iPad and Web Apps for Education

Hello all! Can you believe my summer is coming to an end? I haven't updated recently, but thought I would share a list of Apps I either use in my classroom or have recently come across. I am so excited to be introducing iPads to my classroom this year after receiving a grant last year! This list is something I complied for an assignment in one of my master's classes through TN Tech, but I thought it would be very appropriate to post here!

Hello all! Can you believe summer has come to an end? I haven't updated recently, but thought I would share a list of apps I either use in my classroom or have recently come across. I am so excited to be introducing iPads to my classroom this year after receiving a grant last year! This list is something I complied for an assignment in one of my master's classes through TN Tech, but I thought it would be very appropriate to post here! I hope you enjoy and find something new you can use.

1. Plickers- iPad App- Free: Plickers is a real time assessment tool. You load your class roster into Plickers and then print each student a QR Code. They can then answer multiple choice questions by holding their QR code card in the air while the teacher scans using the app on a phone or iPad. One of my favorite uses for Plickers is during end of the year test prep. Students and myself receive immediate feedback and it breaks up the monotony of test prep. 
2. Class Dojo- iPad App-Free: Classdojo is a classroom management and communication tool. My school is moving to using Classdojo across all  grade levels this year and I am so excited! Students earn and lose points throughout the day depending on their behavior. Parents can also download the app and see their child’s behavior reports in real time. Classdojo can also be used for communication with parents and to post photos almost like a Facebook for your classroom but with total security. 
3. Do Ink Green Screen- iPad App- $2.99: Do Ink is a green screen app for iPads that allow you to use green screen technology in your classroom. Last year I put up green butcher paper and let my students experiment! It’s great for video projects for students to add relevant backgrounds. 
4. Seesaw- iPad App/Web App- Free: Seesaw is a digital portfolio students create using the various tools on the website. Students can add videos, photos, notes, and more. I like to complete a daily journaling prompt referencing my read aloud on Seesaw. I simply create an activity and students respond. I then approve their responses and they can give each other feedback. 
5. Alice Keeler Slide Shot- Chrome App/Extension- Free: This extension takes a screenshot of the computer screen once every minute. It places the screenshots in a Google Doc. We have used this with our students who like to pretend to be working while actually being on something else. This allows us to monitor their computer usage and call them out when necessary. 
6. Sushi Monster- iPad App- Free: Sushi Monster is a math fact fluency app for elementary students. Students can play through different levels for addition and multiplication. Levels can be played multiple times because the app uses different facts each time the level is played. 
7. iTooch Elementary School App- iPad App- Free: iTooch is a game based app with lessons and games for many Common Core Standards in Math, ELA, and Science in grades 1st-5th. 
8. Timed Test- iPad App- $0.99: This app allows you to create math fact tests for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. 
9. Screencastfy- Google Chrome Extension- Free: This extension allows you to create video recordings of yourself to share with your class. I have used this to record myself reading for students who need extra support. I have also recorded myself explaining the homework they have completed and my students check it individually. 
10. Boomerang- Google Chrome Extension- Free: Boomerang connects to your gmail and allows you to delay sending of emails until a specific time. Boomerang also allows you to request read receipts and set reminders. 
11. Scholastic Reading Timer- iPad App- Free: Scholastic has a reading timer app that tracks a child’s reading minutes. This helps motivates students to read while they watch their minutes increase.

Sweet Summer... and Trainings

The first four weeks of summer have come and gone, and I've moved from the "needing to be refreshed stage" to the "starting to prep for next year" stage. I went to a summer training last week and talk about information overload! Moving to a new subject brings lots of things to learn as well as new acronyms. Don't we all just love them?! 

I also started crafting for next year as well. I have standard rectangular desks with storage underneath. The storage is ALWAYS full of junk. I mean snack wrappers from 7 months back and occasionally a random juice container. I've been trying to find a solution to the problem for my entire teaching career, so I'm trying something new this year. I've been having lots of people save small paper box lids for me and have taped them using duct tape in my school colors. Two of the box lids will fit in one desk creating two "drawers." My homeroom students will use one color and my partner teacher's homeroom students will use the other color. Now each class has their own drawer for the items we need for class. I'm attaching a picture of the taped box lids below and will try to highlight them in another post if they end up being successful! 

Thinking to the Future: Technology Goals for the 2019-2020 School Year

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. One of my favorite things to do at the end of a school year is sit back and reflect on the previous year while looking ahead to the future. Next year I will be changing from teaching ELA and SS to teaching only math. I am very excited for the change but feel this will be a year of challenges for me due to the fact I will be learning all new material while having no math partner teacher at my school. The previous four years, I have been working with a phenomenal partner. We planned together, shared successes and failures, pulled an equal amount of weight and had fun while doing it. 

I have set a couple of technology goals for this school year and feel if I commit them to writing then I will feel more connected to them. 

1. I hope to utilize the program, iReady, that goes along with out district purchased math curriculum. 

2. I hope to find a way to utilize the program Seesaw in my math class. Creating an online portfolio in my reading class fit right in with my curriculum. We completed daily journal quick writes and a writing reflection at the end of each unit. I hope that I will be able to be creative and find ways to create an online portfolio for my math classes. 

3. My third goal for this school year is to utilize my new iPads. I am receiving them through a grant and hope to find innovative ways to use them in my classroom. 

Here's to looking forward to a semester of reflection and a school year of fresh beginnings! 

Are Your Students Ready for THE Test?! Making Test Prep Enjoyable!!

Something that is on the front of every teacher's mind around this time of year is test prep, and goodness those words can throw me into a stressful spiral of emotions after just hearing them. Test prep always seems so BORING, but it doesn't have to be! Stick with me for a few...

I teach ELA and Social Studies, so practically all of my test prep is based on reading passages and answering question that relate to them before some type of writing exercise. In this post, I hope to introduce you to (or remind you of) a couple of online options to help make test prep a little more lively.






My favorite go-to for test prep is Plickers. We first answer the questions to the passage on paper, but then each student receives a QR code that is personalized to them. They then hold up the QR code with the letter they chose facing the ceiling and I scan all of the cards at once. On my whiteboard we see immediate results and students individually receive immediate feedback. The fact that everything is immediate motivates my students to try their best even after days of monotonous prep.

Another favorite to break up paper/ pencil prep is using Google Forms as the answer sheet. When students complete the form, they receive their score which leads them to take ownership of what they are putting down instead of just typing something and being finished quickly.

We also use Quizizz and Kahoot to review grammar skills and the like. 

Safe Start to Flexible Seating that Won't Break the Bank!

I began this year ready and excited to introduce more flexible seating options in my classroom, but I wasn't ready to throw out my desks just yet. I've found a handful of inexpensive options that my students love and want to share them with you.

One of the first items I purchased was a set of lap desks similar to these from Walmart. At the time they were only $5.00 each.

I found outdoor pillows similar to these for half price at Five Below during after summer clearance sales. I paid only $2.50 and they have been a class favorite!

Scoop rockers have also been all the rage in my classroom this year! I wouldn't recommend for older than third grade because some of my larger third graders have applied too much stress to the plastic. Although they will not hold up for more than a couple of years due to my students' weight, I will continue to purchase them because my students love them so much.

My students also enjoy the inflatable balls that allow them to move and bounce while working. The donuts are the favorite in my classroom and the exercise balls come in second place with the kids. If I had it do over, I would not purchase the exercise balls again. They drive me CRAZY!!!
Click here for the link to the donuts.
Click here for the link to the exercise balls.

The items presented here are only a sampling of the items I introduced this year, but offers an easy first step to any teacher who may be considering introducing flexible seating.