Today I worked with Katie and found some really great apps for the iPads. First is Stack the States. You have to answer questions about the 50 states and then stack them (the states drop down in their actual shape) up to cross the finish line so to speak. Once completed, you earn a state to add to your map. This is a great app for geography and state knowledge.
Another app that was great was Number Lines. There is a super cute frog that helps kids learn their addition, subtraction and skip counting. I actually can't wait to get this home to my son to practice his math facts.
Apps in the classroom are great tools to help the more often than not "plugged in" student stay engaged and have fun.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Excel
I haven't used Excel much in the past for things other than basic lists. I was surprised to learn all the things Excel does! I made a time line of my life (a basic one with only 6 dates on it to get the feel of it) and thought how useful this will be as a social studies teacher. We love time lines...
I am excited to play around with Excel some more. Grade bookkeeping will be a breeze! I will never miss track of an assignment as long as I enter it properly. This will also be helpful to my students to see if and exactly what they are missing. There will be no questions.
I'd like to thank John Walkenbach of PC World, for the article "Who Knew Excel Could Do That? Ten Top Tips" was super informative. I actually printed it off to keep it for future reference. I suggest everyone hop on Excel and play around. You never know what you'll find.
I am excited to play around with Excel some more. Grade bookkeeping will be a breeze! I will never miss track of an assignment as long as I enter it properly. This will also be helpful to my students to see if and exactly what they are missing. There will be no questions.
I'd like to thank John Walkenbach of PC World, for the article "Who Knew Excel Could Do That? Ten Top Tips" was super informative. I actually printed it off to keep it for future reference. I suggest everyone hop on Excel and play around. You never know what you'll find.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
As I was researching Cyberbullying for my paper, I was stunned at how many people actually think there isn't a problem. I don't understand how it isn't an epidemic. Just this morning I saw on the news 2 of the girls who bullied the 12 year old in Florida are being criminally charged after one girl posted on her Facebook account that it was her that did the bullying and the girl killed herself. She finished it with "IDGAF <3". How does a 12 or 14 year old NOT care about being so mean that another girl took her own life to get away from constant mental torture???? I'm simply baffled.
Parents are the best defense against cyberbullying and bullying in general. In my opinion, parents are to removed from their kids lives. Not all parents obviously, but I have seen time after time at my school, kids not willing to work hard and just expect things handed to them. Then when they don't get the expected outcome, they throw a raging tantrum. The real world is going to be a harsh reality if that's how they act in the job setting.
The internet and social media do have some very positive advantages and I'm not saying that kids should be offline until they are 35 (although that's a thought for my own kids) I'm saying it's ok to have limits. I would be HORRIFIED if my child ever did anything like that. I have all passwords to all sites and the main passwords to the phone. We try and live by the Golden Rule and if a problem arises I say "how would you feel if that happened to you?" And we discuss anything they might see at school. I have a very open relationship with my children as their mother, NOT their friend. They have enough friends.
Parents are the best defense against cyberbullying and bullying in general. In my opinion, parents are to removed from their kids lives. Not all parents obviously, but I have seen time after time at my school, kids not willing to work hard and just expect things handed to them. Then when they don't get the expected outcome, they throw a raging tantrum. The real world is going to be a harsh reality if that's how they act in the job setting.
The internet and social media do have some very positive advantages and I'm not saying that kids should be offline until they are 35 (although that's a thought for my own kids) I'm saying it's ok to have limits. I would be HORRIFIED if my child ever did anything like that. I have all passwords to all sites and the main passwords to the phone. We try and live by the Golden Rule and if a problem arises I say "how would you feel if that happened to you?" And we discuss anything they might see at school. I have a very open relationship with my children as their mother, NOT their friend. They have enough friends.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
F.A.T. City
I truly enjoyed the video, "How Difficult Can This Be?", about the way the learning disabled child perceives the world and the struggles they have to go through every single day. I don't know that I can pick just one part to talk about.
I appreciated the way the participants were put into the LD (learning disabled) child's shoes. I laughed when they were forced to think quick with a teacher impatiently waiting for them. But it's not really funny to the LD child. They have a hard time processing things and to impatiently wait for them causes anxiety in the child. Sarcasm is also no fun for a LD student. They need encouragement and understanding.
I can relate to the dysnomia. I have it AT LEAST 2-3 times a day. I can't imagine having it 50-100 times a day. We as educators need to recognize that the child isn't trying to be difficult. The legitimately cannot think of the correct word.
I am not learning disabled, but I am left-handed. I understand the frustrations of not getting something correct the first time. I had to have my Uncle, who is also left handed, teach me how to tie my shoes because my parents just weren't making sense when they tried to show me. I tend to do things "backwards" to right handed people. But too me, the way right handed people do things is backwards. I am forever getting ink, marker, pencil, etc., on the outside of my left hand from writing. Notebooks are set up backwards to me and I would make them upside down, but then the pockets are upside down and things would fall out. The computer mouse is backwards to me too. And although there is a way to set it for left handed people, most left handed people I know have adapted to the mouse being on the right.
LD children need patience and understanding. I prefer think of them as alternative learners. They CAN learn, it's just different than the "average" Joe.
I appreciated the way the participants were put into the LD (learning disabled) child's shoes. I laughed when they were forced to think quick with a teacher impatiently waiting for them. But it's not really funny to the LD child. They have a hard time processing things and to impatiently wait for them causes anxiety in the child. Sarcasm is also no fun for a LD student. They need encouragement and understanding.
I can relate to the dysnomia. I have it AT LEAST 2-3 times a day. I can't imagine having it 50-100 times a day. We as educators need to recognize that the child isn't trying to be difficult. The legitimately cannot think of the correct word.
I am not learning disabled, but I am left-handed. I understand the frustrations of not getting something correct the first time. I had to have my Uncle, who is also left handed, teach me how to tie my shoes because my parents just weren't making sense when they tried to show me. I tend to do things "backwards" to right handed people. But too me, the way right handed people do things is backwards. I am forever getting ink, marker, pencil, etc., on the outside of my left hand from writing. Notebooks are set up backwards to me and I would make them upside down, but then the pockets are upside down and things would fall out. The computer mouse is backwards to me too. And although there is a way to set it for left handed people, most left handed people I know have adapted to the mouse being on the right.
LD children need patience and understanding. I prefer think of them as alternative learners. They CAN learn, it's just different than the "average" Joe.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
When using technology for the visual learner, there are a few things we must remember that this type of learner associates pictures and/or symbols with a given topic. Using today's technology, such as Smartboard activities, webbquests and powerpoint presentations can be very helpful for the visual learner.
I think graphic organizers are an excellent tool for the classroom, especially if they are brightly colored and informational. In class today, we played around on Inspiration 9, which was a great experience. I was able to create an organizer that I hope to use in one of my classes in the future.
I think graphic organizers are an excellent tool for the classroom, especially if they are brightly colored and informational. In class today, we played around on Inspiration 9, which was a great experience. I was able to create an organizer that I hope to use in one of my classes in the future.
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