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Friday, June 24, 2011

Tool 11 Big smile

1. My favorite tools
I loved Stupeflix Studio, Google app see post for tool 4 and Voice thread.

2. Changes
From once a week visit to the lab to everyday use, wow! One think we have to remember is that Rome was not build in one day and before to start handing down devices is very important to do Digital Citizenship lessons.
I wished I had all my Ipods and Netbooks now so I could download what I am planning to use first

3. Surprise!
This is my third time working with the web 2.0 and this is the first time that I found much more (really ) that I can be using with kinder kids. I like that 

Tool 10 Dygital Citizenship

Digital Citizenships is one of the most important concepts we must teach in this days, I was completely in shock wan I saw the video clip Digital Dossier by Kanupriya Tewary http://youtu.be/79IYZVYIVLA, I don’t think the Kinder kids will benefit much from it but If we start early enough to plant the seed maybe our kids will become aware and process it before is to late. I continue to agree with Cool Cat when she wrote” It is a process and cannot just be taught by one teacher one time and expect retention. It must permeate all subjects in all grade levels just like reading"
Three things that I will address with my kids several times through the year are ( and what does that mean for kinder):
Never give personal information
Cyberbullying:
Never download without teacher supervision
I will use http://www.cybersmart.gov and brain pop
For the parents I will provide a list of sites (maybe the chart provided by SBISD )

Thursday, June 23, 2011

tool9 tools for learning

It is very important to tie technology as well as any activity to an objective, that is our responsibility as a teacher; are the children learning or playing in our classroom? We have so much to teach that it is easy (but time consuming) to find an objective for the many activities to do with the new tools we are getting.
Holding students accountable for the stations/centers helps develop self determinant learners, at kinder level the majority of the kids at eager to learn and discover and must of all to SHARE ! and that is what we can use to demonstrate their learning. We must know our students well to provide different choices not every size fits all.
I like Thinkfinity , using Xpeditions the students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two animal communities of their choosing, first make a list, use the diagram, answer questions an print to show accountability.
Xpeditions Student Print Press
This student interactive, allows students to create print publications. Students can choose to design booklets, newspaper, advertise and they can print it.
How Many Under the Shell?
This student interactive from Illuminations allows students to discover basic addition and subtraction facts. This activity will help them prepare for the hidden assessment.
In Learning games for kids http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/ under Science games go to science songs there is Roy G. Biv a cute song about the rainbow. The kids can create their own rainbow.
From TES iboard I found simple activities for math good to for the netbooks in math stations http://www.iboard.co.uk/activity/3231 graphs bear and print their graphs and http://www.iboard.co.uk/activity/3912 an activity to identify ordinal numbers, first, second and third then print.
Here are some apps I found for the iPod Touch/iPad that already download. ABC letter tracing, ABC sequence and 123 animals count.
Some of the ideas of using the iPod besides apps that I’m thinking are: video tape a lesson for re teaching, kids videotape themselves reading, recording new words in English. When my students are doing research in some topics I spend a lot of time translating, printing and pasting text in the books. Not anymore! This year I will record the translation 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Tool8 Hey look at the tools!

The first think I learned is that we are getting netbooks not notebooks.
The second thing I leaned is that we will not need web cams since the netbooks will have them. I guess I will be ready to Skype to my heart content.
The third was that I will have to schedule a big chunk of time for each of my students log on in each netbook for the first time, this will be the hardest thing for them since most of the kinder kids arrived not knowing their id # of notice the difference between capital or lower case letters.
The way I plan to manage the device(s) in my classroom is by rotation schedules; since it is a bilingual classroom we have developed a bilingual partners system in all areas. If a pair was not able to use it during LA time, for sure they will use it during Math or bilingual centers time.
I took a class on IPod touches last week, very helpful!

Tool7 Open the doors of your classroom

I think I am going to use Skype this year. I will love to have a conversation with another bilingual kinder class in the district since I will be the only one next year.
I am also thinking not to go so far, what about my own Team? Maybe we can talk with each other classes after touching the worm….. :-s and work together in Google spred sheet.
Now…we are going to need webcams in our classroom right? I don’t think it will be very effective to have the whole classroom have a Skype conversation with our IPod touch!
I am open for sugesstions.

tool 6 Promote Discussion

I tried Voxpop and Edmodo but I didn’t like it for the little ones. I am looking for something that requires little or none re teaching (in my perfect world).
I am going to try voicetread for the beginning of a unit for the kids to record what they notice in the picture and promote their oral skills without the teacher presence. Perhaps I can set one of the netbooks with it, (does anyone knows if the notebooks have microphone integrated?) maybe I can open my voice threat and have the whole kinder voted for their favorite animal after we comeback from our only one fieldtrip.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Producing with web 2.0

I loved Stupeflix Studio It was easy and fast. I think even my kinder kids will be able to learn how to upload pictures (maybe if they are ready for them at the desktop?)
We have a unit about the rodeo and I am so sorry that I did not save the whole event in pictures; the children were super cute :)


I also use NeoK12 it is easier to use for the little ones and the space for writing is big. Here is a slide show that my students made independently after they learned about earthworms.
http://NeoK12.com/pres/5Y8WKV6E