Friday Feed
15-16 Sawnee Tech News Vol. 13
Give Thanks
Give thanks, attitude of gratitude, 30 days of thanks, or whatever you want to call it. This time of year is perfect for teaching gratitude and thankfulness to our students. Challenge students to take pictures of what they are thankful for this week and upload into itslearning with a caption explaining the image or start a class discussion board for some of these conversation starters:
- If you had to give anyone in the world your piggy bank, who would you give it to and why?
- Who is someone you could say “thank you” to today? And why?
You can even get silly with some "would you rather" topics and have students practice their persuasive writing skills.
Would you rather...
have the best tasting Thanksgiving dinner you can imagine with a group of strangers OR have an only okay tasting Thanksgiving dinner with your family and friends.
wash your hair with mash potatoes OR have to take a bath in gravy
have to cook the entire Thanksgiving meal for your family OR volunteer at a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving
Mind Mup
I feel like I'm late to this party, but I am pumped to try this out in class. Mind Mup is an online mind-mapping tool which can be tied to our forsythk12.org Google accounts. This will allow student creations to be stored in Google Drive. Mind Mup runs off java script, not Flash, which means it should work on student devices! Once you create a map, anyone can view it and edit it in a new copy. You can enable real-time collaboration, which then forces you to set up using Google Drive. Try using this in reading groups to map main idea and key details or use a student writing sample and reverse organize it to make sure they used all the necessary elements in their writing. Let me know if you're interested in learning more about this tool!
The Nerd's Guide to Toy Shopping
I use "nerd" in the most lovingly tone possible, considering I'm a self-proclaimed nerd. I borrowed a list created by fellow ITS, Colby Counter for you to use if Black Friday and Cyber Monday are your thing. These items support STEM. I already bought item #6 for my nephew and my STEMinions club!
- View-Master Virtual Reality Starter Pack $29.97 Amazon – Compatible with Google Cardboard
- Magic Light Bluetooth Smart Light Bulb $28.95 Amazon
- Husban X4 Quadcopter w/ Camera $35.99 Amazon – Also available without camera
- Snap Circuits Jr. SC–100 $20.99 Target
- Snap Circuits – XTreme $86.94 Walmart
- Minecraft Stop-Motion Animation Studio $31.99 ToysRUs
- Lego Minecraft Crafting Box $40.99 Target
- SnapTite Star Wars First Order Special Forces Tie Fighter, X-Wing Fighter, Millennium Falcon $19.99 Target
- Mindware Catapult and/or Trebuchet Kit $22.46 Amazon
- Howtoons: Tools of Mass Construction $13.94 Amazon
- Rubiks Cube $7.22 Walmart
- Simon $19.59 Walmart Simon Micro $8.99 Walmart
- Vtech Kidizoom Smartwatch $39.99 Amazon
- Sphero $129.99 ToysRUs
- Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad $22.99 Amazon - Available in Pink or Blue
About the Friday Feed
Betsy Paul is an Instructional Technology Specialist at Sawnee Elementary in Cumming, GA. This flyer is created to share instructional technology news and tools with teachers at Sawnee Elementary, but feel free to use and share with others.
Twitter: @BetCPaul