Exciting Times!
Well, I'd have to say that this was a pretty good week (not that I want to jinx anything going into tomorrow :-) I didn't really have any days where I wanted to pull my hair out (like last week...), we made some nice growth with behaviors, and we started using our Chromebooks at a new level, which I have been looking forward to!
This week the students earned their first class reward with their ClassDojo points. Once we got started, I decided to set class goals of every 250 points. As a class, we came up with some rewards that the students would like to earn. I wrote down the ideas (the reasonable ones, that is) on small cards. Once the students met their goal, we picked 2 cards at random, and then the students voted on which one they wanted. For their first reward, the students got to bring in stuffed animals to sit with them throughout the day. We did, of course, need to set some expectations about the stuffed animals so that they wouldn't be too much of a distraction, and I'm happy to say that I didn't need to confiscate any! Along with the class reward, I also have a few students who earned individual rewards, so I will be meeting with them to discuss how they would like to spend their reward. Our class brainstorming brought about ideas like lunch in the classroom, extra computer time, and inside recess (now that it is getting cold...).
So, up until now we have been using our Chromebooks in a few different capacities. During math time, the students work in a program called Dreambox to develop their math skills in a variety of areas. During literacy time, the students can log into a variety of online book sites to listen to and read along with books. We also have a period of time set aside a few days a week for the students to work on typing practice on an online program called Typing Club. Lastly, the students work on developing their programming and coding skills in a game called Kodable. But we haven't really gotten into much creating using the Chromebooks until now, and it came in more than one area. In social studies, my team recently worked on developing a more engaging unit to learn about landforms. We decided to provide the students with blank maps of the United States in Google Slides. After we learn about a certain landform region, the students search for and insert pictures of those landforms onto the maps. The students were really excited to use their Chromebooks in this way! Another use for our Chromebooks that I introduced this week was for publishing short stories. The students have been practicing their typing skills, but they are still in the early stages of development, so we put the speech-to-text feature to use! I would have to say that the students seemed a little blown away when I first showed them this feature :-) This also gave me the opportunity to put my microphones to use. I purchased a set of 10 headphones with the build in microphones over the summer, and I've been itching for the students to put them to use. I've used them for recording directions for the students, and they work really well! If you are looking for a set of reasonably priced microphones, I recommend them. Here is a link for Amazon: https://goo.gl/LvnUdf
Mindfulness thought for the week, in honor of American Education Week:
In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn. --Phil Collins
This week the students earned their first class reward with their ClassDojo points. Once we got started, I decided to set class goals of every 250 points. As a class, we came up with some rewards that the students would like to earn. I wrote down the ideas (the reasonable ones, that is) on small cards. Once the students met their goal, we picked 2 cards at random, and then the students voted on which one they wanted. For their first reward, the students got to bring in stuffed animals to sit with them throughout the day. We did, of course, need to set some expectations about the stuffed animals so that they wouldn't be too much of a distraction, and I'm happy to say that I didn't need to confiscate any! Along with the class reward, I also have a few students who earned individual rewards, so I will be meeting with them to discuss how they would like to spend their reward. Our class brainstorming brought about ideas like lunch in the classroom, extra computer time, and inside recess (now that it is getting cold...).
So, up until now we have been using our Chromebooks in a few different capacities. During math time, the students work in a program called Dreambox to develop their math skills in a variety of areas. During literacy time, the students can log into a variety of online book sites to listen to and read along with books. We also have a period of time set aside a few days a week for the students to work on typing practice on an online program called Typing Club. Lastly, the students work on developing their programming and coding skills in a game called Kodable. But we haven't really gotten into much creating using the Chromebooks until now, and it came in more than one area. In social studies, my team recently worked on developing a more engaging unit to learn about landforms. We decided to provide the students with blank maps of the United States in Google Slides. After we learn about a certain landform region, the students search for and insert pictures of those landforms onto the maps. The students were really excited to use their Chromebooks in this way! Another use for our Chromebooks that I introduced this week was for publishing short stories. The students have been practicing their typing skills, but they are still in the early stages of development, so we put the speech-to-text feature to use! I would have to say that the students seemed a little blown away when I first showed them this feature :-) This also gave me the opportunity to put my microphones to use. I purchased a set of 10 headphones with the build in microphones over the summer, and I've been itching for the students to put them to use. I've used them for recording directions for the students, and they work really well! If you are looking for a set of reasonably priced microphones, I recommend them. Here is a link for Amazon: https://goo.gl/LvnUdf
Mindfulness thought for the week, in honor of American Education Week:
In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn. --Phil Collins
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