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!

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!

First Week Adventures

Even after 15 years of teaching, the first week of school is still the most exciting and the most exhausting time of the year.  I meet these new, sweet faces with their brand new supplies.  The cubbies are ready, the books are counted, and off we go!

We started off with a graphing activity looking at how the students would be getting home.  We made a frequency chart then graphed our results together both as a pictograph (using SoftSchools.com) and as a bar graph which became anchor charts in my classroom:

In our next lesson, the students surveyed their classmates about their favorite things (pets, music, books, food, etc.). They had to make a frequency chart, graph it, and create three questions for other students to answer about the graph.  I modeled questioning with our class's graph using sentence stems as a guide.  I think they turned out well, and I got to break in my Pinterest-worthy bulletin board!

For our first Fun Friday, we brought out the iPads to do some Kahoot! quizzes and practice our digital literacy skills and responsibility.  We did a quick quiz on what they've learned about me, then we did some math review on addition, subtraction, and place value.  The students really loved this activity and I plan on using it for some future assignments.

Next time, we'll be getting into some science investigations to practice using our science tools, as well as more numeracy activities.  I'm still getting to know my kids, but I think I'm going to enjoy my time with them!

Have a FANTASTIC week!

How to NOT Attend a Conference - #notatiste14

At last week's TCEA Tots and Technology, I learned so much.  One thing I learned is that you don't always have to be at the convention to learn from it and connect with other educators. So this time, I decided to try virtually attending ISTE, which is held in Atlanta, Georgia this year.

Here's Mrs. T's Guide for NOT Attending a Conference

Step 1:  Find a conference you want to go to, but for some reason ($$$) can't make it and learn the hashtag on Twitter (#ISTE2014)

Step 2:  Search Twitter for others talking about the conference and discover that there are others like you that can't go, but want to learn together. Follow them! If you're lucky, there will be someone that is way ahead of you and has created a Google+ Community - JOIN! (Thanks @jenwagner for setting this up!)

Step 3: Pick up your virtual badge:

Step 4:  Find the schedule for the live broadcasts on TeacherCast and watch over breakfast with your cat - Katie is a VERY important part of my PLN (Personal Learning Network).

 

Learning with @cybraryman1 and @TeacherCast

Step 6: Check the schedule and continue connecting with and following others both at the convention and not at the convention.  Favorite and/or Retweet comments that interest you. Presenters often post links to their presentations on Twitter, Google Docs, or Slideshare.

Step 7: Relax and enjoy NOT going to a convention, but still finding great new resources and meeting new people.

Now this is nowhere near a complete list!  I'm still a newbie at a lot of this, but at least I'm trying and putting myself out there and will have some great ideas to use in my new classroom.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Blogging at the Beach - TCEA Tots and Technology

Summer Learning, Had me a Blast!

The best thing about being a teacher is having summers "off" to do professional development with friends!  Luckily, I live an hour from Galveston Island where TCEA put on their Tots and Technology Conference this week.  I'm also lucky enough to have a friends that will invite me to share a hotel room with them (Thanks MJ!) so I can go to a conference with a view like this:

 We started the conference off with our first use of tech integration: tweeting our selfies to #TCEAtots:

Tweeting selfies with MJ

I might not use Twitter that much with my 3rd graders, but it is an excellent way to keep up with the latest education news and share (within limits) with parents.

The next two days I spent going to some amazing sessions, learning new ways to use technology with my students and in collaboration with other teachers.  Rather than list everything, I'll just give you a link to my notes that includes some of the best links:  TOTS and TECHNOLOGY 2014

I also posted several to my Pinterest Board - Follow Amanda's board Tech Teacher Tools on Pinterest.

This conference was perfect for my goal to become more prepared and organized for my new classroom this coming school year.   I already have several ideas for beginning of school and ways for my kids to effectively use iPads in the classroom.  The best part of this conference was that is was very hands-on, so I got to make my own example for the perfect "Get to Know Me" Google Drawing activity:

Get to Know Me w/Google Drawing

Lastly, no conference would be complete without door prizes at the end.  Well, I actually won something this time!  I walked away with a copy of Goodnight iPad (a parody of Goodnight Moon) and a stylus shaped like a Crayon (I think my nephew would enjoy that!).

My Loot!

Next time, I'll continue to work on my organization and planning and share my progress.

Have a FANTASTIC day!!!