Friday, February 7, 2014

iPaddling through Week Two

Wow..Week two of being a 1:1 classroom and, it only gets better! My third graders are soaring and have accomplished so much with just four days of school this week. 

First a shout out to two of our district coaches +Ann Feldmann and +Brent Catlett!  Thanks for all your help this week!  Our model in Bellevue for technology and 1:1 classrooms is simply the best!

Like in my previous blog, my students are becoming experts at iTunes U and Notability!  They have been using these each morning with our district math curriculum and their daily language review.  I started using the GroupMaker app to select students to display their work on reflector and share with our team. It keeps my students on their toes because they never know when their name will be selected and there is always a possibility of a student being selected twice.  The quality of each student's work has tremendously improved!   


 


Notability Tips +Ann Feldmann  shared with Me
Notability tips:
Use the wrist guard so you don't leave marks on Notability pages.
Use the tap, tap and hold to create movable text boxes.
Use the graph paper to line up math problems. Great for fractions and using graphics to help solve fraction problems.
Kids love the magnify.


App Smashing

For our reading vocabulary words this week my third graders became App Smashers!   They used Tellagami to create characters and background screens to explain and use their reading vocabulary in sentences.  When they completed their work they put it into iMovie.  We did encounter some difficulties with Tellagami this week, but they are working on the problem to fix it.


Kaitlyn sharing her new vocabulary words!


Social Studies

For one of our district essential objectives in Social Studies, third graders research and write a paper on George Washington.  My third graders created a slideshow using Explain Everything to show what they learned about George Washington.




Spelling
Another app my third graders used was Keynote.  They used this app to write their spelling sentences and find or create pictures to go along with each sentence.  Creativity occurred at its best.  Some students used the voice recording and other components of Keynote.

 




My third grade team also used SpellingCity to take a practice test.  When they were finished, each student highlighted in his/her planner the words they missed.  
 




StickAround

Thanks to +Brent Catlett for helping me with one of my favorite apps  StickAround created by Tony Vincent.  This app can be used in any curriculum area and I chose to try it for the first time in science.  I created a puzzle of a diagram of an ear to be labeled to help students review for an essential objective test.    My third graders loved it, but also found it very challenging!  This app was just recently updated and here is a video of the changes.  You can design and create puzzles for any curricular area.  You can also share what you created with teachers from all over the country.  I will definitely be using this app a lot!




         


My Third Grade Team is still Going Strong!!!

eduClipper

On Thursday, Brent Catlett not only stopped by to help set up Google Drive, but introduced my third graders to eduClipper created by Adam Bellow.  My third graders and I love this!!  It is a perfect way for students to create, clip, and share their work in digital portfolios. My third graders have already started adding educational sites to their folders that tie in with our district curriculum.  They clipped the science review they completed in StickAround, and they also clipped information they will be using in social studies.   Attached you will find an awesome post from a district colleague who is also using eduClipper.   +Jennifer Manning's post explains it all.....


 





Skitch

Our tech coach Ann Feldmann introduced my students to Skitch on Friday, and we had a blast! There are so many ways we will be able to incorporate this app into our district curriculum.  

 


 





One of the things I was most excited about this week was getting my student's Google Drive set up.  Coach Cat helped my third graders on Thursday, and it couldn't have gone smoother.  On Friday, Coach Feldmann set up Google Workflow and GClass folders with my students.  My third graders needed little help from either of us with Ann's guidance and directions. 


Accountability and Goggle Workflow on the iPad
My tech coach Ann Feldmann is the Best!  Today she worked with my students and me to set up Google Workflow with GClass Folders.  Below +Ann Feldmann  explained the purpose and benefits of Google Workflow in the Classroom.

Google Workflow on the iPads


Setting up a Google Workflow with GClass folders is awesome because it automatically:
  • Creates and distributes student work/assignment folders with share settings
  • Creates and shared class resource folders
  • Organizes student work neat and tidy in Google Drive
  • Create the framework for paperless workflow
  • Core apps share either to Google Drive or publish to YouTube



As Ann stated, "the kids are folder organizing pros!"


My third grade team did an awesome job setting up folders for reading, math, science, and social studies.  They also have a folder set up for StickAround.  They are able to access their Google Drive and folders from home!  Parents have access to everything they are doing at school!  

 Video Tutorial by Mickie Mueller on gClassFolders Script.

Accountability and Learning at its BEST!










Next up.....Students will be following the Olympics, and they will create and share using Keynote!  Students will also be using the app Team USA.  
Olympics

Below is a great site for Teaching Resources and Lessons
Sochi Winter Olympics

My third graders were excited to return to school on Thursday after a snow/cold day off to find out our Kidblog Site was the Spotlight Blog of the Day on comments4kids.com. Way to go team!


Week three of iPaddling begins on Monday.  
21st Century Learning at its BEST!