Kahoot!

Last week I stumbled upon Kahoot! If you haven't heard of it, Kahoot is an web based program for every student response and is device universal. My class tested it with a Social Studies review. I split the class into multi-age groups. I set the timer for two minutes to encourage scholarly peer discussions. Each student participated. Each student discussed with their peers. The class had a great chance to review when they talked to each other. Twitter reminded me of other great uses for Kahoot including flashcards and vocabulary review. Kahoot is a great classroom tool that I hope will stick around.

Audible in Elementary

Do you remember listening to books on tape when you were younger? My classrooms never had listening centers but I found an old listening center complete with gigantic blue headphones for my first classroom. The center was well loved but being tethered to the center made it tough for all the listeners to read along with the book.

Now, that my students are older I've found Audible.com to be a great resource. One of the best parts of Audible is the availability of chapter books. The class has read along to Junie B., Jack and Annie, and many other famous titles. They improve fluency and can move about the room with their own headphones and an ipod or mp3 player. Audible is a great 21st century update to the cassette tape listening centers. 

Adapter:A media conversion review

One warm Colorado day this past summer, I recorded over two hours worth of audio for my classroom. I was so proud. It would save precious instructional time by allowing my 3's to listen to their assignment freeing me up for small group instruction with the 1's or 2's. My dreams were crushed when multiple audio hosting sites didn't work out. I eventually ended up burning the audio to a cd. It worked but the skipping ahead and going back options were less than optimal. And then I met Adapter.

Adapter converts audio files quickly. All I had to do was drag and drop my files. I converted my wma files into mp3 and then dropped the files into my class iPods. Now the 3's are all set to complete their dictation assignments independently. 

What Ramona Quimby can teach us about VoiceThread

Our class has been reading about Henry Huggins and his pesky neighbor Ramona Quimby. In the latest chapter, Ramona's tv idol, Sheriff Bud, said her name on air and told her to stop pestering Henry. The class was as shocked as Ramona. Sheriff Bud said her name! So what does that have to do with VoiceThread? VoiceThread is a site that allows users to post a file and comment on it. Comments can be audio or video. The file can then be shared and those users can also comment on it. While sharing this site with my PLC someone made the recommendation for book reports to be done this way. When kids need to find a new book, they can look and listen through the Voice Threads and hear recommendations, plus add their own comments. Sheriff Bud endorsed products every day on his program and Ramona told her mom to purchase those products. Voice Thread book reports would make great recommendations too.

Podcasting Readers Theatre

The Best is Yet to Come

We've passed our second Mid-Quarter mark. Since I'm headed right for the holiday rush I'd like to take a step back and look at what we have accomplished in 2014. This year the second graders have collaborated in Google Docs to build background knowledge before reading a story. They created an online KWL chart too. They made an ebook for Language Arts. The class has learned how to navigate audiobooks on the Kindle and Evernote to record themselves reading. During calendar time they have picked up the skills of rotating and resizing an image. They can use qr codes to hear directions and play games. But the best skill they have honed is determination. They've waited with me when Notebook crashes or the building's internet goes down. They've toughed it out and they know the Smartboard isn't as smart as they are. Technology is an awesome tool but it is just that, a tool. It is not a substitute for pedagogy and planning.

I Like to Move It, Move It...

Have you heard that Halloween is on Friday? I think I was asked some form of this question about twelve times this last week. The kids were antsy. SO antsy! It was time for some movement. I taped a life size e on the floor and we practiced walking the steps. "Hit the ball, run around the bases," I said as I slipped on my sparkly gold handwriting shoes. It was a big hit.
How were these kids who just swooned over masking tape on a floor going to manage to learn anything from sitting at a computer for an hour. YouTube. I googled my favorite school singer, Shari Sloane and checked out some Jean Feldman tunes too. Ah yes, practicing letter sounds while doing karate moves is a great way to review with interleaving. Each of my modules has one of those brain breaks incorporated. Moving and learning are, to me, the perfect partners.