Awesome Brain Break Website

Have you heard of Gonoodle?  It is an awesome free tool that is simple to use and provides short brain breaks (dancing, Zumba, etc.) for your students.  A cute cartoon character of your choice earns points for your class and "grows" as different activities are completed.  One thing I really like is that there is a "demo" class for you to experiment with first.

Important note: some of the videos require access to YouTube

Check it out at www.gonoodle.com

Biteslide: A free alternative to Glogster

I don't know about you, but with so many free resources available online, I am no longer seeing the need to pay for services that can be found elsewhere.  Glogster is/was one of my favorite tools to use in the classroom.  However, after having my bank account docked every year for the subscription, I decided that it was time to find something else.  After trying out a few "glog-ternatives", I came across Biteslide.  It is a little more simplistic thank Glogster, but it is super easy to use and printer friendly.  A teacher can register for a free account with 30 student accounts.  By referring Biteslide to other teachers, 5 additional student accounts can be added (with a max of 30 additional accounts=60 total).  There are paid versions of Biteslide, but the free account does the trick as well.  Unlike other sites, Biteslide is intended for school use, so I have yet to stumble across inappropriate content.  You can participate in a demo by clicking on the icon at the top of this post.  You can also find a presentation with handouts at THIS link.

Infographics

Today at ISTE2014 I learned how to create an infographic.  I tested out many different sites and found easel.ly to be the easiest for beginners (like me).  Shirley Farrell presented and shared her Livebinder of resources with us.  I think in this case you would benefit most from "playing around" on the website rather than from me trying to create a tutorial video for you because your needs for infographics will differ from person to person.

So, why use infographics in education?  You can read an online article here, but I can also sum it up by saying that infographics combine visuals, informational text, and data to assist the learner in making meaning of what they are viewing.  Hence, they are utilizing multiple modes of learning.  If you take it even further by letting the student create infographics, then they will be using their higher order thinking skills as they sythesize their knowledge and create visual products.

Below is an example of a basic infographic that I created today for my resume.

Augmented Reality Take 1

The clock just struck midnight and I am sitting in my hotel room at ISTE2014.  I came here with an agenda and a plan for what I wanted to learn more about.  First of all I wanted to learn about all things Google since I have been selected to test out Google Classroom.  Second, I wanted to attend sessions that covered utilizing technology with reading and social studies (I am switching from math and science to reading and social studies and need some refreshers).  Finally, I wanted to learn more about Augmented Reality.  Unfortunately, all of the Augmented Reality (AR) sessions were booked up, so I searched all of the presentations from ISTE that covered AR and came across this FABULOUS Prezi which took me step by step through the creation process. Major props to Lauren Tate @teachertate for creating it!

Download the Aurasma App and hold it over the picture below to see my first "Aura"

Google Hangouts

Erin Klein and Kyle Pace shared Google Hangouts 101 and how to use Google Hangouts in the classroom at ISTE 2014.

https://docs.google.com/a/ecps.k12.nc.us/presentation/d/1_9hgx2A7A3E248g_8I-RvMwn4WJME3KqTFS-fqSHaww/edit#slide=id.g35659b189_07

Literacy Tools

Holli Taylor presented at ISTE 2014 on Literacy and the Web 2.0 teacher.  The first handout linked below has links to apps/websites that support guided reading.  The second handout is an example of the "menus" that she uses for guided reading.

https://www.isteconference.org/uploads/ISTE2014/HANDOUTS/KEY_87891843/Literacytoolsfortheweb2GOPDF.pdf

https://www.isteconference.org/uploads/ISTE2014/HANDOUTS/KEY_87891843/ReadingCenterMenus20132014.pdf

Remind 101

Remind 101 is a free service that allows teachers to send text messages to parents who have joined or subscribed to the service.  Contact information is kept private and the messages are only one-way, so there are no replies coming back from the text that is sent.

Here is a short video that I created on the basics of set-up and sending a text (please excuse my noisy children in the background :)

Introduction to Augmented Reality

OK...so I'm definitely a newbie when it comes to Augmented Reality and I am still learning, so feel free to leave any helpful comments below.  I started hearing about AR at NCTIES and have noticed that there are already sold out sessions at ISTE for Augmented Reality, so I've decided to try finding some resources that would be helpful for other newbies like me:)

I found this Prezi by Matt Hollowell that I think does a great job of introducing AR

Senteo and Smart Notebook Lessons Handout

Many teachers have asked for help in creating Senteo assessments (Smart Response) and using the basic features of Smart Notebook to create lessons.  Here is a handout with I created with screenshots in order to get you started. A video will be following shortly.

4th Grade Essential Science Standards Flip Book

This is not a "technology" thing, but I wanted to share it anyway.  I created this quick flip book for the 4th Grade Science Essential Standards for myself to use in the classroom.  Please feel free to use if you like.  As a looping teacher, it is always hard for me to keep the standards straight in my head (what is 4th and what is 5th) so I wanted a quick access tool.  Feel free to use this and share it.

Click HERE for flipbook PDF file

NCTIES 2014 Presentation

Engaging Students with iPods

NCTIES is powered by Edmodo.  Contact me if you would like our group code.

Google Forms

Using a Google Form is an easy way to obtain information from students, staff, and stakeholders.  Data is collected in a Google Spreadsheet for easy viewing and the templates make it easy to create a Google Form.  Once you create one, all you have to do is share the link or even create a QR code that directs the user to the form.  Check out my handout HERE

Educreations

Educreations is a website with a corresponding app that allows you to create recorded lessons using a recordable whiteboard along with microphone capabilities.  

Click HERE for a video tutorial

I found a simple handout for free on Teachers Pay Teachers from Spanishplans.org and you can get it HERE

Jeopardy Labs

Jeopardy Labs is an awesome FREE tool and it is soooo easy to use.  You can create your own Jeopardy game or browse games that have already been created and use them in your classroom.  I have created a handout with screenshots for additional assistance, but I think you will find that you don't need it because it is such a simple website.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7SsbSy9Hn82ODBuTm5lTFFZSWc/view?usp=sharing

Science Spot Kid Zone

http://sciencespot.net/Pages/kidzone.html

This website has links to high-interest science websites by topic.

National Science Digital Library

https://nsdl.org/

The National Science Digital Library is a user-friendly website that houses science resources.  They can be searched by topic, grade level, resource type, and subject.

Free Technology for Teachers: How to Add Free Apps to Your Edmodo Group

Free Technology for Teachers: How to Add Free Apps to Your Edmodo Group

Livebinders

Livebinders is an online tool that acts as a virtual 3 ring binder.  It allows you to collect all of your websites and resources in one location.  My favorite part...the LiveBinder It button.  It is like the Pinterest button and allows you to add links to your LiveBinders without ever leaving the website you would like to save.  Check out my video for more information.

Delicious

There are many tools that can be used to keep track of bookmarks out there.  One that I like for collaborative purposes is Delicious.  Delicious allows you to bookmark websites, tag them, and search the Delicious social network for other "tagged" websites.  You could essentially start a tag (ex MrsBondsHistoryClass) and have students save and tag links for an assignment.  Then all of tagged websites would be collected under that tag.

Edmodo-"Facebook" for the Classroom

So if you have been to any technology conferences lately, you have probably heard of Edmodo.  Edmodo is a social website that more than 30,000,000 students and teachers use to connect, communicate, and collaborate.  Classes/groups can be formed, polls and quizzes can be created and assigned, Web 2.0 projects can be submitted via Edmodo, and the list goes on and on.

A while back I created a Glog with a short video on how to create assignments in Edmodo.  I have also included links to Edmodo's help page and to the main page.

Here is a handout I created for starting up an Edmodo Account.

This is a one page colorful handout on the features of an Edmodo page.

Edmodo for Literature Circles

I am a big fan of Edmodo and use it as a LMS (Learning Management System) in my classroom.  I found this Prezi by Shana Benedict that directly ties using Edmodo for Literature Circles to the Common Core Standards.  You can meet so many objectives by doing this.  Check it out :)
http://prezi.com/jf7pzntfp5sq/edmodo-literature-circles-and-the-common-core/

Symbaloo

Symbaloo is a great visual bookmarking tool that can be used to organize paperless resources with small icons that represent each link.  Check out these amazing tutorials on Corkboard Connections (I would have made my own, but why reinvent the wheel?).

http://corkboardconnections.blogspot.com/2014/01/symbaloo.html?utm_source=January+18%2C+2014+Newsletter&utm_campaign=Jan+13%2C+2014++Newsletter+CCC&utm_medium=email

Using Blogs in the K-12 Classroom

As a teacher in a 4th-5th grade classroom, I find it important to use a blog that is user-friendly if my intention is for student usage.  I have a Kidblog and each of my students has their own page.  I like this particular blog because it is free, it is safe, I can adjust the privacy for maximum security where I (the teacher) approve everything that gets posted, and THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT (this is a biggie for me because we have 10 iPods in our classroom).

1.  Vodcasts: Students can create vodcasts by using the video recorder on the iPod and directly post it to their blog page.  

2.  Collaboration:  This can be done on a small scale with students in the classroom or can become global by collaborating with classrooms around the world on projects, activities, and any other academic ventures. 

3.  Problem Solving:  Students can create problems and share them with others.  This opens a dialogue and enhances their 21st Century Skills as they communicate, collaborate, and problem solve with others.   

4.  Digital Archives: Students can archive their digital projects on their personalized blog page.  This allows for easy access, viewing, and commentary from others.

5.  Resources:  Resources can be provided in one location that is easily accessible for students.  This allows the teacher control the content that is available in order to ensure validity and appropriateness.  

Professor Garfield

The Professor Garfield Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational collaboration between Paws, Inc., the global headquarters for Garfield the Cat, and Ball State University, a nationally recognized leader in teacher training and digital education.  The primary focus of the activities/games on this website is literacy.  My favorite activity is Reading Ring where students have to sequence the Garfield comic strips, but there are many other activities on this website as well that support literacy. http://www.professorgarfield.org/pgf_home.html

Thinglink

If you haven't heard of thinglink, it is a Web 2.0 tool that allows you to use an image and "tag" it in different areas. You could use this to analyze a book cover for text features (characters, setting, etc), use it for science to describe diagrams, use it for  math to define terms (divisor, dividend, quotient), social studies/geography for maps...etc...

Here is a quick example I created using The Wizard of Oz book cover

http://thinglink.com/scene/403606306713239553

How to Thinglink

Citelighter

I just came across this tool and had to share.  Citelighter- www.citelighter.com  is a tool/toolbar that you can use to highlight text off the internet, create citations, and organize your research.  This is great for anybody going back to school or for students who are beginning to do research.  It's worth checking out.

iPod Basics

I created a few videos about the basics of using iPods based upon a needs assessment of the faculty at my school.

Taking Pictures With iPods

Weather App and Voice Memo

Google Maps/Google Earth for iPod

Welcome to Klicking With Krista!

Have you ever needed help with a Web 2.0 tool, app, or just some good information about the best practices for using technology in the classroom?  My goal for this blog is to provide educators with a "go to" place for locating tips and tools to use in their instructional settings.