Fantastic Week

Well, this was a very busy, but productive, week.  I attended training that prepared me to serve as one of our district's TIC's (Technology Integration Coach).  As we move toward preparing our children to be 21st Century learners, we must introduce them to a variety of technology.  I have had a Smartboard in my classroom for three years now and it has become indispensable to me.  I use it throughout the day for a variety of tasks, including my morning calendar time and my math and handwriting lessons.

As a TIC, I received some additional technology for my classroom that I will also use to train others in my building.  I now have an i-Pad, a Smart Response system and a document camera.  It has been very exciting learning how to use all of these and I can see what a wonderful asset these will be to my classroom.

I had wanted a document camera for some time.  My kindergarten kids are visual, tactile learners and it is often difficult to position your examples in a way that all of the class can see.  The document camera will make is so easy for everyone to see exactly what I'm doing.

Kids love technology and I can't wait to set up some activities using my new Smart Response system.  It will be a fun way to quiz their knowledge of a specific skill that has been taught or to assess their prior knowledge before beginning a unit of study.  I'm sure I will find more ways to implement this tool as I go.

Now for the i-Pad.  I couldn't figure out what all the buzz was about, until now.  Now that I have one and have started exploring it's many uses I am so excited get started.  I can picture myself with it by my side all the time.  The number of available apps will make your head spin!  I found ones that keep my attendance, store student info. and record notes on behavior and parent contacts.  The number of educational apps for students is mind boggling.  I cans see requests for more i-Pads for student use in my classroom ahead.  I know I'll have to be creative in obtaining funds but these would be such an asset to my students.

More to come as I begin introducing these fantastic new tools into my classroom!

Great Site

Just found a great site thanks to The Teaching Blog Addict.  It is Study Ladder  http://www.studyladder.com.  Here is what she had to say:

"Study Ladder is free for teachers and students to use in the classroom or at home.  The site is comprehensive and accommodates grades K - 8.  One of my most favorite aspects is that you do not need to download any software nor do you have to commit to purchasing a license to get the benefits of this amazing educational resource.  Truly a gem!

Study Ladder has up to ten subject areas: mathematics, literacy, science, mastering numeracy, health/safety/citizenship, music, art, language/culture, interactive whiteboard activities (whoo-hoo!), and a marathon fundraiser.  Once you create a free account (simply use your email address to set it up), you are able to have full access to all of the resources and subject areas.  The home page is laid out quite nicely in that you simply select the large color box for the subject area you wish to explore.  

Once you are in a specific subject area, the website is very organized!  Each topic within the subject/content area is labeled in bold.  Under each subheading, you will see thumbnail images of what the activity looks like so that you can preview the material before navigating away from the page.  ...and get this - most of the interactive activities are accompanied with activity pages that can also be printed off for the student to take home (or to be given to an absent child).  Nice!"

Follow the link above and head on over to check it out!

 

 

Hello to Blogging!

I finally decided to bite the bullet and join the world of bloggers.  I enjoy seeing what other teachers around the world are doing and as one of my school's new Technology Integration Coaches I thought this would be a great way for me to share with our staff. 
As I search the web and follow the many fantastic bloggers I've found, I will share with everyone all the great ideas I  find!  Keep reading and be sure to comment often and add your great ideas to ours!!