Saturday, June 29, 2013

Back to School!



I've been searching for some new ideas for my classroom.  Yes, already!  It seems like we just got out of school just a few weeks ago... oh wait... we did!  Anyway, next year I will have a class set of iPads! Yea!! Doing my happy dance!   I will be posting more about how I use them in my flipped class. 

But back to why I'm writing... Guess what I found on Pinterest?  This adorable iPod themed bulletin board by Kristen.  Love it!  Be sure to stop by and check out her blog iTeach 1:1.  If you go to her blog NOW, you can earn $10 to spend in her TPT store.  I'm going shopping! :-)

Thursday, June 20, 2013

What's Next?

Ok....so I have made some videos and uploaded them to Edmodo. Granted, I do need to tweek some of them and redo some others. I would love to have Camtasia and be able to add the "picture-in-a-picture" or even some "callouts" to make the videos more engaging for my students.  Aww  . . . .  (a girl can dream...)

I also used Google Documents, WSQ charts, and chats to keep my students accountable and to check on their comprehension of the concepts. I'm thinking about creating tutorials for a complete unit and then embedding that onto Edmodo.  That will really allow my students to move at their own pace. 

Last year I used K-5 Math Teaching Resources  a lot for activities to help my students practice the skills they learned while watching the videos.  My students really liked working with partners and in small groups.  To them it was more like playing a game than doing math.  They also created their own videos using Educreations to explain concepts. 

So . . . next year I want to include some PBL in my class. What resources have you found that would work in elementary classrooms?  I know they're out there.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

TLC Conference ~ June 12-13

I just finished working on my flipping presentation for Teachers Leading Cobb Summer Conference (Yes, I know how that sounds).  I'm excited and nervous at the same time. Excited because I get to share what I believe is a tremendous opportunity for teachers to improve their craft.  Nervous because I want to make sure people come away from my session with the tools they need to be successful in their classes next year.

This was my first year flipping and I have learned so much!  Everything (with the exception of Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every day) I have learned about flipping has been online.  Through the internet I have been able to peek into the classrooms of some great teachers who are flipping their classes.  I have been able to learn from the comfort of my home while reading their blog posts and watching their videos showing their classes in action.  I have even had an opportunity to chat online and get clarification when things weren't going as I'd hoped.  (Thank you Crystal!)  Then I could go into my classroom and apply what I'd learned at home.  Wait a minute . . . Isn't that what flipping is all about!

Click here to view Prezi.

Goodbye!

Wow! I can’t believe I have not posted anything this entire school year! I’m not sure what that means. I have decided that I will be retir...