Done and Presented...

Here is my final Storybird, which I presented to my Kindergarten class last week to introduce our mini-unit on fairy tales. The students liked it, and were able to think of fairy tale examples (mostly Disney related). They are most excited about creating their own Storybird to share with the class.

ZOOM into team building!

What is Zoom you ask? Well it's more than just a picture book!  

While I was working on updating and adding to my Diigo library going through all my saved links I came across my Zoom link.  For those of you who know me, you know that I have taught a different grade every year since becoming a teacher.  I have taught grades Kindergarten through 3rd and 5th through 8th, only 4th grade left on my check list (but lets hope I get a few years in Kindergarten before moving again to another grade).  

In those year I have complied a few tricks to help me survive all these transitions, and Zoom is one of my favorites.  I first came upon this team building exercise in Group Dynamics which I took during my undergrad and I have used it with children as young as 2nd grade all the way up to middle school.  The group that struggled the most with this activity was my 8th grade students who I had complete the activity as an introduction to expectations for group work for class projects.  After the activity we discussed means of communication, how the group was affective, and the frustrations of the project.  This discussion lead to what an effective group looks and sounds like and what I expected from group projects.  While this activity can be used as a simple icebreaker or game, I think that it has the potential for so much more and the discussions and insights that can come from it are amazing.  So if you have the time, give it a try and let me know how it went =)

OH Diigo, you saved my life!

Well saved my life might be a bit extreme, but Diigo has definitely helped me organize my current research and other links I use.  I am happy that I learned how to use and will be using it in the future.  I don't know how I lived so long without it.

Created to teach

For my digital story I will be using the Storybird program because I do not have access to a microphone.  In reading we will be beginning our unit of study on Fairy Tales, I will be creating a Storybird to introduce the elements of a fairy tale to my Kindergarten class. My goal is to keep the text simple and predictable so students can help in reading about the elements.
At the end of this unit I would like to use Storybird with each student and have them create their own personal fairy tale then post them on my website for parents to view.

Here is my first draft... please tell me what you think =)

What time is the right time?

image from: i.livescience.com

"At what age can online/digital literacy activities be integrated into the classroom?"

I believe that when looking the use of internet and digital literacy activities it is not just age that should determine whether a child is ready for its use, but also their maturity.  I also think that exposing children to any form of online tool also requires teachers and parents to educate their children on proper and safe use of the internet.  A kindergarten blogger, Carlos, makes a great argument for the use of the internet and digital tools in the classroom in his blog The King's Notes.  There are many interesting view points and articles out their that discuss the use of technology within the classroom, such as Literacy Education in the Digital Age.  Teachers should read and and feel their way though the many resources out their before deciding what to use in their own classroom. I also feel that teachers need to have an understanding of the tools they plan to implement before exposing their students to them so that the tools/activities can be used to the best of their ability.  

Playing with Storybird

A short little story I wrote playing around with Storybird. A little empowerment story for little girls.

Did you get your bread and milk?

A little storm humor.  I hope everyone is fairing well, saying safe and toasty warm.

Oh Diigo, how did I live without you?

Now that I have finally figured out how to use Diigo I wonder at how I ever managed without. It is wonderful for keeping track of and organizing all the links, videos, and articles that I come across for work and school. Recently I have been using it to organize some research I have been doing on year-round schooling.  I wish that I had this class earlier in my graduate studies as it would have helped organizing my research and work for my other classes. I'm not sure how it could be used in a classroom setting so I would be interested to know and hear from teachers about how they use it with their class.

Animoto Final...President Lincoln Review

In Kindergarten we have started learning about President Lincoln.  I created this video to use as a review at the end of our mini unit.  The video sums up the major points we will be learning about. The video includes questions for the students to answer, I will pause the video to give the students the chance to answer.  I thought this would be a great way to review once we finish.  (Check in at a later date to see how it went)