Photo Gift idea for Parents of my Students

An idea came to me for creating a gift for parents of my students. I wanted the gift to fit with the tech theme we have going on, in my BYOD, 1:1 iPad, 4th & 5th grade combo classroom.

I had students email me photos of themselves, in black-and-white. Then students made iMovie trailers with content all about themselves: what they like at school and outside of school, what they are thankful for, what they look forward to at the holidays. The student-made iMovie trailers were then saved on their iPads (iMovie Theater), and students reinserted the saved trailers into a new iMovie project, creating a voice-over on their trailers.

The final trailers were emailed to me. I saved them on my camera roll. I inserted the movies, individually, in a new iMovie project, and saved each one on YouTube under "unlisted". Then with the links to the movies, I created QR codes. The QR codes were saved on the camera roll as photos.

The student black-and-white photo and matching QR code for the individual student iMovie trailer, were placed together using the piccollage app. The pictures were printed, using my printer in my classroom, on photo paper. The 5 x 7 photos were each placed in a picture frame.

I tested if the QR codes worked, using my iPhone to scan the QR codes inserted in the student photos. The codes worked!

The end products were amazing!

Programming (Hour of Code)

My students went to the computer lab this week, and for the first time tried Hour of Code. 

We all tried to program the moves that the angry bird would make to get to the piggy in a maze.

It was thought provoking and fun for the students.

Then students showed me, later in the week, about computer programming for Minecraft through Khanacademy. 

Parents are asking me about good programming software to purchase at home for their children who are very interested in the activity. For now my answer is those two programs. I'm sure I'll have more discoveries just around the corner, but for now Hour of Code and Khanacademy are pretty good sites to explore!

iMovie Trailer Voice-overs

A reason to go back to the CUE conference every time, is that even one good idea gained (and there never is just one) is so worth it! This week I implemented an idea from CUE, about student-made iMovie trailers with voice-overs. I told students to make an iMovie trailer about something they have learned in Social Studies, from the first trimester of school. It could be any portion we have covered; their choice.

First I showed the students how to make a trailer, beginning with choosing the template theme. Then I showed them how to fill in the outline and storyboard for their Social Studies trailer. Next was plopping photos and videos into the storyboard, then watching their trailer, and saving the trailer on their camera roll.  This was the first half of the process.

Now students opened a new project in the iMovie app, and instead of clicking on trailer, this time they clicked on making an iMovie. The first video clip to chose from, was the trailer they had just saved to their camera roll. They plop that into their new project, and now can do a voice-over explaining their Social Studies topic. 

The results are professional, and limited to a minute long since all of the trailer templates in the app are about a minute.

My idea then was to have students save their voice-over projects to the camera roll and email from the camera roll to me. A huge surprise came when a student told me, "Look, you can email it from the app itself!" Ah...kids...they teach me something everyday!

Apparently a new feature on the upgraded iMovie app is the ability to email the project straight from the app, to who you want to send it to. I still will save all my movies to unlisted YouTube, but since students don't have YouTube (it's blocked) this IS a way to share their creations using the iMovie app.

To top it all off, you get a couple of students who catch on with one explanation, and they become my helpers, instructing other students about the steps described above. When it all comes together, and projects are presented, it's a beautiful thing!

Not Paperless Yet

When I was planning for a BYOD 1:1 iPad classroom, I was looking forward to the concept of going paperless! Three months in to the school year, my big surprise is how much paper is in my room. My classroom printer is in use constantly. Maybe it's all in my head, the idea that I need to print out student work that is turned in online. I'll monitor my progress this year. I want to stive for less paper!

Loving utilizing the iPads for academic tasks! Motivation is high, learning is enriched, quality of schoolwork is enhanced!

How to Convert My Instructional YouTube Math Videos

I find humor in the fact that I made a video today about how to convert YouTube videos to mp4 format. I'm in the thick of the time when I was exclusively making iMovies for instruction a year ago about math for my fourth graders. As I attach links of instructional movies to my PlanBook.com lesson plans for my combo class(4th and 5th graders), it is clear that my students won't be able to open the movies on their student iPads.

To remake 227 instructional videos would be too time consuming, so the solution is to convert the movies I have to a format my students can watch.

Luckily I got some help with learning how to convert the movies, from a district office technology person, or I would have been stuck with figuring out how, or searching for the answer, or remaking the movies.  Thank goodness I got her help!  I'm sharing the movie here, in case someone else finds themself in the same boat. I feel like I'm in a boat with a paddle now. :) http://youtu.be/9Qpk2qNKYsU

http://youtu.be/9Qpk2qNKYsU

Minecraft and Other Apps Suggested by my Students

It's a beautiful thing to have a fourth grader plug her iPad into the projector and instruct the class about various apps she is suggesting.  I feel like I'm back at the CUE conference, taking notes about what she is saying!

The current super high interest app of my combo 4th and 5th graders in my all-iPad class, is Minecraft. Students are creating worlds(on their own time at home) incorporating science and social studies worlds, including vocabulary concepts learned in class. I am just blown away when a child asks to plug into the projector to share. I'm asked if I want this app (Minecraft) purchased for the school iPads. My first response is no, because the app appears to not be academic. However, my students are creating and presenting worlds that are academic.

In addition to Minecraft, there are other student suggested apps that I am thrilled to learn about. Here are some. We ran out of time today, sharing apps. "Can I go next? Can I go next?" is the cry I hear from my students wanting to share what they know!

How is it going with BYOD?

I guess I'm being asked to tell another school how it's going with BYOD in the 4-5 combo classroom so far. What are the advantages and drawbacks? It took some doing, but I've written a summary to prepare what I'd say. The attached photo is just the intro of that summary. Highlights include some amazing creativity and initiative on the part of the students as a result of being able to utilize the devices and apps. A disadvantage could be that the screens can crack if you run with an iPad in your hand, and fall on the ground on top of it (on the way home from school)!

Overall, a BYOD/1:1 iPad program I'd recommend; a real way to motivate students, and an excellent tool as we switch to the common core and 21st century learning.

Reading and Tech Buddies

We have reading buddies at our school, where an upper grade class reads for about half an hour a week with a lower grade class. Although my fourth graders have been paired up with a kindergarten class every year, this year as a combo 4-5 class, we are reading with a second grade class. 

What has changed is that this year all of my students have iPads (BYOD), so instead of bringing books  every Friday morning for Reading Buddies, we are bringing our iPads.

It's an awesome thing to see, when older students are teaching younger ones how to make Educreations videos for math word problems, creating stories together, and making QR codes for the links to those videos. Maybe we should call our weekly meetings "Tech Buddies" instead!

Amazing CUE

I'm at the two day CUE conference in Napa, and am getting so many amazing ideas. I can't wait to implement them! Tomorrow I'll be speaking! Can't wait. My presentation will include two movies with ideas for using iPads in the classroom, trailers using the iMovie app, my audience joining my Edmodo page, following my PlanBook.com plan, making an iMovie and making an iMovie trailer.

At the end of the conference I know I'll be making a summary movie of what I've learned. Just when I think I know it all, I see there is so much more to learn!

Today I was in Nepal

Today my students and I were between Lobuche and Gorak Shep taking in the 360 degree gorgeous view of snow covered mountain tops. This was a surprise, since we had been in the middle of a lesson about tundra ecosystems using the Nearpod app: reading information about tundras, taking polls, quizzes, viewing tundra videos and slideshows. Suddenly, on one of the slides, there was a link to 360cities, and we were transferred to another place.  Students stood holding their iPads slowly at first, looking in all directions, walking in all directions. Moving the iPads helped them see the full view of the breathtaking views of the mountains of Nepal. It was amazing!

It Seems Like Wonderful Luck

It seems wonderful and magical to receive a movie made by a student, about an educational topic, using the Educreations app. When the instruction starts to resemble my own instruction, I know that someone has been listening to me. It's a happy day when you realize someone, a student, really hears you, really listens over time, internalizes that kind of dialogue, and uses it themselves to formulate lessons.

It just seems like the most wonderful luck to be a teacher in these times!  

A Movie a Week

Every week I'm making a movie for the parents of my students. I pick up the iPad to film when I get the thought in my head, "Oh my, this really looks good!  This is really working!" 

Students are engaged, working hard, and highly motivated using their iPads. In the movies I describe the activities in math, writing, social studies, science, and reading that 4th and 5th graders are working on. Parents get a sneak peek of being inside our classroom. I know if I had a child in a pilot BYOD iPad classroom, I'd want to know what was going on. 

I have had tremendous support and positive feedback from parents. Like them, I am so proud of how responsible their children are behaving, showing good digital citizenship. Learning is enhanced using these devices. So cool!

Geoboard and Educreations!

Oh, I'm liking this! Geoboard app combined with using Educreations app for teaching geometric shapes! Nice!

http://classtechtips.com/2013/10/02/app-combo-educreations-and-geoboard/

Using Keynote to Present

I had a little time on an airplane this weekend to start planning what I'm going to say at the CUE conference in Napa this fall. I'm speaking for an hour.  There are about a hundred speakers a day. I want my one hour to be spectacular! What would that look like? 

It's going to take a great deal of planning. 

So, I opened an app I frankly have never used before: Keynote.

It's PowerPoint with flare and variety. If I'm there in person, at the CUE, asked to speak in person, I can't exactly make a movie and just push play (as much as I want to do that!)

When I applied to be a speaker there, I included a lot about iMovie making in the outline of my application. I said I'd make a movie and a trailer, in front of the audience. My example movie will be called "CUE in Napa" and I'll include the audience in the movie! Before that though, I'll have to cover as much info as I can, as much as I know, about the ways I've used iPads in the classroom. 

It's a mighty task! I'm pretty thankful to have Keynote to organize my thoughts!

A Movie for Sub Plans

Well, today I had a substitute so that I could attend school meetings all day, and yesterday while making lesson plans for my sub, I included an iMovie. Rather than go into written detail about where a hidden key is, and where homework plans are posted and where teacher's editions are, and where iPads are, I put all of that information on film. It's only 2 minutes long, but I feel it was necessary and informative. I emailed the movie and plans ahead of time, and I just think it was so much easier then the way I used to make the plans!

Homework Print Out Only

Oh, so convenient; modern technology is really helping me out today!

Homework can be printed and sent separately using the PlanBook.com site, without retyping? I was just getting ready to rewrite the whole homework plan for the week, but now I don't need to!

Ahhhh! And it's so pretty too. :)

CCSS and Learning Targets

I'm attending training about learning targets and common core state standards and the shift in education. It's a good year for me to push myself toward these changes, as I am challenged teaching a combo, all iPad classroom.

My response to training is to make films on the iMovie app, synthesizing and making sense of what I'm being taught.

As we are asked to write targets, now there are levels for those targets required. Making these clear with our students should help them with focus on our lessons!

BYOD is cool!

BYOD is cool! I'm piloting an all iPad (4-5 Combo) classroom with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) as an option. I studied all summer preparing myself to run such a program. I have various apps being utilized for all subjects. As much as I prepared, I couldn't know really what it would be like, until I was in it! It's awesome! Why? Because the device itself, the iPad, is so motivating to students.

I'm only three weeks in, but I can see there's no going back for me. I will always want to have an all iPad, all device, classroom.  If I can, I will; if they'll have me.

Some highlights so far have been:

1. Noteability app- Students define vocabulary for social studies and science, can highlight and annotate on their definitions, and can voice over, reading their own definitions to themselves, play back their recordings as a way to study for their weekly quizzes on those words!

2. Subtext app- I can use my library card to check out ebooks and push those out to student iPads. I use audio books in conjunction so that students listen to the recording as we are reading The Secret Garden, currently. So cool!

3. KidBlog- specifically using this to blog about science! Wonderful!

4. Edmodo- so far I'm using Edmodo to push out my lesson plans to students so they can click on links to my instruction lessons. I've created quizzes they are taking on Edmodo that are immediately graded for me. 

And that is just the start of it. I'm like Alice in Wonderland, peeking through the looking glass. This is a super cool place to be!

Keep Calm App

Never heard of it until today, when a girl in my class emailed me this! Yes it needs an apostrophe but I just love it!

Converting YouTube Videos

A sudden change for me was the realization that the 350 or so instructional videos I've made using the iMovie app and saved to YouTube on "unlisted", can not be see on student iPads (in my 1:1 iPad, BYOD 4th/5th grade classroom). I can show them in a presentation format on a projector, but students have YouTube blocked.  This new discovery has allowed me to feel a gamut of emotions, with the final one being a relaxed calm after learning how to convert the lessons to mp4 format.

Soon I'll be making a movie called "How to Convert YouTube Videos to mp4 (so that students can watch them!)" or some title like that.  I am thankful for learning how to do this, from a technology district office person, who walked me through the 12-step process by phone, as I moaned and complained. Now I sigh, knowing the movies weren't lost, and that they will be seen by my students!

PlanBook.com vs. PlanBook App

PlanBook.com and PlanBook app are two completely different entities. I started the school year using the app, thinking it was the same as the website. After contacting the app owner because I had questions about why I can't register on the app so my plans can be saved to different devices, I realized there are enough disadvantages on the app to make a switch over (this means starting all over). Even though the answer given was to save the plans in Dropbox, after attempting to do so, there wasn't enough space in Dropbox to accommodate the app plans (even after dumping old photos and files out of Dropbox).

PlanBook.com takes different formats for links and saves the plans by letting the user register. Lesson plans can be emailed and printed.

I need to organize my lesson plans this year because I'm teaching two grade levels, all subjects, at the same time. It's a 4th and 5th grade combo class. The advantage of organizing the plans is just that, to be ready and organized, but also doing the hard work now will help me in years to come!

Subtext- Push Books to Student iPads

Wow! Subtext is a great free app! With a library card I can check out a book from the library online, create a class, and push out that same book to student iPads. No need to purchase class sets of novels any more! 

Recycling for Charity Challenge Based Learning Project

An engaging and meaningful project idea came to me, like a light bulb in my head.

It was after watching a teacher from India speak at a computer conference. Her project each year is for her affluent high school business students to plan and implement a bazaar where they buy and sell goods. The profit is then turned over for the education of under-privileged children in India and for technology for those students's classrooms. Fantastic!

My idea is to do a recycling for charity project with my class this year. Students can collect cans, bottles, and once a week take those to the recycling center. The money collected each week from recycling can be tallied, saved, and donated to the charity group (I have one in mind!)

A group of students can go with me to deliver wish list items to a needy family in the local area.

In Science we study recycling, and I thought tying this concept in with doing something nice for others might be...nice!

What does success look like?

"What does success look like? What are we trying to do(regarding implementing a 1:1 iPad classroom)?" I was asked these questions. Good questions. Hmmm.

We are trying to prepare students for the future; their future need to know about and use technology.

We are preparing them for ability to function in the future in the work force.

We are preparing them to be responsible digital citizens.

These were my first answers.

"What else?" Was the follow-up question.

In the Edmodocon presentations I watched, a note was made about quality of work improving, when students know their work will be posted and shared. 

So, we are working to improve student quality output in their work.

"Is learning enhanced by using these devices?"

Yes, I believe so.  There's a whole web to utilize for research purposes.

Opportunities for creating projects on any academic topics, enhances comprehension at the highest depth of knowledge level.

The devices are highly motivating to students.

I felt the need to search for answers to the above questions, even though I know this is the correct course. I found some great answers, very similar answers, after reading several articles. These included enhancing collaboration and student engagement, professional development for teachers, businesses want to hire workers who have tech skills, learning goes beyond the classroom, personalized learning, synthesizing information to create projects...thus improving problem solving and higher level thinking skills!

What will success look like this year in my classroom? Addressing all the standards and learning targets with students, keeping them engaged, motivated, and encouraging collaboration, imagination, individuality, creativity. Doing some special amazing projects, developing life long memories, providing an environment of caring, encouragement, and community. :)

Interactive Notebooks

I'll be trying something new this year with my students that I learned about at a district training this summer.  With the CCSS and Depth of Knowledge wheel becoming a focus, a pretty excellent idea given was about "Interactive Notebooks". A real structure is given to the notes that our students take. Each right sided page in the notebook are the facts, or notes presented, and the left page opposite those notes are the reflection and interpretation with colored thought bubbles and drawings. The left side sounds like the fun side!  Students personalize the notes. What do they think of the concept presented? Can they write a poem about the content given? Make a cartoon? Is this all new news, or is some of the note presentation familiar? When have you seen this concept before?

I decided to make an instructional video for students to follow when setting up their interactive notebooks. I'm taking the idea a step further, and asking students to make a virtual copy using the BookPress app on their iPads. The My ScansPro app can be used to scan into PDF form, the template pages for table of contents, index, and all the notes and reflections they take during the year.

The Book Press app gives an option to print and purchase completed student made notebooks and books. 

Can't wait to see how this all pans out! I suspect the students will enjoy the Interactive Notebooks!http://youtu.be/Dgx-uG_tCaY

Blog for blog

Had a nice little surprise today when I saw that Edmodocon presenter, high school English teacher, education blogger, Kate Baker, quoted my blog on her blog.  A really cool blog entry quoting two of my blog entries about Edmodocon and the movie I made about the event, were included in her post. She made reference to me speaking at CUE in Napa in October and attached a link to my blog page. This is a first, being quoted on another blog!

   Looking at Kate's blog I am struck by the title: "Baker's B.Y.O.D.--Bring Your Own Device, Dog, & Deconstruction of Literature"...what is 'Dog' about? 

Scrolling through her amazing posts, I saw one about the PAWS (Pets Assisting Willing Students) therapy program she started at her high school.  What an amazing idea to have therapy dogs roaming the hallways of a high school, attend classes with students, and be available for a hug and a pet!  There was a real need at her school for this type of program, and the results have been tremendous.

This post showed just one facet of the creative, amazing ideas that Kate has utilized with her high school students.

The information that Kate shared as a speaker at Edmodocon last week, was innovative and informative, regarding use of technology in the classroom.  I'm sold, and will follow her blog religiously! :)

http://kbakerbyodlit.blogspot.com/2013/08/edmodocon-guest-post-1-l-monge.html

Edmodocon iMovie

I had to do it! Had to make an iMovie synthesizing the massive amount of innovative information shared yesterday at Edmodocon! Here it is!

http://youtu.be/qbDs4et3hOo

Edmodocon

Yesterday I woke up about quarter to 7 in the morning, opened my emails, and saw this reminder that Edmodocon would be starting at 7:00 a.m. Since this was my first time experiencing Edmodocon, I had zero expectation or thoughts about what it would entail.

I tuned in right from the start of the live stream program, still in my pjs. Little did I know what I was in for...the day was filled with some of the most amazing speakers!  Some were educators, some technology specialists in their school districts, some Edmodo staff. These people speaking were from all over the world, and Edmodo had flown them in for the event.

As each person shared the ways they had utilized the Edmodo site with their students, a code was given out to the audience to join that person's Edmodo page, with all the videos, ideas and handouts included on that page. In real time, we, the audience, commented and asked questions on the Edmodo page and on the live stream.  It was a real collaboration!

I watched the presentations on my iPad. I took notes on my iPhone as each speaker shared their amazing ideas for using Edmodo in the classroom. Although I used Edmodo last year with my students for communication, sharing videos, and flipping the classroom, there are polls, assignments, quizzes, school planner features I need to add to my repertoire.

I will be making an iMovie of what I learned and saw yesterday! Amazing!

I'm going to the CUE

Just got some really nice news, that I've been selected as a presenter at the fall CUE conference!

I have a lot to share, and by that time I'll have even more to discuss!

So many ways to utilize iPads in the classroom! 

ItunesU & instaGrok

Oh my, a really nice little suggestion made to me about itunesU has opened my eyes to new discoveries. Why reinvent the wheel, when there are some awesome lesson plans, links, attachments already out there in cyber space. It's a matter of taking the time to review the information, making sure it has the content I want presented to my students.

 While surfing through the course info offered on iTunesU, I saw a great writing piece for fourth graders, incorporating nonfiction (Science) into the writing curriculum. Here a suggestion was made to add the Edmodo app called instaGrok, which is basically a search engine/topic mapping site. I plan on doing the Animal Writing project the first two weeks of school with my class. Attached is the assignment, that is taken straight from the iTunes writing for 4th graders course. Also, see the picture of story map that popped up when I typed the word "sharks" into the instaGrok search window. I like this creative writing topic and how it incorporates science. 

Info for Parents

Every year I write a Back to School letter of introduction for parents about my years of teaching, details about the school year, and school supplies list.  This time I decided to put all of those items in an iMovie so parents can watch and listen instead. I included a list of apps this time too (see previous post of mine with app suggestions if I were to have a 1:1 iPad classroom). I hope hearing my voice emphasized my enthusiasm about the school year ahead!

SchoolTube

Oh nice...SchoolTube.com

I'm having a good time typing in academic topics, and finding student and teacher made videos on SchoolTube.  Then I copy the links of videos I would like to show my students, and include them in my PlanBook app lesson plans!  There's an option to have my own channel on SchoolTube, and I have a lot of instructional videos I've made that I could share.  I guess that's next! What a discovery! 🎬

If My Students Each Had an iPad

I'd have a wish list of steps to take and apps to utilize, if students had their own iPads in my classroom.  I think this list would be a good start on working towards having a paperless classroom!  Most of these are free and they're all my faves. :)

Popplet Lite

I can see using this Popplet Lite app for students making flash cards and increasing vocabulary in any subject area.  It's a free app. Popplets can be saved in the photo library and emailed.

I think this would be a fun way for students to study!

My Scans Pro app

Oh nice discovery regarding apps last night!

I'd like to have students do homework at home, but scan the homework, so they don't have to carry any of it in physically.  As we grade their homework, they can annotate corrections on their electronic copy in class. The app lets you save into the Evernote notes app, but can also be saved just in the My Scans app itself. 

I noticed the scan of a document using this app, is more clear than say a photo copy would be. I can read the pages easily.

I also have a personal reason to use the My Scan Pro app, as I wrote a book back in the ages of floppy disks. Currently I only have a paper copy of the book.  It looks like I'm able to scan each page and put the book into a digital copy that I can annotate and email, now. Looks like I won't have to retype the manuscript.

Nice.

Making plans for the school year ahead

Well, for many years I've been teaching 4th grade math and students switch from class to class. In other words, we departmentalize.  This has been awesome as we (teachers) can really hone in on our subject of expertise. During those years of math only (some years coupled with science), I got a MS Degree in Education, Mathematics from Walden University's online program. I love teaching math! Each year I announce that this year the students will like or love math more than when they came into fourth grade. That is my goal. It is a glorious thing, to see that actually happen before my eyes.

With the addition of 6 iPads last year, I also taught some technology innovations. It was probably my favorite year of teaching, and after 26 years of teaching, what a wonderful place to be and feel.

     A huge paradigm shift has occurred for me now, in that I have been asked to teach a 4/5 combo class this coming school year. My expertise in teaching math will be helpful. Thank goodness I made instructional iMovies, Educreations movies, ShowMe movies regarding fourth grade math...because that is one of ten subjects I'll be prepping for this year.

     Each day of summer so far, I've made at least one instructional video, and I'm making lesson plans on the PlanBook app I discussed in my last blog post. I'm starting with 4th grade math, and 5th grade math. I'd like to plan the whole school year, all the lessons, this summer. That way, when I start the school year I'll feel really ready. With the implementation of iPads in the classroom, it will be possible for one group to watch me talk on a video, while the other group hears me talk in person.  It WILL be possible to teach two lessons at once. Amazing!

     Besides all of the instructional videos I'm making, I'm getting lots of ideas from my teacher pal who also enjoys talking tech. Pinterest and Edmodo are places she's directed me to, and where I've found info on teaching combo class, and on paperless classroom possibilities, and tech! 

     Each year is the best year I've had teaching, and it's probable that the one ahead will trump them all!

     

PlanBook app

 Changed my mind, and now iLesson Plan app is out, and PlanBook app is in!

PlanBook costs more ($9.99) as opposed to the $2.99 fee for iLesson Plan, but after trying both (well, after trying about 8 different apps for lesson planning), PlanBook is best.

I need an app that will let me write multiple plans, include links that can be attached in those plans, emailed and opened by the recipients.  This was the only app that accommodated all of those requirements. Also, the display is nice (color coded) with weekly schedule and plans and links all included on one sheet. I'm really relieved to have found the answer to my question I've been pondering for days!

Oh, it also can push back or move up assignments, based on how students are doing, or if there's an unexpected assembly/schedule change, and that one subject needs to be moved. How convenient.

Some new app discoveries today

The wheels are spinning in my brain about having a paperless classroom in the fall! Wow, so many possibilities! 

First of all I have a teacher pal who is an expert on all things iPad! She needs to have a blog and speak at the CUE conference!  This gal sends me pins she sees on Pinterest about technology and having a paperless classroom. Well, she sends me pins about teaching in general also.

(As an aside, I'm having a little trouble getting "into" Pinterest, including not quite understanding how to create and repin correctly.)

Anyway, today the Pinterest I was sent by her was titled, "103 Interesting Ways to use iPads in the classroom". Wow! I got so many ideas. The five new apps I added today are:  Sling Note, Sound Note, Voice Thread, Stick Pick, and Book Creator (book press).  The Book Press I can see using for student writing where students compile their essays in a book, and can email and even order a hard copy when finished!  Sling Note has a picture import feature, ability to handwrite and type text and email.  Sound Note I can see using to take notes during a meeting, and include a voice over with the notes!

     My goal now is to get better acquainted with Pinterest, where this one post (or is it called a pin?) had so much information!

iLesson Plan app

A new discovery for me yesterday was the iLesson Plan app.  I'm so thrilled because I can put iMovies, Educreations movies and ShowMe movies into the lesson plans I'm making! It's crazy that I'm working on these now, however I'm teaching a 4-5 class in the fall, which is 10+ preps vs 2 preps (that I've been doing for many years).  I've taught math only or math and science, so to switch to teaching all subjects at two grade levels sounds like a lot!  

So, back to the iLesson Plan app...

I'm thinking I can email each math lesson each day to the student iPads, and the students can follow the lesson plans including watching the instructional movies, reading follow up pages in a reference book, doing journal pages, playing math games.  

Since I haven't taught social studies for example, I can write up a plan that includes movies I can find, say on Father Serra and missions on Teacher Tube or YouTube and attach them to the iLesson Plan plan for that day.

So my goal is to plan for each day, all subjects, from the first day of school until December. If I can do that, I'll feel ready to start the year, and have a fighting chance at enjoying my summer!

Two days of meetings...Two iMovies made

Surprised to hear I was attending two days of meetings at our district office about CCSS this week.  With school just getting out for summer break, I was all charged up for sleeping in and maybe a jaunt to the beach.  Instead went to the CCSS meetings, took notes (on the iPad notes feature) and short video clips and still pics (using the iPad) of what was going on around me in the meetings.

Both days I went home, plopped the footage into the iMovie app, watched it back, added text to some slides, and edited. With background music added, I saved the movies on YouTube (unlisted-meaning only those I send the link to can see it), and forwarded the movies to the district office leaders.

I know, in order for me to share the information later to the staff at my school, that I'd forget most of the info if I didn't make an iMovie of it all!

Two 6-minute movies summarize what the relevant aspects were for me, in analyzing and synthesizing the information. The content included feedback, learning targets, and collaboration ideas to be utilized with our students in the coming years, with the advent of implementation of the common core standards. 45 states are making these changes to the common core.  

Now I'll go stick my feet in the sand for a while!

Math Carnival

The last week of school we had an in-class math carnival. This is an extension of an activity already described in the Everyday Mathematics program, regarding teaching probability and chance. The example given is a board of 100 squares. 1 square is yellow.  What are the chances of dropping a cm cube on yellow? Students give answers like 1 in 100, or 1%.

Then a suggestion in the teacher's manual says: Have student make up their own games and have a carnival where students play each others' games (or something to that effect).

So, for several years now, I have saved this math carnival idea for the last week of school, and the students LOVE it!

I give each booth 50 carnival tickets to start, and each individual child gets 40 tickets. Students create a variety of games involving spinners, ball toss, bowling, cube drop, horse shoes, card games, dice throws, and write rules for playing on a poster. To play a game, tickets are charged, and the prizes are the tickets.

At the end of the carnival, all tickets are placed in a giant bowl and a drawing of 20 names is done for prizes in a prize box.

Watching 85 fourth graders play each others' carnival games, taking about chance and probability, is a beautiful thing to see!

In-class Math Fair

For two weeks our fourth graders worked on an in-class cooperative grouping Math Fair. Just completed on Friday, with the culminating activity being that students solved each other's interactive worksheets and games, I can say looking back that all groups succeeded!  Each day the groups got a folder with tasks to complete, so that targets were known and met.  Groups were provided display boards to display their math topics, examples, written reports, and interactive activity. Then each group gave an oral report to the rest of the class on their topic, teaching the concept to the class. 

This time around, students were given the option of filming their presentations and showing the film of instruction to the class instead of a live talk.  Some groups opted for filming; some did not.

One girl said her game she created was so involved, that she wanted to film herself giving the instructions, and leave the iPad sitting in front of her display board so that other students could just walk by and push play to see how to play the game.

Overall a meaningful experience for students, and yes I made a 3 minute iMovie of the Math Fair. So fun!

An idea

Someone made a suggestion that I try to be a presenter at the next CUE (computer using educators) conference. I seriously hadn't thought of it before that, but I certainly have had quite a year using a lot of apps with students and having students create projects, in particular making iMovies. I'd discuss Educreations, Edmodo, Kidblog, QR code creating, and flipping the classroom.  Student made movies and teacher made "how to" movies could be shared. Making an iMovie using clips of the audience, right in front of them, including editing, saving and sharing, could be part of the presentation. 

Just filled out the application!

Sharing a QR scavenger hunt idea

I'm asked to share a lesson idea to fellow teachers, and show them Apple TV in use in class. To accommodate two grade levels of teachers, I made an end of the year QR code scavenger hunt activity. The requirements are generic enough at each of the seven question QR code stations, that all students can attempt the questions given. The end activity is to compile all the question answers into an iMovie or videolicious movie. Just finished making the codes. Next I'll print and laminate the codes for the other teachers to take with them.  I think the students will love the activity reflecting on their school year!http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/qr-my-year-scavenger-hunt/7643899/?s=eNdjA0&ref=app

Organizing my Videos

So cool. I just figured out today how to organize iMovies I've saved on YouTube. There's a playlist feature and I put the movies into categories so now I don't have to scroll through ALL of them to find what I'm looking for. I've got my math instructional videos, the different classes movies, holiday movies, reading class movies. Since I'll have parents coming in to watch certain movies from different classes, it will be so much easier to find what I'm looking for as an audience waits and watches. So convenient! Modern technology!

Movie day

We have made so many movies this year in fourth grade that we literally could watch them for hours. A parent of a student of mine, asked if we could have movie night at school, serving popcorn and treats to watch student made and teacher made iMovies and educreations videos.
This was a great idea! Tweaking it a little, I'm having a movie day, where parents can come in during their regularly scheduled child's math time (an hour for each class) and watch the movies! We will have treats too! Doing this at the end of May. :)

iPad centers today

An idea came to me to send a math review lesson via email to our student iPads today. Students were grouped according to ability, and worked together to solve problems. They opened the link to the lesson and went at a pace similar to each other within their group. I was so impressed with the cooperation and quality of the review. I, naturally, made an iMovie of all three math classes working. Very cool to see an idea implemented, and work so well! It was a good day!