Shoot for the Moon!

I am putting this on my blog because I want to remember this when I have my own class.  One of my favorite phrases is "I love you to the moon and back".  I want my students to know to challenge themselves. It's ok to make mistakes, it's even ok to fail. What is important is to remember that life is all about learning. Picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves off. Trying again. Celebrating our wins and encouraging each other when we need help. My class will be a safe place where thinking outside the box is encouraged, regardless the outcome.    

Creative Commons

This was a pretty cool assignment. I didn't realize that you could license your work.  I like how you can share with others or if you don't want to, you can specify that.  Also, others can't use your work and benefit from it.

 
throughourlookingglass by Donielle Baxter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Padlet-Favorite Children's Book

This assignment was using Padlet. Super easy and fun to use. The teacher can post a question and all the students can share. I like how easy it is to add a picture.  You could use this in a classroom as an assessment tool also. You could have each child post what they learned in a lesson or from a book. You could use it to hold a class meeting such as having the students post what they think would be important class rules or if there is an issue they could all give ideas to address it.


Ed-Tech standard 5: Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.



padlet

Created with Padlet

YouTube assignment

YouTube is a great resource for teachers and students! You can find find a video about any subject that you are teaching. It is also helpful to students doing a powerpoint or emaze. They can just embed a video to go along with their subject. This first video I would use for a unit on the solar system.

Standard 4-Use general purpose productivity tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, to remediate skill deficits, and to facilitate learning throughout the curriculum.  

 

This is a great video to teach younger students about rhyming words. Kids love silly songs and they help them to remember.





Seriously, who doesn't love Bill Nye the science guy? He makes learning science so much more interesting and fun!




And yet another classic, School House Rock!  They have math videos for Kindergarten up to 8th grade.



The History Channel has some great little videos on history.




conjunction junction
I'm Just a Bill
Comma Song
Bill Nye Outer Space
Magic School Bus Takes A Dive
The Magic School Bus Gets Planted
Kid President Martin Luther King
Kids History The First Thanksgiving
The Elements Song
Nursery Rhymes
Similes and Metaphors
Water Cycle Song
Can You Teach My Alligator Manners?
Elementary Art Videos Colors
McGruf Anti Bullying

eMaze-Our Earth

This assignment had us doing a presentation using eMaze.  I actually liked this program a lot better than PowerPoint or Google Slides.  The special effects in eMaze are super amazing and so easy to do. I spent less than an hour  on my presentation. It was also very easy to embed a video. I think I would use this in my class for a Science unit. The students would have so much fun trying out different templates and sharing them with the class.

Ed-Tech standard 5: Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.

Our Earth

Popplet-Newberry

I am amazed at all the resources available to students and teachers alike that encourage engaged learning! Popplet was one of my very favorites. It is super easy to do and you can also add pictures. I loved how you could change the colors and font. This would be fun to use in a class to teach students about doing an outline. They could use it for a book report outline or even a biography on a person. You don't think that you have much on a subject until you start using Popplet and branching out and the next thing you know you have a lot of information which students can then use to write an awesome report.

Ed-Tech standard 5: Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.

Popplet Newberry

Plant Cycle Brochure

This assignment had us creating a brochure. I decided to do mine on the plant cycle. This is easy to do if you can find a template that works. I like how the template allows you to do it like a book or as a tri-fold. You don't have to worry about placing your text correctly because the template has it set up for you.  This would be fun to do for a unit on Utah. Each student could come up with a brochure on a specific county and have them try to convince the class to want to visit their county.  This  makes it fun and engaging instead of just another report that they have to write.

Ed-Tech standard 5: Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.


plant cycle

Moms and Muffins Flyer

    For this assignment we were asked to create a flyer. I decided to do one on something my son's school recently did, a Moms and Muffins event. They also had one for dads that they called Dads and Donuts.  This is a really great way to get kids to read. They can bring their parent's in before school and read with them to get their reading minutes in.
     I really like using flyers because they are a quick way to get out information. They are easy to do and are very colorful and eye catching. They can be printed or emailed out to parents and they are much more likely to stick in a parents head them a simple email from a teacher. I intend to use flyers a lot in my classroom to keep parents and students informed of events.

  Ed-Tech standard 5: Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.

flyer

Today's Meet

My assignment was to create something using Today's Meet.  This was very easy to use. It reminded me a little bit of Twitter or a Chat room. I asked a question about what it meant to be a good citizen. I think with the upcoming election, it is very important for kids to know how our government works and their responsibility as a citizen of the United States. This would be fun to do in a classroom setting and I like how, unlike Twitter, you don't need to have an account. It is nice that you can read your students comments and then direct the conversation in a different direction if you wanted to. I think this would be fun to do as a writing assignment where you could start a paragraph of a story and then have everyone contribute to it.


Ed Tech-Standard 7- Use telecommunications and on-line resources
(e.g., email, online discussions, web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.

 Today's Meet

Storybird

I absolutely loved Storybird! I was amazed at how easy it was to do. I did an ABC book. I really like that there are so many different levels. Any child could create a book from kindergarten up through high school. The cool thing about Storybird is that you don't just have to create a picture book. A student could also create a poetry book or a chapter book.  I plan to use Storybird in my classroom. I would use it with a writing unit. I could create a story with just pictures and have each child write the words and share with the class how many different stories they can come up with using the same pictures.  I could also let them create their own book for a poetry unit.

Ed-Tech standard 5: Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.

 storybird


 

answergarden

   

     This assignment was to create a project using AnswerGarden. I asked what counties my students knew in Utah.  This was very easy to use both as a teacher and a student. It looks really cool when done and would be fun to print and maybe frame in your classroom.
      One thing that I didn't like about it is that you have to closely monitor it. Student's for instance, could write silly or inappropriate things. It also bugged me that if you spelled a word wrong it would still show up on your page. I also didn't like that you could see everyone else responses before you put your own so I feel that the students response may or may not really be their own.   I don't know that I would use this in my classroom. I think I would probably go with something like TodaysMeet.

Ed Tech-Standard 7- Use telecommunications and on-line resources
(e.g., email, online discussions, web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.

answergarden

Piktochart-Infographic: Animal Science

I wanted to create an Infographic on animals for a science unit.  Piktochart was really easy to use. One thing I liked about Piktochart was the vast amount of graphics that they have available. I like that students can access this at home and see in advance what we are going to be studying and come to class ready to discuss. I plan on using this in my classroom by teaching the water cycle and then having the students create their own Piktochart and sharing with the class.  

Educational Technology-Standard 8  Use technology resources (e.g., calculators, data collection probes,videos, educational software) for problem-solving, self-directed learning, and extended learning activities.



Animal Science

Google Slides-Rock Cycle

 

I made a google slides presentation on the rock cycle.  I really like how you can incorporate lots of pictures as well as text and video if you want.  I think that students retain information longer when they can see a visual of what they are learning.  I broke it down into the three types of rocks, how they are formed and examples, as well of pictures of each type. I hope that my students will be able to identify simple rock types as well as develop a love for nature around them.  My challenge to them is that when they are out on a walk or hike with their family, they can pick up a rock and think of it as more than just a rock.  I want them to explore, question and appreciate.

Ed-Tech standard 5: Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.

Google Forms-Hatchet

For this assignment we had to create a Google Form. I chose to do a quiz on the book, Hatchet. I really enjoyed Google Forms. It was easy to create and I liked the different options that they gave when creating a quiz. With the click of a button I could change my answers to multiple choice, fill-in the blank or even write a paragraph. Google Forms can really cut down on my workload as a teacher. I intend to use this a lot in my classroom. I can do all types of worksheets. They can do them on their computers and submit them to me and I get an immediate response with the worksheet graded.

Standard 7-Use telecommunications and on-line resources (e.g., email, online discussions, web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.




 

Newsletter

For this assignment we had to create a newsletter. I found a cute template which makes a world of difference in setting one up. I like the idea of a class newsletter because it does such a great job of informing parents of what is going on in the classroom. Instead of sending home a paper for spelling words, one for homework for the week, upcoming events and a reading log, I can include it on one paper. Not only that, but I have the option of sending it through email or hard copy. I can also translate it into Spanish for children who's parents don't speak English and I at least know that they can see what we are doing for the week and how to get a hold of me with any questions. This is one thing that I intend to use in my classroom. I like how it is so easy to change it up from month to month and make it fun for my students and parents.

Education Tech-Standard 6- Use telecommunications efficiently and effectively to access remote information and communicate with others in support of direct and independent learning and for pursuit of personal interests.


 February Newsletter

Google Doc Project-Snowball Math

   

  For my Google Doc project I did a math page called Snowball Math. I love to center my lessons around the current holiday or season. I really think that it gets students excited to do the assignment.  I really struggled with this assignment because I am so use to using Microsoft Word. I watched a bunch of YouTube  videos to try and get some guidance and finally just went ahead and did it. It took a lot of mistakes and I hit the undo button numerous times, but it finally turned out. 
     I would use Google Docs in my class because it allows the students to interact with each other.  I think it is especially useful when my class is doing activities that have to do with writing and editing.  I also like how you can do quizzes and surveys in Google Doc.
     I think this tool would work well with the older grades but I feel there are easier tools available for the younger grades. 

Standard 7-Use telecommunications and on-line resources (e.g., email, online discussions, web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.



   Snowball Math

Pinterest Project: Solar System

     I did my Pinterest board on the Solar System.  I was surprised at all the information you can find on Pinterest! You can find everything from coloring pages, to games and videos. I even found how to use Oreo cookies to describe the phases of the moon. There is no end to the amount of information you can find on Pinterest and the best part is that most of it is very easy to do! I really like Pinterest because there is something that every child on any level of learning can accomplish.
     One way I intend to use this in my classroom is to assign my students to go on my Pinterest board and pick one idea to research and share with the class. I am also going to work with the school librarian and see if we can display mobiles of the solar system in the library so that the rest of the school can see and enjoy them.

Standard 4-Use general purpose productivity tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, to remediate skill deficits, and to facilitate learning throughout the curriculum.  


  Follow Donielle's board Our Solar System on Pinterest.