Lots of Links, Blogging, and more

Quick run down of this round of specials:

Kindergarten:  practicing Mouse skills of click and drag as well as double clicking with opening shortcuts of links on the desktop to these two games:
ABC "Puzzles"  &  Number Matching.
As always, when the students finish the games/activities assigned, they are able to peruse the rest of the website.  Many times, they find some really cool activities that I hadn't discovered yet!

First Grade:  Last week, while we were all in circus mode, I found a website with some fun carnival-esque educational games.  The first graders are starting out this week with Math Popper. Another one of my favorites is Circus Simon.  (I just found a classic Simon game at a thrift store for $2.  Circa 1984-ish!)  Again, the students are able to go onto other educational games on Funschool after a few rounds of Math Popper.

Second Grade:   Second graders are showing me their mouse skills plus understanding of clicking on links (active links), scrolling, etc.... all skills needed for manipulating the Internet and other programs.  We are using Mousercise, which ends with a really cute certificate that we were going to print and bring home; However, the names are not showing up when we print them!  From there, the students are practicing their typing skills on Alpha Munchies typing game on ABCYa.com.

Third Grade:  I am writing this post about 3rd grade before my trial run with the lesson occurs, so I am hoping for the best as it is a tad complex.  For the last two rounds of specials, I have been attempting to focus on concept mapping.  Our excursion into Scriblink.com was fun, to say the least.  I didn't quite go in the direction I hoped it would, with us creating a concept map together.  So then last week we created All About Me concept maps on Microsoft Paint, which went very well.  I think the students enjoyed the activity which was a little more organized than the Scriblink activity.
ON TO THIS WEEK:
We were going to use showscreen.com to broadcast my laptop to all computers via the Internet.  This is a cool tool for anyone to use when explaining a process to someone.  However, my 5th and 6th graders tried it on Monday and it did not quite cooperate with our Internet connection here in the lab.  So, I scrapped that idea and we created a brainstorm map on bubbl.us together as a group about everything they have learned in Science Specials class.    The students then played a game teaching about recycling and cleaning litter called Michael Michael Go Recycle!  In their new 3rd grade folder on the desktop of links, I also added Arthur's Groovy Garden, which Mrs. Borg's class played on Monday.

Fourth Grade:  Fourth grade is exciting for these next two 'rounds' of specials as we are BLOGGING.  These are very safe, educational friendly blogs at kidblog.org.  Each class can only view the posts of the students in that class, and the blog is private to only our class and myself.  Also, each post has to be approved by me, which goes for posts and comments as well.

Fifth Grade:  Fifth graders are finally getting to present their Power Point presentations that they have been working on for three weeks now.  All students are grading each other as well, and there have been some great comments coming out of this process.

Sixth Grade:  Sixth graders presented their Prezi presentations on Monday over doughnuts.  This week, they are delving into the world of blogging.  Today they learn some aspects of Netiquette= how to write in a non threatening way on the Internet as well as commenting respectfully, etc. The students will be graded on two blog posts as well as two comments on another student's blog post.

Looking back, this post was quite wordy!  I hope some of you are getting use out of the links included in these posts!

Rubrics for Classroom Procedures~

I had to get this thought out and on "paper" while it was still in my brain...

How neat would it be to expose kindergarteners and first graders to rubric grading by using rubrics to 'grade' their understanding of classroom procedures?

In fact, this could be used up through grades 5 and 6.  Create a rubric with the highest standards of a certain classroom procedure, and then downgrade for the various spots on a rubric for behaviors necessary for a procedure that were left out.

Let's see if I can come up with an idea that I could use in my own class:

I am thinking that this would expose younger students to the world of rubrics at an earlier age.  This could be made into a picture rubric for Kindergarten and First grade so that they could see the behavior they need to be exhibiting when they come into class.  A poster of this procedure with the pictures and rubrics would be beneficial as well.

Let me know what y'all think!

Why couldn't someone have shared these with me in 1997??

So as I was searching for various sites to plan lessons in technology, I stumbled across some classroom management sites that I deemed important and helpful.  I knew if I let them slip through, I would be wanting to refer to them again one day, to assist myself and refocus on classroom management as well as possibly help out a rookie one day.

As yes, I too was a rookie teacher way back in 1997, and wow, classroom management was just not something we talked a lot about in undergrad school.  Of course, I am not sure to what degree those talks would have helped me. It is definitely an art that must be mastered by doing.  As a beginning teacher, you feel like you can change the world just by being present, and that all in your room will focus on your voice and be entranced like the animals in Snow White when she sang (or in Shrek when Fionna sang).  I also only had one child at the time, a very quiet little 2 year old who, at the time, never gave me much grief.  My experience with children was limited to my babysitting experiences in high school and my brief stint as a student teacher, where I had Mrs. Carlos to maintain control.  (I did learn a lot from her about classroom management, that is for sure.)

Back to the links on classroom management.  Pass them on~
Have some awesome ideas???  PLEASE PLEASE comment and let us know!

• Five Essential Classroom Management Strategies
• Five Critical Classroom Management Domains
• A Classroom Management Wiki
• Classroom Management Entry in a forum
• 5,4,3,2,1- a blog entry from an ESOL teacher in South Korea

NOTE:  I have to add my idea from when I was teaching first grade.  Now this is in a school with daily conduct charts.  I tried various methods and none seemed to really work for me, until the "GOLDEN CLIP".  I wish I had a picture of it to share, so let me describe.  I created a chart out of foam board, library card pockets, and index cards.  Each student had a number, so the pockets were numbered.  Any visitor on any given day did not know who's pocket was who's, so therefore no embarrasment on the kids who were having an off day.  The cars were color coded, and the students all started on green, and moved down through the colors in the pocket.  I cannot remember the order, but I know I am not a big fan of red for failure, so the last color was definitely not red.  The students knew the consequences for a move-down of each color.  (Parent note home, parent phone call, etc.) 

The students could move UP in color throughout the day for good behavior.  If they were already on a top color they would earn the GOLDEN CLIP, a clothespin that I spray painted gold.  In my last year, I also had golden bejeweled clips, which were like super awesome terrific.  The rewards for these clips were big "I did it!" stickers at the end of the day, plus smaller scratch and sniff stickers, and also good notes home, good phone calls home, etc.  I had a treasure box, if I remember right, but attempted not to use that too often as that was the extrinsic reward the kids always jumped for.

Edmodo-a whole new method of teacher/student collaboration

Inching into my grad school class this semester of creating an online learning experience, I am hoping to break ground with Edmodo here at Kennesaw Charter.  Here is a link to the many features and aspects of Edmodo.  I myself am very new to this experience, and consider it an opportunity to familiarize myself with it's features while the students learn about it as well.  A collegue of mine informed me just yesterday that both Cobb County and Fulton County have domains at Edmodo and many schools already utilize this resource for extension of the classroom. 

Last night I added Kennesaw Charter Science and Math Academy to the Edmodo map, creating our school's place in cyberspace there.  I am in the process of collecting permission forms from my small but awesome class of 9 sixth graders for utilization of Edmodo this 9 weeks.  The online class I am creating for grad school, which will be implemented in the Spring, will most probably be created in Edmodo.

So, if you are a parent/guardian of one of our 6th grade technology students this nine weeks, please send in those permission forms a.s.a.p. so we can get moving with collaboration and giving these students a great experience that will carry over for a lifetime of 21st century learning.  Students will be required to take at least one online course for high school graduation within the next year, and this will definitely carry over when these 6th graders hit high school.  For them to have this experience now would give them a 'leg up' in the future.

Plus, don't we want them getting excited about education even when they are not in the confines of our halls?

Thanks again for your support!

K & 1st explore Tux Paint software

KCSMA Kindergarten and First Graders have been exploring Tux Paint, which is a free downloadable software.  It extends a bit beyond MS Paint, and includes a number of stamps that students can add to their art work, as well as various "magic" effects, shapes, lines, brushes, as well as text.  Again, the lab gets loud with excitement when students discover a new feature.  I particularly enjoyed the "foam" magic effect, as well as "rainbow". 


This is pretty cool.. the foam effect looks like frog eggs!

 

 

 

 



Fun web tool alert! Scriblink!!

This 'round' of specials, KCSMA 3rd and 4th graders have been experimenting with and exploring a web tool called Scriblink.  It is a web-based whiteboard that is fun enough to draw and write on alone- the cool thing is that you can collaborate with 1-5 friends (for a total of 6 allowed at a time on a board) to draw, write, etc. 

 

As this image shows, from Scriblink you would click on "Get URL" in order to send the web address to someone you wish to draw with.  This web address can be copied and then pasted into any chat program, email, etc.

 

Some students have found it exciting and fun... some have been a little frustrated... we have learned the skill of respecting other peoples' work as some students had their artwork colored on or cleared by a peer in the class.

 

The computer lab has gotten quite noisy at times when we were checking out Scriblink.  However, one student stopped me at carpool and said it best, "Today at technology, it felt more like we were in art."  That's the overlapping power of technology integration.

 

Have fun with Scriblink!  Come back for updates on our next fun web tool.



Prezi-nting the 6th graders

My class of 6th graders is only 9 strong, but we have accomplished much in these short weeks.  They have created a brainstorming document of ways to create a presentation to help younger students, which we will possibly begin creating in the next week.  Then, the students created an "All About Me" Powerpoint which they will present today in class, with all peers giving feedback to each other (as well as teacher feedback, of course!)  We have explored the online presentation software Prezi. This software has a few more bells and whistles than Powerpoint and is a little different to manipulate, so once we have a few more basics down, the students will begin creating their "how to" 'video'/presentation for younger students in Prezi. 
My goal as the technology teacher is to teach these 6th graders as many useful web tools as possible before the 9 weeks is over.  There are so many out there that if I just expose them to a handful, many many more will be familiar enough to search out and use in the years to come.

Fifth Grade Power!! (Power Point, that is)

Fifth graders have been working on "All About Me" Powerpoint Presentations. 
Most students are getting pretty far into them in only 2 class periods.  It will be possible that they will be able to present them after the third class.  Some of the students have much experience with Power Point, and some students have never worked with the software before.  It is fun to watch them explore and learn a new tool.  So many tech tools to come this year!

K-2 Skills in Tech Lab

This round of specials we are focusing on mouse and keyboard skills in kindergarten, first, and second grades.  Mouse skills are one of the first important basic computing skills to have a handle on before continuing to more complex skills.

We began with this game in Kindergarten and First Grade:  Blooper's Colors
Whenever students showed mastery of this basic game, they were allowed onto other games on that website.

Second grade was beginning with this game:  Bees and Honey, again another mouse skills game.
Second graders were allowed to go on to other games on TVO Games, which are all educational in nature. 

The students have amazed me with their abilities!