3-2-1 Final Exam

3 New Things I Learned:

• How to Use Moodle:  While I didn't learn how to create anything in Moodle, I learned how to navigate Moodle as a "user."  I have never used Moodle, but I can see how this could be a very useful tool as a teacher and an administrator.  
• WallWisher:  This was a really neat Web 2.0 tool that was presented.  This would be a great to use as a teacher for collaboration in the classroom, but also as an administrator for gather feedback from the faculty.  
• Animoto:  This is a great tool for creating videos.  This is something I will use personally and professionally. 

2 Things I Have Used:  

• LiveBinder:  I LOVE LiveBinder.  With the MARS Grant, I have been posting documents on the Intranet for the teachers to access after our training sessions.  However, many teachers do not feel comfortable with the format of the Intranet.  They complained that our folder was hard to find and it wasn't easily accessible.  So, I used LiveBinder for our grant documents.  The teachers have been VERY complimentary of this format!  MARS LiveBinder
• Jing:  I am really excited about the possibilities of Jing.   I recorded a short video on how to use the "capture" tool on Workspace for a teacher to follow-up on a meeting.  The video worked well.  However, I do have some issues when the video gets closer to five months, but I hope to get this one figured out a little better soon!  

1 Thing I Will Use as an Administrator:

• Podcasting:  I think Podcasts would be a great way to get information out to the faculty on specific topics.     

What my kids look like in real life....

While the picture I posted in the last post was a great picture, it doesn't capture the true essence of our life.  So, I wanted to share a glimpse of how they usually act.

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours! 

Student Choice: Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours!

 

BYOD and Mobile Learning

I think there are some great advantages to mobile learning and the use of mobile devices in the classrooms.  However, I also feel there are many obstacles to overcome in making it a success.  Below is an excerpt from a web article on this topic that covers several key questions.  The one thing to remember in all of this is, it isn't going away.  BYOD is the way of the future...
Source: http://1to1schools.net/2012/04/byod-questions-to-consider/

In order for BYOD to work well there must be a strong part­ner­ship between admin­is­tra­tion, Board mem­bers, teach­ers, tech­nol­ogy, stu­dents, and par­ents. Every­one is going to be impacted by 1-to-1 no mat­ter how it is imple­mented, whether BYOD or a stan­dard hard­ware plat­form either pro­vided or spec­i­fied by the school or dis­trict. But with BYOD it’s likely you are going to see some push­back from tech­nol­ogy peo­ple because of the com­plex­ity, change, work, plan­ning and resources required. So here are some ques­tions to consider:

• Have you vis­ited a BYOD school or district?
• If not a team with rep­re­sen­ta­tive stake­hold­ers should do so armed with lots of questions
• Are you already using Google or Zoho or some cloud solution?
• With­out cloud apps BYOD is going to be nearly impos­si­ble to imple­ment in a mean­ing­ful way
• You need the entire school/district com­mu­nity to be able to com­mu­ni­cate, pub­lish, present and share centrally
• How will you define BYOD?
• Will there be a min­i­mum device or specification?
• Will smart­phones be one of the devices?
• How’s your net­work — is it ready for
• Wifi every­where with mul­ti­ple roam­ing wire­less devices
• Cen­tral­ized data secu­rity (Bar­racuda, Light­speed, etc.)
• How will you address logistics?
• Will stu­dents be charged with keep­ing their devices charged, ready and safe/secure?
• Will you have “loaner” devices?
• Will devices be locked up somewhere/somehow dur­ing lunch, tests, sports?
• How’s your curriculum?
• Are teach­ers already used to assign­ments in Google and in using online social media tools so that stu­dent work is already free of hard­ware require­ments — and hap­pen­ing in “the cloud”?
• How’s your dig­i­tal cit­i­zen­ship education?
• Do stu­dents already know how to keep a respect­ful appro­pri­ate dig­i­tal footprint?
• In my book I talk about L.A.R.K. — tech­nol­ogy use by stu­dents should be L — Legal, A — Appro­pri­ate, R — Respon­si­ble, K — Kind
• How’s your com­mu­ni­ca­tion chan­nel with par­ents, students?
• If the device is pur­chased, main­tained, repaired and man­aged by par­ents and stu­dents, it’s going to be impor­tant to com­mu­ni­cate often and well
• How’s your budget?
• Unless you have planned fully for the changes of BYOD you might be blind­sided by some upgrades or unex­pected costs so make sure to ask these ques­tions when you are vis­it­ing BYOD schools

There are ter­rific schools that have been BYOD for years, The Harker School in San Jose comes to mind for instance. Many peo­ple I respect have been writ­ing about BYOD includ­ing William Stites who posted this blog post for Edu­ca­tional Col­lab­o­ra­tors early this year, Lisa Nielsen who wrote about debunk­ing BYOD for T.H.E. Jour­nal and a recent arti­cle in Dis­trict Admin­is­tra­tor starts with a quote from Lucy Gray who I respect very much — this entire arti­cle by the way is an impor­tant read. The Lap­top Insti­tute which is highly rec­om­mended will have threads this sum­mer in Mem­phis on BYOD.

BYOD can be a solu­tion if you do your plan­ning and home­work and try to fig­ure out up front exactly what you’re get­ting into and plan care­fully. You’ll want to be ready to rethink your net­work as not being about enabling a few mod­els of spe­cific con­trol­lable devices but instead as a path­way to the cloud where your school/district-wide learn­ing com­mu­nity resides.

- Pamela Livingston

Student Choice: A few of my favorites

Here are a two of my favorite funny commercials...

Digital Citizenship

It is important to teach our students to be responsible and productive citizens, but it is equally important to carry this teaching into the digital world.   A lack of personal connection when communicating through email, social websites, and other networking sources gives many a false security to do and say things they would never do or say in person.  This video is a great example of why teaching digital citizenship is important.  I'll admit...it is a little creepy, but the message is good.

iPads in the Special Education Classoom

I think iPads/talents are excellent devices for any classroom.  However, In a special education classroom they can serve as more than just a learning tool.  These devices have the ability to help students with communication needs become ale to communicate more effectively.  iPads are now being used by many children and adults who have difficulties with communication.  Autism can effect the ability to communicate and the following article highlights a specific case where iPads have been an effective device for a child who has autism.  I think iPads make a great addition to any classroom!
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2011/03/09/can-apple-ipad-cure-autism/

Student Choice...Dog Bites

Yesterday I was going for a run in my neighborhood.  I have ran this same street at least 100 times over the past year. I was running in the middle of this neighborhood road to avoid some trash piled up on the side of the cub, and out of no where a Rottweiler came up behind me took a bite of my leg.  Luckily, my long pant kept him from getting a good hold of my leg, but I have a 4 inch bruise/mark to mark the spot!
Things I learned from this experience:
1.)  Buy some Pepper Spray....I was SCREAMING at the top of my lungs for help because the dog kept charging at me and no one heard me.  (Well, I think the old man on his lawn mower heard and saw me, but he didn't care enough to come help me....that's another story!)
2.)  Some people think that a 3 foot tall fence is sufficient for a Rottweiler, but its not!  Guess what, they can get out!
3.)  Run with a friend.  This isn't the scariest thing that could happen running alone, but I was pretty scared!
4.) Now I know why I see some of my neighbors walking with a big stick.   Maybe I should fore go the pepper spray for a bill club....or carry both!  
5.)  I am now constantly aware of dogs when I run!

I did report my bite to the proper authorities for the safety of children that live in our neighborhood.  My bite will heal, but this dog could have done some real damage to a child!

Flipped Classroom

I have had the opportunity to not only attend PD on the Flipped Classroom, but also see it in action with Ashley Hunter at MMS.  If I were still a regular classroom teacher, I believe this is a model I would use when teaching certain topics in Math (but not all).  Some of the benefits I perceive from this model are:

1.)  The teachers has more time to work on the skill with the students directly in the classroom because part of the  learning/instruction is taking place during homework time.
2.) Students (may) be more motivated to watch a short video and complete a couple problems, than complete a work page of 20 for homework.
3.) Teachers and students are making good use of technology through this model.
4.) Parents could watch the video and know what is being taught in the classroom.  Many parents would prefer a video over reading the textbook.
5.) Students Centered  NOT Teacher Centered

Here is a great video on the flipped classroom...

Student Choice...1/2 Marathon

On November 10th, I ran my first half marathon in Huntsville.  Some things I learned from this experience...
1)  I am not fast.
2)  I am not slow either.
3)  There are a lot of older people that run.  I hope I still enjoy running when I am in my 60's and 70's.
4) It gets hot when you run 13 miles, even when it is only 58 degrees outside.
5) However, even though it is hot, there is never an excuse to wear this...j/s :) However, he was faster than me!  Maybe the Cheetah shorts work!  who knows?!?!

Barriers of Technology in Education

According to
Below are some "Suggested Solutions to Problems" with Technology and the percentage of a sample population that chose the stated solutions...

I think from this list of suggested solutions, we can determine 3 barriers that exist.
1.)  Lack of Knowledge about Equipment:  Teachers need ongoing Professional Development.  Unfortunately, this is usually too costly, and instead they get a on-time professional development session.
2) Lack of Quick Tech Support and Maintenance:  Many systems sink money into technology, but don't have the manpower to maintain the equipment properly.
3)  Make Classrooms Similar:  Schools need to have a standard set of equipment in every classroom before branching out to new pieces of technology.

Does Technology Help or Harm Literacy?

Here is a quote I really like about this topic...
“I’m not going to say it’s a good thing or a bad thing,” says Elizabeth Kleinfeld, assistant professor of English at Metropolitan State College of Denver. “But it’s a thing for sure, and we have to deal with it in our classrooms, in our workplaces and in our relationships.” 

I think Technology has definitely changed literacy, but not necessarily harmed it.  I know some people are concerned about the lack of grammatical skills students have because texting has its own language of abbreviated words and random uses of punctuation.  However, I have been bad at grammar and spelling my whole life, and have only been texting for less than three year :)  I do think that texting, email, chatting, etc has lead to an increase in the amount of writing done by people on a daily basis.  It isn't formal writing, but people on a daily basis probably read and write more than the generations before us because of new technology devices that make communication ready at our fingertips.  

While I don't think technology has harmed literacy, I am a little concerned about our necks...
    

Zero-Tolerance Policies in Schools (Student Choice)

After reading the article from Dr. Spivey on zero-tolerance policies in school, I decided to do some further reading.  I can across a website (www.suspensionstories.com) that is dedicated to the reform of zero-tolerance policies in schools in order to stop the "school to prison pipeline."
Quote:  "Suspension Stories is a youth-led participatory action research project to understand the school to prison pipeline."
On their website they have a section entitled "Brain-Dead" and it lists suspensions of students where the situation for suspension is questionable (or ridiculous) by their standards.  I would be interested to hear the opinions of others on some of these cases.  Below are some links I found interesting.  Please feel free to comment :)

Main Website:  www.suspensionstories.com
Links below are copied from the website...
________________________________________________________________________________________
5th grade student suspended over nasal spray
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7th grader facing 180 day suspension for yawning and accidentally touching a teacher
______________________________________________________________________________________
Student Handcuffed and Arrested from School for Burping. Here is another article about this case.
________________________________________________________________________________
Students Suspended for Singing in Cafeteria
___________________________________________________________________________________________
9 year old suspended from school for sexual harassment after calling teacher cute
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 year old boy suspended over bringing an inhaler to school
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special-ed student Joseph Anderson, 7, handcuffed by cops at Queens school after Easter egg tantrum
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Student Arrested Over Spilled Milk
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kindergartner Gets Suspended for Crying
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 Year Old Arrested For Drawing a Violent Stick Figure At School
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In Fairfax Schools, Acne Drugs Can Get You Suspended.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Student suspended for politely holding the door open for someone else
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In Mississippi if you post a rap song to your Facebook Page (not on school time), you may spend 5 weeks at an alternative school.

Halloween

We started our festivities last night at the Downtown Rescue Mission Fall Festival.  This will now become a yearly family tradition, because the kids had such a great time and learned so much.  They were able to give out candy to trick or treaters and help serve dinner to those in need.  It makes my heart happy to watch my children serve others willingly.  The DRM serves around 600 meals daily to those in need.  If you are interested in volunteering, their website is http://downtownrescuemission.org/  Trick or treating for us tonight didn't go quite as well.  After three houses and 2 injuries, Chandler called it an early night.  Macie managed to fill her pumpkin to the rim and apparently consumed what couldn't fit in the bucket.  It is now two hours past her normal bedtime and she is still wide awake from the sugar.  Hopefully she will crash before long, but I am sure we will reap the "benefits" of all that sugar tomorrow!!  Happy Halloween!! 

What to do with old Technology...

When I get new technology, I either give my old technology devices to someone else who could use them, trade them for the upgraded device, or throw the device away if it is not useful. Here is an article I found with some suggestions for old technology...http://www.thingsnerdslike.com/geek-life/what-to-do-with-old-tech/. One suggestion is to make art out of the old devices. No Thank You :)
However, I did learn that the landfill is not a good place for my stuff. I guess I need a better plan than the garbage can!

Student Choice...Classroom Designs

One of the things I miss about being in the classroom is creating and designing a room for the students.  I love making the classroom a place that fosters a sense of community and learning.   These are photos of my Hollywood themed classroom for this year.

Classroom 2011-2012

I am also posting pictures of last years Sports themed classroom...I am not sure why I changed it, but it was WAY too much work!  



Classroom 2010-2011

A Helpful Website for Teachers

A website I recently found out about is www.techforteachers.net
This website is all about technology integration for grades k-8. From mobile devices to content area resources, the ideas and resources on this site cover many areas. In addition to print resources, there are also "how to" videos. This is a great source!

Student Choice...Fall Break (oh how I miss thee)

I miss Fall Break! When I first came to Madison County, I came from a system that did not have a fall break. During my first year we had TWO weeks in the Fall and Spring. This was great! While I don't think two weeks is necessary (or even a full week) it would be nice to have a couple of days :). Since we had already planned a vacation, we are still getting a mini break with a quick trip to Gatlinburg. However, it comes with the price of 2 1/2 personal days and a ton of makeup work for a first grader, a fourth grader, and a teacher. Nonetheless, the memories being made are well worth it!

Technology Integration Guiding Principles for Administrators

I feel like I am repeating myself in this post, but I feel that this post has some overlapping ideas to my previous posts. Technology should never be put into the classroom just for the sake of adopting technology. A clear plan for adoption of technology should be determined and this plan should include not only equipment, but also professional development for the equipment. In order to make the adoption of the technology effective, the professional development is crucial. This is especially true for teachers who are resistant or feel overwhelmed by the technology. It will not be used efficiently by most teachers if this piece
is neglected.

Resistance by Teachers to Use Technology

I am a little out of order in my blogging assignments, but this one fit right in with my last post. I promise to go back and hit the other topics soon.
I have found that most teachers who are resistant to technology in the classroom usually lack confidence In their ability to use the technology they have been given. In everything, change can be hard, and technology changes daily. Teachers who are resistant need to be given less technology upfront and more PD on he technology they currently use (or have in the classroom). I have seen schools equip every classroom with a projector, smart board, document camera, clicker system, and slate only to see some teachers using only the projector and a computer. In addition to all the equipment, many schools only provide a one shot PD session, and teachers spend the rest of the year "discovering" on their own. This isn't done on purpose or with intentions of leaving teachers feeling helpless, but usually time and money limit the support for the technology once it is placed in the classroom. Teachers who are resistant to using technology should be given only one or two pieces of technology at a time to learn and master before adding more to their plate. Overwhelming someone who already feels inadequate using a basic computer will only set them up for failure. Effective administrators know their teachers well and should be proactive when determining how technology money should be spent in a school. If the majority of the teachers would be resistant to technology, then more money should be set aside for professional development for the technology being purchased. This Beginners Guide to integrating Technology would be a great place to start with resistant teachers: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech130.shtml

How Can Technology Effect the Learning Process

At ISTE back in June, I heard the terms "digital natives" and "digital immigrants" over and over. These terms, coined by Mark Prensky describe a change that has occurred from the previous generation to the one that is presently being educated in the following paragraph... "Today‟s students – K through college – represent the first generations to grow up with this new technology. They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age. Today's average college grads have spent less than 5,000 hours of their lives reading, but over 10,000 hours playing video games (not to mention 20,000 hours watching TV). Computer games, email, the Internet, cell phones and instant messaging are integral parts of their lives."
So, to answer the question about "how can technology effect the learning process?". It is going to effect the learning process no matter what because even if we don't use technology in the classrooms, the students are using it so much outside the classrooms that the way they learn has already shifted from the way we learned in the classroom. In other words, we can embrace technology in the classroom or resist it, but the bottom line is your students are using it and learning from it on their own. I think this leads me to my next blog post...

Are We Born to Teach??? (Student Choice)

I hear many people say that they always knew they would be a teacher.  For me, that is not the case.  However, I have known for a long time that teaching was something I was able to do well.    As a teenager I spent summers teaching VBS at our home church and on mission trips.  I also taught gymnastics classes and babysat on a regular basis.  Adults would always tell me that I worked well with children and compliment my ability to relate to them during class, but I still never had this urging desire to teach.  After I graduated high school, I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do. So, my first major was business, but then after some encouragement from my parents I changed it to education my sophomore year.  I always earned good grades in my practicums and would hear from professors that I had a natural ability to teach.  However, I did not fall in love with teaching until  my first year in the classroom.  So here is a question....
Are good teachers born or made, or is it both?  I am not sure I know the answer to this question, or maybe there is no answer.  However, I really do think that my daughter Macie was born to teach!  I am posting a funny video that I created about two years ago when she was 5.  What you see in this video is something I have watched her do since she was about three.  You can see from all of her "supplies" that she is already a hoarder of teaching materials....that's scary!!   Even now at the age of 7, she teaches her imaginary students on a daily basis.  I never question what goes on in her classroom because she not only imitates her teachers but disciplines and rewards the same children in her imaginary class that are disciplined and rewards each day in her regular class :)  While I think Macie was born to teach, you will also see that she has learned some good strategies from many fabulous teachers she has had in daycare, preschool, and at Legacy.

QR Codes...(Student Choice Blog)

A few months ago I blogged about using QR codes on my teaching blog, and I posted the following circles activity:
Parts of a Circle

Over the past few months I have seen activities developed by more and more teachers using these great little squares :)  I recently presented on this topic (Presentation PowerPoint Link) and wanted to share with you some great activities and projects out there waiting for you to utilize in your classroom.  Many of them are referenced in the PowerPoint file located above, but I will list a few more below.

In addition to the activities, the Power Point also gives information on how to create your own codes and activities.

Also, if you have any QR Code activities you would like to share, please feel free to link us to them in the comments on this page :)

Free QR Code Activities on TpT:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/search?keyword=QR&seltype=0&seltype=4&pr=1

QR Code Pinterest Board (not mine):
http://pinterest.com/jnase1/qr-codes-lessons-and-activities/

50 Ways to Use QR Codes:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AclS3lrlFkCIZGhuMnZjdjVfNzY1aHNkdzV4Y3I

Kathy Schrock:
http://www.schrockguide.net/qr-codes-in-the-classroom.html

Middle School Math:
http://middle-school-math-tech-enhance.wikispaces.com/QR+Code

How Can Technology Innovations Be Sustained in Schools?

I had to do some research on this topic in order to blog about it, and guess what I found...
an article entitled

How To Sustain Technology Innovation In The Classroom

The link to the article is below in case you want to read it for yourself.  In essence, the article lays out the critical areas for sustaining innovation.  They are:

• Get the support of key business partners for funding and get them to buy into your initiative by providing research to back up your plans.  (This next part is not from the article).  While securing business partners is ideal, I have found that this is not always easy.  Businesses are hit left and right for donations, and while many are willing to help there are usually many guidelines and limitations as to how they can help.  One of the best models I have seen for funding technology within a single school is the 10 for Technology Initiative at Legacy Elementary.  If you want to get people to "buy in" to your program, start with getting "buy in" from your parents and local community.  The 10 for Technology initiative is a letter writing campaign by the students.  Every child brings in 10 addressed and stamped envelopes for a letter writing day.  A form letter is put into each envelope along with a personal message from the child, a small token of appreciate  (school calendar with the child's picture), and a return envelop/card for the donation.   Students who do not bring in the envelope still participate by sending letters to area businesses and politicians.  As the donation cards are returned with personal messages written back to the students from the person donating, these are posted outside the classroom for everyone to see. There are also incentives for the students to return their addressed envelopes and a theme for the year.  This year every student received a small plastic football and was able to compete in a competition with the football for prizes.  There was also a faculty/parent flag football game for the whole school to enjoy.  Over the past several years, this initiative has funded laptops, projectors, Promethean Boards and iPads for the classrooms.  The goal for future money is to maintain the technology and add as needed.  Here is a video:   10 for Technology Letter Writing Day
• The next step is to provide professional development for the teachers.  (This next part is not from the article).   I commend schools and systems for putting technology in the classrooms, especially to the extent in which I have seen in many schools in our area.  However, I wish more teachers had opportunities for ongoing professional development in the technology they have in their classrooms.  An ideal situation would be for every school to have a technology coach to help teachers with technology integration, but this is not financially possible in most situations. Over the summer I researched a model for ongoing professional development, but this model was based on the use of a technology coach. I would love to find out how other schools and systems effectively integrate technology without a coach on site....maybe this can be my research topic.  
• Enable online collaboration tools.    (This next part is not from the article)   http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Collaborative+Tools
• Encourage students to use their own devices.  (This next part is not from the article)   Hmmm... I would definitely encourage the use of personal devices at home, but this isn't feasible for all schools and systems. 
• Set targets and report results, including standardized testing scores in core subjects and feedback from ALL stakeholders.    (This next part is not from the article)  While test scores are important, so is the feedback from EVERYONE!  If you was requesting donations, then input from those who donated should be considered.  

Article Link:  http://www.k12educationtechnology.com/2012/04/24/sustain-technology-innovation-classroom/

Best Practices in Technology Integration

The DoDea Mars grant has afforded my an awesome opportunity to see technology integration first hand.  Over the past year I have helped teachers learn how to integrate the use of mobi slates, student mobis, student response systems, iPads, iPods, and document cameras into their daily teaching of mathematics.  While I have helped them learn, there are several teachers who have taught me a great deal.  Michelle White at Monrovia Elementary is one of those teachers who isn't afraid on any technology you out in her hands.  She uses the student mobis for cooperative learning groups, letting them share their thoughts, ideas, and work with the devices.  She instantly gathers data about her students using the student response systems, and she uses the iPads daily in small group instruction.  In addition to effectively using her technology tools, she also keeps a blog for her students and parents to document their learning throughout the year. Her blog is definitely worth checking out...Michelle White's Blog  I love how she even has a Twitter Board on her door for her kids to leave "tweets." if you are looking to observe a teacher who uses maximizes the use of technology, I would highly recommend Ms. White!

Student Mobis

A few of you have asked me about student mobis, so I am posting a really great video of them in use in a classroom.  This YouTube video shows one way the mobis can be used in the classroom. In this video, all student are writing at the same time in one large area.  However, you can also change the settings so the screen is divided into sections and students are confined to a section as they write.  The student mobis (Mobi Learners) can be purchased wi a charging station in groups of three.  They are a great tool for the classroom. Student Mobi Video

(Choice Blog Entry)

Technology Integration (Student Choice)

Technology Integration

Technology Integration can provide many new opportunities in a classroom for teachers and students.     Whether it's iPads, slates, interactive boards, clickers, or just a basic computer, all of these tools can enhance the learning that takes place and make a teacher more effective and efficient in the classroom  However, these tools put into a classroom can also be a big waste of money if one simple thing is overlooked...ongoing professional development.  Sure, there are teachers who take the technology, do the research and learn how to integrate effectively on their own.  However, there is also a large number of teachers who do not use their technology to its fullest potential due to lack of knowledge that could come from ongoing professional development.  I commend schools and systems for putting technology in the classrooms, especially to the extent in which I have seen in many schools in our area.  However, I wish more teachers had opportunities for ongoing professional development in the technology they have in their classrooms.  An ideal situation would be for every school to have a technology coach to help teachers with technology integration, but this is not financially possible in most situations. Over the summer I researched a model for ongoing professional development, but this model was based on the use of a technology coach. I would love to find out how other schools and systems effectively integrate technology without a coach on site....maybe this can be my research topic.  

iPads and Math

Tonight on my other blog, I posted about apps you can use for math instruction.  My final document is a paid item on TpT, but of course you can have it for free :)  If you want it, just send me an email and I will send it to you!  Have a great week!

My Post from http://5thgradechalktalk.blogspot.com/

Hi Everyone,
Over the past year I have had several teachers ask me, "How can I use one iPad effectively in the classroom?" and "How can I use the iPads for more than just games?"

Since those questions seem to come up quite frequently, I have begun searching ways to use the iPads for more than just a glorified math practice sheet. How can the students use reference apps to apply mathematical knowledge to real world situations?

In my search for better app usage, I have come across four that are ideal for teaching and practicing place value concepts. This document includes 9 different tasks that students can explore in order to see how numbers exist the world around us. They will look at a population counter, baseball statistics, measurements on a map, and statistics from National Parks in the US.

The task cards in this packet focus on the following Common Core Standards:
4th Grade: 

• [4-NBT2] Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Compare two multi-digit numbers based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons. 
• [4-NBT3] Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place. 
• [4-NBT4] Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm. 

5th Grade: 

• [5-NBT3 a & b] Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths. a.)  Read and write decimals to thousandths using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form, e.g., 347.392 = 3 x 100 + 4 x 10 + 7 x 1 + 3 x (1/10) + 9 x (1/100) + 2 x (1/1000).  b.)  Compare two decimals to thousandths based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons. 
• [5-NBT4] Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place. 
• [5-NBT7] Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method, and explain the reasoning used. 

Here is the link to the document ($3.00) and to the free preview. The free preview gives you access to one task card, the app list, and the general instructions. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/iPads-and-Math 

Blessings! Mrs. J 

Why I Want to Be an Administrator: Becoming an administrator is not something I have thought about much until the past couple of years. As I have become more involved in curriculum leadership through my position as a math coach at MXR and now with the MARS grant, I have become more interested in pursuing a position as an administrator. My passion is to improve the educational experience for children by helping teachers become more effective in the classroom. While I know that an administrators job is more than just curriculum, I do hope that I can one day be an administrator who works largely with curriculum.

Well...here is my first post for class :) I love to use blogs! I read blogs about my friends and family, teaching strategies, and hobbies. I also have a blog of my own where I post teaching resources I have created. My Blog: www.5thgradechalktalk.blogger.com My Favorite Teaching Blogs: http://mathcoachscorner.blogspot.com/ http://teachinginroom6.blogspot.com/ http://teachinginroom6.blogspot.com/ My Favorite Crafting Blogs: http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/ This Blog is HILAIOUS...if you are a crafter. It is about people who try projects they find on Pinterest and the result is a catastrophy :)http://lifeasathrifter.blogspot.com http://impatientlyprayingforpatience.blogspot.com Funny Blogs about Life: www.robinschicks.com www.shortfatdictator.com