"Ask 3 before me" - There's an app for that!

Image from Ask3

ASK3 is NO LONGER AVAILABLE!  (INSERT SAD  FACE)


If you follow my blog, then you probably already know I got a class set of iPads this year!  And when I find something great I just can't help but share it. Well this time I have found a great FREE app that  encourages collaboration among peers.  It can be used for homework, classwork, in just about any subject area.  So what is it? Glad you asked.  It's Ask 3!   How many times have you found yourself saying "Ask 3 before me"?  Well now there's an app for that!

This app allows students (or teachers for that matter) to post questions on a class bulletin board and then other class members (or the teacher) can leave a text response, a drawing, or a video to explain the answer. It's great for a flipped classroom or any classroom where collaboration is valued.  You sign-up and are given a class code.  Students join your class using the code and the fun learning begins!  

The only concern I have is that you cannot "lock" your group once all of your students have joined.  That just means you have to make sure you don't post your group code where others can get it.   You should also probably monitor your student's submissions.  But you would do that anyway, right?

I used it in math class the other day to review test items the students had missed.  Students took pictures of a problem and posted their questions on the bulletin board.  I responded to some and other students responded as well.  It was nice to see the collaboration among students.  I am already thinking of other ways to use this in my classroom.

If you have used this before, please share how you used it in your class.  If not, what are some ideas you have for using this app?

Making Connections

Image from Vector Templates

I recently connected with some awesome teachers through Edmodo. Yes, Edmodo.  I signed up to participate in The Global Read Aloud this year for the first time. It seems I am experiencing a lot of "firsts" at this late stage in the game of teaching, which proves that you are never too old to change or should I say grow and learn!

So, I will be reading the book Out of My Mind along with several thousands of other teachers all across the globe. Yes! The globe!  There are other titles you can choose from depending on the level of your students.  You choose the book you want to share with your students and then connect with other teachers who are reading the same book. Students can comment on each others posts using Kidblog or collaborate using Padlet or TodaysMeet to discuss the book.  You can read my post on using TodaysMeet in my math class here.  Some classes even use Skype and Twitter or have set up student groups on Edmodo for book discussions.  The sky's the limit when it comes to how you connect with other classes. 

I was just reading some of the comments written by my students and students from other classes.  Here are a few of their blog posts:
 

 Nice!

What better way for my students to really develop and practice their writing skills!   It's not too late for you to make that connection! Teachers are still looking for classes to connect with.  Go to The Global Read Aloud page, scroll down to One Month to Go #GRA13 , and you will see the Edmodo group codes for the different books.  Once you join the group on Edmodo, just connect with another teacher. It's that easy! 

Read News Article about Pernille Ripp, the creator of GRA

Place Value and TodaysMeet

Student Journal

Last year I made a place value chart and glued those orange wooden base 10 blocks to the chart to represent ones, tenths, and hundredths.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  If you teach primary, you probably give the tiny cube a value of "one" while in intermediate (or at least in fifth grade) that tiny cube represents "one hundredth".  That can be confusing to some kids.  That's why it is important to stress the value you assign to each block and to model what that looks like.  Anyway, back to the chart . . .

For homework the students watched a  Study Jams Place Value video and my Decimal Place Value video that I posted on Edmodo.  Then in class I had them use decimal grids to create a place value chart in their journals. By doing this the kids could really see that one tenth or .1 was completely different from 10. Next, we made a class chart and went to the thousands place.  It was easy to see that if you start at the decimal and move to the left, then “each place is 10 times bigger”.  Just like the song says.  

Once the chart was finished (it actually took two days to make) we used  TodaysMeet to discuss what we noticed about our place value chart. Using TodaysMeet really makes the students think about their thinking.  Now when we have our WSQ chats one student in the group has an iPad and they post the group's thinking during the chat.  After we finish the WSQ chats,  we meet back together as a whole group and use the transcripts from TodaysMeet to "see" what the smaller groups were thinking. I have the transcript projecting on the white board the entire time. 

Using TodaysMeet is so easy.  Simply go to the website, name your "room" and then start "talking".  You can choose how long you save your group.  I decided to save my group for a year.  Imagine, I will have a transcript of our math thinking for the entire school year!  Each time we log on, we enter the same address and we are reconnected to our ongoing chat.  It really is powerful to see their thinking and hear the conversations that result from reading the posts of others.  I guess you could say we are Rockin' the Standards!