Day 10: Ticket to Read

After the meeting Monday night, I figured that I really needed to get my kids started on Ticket to Read. The ones that came to the meeting were really wanting to get started. I printed off their user names and passwords and am in the process of taping them into their Readwell binder.

Day 9: Test Organization

Today we started MAPS testing. Of course instead of doing one of the many, many things that I needed to do, I made a new doc for recording. I included a table---I love tables. Basically, I can record the time that they took and their score for the fall, winter, and spring tests. That way I can see them all at a glance. Now I just have to make one for the combined score for reading and one for the math.

Day 8: Puppy Organization

My mom is still involved with dog rescue and has bandannas everywhere. They don't really have a home so today when I was doing laundry, I decided to give them one. I emptied out a plastic drawer that had some sewing paraphernalia. (I incorporated the sewing stuff in with what I had already organized in the boys' old toy box in the hall.) I put all of the pieces that I have found so far in it. Then I put it in an empty part of the shelf that we put up yesterday. Now as I run across other pieces, they have a place to go. Plus, it should be easier on Mom to find them as she needs them. Now all I have to do is bring some labels home from school so I can label it.

Day 7: Garage Organization

Today I decided to work on all the stuff that I have in the garage at my parents' house. I had bought some shelves from Home Depot and shipped them here. They got here earlier in the week, and we finally started putting them up today. They are by Hyloft and are 15 inches wide and 45 inches long. They weren't cheap at around $50 a pair but definitely worth it. My dad said that they were easy to put up. I got four sets of two, but we only got 3 shelves put up. All of my stuff out there is put up neatly, but I figure when I get the rest of my stuff from Memphis, I will use up all of the rest of them.

Day 6: Still Helping the Kids and Myself Get Organized

The last thing that I did yesterday was to put each group's box of binders in a separate place. I first had them all on the trapezoid table. Then I decided that it was a bad idea for them all to go to the same spot at the same time so I separated them. I wanted them all to have their binders at approximately the same time when we begin small group instruction. The Toad group comes to me straight from the carpet so I put their box of binders underneath the radio that I use for whole group. They finish up their rotations in workstations so it works for them to return them there as well. The Terrier group begins their rotations in workstations so I left theirs on the trapezoid table. The finish up with independent work at the blue table which is right beside the trapezoid table making it easy for them to return their binders. The group crayon container as well as the "carousel" that holds the pencils, glue sticks, and scissors also go on the trapezoid table so they can easily return them as well. I put the binders for the Turtle group on the desk by the dry erase board right in front of the small group area. While the Toads are getting their binders, the Turtles can go get theirs and go to the independent area before the Toads get to the small group area. They end up with me, which makes it easy to leave their binders right there.

I also put the bumpy and smooth blending cards in page protectors inside a binder. I am going to leave it with the materials for small group. If for any reason they have to wait on me, they can use those cards to practice with each other. Theoretically, they should be easier to keep up with inside the binder and not as easy to drop and scatter.

Day 5: Helping the Kids Get Organized

We are slowly getting into the swing of things with Read Well. I seem to do better to start things and then decide how I want to organize them as I go along. Today I took this picture of my classroom after the kids had gone to encore. I put it up on the Promethean board and discussed the things that were out of place and the things that they could see that looked good. I feigned complete upset at seeing the glue stick without a top.

The binder that you can see is also a work in progress. Each group got to choose their name today. They could choose from a group of T animals that I had picked out. I got one set of binders done.

Day 4: Website

When I was teaching at the middle school, I was very good to update my web site at least once a week. Since I have been in Kindergarten, I don't think I have updated it once. Today I went through and created different pages so that it would make more sense with the situation that I am in now. I also added a Donors Choose page. Now I just have to figure out if other people can see it or get to it.

I searched on google and didn't find it. Here is the web address: http://teacherweb.com/TN/LexingtonMiddleSchool/KacieHoward/apt20.aspx

Day 3: New Uses

Ok, I took some pictures but forgot to email them from my phone, plus I am a day behind already. The things that I did today included, using wreath hangers to hang my pocket chart on the wall. I think to be well organized you have to use all of your space well.

I also took the wheels from the sterilite three drawer carts and added them to my file crates. I never use them on the carts because it seems to make them sway.--probably just my imagination, but I prefer to have them on my file folder crates. Then I can move them around easily and didn't have to pay over $50 for a rolling crate.

Day 2: Readwell organization

In December, we started a whirlwind trip into Readwell. During the break, I reconfigured my room so I would have a different small group area. I also worked on my whole group area. That is what I want to share today that I organized. I wanted to have all of my whole group materials within arm's reach so I turned one of my boxes around. I had been storing puzzles in it for my puzzle center.(Here it is in the puzzle center without the puzzles.)

Then I moved all the box of trade books from Readwell into it. I had some more room and wanted to put other things in there. I realized that the Capri Sun box that I had saved was the perfect size to store the pocket chart cards. I cut it apart and covered it with contact paper. I have the cards in the front and my cds in the back. I had just enough room to fit the lap books inside it. Since I moved the "house" bookcase out, I now have all of my Readwell materials right at my fingertips.
I think it is going to work out really well. Plus, I love making functional things from something I would just throw away.

Day 1: An Address Book for my Storage

Ok, I have decided to try to do at least one small thing each day to get better organized and to write about it. I figure that if I commit to writing about it, then maybe I will be more likely to follow through. Since moving back from Memphis, I have been doing small things to organize. I just haven't been that consistent with it.

My first piece of organization is to be able to find the things that I have stored. If life were perfect for me, I would be able to see everything that I need at first glance. However, now I have much too much stuff to be able to do that so I need to use a storage system that actually stores things out of sight. My problem with that has always been that whenever something is put away "in a safe place", I can never remember where I put it.

Here is my solution. I commandeered an old address book from my nephew. He wasn't really using it anyway. In this address book, I am going to write the "address" of each of my items or collection of items. That way when Christmas comes around next year, I will be able to use the Christmas pencils that I bought on clearance and promptly lost once spring got here. I can also group all of my things together that are alike and won't have small stashes all over the house.

To make things easier on myself, I am going to cross-reference in my address book. For example, this past fall, I dressed up as Miss Haversham from Great Expectations. I have stored my costume with my summer clothes underneath the steps in the laundry room. I will list the location under: Miss Haversham, Great Expectations, book characters, costume, and wedding. Sometimes I am bad at remembering the correct name for something. I never know which one of these things I will remember first so I can just put it under each spot.

Now I just have to have a good place to keep it so that I can find it when I need to find it.

Meet the Dubiens: alphabet craft: A is for alligator

When I saw this, my first thought was---more than and less than. That alligator is hhuuunnnggrrryy and needs something to eat. How cute would this be detailed on both sides so that you could flip it either way depending on if it was more or less...

Meet the Dubiens: alphabet craft: A is for alligator: We're going to start doing weekly alphabet crafts. Kirsten knows her whole ABC song and has for a long time, but we're working on letter re...

Ways to Make One and Two

I want to help my children make the transition from handheld manipulatives to being able to do math problems in their heads. It is a little bit too much of a stretch, though, so I made up these worksheets to help ease them into it. It is basically fact families using two different color crayons. You can find it at my new google web site: https://sites.google.com/site/mstiakk/ under forms and docs. It is just getting started so please ignore the mess.

Back to Kindergarten again

Wow! I have not posted on my blog in quite some time. At the beginning of the school year, I had taken a new position in Seventh Grade as a language arts teacher and was in the process of reviving my edublogs blog for them to use. Situations changed, and I find myself back in Kindergarten. As I started searching for Kindergarten material again, I found so many wonderful blogs that I never knew existed. Thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to create awesome resources for some of our littlest learners.

BP16_2009113_ReflectiveMediaAsset_Sketchfu

BP15_2009113_Web2.0_Yacapaca

YacaPaca! seems like a cool Web 2.0 tool to use in my classroom. It lets teachers create quizzes, surveys, tests, and more. I can set up something for my whole class and get it marked automatically. It also lets me analyze the information that I get. Plus, it is free.

The resource section is divided by country, and the UK seems to be the most prolific. However, there are some assignments for the US. Even without creating an account, it lets you preview the assignments. I think they would be very helpful for my tutoring in third grade. I am not sure how helpful they would be in Kindergarten because for the most part, they do not read yet. I can also see how the vocabulary section could be very helpful for not only the SAT, but also for the vocabulary sections of other standardized tests.

According to the FAQ, the authors intend to keep it free. They make their money by selling training and support. Any educator can sign up for a free account, but students have to be set up by a teacher. The teacher will give the students a code to set up their own account. The FAQ also includes several 5 minute screencasts to guide you through several different processes, including the question creatr and the whiteboard. It also lets you see how to set up your own quizzes for your students and how to use the quiz statistics page. Students can choose their own avatar to represent their account as well as see a list of their teachers.

(2009). Yacapaca wiki. Accessed November 15, 2009 from http://wiki.yacapaca.com/index.php/Main_Page

BP14_2009113_PeerReview_Babble

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2009

BP13_2009113_Web 2.0 Tool_Babbel

I, like most of you, have been in a situation where a little more knowledge of a foreign language would come in handy. Babbel is an online language-learning system that teaches conversation skills for different languages. The languages that users can gain knowledge of are Spanish, French, Italian, German and English. With Babbel, users can learn words and phrases in foreign languages and connect with people from all over the world. Students and teachers can practice on their own with the intuitive online lessons or find a study partner in the international Babbel community.

Babbel contains a bunch of vocabulary (around 150 Vocabulary Packages, 3000 words), grammar exercises and explains how to put it all into practice. Whether the user wants to learn the basics or they are looking for special exercises for travel or for work, Babbel’s extensive collection of learning material offers lots of interesting and high quality content.

I am actually going to be using this site to see if I can learn a little Spanish seeing as how that is the popular language down here in Florida.

Video was taken from Babbel home website: http://www.babbel.com

BP13_2009113_PeerReviewEduslide

Monday, November 2, 2009

BP4_2009111_web_2.0_tool

The Web 2.0 tool that interested me is Eduslide. With Eduslide I can create my own e-learning modules, tutorials, videos, etc. These multimedia assets can also be password protected allowing me to invite whoever I like. It allows anyone to create educational content and deliver it online for free. The content can be testing modules, wikis, chat, blogs, slideshows and more.

After completing some of the tutorials, I began to work on developing material on Digital Storytelling, which is part of ARP. I have developed a simple slide show for teachers to share with their students explaining Digital Storytelling and how they can use it to share and learn from other students across the globe.

If I want to share Digital Storytelling, or other media asset ideas with teachers, Eduslide will allow me to keep all of my material in one space, accessible to teachers, etc., without them having to store it on their computers or servers. I would not have to keep all my material on my laptop to take from school to school. All I have to do is log in to Eduslide.

Another great feature of Eduslide is that it is available in English, German, Spanish and French. This would allow for cross-cultural collaboration between students that might speak a different language.

In reviewing the courses that I could access on Eduslide, I was surprised to see that there were not only courses for adult learners but also that there were also some classes I could access for younger students, as well.

Another possible use for Eduslide would be to use it to make some of my onground classes more hybrid in nature. With ease I could create accompanying materials on my own without having to bother my institution for the storing of the information.

All in all, I am excited to use this tool in my existing courses as well as using it in my ARP.

For more information on Eduslide

http://www.eduslide.com

BP12_2009113_PeerReviewJaycut

BP12_2009113_Web 2.0 JayCut

JayCut

The focus of my Action Research Project is Digital Storytelling, and so as I browsed through the various Web 2.0 tools and applications, I was on the lookout for tools I could use for my Action Research. Although there were several different sites I visited, none of them fit what I was looking for until I came across JayCut.

JayCut is a video-editing program similar to iMovie or Moviemaker, and it is free. However, there are several features this site offers that I found to be beneficial for educational purposes. First of all, you can work on videos collaboratively through JayCut. If you began the video, and you want others to work on it with you, all you have to do is sent those people an invitation (email) to collaborate on the video with you. The other aspect of this site that I found advantageous is that all of the videos you upload are saved on the site, once there you do not have to continue saving them on your hard drive. I know having the hard drive space for videos is a problem at my school, so JayCut could be a decent solution for the problem.

I know there a numerous uses for video editing tools, but I am going to focus on a few ideas I would have for my classroom, which is 7^th grade Language Arts. There are several projects I complete with my students that could profit from video storytelling. One of those projects is a Science Fiction movie that the kids write, edit, record and produce. In the past, only one or two students could be involved in the editing process because of the number of students who could access the video at one time. Also, the videos had to be very short because of the hard drive space. JayCut should allow for longer movies and more student involvement in the editing process. The second project is a historical fiction research project. The project itself is extensive, but currently culminates in presentation of different historical eras. I think it would be great to add a video reflective piece to the end of this project. I could film the students during their presentation, then upload the video to JayCut and make it available to the students, who could then create a video reflection of what they learned.

BP11_2009112_ReflectiveMediaAsset

BP10_2009112_PeerReviewWeb2.0Tool

BP6_2009112_Web 2.0 Tools

Sketchfu

Ever asked a Kindergarten student to tell you about a favorite activity, a pet, or anything specific? Answers will range from telling your every specific detail, to telling you every detail about anything and everything in their life, to the deer in the headlight stare. How then do you begin to introduce writing skills related to a specific prompt, yes we do that in Kindergarten now too. One of the best ways I found was to draw with my students first. The visual helps them to focus on a specific topic and it doesn’t hurt their fine motor skills either. The problem with this is finding the time to squeeze it all in the school day, well maybe not anymore.

The Web 2.0 tool I discovered offers the teacher an opportunity to create custom drawing lessons that kids can follow from the computer. Students would need to practice with the teacher at first to build their confidence, but once they understand the concept of following the simple step-by-step directions it could easily become an independent pre-writing activity for centers. The tool is called sketchfu and you can use it to draw simple step-by-step kid friendly drawings like the dog pictured below. The speed of drawing is adjustable which makes it great for little ones to follow or the project can be stopped completely and restarted if necessary. Couple this simple drawing with a thinking map containing some key words and you have two centers that work together to create a skill based lesson in writing that students can complete without you having to worry about where to squeeze it in and even better it's fun.

The website for the fun tool is http://sketchfu.com and while you’re there check out my fun puppy http://sketchfu.com/drawing/421704-dog