Goodreads

This year I made the switch from teaching math and science to teaching reading and social studies. Now don't get me wrong, every teacher is a reading teacher, but this change has led to my temporary hiatus from blogging about technology.  This is largely due to the fact that I believe that a teacher needs to know their content and be comfortable with it before they begin to enhance it with a lot of new technology.  Throughout the year I continued to use the technology/programs/apps that I was already familiar with, but I did take a break from searching out anything new/cutting-edge.  

Now that we are approaching the end of the year and I start thinking about next year, I have once again begun to search out tools that will make my classroom more effective (and some tools that I think are just awesome for myself).

The website Goodreads is one of my new favorites (and yes, there is an app for that).  This website is almost as addicting as Pinterest.  Once you set up a free account you are able to rate books that you have read.  As you rate your previously read books, the system makes recommendations to you for future reading.  One of my favorite parts of the app is the scanner.  I was recently in the store and saw several books that I would like to read, but since I currently have a stack on my nightstand I did not purchase them.  Instead, I scanned the barcode with my app and added them to my "want to read" virtual shelf.  As you investigate different books that may interest you, ratings and book reviews from other members of the goodreads community can be viewed.  You can also follow your "friends" and see what they are reading/have read.

So how does this apply to my classroom?  This app is nicely correlated to genres, and therefore I can search through children's literature, fiction, historical fiction, etc. and based upon what my class has enjoyed reading I can find suggestions for future reading.   Older students may enjoy having their own log-in and access to the app.  I would probably suggest not using it with younger students as inappropriate books may be located while conducting a search.  

Give it a try!  It's free and I really think you will enjoy it:)

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