PIR Day - 1.14.13
Mrs. Huck and I were given some time to speak with the Kindergarten and first grade teachers at our school and share with them what we have been learning in TILT. We each chose one of our favorite new tools. Mrs. Huck shared Voki. It was awesome watching the other teachers play around with this tool and get excited about the ways they can use it in their classroom. I have been looking for a way to "jump start" first grade's blog (it's created but not being updated) and the Voki tool got them all excited to create a Voki "welcome" for their blogs, and then they began posting. Yay!
The tool I shared was Symbaloo. I love this tool! I have created several Webmixes that I am using daily: Learning Links, Beartooth Learning Links and Learning Videos. I have also made Symbaloo my homepage, and my Home Mix links to all of my important and frequently used webpages. I have found it especially useful since I use two different computers in my classroom (one is always hooked to the MimioView and projector) and now I don't have to worry about conducting searches or looking at bookmarks to find the resources I want - they are all on my Symbaloo page. Everyone seemed excited to learn these new tools!
The tool I shared was Symbaloo. I love this tool! I have created several Webmixes that I am using daily: Learning Links, Beartooth Learning Links and Learning Videos. I have also made Symbaloo my homepage, and my Home Mix links to all of my important and frequently used webpages. I have found it especially useful since I use two different computers in my classroom (one is always hooked to the MimioView and projector) and now I don't have to worry about conducting searches or looking at bookmarks to find the resources I want - they are all on my Symbaloo page. Everyone seemed excited to learn these new tools!
Technology Tuesdays
Mrs. Huck and I are inviting other staff members to join us once a month for "Technology Tuesdays". Each Technology Tuesday, we will take 20 minutes to show something new we have learned through our involvement in the TILT program. If teachers want support or have additional questions, we are available to help with that. This page will highlight what we have covered at each Tech Tuesday, and document other teachers' learning.
Tuesday 12.11.12Our first Technology Tuesday focused on introducing Google drive to the Beartooth staff. Mrs. Huck worked with a group of teachers, showing them different features about Google docs, and I worked with a group of first grade teachers who wanted help beginning a collaborative blog. Here is what we came up with:
Fab First Grade Blog |
Tuesday 1.22.13Mrs. Huck and I worked with teachers who wanted to learn Symbaloo, and helped update the Fab First Grade blog. We also worked with intermediate teachers to put links to Lead 21 assessments on their websites or blogs.
|
Kindergarten PLC - ReflectorAppDuring a kindergarten PLC meeting, Mrs. Huck and I shared the Reflector tool with the other kindergarten teachers. We have been using in our rooms and we LOVE it!
Professional Learning NetworksMrs. Huck and I have decided to try putting together a tool for other kindergarten teachers in our school and district. We hope to post resources and ideas for teaching kindergarten, aligned with the CCSS adopted by Billings Public Schools. The work in progress can be seen here.
However, in TILT we viewed some professional learning network tools and I think some of them might be better, more efficient ways of sharing. We explored Google +, Classroom 2.0 & Educator's PLN. The one in particular I am interested in exploring for our project is Edmodo ... Featured in the Billings Gazette
|
Kindergarten PLC - Paint SparklesAt our last TILT meeting, Mr. Kane shared that he has been using a free app called Paint Sparkles and the Reflector app to teach process spelling. It increases student engagement and allows him to move around the room to check student progress as he is modeling the writing. We shared this idea with our teaching partners, and they are anxious to begin using these tools in their classrooms!
Kindergarten Common Core SiteHere is the site I referenced in my earlier post about PLNs. Mrs. Huck and I dreamed this up, and I have been working on adding resources this summer. I hope the new kindergarten teachers at Beartooth will find this information useful, and that it will be available as a resource to all K teachers in our district. I would love to see it as a collaborative project, where people share resources they love that can be added and this site can continue to develop into a great CCSS resource!
Follow us @MrsPiltzK
How we are Using QR Codes! |