Technology and Learning

These paraprofessionals work with students daily on individualized skills.  Below you can see pictures of students using their iPads for various things: One student is working on Tappy Tunes to hear and touch with her iPad while another one looks at the weather forecast for the coming week and finds out what kinds of temperatures we will be experiencing.  Here is another example of how the iPads are used daily.  There are SO many great apps that help provide opportunities and learning that might not have been possible through other means.  The ease of the iPad helps all students! Just another AMAZING way that the iPads are providing individualized learning opportunities for our students in Barnesville! Mrs. I:)

  Here's another SUPER great way for kids to create TRUE meaning of words!  Mrs. Askegaard had students create Pic Collages for their spelling words.   Students looked up definitions, wrote sentences, and then created these to go along with that.  What a neat idea for students to really "grasp" the words - not only words but a visual - kids WILL remember these:)!! I will post again later today Mrs. I:)

  So, my NEW favorite app TODAY is Voice Thread !  This app allows you to create, record voice or movie, and explain, demonstrate or create things!  I have made 3 of them already just trying to figure out how to do them and I LOVE IT:)!!!  Some of our students DO have this one already as our English department asked for it and IT IS COOL!!!  Ways that it could be used include:      1 - students could write summaries of books and include story elements      2 - while researching states, students could tell about their state and things found in it      3 - book reviews - what books they love and why - persuasive writing      4 - tell about anything - life cycle of a frog, different habitats of animals, why pulleys work      5 - use it to tell about the different body systems - what they do and what organs are included      6 - students could...

   I DIE laughing every time I see this movie or think of this part!!  A 2nd Grade teacher here and I call each other "Dori," because it seems that just when you THINK you have things going and MIGHT be caught up in one area of your life - something else takes your time and energy!  We tell each other "Just Keep Swimming!"     That SHOULD be our motto this year as many people, myself included, have SO many things to learn, do and keep up with!!  When you're feeling this way - come back to this post and watch the video again:)! JUST KEEP SWIMMING, Mrs. I (aka Dori:)

   Here is a list of Educational Sites that I have found to be useful!  Some are iPad related, and others are not, but all are good ones.  I will continue to add to and update this list sporadically as I find others sites that I feel are worth mentioning.  It is CRAZY how many wonderful sites are out there for SO many content areas - to search the Internet is SO overwhelming at times because of the plethora of information there - scary but exciting all at once!! Happy Tuesday to Everyone, Mrs. I:)

   Are students paying attention or not?  That's always a good question, but especially in a school with iPads 1:1, how can one be sure?  Students are SO fast to jump between applications, websites, pages, etc with a swipe of a finger.  You want them to be taking notes and paying attention - but the temptation is just too great.  Since we also have Smartboards, many teachers feel a little "stuck" to the board without the ability to walk around.  However - that can change!    There is an app called SplashTop that works in conjunction with a SplashTop Website  that you log into that allows you to walk around your classroom and actually be "behind" the students and watching what they are doing without losing the ability to work on the Smartboard or white board.       This app allows the teacher to walk around with his/her iPad and control the computer that is hooked up to the projector or Smartboard.  As the te...

Here's another great one;)!!   JoinMe is a website that works hand in hand with the app that allows you to show your computer screen onto the iPad.  Once you have an account created, you log in and then share your screen.  The students open up the JoinMe app on their iPad and put in the code provided to the teacher and your screen will appear on their iPad.  THIS IS AWESOME:)!  Students will no longer complain that they can't see what's going on - and better yet - have them take a screen shot of the particular sites, pages, or presentations that they might need to have for future reference!  Again, here is a JoinMe Cheat Sheet for additional help.  Keep Being Amazing Everyone!!! Happy Friday, Mrs. I:)