Tech Thursday

I wanted to share how we are using Protopage as our Class Page, but I think I’ve already done that too much. 🙂

So I’ll go with QuizStar 4 Teachers.

I’ve only used this website twice, but I’m loving it so far. I don’t give a lot of multiple choice tests in my classroom this year. They create mostly- just simple things.

However, when you do need to create a quiz/test that’s either multiple choice, true/false, or short answer- the place to go is QuizStar!

You create the quiz, assign each question a point value, provide the answer key AS YOU’RE PUTTING THE QUESTIONS IN, and then assign it to your class. Boom! Done! It will grade it for you!

You will first need to set up your students in your class and give them their username and password. Doesn’t take long at all.

Have you ever used something like this???

Changing our mindsets about technology

Technology is here to stay in our world, and we need to embrace it in our classrooms. Here’s an article with some tips for teachers who use technology-or actually who teach students how to use technology. 🙂

http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/12/17/ctq_tolley_tech.html?tkn=TSNFC4jLP9RIKSbFJR6HfMGqCCU7coKtkPCf&cmp=ENL-TU-NEWS2

Padlet vs. Lino

I’ve been thinking about padlet all year- actually since I used it during the national writing project this past summer. But I just haven’t figured out what to use it for and how to use it.

Still tossing it about, but now that we are a 1:1 classroom ( did I mention that already?) :), I’m thinking it’s much more possible!!!

Then someone thought in the Lino site. Have you heard of it?

I did a little searching- not too much because I’m rather tired- and found this comparison chart that someone had made.

Here’s the link to this pdf comparison chart:

http://static.squarespace.com/static/50eca855e4b0939ae8bb12d9/t/51ab957ee4b03d75a85a54f8/1370199422166/Padlet-Lino.pdf

Still don’t know which one would be more user friendly or beneficial.

BUT- very excited to try both of them out at some point!

1:1

Did you notice my title is 1:1?? That’s not a typo! My little 6th grade classroom is now a 1:1 classroom. We have a computer for every student!

A student’s family, who is involved with Winshape Homes, has made this happen!! From the bottom of my heart- THANK YOU!

I cannot express my appreciation enough! This is like a dream come true. Oh, the possibilities of what we can now do are endless.

We got them in the middle of the day today, went to lunch, and the kids were in then this afternoon. They entered all the product codes to set them up.

We gave mobymax.com a run for their money today. By the way, mobymax.com is WONDERFUL!!

We don’t have a system in place to house this many computers, so we have them spread around the room right now.

Aren’t they lovely?!?!?

Evernote Lesson Planning

I think I’ve finally decided to use Evernote for my lesson planning!

This includes my actual lesson plan template that has to be turned into administration AND my resources.

I like being able to type up my lesson plans in the format that I want and not having to fit it into a particular box which is why I opted not to use any of the lesson planning websites.

As for resources, I looked at live binders (it’s just not my cup of tea), Pinterest isn’t file friendly, and educlipper-although visually pretty- didn’t cut it for me either.

SO- Evernote it is!

Here’s a screenshot of my lesson plan inside a note in Evernote:

I copied and pasted the text from my word document template into an Evernote note. It went all whacky with my boxes, so just the text got copied. Then I inserted tables in Evernote to separate my subjects.

I FINALLY figured out how to duplicate the note so I can just use the same template over and over like I was doing with my Microsoft word template.

I’m so excited! Now if I want to make a change to my lesson plan, I don’t have to have my laptop. Sweet!!!!

I won’t admit how long it took me to research and play around with it today to get it figured out. Because then you would think I’m stupid. And I like making y’all think I’m smart. 🙂

Now for the fun part- working on some notebooks in Evernote for my resources!!

What do you use for your lesson plans and resources??

EdCamp Atlanta 2013 “again”

Remember how my last post said I was tired and just couldn’t crank out a long post? Well, guess what? 🙂

It’s not that I’m tired-it’s that I have PROCRASTINATED once again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just finished cooking supper, hubby doesn’t leave for work for another hour, and I HAVE NOT DONE MY LESSON PLANS OR GRADED PAPERS YET! Just shoot me. Well, maybe not. 🙂

So this is the deal. I’m just gonna share my evernote notebook with you that has all of my messy notes that I took at Edcamp yesterday. If I can figure out how to do that within this blog post. If you see the link, then you’ll know it worked. If you don’t see the link, then you’ll know it didn’t. 🙂

Oh, and you have to have evernote on your device to be able to view the notebook. I think. 🙂

https://www.evernote.com/pub/shannonjoe/edcamp#b=b89e6ce1-0dda-4bd1-b51d-68f5d3671642&st=p&n=567b04ca-2a9b-4f45-a179-827cb23ec4c0

Hopefully you can view this mess! 🙂 And I think (if I understand correctly) that you don’t have to be logged into evernote to view??!!!??? It would be lovely if someone would send me a comment about that. 🙂

Have a great week!

EdCamp Atlanta was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Apple TV – Oh yeah!!

Yay!! My Apple TV is finally working- after much reading, thinking, researching, questioning, etc.

Now I just have to figure out how to make the sound louder through my projector since I don’t have an actual TV.

I used my iPad today to review some math on the showme app.

Then my students presented their slideshows on light years from the iPad. So cool!

App full of awesome!!

Best invention since sliced bread. And I love sliced bread. 🙂

REMIND 101

Have you heard of it? Your parents can sign up to receive text messages from you.

Great things about it:

1. Parents won’t see your cell phone#. This I don’t care about because I give my parents my cell#. 🙂

2. You can send 1 text to ALL of your parents! Love, love, love.

3. You can schedule a text message to be sent at a later time. LOVE!

I am in love with this app. I mean I still love my husband, too, but…

So far I have 11 out of 17 parents signed up for it. Hoping to get 5 more in the next week-1 parent has no cell#, but she works at our school so she’s already in the loop. 🙂

Go NOW to REMIND 101 and sign up today. Your life just got easier. You’re welcome. 🙂

 

National Writing Project-Day 3

Day 3 of the National Writing Project

GET READY!!!!

We had our journal share time. Rodney did a simple power point summarizing what we had done on day 2. Rachel created a crossword puzzle, and the border was made using Tagxedo so the words in the border were the same ones used in the puzzle. Then we completed the puzzle. Which was fun. 🙂 Discovery’s Puzzle Maker looks like a good site to make the puzzles.

We went to an AWESOME Core Academy workshop on integrating technology into the language arts classroom. The presenters were 2 teachers here in Alabama who I am already following in the blogging world. How neat is that? I finally got to meet some cyberbuddies,  Cara at Teaching My Calling and Farrah at Think Share Teach. Their session gave us A LOT of websites to use in the classroom. A LOT. 🙂

Here they are in no particular order:

Edmodo: like a facebook for teachers and students. There are 2 parts to it-professional and students.

Spelling/Vocabulary City: you can put your spelling lists into this site-has lots of activities

GoGo News: news on the students’ level

FCRR: lots of literacy resources

Livebinders: an online 3 ring binder for organization

Fakebook: can create a “fake” facebook page

Pics 4 Learning: Royalty free pictures

Trip Wow: turn pictures into slideshow

Clay Yourself: make your own avatar

Build Your Wild Self:create a funny picture, then write about it

Wimp Yourself: make a diary of a wimpy kid image of yourself

Class Tools: timers, name generator, etc.

QR Stuff: create your own qr codes

Toondo: create a cartoon

Fluxtime: create animation

Voki: create an avatar-add sound

Prezi: jazzy presentations

Now that you’re probably reading this 17 days later after visiting all of those fantastic sites…..

We also went to a workshop about Challenge Based Learning-very unique kind of learning. The students actually completely drive the  instruction. The teacher presents a guiding question and then becomes a facilitator throughout this process.

During our reading, researching, and writing time in the afternoon I did some reading on Ralph Fletcher’s Writing Workshop. Loved this book and got lots of great insight into the writing workshop with some stuff I want to make sure I implement. The only thing that I can’t really grasp is the idea of so much choice during an hour of writing each day. Anybody out there in the upper grades use this method for writing?

I’m thinking that I will definitely do:

mini-lessons, lots of writing time, conferences, small groups, response groups, peer editing, share time

I also wrote a poem to be turned in Thursday (the next day).

OBSESSIONpoem1

I LOVE writing poetry. Just found out this year that I like to write it. May not be good at it, but still like it. 🙂

So there you have it-Day 3 of the National Writing Project!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

It’s All Pinteresting!

Need something to do? Want to get lost for hours at a time with no recollection of how you got to where you are? 🙂

Check out pinterest. But make sure you have your beverage of choice (Diet Pepsi, silly!), some good snacks, and your very own pinterest account ready for action!

My pinterest boards “might” keep you busy for awhile. 🙂

Let me know if you find anything useful. Or if you just had fun wasting time!

Do YOU pin?