IPad Usage In the Classroom

I pads are wonderful for the classroom.  I love having technology at our fingertips.  The children can view recent news, weather and current events.  They can also read and listen to stories as well as record their own voices reading a story.  This way, they are not just consuming the internet, but creating it. I pads have wonderful features such as cameras and calculators.  And, if you can't find what you're looking for, there are thousands of apps to download to make your Ipad unique to your own classroom.  Not every child has their own Ipad in our school system.  Our first graders do not have their own Ipads.  I have to use a checkout system and checkout the Ipad cart on a daily basis.  There are only 2 carts of 25 Ipads each in our building.  This can get a little hairy when we have to share with so many other teachers.  I've learned to put my name on the checkout list for the entire year.  The students love the Ipads and can navigate unbelievably.  I will be glad when they can get their own.  Of course, I feel they're too young to take them home like the older students do, but I can always keep them in the classroom.

App Download

I downloaded a math app called Grade 1 Math.  It is a drill and practice app that includes number sense, addition, subtraction and geometry.  When I first started playing the game, it didn't work.  After several attempts, it finally worked.  I liked the terminology that the game uses such as, "greater, less, sequence, etc.  I plan to ask my technology person in my building to download this app on the Ipads for our first graders.  This has also inspired me to go look for more first grade games for the Ipads.

Dropbox

Dropbox was a little difficult for me I must admit.  Although I already had an account, I haven't used it very often.  As with anything, if you don't use it, you lose it! When I tried to create a new folder, I tried to drag the entire folder from my desktop into my new folder that I'd created in Dropbox.  When I did this, the folder in Dropbox said the folder was empty.  Then, I realized that I had to open the folder on my desktop and click on each individual file and drag them individually to put into my Dropbox folder.  I probably shared an empty folder with Wendy!  I guess we learn from experience.  When I pulled DropBox up on my Ipad, it was there also.

Google Docs

I'm blogging about my experience with sharing a document in Google Docs.  This was a very simple process.  At my school, there are only two first grade teachers, myself and Mrs. Roach.  We always try to plan together, but we can't find the time to plan at the same time.  Google Docs will allow us to be in two different places and be able to plan together simultaneously.  I can't wait to tell her!  Sharing folders was very easy.

Google Docs in the Classroom and Google Docs Tutorial

Google Docs Tutorial:

Google Docs seems fairly new to our school system, or at least I've just recently started getting documents from the central office using Google Docs. To be quite honest, I didn't know what it was.  I think a lot of my colleagues don't know what it is either.  The tutorial video was very enlightening.  I love the fact that Google Docs allows you to carry documents with you wherever you go.  This means no more flash drives!  I've always guarded my flash drives with my life!  Now, I plan to put all of my important folders into Google Docs so I won't have to fear losing them.  I also like that you can share in real time and it automatically saves.  I can't begin to tell you how many times I've forgotten to "save" and lost something very important. The best part of Google Docs is it's free!!

Google Docs in the Classroom:
I liked how the teacher uses Google Docs for the writing process. I liked how the others shared and wrote simultaneously.  The students have to use proper etiquette and collaboration when using Google Docs to write. These are both huge areas of concerns that employers look for nowadays. The students can draft and change their writing whenever their ready, and the teacher can use the correct and edit feature whenever she needs to.  I love the fact that the teacher can see which students are contributing to the writing.  That's a major concern for the teacher and the students when working in teams.  Some students tend to do more than others in the team.  Using Google Docs for a writing assignment gives the students an active insight into the writing process. 

Pinterest

I was "addicted" to Pinterest before this class.  It's an excellent source for craft ideas, teaching ideas, recipes, you name it.  I pinned 3 Thanksgiving ideas that I plan to use in my classroom for Thanksgiving.  I'm not a creative person at all, so having this type of website at my fingertips really helps to get ideas for my classroom and at home. 

Delicious

I absolutely love Delicious!! It's an awesome way to save bookmarks.  It's also a quick and easy way to find important websites.  I've told lots of my colleagues about this website, and they're now using it!  Anytime I find something that's interesting or a website that I use often in my classroom, I automatically use Delicious! Love it!

Twitter Article

In the article entitled, "60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom", I was impressed to find out how many ways a teacher can use Twitter in the Classroom.  Since I teach first grade, my uses are limited.  My students, of course, can't use Twitter to communicate or collaborate.  However, it is an excellent way to communicate with parents.  I liked the example of using a Twitter post to remind parents of events, due dates, test reminders, etc. If I taught middle or high school, I would be highly motivated to use Twitter as a classroom tool to engage shy students who didn't want to speak out or ask questions about class lectures.  I would also use it as a way to remind students to be on time for class, as a reminder for homework assignments, etc. Until I read this article, I've always considered Twitter to be just another social networking site.  This article enlightened me on the many uses of Twitter for an educator.   I have to get in a habit of Twittering.  I mainly use Facebook, so it's been hard for me to remember to tweet this week.  I will do better next week.  I really like it because, unlike Facebook, no one can reply to your posts and it's quick and easy!
 

Blog searches

I visited the blog  "Fun in First Grade."  This blog wasn't as "full" of things as some of the other blogs I had seen. I feel overwhelmed sometimes when I go to blogs and there are so many things there.  Maybe it's just me.  I found a very useful idea on this first grade teacher's blog.  She had created a comprehension notebook for first graders and second graders and had posted it on Teachers Pay Teachers (website).  I was able to purchase the notebook and download it to use in my classroom.  I plan to start using it next week!.  Our first graders tend to miss out on comprehension strategies since we teach reading using SRA.  SRA is wonderful at decoding and teaching students to read fluently. However, it lacks in comprehension.  I'm so excited to find an awesome supplement to add to my small group instruction.  I found it just by visiting this wonderful blog! 

Classroom Blog

I think having and maintaining a classroom blog is an excellent way to keep in touch with parents, share great things that are happening in the classroom and share what you're doing as a classroom teacher with other teachers around the world.  I enjoyed looking at classroom blogs on the internet.  I already follow a first grade teacher's blog and have gotten many wonderful ideas that I've taken back to my classroom and used.  This teacher is kind enough to share templates for the activities that she provides.  One concern that I have is the privacy of the students.  Our school district is strict about posting student pictures and names. I would be very hesitant to post their pictures/videos to my Blog.  I was interested in starting my own classroom blog through Shutterfly.  When I asked my principal about it, she said she would strongly discourage me to start one. 

DropBox

Dropbox is a wonderful way to share assignments and units with students and teachers. Its like a folder. If I see an icon that shows a check, then my folders are updated.  There's a Dropbox icon on the desktop and there's one on the internet. 

Delicious

Delicious is a place to add all of your bookmarks.  No matter which computer you use, if you use Delicious, your bookmarks are readily available.  It's a great place to keep you organized!

My First Post

I am sitting in a UVA class on a Saturday.  It started really badly, but it's getting a little better.  The most fun we've had to today was making my Tagxedo.