Sweet in Second

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...

This week we are looking at Erin's blog on teaching digital citizenship in the classroom. As our students gain more and more access to technology at increasingly younger ages this topic becomes more important. It is also a topic that classroom teachers can integrate into their every day classroom activities.  These are some things to consider as you revisit digital citizenship throughout the year.  #1 Acknowledge that students use technology outside of school Plan to address real world situations with your students. Teach them how to make informed and safe choices. Teach students how to search, comment, hot to report, how to deal with ads, and how to make sure their information is reliable.  #2 Digital citizenship is not a one time lesson at the beginning of the year While it is good to introduce the topic at the beginning of the year, you should plan to revisit and discuss all year long. Posting visuals is a good way to keep reminders around the classro...

This week I blogged about how my students have used Google slides this year. I thought sharing Erin's blog on Google slides would be a great way to extend my own learning.  This blog post covers how to hide and reveal hidden text in Google slides when creating assignments for students.  What is hidden text? Hidden text refers to text that the user cannot see because it ts the same color as the background on the slide.  Why hide and reveal hidden text on Google slides? Erin suggests that you can hide text right on the slide and have the students reveal the text after completing the activity or to simply boost engagement. Some ideas for text that can be hidden are: answers to the particular activity helpful hints fun facts sight words vocabulary words clues or number codes to a digital breakout prize won! (scratch off ticket) spelling words to unscramble, retype, find, etc How to hide and reveal hidden text on Google Slides Insert a s...

This is the first year I have dabbled in Google apps in the classroom. We were introduced to Google Classroom at the beginning of the year but since we are not 1:1, it is difficult to use effectively. Back in December, I decided to have my students collaborate on a project to learn about holidays around the world. Instead of the traditional paper-pencil product, I decided to introduce them to Google slides.  I had only started using Google slides in the past year so I was familiar with the basics. I thought it might be a challenge for my second graders but they caught on super quick! The most difficult part was teaching them how to create their slides without deleting or messing up something their partner was working on at the same time. They learned how to research, screen shot, insert pictures and videos, typing skills, and how to collaborate with other students.  After using Google Slides for this project, my students have been able to use them on their own f...