Technology Bytes
March Edition
Check Me Out
Don't forget! I have made my calendar public to you all so you can see when I am open and when I am busy. You can also make an appointment using the calendar app in Google to arrange the day and time. Here are directions again on how you can do that. Check Me Out.
New Students
When you need to access to our online textbooks for your new students, we will need the following information:
- First Name
- Middle Name
- Last Name
- ID Number
- Birthdate
- Gender
- Grade
Thank you!
IS Rooms 3214 and 3116
Don't forget! If you want to use one of the empty classrooms for an activity, you need to check them out on the calendar, just like any of the other resources!
Great Drawing Site
This website has how-to-draw videos that students could try. The artist actually draws with his own children in the videos so it is easy to follow along. They are anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes long. There is also drawing videos for children under the age of 5. The videos could maybe be used in a center or as an indoor recess activity? I'm not sure, but it was just too good not to share it.
Adding Links to Websites on an iPad
Are there websites you use often on the iPads with students? Instead of having students type web addresses, you can set up a "short cut" that appears on the screen of the iPad like an App. Follow these directions on each of the iPads you use:
iStory App
iStory is currently offering free accounts to teachers. This is an app that has many books that students can choose to read or have read to them. Usually there is a monthly subscription, but currently offering a free account to teachers. If you are interested, click here to get the information on how to do this.
Prodigy
Prodigy is a free, adaptive math game that integrates Common Core math (1st-7th grade) into a fantasy style game that students absolutely love playing. Prodigy takes game-based learning a step further and provides teachers with a powerful set of reporting and assessment tools that allow them to easily identify trouble spots, differentiate instruction, and better manage classroom time. Prodigy has recently expanded its content offering to include skills that align to the Math Florida Standards (MAFS) and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). As a web-based game, Prodigy can be accessed at school and at home on virtually any device. - Description taken from Richard Byrne's blog "Free Technology for Teachers."
Technology Spotlight
Below is an example of an activity that Melissa Lesser did with her 4th grade class. They worked in partners to create a Venn Diagram about the story King Midas. They used Google Draw to create the Venn Diagram. The words were created using text boxes. Google Draw is another app in the Google suite available to students and teachers. If you remember AppleWorks, Google Draw is very similar to AppleWorks Draw.
Click this link to checkout a 1-2 Multiage student explain how she knows that 46 is less than 64. She used the camera app to take pictures of her props and then used an app called 30Hands to do the voice over. The student then uploaded her video to the class padlet page that Colleen Mooney had created. The padlet page is shared with the parents in her classroom so parents can also see the students' work.