Tech or Treat Stations Today

The ITS from our other elementary campus and I set up a Tech-or-Treat session today. 

We decided to set up in a location with high traffic . . .  the workroom!

I raided our school library so that each station would have a literature tie to the technology we were highlighting. At each station there was a framed instruction sheet. 

That is what you will see in the next few pictures. 

Love these graphic organizers. You can type right on them and then save or print!

Click here to go to the interactive graphic organizers. (Does not work in Firefox!)

A 5th grade science teacher loved these! 

 If you haven't played with the app colAR, you must! It is soooo much fun! The kids love this! I posted about International Dot Day back in September. Now they have pumpkins. Great for Halloween or Thanksgiving!

Writing Fix is one of my favorite sites! They have great lessons! This lesson uses the book Halloween Hoots and Howls, which we didn't have, but we had Skeleton Bones & Goblin Groans. In this lesson, students create their own poem. If they get stuck on word choice, the site offers an interactive word choice section to inspire the writer.

Rough draft sheet for poem.

Take the poem to the next level . . . have students record their poem using Croak.it!

 Love Croak.it! You can either use the website or download the app. This site only allows a 30 second recording. Once recorded, it gives you a URL or you can embed it. If you go with the the URL, have students create a QR code to post for sharing.

We printed in the smaller version so students could illustrate their poem. 

We found several bat webquests to share. Gotta love Stellaluna and Bats at the Library.

There are some really fun sets of graphics related to Halloween, pumpkin, monsters and bats in Storybird. This is such a great site for students to create collaborative stories. 

So, today was a real treat for me getting to share all these fun resources!

Tech - or - Treat Wednesday!

Tomorrow, I'm hosting some fun Halloween mentor text and technology integration stations for the teachers at my school!

I created an Animoto 30 second free video to lure the teachers to visit me in the workroom for some fun  and creepy stations. Click on the picture to view some of the stations.
Love the 30 second free Animoto! I'll be posting these stations in the next few days!

Five for Friday

Linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for a week of 5 pics!

Our school has a live news program called WNL. Green screen, sound board, and teleprompter (tv). 

As the new Instructional Technology Specialist, my job was to take over our news each morning. I had NO idea what to do! Thank goodness for my daughter! For the past 2 years she has been part of the news team. She has learned every aspect of the broadcasting! I literally mean, the whole thing. All I do is pull up the script and she takes it from there! One proud mama!

These are the days when I love my job! One of our teachers is part of the Global Read Aloud! The last few days we have worked on preparing for her Skype session with a class from Wisconsin and North Carolina. I got to be part of the Wisconsin discussion. Each class got to know each other through questioning. Our Texas kids ... let's just say ...  questions revolved around snow! Too funny!

We have some fabulous art teachers! Love these!

One of our second grade teachers created an Edmodo account for her advanced readers. Loved seeing them log in, answer a poll question and post their favorite type of book. Can't wait to see what is next!

Last pic...our decked out house! Hard to see, but there are big spiders on the columns of our front porch. Our gate has webs and glow-in-the dark spiders. My daughter seems to think we need more... uh, no.

Currently October

Heading to school this morning, it was dark and foggy! My daughter was all decked out in her Halloween t-shirt, candy corn glow in the dark necklace and batty socks!

A perfect start to October 1st!

A perfect end to Oct 1st with a Currently post!

I'm loving my new position as Instructional Technology Specialist. It has definitely been a learning curve with the "technical" aspect of the job, but the collaboration with the other ITS ... the best.

Thinking: I can't wait to meet all the Teachers of the Year from each of the state's 20 educational service centers this Thursday! Thursday, I head to Austin for a dinner reception and Friday is the awards ceremony.

Wanting: An arc binding system! I was in a professional development session and looked over at a teacher's binder...super cute cover and funky binding! I had to inquire. She flipped through her binder and explained the arc system. She said that she had purchased the binder machine from Staples. Then, she laminates and selects the papers she wants to arc bind.
Love it! My next fun project.

Needing: To get back on the treadmill.

Treat: Have you seen . . .

Get your class or a group of students to collaboratively 

write a book. 

Free!

Head over to Farley's blog to join the Currently craze!

Five for Friday

I can't decide if this was a long week or short week. I guess if I'm debating...it must have been long.
All I know...it's time for 5 for Friday!

Do you remember this game? This is how I felt today. I would take care of one issue and then up popped another, took care of that one and then up popped another...and so on...
I actually kinda like this game...as long as I don't play it every day!

Had to try the blueberry Dunkin' Donuts coffee! It didn't fail me!

Saw these in our art teacher's class today! Who knew?!!!

I'm not sure how I'm going to use these yet...

Just finished making these. Going to post these down our main hallway for the teachers. I created a responding template that allows teachers to add their own questions related to the pictures.

What do you notice? What can you infer from the picture? List 5 adjectives. Describe the setting.

Tonight, my daughter cooked the tortillas for our yummy fajitas!

Happy Friday!

Five for Friday

Now that I'm not in a classroom, I'm finding it hard to find my Five for Friday pics.

Maybe, I need to look at my new position through a new lens (pun intended hee-hee) for pictures during my week.

Pic #1: This week, I was completely surprised by my principal and a very nice gentleman from Blue Bell ice cream! The Blue Bell company recognized me for being our regional Texas Teacher of the Year.

All of our students were treated to an ice cream sandwich and I took home 4 GALLONS of my favorite ice cream! Then, I was told 2 local news stations were waiting for me outside to do a live interview plus a taped interview! It did NOT help that it was humid as all get out! Bring on the sweat! Nerves and atmospheric pressure! Let's just say...I would not have been a good spokes person for my deodorant company at that moment!

Super cute activity by one of our second grade teachers! 

Ok, I really like the precious clip holding the student work!

My daughter's Halloween costume came in today. 

Several of her friends are going as the whole Sesame Street, a bit more hip lookin' crew!

Had to purchase Cotillion gloves for my daughter. All the 5th grade girls AND boys are starting Cotillion on Monday! Whole new world!

Have you seen this guy?!!!! I know....soooooo "Only a mama could love" little guy!
He is the Blobfish ... voted the ugliest animal alive! This is a writing prompt waiting to happen! Tech integration somehow. I will figure it out!

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/blobfish-ugliest-animal-alive-humans-vote-8C11138120

Happy Friday!

Constitution Day...Week...All Year!

Constitution Day

Here in Texas...
Texas law (Tex. Education Code §29.907 & §Tex. Admin. Code 74.33) requires Texas public schools to acknowledge Celebrate Freedom week (week of September 17th) and conduct appropriate instruction concerning the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the abolitionist movement and women’s suffrage.

So, my fellow Instructional Technology Specialist and I put together some resources for this patriotic day!

Love this book!
Usually, this is the first book I read to my class. We discuss the meaning behind the constitution and create our class norms.

Who doesn't love School House Rock?!!!

Plus, we created a fun activity.

Constitution Day QR Code scavenger hunt down our main hallway for all to explore!

Just 5 little questions to find out your hidden identity!

http://constitutioncenter.org/foundersquiz/

What are your results? Post in comments!

Challenge another class to a 25 question quiz about the Constitution!

Easy to set up!

http://www.constitutionchallenge.com

Happy Constitution Day!