Module 4, Activity 3, Assignment 7 BYOD

    Wow! I like the idea of students BYOD's! Students would definitely take better care of their device and I am sure they would have the device at school every day. There would be a lot less students saying I forgot my iPad. I also think parents would be more involved in making sure their child was using the device appropriately. The video was correct in pointing out the fact that most students have up to date devices compared what the school has for them to use. Oh and carts, It would be so nice not to have to ever see one again! 

    Technology is changing the way our students learn and how they learn. Our students can look up data in an instant.  They do not need to memorize data when they can  look the information up in a moment.  Students want more than that. They want to create, collaborate, communicate, and use critical thinking to solve problems, develop new ideas, and more. Our students are learning in an environment that is constantly changing. They need to have classrooms, lessons, and social commitments to stay interested in school and want to learn.  I can't image how many students in the last fifteen years we lost in a world where education was answering a,b,c,d. How many talented  students who were never given a chance to explore, create, communicate, collaborate, and use critical thinking skills to become and work in the field of their dreams. 

    I hope this idea of BYOD to school will happen in the near future.

Module 4, Activity 3, Assignment 6 Flipped Classroom

This evening I have been working on assignment 6, a Flipped Classroom. I spent a lot of time finding new sites to find power points. One of the sites I found is This site had a lot of power points. I explored this site for a while and found a lot of interesting power points. I used Diigolet a lot today. I am really enjoying Diigolet. Diigolet saved me a lot of time when I found interesting power points and wanted to save them to explore later. The second part of this assignment was to find and download videos for my flipped classroom folder in Dropbox. I found a site for one of my videos. I found a couple more and used Diigolet to save them. The third part of this assignment was to use Flickr to download images using Creative Commons. I did save images and was glad that I did not have to worry about copy rights. My Dropbox folder is becoming full of wonderful new ideas, opportunities, and lessons. I am finding so much new material. I can not wait to explore more of these sites.

Module 4, Activity 3, Assignment 5 Instructional Videos

I have explored a lot of educational sites today. At this point, I think Learn Zillion is the best.I did like Disney but the videos I would need for my classroom had to be bought. I found one called Watch Know Learn. I am going to go back and explore a little more of this site. I tried to find videos on You Tube but I kept getting lost in different subjects that I felt like I was not being productive. I googled funny, educational videos for fourth graders and I could only find eleven of them. The videos were not in the content area I needed them to be. I did write down the apps suggested in one of the blogs I was reading. I have written down Sago Mini Doodle cast, Explain Everything, Doceri, and Explain a Website. I will investigate these sites and ask my ITT teacher about these apps. I do want to see if I can find more already made videos. I will keep exploring. I have learned a lot about making my own videos. I am not scare of them now. I just wished I could find some already made and the students would enjoy them.

Module 4, Activity 2, Assignment 4 Sharing files and folders in Dropbox

I have been searching the internet for new activities and lessons for this assignment and for myself. I came upon a site that I found some activities I downloaded to my folder on Dropbox called Kim's folder to share. I also am sending the sites address so that you all can explore it for your class grade. The activities I downloaded will probably work best for third, fourth, and fifth graders. Here is the link to k-5mathteaching resources. I hope that this site is helpful and that you find some activities that your students will enjoy using while learning the skill you are teaching. I found word problem cards for my students that I think will work great when they are working in small groups or centers. I am looking for math videos that are funny. I will keep searching and share the sites when I find them and try out the videos.

Module 4, Activity 2, Assignment 3 Google Docs and Sharing

I made a new document in Google Docs. It is called Thanksgiving. I ask for people to share what they are thankful for in their lives. I'm getting more relaxed using Google. I am feeling more at ease with it and have decided I want save my pictures and lesson plans on Google. I am thinking now that is the safest place for them. I do have a question with Google. What if I changed my e-mail address will I still be able to get to my materials? For instance, I use my Henry County e-mail address for everything. What if something changes and I no longer have that e-mail address. Will I still be able to access my lessons and pictures? I need to find out that question. Do I need a different address or ID? I will ask about it tomorrow at school.

Module 4, Activity 1, Assignment 2 Photo Peach embedded in a blog

Newest Addition to the Family on PhotoPeach I loved making a slide show of my great niece! I really enjoyed this assignment. I can see now that Photo Peach will be a great asset to my classroom. I can make slide shows of my students working in math centers and during science experiments. It would be a great way to share with parents what their child was doing in the classroom.

Module 4, Activity 1, Assignment 1 Photo Peach

I made my first slide show using Photo Peach! It was a lot of fun! I will definitely be using this site a lot in the near future. I did not know making presentations or picture slide shows could be so easy and fun!
    I will be sharing this site with other teachers on Tuesday during our professional work day. I will be using Photo Peach to make a slide show the next time my students are working  in math centers or a science experiment!

Module 3, Activity 4, Assignment 7 Mobile

    I read the Eutopia article today. Technology is changing our world. It is changing how we teach our students in the classroom. I  am amazed that I have tried something new this week. My fourth grade students are now Blogging!!! They are loving it.  Now back to the article, there is a lot of technology being used in classrooms. I think the one that has really made a huge impact on our students and our world is the phone.
    I downloaded two apps from the article onto my iPad. One is called Motion Math and the other one is Martha Sparks Story Maker. Both have good reviews. I am in the process of observing how my students like them before I ask my ITT person to download the apps onto my students iPads. I will know next week how my students like the apps. I will have a Blog set up for them to share their thoughts on both apps.

Module 3, Activity 3, Assignment 6 Getting Started with Flipped Instruction

    I have worked on this assignment for the last couple of days. I have not figured out how to download videos to Dropbox. I am disappointed that I have not figured it out. I decided that I must move on to the alternative and that is to save to Diigolet. I must admit I wished that I would have just used Diigolet first and I would have been in a much better mood.
    Diigolet is great! I downloaded division videos and saved them into Diigolet. I really liked the way I was able to highlight, use a sticky note, and bookmark a video. I am now wondering  how I could have gone this long without Diigolet. It is so easy! I am so glad that my instructor shared this site with us in class!!

/www.zaption.com/listing/554ccfe38836754c451af586
    My assistant principal shared this site with teachers. My fourth grade team found a division video our students loved! It is called 28 divided by 7.

Module 3, Activity 3, Assignment 5 What is the Flipped Classroom

    I have heard and seen videos of a Flipped Classroom. It looks like the flipped classroom is becoming more popular. I see that the flipped classroom is making it way down to the elementary level.  I think it is a fantastic idea that the teacher can make up a lesson plan with the basic elements of a skill and the students watch the video to learn the skill. Next, the students were able  to come to class for deeper teacher instruction and interaction with group work, and more.
     I love the idea of a flipped classroom! As a teacher I could work with the students who are struggling and need my attention the most. Also, I could work with the students who have a better understanding of a skill so that they can take that skill to a more advanced understanding.  I have questions about how the flipped classroom would work with my students in my class. I would need a  professional to teach me  how it would work with my students and I.

Module 3, Activity 2, Assignment 4

    I watched the video on how to create a form. I created a survey and I am hoping to hear back on it tomorrow. I hope that I completed this task correctly. I kept going back and forth watching the video and creating the form. I want to see my results before I try another form. I wrote down the directions on how to get back to my form just in case I forget.
    I am really excited about practicing creating more forms. I mean look at all the possibilities! I could use this form to send out surveys to students and parents. I can use it to send out weekly dates on important dates. I will know tomorrow if I have been successful. If not, I will try it again!       https://docs.google.com/a/henry.k12.va.us/forms/

https://docs.google.com/a/henry.k12.va.us/forms/

Module 3, Activity 2, Assignment 3, Exploring Google

I have been exploring Google all week!  I am using it for all kinds of  materials that I need.
* Form to change schedule and send to parents
* Lesson Plan for all to add
* Grading System and Awards for parents
* Calendar of Events for the month
* Up Coming Dates and Materials  due
* Students data showing progress

The more I learn about Google the more I am using it!

Module 3, Activity 1, Assignment 2, Twitter

    I am now following VA TECH FOOTBALL!  There are a few more sites I want to follow but I think right now it would be to much of an overload for me right now. My daughter just informed me I have not been  hash tagging my Tweets. My daughter said she fixed my tweets for me.
    As of using Tweets in the classroom, I think its great for the higher grades but I'm not so sure for my fourth graders. Maybe. I need to think more about it.

Module 3, Activity 1, Assignment 1 Classroom Blogging ,Read articles and find more and link one

https://tntposts.wordpress.com/2014/06/22/blogging-in-math-class/


The above address is  using blogging in math class. I have read a few more blogs about using blogs in the math class and it make sense. Students can show and share their work and other students can discuss if they found another way to solve the problem. There is also a site where it gives you details how students can snapshot their work or an example to help them. It is really neat and I can't wait to further investigate using blogs in math class.
     I also read the articles. One would not go to home because it said they had updated and some of the urls have changed. The articles are really impressed how blogging is helping students with their writing and therefore  helping them overall in Language Arts. I as so excited about using blogs in the classroom! I am really hoping to get my students blogging this week!

Module 2, Activity 4, Assignment 9 Free iPad Apps

    I downloaded to apps. The first one was from Scholastic. It was called Kid Blog but when I went to download it from the app store it was called The Easy Blog. This blog is suppose to be safe for students to use. It is shared only with the teacher and classmates. I am going to ask my ITT instructor this week about helping me set it up so that my students can use it. I discussed with her last week about meeting me this week. I am really excited about having my students blog!
    The second app I downloaded came from the list 55 Free Apps for Education. I see that the site is called Teacher thoughts.com. I downloaded the app called Duolingo. I am excited about exploring this app. I have a lot of ELL students and this would be nice if they can share and help students who do not speak a second language.

Module 2, Activity 3, Assignment 8, Drop Box Share

    Today I shared power point timer on Dropbox under the UVA class. I used this particular timer so that my students can stay focus on their lesson especially if they are working in groups. My students do not get caught up arguing the time.  I hope someone in the class can use it. It does not show a clock counting down just the remaining minutes to work.
   I really enjoy using Dropbox. It saves me a lot of time. I do not have to make paper copies for my students homework or classwork.  A lot of times the passages are in color so the students like it better. It is more  reader friendly when I can download a passage in color than print in black and white.

Module 2, Activity 3, Assignment 7, Google Drive/Docs

    The more I use Google Docs, the more I am loving it. Google Docs has  been very helpful in making new lesson plans this week. My coworkers, reading specialist, and school instructor have been working on a Language Arts lesson. We started the lesson on Google Docs and began sharing the lesson. The lesson is becoming  very unique. All of us are adding something to the lesson which is making it better each time we add. The lesson has evolved into a differentiated lesson that is easy to use and teacher friendly.
    We are now using Google  Docs to keep our students scores for MAP, SOL's and benchmarks.
Google Docs is helping us maintain  all of their data. We can now fill in MAP scores and see the if the students are making progress and what areas they need more instruction in the skills they are learning.

Module 2, Activity 2, Assignment 6, Pinterest

    I went on Pinterest  and found  myself  spending an hour to complete this assignment. I must admit I got a little upset about it. I wanted to get ahead in my assignments and ended up getting depressed. My daughter came down stairs and help me find a follower. She did it in five minutes.  I also did a pin.
    I hope that my board will be helpful.

Module 2, Activity 2, Assingment 5

    I added five new links to my Diigo account. I hope that they are useful to somebody. I also added my instructor and other students in my classroom to follow. I will eventually visit the site to learn more about things these teachers have linked to share with others.
    I am sure there is a lot of material to be explored on Diigo.  I know  many great ideas and places to visit to find  those ideas are located in Diigo.

Module 2, Activity 1, Assignment 4, Micro Blogging with Twitter

    I watch one video that I like better that the others. It was Twitter for Teachers. I like how they showed Twitter being used as a tool to help teachers share ideas. Not only can teachers share ideas within a school, county, or state, they can share ideas globally. I like how the video showed how to micro blog.  It makes Twitter seem a lot more sensible than I thought before learning how to use Twitter.
    I like the idea of sharing ideas, lessons, videos and more with a PLN. I would like to follow people who are in the same field as I am and that I can learn from. Twitter is a great way to have professional communities.

Module 2, Activity 1, Assignment 3, Creating a Word Cloud using Wordle or Tagxedo

I have no luck what so ever on this assignment. I  tried Wordle and my laptop informs me my plug in is not supported. I tried different things with no luck. Next, I tried Tagxedo. I had no luck at all on this site. The site informed me I needed Silverlight  to be used but to know that Google Crome  no longer supports Silverlight. Also, the site informs me that the other internet names like Internet Explorer have their own particular rules about Tagxedo.
 I will talk with my ICC when she is in the building this week to see if she can fix my laptop to work so I can complete this assignment.

Module 2, Activity 1, Assignment 2, Maintain and Expand your classroom Page in Blogger

    I have completed a page in my Blog. It is called Kim's Page. I can see how having a page can be useful for a teacher. I can post a page of  my schedule for the students and parents to see at all times. I can post on a page the days my students will need tennis shoes for P.E. I could have all of my contact information for parents and students posted on a page. The rules and grading scale can be posted on a page for easy access for the parents.
    I think having a page will save teachers, parents and students a lot of time and frustration. Parents and students will not have to worry about keeping up with a paper copy of yearly data pertaining to schedules, rules, and more. Teachers will not have to constantly make copies of all the material the students and parents need.

Module 2, Activity 1, Assignment 1, How to use Blogs in the Classroom

http://edublogs.org/wp-admin

    The blogs that I have been learning about is the Blogger and Edublogs. As I was reading on Edublogs, I found an article on the 50 ways to use Bloggers in the classroom. Here are five ways to use Blogs in the classroom..

* Students can blog deep thoughts and self -reflection, organize thoughts and ideas
* How to/ Helpful -the classic how to is better when it includes pictures, videos, and other media
* Journal/Dairy- great for reading logs, field trips, science labs, and study aboard
* News/Announcements- keeping readers up to date with important information
* Video/Vlogs- enable a video with extra information links and summary
   
    The blog also discusses how teachers are using blogs to help students write. This one teacher blogged about her students are writing more and being more attentive to their writing.

    I have linked the blog above so that I can share this interesting data with others.

Module 1, Activity 5, Assignment 9, Google Images and Flickr

https://vastatic.testnav.com/vaqc/testnav-7.5.10.58/epatLogin.jsp?testnavTestId=epat4124&testnavFormId=EP4Mhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t99BfDnBZcI#

The above link is google images.

    Today, I discovered Flickr. I downloaded pictures into my Dropbox. Next, I went to Google Images and downloaded pictures into my Dropbox.  I liked both sites. I am amazed how much Google material I did not know about before taking the  Web 2.0 class.
    One of the most important thoughts I would like to share is how easy it is to use these sites. They are not as time consuming as I thought it would be looking up images. I know now I can make  lesson plans a lot more interesting to my students and for myself by downloading images.

Module1, Activity 5, Assignment 8, Creative Commons

    I learned about Creative Commons today.  It is a site that people can download images to the Flickr web site without breaking any copy right laws. The  photos can be used for projects or used in the classroom.

    I would not have known about Creative Commons if I had not signed up for the Web 2.0 class. I like knowing I can go to a site and not worry about copy right laws. I am constantly discussing copy right laws with my students.

Module 1, Activity 4, Assignment 7, Drop Box

    I used Drop Box everyday at work.. I download homework,  vocabulary lessons, reading lessons, math lessons, study guides and tests for my students. I was on it today downloading some of Dan Mulligans assessments and check point in Math for my students.  I had my students divided into three groups. Group one downloaded their assignment from Drop Box to work with each other. The second group used the material I had downloaded into Drop Box on to the smart board for a little more support. The third group download the material they were to use from Drop Box to work in a small group with a teacher.
    I use Drop Box everyday. I am very fortunate that I found out about Drop Box two years ago. I am now finding how much more technology can work in the classroom for my students and for me.

Module 1, Activity 4, Assignment 6, Google Docs/Google Drive

    I completed my first Google Doc!  I can see myself getting more comfortable with Google Docs/Google Drive.  I can not wait to make documents  to share lesson plans, smartboard lessons, and other materials with my coworkers. Sharing by using Google Docs will save my coworkers and myself a lot of time.
    I am really excited about using Google Docs. I really like knowing that my lessons and other materials will always be there! I have lost so much material when changing computers. I like the security of knowing my material is saved in the United States and it will be there when I change or  my computer breaks down.

Module 1, Activity 4, Assignment 5, Google Docs

    I watched the video about the teacher who uses Google Docs for collaborative writing. I loved it! I can see how easy it could be used for students to have team projects, peer editing, and more. I liked how all the students could be collaborating on a project at different computers.
    I asked my daughter, a junior in high school, if she uses Google Docs in her classes at school. My daughter said they used it all the time and she loves Google Docs. She uses it for collaborating with groups for projects, keeping up and sharing data, and for keeping up with materials that are important to a class. It does not surprise me that my child is using technology I am just now really learning about and how to use it.

Module 1, Activity 3, Assignment 4 Pinterest

    I am hooked! I loved searching for new ideas and books my fourth graders will like to read. I am going to Scholastic and see if I can buy some of those books at a volume price. My students will love having new books in the classroom that are up to date on the kinds of stories they like to read.
    I found myself on Pinterest not only researching books for my students to read, but some new activities I can use for math class. I am excited about returning to Pinterest this evening for more exiting new material I can use in the classroom.

Module 1, Activity 3, Assignment 3

    Today I used Diigolet. I like the idea of highlighting, using a sticky note and bookmarking reading passages, smartboard lessons and lesson units. I enjoyed saving new  material for myself and for my students.  Using Diigolet will save me a lot of time when I am researching for new material.
     The one thing I will do tomorrow is ask for help in making sure I saved a link. I  know I tagged different lessons using the tool bar for Diigolet, but the link I an not so sure if I linked correctly.
    I am glad I have learned about and can use Digolet. It will save time so that I can research more material in a good amount of time.

Module 1, Activity 2, Assignment 2 Twitter

    I did not know how to use Twitter until Saturday in class. Now that I read 60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom, I have a new perspective on using Twitter.
     I can see myself using Twitter in the classroom in several ways. I love the thought of using it to help my blurters to tweet instead of blurting out questions and answers in the classroom. Next, I could use it for remind students of homework and schedules. I love the thought of students summarizing a lesson for an instant formative assessment.  Students can also keep informed about assignments  when they are out of school.
    I love the thought that my students would be practicing their writing skills, vocabulary skills, and communication skills. Students could also have inspirational conversations and so much more.

Module1, Activity 2, Assignment 1 Blogger

    I am really excited about my students using blogs in the classroom. My ITT instructor will be at the school tomorrow and I am really hoping that she will have time to set up  my students iPads for blogging. I will blog  about my students as soon as I can get everything set up in the classroom.
    I read the blog about Ms. Cassidy's  six year old's blogging. I loved it! I really enjoyed seeing the students blogs and how the teacher posted pictures of her students work. Ms. Cassidy's  students  have worked hard and I hope that they are proud of their accomplishments. I know that she is very proud of her students.
    I couldn't help myself! I signed up for Edublogs! I am really excited about blogging in this blogger. I did not know there was so many ways to use Edublogs. I read 10 Ways to use Your Edublog. I am very interested in using it to create lesson plans, create blogs for clubs and student groups or events, and share materials, news, and more.

Saturday, October 17, 2015 Pinterest

I am learning lots of new material in my class. I think I am going to have to be careful on Pinterest. I seem to be enjoying looking up new material way to much!

Saturday, October 17, 2015 About Blogging

While reading this article, I am thinking if my ITT teacher can help me set up my students iPads so that they can  blog. Would it be worth the time invested for me to have my students blog? I am going to discuss this idea with my coworkers.

Saturday, October 17, 2015 Diigo

Today we learned about Diigo. Diigo is a social bookmarking site. I was able to bookmark sites about fourth grade math. Later, when I am out of class, I will go back to these bookmarks and see what I can use from these sites.

If you are interested in setting up a Diigo account click here: