Tags for your bags and technology

Tags add a little personal style to your bags and are a great way to mark your technology so no one walks off with it by mistake. I did a Special Education presentation with about five other speakers a few years ago. We all had district computers that looked exactly the same. I watched a presenter finish and pack up  the computer she thought belonged to her. However, it was the wrong laptop and this could have ended up being a real disaster. Our curriculum specialist was going on next and was in charge of about 5 hours of training. We caught the mistake just before she walked out the door to go home. Lesson learned: LABEL YOUR STUFF! We label everything possible in the classroom but sometimes forget to do this for our personal things. Ipads  and cell phones all look alike now and can easily be picked up by the wrong owner. When you turn my iphone on my name shows up immediately , not to mention that my case looks like my blog button! (gift from the proud husband). Technology is the best thing since peanut butter but try not to lose it in a crowd. Here are a set of tags to get you stylin'...

DIY: Tag... You're It!

So the daughters bought me this gorgeous leather, computer bag for the big birthday I had this year and I took the wrapper off two seconds ago to get ready for Vegas. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The design is so well thought out. I also took out the new laptop Dr. Crayons bought for the same birthday and I am wondering if he picked it because it's a dark purple and I love that color! Nah, men don't think that way. Anyhow I decided to make tags for all of this so I can tell it from the rest of the world's technology. This is such a simple thing to do and soon I was making it for my luggage too. These tags take minutes to create and I personalized it with my blog button. Cute huh? I ran it on high gloss photo paper (Costco brand) and punched a hole at the top and attached it with ribbon. Easy-peasey and it took no time to slam it together. You can get creative and use all that great clip art you HAD to have.
So if you're coming to Vegas I'll be the lady with all the labels (just in case I get lost!). I can't wait to meet you!

Emerging From the Heat of Summer Slide

This is now finished and available for you in two places. I like this reader because students can add a few sight words to their text and practice reading action words. They also get additional  practice with words ending in "ing". Beat the heat and add this to the other emergent readers I've created for some summer reading practice. Click on either store to purchase this for 4.00. It even comes with a student pointer to make it more fun. Have a ball reading!

                

                           

Summer Slide- No Way!

This is a new reader I have created for those teachers doing summer school or for you to use in  August when we  return to school. There is a teacher version of this book and a student reader. We need to keep those little ones on top of their game. I hate summer slide. First grade teachers- do not hunt me down cause I'm trying!
 I need to enjoy every, single day of this vacation because I start my new position August 1st. Wow. That is just around the corner so I need to get all my summer projects done and squeeze in some serious fun. I even started Boot Camp with some friends since sitting at a computer has not helped my bottom at all! I better get a grip!

Buy This Book... You Will Not Be Sorry

Does this book look like a good read? If your district is adopting the common core and you are interested in adding in more technology, grab this book. I am enjoying it and marking it up everywhere. Boy do I have a lot to learn but I am so interested and excited to follow those hosting. How did I find this? Dr. Jean hosted a chapter and that was the clincher for me! She is a veteran teacher who lives in the real world of education. Her ideas are always age and grade appropriate. When she addresses kindergarten she is not talking about first grade curriculum. If you have ELL's this book will be very useful. Why do I love it? It addresses developmentally appropriate practices. WOW! That holds my interest immediately. If Dr. Jean is behind this book than I know I should look at it too! She never steers me wrong! Just letting you know... Click here to follow the others hosting this.

Bring your digital frame to your classroom!

Do you have a digital frame at home that you're not using? If so, you might want to bring it into your classroom and make use of it. You can put text on it and just create jpegs for the kids to read sight words or even phases.
I had one sitting on my computer table near the bathroom filled with pictures from a special event and students use to watch it and wet their pants. I am not even kidding! Okay so I decided to offer up this reminder although I am sure many of you have thought of this just cause you are on it! Think of this as another item you can decorate and use at a station! Do you have any other thoughts?

Making a Case for iPad Protection

What kind of cases did your school buy to protect their ipads? Sometimes five year olds can be a bit impulsive(that's an understatement) and an ipad might hit the floor. What kind of case do you recommend? When I go on the internet there are millions of possibilities but I wonder which is the cheapest and best? Some brands do not support the latest and greatest ipad so you have to purchase with care. I will have to ask our tech guy what he purchased for the Transitional Kindergarten kids to use. What case has worked well in your room?
I would never purchase something this expensive without asking classroom teachers who use them all day. Seriously, teachers should be in charge of the world. We get it.
Thanks for all the great comments you have written. I really appreciate you jumping in and joining this study. We need to make thoughtful decisions for our students.

I Am All Over Digital Photography

If you know me you are use to seeing me with a camera. Yup, I am super sentimental and a compulsive photographer. I am also a digital scrapper. There, I finally admitted that.I have found millions of ways to use photography in my classroom. I know most bloggers are on board with this but maybe you use photography in ways I haven't thought of. Chapter two of Teaching in the Digital Age is all about this. 
Here are some of the ways I use photographs in my classroom:
1. First day pictures which are used for labeling cubbies,  making name charts, and  cards for pocket chart work.
2. Often I use photographs to create thinking maps, sorting boys and girls, and worksheets to sustain student interest.
3. I use photographs to create emergent readers and Big Books ( Helpers At Our School and Stores In Our  Community)
4. I use digital pictures to create Power Points of all kinds. Some of these are for building background in both  Science and Social Studies. So I have one on the symbols of our country and use some animation to keep student interest high.
5. Often I make Photo Story 3 Movies so students can retell a special event in our classroom or a field trip wewent on. These can easily be sent to parents.
6.I use Smilebox and create simple little movies for the families I serve.
7. When I train teachers my Power Points are loaded with students doing specific activities and photos of their work. It really clarifies information.
8. Often I will email parents sight word PowerPoints or a simple movie of letters and sounds using my voice.
9. I take songs that the kids love and build a PowerPoint so they have the support of graphics and can see the  text. Often I let the children work the computer while we all sing!
10. PowerPoint presentations can be printed out and made into books by just putting the pages into protective sleeves and  binding.

 11. The cutest thing I EVER did was take a video with my iphone of a child jumping rope successfully for the first time and I sent it to his mom. SHE LOVED ME FOR A LONG TIME.


Now technology is much more available to our students and I am thinking about some new possibilities:
1. I want to use photography more for anchor charts. Take a picture of expected behaviors at your various stations and post them.

2. Kids will have ipad cameras and will be able to use them in the classroom. I need to think about doing this effectively. This is pretty exciting stuff to me. My head is spinning!
3. Maybe I will want to take videos of students working collaboratively and show them to the class so we can have conversations and do some reflection.
4. All kinds of expository text can be created which is a big part of CCSS.


What are some of your ideas? Please join the conversation!
Read this chapter because it is full of great ideas. The author talks about using photography to build background which can be crucial for an English Language Learner. 
By the way, I love to print my pictures out. I don't just store them on my computer.
Just sayin'

Digital Divas: Any Great Apps?

I am just starting this book now and am loving it so much. If you are a primary teacher who wants to incorporate
more technology in your classroom in a developmentally appropriate way, this is a book that might be interesting. I am helping to set up a transitional kindergarten program in my district so this is a big concern for me since we will be getting i pads in the classrooms. Teachers will need to be trained on using these effectively with children and apps needed to be evaluated with care. Any great apps that you love for your students? I need to talk to my friend Cindy from the blog In the Teacher's Lounge so she can help guide my thinking! She looks at apps through a kindergarten teacher's lens. She even found an app for Pete the Cat!
What I'm thinking:
We will need to have specific rules for students to use these so they will survive the year!
Teachers will need to model appropriate use and introduce apps systematically
Kids will work with partners to use these
Teachers will need training since apps are being loaded on these for their use too!
This is new and exciting territory for me. I have an ipad and I love it with all my heart (seriously) so I am ready to build on what I already know.
If you are interested in reading along with others you can click here and follow the links to each teacher hosting a chapter. If you are learning about CCSS this is an important read. Technology will help prepare our students for 21st century learning. If you have any app suggestions bring it on!

No Summer Slide On My Watch

How long has it been since I offered a "freebie"? Okay do not respond to that because I have not been on top of my game for the last few weeks. So Day#1 of summer vacation I am offering up this little number. I hate when kids lose ground over the summer and the first grade teachers come looking for me! Just trying to preserve my reputation here! Sitting in front of a TV, playing video games, and just hanging out do not build academic capacity. I hope most kids have the opportunity to be in summer programs offered by their school district or teachers really suffer at the beginning of the school year. My first grade team is pretty awesome but summer slide stinks! So in their honor I am offering this little activity here. If you like it, follow me for more summer activities.I am off to Boot Camp! Oh yeah, if you love Kindergartencrayons you can vote today and I am sending you a big hug. Check the post below!