How I'm In More Than One Classroom At A Time

I am one technology integration teacher. There are over 100 teachers in two buildings that I want to help. 

How.Do.I.Do.It?

I create 2-3 minute videos for teachers to show to their classroom.

What.Does.This.Do?

It creates a library for teachers to access on tech tool tips for integration into their classroom. They can access this any time, and they can refer to it multiple times throughout the year. In addition, they don't have to spend a ton of time learning the "tricks" of the tech tool. However, as they watch it, they learn the "tricks" of the tech tool. It really is a win-win-win for teachers, students, and me! Present in multiple classrooms at one time.

See one that a teacher is using on Friday.

How did I create it?
I do not have Camtasia Studio at the present time due to reconfiguring of our computer work stations. Because of this, I use Screencast-o-matic for computer instruction or Reflection for iPad instruction for the actual recording.  Whichever the tool used, I upload it to YouTube and then use the Tubebox app to download it from YouTube to my iPad.  After using the Skitch app to create a bumper page, I add the video, bumper page, and some copyright free music to the iMovie instruction.  Finally, I upload the video to YouTube and email the link to the teacher.

The process does become easier as it is practiced.

Blog Comments Google Spreadsheet and Apps Tie Lessons Together

Day 2 of 3 days...See first day

Leaving blog comments on student posts was a beneficial activity to tie one day's lesson to another.



A Google Shared Spreadsheet was an easy way to gather data from all students.



Once the relationship between Circumference and the Diameter was made students were introduced to the concept of Pi.  A lesson is not complete if students don't try to memorize Pi.  Two apps helped in this process:  Pi Day and Pi Brain

Student Blog Reflection Before Quiz

Students are able to quickly reflect on topics that will be presented to them in a quiz through blogger.  Before iPads, I would have never taken ten minutes for students to reflect and process quiz topics.

Benefits of Reflection:

• Processing Skills
• Students must explain the processes
• Teachers can review "what the students know" prior to the quiz
• World Wide Web always brings out the best in students as they know it will be available to everyone
• Time is really not a factor, and I believe that in the end, overall knowledge of concepts is retained longer

See How We Blog:

Students really start to use different tools to enhance their blog post with multimedia documents!

Blog Post As Assessment

I have recently been focused on students writing more complete blog posts.  Our second installment of this took place today.  See what the students saw, and view the action.

What this does for understanding:

• Students must provide individual voice
• Students must explain what they have discovered
• Students review the process
• Students must formulate the "whys" to the math concept

Why I like blogging:

• Easy using blogger app
• Allows for media to be added to the blog post
• iPad camera certainly provides an "open window" to multimedia
• the blogging "time stamp" creates a natural deadline.  I think students need to become aware of deadlines and how to adjust to them.  Almost all business and college settings require a task that needs to be completed by a certain time.

iPads (or any digital device) really do allow us formulate our discoveries in to our own language.  I encourage all teachers to take moments to reflect on topics that are being discovered in your classrooms.

Pulaski School Board & WASB Writing Prompt

Please respond by leaving a comment!
Return To School Board & WASB Information

Tactillis App For Assessment

Students are completing algebraic equations with variables on both sides.  They are also experiencing equations with no solution.  In an attempt to see some daily work in an easy, readable format, I am having the students solve four problems using the Tactilis app.  They will need to create steps of the mathematical process in different colors, which the Tactilis app provides.



Students published the work to their blog.  Upon completion, I will be commenting on their blogs for each problem.


Students becoming much more familiar with the app, which speeds up the process.  I do think this app has a place in my tech toolbox for evaluation.



After students completed their work, they were instructed to place the work on their blog.  I will be reviewing their work on their blog and leaving comments.  Since this skill directly relates to one of our mathematical benchmarks, I will be placing one single point or check in the grade book if the student demonstrates the proper steps for solving an algebraic equation that has one solution or no solutions.

I think this moves toward standards based grading, and I like the fact that students will get feedback prior to the quiz and it is not a homework assignment.

Blogger Comments on iPad2

I'm not going to lie, there have been several technically challenging moments with GAFE, specifically logging in and working with a Google Doc, and the iPad2.

THIS, HOWEVER, WASN'T ONE OF THOSE TIMES!

We created a writing prompt from this great resource as it pertained to personality traits.  The specific post and comments that students viewed are here!  (Maybe you have time to post a comment so that students see that it is the world wide web!)

One of our focuses stemmed from emphasizing to students that this will become another digital footprint in their life!  With this in mind, students took all things pertaining to writing very seriously!

Students first logged into our GAFE page.  We then went to our classroom blog, chose our Google Profile as our account information, typed the comment, and completed the spam word.

THERE WERE NO GLITCHES!  More of this commenting to come by students as it was very easy!