Descriptive Winter Writing (Good for any Season)

Even though this type of project has been around for some time, it is worth a mention for extended ideas or for teachers that may have not experienced this type of descriptive writing project.

In this case the classroom teacher, Suzanna Pinette - 2nd grade, had her students draw a picture of a snowman on plain white paper. After the students created their drawing, they were to write a detailed description of their snowman, keeping in mind that the more detailed their description was, the better chance that whoever was going to draw the picture would be able to recreate the snowman by reading the description. Then Ms. Pinette mailed the descriptions to her twin sister who also teaches second grade. Each student in the other second grade class received a description and tried to recreate the snowman according to the description they were given. Next both classes took part in a video chat where a teacher read descriptions and students compared the snowmen from the two different classrooms. Students learned that the better the description, the closer that the two snowmen looked alike. In some cases there were three snowmen, since the number of students from each classroom is not the same.

The next step for these two classrooms is for the students from the opposite class to write a descriptive writing piece and do a role reversal. Paying closer attention to details each time the students engage in this project will allow students to get a better sense of descriptive writing.

Other teachers have done this type of project with jack-o-lanterns, Christmas ornaments, monsters, etc. This wonderful descriptive writing challenge can really be used in about any setting to fit with current curriculum or fun around different holidays. Other options are to use an art app on an iPad and create the artwork via technology. Descriptions could be typed up in a doc and sent via email rather than snail mail. This project could also be done real time using apps like BaiBoard. There are many many possibilities with the technology we have available to us.

Hour of Code

This week is a very exciting week for students and teachers alike across the nation. Yesterday, Monday December 9th, was the Hour of Code Kick-off and what a day it was! After the morning assembly at George E Jack School, students got right to work learning to code with simulations from code.org and Apps like Kodable and Light-bot loaded onto iPads. I heard stories from teachers who noticed how students that don't normally shine during a school day were helping classmates figure out the solutions. It was amazing to witness how engaged the students were. At about 10:30 we learned that students would be going home at 1:00 due to a snowstorm. Yikes! We were planning on watching the live streaming with Gabe Newell at 1:00 and then be involved in the Bill Gates Live Video Chat at 3:30. Then the Jack Dorsey Video Chat at 3:50. What is a technology integrator to do except invite the students that were going to stay after school for the live chats over to her home? That is exactly what I did and fortunately most students lived close by to my home. We had a wonderful chat with Bill Gates and Jack Dorsey. 

The video chat with Jack Dorsey is embedded below and the Bill Gates video is not yet available. There is still time for you to get your students involved. Visit http://code.org/educate/hoc for more information on bringing Hour of Code to your school.

Highlights from Hour of Code at George E Jack School

Highlights from Hour of Code at HB Emery School

Highlights from Hour of Code at Edna Libby School

Highlights from Hour of Code at Steep Falls School

Presentation for the Kick-off Assembly

(Feel free to use the Prezi.)

Educreations in Kindergarten!

In the past I have mostly worked with grades 2-5. I was extremely excited when I learned that this year I would be able to open up my services to K/1 teachers and students. I was looking forward to seeing how younger students would tackle creation apps. Wow, was I blown away with kindergarten & first grade classes as to how quickly the students pick up, navigate, and create with Educreations. I think that Educreations is one of the most versatile tools for any grade and subject matter. Plus it is simple enough of a tool to use without tutorials. Students can demonstrate their understanding of any concept, explain their thinking, and share their knowledge. Best of all students love using Educreations. They are so excited to hear their own voice and especially thrilled when their work is projected for the whole class to view. I have embedded some examples from one of my kindergarten classes. I am so amazed with their work!

Tips for working with younger students… 1. Have the students work on the app immediately after a quick intro, then when it is time to save the teacher can log into the account. 2. Stay logged into Educreations on iPads that stay in your classroom. 3. Make the password simple when you create your account if you want your students to eventually sign in on their own. 4. Use one teacher account for all of the iPads in your classroom.

 

iPad Tips and Tricks for Quicker Navigation and Management

iOS7 has included some wonderful time-saving features that will help managing a classroom set of iPads less time consuming or working with an iPad quicker. Plus I listed a couple overlooked helpful features from previous iOS versions.

1. For automatic app updates: settings > iTunes & App Store > Updates on (Green with white dot to the right. See Photo.)

2. Newish - came with ios6 update, if you have one Apple ID for your class set of iPads, new purchases can be pushed to all iPads: settings > iTunes & App Store > Apps on  (Green with white dot to the right. If you are sharing an Apple ID with other classrooms, you may not want to use this option because any apps other teachers purchase will be pushed to your iPads.)

3. Searching for apps can be done from any page now: Put a finger near the top row of apps and rub your finger downwards. Type in the first couple letters of the app you are searching for and it will appear. Click on it and the app will open up. If your finger starts off too high on the screen, you will pull down the calendar instead.

4. Double clicking the home button always brought up a list of recently used apps, but now they are displayed in a larger icon that you can easily flip up off the page to reset the app or disable them from running in the background.

5. If your battery does not seem to be holding the charge like it used to, plug the iPad into a computer, back it up, then restore the iPad from the back up.

6. With a finger at the very bottom of the screen on your iPad, slide your finger upwards. This will open up the control center for quick access to volume, wifi, a timer, the camera, your Apple TV, and a few other controls that you may want quick access to.

7. Not new, but worth the mention, there are settings that can be turned on so that any highlighted text will be read by the iPad. See video below.


 

Looooving AudioBoo!!!

I have used numerous audio recorders throughout the years and I have to say AudioBoo is by far the best app and site I have tried. One stop shopping at it's best!

Today I was working with a class of second graders and we were going to record student stories using a site I have used in the past, well that site was not working. None of the apps or sites I have used in the past were going to work for what we needed without having a gazillion steps. The second grade students wrote stories and drew a picture of the character in their story. The classroom teacher, Julie Lariviere, wanted to have her students record themselves reading their story and then create a QR code to add to the poster so that whoever scanned the QR code would be able to hear a student reading their story. So, it was on to plan B. I downloaded AudioBoo after reading that the recordings would be saved to an account. It would be easy enough to generate QR Codes with web addresses for each of the audio files. I was pleasantly surprised that AudioBoo has it's own QR Generator built into the site and can be used on any device. The audio file must be created using the app, but then what you do with the file can be done by logging into your account on a tablet or a computer.

The link to each audio file will look similar to the photo on the left.

Highlights of the site, in yellow:

1. Easy playback.

2. Embed Code for placing the audio directly on a site. (See below for an embedded audio file.)

3. Save directly to iTunes as a Podcast.

4. Generate QR codes.

listen to ‘Friendly Giant by JRE’ on Audioboo

There are so many great ways to use AudioBoo in the classroom. Here are a few suggestions.

1. fluency
2. verbal directions
3. question of the day
4. audio books
5. message home to parents
6. students answering a question
7. correct answer check - QR code leads students to correct answers.
8. poetry reading
9. scavenger hunts
10. ...and much much more.

Teaching Internet Safety

With the increase in student access to internet ready devices, safety while on the internet and digital citizenship should be addressed throughout the school year. Fortunately in my school district we have a plan for grades 2-5 with set lessons that students will receive each school year. My other half and I teach a specific lesson for each grade level. Classroom teachers address internet safety throughout the school year as well.

In case you are looking for ideas for your classroom or school, here is what we teach consistently for each grade level.



Grade 2

Michelle Ledue, a second grade teacher, and I recorded students talking about what her students learned about internet safety after watching a BrainPopJr video three years ago. Michelle then went on to have students create some cute intros and she put a video together. Since then I have been sharing Michelle's class video with all my second grade students plus show them the BrainPopJr video. After watching BrainPop we have a discussion about internet safety and take the on-line quiz. When taking the quiz as a class, I have students vote on the answers by displaying the number of fingers in the air to have an a=1, b=2, c=3, and d=4. Once we have finished the quiz students create an internet safety digital book or digital drawing. For this project I have used a variety of software, apps, and sites. Some of my favorites: Tar Heel Reader, Book Creator, StoryKit, and KidPix installed on Macs.

 

Internet Safety from Michelle Ledue on Vimeo.

Grade 3

Third graders are not usually very shy in front of the camera so it is a great grade level to take advantage of their eagerness to be a star. In third grade we have students watch a couple videos of other students performing skits, talk about internet safety, discuss what they could do to teach others about internet safety, break up into small groups to write and practice skits, then record their skits. I post their work on my website or internet safety wiki and send the videos to our district's television station. Students are so excited to know that they are going to be famous on BETV. The two example skits I have been showing students this year are a skit I found on TeacherTube and one that a group of my third graders made last year, video embedded below.

Grade 4

In fourth grade we have students watch a video showcasing students singing about internet safety as a refresher of what they have learned in previous years and then we focus on social network safety. This is about the age that many students are starting to use social networks in their private lives. They may have been exposed to some during school, like Twitter or Edmodo. Often, in the classroom, the account is managed by the classroom teacher which is a great way to model appropriate use of social networks. However, students are also starting to use similar accounts on their own and it is important that we have conversations with students about being safe. I found a wonderful video that showcases students talking about being safe on social networks. I show this video to students, we talk about being safe, what social networks are, then students pick a social network that they use, and answer some questions in their Google Drive account. This year I had students who were not camera shy let me record them talking about the sites they chose so that I would have another video to share with fourth grade students, embedded below.





Grade 5

The fifth grade lesson focuses on Think Before You Post. Just like the fourth grade lesson, we review previous internet safety tips by watching a different video than the fourth grade lesson showcasing students singing internet safety tips. We discuss the tips mentioned in the song and then we watch the Think Before You Post video. This video is a very strong visual demonstration of how once something is posted on-line anyone can see it and it can never truly be deleted. The video usually generates a good discussion on what should not be posted on-line. Then I have the students write fake Facebook posts either on a Google Doc, Edmodo, or their blog. Next I have students share their posts with classmates. Lastly classmates evaluate each other's posts on whether the fake post would or would not be safe to post on-line.

Using Pic Stitch and Splice on iPads

Two great creation apps for students and educators to use on iPads are Pic Stitch, a photo collage creator, and Splice, a movie maker. These two apps can be used well with any subject. Of course there are other apps available that can do similar things. I also like Moldiv which is similar to Pic Stitch and Loopster which is similar to Splice. Splice is no longer free so if you are on a budget, you may want to choose Loopster.

What students can do with Pic Stitch or a similar app:

1. Make a collage representing a robust vocabulary word.
2. Report out on something they learned about, like The Great Depression, Abraham Lincoln, The Rain Forest, The Water Cycle etc.
3. A collage for parts of speech.
4. A field trip recap.
5. SOPs, Standard Operating Procedures.
6. Solving math problems.
7. Use the collages created in other applications like Splice, Loopster, Educreations, Popplet, etc.
8. The list could be endless so get creative and have fun.

What students can do with Splice or a similar app:

1. Book trailers!
2. Reports!
3. Commercials for subject related material.
4. Tutorials.
5. Demonstrating understanding of a target.
6. Recording and reflecting on fluency.

Students helped me create tutorials for Pic Stitch and Splice.

iPad Cart Tips and Ideas

Managing and sharing iPad carts can be tricky sometimes. Hopefully some of these tips may help make the process run a bit smoother. Even if you are fortunate enough to not share or your students have access to 1:1 iPads, these tips can be useful.

1. Post reminders/SOPs directly on the cart. (ex. Remember to log out of accounts.)

2. Mark iPads and storage slots with numbers and have students always use the same iPad. If something happens with an iPad, knowing who to have a conversation with comes in very handy.

3. Have the lock screen of an iPad be a picture of all the students who use that particular iPad. This step creates a quick reference for anyone who finds an iPad lying around.

4. Post QR codes on the cart for quick access to sites.

5. Put students in charge of updating apps.

6. Use a shared calendar, like Google Calendar, to sign out times for the cart to be in teacher classrooms.

7. Show students how to check battery percentage and plug in their device to be charged. A typical charge should last 2-3 days school days depending on use. (10 hours of use) Students should plug in the device at the end of the school day if the battery is between 20% - 40%. If a battery reaches 15% it should be plugged in immediately for a full charge. Watch this great 4min video by Tony Vincent on battery life. It may help your personal devices last longer as well.

ThingLink Keeps Getting Better and Better

Thinglink is a site that allows users to create interactive posters by embedding text, videos and sound onto a photograph. I have used the site with students via laptops and they love it. One great feature is that the creations can be embedded on a site for sharing purposes. Thinglink is a super tool for showcasing student's understanding of standards. What has made it even better is there is now an app for iOS. I am extremely excited about this app! The only missing feature is it looks like voice files can no longer be added and from the app users can not embed their creations. However, the user can share their work via Twitter and Facebook, plus send a link via email to someone. If you click open in Safari while in the app the user would need to log in and then they can share through a few more options plus copy the embed code to use on a website, blog, or wiki.

Below is a practice Thinklink I created using the app on an iPad mini. I am really looking forward to using this awesome tool with students.

 

A New Set of Apps 2013

A new year means a new set of creation apps to be used on iPads in the classroom. Many awesome free apps came out over the summer. Plus some paid apps now have a free version, like Book Creator. Some other apps that I absolutely love are no longer free, like Splice. However, I found a new free video creation app to take its place, Loopster.

Last year my school district had a mix of access to iPads. Some classes were 1:1. Some classes had access to 5 in their classroom, plus use of a cart when they wanted to work whole group. Also some classes only had access to a cart. This school year we are going to be a bit more consistent throughout the district, but that means some teachers will have less access than last year. In the end this will allow all students to have a similar experience throughout the district. Grades K-1 classes will have 5 iPad 2nd gens per class, grades 2-3 classes will have 10 iPad minis, grades 4-5 classes will have 10 iPad 2nd gens per class, grade 6 will have 1:1 MacBooks, and grades 7-12 will have 1:1 MacBook Airs. Beyond iPads in the classrooms, each of the six elementary schools will have at least one cart, but often two carts to supplement the packs of iPads so that when teachers want to use iPads whole group, that will be an option.

My Tech Integrator partner and I adjusted last years list of apps to create a new list of free apps that will be loaded onto all iPads this current school year. We tried to mainly focus on creation apps. We will be using Meraki to manage and download apps onto all iPads that will be distributed throughout the district. Teachers will be able to customize their class sets by using individual apple IDs to upload other apps that they feel will compliment their classroom needs. Below is the list of apps that every classroom will start out with. The table also includes ways to integrate the apps and sharing options.

Apps for SAD6 iPads

Grades 2-5

Created August 2013

App Title	Cost	Subject or Topic	Ways to Integrate	Sharing Options
BaiBoard	Free	General	Interactive and collaborative whiteboard in real time. Work with classes who are not within your building, state, or even country. Import PDF, images, or maps.	Save a screenshot of boards in other apps like Evernote and Dropbox within the App. Tweet the board, send via email, or save in photo gallery.
PicPlayPost	Free	General	Not only create a collage of photographs, but also include videos in your collage.	Twitter, email, photo library, copy to send as MMS, and YouTube.
Loopster	Free	General	Create videos including title boxes, sound effects, videos and photos. Like iMovie!	Save to camera roll.
Evernote	Free	General	Evernote is a tool that can be used on both computers and handheld devices. At it's basic form it is a place to store written work. However, if you get creative, Evernote can be much more than a digital portfolio and reach all levels of the SAMR Model. One of my favorite uses is to track fluency. Students take a picture of a passage or story, record themselves reading, then reflect on what they need to do in order to improve their fluency.	email
Moldiv	Free	General	Great Pic Collage creating app. Many templates to choose from. A fun way for students to express vocabulary meaning, create a report on a topic, or sort their understanding of subject matter.	Save to Camera Roll, send to other apps, or Tweet the creation.
Popplet Lite	Free	General	Create mind-mapping webs using text, the drawing tool, links, and insert photos. Great for students to map out a story, create a report, or organize their thoughts.	Email .pdf or .jpeg or save .jpeg to camera roll. Must have paid version to save as a .pdf.
iTalk	Free	LA	Students record themselves, listen to themselves, adjust for next time.	email file
Recordium	Free	LA/Math	Students record themselves, listen to themselves, adjust for next time.	Share to a web address where you can download the file as Quicktime.
Google Drive	Free	General	Students can now collaborate on a Google Doc while using the iPad. Real-time is not as fast as on a laptop, but very useful. The chat feature is now enabled too, along with changing font and various other text tools.	Collaborate on the same document with others, share, and email options.
PaperPort Notes	Free	General	A note taking app that not only allows the user to type notes, but notes can be created in their own handwriting. Pdfs can be imported and written on or typed on. Students can use it to annotate on any pdf document that the teacher wants them to. I have used it to fill in paperwork for my district, sign my name to a document and send it back to district central office.	Email documents, drop into Dropbox, Google Docs, Evernote, Showbie, and I am sure many more apps.
Common Core	Free	LA/Math	List of Common Core Standards and resources	None
PuppetPals	Free	General	Students can create a script for characters and then act it out. Great App for teaching character, setting, and the writing process.	Export to camera role. From there the video can be emailed or sent to Youtube.
Toontastic	Free	General	Students can create animated stories, working on plot, character development and setting- reminders of the various story elements are available in text and audio.	Toontube
StoryKit	Free	General	Students can create books using photos they have taken with the camera or imported into the photo library. Students can also read the text to add voice to the book or add their own sound effects.	The story will be uploaded to StoryKit, after uploading the user will receive a private web address to share via email, or save the link to put on a blog, website, or wiki.
Book Creator Free	Free	General	Students can create story books and add illustrations by uploading from photo gallery or taking a picture through the app. Voice recording is also available.	Open as ePub in iBooks or other ePub readers. Also email or save the ePub in Evernote, Dropbox, Google Drive or other cloud storage.
Comic Touch	Free	General	Students can add text to photos via text bubbles.	email
PhotoCard	Free	General	Students can practice friendly letter writing and email finished cards.	email card
Digital Passport	Free		Common Sense Media - Instruction and activities for Digital Citizenship. Installs from a file; not from the App store.
Evernote Peek	Free	General	Create Flashcards: While in Evernote create a notebook for what you want flashcards for, ex. math facts. Then created notes within the notebook with the question as the title and the answer in the body. Once in Evernote Peek download your notebook. Voila, instant flash cards.	Email notebook to someone else so that they can use your flash cards.
KidBlog	Free	General	Teacher and students blog within one classroom account.	Make public for the world to read.
VoiceThread	Free	General	Bring photos to life with voice and collaborators.	Collaborate on projects. On VoiceThread site.
Merriam- Webster	Free	General	Online dictionary. You can type in or say the word if you’re not sure how to spell it. Option to read the word to the student once on page.	None
Skitch	Free	General	Students can express what they are thinking through drawing. The picture can be saved as a photo and then used in other applications as the background, like Fotoflo, Fotobabble, and Screenchomp.	Save to photo library, email, or tweet the drawing.
Vimeo	Free	General	Students record themselves reading, upload to Vimeo and then post on their blog.	Edit and upload videos to Vimeo account. Email the link to the video.
Sushi Monster	Free	Math	Great app that kids can practice their addition and multiplication facts on- they find common factors and addends.	None
Penultimate	Free	General	Linked with Evernote. Create handwritten notes and import pictures.	email and save to camera roll.
Pic Collage	Free	General	Freeform Pic Collage builder. Add as many photos to the collage plus add stickers and text.	email as a jpeg or postcard, share via Twitter and Tumblr within the app or save to photo library.
QRReader	Free	General	Create and read QR Codes.	email, Twitter, photo album, Flickr, Tumblr, plus other otions.
Math Hero	Free	Math	Practice math fact fluency (-, +, x) Able to change level of difficulty for differentiation	None
Edmodo	Free	General	Edmodo is an awesome virtual learning environment. With Edmodo teachers can customize learning for all of their students. For example, students can take a quiz on Edmodo and based on the quiz results, know what their next step in learning should be. All quiz and test results are added to the teacher's grade book for convenience. Immediate feedback!!! The classroom teacher would let the students know what their next steps would be after a quiz. For example those that got a certain amount correct could go onto a new concept via video lesson, while some may revisit the lesson with the classroom teacher and others may just need a little more practice.	Students can turn in assignments, take quizzes/tests, chat with other students plus teachers, and access teacher approved links and videos.
Telling Time Game	Free	Math	Match the time on a digital clock with an analog clock.	None
Math Puppy	Free	Math	Bingo, Challenge, Calculator tools. Practice math facts (-, =, /, x). Able to change difficulty for differentiation. Hard to tell when an answer is incorrect on “Challenge”.	None
Brainpop & BrainPopJr	Free	General	One free movie featured each week for non-members. Our district renewed our membership this year. Student’s quiz scores are saved in the app.	None
Pizza Fractions	Free	Math	Intro to fractions and identifying the pictures with the right fraction.	None
Flash to Pass	Free	Math	Students can practice any of their math facts and try to beat the timer. A good way to build math fact fluency.	None
Animoto	Free	Literacy	Students can create “Book Trailers” - Used by Literacy Specialists.
Socrative Teacher and student Apps	Free	General	Student Response system for any subject. Can import quizzes or tests, or even have it open to flow with what is happening in the classroom. Use for “Parking Lot”	When quiz, test, or questionnaire is finished the teacher can email the results to him/herself and then open it in a Google Spreadsheet or download results to computer.
Google	Free	General	Use to access Google Apps. Some limitations compared to working on App using a laptop.	None
Prezi	Free	General	Presentation app where students can create, view and share information.	Prezi site.
Videolicious	Free	General	Simple step by step video creating tool.	email, YouTube, and Twitter.
KidsDoodle	Free	General	Students can design colorful artwork and movies.. Resemble light brights.... And share with others/ they could use to accompany a writing piece or practice spelling words.	Once in photo library the pic can be shared via email or used in other Apps.
Educreations	Free	General	Students and teachers can add photos from their camera, library or search the web, they can also free draw on slides, add text and record audio to create demonstrations of skills, create presentations and stories.	Can share via facebook, twitter, email and hyperlink
Spelling City	Free	LA- Spelling	Teachers can upload spelling lists or use lists uploaded by other teachers. Then students can practice their words through a series of educational practice activities.	Only with registration. Taking a screen shot of their score is always an option. Then students can email their screen shot to their teacher.
Thinglink	Free	General	Create interactive posters. Dots become hyperlinks to text, recordings, webpages, or videos.	Embed finished product on a website, wiki, or blog.
Word Shaker HD	Free	LA-Spelling	Think boggle- word Work activity to search for known words - you can customize the board to increase/decrease the letters available.	None
Qrafter	Free	General	QR Code Generator and Reader.	Take a screenshot and use in other applications, post on a website, or post around the classroom.
Ask3	Free	General	“Ask3 allows students and teachers to collaborate on lessons in and outside of the classroom. By turning your iPad into a recordable whiteboard, lessons can be posted into an Ask3 classroom where others can add text and video comments, questions and answers. Whether students are asking questions or answering them for others, peer to peer teaching is possible with Ask3- anywhere, and any time. “ ...iTunes Store	Need an account and then create a class for sharing.
Hooked On Words	Free	LA-Spelling	Like Boggle, students find words within a square of letters.	None
NearPod	Free	General	A great way to collaborate with teachers/students.	Screen sharing
A Novel Idea	Free	LA	Students can write a story and develop the character, setting etc.	Email/iTunes
Bluster	Free	Grammar	Students work to match either prefixes, rhyming words or synonyms.	None
Wordventure	Free	Grammar (Part of speech)	Like MadLibs, students enter parts of speech to make a funny story	None
Storylines for Schools	Free	LA-Writing	It’s like the game of telephone for the ipad. Play with 3-9 players, first writes a sentence, the second illustrates, the third writes another sentence based on the drawing, compare your sentences.	Email Hyperlink
Build A Word	Free	LA - word work	The student can choose learn, practice, or test. Students can keep track of the words that they need to work on. Test results are saved in the history. Free version comes with -ck, sl-, fl-, cl-, and long vowel practice.	None
Sail Through Math	Free	Math	Practice Math Facts	None
Morfo	Free	General	Make a photo of a person or animal speak. Kind of like Voki except the user creates their own speaking avatar.	Save in an email or save to camera roll.
Haiku Deck	Free	General	Presentation creator. User needs to have an account.	Twitter, email, post to blog, PPT/Keynote or copy URL.
Subtext	Free	LA	Create a library with free books off from the internet. Stored in your Google account.	None
MyScript Calculator	Free	Math	Calculator - instead of clicking on numbers and symbols, the user writes them on the app. The calculator will know the equation and answer it.	email

Everyday Math (All Free During Promotions)

Top-It

Name That Number

Beat the Computer

Fractions

Squeeze

Divisibility

Websites:

www.tenmarks.com/

https://www.xtramath.org/home

http://classblogmeister.com/