Written by: Amara
We skyped with other kids from West Virginia and they figured our are state by our accent. It was a very fast skype we took a little bit longer then they did but then we found out the were West Virginia. They were very nice . There school was in Charelston which is in West Virginia. It was a pretty cool skype.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Tech Highlight of the Week: Go Noodle
I have something awesome for you, and I think the timing is just right for testing season! Go Noodle is a website that is full of "brain break" videos for your kids. The kids just watch and follow along. There are videos that are appropriate for all ages, and you can choose energizing or calming videos. Each video is 3-5 minutes long. I think this would be great for getting everyone to wake up first thing in the morning, or when they seem to be drifting.
Here is a screen shot of some of the videos you might choose.
And here is a video of some our 5th graders experimenting with a brain break this morning. They seemed to enjoy it.
Here is a screen shot of some of the videos you might choose.
And here is a video of some our 5th graders experimenting with a brain break this morning. They seemed to enjoy it.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Tech Review of the Week: Collaborative Walls
This week instead of a specific app, I'm introducing an idea with several resources you need to implement it. Collaboration is something we want to teach our kids, and this is an awesome way to collaborate online from any location, at any time.
I have been using some collaborative walls over the last few weeks and have discovered how engaging they are, and how many different possibilities they hold for the classroom. A collaborative wall is just a space you set up online that your students can add their thoughts to. Think of it as an online board where they can stick up their sticky notes.
I'm going to share three websites that I have discovered that are simple and effective. Please note, these are websites, not apps. They will work from the computer or the iPad.
Answer Garden is probably the simplest form of collaboration. You simply ask a question, and the students respond with one word. Visit www.answergarden.ch and click "create an answer garden." You will get a URL (web address) for your answer garden. As you receive answers, a word cloud will form. As you know, in a word cloud, the size of the word is determined by how many times it is entered. This would be a really awesome pre-writing activity or background building activity. Here is an example if what this looks like. Add a word and watch how it appears instantly.
AnswerGarden is... at AnswerGarden.ch.
The next step up, which I think is really great for K-2 is Primary Wall. It works the same way. Visit www.primarywall.com and set up a free account. Then you can create a wall. Share your URL with your students and they can add a "sticky." I think this would be great activity for writing sentences with a vocabulary word, or answering questions to use like an exit slip. Try it out! Just click on the wall below to tell me what you think.
Another great option for upper grades adds the ability to add pictures, files, and websites. This is one I have been using a good bit in the lab. There are so many different ways you can use this. Visit www.padlet.com and "build a wall." You will have some options on how to set it up and how to set your privacy. If you set up an account, you will be able to edit the things that other people add to your wall. In this example, 3rd graders used another program to create graphs, save images, and post them to the wall. This padlet wall is in the "freeform" format, so the posts can be moved around the wall.
In this example, 5th graders had specific questions to research. They saved pictures to go with their information and added it to the wall. This is in the "stream" format, so the posts flow from top to bottom.
This example was used as an exit slip type activity after watching a Brainpop video about St. Patrick's Day.
I encourage you this week to just choose one of these and try it out. They are all so simple to set up, but I would be THRILLED to help you with your first one. Just let me know and I will come see you . :)
Answer Garden is probably the simplest form of collaboration. You simply ask a question, and the students respond with one word. Visit www.answergarden.ch and click "create an answer garden." You will get a URL (web address) for your answer garden. As you receive answers, a word cloud will form. As you know, in a word cloud, the size of the word is determined by how many times it is entered. This would be a really awesome pre-writing activity or background building activity. Here is an example if what this looks like. Add a word and watch how it appears instantly.
AnswerGarden is... at AnswerGarden.ch.
The next step up, which I think is really great for K-2 is Primary Wall. It works the same way. Visit www.primarywall.com and set up a free account. Then you can create a wall. Share your URL with your students and they can add a "sticky." I think this would be great activity for writing sentences with a vocabulary word, or answering questions to use like an exit slip. Try it out! Just click on the wall below to tell me what you think.
Another great option for upper grades adds the ability to add pictures, files, and websites. This is one I have been using a good bit in the lab. There are so many different ways you can use this. Visit www.padlet.com and "build a wall." You will have some options on how to set it up and how to set your privacy. If you set up an account, you will be able to edit the things that other people add to your wall. In this example, 3rd graders used another program to create graphs, save images, and post them to the wall. This padlet wall is in the "freeform" format, so the posts can be moved around the wall.
In this example, 5th graders had specific questions to research. They saved pictures to go with their information and added it to the wall. This is in the "stream" format, so the posts flow from top to bottom.
This example was used as an exit slip type activity after watching a Brainpop video about St. Patrick's Day.
I encourage you this week to just choose one of these and try it out. They are all so simple to set up, but I would be THRILLED to help you with your first one. Just let me know and I will come see you . :)
Friday, February 28, 2014
App of the Week: Storybird
Well, this week's app isn't an app exactly. It is a really amazing website that will work perfectly on your iPads or your computers. If you need a refresher on how to add a website link to your iPad, just let me know!
This is a really awesome resource to encourage creative writing in your classrooms. I am so excited about this, and I think you will be as well.
Your first step is to visit www.storybird.com and create a free teacher account. Once you have done this, you can add your students. I will even do this step for you if you want to use this with your students. Whatever I can do to help, just let me know!
When your students log in, they will choose to create a story. The get to choose from some awesome artwork.
From here, the students can choose to use these images to create either a poem or a book. The story set I was using in the picture below was called "Running in the Park."
You will be able to see your students' work from your teacher page.
This is a really awesome resource to encourage creative writing in your classrooms. I am so excited about this, and I think you will be as well.
Your first step is to visit www.storybird.com and create a free teacher account. Once you have done this, you can add your students. I will even do this step for you if you want to use this with your students. Whatever I can do to help, just let me know!
When your students log in, they will choose to create a story. The get to choose from some awesome artwork.
I clicked on the boy by the tree, which opened up a set of images to work with.
They can even invite other students to collaborate with them. Once they finish, they can publish their stories to the Storybird gallery.
You will be able to see your students' work from your teacher page.
This is a really awesome resource for creative and descriptive writing! You might even have your students lay out their artwork first, use their MSS graphic organizers to pre-write, and then go back and add their text. I hope some of you will try it and let me know how you like it!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Eagle Watching
Our students here at Mitchell have been watching the Eagle's nest at Berry College in Rome, GA. Click here for the live feed.
Mrs. Roberts' 3rd graders created these drawings to show what they've seen.
Friday, February 21, 2014
App of the Week: Gabit
Mrs. Bishop asked me for help finding an app her students could use to present Black History Biographies. She wanted the students to create an avatar of their historical figures and record their voices speaking as the figure. I did a little research and found an app that is great!
Gabit is an iPhone app. It will work on the iPad, just make sure when you search in the app store, you change from "iPad" to "iPhone" or it won't display. This is a great fresh way to use your iPods!
It is extremely customizable, so your kids can change all the details of the avatar to make them look like a real person, and they can also change the background to an appropriate setting.
They then record their voices, and can even adjust the pitch of their voice.
Then their videos can be shared or saved.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/gabit-talking-cartoon-creator/id439739186?mt=8
Please let me know if you use this app with your students so I can share!
Gabit is an iPhone app. It will work on the iPad, just make sure when you search in the app store, you change from "iPad" to "iPhone" or it won't display. This is a great fresh way to use your iPods!
It is extremely customizable, so your kids can change all the details of the avatar to make them look like a real person, and they can also change the background to an appropriate setting.
They then record their voices, and can even adjust the pitch of their voice.
Then their videos can be shared or saved.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/gabit-talking-cartoon-creator/id439739186?mt=8
Please let me know if you use this app with your students so I can share!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
App of the Week: Write About This
Mrs. Goodwin recently shared this app and I thought it was really cool. What an awesome way to incorporate writing into your reading stations! The free version is a little restricted, but it is still a great resource.
When the app is opened, the students choose how to find their writing prompt. They can search through categories, choose at random, search, or even take a picture with the iPad camera to create their own.
When the prompt is selected, the students may write and then record their voices reading what they have written. They can save it to the gallery on the iPad, or send to the camera roll. If saved to the camera roll, it will save as a movie so you can hear them reading.
How could you use this?
Of course, there is the obvious. Just let the app guide the way. Have the students randomly choose a prompt and write!
But what if we think outside the box? Let's look at this feature that allows you to create your own prompt and save it to the "custom" category. You can add your own picture, type the prompt, record the prompt, and save for your students. Maybe you can add a picture that has to do with your Social Studies or Science content. You could add a picture of a story you have read or your retelling cards and let your students write and record a summary. You could even add a math picture problem and have students explain their logic in writing.
This is a great app that I hope you will all download and start using right away! Just let me know if you need help brainstorming ideas of how to make it work with what you are teaching.
When the app is opened, the students choose how to find their writing prompt. They can search through categories, choose at random, search, or even take a picture with the iPad camera to create their own.
When the prompt is selected, the students may write and then record their voices reading what they have written. They can save it to the gallery on the iPad, or send to the camera roll. If saved to the camera roll, it will save as a movie so you can hear them reading.
How could you use this?
Of course, there is the obvious. Just let the app guide the way. Have the students randomly choose a prompt and write!
But what if we think outside the box? Let's look at this feature that allows you to create your own prompt and save it to the "custom" category. You can add your own picture, type the prompt, record the prompt, and save for your students. Maybe you can add a picture that has to do with your Social Studies or Science content. You could add a picture of a story you have read or your retelling cards and let your students write and record a summary. You could even add a math picture problem and have students explain their logic in writing.
This is a great app that I hope you will all download and start using right away! Just let me know if you need help brainstorming ideas of how to make it work with what you are teaching.
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