Special Edition: Thanksgiving Issue!
of s k r o . w o t in c style s e r t u M os a i c i p ry the a n i d r wn in o e ng is sho a h c ill icture w t tha loud p p p a rd c a m s ri ing wo P e t th nksgiv u o k a c e h C t! This Th ar
m .co e dl r o W t u ko c e Ch
s! d u lo c d r o w st a f nd a n u f r o f
TIS & THAT VOLUME 5 ISSUE 8
IN THIS ISSUE: CANVA, 5 APPS FOR READING, CO-TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY AND MORE!
Canva is a FREE site that makes graphic design easy & accessible for everyone! What can you make? With canva you can create posters, social media posts, newsletters, web graphics, blog images, infographics, flyers, and more.
How can you use this for your school? Use these tools to advertise school events, to create professional looking graphics for newspapers, to enhance your school website and social media, and to create professional images to promote the core beliefs and mission of your school. Canva is also a great tool for making fabulous bulletin board visuals.
How can you use this with your students? Canva is an awesome alternative assessment for students. Students can use it to show what they've learned through the creation of posters, infographics, or flyers. They can also use it for extra curricular activities and promotion of student events. This is an excellent tool for student councils and clubs.
Examples of Canva creations:
Got Books? 5 Awesome Apps for Reading
Today’s students aren’t as interested in reading books as they are reading Facebook statuses or Twitter updates. With Thanksgiving break fast approaching, let’s encourage our kids to read outside the classroom. There are some new apps available that might be able to capitalize on the students love for their cell phones and tablets to get them reading more. Here’s a few of them:
Epic! Unlimited Books for Kids Epic! Is an eBook library offering unlimited access to over 15,000 children’s books including readtome, audio books, comic books, and graphic novels. There are two versions of Epic! (both on the same app): Epic! For home use and Epic! For educators. Epic! For home is $4.99/month with the first month free. Epic! For educators is free to elementary teachers and school librarians. Teachers can assign books and track individual reading progressions. The students receive badges and rewards while reading. Students are given personalized book recommendations and can read books offline. This app is recommended for students 12 and under. Available on Android and iOS devices.
Hooked- Chat Stories HOOKED lets you read short stories through a text message format. You click to receive one message at a time. There are many different “channels” to choose from. You can even write your own stories —individually or with friends! It is designed for the iPhone. You can get one story free per day or get a weekly subscription for $2.99, monthly subscription for $7.99, or a yearly subscription for $39.99. The only downside of the free story is that you can only read so much before you have to wait 35 minutes. It’s a great way to get students reading. It is recommended for ages 9+.
Wattpad- Free Books & eBook Reader Wattpad – Free Books and eBook Reader Wattpad has a directory of free books that you can read online or offline. While you read you can comment your thoughts through text, emoji, and emoticons. The apps algorithms will also give you personalized recommendations of stories to read. You can connect with social media, sharing what you’re reading through quote art. You can write your own stories as well. It works with Android, iOS, and Microsoft devices. You can sync all your stories and eBooks between your phone, tablet, and computer. There are inapp purchases available. It is recommended for ages 12+.
Thumbnail Theatre: Macbeth Shakespeare’s plays are a tough subject for many students to read and understand. This particular app allows you to move through Macbeth with over three hours of interactive material. You get anecdotes about the life and times of the play and its characters, a 9 minute animation video, and the complete book. There are three learning modes: Self Guide, Watch Me, and Guide Me. Self Guide allows you to move through the information on your own while Guide Me directs you to certain information relevant to that part of the book. It’s currently available in the apple store for $4.99 and recommended for ages 9+.
Middle School Confidential Series Based on the actual print book with the same name, Middle School Confidential is a graphic novel app that follows the adventures of six friends surviving middle school. The app has movielike sound effects and music which is enhanced when zoomed in. The stories deal with many issues that middle schoolers face including selfesteem, stress, friendship issues, and peer approval issues. You are able to jump easily to the beginning of any of the eight chapters and your place is saved automatically. The books are $2.99 each and available on iOS, android, and kindle fire devices.
Collaborating, Co-Teaching
Making it all work...
& Technology Co-Teaching: Icing on the Cake (or whipped cream on the pumpkin pie) Form relationships with coteacher Play on strengths of each individual Add that extra ingredient: Take Risks and Grow! Mix it Up! One Teach One Support, Parallel Teaching, Alternative Teaching, Station Teaching, Team Teaching Technology: Plan with the aid of technology – Office 365 Tools The Starch to Hold *Becomes better with time and preparation! Things Together
Recipe for Collaboration Collaboration: The Gravy Train to Real World Experiences Students collaborate with peers (inside and outside of school) Students collaborate with professionals and experts in their fields Teachers collaborate with colleagues Teachers seek resources from professionals and experts in their fields *May use facetoface meetings or electronic communications such as email, blogs, Skype, or Facetime.
Possible ingredients include: iPads, Computers, Projectors, Interactive SMARTBoards, Etc. Choose an appropriate spice: Apps, PowerPoint with Office Mix, Excel, Sway, Word, iMovie *Caution, overloading of ingredients could result in flavor loss. Content: The Meat of a Good Lesson Hearty slice of strong content Sprinkle with theatrics to taste Infused with assessment *Will take prior prep time!
Meet the Authors TIS Cohort 16-17
Katie McDonald is the Media Technology Specialist at Petersburg High School in Grant County. She also serves as the choir director and teaches Dance and 8th grade music.
Sarah Malone received her Master’s in Elementary Education from WVU in 2012. She currently works in Mineral County at Frankfort Middle School as a Mathematics and Gifted Teacher.
This Thanksgiving,
Karri Hitt is currently the Media/TIS at Bluefield High School in Mercer County. She is also the Esquire for Princeton Elks Lodge #1459.
UNPLUG!
We spend so much time on our screens with work and play. During the holiday season, make sure to power down and spend time enjoying your family and friends.