Integrating Technology (with The Friendly Teacher)

We use technology daily in my room. We have both chrome books and iPads and love both! One of my favorite ways to use technology is through book clubs.

I love having book clubs in the classroom. I love when students are reading books that they enjoy, but also reading them with their friends. What I hate about book clubs is all the copying for the different groups. So, I changed to all digital book clubs!

My students will read their pages for the week and then complete a book club sheet on their Google Drive. Each week I have students read a certain amount of pages and work on the skill that their group needs to focus on. Then, when they come to meet with me they bring their computer and book. We discuss what they read and then focus on that specific skill. Before they leave I will teach them the skill they will work on next week and give them the assignment!


The best part is all I have to do is post the different sheets on my Google Classroom. Gone are the days of copying five copies of all these different types of paper! Students are much more motivated because they love using the computers! Also, with computers you can add more color which adds engagement for kiddos!

Here is a kiddo completing the point of view assignment after reading their book club pages!

Check the digital book clubs out here!

Integrating Technology {ALL Y'all Need}

Integrating Technology in Pre-K

My class is obsessed with our Letter of the Week iMovie productions! It's a quick and engaging way to assess your students' knowledge of letter identification, beginning sounds, and capital/lowercase differentiation. I'll show you how to use iMovie with your students. First, here's an example:

Please note that I did edit one of our class iMovies for a preview. Most iMovies contain pictures of my students.

Activities Day-by-Day: 

Monday and Tuesday - Investigate the letter via books, songs, etc... Use your usual teaching tools.
Pretty easy so far, huh? Nothing new needed.
Wednesday and Thursday - Have your students walk around your classroom or school and take pictures of letters and objects that begin with the letter of the week. Send all of the photos via Dropbox- more on that below- and put them in whatever order you would like on iMovie.
Friday: Have a viewing party and watch the iMovie. The kids will want to watch it several times.

Don't feel discouraged if you don't have a class set of iPads or any iPads at all! Just use your iPhone! The students could search for objects and raise their hand once they have found their object/letter. Then, you'd just have to send them iMovie. I did this at the beginning of the year and it worked perfectly.

How to Set Up and Use Dropbox:

I have 1:1 devices, so I share all of the photos via AirDrop. However, our AirDrop is sometimes locked. Then we use Dropbox. I just send them to myself during nap time or after school. You can teach your kiddos to share photos via Dropbox....IF YOU'RE BRAVE! ;)

If you don't have Dropbox, go here to create an account. It's really easy and only takes 2 minutes max.

If you already have a Dropbox account, just make sure you sign in.

How to Make a 1-Minute iMovie: 
(video)

Reasons why I love Letter of the Week iMovies:

1. The kids are completely engaged!
2. Technology! Technology! Technology!
3. The students feel a sense of pride because they are taking ownership of their learning!
4. They get to yell, "That's what I found!" really loudly while the other students cheer.

Integrating Technology into Upper Elementary

This is my first year as a full-time technology teacher but I know the struggle is real when trying to integrate technology. Time is tight and it can be a hassle at times to fit it all in! However, the best part of technology is that it is super engaging and can enhance ANY lesson. Today I want to share with you guys how to integrate coding into a math geometry lesson. My third, fourth, and fifth graders LOVED this lesson! I even created a video lesson for you to share with your class!

I created this lesson as an enrichment lesson to get students practicing angles, coordinates, and geometry. I decided to focus on squares and rectangles and then challenge my students to create other shapes on their own. Here is the video lesson that you can share with your students.

I also created a spirograph lesson that is the follow-up to this lesson. My students were super creative and created some awesome spirograph designs using shapes and angles. I will definitely create a video of that for you guys in the near future.

I love using Scratch in my classroom with my students. I would love to hear how you use Scratch in your classroom.

Integrating Technology in the Primary Grades

Technology is one of my absolute favorite things in the classroom. I try not to overdo it because they shouldn't be dependent on technology. So, today I'm super stoked to bring you my TOP THREE ways to integrate technology in the classroom using powerpoints.

Interactive Powerpoints

This is one of the simplest ways to incorporate a form of technology and possibly another piece of technology if you have the tools. If not, you are able to use non-technology tools. All you need is Powerpoint for this to work!

My kids have LOVED every second of working with interactive powerpoints. We use them in math and in reading. This particular one was earlier in the year when we were reviewing short vowels. They had to write the beginning sounds for each picture and it reveals a secret word. We use this same method to practice our sight words, phonics skills and MORE! What's the super fun part about it? We use the Doodle Buddy app to write our words. There is something about that app that is WAY more exciting for them. We do switch it up and use whiteboards, but they really prefer this way.

Timed Powerpoints

This is also one of my FAVES! I especially love this when I have a doctor's appointment or a meeting and have a sub in my classroom. My reading block runs on a powerpoint and works like clockwork. It keeps me on track to what we should be doing.

Under certain slides, I've set them to a timed transition. You can do this under the Transitions menu. Just change the time (add a sound if you'd like). I add a YEE-HAW sound. This signals that we need to clean up and then they move to their next Daily 5. It work FLAWLESSLY. I keep my group that I have for about 2 more minutes while everyone is cleaning up. That normal wasted time isn't wasted anymore because we keep working. We are usually finishing up our book/story right at the end.

iPads as Digital Portfolios

I know some schools do not allow teachers to add apps. In this case, you're actually in luck! If you aren't allowed to add your own apps, you can STILL use any number of iPads in your room as a digital portfolio. Allow your students to use something with their name on it. In the past, I used a laminated picture of them and their name. They took their "license/id" and placed it by their work. Then, they grabbed an iPad and took a picture of their work. Later, I moved their pictures into folders with all of their work. Super easy! This way, I still know who's work belonged to who and the only thing I had to do was make a card with their name and picture on it. I used their folder of pictures to use during conferences. I didn't have to keep as many hard copies of work as I've had to in the past.

Incorporating Purposeful Movement into Science Content Instruction

I think most people would agree that when we exercise, blood flow throughout the body increases. But did you ever stop to think that the blood also flows more to our brains as a result of physical activity? With this increase of blood flow to the brain comes more oxygen which enables our brains to perform better.

Shift to the classroom setting where much of the day (especially in upper elementary and middle school classrooms) is spent sitting at a desk listening and/or taking notes. Why not find ways to incorporate movement into instructional activities in an effort to improve student comprehension and overall concentration?

Although there are many opportunities for students in my STEM class to participate in hands-on activities or move around the room as they collaborate, there are also days when the lesson is pretty teacher centered. I have had to be creative when I plan for these lessons so that I can get students up and moving and refocused.

One strategy I incorporate regularly is the Kagan strategy Mix-Pair-Share. In this class building structure, students "mix" around the room while I play music. When the music stops, they partner up with the person closest to them and share their ideas or answers to a question. I love how this gets my students thinking, moving, and talking to each other about topics that we have been learning about. It also ensures that each student has a chance to share their ideas. Everyone is engaged in the discussion instead of just a handful of students.

A second way I incorporate movement is through the use of hand signals or body movements as a way for checking for student understanding. If I have students respond to a multiple choice question, they may walk to a corner of the room designated as A, B, C, or D based on their answer. Sometimes I simply have them stand up to agree or choose a side of the room. During a review of examples of potential and kinetic energy, I posed several simple scenarios for students to classify. To show me their response, they stood up to represent potential energy (because they are higher above the ground and thus have more gravitational potential energy) and they waved their hands above their heads to represent kinetic energy (because going down the first hill of the roller coaster involves kinetic energy of motion). They got a chance to move AND show their understanding.

I also like to have students complete SCOOT "games" - basically another way to check for understanding - by placing various questions around the room for students to scoot to and answer on a sheet of paper. Rather than a basic independent worksheet that is completed in class, students answer similar questions while moving around the room. I've even had them make observations and identify the physical properties of matter while "scooting" around the room.

Finally, every teacher recognizes that students aren't able to focus on content learning every second of every day. Even as an adult, I find my mind wandering and my attention drifting during especially long meetings. Using physical activity breaks in the classroom helps students get ready to learn and remember information better.

I use the activities in this set of Brain Breaks for Bigger Kids to get my students up and moving. To refocus them. To encourage them to think in a different way. To reward them for good behavior. I will even leave the cards for a substitute teacher as "filler activities". (My students LOVE that if they complete the assignment given by the sub they can have a brain break at the end of class!)

 

Some of the ideas are simple (or even common), but I find that by having a set of ready-to-go brain breaks on a ring I am more likely to flip through the cards and actually USE them on a daily basis. And that's the point, right?

What other ways do YOU find to incorporate movement into your lessons?

5 Ways to Get Your Students Moving

Incorporating more movement into your school day doesn't have to be difficult. Little changes can add up to make a big difference! Here are 5 easy ways to get your students moving and learning!

1) North, South, East, West - This is a fun game to play while reviewing any subject. All you need is 4 walls and some multiple choice questions. Tape a sign on each wall with the correct direction. Then read a question to your students, giving the multiple choice answers as N, S, E, or W (instead of A, B, C, or D) Students then move to the correct wall to show they know the answer to the question. 

2) Vocab Match Up - Students love this game to practice vocabulary words. Use index cards and write vocab words on half of the cards and the definitions on the other half. (You can also do this with math problems, putting a math problem on half the cards and the answers on the other half.) Mix them up and pass them out. Students then walk around the room comparing cards with each other until they can find their match. Gather the cards, mix them up, and play again!

3) Move it outside - With spring approaching, now it the perfect time to get students outside! Have students bring their journals outside to complete a writing assignment, or have them do an observation of something in nature. 

4) Sidewalk Chalk - Even older kids can have fun with sidewalk chalk! Work on math problems or spelling words outside on the sidewalk. Once I even had my class do a collaborative project where we drew a life size blue whale with chalk in the bus lane. 

5) Movement Jar - Write some quick exercises on slips of paper and put them in a jar. Examples could be 10 jumping jacks, hop on one foot for 30 seconds, touch your toes 5 times, etc. During times when you are already transitioning during the day say, "Time for the movement jar!" Have a student pick from the jar and read the movement. It takes only an extra minute, but it can really help add movement throughout the day!

Focused Movements = Focused Learning (Sassy, Savvy, Simple Teaching)

The topic of physical movement embedded in instructional settings is HUGE! The research is strong and it expands in a variety of ways. As adults, we all know we don't learn when we are sitting in lectures. So why in the world would we ever assume a young human could?!?! 

Currently as a 5th Grade ELA teacher in tight quarters with 50+ large bodies, I was in search of some moving / life skills to implement in my classroom. Today, I'm going to share with you how I keep the students moving in our classroom.

Going into my journey I was looking for a way to allow my students to move their bodies in a healthy manner that included strategies of concentration, focus, decompressing and alignment. 

I found myself reading and researching online for solutions that would work in my classroom. I immediately started looking for more information on blood flow, oxygen flow, calorie burning, posture, body alignment, focus and concentration.

I began with a complete flexible seating classroom. The research of alternate seating all leads to increasing consistent positive body movements which then leads to inner body functions flowing constantly which allows alertness. 

I wrote a complete blog post of how I created a budget friendly classroom transformation on my blog and the reasons why flexible seating improves inner health through the positions of your body.

[click here or on any of the photos below for a direct link]

Then I began breathing and meditation exercises combined with yoga for our transitions between Reading and Writing. 

My classroom's daily agenda:

1) Daily Language/Grammar and Focus Board

2) Writing Block

3) Break- Breathing, Meditation, Yoga

4) Reading Block

The research of breathing, meditation and yoga in schools is completely spot on in my classroom. 

The yoga exercises allowed my students not only to move their bodies through stretches and poses, but it also helps align the child's spine. This is a huge benefit to me as a child's spine needs to be stretched into the proper position every so often after sitting in a position for a certain period of time. Yoga poses allow for proper blood and oxygen flow through your body as the poses change in a sequence. Yoga also helps to build core strength and muscle strength in the limbs.

The breathing and meditation exercises allow my students to center themselves as the day progresses. It's very important to me to teach my students life strategies that they can use beyond my classroom. This is a single time each day where my students are able to close their eyes and focus only on there own mental state. I have students with high anxiety and really bad nerves. Students need a strategy that allows them to step back, refocus and then return to a task. It helps students to be able to focus on their breath as a strategy and as an anchor to their inner-self. 

Here are some cards I use daily in my classroom. They allow teachers to read to the students as the meditation, breathing or yoga activity goes on. I simply play music through Pandora or Spotify. 

Click here to purchase these cards for your classroom or on the photo below -

Here as a small clip from my classroom, I sped the timing in it up a little bit...

Everything in the video comes from teaching students from these cards!

I hope this informational has helped you in a useful manner! There are a ton of different routes to go when implementing movements into your classroom! I hope you follow me along my journey by click below:-)