There's an App for That!

Tag Galaxy for iPhone Apps

iPad, iPod, iPhone... Can't leave home without them!

At work I am in Chrome and Google all the time!

I find that I am using an App or constantly looking for a new App for a project, curriculum integration, convenience, for my kids or just plain personal reasons!

If you need it.... There's an App for That!

Here are some of my favorite Apps lately:

Global Classroom

Today while at EdmodoCon learning about Edmodo, our first speaker brought up the concept of a "Global Classroom".  This teacher, from Washington DC, spoke to the fact that her students could see the Washington Monument from their homes and schools, yet had never visited the monument or set foot on the Mall.  Global???? 
Connections to what is in our backyard, across the hall, across town, across the state, country and possibly the world is what makes learning Global.


How do we open the window to the world within the confines of our four walls?  Even if that window is just into our back yard.  Being "Global" is thinking beyond ourselves.  The question is:  How can we use technology (Google, Edmodo, Wikis, Blogs, etc) to provide students with a Global Education in a Global Classroom?  How can we open the window or door?

• Global Education stimulates curiosity, motivates learning, and thus contributes to the raising of standards.
• Global Education studies different cultures and countries and the issues that face them, and develops an understanding of the impact our actions have on them.
• Global Education reflects the global nature of our society and responds to the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the children in the classroom.
• Global Education recognizes the importance of expanding the horizons of children who live in less diverse communities.
• Global Education develops skills and attitudes which enable people to take responsibility for their own lives and the world we live in and become active global citizens.
• Global Education looks at the ways in which every-day life and experience affect and are affected by the wider world.
• Global education is as much about the relationships within a classroom as it is about relationships between countries.

Action Objects and Layers

Lead an IWB user group meeting today.  During the meeting I reminded teachers of ActivTips.  This is an awesome resource for any Promethean Interactive Whiteboard user.  You can learn a skill to enhance the interactivity and engagement of your flipcharts.  Here is one tutorial that I found on YouTube, another great resource for learning!

What and How...

After processing, clarifying, and simplifying with the Technology TEAM; a few key things have been rolling around in my mind as I prepare for our staff development next Monday.  I keep reminding myself that:

• It's all about student learning!  What do students need to learn?  What do they already know?  How do they learn best?  We know that their minds work in much different ways than ours did when we were elementary aged students.  They are truly "wired" differently!  Reflecting on data we collect about our students and by reading current research we are starting to understand what students already know, how they come to school "differently", and how they have different learning styles and smarts.  We know that students learn at different rates, have strengths and need different support. 
• Technology is a How in education.  It's a way to engage students in the What.
• We are all part of a community of learners.  We have professional development to "improve teachers' and principals' effectiveness in improving student learning".  As professionals, we need to model learning and transfer new knowledge and skills to the classroom.
• We can do this by thinking about the 4C's:  Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Critical Thinking!  We are not in this alone - isn't that GREAT!  Teacher, leaders, students, administrators, parents.... all stakeholders can learn and teach together.  We work together for our kids.

I am getting excited to hear what will be shared on Monday.  I "4C" great things!  Next Monday should shed some light on WHAT we will be teaching, give us a way to understand WHAT students know, and we can start to explore HOW we can teach the WHAT!

Keyboarding Sites for Kids

Today I had a teacher ask about Keyboarding programs.  Keyboarding is taught to students in middle school here in Grand Forks. We don't have purchased keyboarding programs or software for our elementary students to use.

However, there are multiple sites for keyboarding skills. The following blog post and listed sites are great resources for students and teachers that would like to practice keyboarding.  

I have vivid memories of my high school keyboarding class - hopefully, these sites are more engaging than my high school typing teacher!

Keyboarding Sites for Kids:  Ed Tech Ideas

Free Online Keyboarding Sites

River Ridge Elementary Computer Lab

Lakeview Keyboarding Site