Friday, June 14, 2019

Where has the time gone?

Wow! The last 5 years have flown by! I have switched positions from a classroom teacher to curriculum coordinator and technology teacher to as of this month a technology facilitator for the Technology Training Center with the school board. I can't wait to share everything that I have learned over the past few years!

Friday, May 9, 2014

And now the rest of the apps....

With everything that has been going on I didn't get to post all my apps.  So here are some more!! :)

Teacher Apps



Dropbox
I use Dropbox on my iPad as well as on my laptop.  It helps me to seamlessly transfer documents wirelessly.  I have also used the app for students to save their projects so that we can easily retrieve them for viewing or editing.
Blackboard  

I have a class website on Blackboard.  I am able to quickly and easily add links, assignments, and announcements directly from the app.  My students are also able to log in and complete their assignment through the app instead of having to go to a computer.
Remind 101  

I try to send out a weekly email to my parents letting them know what is going on that week.  I have found that some of my parents do not always check their email.  I began using Remind 101 to stay in contact with my parents.  This app allows me to send a text message or email message or both to my parents.  It is very easy to implement.  You can find all of the directions here:  https://www.remind101.com/
Common Core   

The app makes it easy for me to access the standards no matter where I am.  I don’t have to have them printed out when I am working on lesson plans or seeing what I have left to cover.
Ghostwriter Notes  

This is by far one of my favorite apps!! It costs $3.99 but it is definitely worth it.  I normally carry my iPad with me at trainings and conferences to take notes.  This app allows you to add pictures in your notes.  You are able to write using a stylus or type your notes.
Groovy Grader   

This app takes the place of the old slide graders.  You enter the number of questions and it gives you a list of the score for each missed question.  Super easy to use!
Sticky Notes  

This app is great for student and teacher use.  I use this app to help keep myself organized.  I am able to create sticky notes in varying colors, fonts, and text colors.  I can screen shot the page and have all my notes in one place.  My students use this app while reading in small groups to write questions they may have or words they may not know.  We are able to quickly review their questions when they come to my small group.
Pinterest  

This is app is my go to place to find ideas on teaching different skills.  I have also contemplated creating boards for my students to use with links to specific websites for research projects.  This would ensure that students are on safe sites.
Timer+  

This is timer is great to use for timed reading or for timing center rotations.  It is easy for students to use as well.


Student Apps

Discovery Education  

With this app, if you have a United Streaming account, students can view videos, photos, and files on the iPad.  This is great to use as a review station when you don’t need to show a video to the whole class or if a student misses part of your lesson that used United Streaming you can easily show him the video alone.
spelling city  

Students can log into your spelling lists or vocabulary lists on the iPad for review instead of using the computer.
Scootpad  

Scootpad allows students to sign in (after the teacher creates their account) to practice all of the Common Core standards for math and reading.  It moves students through the standards at their own pace.  Teachers are able to access the students’ data and see how each student is performing.  It is free to test, but you can pay to be able to use more features.
Singapore math  

This free app uses Singapore Math methods (Bar Models) to allow students to visualize math word problems.  There are different grade levels available.  This app makes working through word problems more interactive and fun.
stack the states  

This app helps students learn state capitals and flags.  There are more features available in the full app which costs $0.99.













































































































































Enjoy!!!

Monday, March 17, 2014

40 Apps in 40 Days ~ Apps 7-11


coLAR Mix - FREE
This allows you to make your students artwork come to life.  Simply print off one of the color sheets from the website and color it in.  Open the app and your picture jumps off the page.  This app mesmerizes my students every time they use it.



















Dice - FREE


Many times I do not have enough dice for my students to play some of the ELA board games or addition games in my classroom.  This app has alleviated this problem and the problem with dice falling on the floor.  In this app you can have from one to twenty dice on the screen.  The sum of all the dice shows on the center of the screen.  I have also used this app to call on students randomly.  I roll the dice and the student with that number is able to answer the question.


Running Record Calculator Lite - FREE


The app calculates the words-per-minute, accuracy rate, and self correction ratio.  I use this app for fast calculations when computing my student's words per minute.  There is also a paid version of this app ($3.99) which has additional bonuses such as a stopwatch and voice recorder.  This tool would be beneficial when you need to record a student for playback at another time.


 Show Me - FREE
Show Me is an app for creating and sharing whiteboard-style lessons on your iPad.  I have used this app to deliver instructions to my students as well as for my students to develop and share short lessons with each other.  We use this app to provide a review of what they have learned.






Too Noisy Lite - FREE

This app is great to help control the volume level of the classroom during small group time.  I projector the screen onto my Promethean board for the class to see.  I have a couple leaders in the classroom that remind their friends when they become too loud.  This allows me to continue working with my own small group and keeps us from disturbing other classes around us.







Tuesday, March 11, 2014

40 Apps in 40 Days ~ Apps 5 & 6

Sorry that I am posting this late, but better late than never right??  I am just now getting over the stomach virus.  It is horrible and I don't wish it on anyone.  Now that I'm feeling better on with the apps. :)
Thinking Blocks - Free
Thinking Blocks is an app that allows students to model and solve math problems. It is a free app that also has a website that students can access to also play the math games.  There are four apps for Thinking Blocks: Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Fractions, and Ratio and Proportion.  Each app provides guided instruction and independent practice.  The check feature allows students to check their work before moving on.  I have seen tremedous growth in math over the past few years of using this app and website.  Most students hate doing word problems on a worksheet, but when you present it to them on an iPad they don't mind doing them.  Win-Win!







Students are able to chose how many steps and how big the numbers are in the problem.









The word problem is displayed at the top of the screen and instructions are at the bottom.  Students must first read the problem and determine where the modeling blocks go and label them.  The student then chooses check to see if they are correct.





Students then add numbers to their model.  The ? is used to show the missing number.  Feedback is given at the bottom of the screen after the check box is chosen.




The student is now ready to solve the problem.  There is a built in calculator that can be turned on or off.  Students may also compute their answer by drawing on the screen with the drawing tools.




If the student gets the question correct they earn a star.  Once they earn five stars they are able to move on to another area with multi-step problems.




Here is a list of the different types of problems in the addition and subtraction app.









Math Slide - Free Version and $0.99 upgrade
Each app has a free and paid version.  In the free version you can play each of the games twice before it is locked.  There is a total of 10 games in each app.  This is a multiplayer app supporting from 1-4 players.








Each app presents different type of questions and different levels.  Shown here is the place value app ($2.99) which includes the hundreds, tens, ones app and the tens and ones app all in one.







This is the addition and subtraction app.  Students slide their answer into the middle of the screen to beat their opponent.
















The student that uses all of their numbers first is the winner.


Do you have apps that you use in your classroom everyday that you would like to share?  Please share them in the comments area.


Saturday, March 8, 2014

40 Apps in 40 Days ~ Apps 3 & 4

Popplet Lite - Free
     Popplet has an easy to use interface, intuitive for users,  is visually appealing and allows you to embed images, and links.  You can save your brainstorm as a jpeg or pdf and email it.
     I have used this app in my classroom to map vocabulary words, create character maps, create a story map, and create parts of speech word maps.


Story Me App - Free
     The Story Me app lets you design personalized comic strips from your own photos. Create beautiful framed collages with speech bubbles and captions – then apply a unique cartoon filter! Turn individual images into a story in seconds.
     This app can be used to retell a story, for character dialog, or to illustrate a story.