Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Communication with Parents

Want to begin weekly or monthly communication with parents? This website has templates and more for all of our parent communication needs.

Tech Tools for Teachers

Looking for quick and easy review games, classroom management tools, and fun activities to use in your classroom? Check out THIS website. They have seating charts, group makers, review games, and so much more!

Wordle


Wordle allows you to create "word clouds" from text you provide. The clouds give more prominance to the words that appear with more frequency. You can play with the fonts, the layers, and the color schemes. Once your students create them, they can print them out and use them however they like!

5 ways to use Wordle in the classroom:
  1. Vocabulary and related words

  2. Summarizing a story

  3. Relating subjects

  4. Alternate Assignment

  5. Project Components

Using iTunes


Kids already use iTunes at home, so why not use them at school? The possibilities are endless. For example, your kids are studying nouns this week in Language Arts. Select a song and print the lyrics (use icons within the lyrics for younger students). As students listen to the song, they will circle the nouns they hear. Great fun and a good lesson, too!!!

Monday, May 10, 2010

I got an Elmo in my class... Now what?!?!?!

Creative ideas for integrating an Elmo into your daily instruction:
  1. Student newscasts or skits (turn the camera up so it is filming the kids)
  2. Enlarging pictures and text in literature so students can follow along
  3. Showing and scoring student or sample work with a rubric
  4. Literary puppet shows
  5. Show students how to do assigned work
  6. Demonstrate math manipulatives
  7. Use it like a projection microscope to view objects up close in math or science
  8. Demonstrate steps in an assignment
  9. Show 3-dimensional objects
  10. Sharing student work allows for motivation and immediate feedback
  11. Model notetaking
  12. Student reports (show and tell, book reports, ext.)
  13. Read alouds
  14. Creative writing-add a line
  15. Handwriting on board-follow the leader

Typing for Kids


Many students have bene on computers since they were very young. It is easy to assume they have typing skills because they are able to maneuver quickly on a computer. However, typing skills may not come naturally to some. Try taking a couple of minutes in the lab next time to review typing skills. Here is a link to a good PowerPoint typing lesson.

What you should know about technology standards for teachers...

**To learn more about ISTE, click here!**

The ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) says that effective teachers model and apply the National Educational Technology Standards for Students as they design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students and improve learning, enrich professional practive, and provide positibe models for students, colleagues, and the community. All teachers should meet the following standards and performance indicatiors:


  1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

  2. Design and develop Digital-Age learining

  3. Model Digital-Age work and learning

  4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

  5. Engage in professional growth and leadership