Zondle

Zondle.com is a website which allows teacher to create online flashcards/games with their own content.

Positives

• Free
• Allows for personalization of topics
• Engaging games
• Teachers can monitor student performance
• Games can be embedded in teacher websites

Concerns

• Pretty low on Blooms list

Learning Resources

• zondle.com 
• Zondle in under 10 minutes

Kahoot

Teacher Login: getkahoot.com
Student Login: kahoot.it

Tips

• Try in small groups to make sure network connection can handle the activity
• Be selective when playing the music. The music can make the activity a little intense. 
• Don't over dwell on the scoreboard. 
• If students get kicked out they can sign back in no problem. It will not remember their previous points.  You may want to write the pin on the board for easy access when student do get kicked out. 

Unwrapping the Standards

Unwrapping the Standard Template

Setting Up New Contact Groups

As we start a new year many teachers will want to create new email contact groups for their students and parents. Gina Rogers, GWAEA Tech Consultant created a short video detailing a quick way of collecting email addresses, and creating a contact group using google forms. 

Basic Steps

1. Create google form asking for email address and other relevant information. 
2. Copy submitted email addresses.
3. Compose an email and paste addresses in the To section.
4. Click on the word To and Save As Group. Next you will be prompted to give your group a name.
5. Now when you compose an email or share a document simply type the name of your group in the To section and send to all participants in the group. 

Application

I am not sure what systems you have in place for collecting email addresses, but here is a friendly idea to consider. Create a google form requesting the information you are interested in collecting from students and parents. Open the google form on an ipad or computer and make the device available during open house, or the first day of school. You might also consider creating a QR code which parents and students can scan for access to the google form. 

Brain Breaks - GoNoodle

Many teachers have incorporated brain breaks into their daily routine. One popular brain break activity is using just dance videos from youtube. Kids love these activities and it gives them an opportunity to get up and move around. Today I learned about gonoodle.com a website that offers fun engaging brain break activities. GoNoodle does require users to set up a free account to access all material. Also if you have an adblocker set up in your browser you will want to give GoNoodle permission for popup windows. GoNoodle allows you to assign points based on your class performance. If you are looking for alternatives to Just Dance Videos I invite you to check out GoNoodle.com.

Britannica School

One of my goals as a Learning Design Coach is to provide teacher and students with resources that will provide efficient student centered learning. As I visit classrooms across the district I see different research projects in action. I was recently reminded of Britannica School, an online Encyclopedia provided by Iowa AEA Online. This is a great tool which provides a wealth of information for any research project. It offers videos, images and text at various reading levels. In addition, students can choose to have the text read aloud. This website works on both computers and iPads. I encourage you to check it out the next time you are planning a project which involves research or searching for information online.

Britannica School

NWEA MAP Test Reports

Over the past couple of weeks students in our district have been busy completing the NWEA's MAP tests. As students finish up I have several questions running through my mind.

1. What are we doing with those assessment results?
2. Do teachers know about the different reports available from NWEA? 
3. What is the best way to educate teachers concerning the different reports? 
4. Who in our district is helping teachers access and understand these reports?
5. What reports have teachers found particularly helpful?  

Unfortunately, I don't know the answers to many of these questions. One report I have heard teachers talking about is the Goal Setting Report. I have found that when this report is used students seem to be more engaged and motivated as they take the tests. Others are using the Lexile levels obtained from the test results to guide students in picking books at their reading level. I am confident there are many more ways teachers are using the reports and I would love to hear feedback on how these reports are being used to guide instruction in the classroom. 

If you are someone in the Mid-Prairie or Keota District who does not know how to access these reports or you would like to talk about possible ways to use the data to guide your instruction, please know that I am available to help. 

Week 3 in Review

As I visit different classrooms across the Mid-Priarie and Keota school district I am extremely impressed with the hard work and dedication of our teachers. We have some amazing teachers dedicated to creating learning environments that benefits all students in the classroom.

Projects from the past week

• Introduced iPad centers to KE kindergarteners. 
• Finished recording video for Acceptable Use Policy.
• Introduced WE 5th graders to Kidblog. 
• Smartboard set up, trouble shooting, and introduction of Notebook instructional tools.  

Upcoming projects

• Introduce Kidblog in WE 3rd grade class. 
• Google Hangout with 1st grade team discussing Everday Math Online tools.
• Begin meeting with teachers to fill out LDC Planning Protocal

Reflection - The First Days of School

At Mid-Priarie we are nine days into the school year. Teachers are busy establishing routines, learning about their students, and diving into instruction. So what are the Learning Design Coaches doing? Well, for myself the theme of the first two weeks seems to be preparation and planning.

Projects From First Two Weeks

• Introduced Kidblog to KE 4th grade, WT 4th grade, and WE 3rd grade. 
• Met with all 4th and 5th grade teachers from district to provide professional learning on use of Everyday Math Online Tools. 
• Creation of Technology Acceptable Use Policy video. 
• Creation of "How To" documents/videos, detailing step by step directions on use of apps and web 2.0 tools. 
• Met with a teacher to act as a sounding board for reading instruction ideas. 
• Smartboard troubleshooting, and setup.
• Adding bookmarks to internet browsers for easy student access. 

Upcoming Projects

• Continue to introduce Kidblog to classes. 
• Introduce KE kindergarteners to ipads and apps that can be used during centers. 
• Meet with each elementary teacher to create plan for specific ways I can help the learning in their classroom. 
• Continue introducing Symbaloo to all staff. 
• Provide more professional learning for use of Everyday Math Online Tools

Frank's Fantastic Find

Today's Fantastic Find is on vocaroo.com. Vocaroo is a website which allows students to record simple audio projects and share via the internet.

Edulution

Last night I was roaming around the web - and started following a twitter chat on educational coaching. The topic for the night was "edulutions" - resolutions you make for your educational position.

http://storify.com/kathyperret/educoach-chat-wednesday-january-2-2013#publicize This is the archive of the chat.

It got me thinking.

I also read that 45% of all Americans make New Year's Resolutions and 45% of those resolutions last beyond the sixth month.

That got me thinking too. I know a lot of thinking for the night before school starts.

My edulution is to stop and to listen.  I have a tendancy to rush ahead and assume things.
I want to change that and listen first.

When I was a student teacher I worked with an amazing teacher who shared a story that has never left me. One morning when she was teaching 5th grade she was standing in the hall outside the classroom door talking to a staff member before school. A little boy came up to her and interrupted the conversation to share something that had happened that morning. She glanced at the boy, nodded her head and said something like - "That's nice," but her mind was on the conversation with her collegue.  His mouth dropped open, his shoulders drooped and he walked away. And then it soaked in what he had told her - his dog had been hit by a car that morning.
That was the moment that she vowed to listen first.
And it transformed her  - way beyond teaching...it impacted her entire life.

I try to listen - but this year it is my real focus!

And what would your edulution be???

I'd love to have comments from you about your edulutions.

Frank's Fantastic Find - Word Wizard

This week's Fantastic Find is the iPad app "Word Wizard - Talking Movable Alphabet & Spelling Test for Kids".  This app is great for those students working on their phonics skills. As students make words  the app sounds them out. It also allows teachers to enter spelling lists so students can practice their words using the app. The app would make a great center for beginning readers. Check out the screencast below to see a demo. If you think you might use this app please share in the comment box how you will utilize this app in your classroom.

Word Wizard $2.99

Kidblog On The iPad

Several teachers recently requested help to discover an easy way for students to upload pictures to their Kidblog. After a little research I discovered that there is actually an iPad app for Kidblog which makes it super easy for students to take pictures and upload them to their blog. Kidblog is such a great tool for building an authentic audience for their writing.

www.kidblog.org

Frank's Fantastic Find - Intel Educator Tools

I recently heard about Intel's Education Tools. One of my favorite tools is the assessing projects tool. This tool provides some examples of checklists, and rubrics for assessing things like critical thinking skills, presentations, creativity, and problem solving skills. It does require an account which is free.

Intel's Educator Tools Website - http://goo.gl/UUHWY

Frank's Fantastic Find - Trading Card Creator

Today's Fantastic Find is on Read, Write, Think's Trading Card Creator.  The website offers lesson ideas for various grade levels on how to use the Trading Card Creator. For those interested in trying this  activity on the iPad there is also a free app called Trading Cards.

Frank's Fantastic Find - Chrome Extenstions #3

This screencast is our third and final tutorial looking at Chrome and its extensions.

Frank's Fantastic Finds - Chrome #2

This is a continuation of my look at Chrome. This video is a start to some of the Chrome extensions I have found to be useful.

Pollyanna Play Trailer

This weekend I (Beth) worked with Katie Beary, Mid-Prairie's new Drama Director, to create a trailer for the fall production of Pollyanna. The trailer combines cast interviews with scene snippets and cast photos at a local Victorian home. It was a fun way to collaborate and promote the play at the same time. I used Camtasia to put the video together. Check it out!

Frank's Fantastic Find - Chrome

A New YouTube Channel

I created a YouTube Channel for the Middle School today.
Click here to connect to the channel.

This channel will be a great place to share the videos student and staff created videos for classwork.

So just to see how it will work - I uploaded a video on creating student accounts in Google.

It really worked pretty slick!  Stay tuned for much more interesting content! :)