Sweet in Second

This is a topic I'm not super informed on but heard about through my admins former experience. Swivl is a device that allows for easier recording abilities in the classroom. I think it is typically used for teachers but can be helpful in building a library of exemplar lessons within your building. This means teachers can watch other teachers teach without having to leave their own classroom, find coverage, and interrupt their day. The swivl device allows for hands free recording. Some suggested uses are: Live Student Observations Secondary markers record audio of the students AND live stream to the teacher for real-time adjustments in the classroom. Self Reflection Teachers record video to review and reflect on their own.  Informal Observations Teacher driven video observations shared with peers for collective feedback. Remote Observations Remote coaches provide in-ear feedback while watching video of the teacher. Use your favorite video stream...

This week on Erin's blog we are looking at a simple way to incorporate tech into your classroom every day. If you are using technology regularly in the classroom or are a technology teacher with a cart or a lab, doing a daily warm up can build classroom community, enhance your digital citizenship discussions, and help students practice coding, design thinking, get energized, and more! If you are a classroom teacher integrating technology the biggest obstacle you face is finding TIME. We often want our students to utilize technology but don't have the time to teach the technology itself. Erin  developed a set of   180 EDITABLE Technology Daily Warm Ups  that can meet the needs of both classroom teachers and technology teachers. What Are Technology Daily Warm Ups? A technology warm up is a short, typically 5-minute activity that can be completed during morning or afternoon meetings, bell ringers, transitions, etc. Questions and activities are technology focused bu...

This week on Erin's blog we are looking at how to use those teachable moments with technology in the classroom.  One of the roadblocks that many teachers feel limits their integration of technology is the dreaded technology glitch. This might cause unexpected downtime or waiting around for the glitch to be fixed.  No teacher likes downtime because that can mean losing your student engagement and the possibility for behavior issues.  What is a technology glitch? A glitch can be something like a slow load time, a missing link, or an update that changes how a site or app is laid out.  Or maybe a student goes up to the Smartboard and the pen is not working (This happens ALL THE TIME in my classroom!). A glitch is something fixable but may require some unexpected troubleshooting. Whereas some technology problems may require you to jump to plan B or access your backup plan, a glitch just requires some time.  Time that can feel wasted if you have your stude...

This week I am talking about a tool I have used in the past called Plickers. This tool is a simple, low cost app that can be used at any grade level K-12. This app is especially great for those classrooms that only have a few devices. Only one device is needed!   Plickers  is an assessment tool made by a teacher who was looking for a quick and simple way to check student understanding. This assessment tool allows teachers to collect on-the-spot formative assessment data without the need to have students use devices or paper and pencil. Here's how it works... 1. Simply start by creating a free account on plickers.com .  2. Create a class roster and it will assign each student a unique plicker card.  3. Print out each student's plicker card. You probably want to do this on cardstock. You can laminate the cards but sometimes the shine makes it hard for the app to read. For elementary students, add their name and the letter options on the back of the...

This week on Erin's blog  she talks about using Popplet in the classroom. Popplet is a simple graphic organizer app that students can use. Popplet allows students to make boxes, called "popples" on a blank canvas. They can move popples around or connect them together to make chains and webs. Students can type, draw, or add images from the camera roll to their popples. The app is open-ended so that mutliple reading strategies can be addressed.  Using Popplet to Practice Reading Strategies 1.   Use Popplet to create character trait webs. When creating character trait maps, each popple connected to the character popple should include either picture or text evidence of the character exhibiting that trait. This can be differentiated easily enough to suit your students’ needs by adjusting the amount of traits needed or the type of evidence. 2. Use Popplet to practice cause and effect. Students write the Effect in one popple then connect additional Cause popp...

One app my kids absolutely love every year is iMovie. It's free. It's user friendly. It promotes creativity and thinking "outside the box". What I love most about iMovie is that it has pre-created templates for trailers or a blank slate for movie creation.  Typically I take a "run with it" approach to iMovie at the beginning of the year. I create my own "All About Me" movie to share with the kids. I let the kiddos play around with the formats during free time and allow them to collaborate with one another to figure out the features.  After a few weeks of free play and exploration, we start with little lessons on how we can use iMovie intentionally to show our learning. Some ways my own students have used iMovie over the years are: All About Me  Informational video about a topic State Projects Creating commercials for their favorite book Commercials for a product they've created School newscast Writing a narrated boo...

This week on Erin's blog, we are looking at accountability in the tech savvy classroom. This is often an issue brought up when talking about utilizing technology in the classroom, especially when students are 1:1 and have a little more freedom in their choices.  While there are some sites and apps that do allow teachers to monitor students’ choices, levels, and progress, most cost money.  Erin has a few ways to hold students accountable when using technology in the classroom. Why should we hold students accountable for technology time? Keeping students accountable when playing a learning game on the iPad, PC, laptop, or Chromebook does not have to be hard.  Students should be able to stay engaged and on task even when the teacher is not directly monitoring their usage. You can also check out  Erin's plan for managing with behavior issues . There is an element of trust involved in allowing your students to work independently. However, in order to set t...

This year we have been (re)introduced to Study Island. I say REintroduced because our school utilized this tool a few years ago with our 3rd-5th graders, but got rid of it after a year. However, now that it is a big push in the district, we are using it again. To be honest, I am not sure how I feel about using it with primary students but I haven't explored it enough to be able to compare it to what we use currently.  I am typically leary of programs when they are pushed as the "latest and greatest" and simply because they are connected to test scores like MAP, which is why Study Island is currently being promoted. But I am willing to give it a chance.  My plan is to take the next two weeks to explore and see what it has to offer for my second graders. We currently use Lexia and Dreambox. Both have their pros and cons. Once we come back from spring break, I plan to try out study island with my students to see what they think.  Here's what I do know... ...

This week on Erin's Blog we are looking at using QR codes in the classroom.  QR reader apps are a quick and fun way to integrate technology into your favorite activities.  I have used QR codes in my own classroom over the past few years and they are a super easy way to get kiddos engaged. In this blog, Erin shares some of the ways generating QR codes and using the QR reader app on the iPad has made learning interactive, motivating, and streamlined in her classroom. QR iPad Video Station QR codes can take students to a video that directly relates to a concept being taught in the classroom.  Erin sources her videos from  Teacher Tube  and  Khan Academy   She sets up 1 iPad in the back of the classroom with a binder of the QR codes organized by lesson and subject. If you want to make it a collaborative station, invest in headphone splitters. I used them in my own classroom and they are simple and easy tools for the kids to use.  ...

Over the past few weeks, I have had the unique opportunity to pilot Clever in my classroom for JCPS. Clever gives students and teachers a single login for all their online learning programs and resources, personalized for each user's needs.  Let me just tell you...this is the primary teacher's DREAM, although I'm sure teachers of all grades will appreciate it's efficiency and usefulness.  For the tech savvy teachers who have students with 247 log-ins for their kids to memorize...STOP MAKING ALL THOSE LOGIN CARDS(that will end up lost anyway!).  Clever provides a one-time login that requires nothing more than a QR code. (K teachers - I KNOW!!!)   If you are using iPads, students simply sign in using their Clever badge, no usernames or passwords needed! If they are using a Chromebook, the application authenticates with Google, so no further usernames or passwords needed.  Once signed in, students use their homepage, or additional tea...

This week on Erin's blog we are looking at digital assessments and how to communicate results with students. Digital assessment is becoming the norm in most classrooms as teachers look to use less paper (and smaller teacher bag loads!).  It also saves time and allows for instant feedback (instead of remembering them two weeks later when you find them under the stack on the coffee table). However, making sure your students receive their feedback can be tricky.  Here are a couple of suggestions from the blog: 1. Develop a system for digital assessments You need to know exactly HOW you are going to grade, and HOW you are going to communicate those grades to students/parents. You may create your own forms or find some that you want to use. 2. Help Students Prepare for Digital Assessments She suggests that you might find that students tend to score lower on these types of assessments. It is super important that you help your students prepare for as...

These days students (and parents) are all about social media. One way to get families connected and engaged is by connecting them to your classroom social media accounts. Many teachers use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media outlets to not only engage families, but to connect to other classrooms as well.  In my own classroom, we have used Instagram to connect to our families, learn about digital citizenship, and as a controlled way to let my students practice their social media skills.  **Let's be honest, even my 7-and-8-year old students have phones, tablets, and laptops and are active on different social media accounts. I receive follower requests on Instagram daily from students in my school!**  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! (or at least teach them how to use it responsibly) Here are some things I have done in my own classroom with our classroom Instagram.  PERMISSION As with anything that can be made public, you want to ...

This week I will be talking about the DoInk App and how you can use it in the classroom. This is something I am only semi-familiar with but hope to use more in the future!  This app provides an easy way to incorporate green screen into the curriculum. It was designed with beginners and young kids in mind, perfect for the elementary or middle school classroom.  To get started, you can watch this short tutorial on how to use the app. You will need some kind of green screen for your students to stand in front of. Green screens can be purchased on Amazon but you can also use an old green sheet or tablecloth if you have one lying around! Cheap sheets or tablecloths can also be found at the dollar store on occasion. If you want a mini-green screen for popsicle puppets, you can paint a pizza box green.      Students can use DoInk to recreate their favorite stories, create commercials, newscasts, fairytales, autobiographies, and more! For mo...