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.