We are finally get on top of our Casper integration (I think?) We have sent all of our serial numbers over with a list of initial free apps to install and fingers are crossed that soon our Ipads will be more functional for all! I had to download a magnifying glass to read the little-bitty serial numbers. This makes one feel like a grandma, FYI. BUT, it is finally done and the ball is rolling. I can't wait to get some customization on these machines.
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So, even without the Casper/Apple colossal delay, we were having some other issues with our Ipad cart! First, our cases made the pads un-fittable to the plastic slots provided. So, we took out all the little dividers and life actually got worse! At the end of each session, the iPads were in complete disarray no matter how many responsible kids we tried to recruit to help us. Today, using the free 3M tape from last spring's goodie bags, we doctored up our cart to color-code the placement and charging cords. As you can see from Rachel's face, it looks pretty snazzy! Yay for technology wins!
I like instagram to post a super quick blog entry, because I don't even have to edit my web page. Here's what it ends up looking like when I embed my instagram feed on my website (it does need some cleaning up :) http://brilesaweigh.weebly.com/agenda-journal-pages-and-photos.html
To make yours look that cute or cuter, visit SnapWidget.com, create an account, and let SnapWidget stream your instagram or twitter feed straight to your website. Visit snapwidget.com to see all of the cute, free options. And, voila, you're done! Decimal modeling for multiplication is just plain bizarre on the eyeballs of many 5th graders (and their parents...and their teachers!) In order to help make it a bit more understandable, we 'colored' our own number sentences using Nearpod. I still have a handful of confused people, but I *think* fewer than usual following this lesson. Yay, Nearpod!
Last year, our class charged with lap tracking for the Marathon Kids research study. While the logging drove me halfway-batty, the actual pedometers were a pretty cool motivator for kids. In hopes of inspiring this year's batch, I hunted for an app that would easily 'track' stuff. None, that I could find, offered a way to track with simple click with all 25-ish categories (aka kid names) showing a homescreen.
I was opening class dojo for something else when it hit me that it would make a great lap-tracking device! I deleted all positive and negative feedback buttons and added a custom "run one lap" button. Now, the Ipad sits on the picnic table and each kid (and me, too, actually!) tap the tracker each time we make a loop. Since the Dojo is time-stamped, you don't have to worry about Sneaky Cheaters. Yay! The extra cool feature is the automatic class lap tracking. It feels like the kids are really working as a team to get our class 'number' higher. Every time a student hits 100 laps, we give him/her a class 'ticket' and when the entire class reaches a 1,000 lap milestone, everyone in class earns a ticket. Pretty easy, really! And, much more enjoyable than paper logs! When I worked in math intervention, I always hated the awkwardness of oral administration. Some kids would NEVER ask for a question to be read aloud, while for others it was terribly distracting to have all that talking going while working in small group. It was actually more quiet in the large classroom! In a first attempt to fiddle with this, I uploaded a slideshow of 'buttons' using Weebly and linked them to audio files (via Dropbox & Voice Recorder Pro free app.) It was actually pretty snappy to make and the kids seemed to appreciate the ability to re-listen to questions and pace themselves. The only problem was a headphone shortage! : ) Otherwise, it went off without any technological glitches.
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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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