Gmail Signature Social Media Icons

Make it easy for anyone you are communicating with to connect with you through social media networks by adding links to your profile pages in your gmail signature!  Watch this video tutorial to learn how...

I used iconfinder.com to find the icons as a 32x32 png file.  Simple steps to help grow your PLN.

Pic Collage Kids

Have you heard the news?  Pic Collage has released a kid-friendly version of their app, Pic Kids!

This version of the app has all the same great features of Pic Collage, such as multiple layouts, text features, importing photos, and plenty of background features!  The difference is web images is not an option with this version.  So, you need to find your own images before creating a collage and students will not stumble upon inappropriate pictures!  And, while there are more than enough sticker options, several of the more inappropriate stickers for the classroom are not included.  Win!  Win!

Check out this new version with your students!

AM or PM?

What do you know about AM and PM?  It seems like a simple concept, so how could we make the concept a little more interesting?  By using LEGO StoryStarters to build scenes with details specific to a time of day!

The class started by making a list of things you can only do during the morning or only in the afternoon.  You wouldn't think that would be so difficult, but many tasks we perform during a day could be done at any time, depending on your preference.  So, the class came up with these ideas...

Then we started to build!  Each student had 25 minutes to create a scene with specific details about the time of day they chose.  Some of the scenes were very creative!  Some were very elaborate!  All of the students were highly interested in our objective for the day.

Once the building was completed the students were asked to take one picture that would best explain their time of day.  Photographs are not always the best when young children are holding an iPad, so we talked about strategies to get the best picture.  Moving the camera in close was one suggestion.   We also discussed looking at the LEGO build from different angles to get the best overall picture to tell the story. We also set up a backdrop to avoid distractions at the table.

Students then used the StoryVisualizer app for their writing.  The app is free to download, but you have to pay for an activation code.   I like the simplicity of the app for writers.  There are many options for setting up layouts; along with various fonts, stamps, and so on.  There is also a desktop version of the software, but when you are using iPads importing the photos is simple!  Students were specifically told to use either am or pm in their writing.

Previously when we had used StoryVisualizer we used the export to PDF feature built into the software and app.  For this particular project we wanted the students to have a picture available for possibly adding it to their electronic portfolio in the future.  We had the students take a screen shot and cropped their pictures to have the best product available for future use.  This short term project turned out great!  Take a look at a few examples.

Adding creativity to a simple concept!

Ladybug Life Cycle

So, what do you know about the ladybug life cycle?  The 2nd graders are now experts after spending a week doing research and developing their own eBooks.  First, students used a teacher created Blendspace to gather basic information by watching video clips and reading from teacher selected internet sources.

  

Did you know all the great resources for learning more about ladybugs can be found using National Geographic Kids and the San Diego Zoo websites?  The 2nd graders were amazed with the information they found from these resources.  

After students had collected as much information as they thought they needed, students used Google Drawings to create their own ladybug life cycle graphic and identify the parts of a ladybug.

Students mastered their Google Drawings skills by practicing how to create a copy of a document, using the different drawing tool and manipulating images.  The students also learned how to download as a .jpg file and then upload to another location.  Great work!

The final step was to create a eBook for publication to share their learning using FlipSnack.  FlipSnack is a free resource for creating online books that provide a variety of layouts and ease for moving through the publishing process.

The final publications are very professional looking filled with many great details from the students' research.  Click here to see one of the many great final products!

Safely View Videos from YouTube

I know it's not easy managing what students see when they connect to videos on YouTube.  It is so disheartening to be watching one thing and then another video starts playing before you can stop it.  The next video usually has some sort of connection, but it is so easy to get led down a path and turn up in a spot where you don't want your students watching.  I encourage the use of SafeShare.Tv.

SafeShare.TV allows individuals to enter a URL for a YouTube video and generates a new URL that takes away all the extras from YouTube, so that viewers only see the stop, pause or play buttons for the video.  And, the links never expire!

As with most tools, there are many options available, for free, to provide this service. This is just one that I feel works really well for the students I work with every day.

Programming with Robotics

Sometimes we can program, and it's not just about the website or the app!  As an addition to our Hour of Code, another activity we worked on was collaborating to make robot follow our directions.  Here we are using Valiant Technologies Roamer Too with the Early Years accessory.  The Early Years accessory is the piece on top that allows the roamer to go forward, backward, and make 90 degree angle turns to the right and left. 

First, we let the students explore to learn how to use the buttons and experience how the Roamer moves around when given commands.  There was much laughter, smiles, and cheering.  The students love the fact that Roamer will sometime talk to them to say what is going to happen.

Once the students had a little bit of hands on time with the robot, we then ask the students to travel through a terrible snow storm, pick up holiday gifts, dark woods, to finally arrive at the Gingerbread Man's house.

There was a lot of collaboration as to where exactly the Roamer should go and which way to turn.  It required communication on all team members' parts to arrive at the final destination.  Everyone was fully engaged and were not ready to move on to another activity.  In fact, at one point a Kindergarten group was working in the library when a 3rd grade class came by and noticed what was happening.  The 3rd graders insisted they try the same activity the next day.  Engaging, problem-solving by all ages!

Coding? How do we learn to code in the classroom?

Teaching Kindergarteners through 5th graders to code might seem like a daunting task, but with so many resources available it is actually pretty easy...and fun!

The main resources I like to share with teachers is code.org.  What an amazing progression of lessons for students to learn actual vocabulary for coders while "playing" games.  There are currently 3 levels of lessons for young students to use to build the coding skills.  The levels start with pre-readers and work all the way through for upper elementary students.

If you want to focus on only one hour, code.org also has shorter lessons to peak students' interest in the Learn portion of the website.  One of the popular items is coding with Anna and Elsa!

But, do not underestimate the power of the unplugged activities provided on the site!

Another resource we used during our Hour of Code week came from Made with Code.  

All of our students spent time using Beats during their music class.  And, several classes work on giving directions to Yetie, a monster who can dance!

These are all great web based options for coding.  Next up, apps for coding with the iPad!

Our Hour of Code

Hour of Code is held in December as part of Computer Science Education Week.  Did you know Computer Science Education Week is always held to commemorate Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper, USN, Ph.D.  "Amazing Grace" was born on December 9, 1906.  Click here to find out why she has an important part in the history of Computer Science.

This is the 2nd year for our district to participate in Hour of Code.  During this week we want students to experience the power of computer science, at any age!  It is important for students to understand coding opens opportunities to change lives.  I think part of the mystery of coding is that it's a bunch of people staring at a computer screen all day.  In reality, coders are collaborators and problem solvers!  The message in this following video really explains it well.

With this being our 2nd time to participate it was important to me to show real life examples of how coding is used in many different industries.  I found different video clips to share with students during our morning announcement broadcasts.  The first video was important to me because these are real life examples of females using computer science skills in some unlikely places:

When sharing with students, I want to try to reach every child I can and that is why I selected this video also.

Another awesome opportunity put together by our district Digital Coaches was to give students the opportunity to talk directly to computer programmers.  What better way to learn than from a real, live expert!  Here is a Kindergarten class talking with a Google Analytics Engineer.  What an interesting conversation!

We are truly honored to have had the resources to talk with individuals using their coding skills!  More about the resources students used during our Hour of Code will come in a future post!