Category Archives: Math

App Flows Aren’t Just for iPads Anymore

Posted on by

0

Graphite App Flows (Now called Lesson Flows from Common Sense Media) were something I discovered a couple of years ago. A Lesson Flow is a lesson planning framework that helps you integrate digital tools with pedagogical insight. They helped teachers in my district move away from unstructured “skill and drill” use of the iPad to a purposeful lesson that made students accountable for their time spent on the device. 

Since then, app developers have realized that districts purchase multiple types devices, not just iPads. Many popular productivity iPad apps now have an online alternative. This allows for more flexibility when teachers are planning and checking out iPad, Chromebook, laptop carts or scheduling time in the computer labs. Here is a list of some of my favorite apps that now have a web based counterpart.

G-Suite                              Thinking Blocks         
Thinglink Haiku Deck
SeeSaw Virtual Manipulatives
Book Creator Learnzillion
Google Earth Math Learning Center
Google Maps BrainPop
Canva Educreations
Nearpod Padlet
Edublogs Popplet
Google Classroom Snapguide
Quizlet Animoto
YouTube

In my district, elementary teachers usually have about 3-4 iPads per classroom. That’s all fine and dandy if your lesson is designed to be in a workstation or center. It’s also difficult to manage multiple users logging into different accounts on 1 device. That may be a simple task for secondary, but try that with a kindergartener. Turning your App Flow into a Web/App Flow may be your solution. It’s the same lesson using the same resources, but now you have a choice of which device you would like your students to use. I just finished this one to support 4th grade Equivalent Fractions. Here is the link if you would like to use or modify it to fit your needs: https://goo.gl/t5devp

 

What Will You Create Today?

Posted on by

1

The biggest obstacle teachers face when trying to integrate technology is time. There aren’t very many opportunities during the day to explore new tools, think of ways to use them with the curriculum, or actually sit down to write a comprehensive lesson plan. Plus, the implementation of Standard V just adds to the already existing high levels of stress. Fortunately, higher levels of technology integration promote student choice, which means less planning on the part of the teacher. Over the summer, I worked on some computer lab posters that will help guide students in choosing the right tool for their project, and support teachers in their efforts for easier ways to integrate. I chose the theme of a graphic novel (created using Comic Life) to bring a little adventure into the computer lab. The first poster is attached to the door of the lab and asks, “What will you create today?” This represents the cover of the graphic novel. When they enter, each page of the novel gives them ideas and tools to use to accomplish their task. I encourage all teachers to bring their mobile devices to the lab each week, as adding the component of a camera adds to the diversity of projects students have as options. 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Many teachers may find this amount of freedom somewhat daunting, especially if they are unfamiliar with how to use the software, web tool or app. This provides the perfect opportunity to bring collaboration into your lessons. Allow students to work together to figure out how the tools work, and then let them teach the rest of the class. You can also utilize a QR code tutorial section where students can view videos for quick instructions. I’ve included a link below to the PDF version of the posters. There are some that are very NEISD specific, but hopefully they will inspire you to create more personalized versions for your own students. I’ve also included directions for printing them poster size.

printing poster

Tool of the Month: Board Builder

Posted on by

0

images

The Discovery Education Network has long been a favorite source for interactive content to support classroom instruction. Most teachers are familiar with their vast collection of streaming videos, but they also offer additional services designed to accelerate student achievement. One of the most recent additions is Board Builder, a fun and easy way for students to create digital content for all subject areas. This tool is very similar to other web based poster creators such as Glogster or Smore, but differs in that students can add content directly from the Discovery Education media library. They can also upload content they have created such as audio, images, video and attachments from their computer.

NEISD has purchased a subscription to Discovery Education for all students and teachers. Susan Reeves, Educational Specialist, Digital Age Learning for the Education Service Center, Region 20 in San Antonio, has created 2 videos to help get you started:

DEN Team member Jeanette Edelstein created this list of 50 Ways to Use Board Builder that includes links to actual boards. These are great examples that can help you visualize using this tool. Click here for a complete list of resources to help you navigate through the Discovery Education site.

50 Ways to Use Board Builder by lmoore4

 

Standard V Lesson Examples

Posted on by

1


Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, NEISD teachers will be required to submit 1 student product that was created using technology. This initiative supports the Standard V requirements as outlined by SBEC.

My El Dorado peeps have been very busy planning with me and wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the projects they will be doing with their students. Many of these app/web tools are cross-curricular and can be applied to different TEKS or units of study. Please contact me if you have an idea for a lesson and need a similar task card to use with your students.

  • Kinder Language Arts K.6A identify elements of a story including setting, character and key events: Facetalk Retelling
  • 1st Grade Math 1.3 The student applies mathematical process standards to develop and use strategies for whole number addition and subtraction computations in order to solve problems: Farmyard Math
  • 1st Grade Language Arts 1.9 A Describe the plot (problem and solution) and retell a story’s beginning, middle, and end with attention to the sequence of events:  BME Summaries
  • 2nd Grade Science 2.5D Combine materials that when put together can do things that they cannot do by themselves such as building a tower or a bridge and justify the selection of those materials based on their physical properties: Videolicious Structures Project
  • 2nd Grade Science 2.5B  The student knows that matter has physical properties and those properties determine how it is described, classified, changed, and used. Matter and Energy Digital Story
  • 3rd Grade Reading SE 3.16 Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning.  Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts: Big 6 Research Project-PDF, Big 6 Research Project-Word 2013
  • 3rd Grade Math 3.11B: The student directly compares the attributes of length, area, weight/mass, and capacity, and uses comparative language to solve problems and answer questions. Perimeter Party
  • 4th Grade History 4.3 The student understands the importance of the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas, and the annexation of Texas to the United States: Google Tour Builder
  • 5th Grade Science 5.8 Students will understand that weather represents the short term conditions of the atmosphere by producing a video that explains weather patterns of a specific region over a 3 week period: Videolicious Weather Project

 

 

Digital Vocabulary Activities for Upper Elementary

Posted on by

0

As part of my “Anchor Activities” series, here are a few digital vocabulary ideas that students can complete during SSR time or in Math/Literacy stations. Have students generate a list of vocabulary words they are unfamiliar with (or assign them specific words from your Math or Science word walls) and allow them to choose from the following activities:

I’ve made some examples of each using the word “condensation”

There are a variety of online vocabulary resources for support in defining and explaining concepts:

Flip Your Classroom With LearnZillion

Posted on by

0

What is LearnZillion? (Taken from FAQs)

LearnZillion is a web-based application that helps teachers and parents meet the educational needs of every student. They offer 2000 lessons that were built from the Common Core standards and were created by some of the top public and private school teachers from around the country. Each lesson includes a short video, downloadable lesson guide and resources, and coach’s commentary to help with teacher development. They are also a vibrant and growing community of educators working to improve our teaching practice through collaboration.

There are many ways to use LearnZillion. You can use their resources to help you plan everything from an individual lesson to your entire year. Watch the videos for ideas on how to teach a specific topic. Download the lesson slides and present them as part of your direct instruction or adapt them as part of a new lesson plan. Watch videos as a class or in small-groups. Assign videos directly to students or groups to pre-teach or review material or as a way to differentiate instruction in class.

Creating an account is super simple! Just click on “Teachers” in the upper-right corner of any page where it says “Sign Up,” then enter in your name, email and password. If you have a Google Account you can also sign in using that so that you have one less password to remember. Easy and free!

For more information about using the site and creating class assignments, click here.

Here is an example of a 4th grade lesson on locating benchmark numbers on a number line:

  1. Give your students a quick code to watch this lesson ( see what your students will see! ) and have your students take notes to reinforce the concepts.
  2. Send home this letter introducing parents to LearnZillion and telling them how to support their student’s learning at home.
  3. Download the lesson slides and use them to plan your instruction.
  4. Do a deep dive of a Common Core standard with colleagues using this protocol for discussion.


SAILOn Provides One-Stop Shopping for Interactive Lessons

Posted on by

0

SAILOn is a collaborative effort of 9 different school districts in the Houston area. Their goal is to help classroom teachers integrate technology into the curriculum by identifying and providing interactive Internet resources addressing specific objectives. When you navigate to your particular grade level, you will find a plethora of interactive resources that support all content areas. These resources can be used as a way of introducing a topic or reinforcing skills through workstations in your classroom or lessons in the computer lab.
They don’t have an interactive activity for every single TEK…yet. It looks like something they are continually updating. If you find an activity that you would like to use with your students and need an extra set of hands, please let me know. I can also help you create some task cards and recording sheets for use in a workstation.
I hope you find this as useful as I do:)

Storybird for Collaborative Writing and Technology Workstations

Posted on by

1

Storybird is my new favorite Web 2.0 tool (except for Google Earth, of course) and have found alternative uses for it. This is the website’s great explanation of their concept:

What is Storybird?

Storybird is a service that uses collaborative storytelling to connect kids and families. Two (or more) people create a Storybird in a round robin fashion by writing their own text and inserting pictures. They then have the option of sharing their Storybird privately or publicly on the network. The final product can be printed, watched on screen, played with like a toy, or shared through a worldwide library.

Storybird is also a simple publishing platform for writers and artists that allows them to experiment, publish their stories, and connect with their fans.

How does Storybird work?

It’s simple. Someone starts a Storybird by writing a few words or grabbing a few images. Then the other person takes a turn, adding more words and pictures. In as little as one or two turns they can finish and share a Storybird. It’s that easy. And they can do it sitting side-by-side or across the country from each other.

http://storybird.com/faq/general/#what-is-storybird

I’m always trying to find new and innovative ways to use technology during centers or workstation times. Teachers can create their own digital instructions for activities in all subject areas in a matter of minutes. Giving students the freedom to choose the activity along with the option of how to present their products will enhance the learning experience.

Click here to see an example of a Storybird workstation activity:

Choose one of the following activities to complete in your workstation. You can record your answers in a Neo, Word Document or PowerPoint. on Storybird

Creating a free teacher account is easy. Just follow the steps below:

http://storybird.com/teachers/

StoryBird Instructions created by Sarah Ogden

Storybird Login Cards

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Posted on by

1

 

 

 

 

____________________________________________________________

WORDFOTO- $1.99

 

You’ve probably heard the tired cliche about a picture being worth a thousand words. We’ve taken this phrase quite literally and created WordFoto, an app that turns photos and words into amazing typographic works of art.

Instructional Uses:

  • Animal Research
  • Creative Writing Prompt
  • Describing Characteristics of Landforms
  • Word Families
  • Beginning and Ending Sounds
  • Five Senses
  • Matter

My Favorite PowerPoint Lesson!

Posted on by

0

I LOVE THIS LESSON!  In the new NEISD world of iDevices and Web 2.0 tools, I’m always telling teachers not to forget about the world of PowerPoint.  This isn’t your everyday, boring slideshow.  This is a really cool fun foldable that can be used with any subject matter.  It can be created from scratch or can be saved as a template for younger grades to use.  Here is an example of what a completed project looks like using images from Google Earth:

You can use this template for multiplication facts, animal adaptations, parts of a cycle, scientific process….on and on!  Below you will find a blank template with directions, the Google Earth example you see above, and the landforms template.

LandformFlipbook_Final Product

LandformFlipbook_Template

Question and Answer Filpbook_Blank

 

 

 

 

Using More Than One App at a Time

Posted on by

1

While my husband was watching football on a Saturday afternoon (ugh), I decided to play around with this new app I found.  It’s not free ($4.99), but it’s crazy cool.  Corkulous is a great app for allowing students to explain Math, Science, or any other concepts they are learning in the classroom.  It allows you to upload images, create post-it notes to explain information and works great with other apps such as Doodle Buddy if you want to add personal drawings.  Here is an example I used to explain the water cycle:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The app also allows you to create a template as well as beginning a new project from scratch.  I uploaded some images in dropbox that I knew I wanted to include in this explanation.  When I finished my corkboard, I saved the image in My Photos on the iPad.  Then I opened Doodle Buddy, inserted my corkboard, and drew the arrows to represent the order of each process.  The last step was to save the image again and email it to myself.  It sounds tricky at first, but once you (and your kids) get the hang of it, the sky is the limit!

Remember Graph Club!

Posted on by

0

As I was browsing all the files I have in my Student Lessons folder, I came across a plethera of Graph Club lessons. This program is perfect for technology workstations, a direct teach lesson in the lab, or for attendance and lunch count in the mornings. In case it’s been a while for you, I have attached a great tutorial (courtesy of Salem Instructional Technology Resource Teachers) on how to use this program.

 Graph Club Tutorial