Lexia Core 5

Lexia Core 5 is a school-wide reading resource. Each student in the school works at their own pace to complete the different levels. Students have a set amount of time that they are expected to complete each week. There are ample opportunities for students to complete their goal and it can also be accessed from home. Most students love to login to Lexia because it has a kid friendly interface that resembles a game. Teachers also like Lexia because it allows them to see areas that students could be struggling with in each level. Then, the teacher can use the provided resources to teach a mini-lesson to try and help the student to better understand the skill. I have seen a great amount of growth from students who use the program on a regular basis.

Class Dojo

One technological resource that I use in my first grade classroom is Class Dojo. It is a great way for parents to communicate with their students teacher about any and all questions that they may have. It is a behavior management site that allows the teacher to give positive points to reinforce anticipated behaviors and take points away for negative behaviors. I use it as a weekly reward system. Once you reach 10 points during the week you can get in the treat box. Students really enjoy customizing their monster and take pride in the amount of points that they receive each week.

Lexia

Lexia Core 5 is a reading resource that our school implements on a daily basis. This program allows students to take a diagnostic test to determine where they should begin their lessons. Once they have taken this test they cannot continue on to a lesson until the current lesson is completed. If the student seems to be having difficulty with a particular skill, it will teach them a mini-lesson over that skill. We use this program for our RTI students as well as all classroom students.

Dreambox

Our schools recently purchased Dreambox to use as a supplement in our classrooms.  It has been a valuable asset because provides students with material that is based on their current level of instruction. This allows for differentiation with minimal effort from the teacher.  I use it as tool for students who complete assignments early and for those that need more of a challenge than our current content.  Dreambox allows the teacher to print reports that show level, usage, and lessons completed. I use these reports to provide rewards and incentives to students who make Dreambox a weekly habit in their curriculum diet.

Teacher Tube

A resource that I like to use in my classroom is teacher tube. This is very similar to YouTube minus the ads that popup unexpectedly. I use these videos to sometimes introduce new topics or to review previously learned lessons. They are very kid friendly and my 3rd grade students really enjoy getting to see a visual of the concept that I am teaching. They also have some cute and catchy songs/videos that help students to better retain information. 

Study Jams

I like to use Study Jams from scholastic.com in my 3rd grade classroom. This website has many science and math videos over various topics. I hyperlink the videos and slideshows into my power points or just have them brought up on my computer. Each video contains a quiz that helps to assess student understanding and comprehension on the topic. They are a beneficial resource to use before a lesson and refer back to. My students enjoy them and they enhance student participation.

YouTube

I often show videos from YouTube to supplement learning in my history classes.  The students really enjoy the visual representations of what we are learning about.  I believe I'd like to have the students start posting videos too.  YouTube also has lessons other teachers and professors have posted from their classes.  I often reinforce my lessons with my students by having them view lessons similar to mine.  YouTube has tons of music posted.  I can let my students listen to music from other time periods in the USA or other music from around the world.

Edmodo

I really utilized Edmodo for the first time this year.  It is like Facebook for class.  I like it because we have a ton of snow days at our school (21 this year!) and I can post assignments to keep my students engaged.  It is also useful to ask questions on topics we are covering.  Edmodo also provides useful links for historical sites.  I will use this from now on.

Epic is an amazing online tool for both teachers and parents alike. It allows teachers to easily keep track of students reading interest, ability, as well as a place to log minutes spent reading. What I really love is that parents can download this app and have thousands of books at their fingertips while on the go for the kids to read. I know that for me time spent with my own children in the Drs office after school doesn't have to be wasted now. I am able to turn the iPad over to them and they select a book and read away.  I also like it's not something you have to be technologically "savvy" to use.

Google

Google has become a major player in the education business these days and a tool that I have fallen in love with. My start with Google began when a couple of my buddies had me create an account for google, in order to share a Google doc with me for a camping trip. From there the love affair began. I have fallen in love with the tools that google has at its disposal including a centralized place where I can access things like contacts, my calendar, documents, and even class assignments from virtually anywhere. Something that I just stumbled upon was Google Forms. This changed the way I gave all my assignments at the end of this school year. With forms I create an assignment or test and then pick from several options of how I want to send it to my students. It cuts down on paper for my school, and best of all no more lost assignments or "my dog at my homework" excuses. There is also a handy add called Flubaroo that will grade the assignment for you.

All the students will need is a Google account and some form of smartphone, tablet, or computer and they are set. For my classes I have each student in a classroom that I have created in my contacts and I send the assignment out one time to all of them. They then receive an email, complete the assignment, and with the push of a button it comes back to me. It will even create a Google Sheets Document to help me organize. Currently my school is considering going to Google Classrooms. I know very little about how that works but so far I have been very impressed with the technology through the Google platforms. I would recommend if any educator have access to use these types of programs to give it a shot. Everything runs out of drive and I just watched a couple of videos on Youtube to help me figure things out. Good luck!

Socrative

In my classroom one of the most useful technological tools is an app called Socrative. There are many different uses for Socrative but in my classroom I mainly use it for reviewing material and test taking. This app has really come a long way from when I started using it two years ago. The updates have vastly improved the user interface and fixed a lot of the bugs that at times made it unusable. Before one of my co-workers brought this app to my attention I was using whiteboards and dry erase markers for my students to answer questions. This was very inconvenient to say the least. I felt like we were spending more time looking for markers that worked than actually reviewing. With Socrative I can have my students work in pairs to answer multiple choice questions or short answer questions. It also worked very well to cut down on students cheating. No longer could you watch what someone wrote from across the room. 

To create a test or assignment there is an option to download an Excel file from the website that makes creating a test or worksheet a breeze. As students work you can see if they are getting questions right or wrong, how far they have progressed, and it also grades the assignment as you go. For me that last one is a huge plus. The best part is that Socrative is free. The one limitation that I have found with this app is that you cannot have multiple assignments going on at once. You must close out of the current assignment before opening a new one. The makers of Socrative have dealt with this though, sadly however it is not on the free version. This and many other features will be coming to a paid version very soon if it has not already.

There are many more things that Socrative does that I haven't explored yet but if you are looking for a fun easy app to help your students review or take tests, this could be the app for you!

Kahoot

Kahoot is a form of technology, I have used this in my classroom thanks to a few of the teachers in my school. I can make up my own questions and students can answer the questions on their phones. Then I can show students how many of them got each right or wrong. This is useful because it keeps students interested in class, and it gives students a sense of competition because you get more points if you answer the question faster than others.  It also gives immediate feedback for the classroom.

Youtube is a source of technology that is useful in the math classroom.  I can use different youtube videos to show students a lesson on how to perform a certain task. Sometimes this is helpful in case students don't understand what I am teaching. They are able to hear another a lesson containing the same task of the lesson I've had already taught and hopefully develop a better understanding.

QR Codes in Education

One of the latest technology crazes in Education is QR codes. One of the reasons that I love QR codes had to do with teaching Kindergarten students.  As I am sure you know, most often, my kindergartners do not come in reading and if they are it is usually in the very early stages.  QR codes essentially, do not require any reading! I can use many multiple free QR code generators on the web to create QR codes for my students.  It is very easy to teach the children to use the QR codes.  They simply need a qr reader on any tablet or device. There are also several different reasons why to use QR codes.  As you can imagine, it can be a nightmare to get 24 five year old students to type in a web address. Yikes! But they become quite efficient at opening the QR reader app and scanning a QR code.  I have used QR codes for many things like websites, links to podcasts, directions for a center or basically anything you can imagine or create!  I even use a QR code on the first day of school that allows parents to walk away from my classroom with all of my contact information that they will need for the year!  QR codes are an amazing tool no matter what grade you teach!

EPIC for Educators

One of the things that I have found for my classroom that I strongly recommend to educators and especially new teachers who may have a limited classroom library is Epic for Educators. This is an online classroom library with an app that provides digital reading logs that keep track of books and minutes read by each student. You can create 36 individualized profiles. You can also provide students with an option of adding audio narration with hundreds of read to me titles. There is a vast selection of nonfiction and fiction categories. EPIC for Educators is FREE! Educator accounts can be used on multiple computers, Chromebooks, iPads, or tablets. This is a fabulous way to foster a love for reading, even amoung previously reluctant readers.  Getepic.com

Interactive Unit Circle

https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/unit-circle.html

If you are a math teacher, you have to check out this website! This is a Interactive Unit Circle.  You move your cursor around the circle and it gives you the sin, cos, and tan values at each point. AMAZING!

Technology, Technology, and more Technology

There is no way for us to avoid using technology in the classroom in 2016! Whether we are tech savy or not, technology is here to stay.  Most of the students we have in High School these days have access to technology 24-7.  These students have cell phones and are browsing the internet all day long.  Then these students go home and play on a computer or a tablet at night.  Students are even googling the answers to their homework.  Most math worksheets are on the internet with all of the problems worked out.  Teachers have to recognize this and use it to his/her advantage.  We have to realize that when we assign homework, more than likely it is not being down independently.

We must use TECHNOLOGY!

I think it is a MUST that we use technology in the classroom. In today's society, technology basically runs the world. Lets face it, many of our students probably know more about technology than we as teachers do! It helps teachers stay up to date and makes the classroom fun and engaging. The first thing a student wants to do when they are finished with work, or even while you are lecturing, is get their cell phone out! If we use technology daily and make the lesson more engaging, they wouldn't worry about their cell phones. Or maybe you don't have a hand held device for everyone, well almost every student in your classroom has a cellphone, use it! There are many free apps that can be used! Recent research shows technology is both engaging and promotes higher academic achievement. Technology is the way to the future. This class has shown me even more ways of using technology in  and even out of the classroom. I look forward to trying new things using technology for the next school year!

Technology is so much FUN!!

I recently used a new program in my classroom called Nearpod. This is a great program to use during class/lecture. The students can follow along with you and then answer questions. I made questions using the DrawIt! option where the students could show their work on a math problem. You can also show videos and create quizzes! Very cool program and the kids love it! I actually used it for my Action Research project and for the short time I used it in my classroom, my Algebra test scores went up. It is very fun and engaging. It is free and can be downloaded on an Ipad or computer!

We All Scream KAHOOT!

        I have used many effective review games, but one has definitely went extremely well with my students. Kahoot is an online review game that lets students use their phones to answer review question. the website keeps track of points for when students answer correctly. Students can work on teams or individually. After every question it gives what places students are in based on how fast the were able to answer questions. It gives them instant feedback as to whether they answered the question correctly. I have noticed how students are always asking to play this game anytime we need to review. I used to play other review games along with Kahoot, but students would much rather do this than any of my other planned reviews. It will also give me feedback saying how many questions and which specific question each student missed. This is the reviewing of the future!!!

The Options are Limitless

               I am a new teacher and finding ways to incorporate technology in the classroom is always something that has interested me. I feel it is important to keep the students engaged in whatever we are learning. Today I would like to talk about a very interesting aspect I have found using technology to make lessons more engaging. One thing I find extremely interesting for students to do is take virtual field trips. For instance, in my English class when we begin talking about an author, it is very helpful and interesting to my students if I show them the authors town and house. When we talk about the Salem Witch Trials, they get to feel as if they are in Salem, Massachusetts looking through the museum thanks to a virtual tour. This could be used by all grade levels in many different subjects. It is a cheaper more plausible experience to getting students the culture and knowledge they need for a specific lesson.

Station Rotation

This year my math class consisted of 32 students.  In order to meet the needs of all learners, I divided them into two math groups.  Technology enhanced my use of learning stations in the classroom.  Students practiced basic facts on Math Facts in a Flash.  They received instruction and practice from Education Galaxy.  They also logged onto Google Classroom for an individualized lesson.  Technology saved my math class!

To Use Technology or Not to Use Technology?

My colleague and I were having one of our many discussions concerning technology this week.  She is particularly concerned that it may be harmful to add more screentime into our students' lives when we know they are already spending multiple evening hours in front of the screen.  I understand the concern, but most of me thinks it's still a good idea.  Our students use technology for entertainment.  As they mature and grow, this entertainment may even encompass activities for which technology shouldn't be used.  This is where educators can help.  We can educate children about ways technology can be used for learning and breaking barriers.  If we teach them proper use of technology, hopefully it will carry over into their free time as well. 

Education Galaxy

My students absolutely love Education Galaxy. It very colorful, engaging, and hit Reading, Math, and Language Arts. As the complete lessons, they earn different rockets and aliens. Definitely a PLUS for student engagement.

Technology in the Classroom

Through this class, I have learned to navigate different types of technology that are very beneficial for my classroom. My Blog, "Fourth and Fifth on Fleek", is probably my favorite experience from this class, with my web quest running a close second. I have used web quests in my classroom before, but mainly by giving students different websites to explore and complete different tasks with the information. I also liked using the podcast and screencast and seeing different ways they can be used in the classroom, my only downfall to those are downloading programs for them to be used. This is difficult to do on technology that requires admin to download new programs. Over all, I enjoyed this class and learned a lot of useful techniques that can be used in classroom currently.

Blogger Status

With the rise of social media, has come the rise of blogging. Instagram came into our lives less than 5 years ago, and since the rise of becoming "insta-famous", has become the rise of "blogger status". Blogging has taken over; and now has even become a 6 figure + salary job. I have found myself following certain bloggers; wether they be lifestyle, fashion, food, or education, I keep a daily tab on my favorites. I want to do what these "bloggers" do, and have yet to be disappointed by their suggestions. Until this class, I wasn't really sure what all it took to create, manage, and update a blog, and now see how it can be someone's full time job. I love blogging!!

Most students have an 800 dollar computer in their pockets, why are they not using it?

As i walked around my classroom on the first day of school observing my students and going over classroom expectations I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.  More than likely this was just a notification or a text message, and I disregarded the moment.  Just at that moment I clicked to the next slide on my powerpoint that stated the school policy for cell phones "No cell phones used throughout the day except for lunch and before school begins." This prompted me to get out my cell phone and demonstrate for the class what this expectation meant, secretly knowing I could also check my notification at the same time. As I demonstrated, I saw my notification was from Archeology magazine, they had recently discovered a comb from 2500 years ago.  Awesome, I thought to myself. At this very moment I began to wonder why we weren't using these incredible devices in the classroom.  Out of curiosity I asked my students how many had smart phone devices in their pockets every student but one raised there hand.  Incredible I thought.  Incredible how all of us could be holding a 500-800$ tiny computer in our pocket that receives instant information and sends instant information but we are not aloud to use it until lunch.  Thomas Jefferson, one of the smartest men in American History, is said to have the most extensive library of our founding fathers, and had read most of his books.  Being in the 1700's I can't imagine his library was that extensive as wikipedia or simply google.  Yet, he wrote the declaration of independence and is considered an American hero.  My point is this, our students today have access to more information and a quicker rate then ever before. But we are not a loud to use it until lunch? After giving this some contemplation I asked myself what Jefferson would do? I came to the conclusion of Revolution.  That year in my class smart phones were used for almost everything from assessments, to learning, and feedback.  This revolution, much like Jeffersons, was successful and inspired other revolutions throughout campus.

Technology a Brief History and The Correlation to the Classroom

Technology is defined as any new creation that makes life easier for us all.  10,000 years ago that was agriculture, 800 years ago that was a gun, and 9 years ago that was the smart phone.  For teachers and students, technology has fortunately been developed incidentally for the classroom, to help make both the students and teachers lives easier.  Much like those first farmers 10,000 years ago we are still learning.  What works and what doesn't work, how to use technology effectively and why it is important our students learn these skills for the future.  Through this class we have had the opportunity to learn how to use some of this amazing techniques for the classroom.  And just like for the people that invented the gun 800 years ago, teachers are loaded to ensure our students are ready for the 21st century.  These ideas and skills that we have learned throughout this class are hands down some of the most useful skills I have learned during my Masters program.  And although the smart phone was invented just nine years ago, I feel more comfortable standing up in front of a class today than ever before saying "Alright guys, lets get out our smart phones."

Corey Waters

Finally Learned How To Do Something

When I took this glass and took a glance down to the assignments, I wasn't intimidated because this was stuff I've been used a lot in my profession, plus I was a mass communication major in college so I got to work with a lot of these programs. One thing I am so happy I got to learn was the Jing program, which helps you webcast, and record things from your screen to show other people. There's been a few cases that I wish I knew how to do this, and I'm so happy I have that to use now. It's a good way to explain things to people in my profession without being there, so if I am away on business I can show my students/work study how to do something without even being there, amazing and glad I found out what this program is and I will use it in the future.

Loved my technology class!

I hope to be an educator one day, I see myself as one now just in my profession but one day I hope to extend that to the classroom. I think the teaching landscape would be a much better, enjoyable place with a lot of the techniques we emphasized in class this semester. Being very technology savvy, I didn't know how much this class would help me, but it was fun to be creative and see my professor being okay with my weird, quirky way of doing things. I hope some of our educators will use some of these things we've learned in the classroom!