Marci asked if I would mind doing a post for the parents out there, and my response was, SURE! This is a blog that I keep for the teachers in Hallsville, but parents are welcome to check it out as well. On here I share websites, lesson ideas, and Google tips. Many of these tips and sites are great for parents to use at home, too! Today is a special post to parents and families out there!
As we come up on Christmas, I can only imagine the tablets and electronics being purchased or used over break. One huge concern of parents is, how do we keep our kids safe? We want to stay away from inappropriate content, strangers, and cyberbullying. Here are some tips I came across for specific sites. Click on it and it will take you to where you can find tips for Netflix, YouTube, Apple products, Minecraft, etc. It is a GREAT help! They are in the top toolbar in a dropdown menu.
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You can choose your knowledge level, Introduction, Basics, Advanced, for what you need to know about the particular app you are interested in learning about. Google is awesome! :) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I'll be back in 2015 with all new websites, Google tips, and some teaching tips for technology. THANK YOU for a fabulous 2014! I could not imagine working with a better staff. You have been amazing! Need something to do over break? Lol! Maybe not...but I can't help but keep being excited and amazed by Google. The things they are doing for education are amazing. This site, which I'm sure I'll share after break as well, has some great resources on how to use the apps in your classroom.
I started off with the intent to do George's Big Day. I am going to link that to the blog (check the bottom of the post), but I am going to talk about another site I discovered this week! *Edit* It WAS Cookie.com, but I have had 0 luck in pulling up the games today. I will contact them to see what is going on. As soon as I get some feedback, I will edit this post! Not to disappoint! Here is George's Big Day, if you were looking forward to that! Follow George as he goes on a very busy adventure! There are 16 interactive whiteboard games that are geared for pre-K through 1st grade. Each game describes the skills and gives teachers tips on what to ask them as you are playing. First off, thanks to all that tried out Padlet! There were many that emailed me and commented on how easy and fun it looks. Many of you participated in the ones I created, too! Such a great tool! Today, we talk TedEd. I've been pushing this one for awhile. I send these out to content times several times a month. I highly believe in this site and its lessons. I even did one of my college projects on this site! Check out my VoiceThread below. TedEd is a website that uses educators that create videos while collaborating with animators. There are lessons created and posted during the week and great educational TED Talks on the weekends.
Setup of a lesson:
Some Topics I'm Batman - disproving the myth that bats are dangerous How art can help you analyze How much food can you buy for $5 around the world? Under the hood: The chemistry of cars What are those floaty things in your eye? How to build a fictional world Mile of Pi The Pharaoh that wouldn't be forgotten There are topics for ALL subjects. All of them. Seriously. Check them out! I NEED someone to use this resource. And tell me when they do it. I want to come check it out! When I search, I get the definition, like this... You can even get the word origin, translate it (think, foreign language!), and get additional definitions. A neat search option for adults and kids! Happy Googling! Use Google as a dictionary! There are times when you type a word into Google and you get a definition, other times you don't. How can you guarantee to get a definition every time? This could speed up looking up vocabulary words, getting a definition for an assignment, or just plain curiosity.
In the search bar, type in definition:word, and press enter. For example, I used my favorite word... Don't worry Kindergarten teachers (and some firsties!), I haven't forgotten about you! There are great sites out there for your kiddos, too! Michelle over at HubPages has a great website with Smartboard Lessons for Kindergarteners.
Some of her activities:
Follow this link for all of her great resources! You can use it for:
Thanks to Graffiti for some great ideas! Padlet: Collaboration Made Quick and Easy! Kids love to text, right? They like the idea of collaborating with each other in a way that warrants immediate results. A website out there that lends itself to this is PADLET!
It is a wall that allows students, without signing in, to post comments, questions, pictures, and links so others can see. I have used it for research posting. Students researched explorers and put what they found on the wall. After being in and out of classrooms over the past couple of weeks, one thing I have really noticed is how much our students lack skills in using search terms. Many students are unsure of what to put into that infamous Google search bar. It is our job as educators to help. Back in the times of encyclopedias, we learned how to look up keywords to find information on presidents, animals, countries, etc. Now we must teach students how to use search terms and best practices to find reliable sources. No fear! Google to the rescue! Located in the lesson plan section of Google are 5 sections of lesson plans divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. You can do lessons on search terms, getting better search results, reliable sources, and more!
There are also daily Google challenges to see how well you can use search terms! Click for lesson plans page! I found this great graphic on Hooked on Innovation that was created by Sean Junkins. I challenge my teachers to pick at least one thing off this list to do before Christmas break. EVERYONE can do at least one thing on this list. When you do, take a photo and send it to me to have it included on the HallsvilleTech Twitter page and maybe even an appearance on this blog!
Wonderopolis, an amazing site that is full of, well, wonder! Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue, who invented the first video game, how a human brain compares to an elephant's brain? Then Wonderopolis is the place to go for answers!
There is now a teacher's guide that can be downloaded. Some ways I have used this:
If you need help seeing how to make this fit into your classroom, let me know! |
AuthorFifth grade teacher in a 1:1 iPad classroom, sharing my journey with technology in the classroom Categories
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