Geoboard App

   Reading through my Twitter last week, someone posted a great app for Geoboards. I checked it out and sure enough, no more flying rubberbands. Children can work on creating shapes, symmetry and reflective symmetry with this FREE app. For the moment, I don't see any downside to the app. You cannot save any of the work, but you could take a photo with another device and save it in Evernote Portfolio if you wanted documentation.

Here is a link to the App:


https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/geoboard-by-math-learning/id519896952?mt=8

Tweeting in First Grade - Really?Yes!

   As a teacher, staying connected is so important. Reaching out to other teachers and reading what others are doing helps you grow professionally. So why not do the same thing for your class. We were already blogging using Kidblog and I wanted to introduce my class to Twitter. We started out by writing tweets on our "paper wall" so the children would get used to writing and the concept of Twitter.

Once the class was comfortable, I set up a classroom account under the Twitter name @MrsTsfirstgradeclass. We started out by the children telling me what they would like to tweet and I would write it. Then, I decided to create a "Class Twitterer" who would tweet out our class news. The class offers suggestions of what to write, the Twitterer tweets, and I approve all tweets before it goes live. This has been a slow go in the classroom, but I am confident it will continue to pick up. We began to connect with other first grade classrooms to share what we are learning in the classroom. I also invite the parents to connect with us as well.

We also use the hashtag #mathstories to tweet out math stories and answer any math problems that are here.

I have very limited tech. in my class, but the children are always welcome to use my computer and even my phone to get connected. Don't be afraid to try. There is nothing stopping you. First graders are smart - give them a chance.

You can find me at: @tamatrotti and @mrstsfirstgradeclass

Using Evernote for Digital Portfolios

   A while ago, I came across a great post on using Evernote for Digital Portfolios in the classroom. As I am always looking for ways to limit paper use and make organization easier for me, I thought I would try and implement in my class this year.  We are just getting underway and I have explained to the class why it's important to keep a progress of their work over the course of a school year.  By storing it digitally we eliminate unnecessary paper clutter. This also helps with organization as everything is stored in individual "notebooks" within Evernote.

It was pretty simple to set up. I set up one Evernote account and then an individual notebook for each student in the class. We have access to two Ipads in the classroom so the children can easily take photos of the work they want to post and "pop" it right into their Evernote account. If you only have access to a laptop or desktop, you will have to either scan the images or take a photo and then upload to Evernote.( In the link to the article below, this is explained.) I explained to the students that sometimes I would post work to their notebook and other times, they would choose at least 2/3 pieces a month that they wanted to put into their portfolio to share with their families.  During parent conferences, I can show parents their child's portfolio. Later on, I will show the students how they can share their portfolio from their home. The only downside with this is, there is only one password for the class account so everyone can access each other's notebooks. However, for primary grades it shouldn't be an issue.

I don't keep any annecdotal records in the portfolios. I have a separate Evernote account that I only have access to in which to write comments. At the end of the year, the children will have various stages of progress of their work that they can take with them to wherever. The best part, no loose papers or bulky boxes - viva the paperless portfolio!

Here is the post on using Evernote for Digital Portfolios written by Rob Van Nood. Rob does an excellent job of explaining how to implement Evernote in the classroom.

Quad Blogging

Quad blogging is a blogging platform whereby you, as a teacher sign-up your class and are grouped with 3 other grade-level classes from anywhere in the world. (You can specify countries) The premise is that one school is in the "blogging spotlight" while the other 3 schools comment on the "spotlighted" school's students' blogs. The next week, it's repeated with a new school and so on. You are able to go through a few rotations as it runs quarterly. It is very manageable this way and as a teacher, you don't feel like you need to have your students respond to so many blogs at one time. The focus is just one each week.  My students are first grade and yes, they need help with their writings, but they are so excited to write to children in another part of the world and share their thoughts and feelings with others. They can hardly wait to read other students' comments about what they wrote as well as get responses back from a comment they made.

This is an excellent way to give your class an authentic audience for their writings. It is also a way to teach your class how to write meaningful, kind comments about someone else's work.  Dialogue, exchange of ideas, and friendships are formed in a safe, non-threatening way. For more information on quad blogging, visit this link here.

New School Year and blogging begins!

We're rolling into our third week of school and as teachers we forget how difficult the "rentrée" is. New routines, new children, different levels. I look to my now second graders to get inspiration that it does get easier and to see how far they do progress by the end of the school year.  

We have started on Kid Blogs again this year. All parents are on board and the class is already eager to blog.  We started slow, but this class has caught on very quickly and want to post their thoughts all the time! I am excited about this. If you are not familiar with Kid Blogs, please see my old post from last year on this topic.

I am also going to start "tweeting" with my class. We have an account but haven't begun yet. I found this great post of how teachers are creating a "pretend tweet wall" in their classroom to teach the children how and what to tweet before they even start the real thing.  I love this idea as this introduces the children to social media and gets them comfortable about what things they should be tweeting. Here   is an interesting article from Beth Holland on this topic.

Here also is a great post from Mrs. Wideen's class about how she uses Twitter in her classroom. As you can see from Mrs. Wideen's class, social media, when used correctly and safely can be a powerful learning tool.

Global Read Aloud

   Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Calling all readers to the great global read aloud. If you have not heard of this yet, be sure to check out the global read aloud site which outlines this fabulous program. The program is grouped by grade levels so each reads a book designated for their level. The book for the K-2 group is Marty Mcguire by Kate Messner. I can't wait to share this story with my class and have some interesting discussions with other schools around the globe.  This is a great way for classes to connect with other classrooms around the world and participate in dialogue and genuine conversations about books. Click on the links below to learn more about this program and the book.

                

   HI All,  I am guest blogging over at Rachel Lynette's Minds in Bloom site. Be sure to hop on over to read about using Bucket Fillers in the classroom.