Dear Staff, I want to start by stating good luck with you parent-teacher conferences this week. I know these last two weeks have been extremely busy for you. After scheduling a SMART Board workshop for next week, I would like to reconsider the dates. So, I wanted to reschedule the training session for the week of November 5th. I know this is election week, but I would rather interfere with the Presidential Election than parent-teacher conferences. This gives us an additional week to signup for the third SMART Board workshop (Week of November 5th). Take a look at what you can, and come back to the rest by the end of the week. How can we use these tools or resources to integrate technology within the classroom? Blogging If you are interested in engaging online writing, I would like to encourage the use of a blogging in the classroom. I suggest using Kidblogs with your students. It is fairly easy to use, and it is easy to moderate student posts and comments. The following resources can help you get started and spark ideas for your own class. A lot of the sources apply to older classes, but we can always adapt these ideas to fit the lower grades. For instance, Kindergarten could create an ongoing podcast to post to their blogs with associated images. In addition, there are apps for blogging. So, K-2 you can blog with the iPads or the computer pods. Please book a time with me if you are interested in setting up a class together. We can connect classes across the district if desired. Getting Started with Blogging Resources • • • • • • •
Kidblog Support Page by Kidblog Learning to Blog Using Paper First by Karen McMillan, 2010 8 Tips for Blogging by Lisi Gopin,2012 14 Steps to Meaningful Student By Pernille Ripp, 2011 Five Reasons First Graders Would Rule the Blog World Why Students Should Blog-My Top Ten By Pernille Ripp, 2010 How to Start a Blog by Tracey Gardner focused on using Blogger
App Resources Because we have our iPad carts for K-2, I would like to share a few resources associated with locating educational apps. Primary teachers don't forget to use the Google Form to submit requests for Free Apps. Purchased apps will be evaluated and the number of purchases will be figured for each cart. Depending on an apps educational value or monetary value, the number of purchased apps may be limited. • • •
App suggestion document App list Wiki WeWantApps - This app might allow you to locate education apps for the iPads.
Websites •
Wordle - Word Cloud Generator Transform text into visually pleasing word clouds. Sample teacher ideas: analyze main idea, make predictions, revise essays, book reports. For more ideas and suggestions go to this site: 38 Interesting Ways to Use Wordle in the Classroom
•
Lino.it - Sticky Note/Corkboard Website LinoIt is a fantastic collaborative, organizational, and brainstorming tool. I like that this tool is simple, versatile, and interactive. LinoIt can be embedded in blogs and websites or shared via web address. Also, LinoIt does not require a student login to participate. Here are some additional online resources discussing LinoIt: Free Tech 4 TeachersLinoIt, Using LinoIt for Class Discussions, and Student Collaboration with LinoIt
Word Games • • •
Sentence Unscramble: Spelling City A free resource for idiom instruction Word Work Websites -- This source has a lot of web-based activities for primary grades.
As always, I would like to thank and praise a few people. First, thank you to everyone for allowing me into your room to review the cart guidelines. I really felt welcomed into your rooms. Next, I want to praise a few teachers for working hard on integrating technology. Several teachers have been booking me on a regular basis, and I think they need to be mentioned for their efforts. Audrey Retzlaff has been working with since my first day at Oak Hill. She and Wendy Wright regularly book me for ideas on using digital tools for learning. Gary Stout is another teacher that regularly books me to discuss using the SMART Board and other applications like GarageBand. He has me booked weeks in advance, which I suggest everyone to do the same. At Three Creeks, I see Kassie Hanger, Allison Wright, and Karen Darnell fairly regularly too. Thank you and book me when needed! If you would like to discuss how to use these devices within certain content areas, we can begin to discuss MacBook or iPad usage. -- Dan Gibson