Using Google Classroom

Using Google Classroom has become one of my favorite ways to use technology with my students. Google Classroom is a great way to share assignments with your students. My school is completely Google with email and Drive, so we are using Chromebooks that allow students to login with their Google accounts and begin learning.

I use Google Classroom with Blendspace and Thinglink. Depending on what we are currently working on in our curriculum. I mostly use it with Science and Social Studies. We are learning about Matter and Landforms. I can easily find lesson or even create lessons on Blendspace or Thinglink and add the assignments into Google Classroom.

Here is a Thinglink that I created on Plant Life Cycles. My students have really enjoyed getting to learn about Plants by using this awesome site. All you do is insert an image and you add tags on the picture that has videos, websites, articles, songs, books and more. Students work their way through each tag on the image and begin to learn. You insert a quiz or assign a journal or activity to complete the lesson.

Google Classroom

Blendspace

Thinglink

Would love to hear of ways that you use these with technology in your classroom. I highly recommend that you go and check these. We use them almost every day in my classroom.

Getting Back Into The Swing Of It

Hello fellow educators!!! Sorry it has been a while since I have made a post on my blog. It has been a crazy start to my school year. I had moved back to 2nd grade with a whole new classroom make over. To top that off, our grade level was flooded with 2nd graders. I have 25 kiddos and we just got another teacher to make our grade level have 6 teachers. So now after all of that I am with 21 kiddos now. Then this week I had a student to move. Now my roster is sitting at 20, WHEW!!!!!!!

Now, since we have settled into our new roster and getting the students that moved into the new teachers room placed and started. I now feel like I can begin my year. Wow, it to say the least. It has been an emotional ride. Having to let students from your room go it very hard. I had already became attached to them.

On to better things, my classroom is doing GREAT!!! I feel this is one of the best group of kids I have ever had. The students do a fabulous job or working together to build a real classroom community.

My students love using the ipads on daily basis. We use them with math, writing, reading, centers, whole groups, guided groups and this week we are having 5th grade buddies coming to work with us too.

Scootpad is a great app/website that my students use to work on reading and math. They can also access their account and practice at home. It will give me a message about the weekly progress made by my students. I suggest you go check it out and see if it may be something for your students. You can assign what grade level you need. It is Common Core aligned.  It is amazing how the kiddos love it.

Come back soon to check out all of the fun and amazing activities my students will be working on. I look forward to hearing your comments on your classroom. 

Using QR Codes In Education

Since I was lucky to being Pinnacle this year in my school system, I have ipads in my classroom. It has been fun getting to explore all the apps and find amazing things for my students to work on. The last 9 weeks I have become addicted to using QR CODES!!!! I think they are amazing! My students have worked with them in all subject areas.

Here you can see that during our Human Body Unit, students used the ipad to scan a QR code. Learn about a specific bone an then locate and label the bone on their skeleton. This was fun for them to learn about how the name of bone originated. The QR code gave them a description and location of the bone on the skeleton.

We have used QR codes in math, students work out math problem then scan the code to self check their work. In Guided Reading students would scan a comprehension QR code to answer a question with their partner.

If you do not have ipads, you can use a smart phone, ipod touch or any tablet that has a QR reader. You can go to a QR code maker website to create your QR code. In the code you can put a video link, document, instruction, question or answer. The list can go on and on!!! I highly recommend that you use QR CODES IN YOUR CLASSROOM!

Best Item To Have In Your Classroom

Teachers everywhere!!!!!! I have been lucky to have the privilege to use this amazing pencil sharpener. This is the ONLY sharpener that I use. It makes the best point on the pencil. This sharpener is the quietest one I have ever used. It is very easy to use. My students use it to sharpen pencils in our classroom. It is student friendly. I HIGHLY recommend that you go and get yourself one of these sharpeners. It doesn't take long before you have the sharpest point on a pencil. This is a MUST in my room!!!!

http://www.classroomfriendlysupplies.com/