Thing 21

I am always on the look out for new tools to use with students.  Sixth graders are completed embedded in technology form cell phones, e-readers and even the TV they watch.  Having creative ways for them to express their learning using technology is really engaging for them. 

I have several favorite discoveries from the course.   Diggo and Feedly were my personal favorites.  Setting up a blog was also very helpful and I discovered it was much easier than I thought. The self paced format is huge for me this year.  My kids are all over the place and this has really helped.  I could see a version of this class being taught in the summer.  It was a bit difficult with the beginning of the year to find a groove with the course. 

I found the class to be very helpful and worth my time.  It helped me find even more tools for teaching both for use with students and for managing resources. 

Skype

Skyping is great fun.

I use Skype many years ago when teaching in 4th grade in 2009.  On Veteran's Day, we connected two current military officers.  Both are from Branson and in the same National Guard Unit.  One was in our classroom home on some leave and the other was still in Iraq.  It was an amazing opportunity for the students to have a presentation from one in the classroom and then be able to see Iraq at the same time.  It was one of my favorite teaching moments.

Feedly reader

I do like the Feedly reader.  I downloaded the app to my phone and it makes keeping up with blogs much easier.   I find it especially helpful in keeping up with the administration blogs.

Photo Peach

field trip 2014 on PhotoPeach

Here is a link to Photo Peach quiz
I found it a bit challenging to navigate but figured it out.

Picasa Slide Show


These were three easy to use tools.  I am a huge fan of Animoto.  My students use it frequently.  Photo peach is also another option we could look at using as well.  The slide show in Picasa is a great idea for bulk photos and I like being able to store online as well as share.