If you've been to my classroom more than once, you may have noticed that furniture acquisition and re-arranging is one of my favorite teacher hobbies. I've been lobbying to poor Cameron to build some shelves in our living room because I have my eye on a tall bookcase from home that would look just lovely in one of the corners of my classroom. My classroom furniture obsession is problematic on many levels. Never mind the countless commutes to and from drop-off/pick-up locations, it is tough on the pocketbook! Still, I can't help but 'nest' in this nest, because first: it is my home away from home...and second: I truly believe kids work more productively when they are cozy and comfortable.
Last week, I rearranged AGAIN and I am so excited about the way the room 'feels' following this latest iteration of furniture swapping/moving. Lowering tables by removing the legs and raising others with cheap bed risers from Target have really helped spread kids out better and didn't cost much to execute. Take a peek and holler if you have any good ideas for my next round of swapping! -Lorrie P.S. I found out you can get cushion material cut to fit any size you'd like from this upholstery store off Ben White! Very nice for making your own floor cushions.
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This is post that has been in the edit phase for about a million years, but is also the post I'm most excited about sharing. In this one, I'll show you how to make a scavenger hunt that incorporates the beauty and ease of Google forms, along with the joys of actually hunting around in the real world. (The complete step set can be found by clicking on the button at the bottom of this page, but first a little background!) I owe the idea-hatching for this invention to my dear, sweet dad who was a creative weirdo. He invented "secret friends" for myself and my 3 siblings by writing to us anonymously from a P.O. box. He hid walkie-talkies behind the TV set to trick us in to thinking we were communicating with aliens. He held candy auctions for my friends involving Lifesaver fun packs and Monopoly money. The man was a nut, but I am so thankful for his contribution to our imaginations. I get worried that kids these days aren't getting to stretch enough of that creative brain in part because of this wonderful technology we love. (Oh no! I just used the phrase "kids these days!" I'm officially old!) Speaking of technology we love, Google forms is one of my all time favorites. (You can click here to see a slightly outdated how-to video for creating one, if you haven't had the pleasure yet!) The idea for this project sprung from ability to set constraints for data validation which could (and did!) come in handy for a scavenger hunt! It works like this: you create a Scavenger hunt using Google Forms, alternating between content specific questions and real-life running around the room to find "clue" words. The kids will not be able to advance to the next section of the activity until they have either successfully put in the correct answer or found the mystery word hiding in the room. Using custom text for the data validation field, you can guide kids who are having trouble. The kids are so engaged that behavior management goes on the back burner, and you can actually concentrate on the small group instruction when teams are stuck. It's so much fun! Here are some photos from our last hunts! I am obsessed with Thinglink. It is a way to turn an ordinary image into an interactive experience. You can add 'hot spots' to link to important resources and websites. I gave a short presentation on the many uses of this super-useful tool at a tech PD session a few months back and am adding the resources here in case anyone reads this blog and is so inclined to fiddle with a new tool. It is one of my favorites!
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Hill Tech TalkThis is a gathering spot for Hill teachers to share ideas as we navigate the peaks and valleys of tech integration in the classroom! Archives
April 2017
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