Animoto

Do your students do reports?  Do you have them present their work by reading their report?  Where do you hang all those poster boards? What other projects do you have your students complete?  Try using the Web2.0 tool of Animoto.  It is an easy video creator for you and your students.  There is an educational version available for free.


Click on the link above to explore the site.  I think you will find it fun and engaging.  Let your students create in a new way for your classroom, but a way that I'll bet many of them do at home already.  Let them be creative, you steer the content and objectives.

Math sites

In perusing the Promethean Planet, I found a blog dedicated to teaching math.  It is called Mathematics Teacher's Lounge.  On the blog I found a number of links to other sites that would be helpful for teaching math. One is from  the public schools of North Carolina site.  It is a list of leveled pdf files that can challenge your students to use critical thinking and problem solving skills. It can be found at Math Stars Newsletter.  
Math 5 Alive is a site with explanatory videos and demonstrations, activity sheets, assessments, and parent and teacher notes on a myriad of math topics. Reminds me a bit of Brain Pop.
Scholastic has become a great resource for interactive lessons.  On Scholastic's Study Jams you can find an intro video, quiz, and vocab on fractions.  Take a look around, there are lots more great lessons.
Add Em Up is a fun demo game found on the Math is Fun site.
Be sure to check out the forums, blog, and teacher features on the Planet for lots of great ideas.

JFK Library

     The JFK Library and Museum unveiled their new digital collection last week, timed with the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's inauguration.  The museum is in Boston, but you can now access many of the primary sources from the Kennedy archives digitally from the website.  There are print and audio versions of his speeches, images and artifacts from JFK's term in office.  Downloads are available of many of the same items that are displayed in the brick and mortar museum.  They invite you to download and use these archives in your classroom.  They even ask that you share with them how you are using the items. Take a picture of your class in action and send it in.
     It's a very exciting site with virtual tours and interactive displays like the White House diary during JFK's term. This really is an amazing undertaking, to have access to so many primary sources from such an important time in our country's history.  I'm very impressed and think you will be too.  Take a look.  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

"Clickers"

     On the Planet community I came across a discussion about using LRSs (Learner Response Systems) or as we know them "clickers" or Votes and Expressions.  There were links to a few sites that further discuss the use of clickers in the classroom.  I was surprised to find that the best practices were taken from the University of Colorado and the use of clickers in a university setting.  My son in law just had to purchase a clicker for one of his classes at SIU-C as well, so they are being used across the academic spectrum, not just in a K-12 setting. 
     While a lot of what is on the sites pertains to a college setting, I think that it is transferable to an elementary/middle school setting. One of the objectives for using the "clickers", as we have talked about, is to engage students in active learning. This includes making predictions, applying skills and ideas, promoting discussion, and drawing connections.  Activotes and Expressions also provide feedback, not only to the teacher, but also to the students themselves of their understanding of a topic.  The clickers can be used for formative assessment that can help direct the lesson to meet the needs of the students.  It is also an excellent tool for summative assessment. 
     The sites I am including will also give you some best practices in how to write good clicker questions.  Some of the ideas include not making your questions too complicated or long.  Keep it simple, especially at first. This includes answer options.  Allow for Think/Pair/Share time.  Use the clickers for pre and post tests. Integrate questions throughout the lesson, not just at the end. 
     Remember we want students to be engaged in the teaching and learning process.  With the use of these devices in the classroom students are more engaged because they have a say in the class, even the quiet ones. 
     The sites referred to can be found here: 
10 Personal Response System Teaching Strategies
Best Practices for Writing Clicker Questions
Clicker Resource Guide- an Instructors Guide to the Effective Use of Personal Response Systems (clickers) in Teaching


    

Math

Finding it hard to explain a math concept to your class. Do you find your class a little dry?  Try Math Snacks.  This one is just hilarious, but it explains ratios quite well. Bad Date.

Activotes

Training sessions this week are a refresher for using Activotes in your classroom.  I will go over the "how-tos" and share some ideas, but I'd like to do some brainstorming, too.  What ideas do you have for using the "Votes" in your classroom?  Let's see what we can come up with. 
So far: (some from a discussion on Promethean Planet)

• taking a poll- favorite color, food, etc.  for graphing

• formative assessment during a lesson- "do they get it?"

• When you ask a hard question - immediately ask a follow up - "How confident are you of your answer?- A very - F none at all"
• You'll see me make reference to the 'Learning Mountain'. I get kids to rate where they think they are on the mountain (A=Summit, F=Base camp) at the beginning of a unit of work and then we can compare results as we progress though the unit and at the end.
  Loads of discussion in this and it encourages kids to be reflective and self-evaluate their learning.  
• A great use of Activote is to get discussion going. Use A-F on a scale of agreement, choosing an apropriate issue to debate.
  he reslts of the vote can be pasted and referred to later if a revote is taken perhaps at the end of the lessonto se if anyone has changed their mind. It's great evidence of an oral lesson.
• I really like using the voting to get the children writing. I would start with a character and ask "What is going to happen to this character?" In groups the children then generate the responses, and then the individuals can vote on which way they would like the story to go. Then go onto - what would they say next - and so on. Really nice way to give a voice to those children who are too afraid to fight for their idea!!
• We also use them a lot in PSHE or RE, with the sliding scale, from 'a' - this is very important to me, through to 'f' - this is not important to me at all. We then discuss the results. Great twist on the idea of 'I value this for myself, I value this for others, I value this for no one', which is used with older children. (mine are only 6!) 

Brain Pop

According to the latest newsletter, Brain Pop has aligned their movies, activities, and quizzes to the Common Core standards.  Seeing as IL is adopting Common Core, I thought you'd like to know that Brain Pop is a dynamic site that stays current.  To find movies that align, simply go to the Standards Tool to search for material related to the standards.