Symbawhat???

Another tool that Eric Lee shared with us at the technology workshop is one that I have already been using, both in the elementary classroom, as well as the college classroom.  Symbaloo is a bookmarking tool that can be used for many different projects in the classroom.

Have you ever conducted a research project with your elementary students, only to find that they are blindly searching the Internet for their information?  With a little front work from the teacher, Symbaloo can be used to prevent those incidents from happening.  Symbaloo is easy to use and can be used by the teacher, as well as students.

Some possible uses:
*Teacher selects websites for students to investigate to learn more about a certain topic,
*Students create a Symbaloo to display learning
*Teachers/Administrators can use Symbaloo to bookmark web tools that are helpful for the classroom,
*Teachers can bookmark book trailers, book talks, and other reading materials for easy access.

To create a Symbaloo, you simply sign up for your free account and click on a grey square to get started.  You will then follow the directions to copy and paste your link.  You can add as many or as few links as you would like.

Give it a try!

Blended Classroom

I was able to attend a technology workshop with faculty from our college on Friday.  Eric Lee, with JSU Technology in Motion was the facilitator, and he shared many resources that I now feel as if I cannot live without.  I will be addressing some of them in various posts on the blog.  Feel free to try these out!

In this post, I will be discussing my new favorite thing, Blendspace.  Blendspace is a presentation tool that is able to incorporate slide show, youtube/video, webpages, pictures, Google Docs, Dropbox, and other web-based tools.  All these tools can be integrated seamlessly into a Blendspace presentation.  As you advance from the slides to a web page or video, you stay in one application.  The new pages do not open in new windows.

Blendspace is better than most presentation tools in that you never leave your presentation.  In many other programs, you are able to click on a website that opens in a new window, or closes your current presentation.  Blendspace moves effortlessly into each of the different types of presentation tools.  As you can see from the picture, you are able to view/add/edit each page from the same screen.  Additionally, you are able to insert a quiz, text, video, or picture file onto each page as well.

Another beauty of Blendspace is that all of the searching is done within the program as well.  You do not need to leave the page to find a picture, file, or video.  You are able to link your Dropbox or Google Drive documents for easy access.

And another thing:  There is a gallery where you can search for previously made Blendspaces to use at your convenience!  Don't like something another user incorporated into their space? No problem!  Once you have saved it onto your page, you are able to edit as you wish!  

I cannot wait to give this one a try! 

Fakebook, anyone?

Have you heard of Fakebook? It is an online tool that allows students to create a fake social profile. Why, you ask, would I want to know about this? I am so glad you asked!

You see, characterization is an important reading skill that students need in order to fully comprehend the text they are reading. Students can create the profile, based on the main characters in the text. In doing so, they are identifying the protagonist and antagonist of the story. But it gets better...

Students can create posts that the character might add if it was his/her own actual post. In doing this, students identify conflict, character traits, and can even collaborate with other students and teachers throughout the story.

Hop on over to www.classtools.net/fb/home/page. While you are there, you can also check out the "Twister" feed and a lot of other meaningful resources. Set aside some time, because you are going to want to be here a while!

Let me know how you can use this in your classrooms! I love to hear ideas!

Let your voice be heard

Have you ever had a student who had the right answer, but was too shy to answer out? I once had a student who, because if a language barrier, would never raise her hand in class to answer questions because she was afraid she did not have the right words in mind. 

On the other hand, sometimes you just don't have enough time to listen to every single answer from every single student. Have I got the resource for you! 

Today's Meet is a web-based tool where students can join the background conversation while you are teaching or collaborating on a project. Students enter comments in Twitter style (140 characters or less). Students can ask questions, make comments, or collaborate on a project.

The conversation can then be transcribed and printed for later use.

Today's Meet is a free resource that can have many uses in the classroom. HTTPS://todaysmeet.com

Book Blogging

In my Children's Literature course at Jacksonville State University, one of the technology integrations I include is book blogging.  In the classroom, this can be a great tool to motivate children to become life-long readers.  If children do not enjoy reading, it is because they are not doing it right.  What I mean by that is:  If a child is selecting literature that appeals to the senses and interests, reading can be more than a chore....it can be an experience.  I was not a big reader when I was in school.  Then I became a teacher.  I would like to say that my first year of teaching was when it all turned around.  Sadly, I cannot.  For me, reading was something that I did for learning.  There is nothing wrong with that.  To this day, much of the reading that I do is still informational text.  I love to learn new things.  But that is a different kind of reading.  The mind and processes are completely different in informational reading than they are in pleasure reading.  
Now, it is not that I didn't enjoy reading, because I did.  I just found that in the grand scheme of things (working on various post-graduate degrees, planning lessons for classroom, being a mom and wife, and the list goes on) reading fell at the bottom of my list of priorities.  When I did find that moment to sneak in a novel, I totally escaped from reality.  My children went hungry and unbathed. My husband was treated as if he was rudely interrupting a conversation  if he tried to speak with me while I was reading a book.
So, I had to find my medium.  In the midst of my search, I began to dig deeper into all genres of literature, including children's literature.  Then I began to become increasingly interested in learning about technology.  Imagine my delight when I found that my two loves could be combined, and I could still find time to feed and clothe my family!  I had found my balance of reading for enjoyment, without allowing the book to take over my life.
Then, I acquired a position with Jacksonville State University.  The previous instructor had required the students to prepare book blogs.  I was familiar with blogging, but not book blogging.  As I began to investigate the book blogging, I found many advantages:

• It is a great way to motivate children by having peers review and recommend books.
• It is a great way to allow students to respond to the literature.  What kind of person simply reads a book and closes it after reading the last word?  Who can do that?  After all, if you are a reader, you do not merely read a book, you experience it.  Students need to bring closure to the book.  They need to respond. Get their thoughts out.  Voice their opinions and reactions.  
• With book blogs, students see others are reading.  Sometimes all a students needs is a little nudge in the right direction. 
• Students are able to explore various genres.
• Students are able to become more culturally diverse.
• Students can take ownership in creating something that can be shared with their parents, friends, administration, and even the world!
• Students begin to view the world through the eyes of others who have read the books.  By reading reviews and responses to literature, students can begin to explore various perspectives.
• Students are allowed to be creative.
• Students are allowed to practice writing, in the format to which they have become accustomed.
• Students are allowed to practice 21st Century learning with 21st Century tools.

There are many other reasons you will find for using blogs in your classroom.  Blogs do not have to be about books.  You can have students blog about what they are learning in each subject area of the classroom.  The ideas are endless!
There are several free blog sites out there, available for use in the classroom.  My favorite is powered by Google.  Blogger is easy, attractive, and most people already have a YouTube or Gmail account.  Blogger links beautifully to all the Google apps.
Here is an example of my classroom blog that I use in RDG 312, Teaching Children's Literature.
Stop by and see how I use it for my college classes.  Then, try one on for size.  Create your own blog by visiting any of the following suggested websites:

• blogger
• blog.com
• wordpress
• weebly
• wikispaces
• many, many more!

Half Empty or Half Full?

Are you a glass half empty or glass half full kind of person?  Be honest! 

As I left the last day of CORE on Thursday, headed to class, I didn't think my brain could hold any more information.  I had attended several sessions, heard two amazing keynote speakers, and presented a session myself, with my friend Amy.  I needed time to process information.  But can our brains really get full?  I think not.  Once my brain slowed down a little and I was able to process the loads of information that I learned, I was ready to find something else to learn about.  So I guess what I am really getting at is, "Is your brain half empty or half full?"  If it is half empty, that is not a bad thing.  It simply means that you have some room left to learn new things.

One of the tools I have discovered in the last week is infographic-making tools.  For example, here is a link that goes to an infographic and gives a little information about the flipped classroom (something I am becoming increasingly interested in):
 http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/

Infographics can be used by students in the classroom to create responses to literature, book reviews, or even to share their learning in math.  The possibilities could be endless.  Piktochart is one of many infographic makers available.  The tool is free to educators, with a limited selection of templates and designs, of course.  And I am sure there are many others out there that I have not even begun to explore.  Piktochart seems very simple to understand with easy-to-follow instructions.  I am thinking of incorporating these into my college classes as well.

Want to try your hand at creating infographics?  Give Piktochart a try.  Click here to see the site.

As I continue to investigate the many tools available for our use in the classroom, I will pass them along here.  Come back soon!

At the CORE of learning

I am a nerd.  Self-proclaimed, so there's no need for name-calling.  I thoroughly enjoy attending workshops where I either a) learn a lot of new information that can be used in the classroom or b) receive confirmation that I am on the right track in my own classroom.  Both of those things occurred today at CORE Academy, a conference developed by innovative educators from Jacksonville State University.  The conference is designed for college faculty, local educators, and administrators.  The sessions are offered and presented by faculty, teachers, and administrators.
In today's sessions, I gained a fresh, new understand of using modern technologies such as Quick Reference (or QR) codes.  Additionally, I learned a little more about service learning and taking students out of the classroom for learning.
I am thoroughly looking forward to tomorrow's sessions.  I will be posting some of my new findings in the next few days.  Come back soon!