ClassDojo

ClassDojo is amazing! ClassDojo is a behavior management tool for the classroom. Each student has a profile- complete with their own avatar-to which teachers can assign positive and negative points throughout the day. Its mission is to reinvent classrooms by bringing teachers, students, and parents closer together. The main thing I like about using ClassDojo in the classroom is parents and students have access to it as well as teachers. Students are able to earn points and receive instant encouragement from their teacher. Also, parents can receive instant messages, videos, announcements, etc. from the teacher to keep track of their children in the classroom. For some teachers, classroom management is one of the biggest challenges they face and they are always searching for something that will work. Well, at least that is what my practicum teachers have told me during my practicum experience thus far. Although I haven't had a practicum teacher to use Class Dojo in their classroom, I have heard a lot of other teachers talking about it and implementing it into their classroom.

Flipping the Classroom

If we think back to elementary, junior high and maybe high school, most of us were probably taught in a traditional classroom. We all should be familiar with a traditional classroom, where you basically listen to lectures and other guided instructions in class and take notes, but what about a flipped classroom? A flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typically lecture and homework elements of a coursework are reversed. Let’s break it down… in a flipped classroom the lectures are viewed by students at home by their teacher before the class section. So, basically the content is being delivered at home, while in class time is used for discussions, activities, and any questions that the students don’t understand after viewing the lesson. 

 I know that you’re thinking that this sounds great, but what if students don’t have access to a computer at home or what if they have access to a computer, but don’t have access to the internet? For the students who don’t have access to a computer at home, teachers can load the videos onto a flash drive or students can go over to a friend house. Most schools have Wi-Fi! Therefore, the students can bring their own devices to school (Mac/iPad) and download the videos from iTunes U App to watch later at home. NO CONNECTION NECESSARY! The students who don’t have access to the internet at home, teachers can burn the videos onto a rewriteable DVD (discs that can be rewritten, but they must be erased each time you want to record new data. In addition to the flipped classroom, I like the fact that Tracy came up with something called the Faux Flipped Classroom. With a faux flipped classroom, students can watch the assign videos in class. This is typically for students who don’t have access to a computer or internet at home. The video below is a great example of a faux flipped classroom.

Apps to flip your classroom:
Educreations (This app is my absolute favorite)
Screenchomp
Doceri
Nearpod
Edmodo
ShowMe
Explain Everything

Able AAC free

Able AAC Free is a free evaluation app to help evaluate two other paid apps called Able AAC and My Daily Tasks Able AAC. This app is designed specifically for individuals who have difficulty speaking or are nonverbal. There are categories listed on the right side of the app, such as, Simple Interface, Advanced Interface, Type & Speak, My Stored Sentences, My Tasks, My Audios, and My Videos.  There are subcategories listed under each one that you can access.  It can tell you the days and months, about animals, emotions, and math just to name a few.  It is set up where you can teach and learn on different levels. This app has different languages and multiple voice engines that can be used also. Once a child has completed a certain level they can move on up to more advanced levels. This is an awesome app and I would definitely use it in my classroom. This app appeals to different cultures and makes it one of the best apps out there. Also built into the application is a configurable home/school daily schedule check able task list, reminder list, reward/motivational system, video and audio learning system

ABA Flash Cards and Games – Emotions

In my review of this particular app, I liked it. It is fairly easy to use and it allows you to change the settings that can be customized for each student.  This app also gives you the option of creating your own cards, which again is good, because you can tailor it for each individual student. It is a simple app that is good for learning emotions and how to connect those emotions with body language and facial expressions. I would definitely use this app with my students especially with the ones who may have difficulty displaying or understanding emotions.

Model Me Going Places

This app was probably one of my favorites because it is designed to help children with autism and development issues. However, it is friendly enough to be used for students on the other end of the spectrum that may not have those issues. It teaches kids how to develop good social skills in six different locations and also how to model good behavior while visiting those places.  In my opinion, the only drawback is not being able to customize the social scenarios to cater to each child and the places they may go. However, the six that were chosen were ones that the majority of children can relate to. So, I would say yes to this app as well. I would use it with my students because it’s them a good model on how to behave in social settings.

Model Me Faces and Emotions

This is an awesome app as well because it helps children with autism and other special needs to understand emotions. There was a time when we were not as well informed about autism and how to teach autistic children or even knew what the meaning of autism. Therefore, to see great apps like this being made to help special needs children is a great thing.  This app is instrumental in helping students learn about different emotions, such as, happy, sad, calm, and proud. The music and pictures add wonderful elements because it can cause the children to be more engaged.  There are different slides that tell about each emotion. You can choose the emotion that you want to hear and see about. These tools are also available on DVDs. This is a great app to use in the classroom to help students that may not be as advanced as others.

My Visual Schedule Lite

This app was created for children with special needs as it relations to audible and visual support. It allows you to create schedules to increase a child’s independence. There are sections that allow you to add lunch and activities and to check those things off the list once completed.  It also allows a user to create multiple schedules for children for different days of the week. This is also a good app that I would use to help students who may struggle in this area.

Great Articles to Read!!!

I really enjoyed reading the article below. In this article, the third grade teachers at Charles R. Drew Charter School wanted to see if their students could figure out a problem within their community that they could solve using heat, since it was a huge snowstorm in Atlanta, GA last year. The teachers collaborated in planning each Project-Based Learning unit to come up with one driving question across the grade level, and I think the students worked extremely hard to come up with an answer. Some of the students decided to create a safety kit that would help people stranded in the snowstorm. I was very impressed!

When I read this article, I immediately begin to think back to the snowstorm that we had last year in Jacksonville. I have never seen anything like it. It was crazy! Although I was safe in my dorm, my heart went out to the people who couldn’t make it home to their families. I feel like most people (including myself) never really think about how important it is to be prepared for the smallest things in life. 

http://www.edutopia.org/practice/steam-project-based-learning-real-solutions-driving-questions

The article below provided very good information about different apps to support diverse learners in the classroom. Not only are the apps beneficial towards diverse learners in the classroom, but they are beneficial towards teachers and parents. I firmly believe that all of these apps are beneficial to me in some kind of way, and they can be beneficial to you. Although all of the apps are great, EpicWin and Duolingo stood out to me the most.

EpicWin-When I first read about this app, I immediately related it to school. When I have a lot of assignments that I need to complete, I will write me a list. Every time I finish an assignment that I included on the list, I will mark it out. It is such a great feeling to mark out assignments that I have completed. It makes me feel like that I am making progress. This app is amazing!

Duolingo- this app is the best new way to learn a language. I actually just downloaded this app because I have always wanted to learn a new language. The app is free and very easy to use!

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/apps-support-diverse-learners-classroom-chester-goad

The article below have provided amazing 14 virtual tools for math to use in the classroom. Growing up, math was my least favorite subject. I am not sure if it was the teacher or I, but I didn’t understand math nor did I like math until fourth grade. My fourth grade teacher made math fun, and most importantly, she made it understandable for me. I wish these amazing apps that are in the article below were available when I was in elementary school. Children in today’s society don’t understand how lucky they areJ. Every assignment that I did in math required only pencil and paper. Now, students can do math on their tablets and iPad's, such as using a protractor, geoboard, ruler, etc.  Also, students have a variety of apps to help them practice on whatever math concept they are learning in class. It amazes me of how things have changed!

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/11-virtual-tools-math-classroom-monica-burns

Wow! The article below gave me a lot of important information that I need to consider when I get my future classroom. This article talks about managing a technologically equipped classroom. There are two things that stood out to me in this article. The first thing is always having a plan b when it comes to integrating technology into a lesson. My instructors always tell my teacher candidate friends and me to make sure we have a plan b ready to go. Using technology in the classroom, I never know what may happen at the last minute. Therefore, I always have something as back up to keep the lesson on task at all times. The second thing is always using technology in the classroom as a purpose (meaning do not give iPad’s to students just to keep them quiet or just for fun).

This article was very interesting!  I love reading articles like this! 

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-management-tech-equipped-classroom-andrew-marcinek 

Digital Portfolio

Wow! I am very impressed about what I have researched about digital portfolio. Digital portfolio is a computer-based collection of student performance in the classroom over time. Students can share their learning with the world. During my research about digital portfolio, it reminded me of something SIMILAR to what the College of Education Program at JSU requires of the teacher candidates at the end of each semester.  We have a portfolio through LiveText. At the end of the semester, we are required to answer a few questions that are given to us that demonstrate progress over time and build a complete record of our learning (student reflections).

 I have found so many interesting things about digital portfolio. I know I will use it in my future classroom! My 21^st century teacher, Mrs. Weathers, have provided resources to help my teacher candidate friends and I better understand what digital portfolio is and how we can incorporate it into our own classroom. My favorite resource is http://web.seesaw.me/. Seesaw empowers students of any age to independently document what they are learning at school. I have created an account with Seesaw for the futureJ.

There are four interesting facts that stood out to me about digital portfolio using Seesaw:

• Digital portfolio is way to store student’s efforts. For example, students use online tools to store images, videos, class work, links, and PDFs that can show both their physical and electronic work.
•   Digital portfolio is accessible to parents. The parents can ONLY see their child’s work in the classroom.
•   Digital portfolio is organized and available to teachers from any device, such as iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac, and PC. I believe teachers love it just as much as students because it allows them to transition away from transitional paper.  
• Student work must be approved by the teacher.

Below I have provided four links to resources about digital portfolio (don't forget http://web.seesaw.me/  is a resource, too):

• http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/03/5-good-options-for-creating-digital.html#.Vs-uIfkrLIU
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlw-tUKvnNc
• http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-portfolios-art-of-reflection-beth-holland
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-vander-ark/every-student-should-have_b_7649914.html

Whole Brain Teaching and Nearpod in the Classroom

This is my second semester in the College of Education at Jacksonville State University. So far this semester is going great. Of course, I am busy, busy, and more busy because this semester, which is Literacy Block, requires a lot more work than ECE Block. However, that is apart of becoming a successful teacher...right? All teachers have to put in that extra work to make sure that their students are receiving the best education possible; therefore, I consider it as something worth it. Although I have all new teachers in Literacy Block, I still have Mrs. Weathers on Thursday nights for EED 409. I am so excited to have her again and I will tell you why.

 At the beginning of the semester, she gave my teacher candidates friends and I a list of topics to research information about instruction in the classroom.  Once we did our research, we had to create a presentation and present that information to the class. Tonight, two of the teacher candidates did their presentation and they both did an awesome job. They shared a lot of information with us about  Whole Brain Teaching and Nearpod. After receiving interesting information about the two, I can assure you that I will be using both in my lessons and in my future classroom.

 Randolph James presented Whole Brain Teaching (WBT). Whole Brain Teaching is a consistent and predictable way to both manage and instruct students in the classroom. It relies on high motivation and engagement among teacher and students. According to Randolph, Whole Brain Teaching is a powerful tool for classroom management that can be used for Grade School to higher education. My teacher from last semester, Dr. Thornburg, explained to us that classroom management starts the very first day that the students enter  the classroom. A teacher cannot start classroom management in the middle of the school year and expect for the students to behave. IT SHOULD ALWAYS START THE VERY FIRST DAY! Below I have shared a video with you about what Whole Brain Teaching looks like in a classroom.

I believe that the goal of Whole Brain Teaching is to create a peaceful and engaging classroom.

JaQuetta Thomas (JT) presented Nearpod. Nearpod is a interactive presentation tool for teachers to engage students with interactive lessons and assessments in the classroom. The interested part about Nearpod is that the students can have access to their own device, and only the teacher has controlled of what the students do next, meaning that it is up to the teacher to move the class through the presentation and let them interact with the media as they go (which is a good  because it can prevent students from moving ahead and not paying attention to what the teacher is saying in class).  According to JT, it is accessible to different devices and it's such a powerful application because it does many different things, such as question/ answer polling, surveys, videos, and drawings. Nearpod is very effective in the classroom. Make sure you do more research about it. I hope that you find it beneficial to use in the classroom like I did. :) Below I have shared a video with you about what Nearpod looks like in a classroom.

iPads for Teaching and Learning

May this day and forever be filled with love, peace, joy, and happiness for you and your family!

I am so behind on updating my blog due to school. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY and more BUSY! However,  I know that it will be all worth it in the end because I have the best instructors in the world. I am a firm believer that they are preparing my classmates and I for our future students in the classroom. I have a little free time today while my family is preparing Thanksgiving dinner. I should be preparing, too, but for some reason no one likes my cooking. Please, don't ask me why because I think my cooking is the absolute best! BUT anyway :-), I have decided to update and give my readers information about some of the things that has been going on in my classes. This semester is almost over! Wow, I can't believe it! I think this has been the most challenging semesters thus far. A lot has happened, but I would't change it for nothing in the world because it has made me stronger! I will always remember that God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.

There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for....ALWAYS!!! Find the time to stop and think of the people who makes a difference in your life and thank them! I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your family, relax, smile, and eat until your stuffed like a turkey (I know that I am)!!!! :-)

Osmo for the iPads

Osmo is the new innovative interactive game system for the iPads. I have never heard of Osmo until my 21st teacher, Mrs. Weathers, introduce it to my classmates and I. If I say so myself, "Osmo is fantastic!" I fell in love with it. Osmo is not only a great educational tool to use at home, but it is also great to use in the classrooms. The students would absolutely love it!!! Osmo comes with a reflective mirror for the iPad camera;white board stand; two sets of game pieces (2 complete alphabet tile sets and 7 wood tangram shapes) and instructions for downloading 4 free apps from the Apple Store. Also there are so many games and activities that you can download from your iPad for FREE. Yes, I mentioned FREE (something that we all love.....RIGHT?

 It is fun and interesting to see how the Osmo interacts with the world!

My favorite part of Osmo is the drawing. I'll be honest with you, drawing is not one of my talents like it is my sisters. She is an expert at drawing! I always need a little help. So, for the people who's not an expert at drawing (like myself), Osmo can help you with drawing the "perfect picture." Once you are finished with your picture, it allows you to share it with others.

We all had the privilege to play with Osmo. My friend, Katelyn Sparks, was very shocked about her picture. I was so tickled!

Great Sponge Activity to do in the Classroom

I enjoy Dr. Thornburg effective teaching class. She is the sweetest! I only attend her class once a week, but I wish it was twice a week because I learn so much from her. She's interesting, fun, funny, and caring.  I wish that she taught some of my classes in the future. One of the last topics that we discussed in her classroom was sponge activities (brain breaks). Everyone in the class had to come up with a sponge activity and share it with the class. Before I share my sponge activity with you, (some of you may call them brain breaks) let me tell you what it is. A sponge activity is something that teachers give students to work on as they are entering the classroom or to keep the students busy while the teacher takes care of necessary business. Now, I'll share my sponge activity! :)

The teacher will have popsicle sticks placed in a container of each student name in the classroom. The teacher or leader of the day will pass the container around to each student and let them pull out a popsicle stick from the container. Each student should have someone else’s name. Once all students have received a popsicle stick with one of their friends name on it, each student will have to share something nice about that student with the rest of the class. This is a great way to build confidence in the classroom. Dr. Thornburg also added that it is a great activity to do on the first day of school so the students can get to know one another.

I am so thankful to be in Mrs. Weathers 21st Century class. I learn so much in her classroom that I know that I will take into consideration when I get my own classroom. Today, we talked about using iPads in the classroom and how it is great for an autistic children and typical children. It is great for them to create sentences or even using a series of images. One of the benefits that we talked about in class was a child can enjoy independent learning and leisure time.

We also talked about the app Social Stories being used in the classroom. According to Mrs. Weathers, social stories describes a situation, skill, or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses in a specifically defined style and format. The goal of Social Story is to share accurate social information in a patient and reassuring  manner that is easily understood by its audience.

When should teachers use Social Stories?
- When a student is on the autism spectrum or has ADD/ADHD
- When a student fails to complete work, homework, expectations, etc.
-When a student lacks social skills

Here are a more apps to use in the classroom to make stories:
Little Bird Tales
Kid in Story
My Story

Here is an example of a Social Story!

STEM: It's Elementary

This is actually one of my favorite articles so far. It is about having STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) in your classroom. As stated in the article, by giving our kids the tools they need to succeed in STEM, we are giving them a huge leg up as they enter the job market. I think that stood out to me the most in the article because getting students prepared early is very important and will help them in the future. Meanwhile, I like how Dr. Green helped us boil down the four essential tasks that teachers can do in order to lead their students to STEM education, which is change your lens, enlist a villiage of STEM educators, integrate STEM across he curriculum, and give kids more than just access to technology.

http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/04/03/stem-it's-elementary

The Use and Abuse of Technology in the Classroom

Technology is a great tool. However, I do believe that it is very important how teachers use it in their classrooms. Some teachers give their students iPads, iPod touch, or a computer just to keep them quiet while they work with small groups or respond back to emails all day, which is very unacceptable to me. I think technology is the best tool that is out there in the classroom that help students learn and share their knowledge with their teacher and classmates. As previous stated in the article, technology should not just allow us to do things in a more engaging way; it should allow us to do new things that we thought were not possible. This is an amazing article that all future teachers and current teachers should read.

http://kathycassidy.com/2013/01/05/the-use-and-abuse-of-technology-in-the-classroom/

I had never heard of Prezi in my entire life until my sweet and loving teacher, Mrs.Weathers, introduced it to my classmates and I. I absolutely love it!  I am so excited to know that there is something else out there when putting together presentations. I have been using Microsoft PowerPoint for YEARS, so I was more than excited to do my "All About Me" presentation in Prezi for the very first time. Oh, yeah! Did I mention it was user friendly? Yep, that's it...USER FRIENDLY!!! I promise you'll want to check it out once you see mines!!! :)

Today was such a awesome day in Introduction to Childhood Education. We talked about the roles of a teacher, which every teacher has many roles. Today, a few of my classmates and I were not only teachers, but we were a coach, mentor, counselor, and friend. We are all fully prepared to take the necessary steps to make each student dream become their reality. As for me personally, in my future classroom, I would like to have a wall full of positive affirmations. I believe it is important to vision, speak, and see ourselves the way we want our now and futures to be. There can be a lot of negative influences around us each and every day. I would like for my class to always feel like my room gives them encouragement and hope. An example of a positive affirmation is, I AM STRONG. I would like my students to know they are strong and can make it regardless of any obstacles that come their way.