Technology and Learning

  Casey, our technology coordinator, has been meeting with kiddos and doing Hour of Code .  Students in grades 3-6 have been given the opportunity to go online and learn a little bit about coding.  THEY  ARE  LOVING  IT!!!  Check out WHY they are doing this..... NOW, check out WHAT they are doing while in there..... Their "task" is to move either an Angry Bird, or Elsa from Frozen, along certain pathways.  As they continue through and are successful, the coding becomes more difficult.  It is SO fun to watch the excitement in their faces as they actually MAKE the code correctly.  Not only that, it's neat to hear them talk about what "coding" means, and even a few have said they would LOVE to do this when they are older - LOVIN' THAT!! Here are a few more pics from the lab today....... Enjoy this and TOTALLY check it out - you will be AMAZED at how much the kiddos can do and how engaging this can be for them! I am SO S...

  This has NOTHING to do with TIES , but OH WORTH IT:)!!!  Tom Rademacher gave this TEDx talk in Burnesville and SO ENLIGHTENING!!  Please take the 9:25 minutes to watch this - you will gain SO MUCH from it:)!! I will add more about TIES either later today or tomorrow for sure - KEEP BEING AMAZING!! Mrs. I:)

  I can't EVEN wrap my mind around all the amazing things that I saw at TIES 2014 once again - LOVE!!!  When we drove home yesterday from Minneapolis, we really didn't talk as your mind is trying to wrap itself around ALL   IT   HAD   LEARNED!  Oh - it's WONDERFUL!!  Now, I realize that the presenters are bringing their "A Game," but it was SO encouraging that we are doing SO SO many of the things that we saw there RIGHT HERE IN BARNESVILLE - YAHOO:)!  Makes me feel a little successful at least!  I will TOTALLY blog more tomorrow or later today about my sessions and share the wealth - GET EXCITED FOLKS!   Have an amazing Wednesday, Mrs. I:)

  When I first saw what an Osmo could do - I was a little apprehensive.  I wasn't sure what benefit, if any, it would provide for myself or students.  However, after ordering one, I  WAS  WRONG!!!  This is SO SO cool and I can think of SO SO many ways to use it - unbelievable!  Maybe not the apps connected with it, BUT the power to create stacks to LOAD onto the app - WOW!   Here is picture of it if you have NO idea what I am talking about: So the Osmo comes with three little boxes in one.  One box is the base that you set the iPad on and attach a mirror to your camera.  The second one is a set of tangrams, and the third has letter tiles included in it.  I will explain and show each one a little more detailed below...... Tangrams - here is a picture: Once the app is opened, you simple create the picture with your tangrams that is shows.  However, here is the magic - as you put the tangrams together, is snaps them to...

  Today, Casey and I attended a Tierney Brothers "browse" and "see" new technologies that are out there!  Oh My Gosh!!  There are so FUN FUN things out there:)!!! 1. SMART Interactive Flat Panel - YES - this IS as amazing as it looks!  This is basically a Smartboard that is a little SMALLER, but MUCH MUCH clearer than the current ones we have.  It works perfectly with Smart Notebook, and does all the great things that a SMARTboard does.  You have two touch points for two users at a time and it is UBER neat as you don't need a projector!  The clarity is profound!  At merely $3500 each - it's a GREAT thing!  AND they offer a 44% discount if you do a trad in - so if you currently have SMARTboards and want to upgrade - this is the DEAL for you:)! 2. SMART Document Camera - Now, I know there are other cameras out there - but this one is SO perfect for schools and teachers that use SMART Notebook and SMARTboards.  When you either screen ...

  Teachers just KEEP amazing me and continue to come up with SUPER GREAT ways to use the Pic Collage app!  Take a look at some of these: 1. Mrs. Askegaard, a fifth grade teacher,  had her kiddos write about the adjective "Thankful," and then created a pic collage about it LOVE:)!! 2. Mrs. Parker, a third grade teacher, had her kids make a pic collage on what third grade looks like.  I LOVE these - SO creative:)!! 3. Mrs. Tonsfeldt, another third grade teacher, had her kids create Selfie Similes - another SO fun idea:)! Some more FINE FINE examples of using Pic Collage - again - creative, meaningful, and fun for the kiddos! Take care all - snowing here - UGH!!  Guess it's that time, huh:)! Happy Wednesday Mrs. I:)

    About a month ago, we received our SMART Table , and I must say it was COOL:)!!!  We immediately put it together and stuck it in a closet!  Casey and I took some time to figure it out and how all things work, so it is now IN THE CLASSROOMS and the kiddos are LOVING it:)!!  Look:    Teachers can make things within SMART Notebook, which they would use normally on their  SMART boards , but now they can ALSO put these files onto the SMART Table for MANY users to manipulate and learn!  SO SO SO SO COOL!  Now, these buggers are NOT CHEAP - at roughly $4900 you can own one yourself! So far it's been utilized and the kiddos are enjoying it - NO idea what the next step is for us with these - but it's pretty amazing to see the kiddos working collaboratively on ONE table:!) Happy Tuesday, Mrs. I:)

  We also decided that since we have Macbook Pros , and some are still not very comfortable using them, that we would try and get more on board and have mini sessions for them as well!  We went over BASIC stuff today: 1.  Using the spotlight 2. Using Air Drop 3. Stickies on your desktop 4. Downloading documents 5. Saving documents 6. Creating folder on the desktop and putting documents in them 7. Screen shots - not sure if you know these = MOST HELPFUL:)!!! Command/Shift/3 for screenshot Command/Shift/4 for screen clipping Command/Shift/Control/4 for screen clipping saved to clipboard that you can paste into document     I would like to do ONE Macbook session each week - progressing through the basic use of it to creating documents in Pages , Keynote , and "other" type of teacher created items:)!   Happy Day Y'all Mrs. I:)

  Yesterday morning, we offered a session on creating Podcasts for the classroom.  We showed them a couple of ways to create podcasts for their classrooms.  The tools we used were: Educreations Show Me!   Explain Everything All three of these are interactive whiteboards that kids and teachers can use for a variety of things.  Students can use them for basic things like showing work and interacting on, or use for creating a podcast themselves of a lesson that they learned a particular day. ALL of them are SUPER SUPER easy to use and allow you to share and/or embed them for viewing.  I REALLY like Explain Everything the BEST as it allows you to save and continue to go back and work on it without "publishing" it, which is what the other two do.  You can also upload directly to YouTube and then put the link to the video right on Schoology , which is what I have been doing with the fifth graders for math.  Either way, SUPER GREAT way to flip...

  I am not sure if you are familiar with an app called Puppet Pals Director's Pass , but it is an app that allows you to create a "puppet play" using animations, backdrops, and voice recordings.  This app is used in Kindergarten and 12th Grade - go figure, huh?:)  Mr. Krause, our social studies teacher, is the one that has asked for this one for his 12th graders.  The first assignment that they do is create a fable with it.   This one KILLED ME:)!!  I laughed SO SO hard - the voice of this kiddo is SO GREAT:)!!  Take a look:    The best thing about this app is that it is SO SO open ended that you can do virtually ANYTHING with it.  Whether it be Kindergarten, where they make little plays with sight words, color words and numbers, to Seniors that use it for creating fables and World War II propaganda projects - really endless possibilities here;)!!  AND it's on the volume purchasing for education site, so it's $1.50 instead...

   Mrs. Gross, an English teacher here, has a new class this year called Independent Reading.  The students basically read:)!! They get to choose some of their own books, but they also have to choose books off the College Bound reading list.   Various assignments complement what they have to do when they are done with a book, and one of them is creating a book review, uploading it to her YouTube channel, and then creating a QR code with that link.  They are turning out SO SO great;)!!  Here is a snapshot of what they look like:   Then - Mrs. Duval, our high school librarian, is going to take these QR codes and put them INTO the books.  That way when kiddos come to the library looking for a book, they can see an ACTUAL book review, told by an ACTUAL kid in our school - HOW NEAT IS THAT:)!!!  Just one more FABULOUS way to use QR codes in your classroom! Happy Coding Everyone, Mrs. I:) ***Here's the URL to the Independent Reading Cha...

  The app Explain Everything is EVERY bit as good as they say it is AND MORE!!!  This is ONE app that I REALLY feel is worth the cost - GET IT:)!!  It is SO SO open ended and can be used with EVERY content area!  Mrs. Askegaard and myself have been using it to make podcasts for her math lessons, which she then uploads to Youtube and links to Schoology each day - SUPER EASY!  I have been in Mrs. Tonsfeldt's third grade this year showing it to her kiddos, and was in Ms. Brown's room yesterday showing 2nd graders.  PLEASE PLEASE use this one!  We have this for every student grades K-5 and SO glad we did!  It is the GO TO app of apps!  Even Kindergarteners can do it - YAHOO:)!    If you ARE using it - here is a screen shot of a cheat sheet that I made for Mrs. Forsgren, a second grade teacher, as she wanted to post it as a "reference."  Happy Day again Mrs. I:)

  Yes - indeed - year 3 HERE.  WE.  ARE!   This year we DID hold iPad distribution nights but they were EASY!!  If there is ONE thing that has gone AMAZINGLY well for use - it would be our distribution nights - we have NAILED it in this area.  I have heard of SO many districts that don't do this.  They simply send home informational letters and parents have to try and figure this all out.  From the BEGINNING, we have been VERY precise in our expectations each year.  Year 1 the distribution night was about an hour and a half each session.  I know SO LONG!  However, the iPads were new to our district, so we went over policy and procedures, insurance fees, breakages, etc.. in addition to a 20 minute session on basic functions of the iPads.  Year 2 was the first year that we were implementing Schoology , so although the distribution nights were shorted to about 45 minutes, the majority of the time was spent on showing parents ...

   I HAVE to admit - I would have been the LAST person that would have said, "Maybe we should pilot some Surface s in Mr. Askegaard's lab?"  Well, that is EXACTLY what we are doing.  He is having his computer apps classes use Microsoft accounts with the OneNote app and all that is it capable of.  Mr. Askegaard says, "it's like Google Docs on Steroids!!!"  He has been happy with it to say the least:)!!  I must admit, it is SUPER amazing and something that works PERFECT with Microsoft Office.  The students are able to upload assignments to OneNote, and he can go in and then correct everything RIGHT THERE - REAL TIME - and the students can see.  Schoology works in the same way - BUT - it's not as easy with documents that are NOT PDF files.    Here is what the lab looks like: I was SO SO excited when I saw the purple keyboards since purple and white are our school colors - YAHOO:)!!!  Things are going well for Mr. Askega...

   I am finding out that the only REAL time I have been blogging lately is to COMPLAIN that something is WRONG!  I am happy to report that all is WELL:)!!!  Apple Configurator has been DEFEATED:):)!!!  After restoring all iPads this fall now, and repreparing them, things have been working smoothly!  YAHOO FOR ONCE!!!  There are still a FEW things that I don't "QUITE" understand, however, with a few of the apps.  GarageBand is one that has been killing me lately!  When we did the updates in August - apparently this was a FREE app that I was unsure about at the time, so when it updated, it took my codes away.  I wasn't really paying attention - so when the students go to the app on their iPads, it isn't the COMPLETE set of GarageBand - go figure!  I COULD go and delete the app - redownload spreadsheet and then reimport and hook up iPads again - NOT  GOING  TO   HAPPEN!!  The kiddos in band and choir have just...

   The year is off and running;)!!  ALL iPads are now done and have been handed out to kiddos except three sections of Kindergarten.  They are done, but we are just spending some time foldering apps for them.  YES!    Still no word on why Configurator trashed by codes?  I DID try reinstalling app with spreadsheets again - fail!  SO I will continue the madness of trying to get the codes back that I would need for some of the apps.  Should be fine, as the VPP program has already responded; as they are VERY VERY good about this!    Emails, Schoology and "other" type sign in apps are figured out and the kiddos are doing great again this year.   I will be posting our "latest" apps lists for each grade level and content area - as I will be working on this tomorrow and the weekend. Have a great one - WATCH COLLEGE GAME DAY - stationed once again in Fargo - as you will  see the NDSU Bison  - GO GREEN AND GOLD! ...

  I have less than 24 hours to get three grades ready - NOT.  GOING. TO. HAPPEN!!  Thank you Configurator:(!!!  I have ONE batch of 3rd grade left and then I only have K-2 to finish up this week.   THANK THE LORD that I have AMAZING teachers that are flexible and understanding as they will get their iPads at the end of the week - THANK. YOU!!  I ended up having to wipe EVERY iPad and prepare ALL of them in order to fix the problem!  Still not sure what it was, as Apple helped ZERO - but I found a round-a-bout way to get it done - TIME CONSUMING - but getting it to work nonetheless!!    Distribution went well.  We did things a little different this year.  We only had grades 7-12 come and get their iPads as they are the only grade without a "homeroom," so they were the only ones that got them prior to school starting.  Starting tomorrow, various grades will be coming over from the elementary school to pick theirs up.  ...

   So here I sit FRUSTRATED AS EVER trying to figure out what happened - two more days until distribution night and I have FOUR grades to finish - YIKES!!  That's right, folks - TWO DAYS!!!  Problem #1 - Configurator is NOT recognizing the apps that are currently on the iPad - I didn't figure this out until I hooked up the 8th graders - SO I am having to check all the app that SHOULD be on there and apply it - and THEN uncheck those and put the ones for this year on - TIME CONSUMING! Problem #2 - When I hook up the 9th grade iPads, which are NO different than any others, Configurator wants to prepare them again - which #1 - will delete ALL the apps on there #2 - make me have to call apple and redeem all those codes begging for more and #3 - takes MORE time as they have to be prepared and then REDONE - UGH!! Problem #3 - Apple!!!  I called them and they didn't help - UGH!!!  Now I don't know EVERYTHING - NOT  EVEN  CLOSE!  However, I hav...

WOW!!  I know I say this ALL the time as a mother, but now as an iPad Integrationist, "Where does the time go?"  We are now entering year 3 of our MOVE 21 iPad Initiative - and I can't believe how FAST the time has flown by, how AMAZING our teachers have embraced this, and how FANTASTIC our students are:)!!  Things we have been thinking about as of lately: 1. What's next???  That's a GREAT question that we really have NO answer for!  We have talked Surfaces with Microsoft, which seems to be a great fit - but hopefully will pilot this year in a lab and see for sure - chromebooks come up, but with little discussion as we have heard other districts that don't like them - and there are a GAZILLION other tablets out there - just have to find what will work for us? 2. Distribution nights - students won't need their iPads "that" much earlier than school starts since it IS year 3, so we have to come up with a plan here.  We also need to keep new stud...

   Here are a few  Padlets that I created to share with a class that I was teaching about websites that I just LOVE LOVE LOVE:)!!!  Some I have already shared, but some are new - take a look! Favorite Websites Padlet: http://padlet.com/hinniger/znlq0uk1erg0 More Favorites Padlet: http://padlet.com/hinniger/91ldgmrhro3n Even MORE Padlet: http://padlet.com/hinniger/dlx46ciibbfp Just starting points as there are SO SO many more that are out there - but these are great:)!  Still haven't gotten my Surface, but the order is in and any day now it should be here.  I will be calling on a junior kiddo to come and give me a Surface 101 - why reinvent the wheel when he already knows how to work it:)!! Happy Thursday, Mrs. I:)

   I have been hooking up iPads now that the school year is over to remove apps from THIS year grades so the redemption codes are available for NEXT year's classes.  I thought it would be easiest to do this now, so in the fall, we can purchase next year apps and continue to get them ready for next year - WELL, Apple Configurator had other plans apparently!  I keep getting the "Request Token" failure notice, along with multiple others.....can't read device, and then it will connect, can't connect device, can't restore backup - bottom line I GAVE UP!!  It's been the 9th grade ones that it has done this with - UGH!!  The other grades actually went quite smoothly - SO - I just "removed" ALL the 9th grade iPads from Configurator, so I would get the codes back, and I will totally have to prepare them, alone with the 12th graders, in the fall.  I didn't want to do this - but I am tired of wasting time trying to figure this out - UGH!!  Oh  Well!!...

   We have so far collected student iPads in grades Kindergarten-6th grade.  Today 12th graders were collected and we didn't THINK - UGH!!  We are buying new cases for these 12th grade iPads because we don't feel it's fair that the first graders have to have an iPad case of a senior that has used it for two years.  However - WHY DIDN'T WE ORDER THEM LAST WEEK!  We didn't want the senior iPads to sit without a case - so we have the seniors put them back IN their cases.  But - that means that we will have to pull all those cases off and put the new ones on - UGH:(!!  If we would have had them - the seniors could have just popped the new one on and clean the old ones at a later date!  Well, for next year we will know this now, too!  Year by year we sure learn more to dos and not to dos.  Also - we are NOT collecting the chargers of the 7-12th Graders.  They are going to be responsible for their own over the summer.  When they...

   We have been collecting iPads now for the past two days and have definitely found some that are cracked.  First we collected the Kindergarten and 1st graders and cleaned them!  Yesterday we cleaned 2nd and 3rd graders, but today we had the 4th and 5th graders clean their own.  While one of the kiddos was cleaning his/her iPad, we noticed a HUGE crack.  After opening it up, it was MORE than just a crack - let's just say probably the WORST one we have seen to date!  Clearly this child intentionally cracked it and beat it time and time again.  When asked what happened to his/her iPad, he/she said, "I don't know what happened, but I didn't kick it."  OH I DIED. LAUGHING!!! Happy Weekend - PLEASE, don't kick your iPads, Mrs. I:)

   Well, we did it!  Let me rephrase that, I did it:)!!  We actually sent a team to Microsoft (GASP), to check out some possibilities for our kiddos in two years.  SIGH.....the iPad is just not cutting it for our upper grades.  With all the word processing and things they need to do in that format, a device without a keyboard is a struggle.  Now, we DO have blue tooth keyboards in the library for check out, but kids often forget about them and neglect to come and grab them.  The visit, in my professional Apple minded self, was AMAZING!  Not only is the Fargo Microsoft Campus GORGEOUS, the information presented really feels like a great fit for our upper kids!     Right now we really have NO idea what we are going to get, but after yesterday, the Surface is definitely an option.     They have some great marketing things with Microsoft Office 365 and OneNote , that it's worth the peek!  Then.... a tho...

  Mr. Strand, the high school Principal, emailed out a note/study this morning about the importance of the TEACHER in the classroom.  It was noted that the most important thing in the classroom was the TEACHER and the relationships that are built with these amazing kiddos;)!!  Now, I KNOW it doesn't have to deal with Technology - and that's what this blog is about, right?  Well, check THIS blog out and you'll agree;)!!!    John Riley, a teacher JUST like you, wrote this...... The Most Powerful Tool in the Classroom and......I couldn't agree with him more!!!  Happy Night 'al - Mrs. I:)

  I am the last person to probably be talking about technology since I am the gurus and NERDS of the madness!  However, I was on Facebook (go figure), when I saw this post that a friend of mine reposted.  It was a YouTube Video called "Look Up."  TAKE. TIME. TO. WATCH. THIS. ONE.  It's only 4 short minutes, but will make you THINK about the time you spend on technologies; whether the Macbook, your iPhone or iPad or Surface, whatever.....it doesn't say DON'T do it - it say be "timely" when you DO do it:)!!!  Please, take the time to "Look Up!" Happy Thursday, Mrs. I:)

   We use Schoology as our LMS and REALLY like it!  We have had great success, the kids love that it's all in ONE place and not multiple websites, and it's UBER easy to use for teachers and students alike.  However - Google just announced Google Classroom which looks quite interesting.  Someone commented on there that they were able to go paperless in 6 weeks.... which is pretty much how Schoology has worked for us.  However - this might be the perfect fit for you and your school.  Check it out!! Happy Night one again - heading to Big Lake tomorrow to check out their reading curriculum - they use the Journeys curriculum, which we kind of liked and works great with The Daily 5/CAFE which we are also looking at doing! Happy Night 'al Mrs. I:)

Mrs. Justesen, a first grade teacher here, forwarded an email to me about an app that's FREE today called Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Classroom Addition .  The app looks pretty amazing and gets great reviews!!  THANK YOU MRS. JUSTESEN:)!!!  This app normally costs $49.99, so I believe that it's a true addition, as the other one says "in app" purchases and this one doesn't so I'm thinking it's the WHOLE caboodle;)!  I am in the process of downloading it to give it a try!! GO DOWNLOAD AND TAKE A LOOK:) Happy Tuesday, Mrs. I:)

I want to clarify something regarding cleaning the iPads - we don't use ANYTHING on the actual iPad but a microfiber cloth!!!  I might have not been clear with that!  We only use the disinfecting wipes and soap, etc... on the CASE!! SORRY for the confusion and thank you for pointing that out, Mrs. I:)

WHAT. A. GREAT. WORD!!!!  Again, I was reading on Mr. Aviles blog, and he invented this word "pupilrazzi" for the pictures that he takes with his kiddos in classroom teaching, interacting and just plain "spending" time with his kids.  Or maybe I should say the pictures that his students take OF him and WITH him - isn't it really about building relationship with these kiddos in our lives?  I LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. his blog post titled The Pupilrazzi: I'm Over It! .  Definitely one that ALL should take the time read - SO. GREAT! Have a great weekend - many making memories with kiddos:) Mrs. I:)

  I came across a teacher by the name of Chris Aviles, who is an English teacher in New Jersey.  His blog has been VERY enlightening for me!  He wrote an interesting blog about a Facebook site that was surfacing and I happened to read it on there as well.  It's called  What Students Really Need to Hear .  Although I DO agree with much or what Mr. Mielke says, Mr. Aviles responded with an article titled  What Teachers Really Need to Hear !  Which I ALSO found SO great!  As teachers, we DO think of students in so many ways - both of these blogs will make you "think" about your view on teaching and how you treat and interact with your kiddos!!    Happy Weekend, Mrs. I:)

  Just a few more things about the end of the year procedures that we do here.  We are going to collect the elementary iPads the Wed-Friday the week BEFORE the last week of school so we are able to use seniors, online kids, and detention make upers to help with this.  Actually - the 4-5 graders will clean their own iPads.  The Monday of the last week of school we will start collecting the other grades.  However, we are finding that the teachers WANT the students to have them almost up until the end as all their notes and study guides are on them - so they need them to study!!  MAKES. TOTAL. SENSE!  I would want my students to have them, too!  So the last week of school is pretty random.   We DO have each student clean his/her own.  Therefore, however they clean it, is how they get it back in the fall.  If they take their time, then it will be nice!  If not, then they will be getting that "unclean" one back anyways!  W...

  I am sitting back in my office working on downloading some pictures for Mrs. Askegaard's podcasts that I will start tomorrow when I hear, "I can TOTALLY fix that."  I come out to see a student doing a hard reset on an iPad of another student's that is "stuck."  EXACTLY. WHAT. I. WOULD. DO!  LOL!  Then, he went on to say, "You know, Mrs. Inniger, I think I could do your job." Sad thing - HE PROBABLY KNOWS MORE THAN I DO:)!!! Oh - the world of technology and 21st Century Learners!!! OH - I love that - Happy Tuesday night al', Mrs. I:)

     Dr. Wahl, a local chiropractor in town, was in to discuss the increase of the younger patients that he is seeing because of all the technologies that are now being used today in and out of school.  Here are the some of the things that he is seeing:     *Shoulders raised up, elbows flexed in, hands crouched in, necks down, back is bent and curved     *tension to neck and shoulders, headaches, flexor tendonitis, back pain, fatigue and stress     *not a school issue - it’s a social issue Things to think about when kids are using iPads for better postural position:     *use the stand that came with the iPad     *use an easel instead of down if your stand is broken     *stacking books would ALSO help as iPads can lean against them and kids can sit upright      The discussion then turned to, "How can we educate kids and parents?"  We thought that we...

     It's CRAZY to believe that we have already almost finished YEAR 2 of our MOVE 21 iPad Initiative - YAHOO:)!  This spring should be SO much easier than last year as we have learned what to continue to do, and what to change and maybe rethink.  Here is what I have done thus far: 1.  I sent out an email to all teachers reminding them that they need to turn in any app request by the end of the month.  The form that we used was adapted from Kathy Schrock's form.  There are a few here, but this is what our teachers need to fill out in order to request an app. 2.  Teachers also need to go through their app lists and CUT CUT CUT!  After two years of using iPads, they now have a good idea of what apps they actually USE and which ones they simple WANTED. 3.  Sorting through Apple Configurator has been a pain, but SO worth it.  When I click on ALL devices in there, I can see what apps are actually tied to a device and wh...

    We went on a trip to Mexico last week and LOVED. IT.  However, I also LOVED what I saw in the airport when we were getting ready to leave.  As we're walking to the gate to board our plane, this is what I see:     Unbelievable!  A 21st Century Airport RIGHT. IN. FRONT. OF. ME.  iPads were on EVERY table, EVERY bar, EVERY eating place - I was in Heaven:)!!  You could even order and pay RIGHT at the table - SO SO COOL!  You could imagine all the hooting and hollaring that I was doing when I saw this.  My family thought I was NUTS, along with all the other passengers, while I was snapping away with my iPhone - UNREAL:)!!  Way to go Minneapolis Airport!!     So, back to reality now - ugh!!  Just think that yesterday I was wearing a skirt and flip flops and today, pants and a long sleeve - UGH Minnesota weather! Happy Day, Mrs. I:)

   Well,  SMART Technologies   now has an app to go with all the amazing things that you can do on the Smartboards!  The SMART Notebook app is priced at a hefty $6.99 and seems like it may or may not be worth that price.  So far, the reviews are not great, but with every new app that comes out, updates come about all the time as unforseen changes need to be made as people use it.  Now students could actually create and view SMART Notebook files on their iPads - sounds pretty cool - but I am going to have to check it out some more before I judge it! Happy Weekend - have a great one - Keep. Being. Amazing!! Mrs. I:)

   I have taken over Mrs. Askegaard's "Explain Everything" lessons for math because they are SUPER FUN to make:)!!  No, really they are - but they ARE time consuming, especially for harder concepts.  I have started looking "elsewhere" to try and find some videos, without having to always make them.  Here are some GREAT video websites that I have found to be worthwhile to look at: 1. EdPuzzle - not only can you FIND videos, you can also CREATE videos here - super neat;) 2. Learn Zillion - another great site to create and find video content:) 3. Veritasium - is a science video blog featuring experiments, expert interviews, and discussions about everything science:) - I LOVE THIS ONE!!! Some recommended by Mr. Strand, one of our science teachers (most of these are channels you simple subscribe to for FREE from YouTube: 4. SciShow - more videos science related 5. CGP Grey - another science one for science minds:) 6. Minute Physics - cool physics...

     Digital Citizenship is something that I feel really gets put on the wayside in life in general - not just school districts.  It seems that the ONLY time digital citizenship comes up is when kids do something wrong in regards to it!  Why not be PROACTIVE instead of REACTIVE?  Although I KNOW that the school isn't the only place that this should be taught, when you have technologies that students are using in schools, we ARE somewhat responsible for this training.  I emailed some of the neighboring schools to see what kinds of things they are doing regarding digital citizenship.  Some have required courses, some do things in elementary school, and some, like us, are trying to find that balance of where it should go.     Minnetonka has a GREAT starting point and it's COMPLETELY FREE!  Common Sense Media was created for JUST this issue!  If you go to the link, you will find a complete scope and sequence with lessons pla...

  Mrs. Askegaard's fifth graders had to go home and once again "show" what they learned in class yesterday.  Their assignment was to identify all the eight solids and then label one face, edge, and vertex; they were able to use any app on their iPad to accomplish this.  Here are a few examples: I LOVE the butter one - KILLS ME:)!!  What a great, creative idea - way to go students;)!! Happy Wednesday to you all - I also have a Keynote to share - I will get that done today Mrs. I:)

  Now - I KNOW this is NOT your typical 5th grader.  Not all students would want to actually create and sing a song about circumference of a circle.  But, that is EXACTLY what this student did for Mrs. Askegaard's assignment.  The students had to either create a video or write a song/rap explaining their math lesson on circumference that they had learned yesterday.  Here it is: PRICELESS!!  And - what LEARNING that is taking place.  ALL the things that she had to do "non" math related to come up with this and all of the "math" related things she had to know, too, in order to explain everything - FANTASTIC!!! I hope you enjoy it - Mrs. I:)

I just want to send a shout of THANKS for all of you that have taken a peek at this blog!  We have now passed the 10,000 pageviews mark - YAHOO:)!! Look at all we're learning together!  I hope you have found this blog helpful and have gained some knowledge along the way - here's to more blogging and more learning! Happy Wednesday, Mrs. I:)

Mr. Strand's class used the app Educreations to make videos explaining their lesson on action potential.   I totally had to email Mr. Strand and see exactly what the kids had to do - he gave me a "simple" version which is what I need, and then he gave me the "science" version, which is what some of you might need:): Simple version The students had to draw and explain how our nervous system sends and receives messages via something called an action potential.  To do this they had to understand both the structure (anatomy) and function (physiology) of neurons and how they connect at a synapse.  The whole system works because nerve cells are both "irritable" meaning that they can detect/respond to a stimulus and "conductive" meaning that they can transmit impulses.  Because of these two properties our nervous system is able to sense and respond to thousands of different complex stimuli all at the same time. More complex, detailed,...

  Mrs. Askegaard's fifth graders were busy!  They had to choose an Olympian, research him/her, and then create a  Pages document about them!!  I think she said that some students also chose to use the Templates for Pages app to choose a template to follow and insert their information that way. Here is what her showcase looked like and some student examples: Just another great way to get kids using their iPads with a basic Pages template, researching and ending with a SUPER great product:)! Happy Tuesday, Mrs. I:)

Here are some MORE SUPER. FUN. ideas for the Pic Collage app: 1.  Mrs. Askegaard's 5th graders were learning about benchmark measurements and they had to show examples of them at home.  These are a few of them: 2.  Mrs. Tonsfeldt's 3rd graders had to create themselves as an Olympian - cutting around their head, finding pictures to go with the Olympian they wanted to be and then putting it all together: 3.  Mrs. Cresap's 5th graders were learning about adjectives.  They had to create a "menu" type Pic Collage that used descriptive writing for various food - NEAT!!!  Here were her exact instructions:  For your homework you will be in charge of creating a small menu for your very own cafe/restaurant! Your title will be "Appetizing Adjectives" (tasty adjectives) and you can add more to your restaurant name if you wish! Use this activity to show off your creative side and spice up and put some pizazz in your writing with ADJECTI...