Well, it is finally here for Brainpop Jr! Make-a-Map is now available on BrainPOP Jr! With this tool, students in K-3 construct concept maps by connecting images, keywords, and clips from our movies as well as adding their own ideas. We love this feature and have been using it in our upper grades in Brainpop. Glad this feature has finally come to Brainpop Jr.!!
SeeSaw now has integrated Class Blogs! Yipee. What a timely add on as Kidblog our former class blogging go to is now a paid subscription! Check this video out on how to activate blogging in your SeeSaw class! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIsossQwk_o&feature=youtu.be&mc_cid=1c93324605&mc_eid=870053e71c
This week the art teacher, Mrs. Marshall, and I had students designing digital artwork using iPads. Grades 2 and 3 used the app Pixie Lite (the free version of the popular computer program we use here at school). First graders used Percolator, an app to transform their artwork into a digital masterpiece. Finally, 4th graders designed snowflakes on the iPads using an app called My Flake and then they proceeded to cut out and color their snowflake creations. So cool! Click here to find out how to get Pixie Lite. Click here to find out about Percolator (this is a paid app). Check out some of the amazing creations below! The official week begins next week for the Hour of Code, a movement to get students started and interested in coding at an early age. There are some great websites and apps out there for students to use and we will be using many of these next week in all grade levels. Two great sites that have many age levels and choices are: code.org and Tynker. Code.org features Star Wars, Minecraft, code with Anna and Elsa, Lightbot and many more. Another good one is Lego fix the Factory which will require a quick download of a plugin. For a little more advanced option, Code Monster by Crunchzilla is a good option, not as "gamey" though! We hope these activities will interest some of our students enough that they will want to pursue this more outside of school!
On December 3rd and 4th Skype is holding a Skype-a-Thon which they are calling "A global movement to celebrate learning without borders." Their worldwide goal is to "travel"" 1 million virtual miles in 2 days. This would go great with Module 3 in our Global Passport initiative which is: "Connecting Beyond the Classroom." You can play Mystery Skype, talk with a Guest Speaker, or take a Virtual Field Trip. Playing Mystery Skype with a country in your Global area would be a fun activity to do! Here is a video that shows what Mystery Skype is about. I would love to support any teacher in this endeavor if they are interested! Here is the website with more information and where you can search for another class to Mystery Skype with. https://education.microsoft.com/skypeathon
I found this great resource that would be great for Global Passport. You can compare a "Day in the Life". Great for comparing countries. http://www.timeforkids.com/around-the-world
We have started using this great app/website called Seesaw with classes here. Seesaw is like a digital portfolio that allows students to document what they are learning in school. They can capture their learning with photos or a digital copy of their work. They can then add detailed explanations using text or words. Even better, teachers can invite parents to download the free app and have a window into their child's learning at school. They also have a great Twitter feed so followers can see all the great things other classrooms are doing with Seesaw. |
AuthorHi, I am Jody Carroll, the Instructional Technology Specialist at Princess Anne Elementary. Archives
April 2016
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