Web tools for students, parents, and teachers

I was in a meeting today where the topic of discussion was the turn that education has taken, and is still taking, in regards to technology. Some great resources were discussed and, while these don't always relate to kindergarten per se, I think they are great tools to have with your list of Web resources. I have listed a few below with a short explanation of what they are. Check them out if you get a chance and pass them on. If you have any great resources you would like to share, post a comment.

Khan Academy: The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit educational organization created and sustained by Salman Khan. With the stated mission "of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere", the Academy supplies a free online collection of more than 2,000 videos on mathematics, science, history, and economics.

http://www.khanacademy.org/

ePals: ePals is the leading provider of safe collaborative technology for schools to connect and learn in a protected, project-based learning network. With classrooms in 200 countries and territories, ePals makes it easy to connect learners locally, nationally or internationally.

http://www.epals.com/

School of One: This is a new way to look at teaching and learning. School of One re-imagines the traditional classroom model. Instead of one teacher and 25-30 students in a classroom, each student participates in multiple instructional modalities, including a combination of teacher-led instruction, one-on-one tutoring, independent learning, and work with virtual tutors.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/School-of-One/113172042987?v=wall

Go to Meeting: This site was discussed because a teacher used Go to Meeting as a tool for tutoring students in reading. There are a plethora of ways to use this site.

http://www.gotomeeting.com

QR Codes: A QR Code, also known as a Box Code, is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smart phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. You have probably seen these in magazines, lately. These were places outside our classrooms this week. A parent can download any QR Code app on their smart phones, scan the code, and be instantly taken to our class web site. A great tool for all schools!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code

Counting by 10s with BoxTops

I just happened upon an activity the other day. My class and I were discussing how much each BoxTop for Education is worth (10 cents). As a group, we got out our bag of BoxTops that had been brought in and started counting. About half way into counting it dawned on my that we were doing a 10s activity AND a money activity. So, if you have a big bag of BoxTops, divide them up by tables and have each group count each BoxTop by 10s. Then you can have each table tell you the monetary value of their Boxtops counting by 10s.

This is a fun and easy activity and as a bonus, it keeps the BoxTops a topic of interest for the students. This might help them remember to bring in the valuable little items. Have fun!

I love handwriting!

I love teaching every part of Kindergarten but if I had to choose 2 of my favorite things to teach, I would choose handwriting and reading. Handwriting, at the beginning of the kindergarten year, can be trying but it is always amazing how quickly they develop. We use the Handwriting Without Tears program. I have been teaching this program for about 6 years so I know it like the back of my hand but the one difficult thing about it is the 2 line paper. It is a challenge to teach without a top line but it can be done and it can be done well.

I am currently working on an action research project for part of my professional development this year that will focus on handwriting. I am always looking for great books, articles, blogs, and any examples of different ways to teach handwriting. I am also constantly searching for research on the importance of teaching/learning handwriting and it's effects on other areas of growth. If you come across any resources you think are great, please share them with me. I want to have a great action research project but I also want to become well-versed in handwriting research for my own personal growth. I hope you all enjoy teaching handwriting as much as I do. It is an important skill that will be used long into the future...even if we to type most of what we share these days!

A Great Find for Whiteboards!

We recently purchase some Crayola Dry-Erase Crayons for our classroom and they have been a hit! They work and look just like Crayons you use on paper. They look great on the whiteboard and you can really jazz up your lesson with all the different colors. Clean up takes a little more than a dry-erase marker. I typically use 1 wet wipe to clean up but these take two or three for full clean up. I love these and highly recommend them to any teacher!

Coloring, Cutting, and Counting

We did the cutest activity this afternoon, for Tt week and counting, that seemed very easy but turned out to be a bit of a fine motor challenge. The activity seemed easy enough. Color and cut a sheet of trains, numbered 1-10 and then glue them in order.

I made an example to show the boys (which is shown below) and it even took me a while to color and cut each train. The trains are so small the boys really had to take their time cutting. I had a few who just couldn't manipulate cutting such small angles so I drew a box around the train car with a sharpie and had them cut along the straight line. I don't have a picture of one of those to post because the activity has taken so long, we are going to have to finish in the morning. My students seemed to really enjoy the activity and the trains that are complete are so cute. Since the train is so long, I had to use a roll of sentence strip paper to glue the train cars on. These ended up looking a little like train tracks so it worked out well. Here are some of the finished product. Keep in mind, the top one is my example.

iPod Touch Ideas

We were lucky enough to get a set of iPod Touches for the school. Although, I am an avid iPhone user, I don't have any children at home so I don't know much about educational apps for kids. I am on the hunt for some so, if you use any great apps in your classroom or at home with your own children please send them my way. The boys loved the Touches and I am always amazed at how quickly all this technology has developed. I can't wait to see what all is available when these students are my age!

p.s. Just for the record, it was Hat Day. We don't usually have hats on in the classroom. :-)

Making Connections Bulletin Board

My co-teacher Holly is the bulletin board guru! She is always coming up with new and creative board ideas. One of the thinking routines we learned about at Project Zero was about making connections. So, our bulletin board is all about making connections. I thought it was so cute that I had to share!