Technology and Learning

  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...

  I LOVE TED Talks !!  I don't know if you have ever listened to any - but you MUST!  The basic concept is "Ideas Worth Spreading."  There are SO many amazing things to hear about and learn about....the one I watched today was GREAT.    Julian Treasure talks about 5 Ways to Listen Better - who doesn't need this, right?  He says that we are "...losing listening."  I agree!  Our society is SO bogged down with noise and everyone becoming louder and louder, and we often times don't TAKE the time to listen!  And, is this something that we should be teaching our kids in school - YES!!  During the TED talk, he mentions 5 things that we can do to become better listeners: 1. 3 Minutes of Silence - we have to learn how to hear quiet again 2. the Mixer - listen to how many different channels you hear in a loud place and begin to pick out these channels 3. Savoring - enjoy mundane sounds - pay attention to them - you dryer, a fan, the per...

A+ Spelling Test is an app that students use to practice spelling words.  Every Monday, my son, Tate (yes, he's a boy and donating his hair to Locks Of Love :), comes home with this as his homework.  He has to put his spelling words INTO the app, and then he is able to practice with it all week.  There are various games that he can play with it, in addition to recording his voice where it actually gives him a practice test for the week, too! Here is a short video of what he does: This app is FREE, and a great way for kiddos to work not only on spelling words, but high frequency words, word families, or other words that you might be studying in class! Happy Tuesday, Mrs. I:)

  If you want to extend your learning beyond the classroom, then PLEASE check out iTunes U ! There are SO many choices of courses that you can browse and find information that is applicable to your class! Taken EXACTLY from the Apple website "The free iTunes U app gives you access to the world's largest catalog of free educational content from leading institutions."  Really?? WHAT. IS. BETTER. THAN. THAT??  You can actually also create your OWN course - which I have started doing.  You are given 20 GB of space to add materials, video, podcasts, etc...and you have to use a COMPUTER with a regular browser; you can NOT use an iPad for this.  Here is a GREAT link to a Youtube video called iTunes U - Part 1 which shows you initially how to set up a course and add apps.  (not sure, but it was only a mp4, so I thought you'd rather "see" if than hear it). That's all I am going to post until I know MORE about creating a course and publishing it to others. ...

   Mrs. Tonsfeldt, a third grade teacher here, asked me to create a Blendspace for her about the 2014 Winter Olympics.  Here is the link if you would like to use it: http://blnds.co/1cJ2x4A.  Feel free to share with your kiddos:)!!    She also is having the kids use the Pic Collage app to create "Olympians" of their choice.  I will post these once they are done.   She made one of herself and I DIED. LAUGHING. SO. GREAT!    Just a few ways to get the kids watching the Olympics and tracking some of the things that are going on there.  I have also posted QR codes for the Olympics on the library door.  NOTHING elaborate, but maybe the kiddos will scan them and show some interest.  THIS is when I SO SO wish that I was still in the classroom so I could do this with my kids:(!!  OH well.....hopefully others are doing some things - if I find out - I will post FOR SURE!  I am also going to make a board...