Tool #11

1. I can't say I have any favorites, but my kids liked to make movies on Stupeflix. It offered me a good way to see their work in a non traditional way. After learning about an American hero, the students created a movie showing the accomplishments of this hero. With the limit on text, the students needed to give specific facts and have a picture that matched their statement. They learned to be concise and identify only important information.

2. To be honest my classroom is now a disaster. Planning is incredibly time consuming and I am still concerned about skills children need not being taught. After years of being a successful teacher, I feel I am a novice again-only this time I am married with kids and so my time and energy are at a premium.

3.I learned a lot about many good things but I am left with thoughts of confusion. I am pulled in directions-global learning, passing reading benchmarks, STAAR, Stanford, good thinking skills, etc.

Hopefully this anxiety will dissipate over time.

tool11

I can't get on because my mac computer does not trust it...how is that for interesting? I will try on my school one later.

Tool 10

Digital Citizenship

1. I want for them to understand mistakes happen. I also work on copyright issues. Finally we talk about the lack of accuracy. I do make a list of safe sites that helps control their surfing.

2./3. I always begin by discussing that on the internet things don't always go as planned. I discuss my accidental happenings on the computer. We talk about honesty before getting too deep. Since things happen, a student should tell on themselves before I discover it. Next the students get instruction from my wonderful librarian using several you tube videos, I use the brain pop and finally the students go to atomic learning. We review the consequences and as 2nd graders this works well.

4. I could give them information on my edmodo account. Although many of them are unsupervised at home. Luckily my parents know and trust me enough to feel confident that I will preview the sites first.

Tool#9

1. Using technology, TLW apply understanding of determining important information by creating a presentation showing the important facts of their American Hero.

• students will research about a famous american on the internet.
• instruction on determining important information, author's purpose.
• after teaching powerpoint, stupeflix, movieapp, wordle, the learner will choose a format that showcases the important information they have learned.

This is the beginning of the thinking process. If I don't plan it first then I will fall back on what is familiar and easy. Now I think I might have to use eduphoria to plan out objectives and time lines for the accountability piece.

2. Accountability: UGH! Holding them accountable for learning... or for completing ...or for a grade... or no grade...I have my thoughts however, I also have 2 children and a husband who don't want me to spend all weekend grading. I really need direction from the district on their expectations. For right now I think I will find a way to make the objective be their technology TEKS until I get a handle on the this accountability part.

I would really like for our campus to discuss how this piece would look. I envision assigning certain programs to each grade then choices become easier as their knowledge grows. While they might beat me in Angry Birds, I know more than they do in many ways. This makes technology very overwhelming.

3. I am now signed up for Study Ladder and I use TCEA to help me find stuff. My problem is not in accountability but finding the time to find things for kids-I think about differentiation through the stations.

4. I have used the dragon dictation and the Grimm Brothers on my own iPhone I have and use in my class. The Grimm Brothers tied into a unit on fairy tales as a listening center. The dragon dictation I used to help them learn how to edit a piece of writing on the computer. Skills are important.

5. Accountability...I am not sure how I feel about this quite truthfully. 2nd grade is so crucial. They either get it together or the next years are tough. I just don't have the answer. Sorry.

Tool#7

This is the hardest tool yet...

I expect I will do something in regards to weather.

TLW understand spring by charting temperatures of various cities in the world.

Starting after spring break we will use Skype to discuss with others the temperature and other characteristics of weather. I will use my sister in Switzerland, my brother in Japan, a friend in Australia and father in Iowa. this should give them a deeper understanding to the concepts they 'know' but have not necessarily experienced.

Tool #6

This is the best new tool. I can really see my kids enjoying it. It will also help with the idea of 'consuming' in language arts. We can view, critique and understand posts that do something like mine.

Edmodo 2ukm02

I can see many benefits of this to help my kids take responsibility for their homework. Baby steps...In May I might put assignments there for them to try at home. I would like to know more about the calendar feature. Would students be able to add features to the calendar? Then this would be this would be ideal for parents to go to for parent conference sign up. I need more info on this but it looks good.

As for Skype, I have had my sister call on Skype from Switzerland during class. I answered it and the kids loved the conversation. It had snowed there and they all had many questions. It was fun. Educational in the aspect of weather only.

Tool#8

This is something I can say

I learned how to use my phone today.

Since the i-touch is in my class,

I am glad to know I won't be an a--.

Their questions-why's, how's and what's

will no longer make me nuts.

The netbooks- I can hardly wait

as my kid's writing is truly great.

Now they have an audience to publish for

I can't wait to read much more!

Alas the dreaded management

it leads me to lament.

I know procedures are a plus

I hope it doesn't make me fuss.

Checking on them after use,

to prevent them running loose.

I will make a new job for the chart

to keep pure their little hearts.

After I try it for a while,

I will love it with a smile.

Tool #5

Here is my American Hero Animoto...In order for it to work for this project, I had to buy the $30 subscription.

I am hoping my students can do this. 30 seconds is a very short time for kids. Their written summaries are always too long so this is going to be tough.

Here is the same on Stupeflix...it was easier.

Tool#4

Google Docs-

Google Google I love you

As my photo reveals to you!

In the classroom I see its best

No more paperwork or the rest

Notes to parents with response

leads my heart to go bounce bounce

Wish my students could type with speed

then editing would be without a need

We could comment with such grace

Our love would have a special place.

I love the feedback and cloud saving

these docs leave me loudly raving!

Tool#3

Today I have discovered, according to the website on copyright, as long as I link the movie we watch during indoor recess to something curricular I am golden...or in my case purring along beautifully. Look out all- Jungle Book ties in with our study of India!! Meow!!!

I found Discovery Education to be the best option for me. I found a butterfly life cycle for science,http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=13771041-3E54-4F16-97C0-75EF5B01885D and one on Christopher Columbus for social studies,http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=7D069882-F8C5-48BF-A17B-A4E9850CA6B9.

The challenge I have is finding information appropriate for 2nd graders. Teacher Tube and You Tube did not work well for me. I did not find anything I could honestly say was better than the book.

Well DropBox ( not the kitty litter box type) seems to be a great place to post homework documents (not math though because that would be against copyright laws). As I now have a pen from Livescribe, I could post the videos I make during instruction for those who are absent. How is this different than Google Doc?

This tool was purrfectly wonderful. sjj :)

Ammended Tool#1

I did finally! My mission statement is worth hearing and look forward to the feedback!

Tool#1

http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=5221815&height=267&width=200

Well as usual I made something fabulous on the computer only to forget my password to get it posted. Does this work for you all?

Tool#2

I have enjoyed online communities as I have little time during the day to chat with teachers. It was hard to balance teaching the kids and discussing teaching with other professionals. It is also wonderful as I am maneuvering through the sparse curriculum in language arts. I go to sites and join in hopes of picking their brains. When I am commenting on yahoo, I ignore the rules as many do. While communication has improved with the internet, I think the about amount of trash and it is exponentially growing faster. Perhaps I should post this article on yahoo. I now more mindful of my audience. Sharing my thoughts is easy for me...especially since my blog leaves me undercover. Since I went to professional sites, I found my thinking to be of a different nature. I enjoy reading the thoughts/comments but I am still working on the format so others comment back. I followed the language arts one for a while and of course I follow my schools http://mdetechtools.blogspot.com/ and my son's class, http://lindsayclassnews.blogspot.com/.