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Google Forms

Just yesterday I had to present to the 3rd-5th grade teachers in my building on how to use an interactive whiteboard projector. I broke them up by grade level and had three stations for them to visit. The first was working with me on interactive whiteboards, the second was exploring google apps and different ways they can be incorporated into the classroom, and the third was looking through the SMART exchange website to find fun activities they can use with their new projectors that are being installed this summer. At the SMART exchange group, I asked them to fill out a google form with an activity they found interesting or helpful to their teaching context. This left us with a list of different activities they could refer back to when wanting to use their new interactive whiteboard.

 

FotoFlexer Photo Editor

I used FotoFlexer to edit a photo. I take so many pictures of my students and I and it is always so frustrating that I can't post any of them to social media! But now with this photo editor, I can do it easily! The tools are incredibly easy to maneuver and saving the picture was a cake! I definitely recommend this photo editor!'

Zearn!

Zearn has been a lifesaver of a website this past year! It has lessons that go along with our math curriculum and my students love it! It has resources for teachers as well. What a fantastic tool. As a new year is beginning, many of my new students have not been exposed to Zearn. Sending out a photo that shows students how and where to begin would be the easiest quickest way to get them started!
 

Intro to Weebly

One of my coworkers asked me to help her set up a weebly website. With the school year ending, we didn't have any time to sit down and talk through any part of it. I thought a screencast video would be a great start to introducing her into how to begin and then as she works through, she can direct more specific questions to me. I had such a fun time making this screencast and am already imagining a million ways to incorporate this into my classroom community and curriculum!

Tracking Loggerhead Sea Turtles with My Maps

In our fourth grade organisms kit, one of the cool activities we do is track loggerhead sea turtles using marinelife.org. We explore longitude and latitude and put ourselves in the shoes of the scientists that are tracking these turtles. Updated frequently, the website gives longitude and latitude coordinates for a variety of different turtles (each with their own unique name). Students could "adopt a turtle" at the beginning of the unit and each day plot a point where their turtle is using the coordinates given for that day. They could each create their own map, or using the collaborative map feature, each turtle could be given a different color and each student could plot their points on one class map. That would be pretty neat to compare! A plus is the real-life experience students are getting and practicality of the activity.

Mind Mapping Vocabulary

I could see myself using mind mapping in a variety of different ways, but I think one effective way to use this tool would be in terms of vocabulary. Teaching vocabulary, especially in the disciplines, in context is incredibly important. Students need to understand the vocabulary in order to truly understand the material. If I were to use this for a science unit, I would give students a list of words at the beginning of the unit and ask students to circle the words that have to do with the topic we are discussing. Say for example, we were discussing insects. I would have words associated with insects (such as antenna, legs, ant, etc) mixed in with words not associated with insects (such as lungs, bones, gills, etc.). At the end of the unit, students will take a posttest where they not only have to choose the correct words associated with insects from the list, but also have to categorize those words using a mind map like the one shown above.