Mrs. T's Top Techy Teacher Tools

It's summer, so you know what that means - PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT!!! (Don't all cheer at once...)

Now I'll admit, some of the PD I'm required to complete is torture isn't the most stimulating, but most of the time I can get some pretty awesome ideas from some pretty amazing presenters and fellow teachers.  I also had the added excitement of Tropical Storm Bill (OH NO Mr. BILL!) thwarting my schedule into a bit of disarray as classes got rescheduled and TCEA Tots & Technology got cut a bit short.

So, without further ado, here are my top tech tips and tools that I picked up over the last two weeks of PD.


iMovie Trailers
I've had the iMovie app on my devices for at least a year, but never really knew how to use them.  I finally found out how easy it is to make trailers.  Seriously, I was able to make one on my iPad in about 10 minutes once I opened the app up and found all of the built-in trailer templates! I can't wait for my kids to use this to create summaries of the books they read this year.  Learning in Hand also has some great planning templates for the students to use.  I also found a site with some great Book Trailer examples here.

Just for funsies, here's the trailer I made in class just using iMovie and the pics already on my iPad.
 



Google Docs + Autocrat = Instant Certificate Generator
At TCEA Tots & Tech, I went to this AWESOME session by Amy Mayer (@friEdTechnology) where she taught us how to use Google Docs (Forms, Sheets, and Docs) and an add-on called Autocrat to create an easy form that will generate a certificate and/or email for all of those certificates we have to do at the end of the year (think the old mail-merge we used to use) You can create a generic template for a certificate, end the form to your teachers, they fill it out and, VOILA!, they receive an email with the completed certificate ready to print. Click for a link to her presentation.

Nearpod
I'd heard of Nearpod, but never really got the chance to see it in action until last week.  Boy have I been missing out!  If you have iPads or Chromebooks in your classroom, or access to a computer lab, you need to use this.  You create a presentation (or download one from Nearpod), the kids open up the app and type in a code and YOU are now in control of what they see on the screen. The presentations also include polls, quizzes, and other interactive activities that you can use to check for understanding and for formative assessment.  It is free, but if you end up using it alot, you can upgrade for more storage.  There are school and district subscriptions available too.

Edmodo and Gamification
Another program I just never had the time to really learn to use until now is Edmodo.  If you don't already know, it is basically a closed social network for the classroom.  I can make groups, assign activities, create quizzes, or even just ask questions for feedback.  Students can even upload and turn in assignments. Pretty easy to use once you get in and play with it for a while.

My plan is to use Edmodo's badge system to "Gamify" my classroom.  Gamifying basically means to apply the framework of a video game to the classroom setting. I haven't worked everything out yet, but I'll have the students earn XP (experience points) for various tasks and they will move up levels based on their XP.  The higher the level, the more XP they will have to earn to move up and earn badges.  If you've played any game like CandyCrush you can understand the concept.
Here is an excellent infographic that explains the concept of Gamification.

Code.org
Last year, I did have my students participate in Hour of Code, and they LOVED it.  I want to expand this year and have students use some of their math/computer time to actually learn coding.  Code.org has some excellent programs to teach kids how to learn basic coding concepts and practice critical thinking skills.  At TCEA, Karen North (her site is www.build-a-brain.com) took us through some fun introductory coding activities. What's great is that they don't all have to be on a computer-unplugged activities!  We had a great time making Binary Bracelets to learn that ones and zeros can represent letters in a computer.  My bracelet, of course, is binary for the letter T!



The Techy Makeup Bag

Picture via Twitter by @daisyray215

Twitter and Pinterest count as professional development, right? I saw this on my Twitter feed today from @mrhooker and shared by @daisyray215 and knew I just had to share too! I'm always misplacing my cords, chargers, headphones, Lightning to VGA adapters, etc. Never thought to use one of those folding makeup bags!




I really did have a great time at some of my PD classes (at least the ones I got to pick!).  So go out there and learn (and yes, I do think Twitter and Pinterest should count!).  I can't wait to start using some of my new knowledge with my new crop of 3rd graders!

For more Tech Teacher Tips, follow my Pinterest Board.

Follow Amanda's board Tech Teacher Tools on Pinterest.


Have a FANTASTIC day!

A Year to Remember

What an Adventure...

I started my blog planning on doing a post at least every other week.  Well, between actually teaching, STAAR testing, RTI paperwork, and just trying to have a semblance of a life, that just didn't quite happen! :)

So instead, here's a short video I put together with some highlights from my first year back in public education.  I really am going to miss these kids!

And now, I solemnly promise to do my best to post more often in year two!  I'll be self-contained next year, so I have even more adventures planned for my new batch of sweeties!

Have a FANTASTIC summer!

Because I'm Appy! - My Favorite Teaching Apps

With everything we teachers have to do nowadays, it's nice to have something that makes you're life a little easier.  Here are some of my favorite apps and websites that I'm using this year:

Kahoot! (Website - compatible for use on most devices)

Having fun and leaning with Kahoot!

Kahoot! is an awesome way to engage my kids.  I create multiple choice quizzes on the website and then my students use their iPads to answer the questions as they come up on the screen.  The students earn points as they answer the questions - the faster they answer, the more points they get.  I usually give a little prize to the winners.  I can also download the data from each session to use as an assessment.

GoNoodle Brain Breaks (Website)

This is one of my kids' favorites!  I use GoNoodle to give my students a brain break between lessons.  There's lots of choices from yoga to Zumba to track and field.  I also love to use the Indoor Recess mixes on those cold, rainy days that we've been having.  It also becomes a game because as you earn minutes, your class avatar changes and becomes stronger.  This one is a keeper!

ZipGrade (App, website for downloading answer sheets)

I can't say enough about how much this app has changed my life as a teacher!  ZipGrade is an app that allows you to grade multiple choice quizzes by taking a picture with your iOS or Android device. You scan the key then scan the answer sheets.  It's so easy!  It also gives you automatic Item Analysis as well as the option of downloading the data to your Google Drive or Dropbox.  I use this for nearly all of my tests as well as for exit tickets or quick quizzes.  There's a free version for the first 100 scans, but the full version is only $9.99 in App Store.  Believe me, it is totally worth it!

Google Apps - (Web and Apps)

I've been addicted to Google for years, and now that Docs, Sheets, and Slides are available as Apps, I've gotten even more use out of them.  My campus hasn't quite gotten all Googly yet (I'm working on it!), but I still love using Google Drive to share documents with my coworkers and parents on my website. I create exit tickets and classroom sign-ups with Google Forms. It really just makes my life a little easier and more paperless.

Reflex Math (Website and iPad app)

One of my goals this year is for my students to become fluent with their math facts, especially those multiplication facts!  Reflex Math helps me to do that while my kids have fun at the same time.  They beg to practice their facts and are really showing growth with the games and fast action quizzing.  I'm able to track my students' growth with my teacher account and see which facts we need to focus on.

There is so much more I could share, but I need to go prepare for our Science Fair experiment.  We're doing a little something with forces and motion...can't wait to show you next time!

Have a FANTASTIC day!

We Wish You a Mathy Christmas (New Year's Edition!)

Technically it's still Christmas since my tree is still up, but since I finally get to return to work tomorrow, I thought it was time to update the blog.  I wanted to share what my kids were up to before we left for break so we can get ready to rock 'n roll into the new year.

We spent the majority of our time working on multiplication concepts and practicing different strategies for recognizing solving multiplication problems.  Then the students practiced by creating their own story problems and representations.

Multiplication Strategies Anchor Chart

We also learned about multiplication and division fact families by creating some lovely mistletoe (saw this on Pinterest of course!) I randomly assigned multiplication facts, and the students created the fact family on the leaves.  The berries in the middle show the numbers in the family.

The students really enjoyed playing Multiplication War to help with their math facts.  I know this game is going to be a regular part of my Math Workshop rotation!

We also spent one day participating in the Hour if Code.  This program is used to expose students to computer coding in a fun way.  The students spent time in the computer lab solving coding puzzles based on Angry Birds or Frozen.  It was amazing seeing the students completely engaged and helping each other.  Many of the kids continued to work on the iPads during workstations and found an activity where they could program their own version of Flappy Bird.  Here's some pics from that day:

One of the things I really love to do with my students around the holidays is origami.  We made these fun origami picture frames and used them to decorate our class tree.  I used the pattern and directions from the book Origami Math by Karen Baicker.  

Although I'm not looking forward to my alarm going off early tomorrow morning, I am excited to get back!  We'll be making some goals for the year, working more on fact fluency and problem solving, and begin division concepts.  It will be an adventure!

Even Santa showed up in my class! :)

Have a FANTASTIC year!

Getting a Grip on Graphing

It's the week before Thanksgiving, and we've been thankful for the cooler weather, especially during recess!

Last week we learned about representing data using dot plots by surveying the number of people in our families, creating a frequency chart, and then graphing on the number line.  We used a bingo blotter to create the dots (the kids LOVED that part!).  The students then practiced with a partner by rolling dice 20 times, collecting the data and creating their own dot plots. (Find the activity from Math Adventures on TpT here.)

Our completed dot plot

Rolling the dice to create dot plots

We're also wrapping up our weather unit and practicing our graphing skills at the same time. The students have been collecting weather data on a selected city for three weeks using accuweather.com.
As a class, we created a pictograph, bar graph, and dot plot for our hometown data:

 Then the students created graphs for the cities they researched.  Here are some of our examples:

We used our data to make conclusions about how geography affects weather and looked for trends over time. The students have worked hard and learned a lot during this unit, and are ready to continue our adventures after Thanksgiving break.

I am so thankful for my sweet and fabulous students!  Can't wait to see what other amazing things they do this year.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Weathering Addition and Subtraction

What to do on a rainy Wednesday - write a new blog post of course!

A new quarter is upon us, and we are beginning our unit on Weather, starting with a review of the Water Cycle.  We worked together to make an awesome anchor chart to remember our vocabulary, then kept it going with the "Water Cycle Boogie" (see video below, you won't be able to stop singing!).

With Halloween last week, we spent our workstation time practicing our addition, subtraction and place value strategies with some Halloween Math Centers (from TpT).  The students enjoyed collaborating with each other to solve word problems using strip diagrams, classifying numbers by place value, and practicing addition and subtraction algorithms and mental math strategies.  Here are some of our third graders working and learning together:

We ended the week by reviewing modeling part-part-whole word problems using strip diagrams:

The students then used those strategies to create comic strips illustrating an addition or subtraction problem.

The students had a great time sharing their stories, and are becoming fantastic problem solvers!

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Time Flies in Third Grade!: Our First Nine Weeks

It's hard to believe that we have already made it through our first nine weeks of third grade!
We've accomplished so much, but I'm also looking forward to more adventures to come.

Here's a look at what we've been up to the last few weeks:

First, we finished up our experiment on the effects of the sun's energy called "Sun Prints."  We each cut out two handprints using construction paper, then hung one inside away from direct sunlight, and the other handprint in the window where it would receive direct sunlight.

Two weeks later, we took down both handprints, then compared and analyzed the changes that occurred.  Here are some of our results:

While we were busy reviewing our solar system research, the students created models of the solar system to present in class.  Here are a few of their "out of this world" creations.

In math class, we've started off our mornings doing our Daily Math Practice to keep all of our skills sharp.  The students are starting to become great problem solvers and are working on explaining our answers to the class.  We are also learning A LOT from our mistakes!

We finished up our numeracy unit by reviewing rounding strategies, working on place value workstations, and playing an awesome Kahoot! review game before our test (Click here to give it a try and see how much you know!)

Rounding Anchor Chart

Place Value & Numeracy Kahoot!

In our second nine-weeks we will be continuing addition and subtraction strategies, and then get to work on multiplication!  In science, we'll be studying weather and the water cycle.  With both subjects, we'll continue to work on becoming better problem solvers on our adventures together.

Have a FANTASTIC day!