Boyd's Bytes
August 2016
WELCOME BACK...are you ready to Fail?
The same holds true for personal quests, whether in overcoming some specific challenge or reaching your full potential in all aspects of life. To achieve your personal best, to reach unparalleled heights, to make the impossible possible, you can’t fear failure, you must think big, and you have to push yourself.
So remember the information that we got from our "Mindset" reading. Maintain a Positive Attitude and continue to read and listen to Motivating Materials. Make your classroom a "SAFE" place to fail...AND LEARN from that failure. Failure means you have courage. Failure makes you stronger. Failure helps you learn. Failure helps you grow. Failure creates new opportunities. Failure provides answers. Failure provides success.
Don't view failure as bad luck, instead look at each attempt to reach your goals as a triumph. There is always something to learn, ways to grow, different viewpoints to see, and new opportunities waiting. So get in and have a go...fail fast and recover quickly to try again. Let's make this year the best year ever!
I use GE Focus Forward Short films a lot in my classroom...perhaps you and your students will find inspiration to pick up and try again. Take a moment to meet Jack!
IPAD BASICS
iBook & App: Congress Creates the Bill of Rights from National Archives
The National Archives has lots of great resources for students includingDocsTeach and Today’s Document. They have a new iBook and iPad appcalled Congress Creates the Bill of Rights that is now available. Both of these free resources include content that helps students understand the legislative process. They include primary source documents and interactive features for students.
Kids can tap on the screen as they flip pages and explore how the United States Congress created the Bill of Rights.
The iBook can be viewed on iPads or Mac computers and the mobile app is designed for iPads.
Cultural Crossing - http://guide.culturecrossing.net/
HOW TO LINK IMAGES TO QR CODES
1. Do an internet search to find the perfect picture
2. Right click on the picture and "Copy Image URL"
3. Paste the Image URL into a QR Generator
4. When the students scan the QR code they will be taken straight to the picture - not a website with text, advertisements or other links to click on.
TubeChop
1. Find the video you want to chop.
2. Select & cut interesting part of the video.
3. Share it with friends.
ViewPure
Getty Images
Getty Images is a fantastic app for accessing photographs on a wide range of subjects. You can type in keywords to search a database of more than 60 million pictures. It’s easy to use and full of great content.
Whether you are looking for an image to spark a discussion in your classroom, inspire students as a writing prompt, or to explore the concept of digital storytelling, this app has plenty for you to choose from. The beautiful images jump off the iPad screen and can also be projected from your device for the whole class to see.
Some sites that will help your job be easier and more effective
MathNook features great math games and activities. Always free to use and play without any membership or sign-up required. Their games/activities go from counting all the way up to basic algebra. Find games by math skill, grade level or CCSS. They also have fun thinking games that will keep the students engaged. Got a tablet or Mobile device? No problem. Just go to www.mathpup.com to play their games there.
English Central makes learning happen anywhere, anytime. They take the Youtube generation's addiction with video and turn it into a motivating, fun language learning experience. Learners Watch | Learn | Speak the world's best videos. Choose from over 10,000 video lessons, 30+ new each week, in dozens of categories. Compete for XPs and GoLive! with a tutor on demand. Free level test, and Free and Premium levels available. If you're a teacher, you can sign up as a teacher to assign and track students.
YouCreate
YouCreate is fantastically diverse software that enables both children and teachers to make their own talking products. From books to posters, calendars, and maps, YouCreate reaches right across the curriculum and is a great resource for individual or group work. http://uk.mantralingua.com/content/youcreate
Quick Rubric is an online tool that lets users easily create rubrics. Teachers can create a free account and design their own rubrics on the web. Quick Rubric gives teachers a space to create, edit, copy, save, share, and print rubrics all from their web browser. The straightforward interface lets teachers add columns and organize expectations as they design their assessment tool. http://www.quickrubric.com/
GOOGLE TIPS - CLICK ON THE BLUE LINK!
A Google A Day — A Google A Day challenges students to find very specific things online and then later gives them the answer to see how they did. It also provides coaching on which tools to use and how to use them well. They include culture, geography, history and science.
Classroom use: Language arts, math, social studies and science classes could potentially integrate the A Google A Day questions directly into their instruction. Students could do them in self-directed learning, and teachers could complete the challenges and then find ways to adapt them to their own content.
Google Forms Can Now Automatically Grade Quizzes Without an Add-on
Getting feedback early helps students learn and teachers teach. Starting today, Quizzes in Google Forms will allow teachers to auto-grade multiple choice and checkbox questions — so teachers can spend less time grading and more time teaching.
Teachers can also add review materials in the form of explanations, supplemental websites or review videos — so students can get quick, actionable feedback. Plus, teachers can get instant feedback on student progress, so they know which lessons need more explanation and what to teach next. We’ve also added a common request from educators to disallow students from sending themselves a copy of their responses.
Another Resource for IOS apps
Wrap Up...
If you need to contact me for questions/help/ideas/or just chit chat...
Email: cboyd@warsawschools.org
Website: http://thebodybyboyd.blogspot.com/
Location: 2302 Isle View Drive, Winona Lake, IN, United States
Phone: 574-265-3855
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MsBoydsLakeviewMiddleSchoolPage
Twitter: @boydwinona