hOW dO yOU uSE aN iPAD iN tHE cLASSROOM

I'm excited, I'm intrigued, I'm ecstatic, I'm stumped...I just got a new IPAD to use in my classroom with my students.  I was ready, but now I need to hear from those of you that have experience using them in their classroom.  I know I can use it as another computer, but I want to really get everything I can out of my new resource so I need you!!  Please share with me your ideas on using an IPAD in the classroom.

Dana :)

Kids making MOVIES

I have a really great 4th grade class this year and I am enjoying trying different types of technology with them!  I have a great passion for anything techy so my students don't hardly have a choice, but to become techy too!  Just to start here are a few of the tech things I've implemented this year thus far

• Scootpad...love
• Sumdog...love
• Animoto...love
• Glogster...love
• Voki...love
• Kidblog...love
• Twitter...not so much love
• Edmodo...love
• Raz-Kids...some love
• Classdojo...can't live without kinda love

I have tons of things to share about each one, but I thought today I wanted to share with you the fun my students had making MOVIES.  It all started when I wanted to integrate Animoto into my classroom and get the most bang for my buck the only problem is I wasn't sure exactly how.  I. finally. decided.  I created and gave my students a rubric and step by step directions for the site and let the creating begin! Below is a video one of my students made independently for a math project.

The annoying cool thing about Animoto is it only allow you to put so many characters on each page.  My students found this incredibly annoying, but I found it to be the perfect way to get students to be specific and get in the important information only!   You should have seen some of the videos.  For one assignment they had to include vocabulary, character traits with support, setting, etc.  As the students finished we had a movie showing day where they got to present and share their movie with the class.  They were so excited and I had the best audience!  Not only did the movie producers learn more than they ever thought possible, the audience now has a list of books they can't wait to check out!  It was a WIN WIN situation.

(HINT - Animoto has an educator's account that you can sign up for.  You get unlimited videos and minutes...it must be renewed every 6 months, but it is soooo worth it!!)

If you are interested in letting your students produce their own movie I have my rubric and student directions in my Teacher's Notebook store and TPT store just click below.

I would love to hear how movie making goes in your classroom!!  

Dana  :)

Pin it to win it GIVEAWAY!!

I'm looking to GIVE AWAY my technology triple play...

from my TPT store...I will choose my winner through Rafflecopter on Friday. Enter away!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

nEW pRODUCT tECHNOLOGY tRIPLE pLAY

tECHNOLOGY tRIPLE pLAY now posted in my teachers pay teachers store! !   I'm so excited for you all to take a look and tell me what you think!  Happy shopping!

Just click on my link to my TPT store! 

Dana

lEARNING tHROUGH tECHNOLOGY

I know there are a ton of teachers out there, myself included that wonders what exactly is the best way to use technology in the classroom.  I love technology and I could use it all day, but how can I use it to help my students master common core? 

I have found that sometimes no matter how hard it is for teachers to admit sometimes kids learn the most when we facilitate instead of doing so much talking.   I had a class that needed a lot from me last year so I tended to talk more.   Wrong thing to do. .. it didn't mean anything to them.   So I decided to have them take the reins and let them be a leader of their own learning... guess what I figured out. .. ready for this. .. they did better than they had ever done before!   I gave them an objective, a rubric, and some written directions for the websites and passwords... really that's all.   I then let them go for a week and I facilitated.   I know it was had for me too!   You know what my results were though. .. my students who never wrote anything had pages and pages of notes for this project, my gifted and talented students had created final products I never could have assigned, and my in betweens strived for personal success.   If you still don't believe it I gave an assessment after a weekend and I had 23 out of 24 with 100% ♥.  Success! !! 

I know it takes a while to implement and it can be tough to handle, but you will be amazed!  

What's your favorite technology to use??  I would love to hear from your experiences!   Link up and share!

~ Dana

bEHAVIOR mANAGEMENT hEAVEN

Behavior management heaven is what I call "Class Dojo" in my classroom.  I have used it for a little over a year and am in love!  It is a great motivator and extremely teacher friendly!  I have compiled a list of how I use Dojo...and I would love to add to the list.  Have you used it please share!!

• -Focus on class management (academic and behavior) 
• -Helps keep students accountable
• -Gives immediate feedback
• -Parent communication
• -Tracks information (days, weeks, months)
• -Can be used many different ways

• Debates
• Group work evaluations
• Behavior plan
• Assigning task +1 by the students who are finished completing something
• Checklist for completed assignment
• Each point stands for a part of the writing process
• Complete and incomplete homework
• Dojo competitions among classes or grade levels

~Dana

iCLUDING tECHNOLOGY

I know I don't have many followers yet, but I wanted to share a new way that I am including technology with students.  Sometimes it is hard to implement technology...I know for a fact that having enough computers has been a great struggle for me!  We have a computer lab, but it is used for classes all day and then the library computers well we'll just say they are ALWAYS booked!!  Anyway I have made due to with my 4 classroom computers and the students are raving about it!!

Honestly technology is my love...I think and reflect on my lessons each week to see how I can involve the students in technology.  We all know that that is as real life as we can get.  Any way I decided I was going to have the students to use Voki.  If you have not heard of it basically it is a free website that allows the students to create talking avatars. 

 I made sure that I had about 4 students who were Voki experts so I didn't have to troubleshoot all by myself and they were on their way.  I put together a guide sheet, directions, and a rubric for expectations and let the students go.  SUCCESS is all I can say.  In a nut shell they were to take their book they had been reading and create a Voki on the main character.  They made the background of the voki look like the setting of the story, the voki itself had to resemble the character as much as possible, and then they had to make the voki tell a summary of the story.

After everyone had completed their Voki we viewed them as a class.  Talk about motivating, exciting, and learning all rolled into one.  We all enjoyed them so much and the students got some ideas for new books they are excited about reading.  My next step is to actually load them to our classroom wiki so that students can view them whenever they like.

If you are interested in more information about this lesson I have the guide and rubric posted on my Teachers Pay Teachers website, just click below.  I promise you will not be disappointed!!

Hint - When typing in voki you can slow down the voice by putting extra spaces between your words! (a lovely student figured that one out!)



~Dana

GlOgGiNg GlOgGiNg EvErYwHeRe

I know I have already posted about Glogster edu, but I can't sing it's praises enough!  I love to create glogs to teach from, I love to have students create individual glogs, and I love to have students collaborate and create glogs.  My question for you is have you ever used it (if not go do it now please), if so how did you use it?  I would love to hear from you!  Often technology can be a little bit intimidating, but please trust me on this one it will be worth it!!

~Dana

New Favorite!!

Voki.com has become my knew favorite to use in the classroom! if you haven't heard of voki or know but haven't utilized...then this post its for you! In short voki is a taking avatar. At first I began by actually having the voki to give morning announcement and reminders to my class first thing in the morning. (kids LOVED it) Then I transitioned into making it introduce me at a presentation for student teachers that I did. Once again a hit. Then I wanted to really have my students use it. I created a rubric and gave my students the ropes. They came through with flying colors! It was a wonderful way to integrate the common core and technology into the classroom. I have posted my rubric along with student friendly directions in my teachers pay teachers store...go check out! Live learn teach I'm out!