Thursday, April 30, 2015

Day 8 Hat Day

Hat Day

It was hat day in our class, but the school was also recognizing the military child by having a purple up day. That is when we all wear purple. Our school's colors are purple, silver and black. That is why when we celebrate sometimes we have days that we all wear purple. 
SO
We made purple hats!


We used this tutorial. Following instructions is a skill we all need, so even though we were purpling up and making hats for hat day, we were also practicing paying attention and following directions.


Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Day 7 Game Day!

Game Day


It is not just fun and games! We also practiced our manners by playing with small groups nicely and not talking while others are talking. We learned to read instructions and follow them and we learned/practiced cleaning up one activity before moving on to another activity. these are all important skills for a second grader and for people their entire lives.




















Monday, April 27, 2015

Day 5 Engineering Day

Engineering Day

                                                                  AKA Build it Day!

     First we made some Marshmallow Shooters. We used this video. Quirky Momma's Marshmallow Shooters. As with many other endeavors we learned a lesson or two. If you do these follow the video exactly. You can not use a larger cup unless the balloons you use are big.











     Then we tried our hands at The Marble Run again (we tried it earlier in the year). The students did a much better job building and were much more imaginative. The only materials we used were recyclables and tape. The following link contains the instructions we used.



The entire second grade participated in an Egg Drop. 



 We made Paper Helicopters.






We also made Catapults. We were moving to fast for pictures though.

While eating lunch in the classroom we were entertained by Physics Girl. Below is a playlist that kept most of my students engaged even though some of the vocabulary was for an older child. Her presentation is very interesting and understandable.

My Favorite Physics Girl Videos

We also enjoy The Crazy Russian Hacker



This was a great day!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Day 3 Crazy Hair!

Crazy Hair








Tomorrow is Dance Day! Share and teach a dance to the class!
Stay tuned! We might have a good video!

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Day 2 of The ABC Countdown to the Last Day!

Day two- Buddy Day! 

Today was day two of the ABC Countdown, the students who participated dressed like buddies! I was very proud of those groups! Everyone who wanted to participate participated.





Tomorrow is C for Crazy Hair Day! We will be sporting our craziest hairstyles!
Stay Tuned!

Monday, April 20, 2015

ABC Countdown to the Last Day!

This is so not about technology, or really teaching ideas. It is all about having a little fun at the end of the school year.

At the end of last year, we were hit with so many assessments, kids and adults alike were thrilled the school year was over. It broke my heart that I was not able to say goodbye properly to my students. The last month felt like the downhill side of a roller coaster. 

This year I am taking some precautions. Last year I heard of another teacher in my school doing and ABC countdown to the end of the year and loved the idea! I thought to myself, ..next year! Well it almost slipped by until I saw that another teacher friend of mine was planning one and allowed me to steal a copy. It was wonderful, except there were a couple of things that did not apply to my class. For instance, a field trip. 

So, like any modern day teacher, I got on Pinterest. I found three that I liked and printed them off and then picked and chose my favorites. My hopes are that this will help us all be certain to enjoy at least a few moments those last few days of assessments. 
This is my final copy of our countdown:



This was A day!







Dressing up always makes someone feel special and it is an easy thing to add to a day!
Tomorrow is Buddy Day! I can hardly wait to see what the kids come up with!


Tuesday, April 14, 2015

300 FaceBook Likes!

     I know this is very selfish. But In the past year I truly never thought I would see this day! It has been very exciting! Thank you to all of you who have made this growth happen! I am speechless, but could not wait until Wordless Wednesday! I have put my very favorite game up for a freebie for 24 hours that started this morning at 7ish. But, since I am feeling so happy, let's start the time all over again now!

End-of-the-2nd-Year-Beginning-of-3rd-Year-Math-Review-Smart-Board








     It is my favorite because it covers everything we have done in second grade. I put a lot of work into 61 slides of fun. I want to have relevant activities that students participate in and I designed these slides to be exactly what a second grader needs. They are also, in my pinion very pretty and the colors are engaging.There are only two slides that do not have some type of interaction for the students. There are matching activities with spinning and disappearing items. There are also buttons to push and objects to sort. My students love it! Right now it is free, give it a try! Please leave some feedback and let me know what you think!












Thursday, April 2, 2015

Technology: Good or Bad

     In our time, whenever anything changes we all look at the down falls. It was done with many changes through the years, through the decades. Outside of the educational world it happened to The Beatles and it happened to Elvis. It happened to TV when it took over for radio.There were flocks of people that did not want to hear change.The way we are doing things is the best way and all change is bad. Teachers already have so much to do, learning clever ways to use technology is overwhelming. Technology is bad.

     Technology is the reason we can share and use each others ideas so easily. It is the technological era and we can type this stuff up and share it in the matter of a seconds. We are able to type a few words into a search and find out what other teachers are doing. We can write blogs, follow blogs, follow people on Facebook and enjoy pinning on Pinterest. We Twitter and Instagram. When it comes to sharing information among adults, teachers embrace technology. Technology is good.

        We still have teachers that do not see that everyone can benefit from technology in education. To a point, I can understand. Looking for ways to use technology to these teachers is like swimming in the ocean without a life jacket. There is so much, yet so little. Their administrators want them to use technology and they feel the pressure to use it, yet so much is thrown at them at one time, it feels like there is nothing they can use. They feel uncomfortable with technology and using it always seems foreign. Even if technology seems clever to teachers that are reluctant to use it, they feel like it is a waste of the students time. They feel there are more relevant things a student should be doing with their day. There just is no time to learn about all of the new things that are out their for teachers and students to do. There is no time to introduce these things to students. There are just too many things teachers and students already have to do.Technology is bad.

     There are so many things to learn and share with our students. Students can learn to read, do math, and use writing to explain their thinking in a variety of disciplines. They can even learn to code. Students can research and share their findings with photography, videos, blogs and a multitude of websites that offer many different ways for them to share their thinking and show their creativity. They can use games to build their learning and acknowledge and recognize their own growth by advancing levels. Technology is good.

     We see some people living the change by way of obsession. They seem to never go outside or do anything that does not involve technology. Although we can never know what other people are doing 24 hours a day, we decide that they do for 24 hours what we witness for 15 or 20 minutes. Thus, technology is bad. Someone is interested in hiking, technology is bad.Some are interested in cooking, technology is bad. Some are interested in reading, or biking, or walking and technology is bad. This discourages our technological growth in the educational profession.Technology is bad.

     Teachers can read the thoughts and ideas of other teachers who have explored other websites and apps and use their experiences to choose websites and apps that meet their needs. Teachers can adjust the learning experiences on these websites and apps to be certain student practice what they need. Not only can they provide practice and opportunities of exploration, they can also apply strategies for intervention.. Gathering data and progress monitoring the students that need intervention and providing easy to read charts, graphs and grade books. Having a wealth of reference materials and information to provide to administration and parents at the stroke of a fingertip. Technology is good.

     Growing pains are painful. Admitting change happens and will always happen is hard. Learn about the change anyway. Maybe, just maybe, we can find something admirable about the change. You can not find the good if you do not know what is happening. Do not limit yourself to the opinions of others. Find out for yourself if there is anything that can benefit you and your students in technology. Find out for yourself how you feel about the changes. Sometimes it seems easier to adopt the ideas and feelings of others. Chances are you are learning many new things anyway, technology is just one of them. In the end, it will save you time.Technology is here to stay. Not anywhere in history, has any society ever developed something new and then decided to abandon that growth and go backward.

     Do not be discouraged by the change, embrace the change. Grow with the change. Become one with the change.