com . The students know how to type in the website of their choice and log on to their individual games. I have the students type in the website every time to help them remember the website address, helps the students become more confident in their exploration of the Internet, and helps them with their technology terminology. We use websites in everything we do even spelling practice: www.spellingcity.com.
I use technology in my classroom everyday and this brings one major problem: Internet safety. I start telling my students and parents about Internet safety on day one in my classroom. I try to find current, up-to-date, information for the parents and for the students in print and online. I have computer rules in my classroom that each student must follow in order to continue to use the computer. I show videos to the students and we discuss Internet safety rules several weeks before anyone is allowed to use the computer and we continue to review the Internet safety rules throughout the year. Here is one of the videos I show in my classroom about Internet safety:
On Google Reader, I have been finding more information to add to what I already know and use in my classroom. I found 5 wonderful and easy steps to use in my classroom to help my students with Internet safety. I found a wonderful blog by Vicki Davis about Internet safety and I have adapted it for my classroom and I feel this is information every teacher should have, know, and share. I have attached the link to her blog: www.coolcatteacher.blogspot.com
This is the Internet safety link: http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2009/09/5-steps-to-online-safety.html
I use websites from the computer and my mimio board for assessments, instruction, practice, and reinforcement of skills, but as a first grade teacher my favorite technology is videos and games on the computer. I love websites where my children can listen, learn, and interact with valuable resources. Our favorite way to end a day of learning is to log on to the computer and access the website www.storylineonline.net which has actors and actresses read stories to us while we look at the pictures. As educators, we know this helps the students hear the correct pronunciation of the words and how fluently they should read, but the students think they are just listening to a great book.
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