As I worked with 2 elementary schools this week, I wanted to shout from the rooftops about the fantastic teaching I saw. These elementary teachers and administrators understand the need for movement, sharing ideas, and engagement in the classroom. I wish that other educators could observe the learning that takes place in these classes. I wish that colleges and universities could see the skill level of our students and the lessons that teachers are designing that fosters creative thinking and problem solving.
I liked to share some of the most amazing lessons that I witnessed this week at Welcome Elementary School and Monaview Elementary School. I saw a K4 teacher using Evernote to keep a digital portfolio about each of her students. Students used iPads and laptops to read books using Raz-kids and the HMH App.
Teachers designed lessons in Explain Everything and posted the lessons on their blogs. They were using Discovery Education TechBook to create assignments for students and posting the links to the assignments on their blogs.
Here is a sample video showing the students in Mrs. Rahn’s class compiling research about Grasslands for their Digital Storytelling Project they will create in MovieMaker. http://youtu.be/QBUxDlhYAD8
First graders were using www.abcya.com to type their spelling words and rhyming words in a Word Cloud. 4th graders were using the website: www.toondo.com to create comic strips to show cause and effect as they studied Native Americans. Then they inserted the comic strips into Word and wrote about the causes and effects of killing buffalo.
Teachers designed screencasting videos in Explain Everything to post on their blog and share via Edmodo. They captured the heart of learning. Here is a sample of a few of the digital lessons. Keep it up teachers!
I checked out abcya.com for my high school non-readers. The games were cute, but went from too easy to too hard in one grade level jump. Any recommendations for something out there to help beginners learn to read? Not my area, so I could use some help.
I enjoyed watching exactly how these websites/apps are being used in the classroom. It’s exciting to see the possibilities of how technology can be used and look forward to using them when I return to the classroom and with my two boys at home. My son would much rather practice his spelling words by putting them in a word cloud instead of writing them 3 times each.
I am thrilled by all the technology that you witnessed being shared in the classrooms! I checked out all of the links that you included in this entry and am very interested in the Science Techbook. As a science teacher, this technology looks amazing and I would love to investigate it more. Thanks for sharing!
The Discovery Education Techbook was interesting to see and read about! I think assignments that are set up this way allow for much more one-on-one interaction with teacher as the teacher then has more time to key in on individual questions/needs. I especially loved the ease of how text was translated to a different language with an option button if needed! I can see where more engagement is enhanced this way as they can go at their own pace through the lessons!
Thanks for showing different activities in action on your blog. I am trying to find different activities to do with my Resource students that will keep their attention. My biggest problem right now is that I do not have any computers or tablets in my classroom 🙁 I have a Smart Table, but it is not working right now. It is so frustrating when I love using technology and it isn’t at my fingertips yet! My son has the option to do a comic strip for one of his Reading Log assignments, so I am definitely going to bookmark toondo.com!
How about http://www.starfall.com or http://www.razkids.com?
I am so excited about how technology is being used in the classroom today. When I taught 10 year ago there was virtually no technology in the classroom. Now the possibilities are endless and it blows me away. When my children come home talking about all the different ways their teachers taught them using technology I am so impressed. I can’t wait to get back into the classroom and teach using all the great tools we now have. I love that children can now practice spelling words on word cloud instead of just using a pen and paper.
It’s so amazing to me how much technology is being used in the classroom! There are so many ways to integrate it into the classroom to help children learn, and the students are so open and welcome to using technology. There are so many things shared in this blog that are unfamiliar to me. I hope to learn how to integrate more use of the IPAD minis (especially the digital portfolio), the promethean board, and my laptop in the classroom and during small group rotations.
This was very exciting to watch and see how learning is being supported by the use of technology. I liked how the focus is increasing creative thinking and problem solving. It was really interesting to see how a “Techbook” works and the possibilities it brings to the classroom environment. I was so glad to see the children having a discussion in the video about what they had learned…they were relaxed and sharing ideas. Thank goodness I did not see an worksheets, it is good to see children learning in a more natural way.
I found this article full of a variety of ways technology can be used in many levels of teaching. I have downloaded Evernote; however, I have yet yo figure how to effectively use it. I hope to find a good balance of introducing different forms of technology: assessment, small groups, and independent work.
I agree that there is so much technology available to use in the classroom and hopefully the information will be available in workshops to teachers this summer. The only drawback is that there is so much it might be over whelming. I am not sure if there is any way to avoid that because technology is outdated I guess every day. That is motivation as teachers to keep learning and using technology in the classroom.
With how much technology is advancing and necessary in today’s world, it is wonderful to see that it is being integrated even at the K4 level. My children certainly use technology at home and are very comfortable with computers and iPads. The creativity that comes from technology is amazing. It’s been 10 years since I’ve been in a classroom and there wasn’t much then but now they have the Prometheus board, iPads, laptops, etc… I can’t wait to learn ideas to bring into the math classroom!