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!

Perimeter and area

A day before testing began, I had one day left to review any math concepts from the year, and what do I decide to do? Took each math class out on the field and had them line up shoulder to shoulder, the length of the side of the rectangular shaped field (the base), and then the other side of the field (the width).
Since I only had about 26 students per class that day, the children kept moving down the line, to form new parts of the line, to cover the entire base and width of the field.
At first I made them hold hands so they'd stay in straight lines, but then they got the hang of what we were doing and just followed each other making up the new parts of the sides.
Our results were that it would take 764 students standing shoulder to shoulder, to make the perimeter of the field at our school covered.
Next we found area by multiplying the base X the height, and found it would take 32,760 students standing shoulder to shoulder to fit on the inside, in the area of the field!
I hope the students remember the difference between area and perimeter now!

Harlem PSFigLang Shake

Today we'll be finishing off my little Harlem shake video where I'll include all the students in the dance, intermittently between interviews about prefixes, suffixes, and figurative language. Why not!?
What a way to review for state testing that starts next week! :)