Jollyville Applauds Technology

Third Grade Students Publish their Research

2012-01-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

Every time I've stopped by Ms. Waage's third grade classroom over the past few weeks, I've seen her students hard at work on their netbook computers. Today, I finally got to see the fruit of their labors. Students checked out books from the school library to research a topic of their choice. They then used Microsoft Publisher to create a newsletter cover presenting some of the information that they gathered. I've posted a nice example of a finished product below.

Ms. Waage informed me that soon they will be accessing the library research databases to study biographies. I'm excited to see what more the students will produce!

Newsletter by Abby in Ms. Waage's third grade class

A Great Blog Example!

2011-12-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

A photo from yesterday's lesson borrowed from Ms. Felderhoff's blog

Yesterday, I went to Ms. Felderhoff's first grade classroom with a brand new cart of laptops. Our campus was just refreshed and this was going to be their first time using the new computers. The excitement in the room was almost tangible.

Here's the point in the post where I would normally explain what we had the students work on and slap up some pictures of their adorable little faces completely focused on their work, however, that's not what this post is about. As the students were working, I tried to take some pictures and realized that my camera was broken. Ms. Felderhoff meanwhile had been snapping photos the whole time. I asked if she could send them to me and she told me, "Sure, but they'll also be on my blog."

Excited to learn that she had a blog, I opened it as soon as I got back to my office. What I found was an absolutely ideal example of a teacher blog. I was so completely impressed with the way that she uses her website to communicate important and exciting events to her parents! Though, I really shouldn't have been surprised, she was, after all, last year's Teacher of the Year. Check it out and read more about yesterday's lesson.

What is Research?

2011-11-29T09:08:00.000-08:00

After a discussion about what "research" means, second grade students learned how to access the library research resources page today. Next week, they will be using search engines such as NetTrekker and EBSCO to conduct research on a topic of their choice. Mrs. Johnson explained that ultimately the students will demonstrate their understanding of elements of a nonfiction text through the creation of an "All About" book. After browsing the research resources, students were allowed time to explore the Animals, Land-forms and newly purchased Biographies section of PebbleGo.

Update: Jollyville Skypes with Author Tom Angleberger

2011-11-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

As promised long ago, here are a few pictures from Jollyville's skype session with Tom Angleberger, the author of The Strange Case of Oirgami Yoda.

Mr. Angleberger talking about his creative process

After Tom called all of the students "Lary" this creative little girl told him that her name was Bob. She asked when he'd be writing a book about Jollyville students and he told her to check soon for a book about a bunch of Larrys and girl named Bob. It made us all laugh.

Students are excited to share their favorite book.

Kinder Comes to the Lab

2011-11-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten students are engaged in games that teach them how to use a mouse correctly

One of the most entertaining and the most challenging things about working in an elementary school is working across such a wide range of ability levels. In one day I see 5th grade students who are almost as proficient at using a computer as I am, just before I meet with Kindergarten students who can barely wrap their tiny fingers around the mouse and who think that the headphones enable them to communicate with the person sitting beside them.

Yesterday, I spent an hour in a fifth grade classroom demonstrating for students how to open and save documents correctly and then how to insert images from the internet and cite the source. It was a very successful lesson with all learners engaged and excited about what they learned.

Immediately following that class, I met kindergarten students in the computer lab. There’s a fundamental switch that has to take place in your brain when you move from teaching fifth grade to teaching kindergarten. I learned quickly to alter my questioning strategies when I asked a kindergarten class in my first year, “Does anyone have a question?” Yes Ms. Ellenson. They all have questions. A proliferation of questions; not one related to the use of computers.

After lots of tweaking and rethinking, I’ve developed what I think is really good session for the first time kindergarten comes to the lab. It took some persuasion to assure the teachers that their students would be successful, but they finally came down for a visit this week.

We begin with all students sitting on the floor in the front of the lab, rather than going directly to the computers. I introduce myself and explain what my position is at the school. I let the students tell me what they already know about a computer. Do you have one at home? What is it used for? I explain to students that you can’t communicate with a computer the same way you communicate with a person (and I demonstrate this by trying to talk to the monitor. The teacher smirks in the corner but the kids are all hysterical with laughter). We look at a mouse and a keyboard and I explain that these are the tools that we use to communicate with the computer.

Once I’m comfortable that the students understand appropriate behavior in the lab, I allow them to move to a computer. The teacher and I navigate to the website for them and help them put on the headphones. They spend approximately the next twenty minutes silent and engaged in an independent activity learning how to use a mouse correctly.

When the class is finished with the lesson, I show them how to hang the headphones neatly behind their computers and push in their chairs. The next week, we will talk about logging in to the computer and they will become familiar with the way that the letters are organized on the keyboard. By taking small steps each week, they will be proficient at logging in, opening and using programs and even saving their work.

We have some subscription based resources, but here are a few of my favorite free sites to use with the Kindergarten classes:
ABCya
Starfall
Sesame Street
PBS Kids

Jollyville Library Skype Date with Author

2011-09-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

This just in!!! (if the three exclamation points didn't give it away, I'll tell you that I am super excited...) Jollyville third and fourth grade students, led by librarian Mrs. Carter, will be Skyping with children's author Tom Angleberger. If you don't know Mr. Angleberger, he is the author of the popular Bluebonnet nominee, and one of my personal favorites - The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.

Oh my gosh, this book made me laugh out loud!

Skype is a videoconferencing tool that will allow students do a two way video chat, real-time with the author. The third and fourth graders will prepare questions ahead of time and the author will share some secrets of his craft. I've also heard whispers that Origami Yoda himself might even make a guest appearance! More to come soon, I promise.

PowerPoint Tips for Primary Users

2011-05-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

In the rapidly changing digital world, there are many new presentation tools available to students and teachers. With things like Prezi and Glogster at your fingertips, you might wonder what the advantage is to using PowerPoint. In truth, the newer MS Office suites are very user-friendly, (good for young students) as well as highly reliable, (more so than most web-based presentation tools.)

After working lots of practice over the past two years, I think I've developed a pretty good recipe for helping students with little experience using computers create PowerPoint presentations. While many of us have been completely inundated with this format, it's really fun to watch what a thrill the students get from creating their very own slideshow.
After the jump are a few ideas for using your time in the computer lab efficiently.(Please note, we use Microsoft Office 2007 with our students)
1. Create a template for students to work from
If students have to learn how to create a PowerPoint from scratch, you will be using a lot of time (which is probably already sparse) showing them how to do things like create headings and bullets. If you prepare a template for them, you will only have to teach them to open and save it once and they can spend more time working on the “meat” of the project. I suggest saving the PowerPoint in a central network location that everyone can access, show them how to open and “save as” or “save a copy.” If you don't have a network location to save to, you may have to make your copy portable by using a flash drive and allowing students to create from that.

2. Teach them to save regularly

Seriously there’s nothing worse than a second grader who is crying because they’ve spent 45 minutes typing a PowerPoint presentation that they just accidentally deleted.

3. Don’t assume that students will know how to navigate the program

Just because they’ve used MS Word in the past or watched a slideshow does not mean they will inherently understand how to use PPT. Make sure they are using “Normal” page view which has a nice page browser on the left side of the screen. Spend a few minutes showing them your template and giving them a very basic overview, i.e. where to click in order to insert text.

4. Allow them a day of typing before you teach them how to format or add pictures

Once students discover how to format their presentation that’s all they want to do. Let them have a day to type the main content before you teach them any of the fancy stuff.

5. Have pre-selected pictures for you students to choose from

A lot of people don’t realize that you can save pictures in the gray area around a PowerPoint. When you are in Slideshow mode, those pictures won’t show. Rather than having students using time trying to search for clipart or web-based pics, pre-select some nice images and save them in the template. Then all students need to do is drag and drop them into their presentation. If you don’t know how to do this, watch the video below:

The Petite Lap Giraffe : Media Literacy in Education

2011-04-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

Photo found at http://www.petitelapgiraffe.com/photos.php

Two weeks ago, I sent out a link to teachers at both of my campuses that directed them to a live video stream of a wild bald eagle sitting on her eggs. The response was huge as teachers and students tuned in to watch the eagle hatch her eggs and subsequently care for the babies. The popularity of the Decorah Eagle Cam led teachers to seek out other wild animal web cams which have now become quite a sensation on campus.
Today, Mrs. Kafena, a fifth grade teacher approached me to ask if I had seen the “Lap Giraffe” cam. Apparently one of her students had discovered a live webcam of a miniature giraffe farm called Sokoblovsky Petite Giraffes. The camera appears to be inside of a barn where you can see an animal bed and a food bowl and occasionally, a two foot tall giraffe will meander through the shot. A quick Google search will bring up Ian Dennis Miller’s blog where he has an article posted debunking the mini giraffe as part of a(n adorable!) Direct TV viral marketing campaign, citing the fact that the domain petitelapgiraffe.com was purchased by New York ad firm and at least one photo on the site is a digitally altered stock photo.
Mrs. Kafena told me that while her students were convinced that it was real, she was aware that the video was a hoax and that she planned to use it as part of a lesson to her students about the reliability of information on the internet; an idea so fantastic I thought it needed to be shared with the rest of my teachers. Media literacy is one of our TEKS, after all.

It’s wonderful that kids have an imagination big enough that they will willingly believe most of what they find on the internet, but it’s also dangerous. While we don’t want to crush their spirits, it’s important that as mentors, we teach them how to determine when things are real and when they’re not.

I will never forget my junior year of high school where I got my first failing grade for writing an elaborate research paper about the brutal and disgusting practice of growing “Bonsai Kittens” - kittens kept inside glass jars and molded into unnatural shapes. At a time in my life where fighting for something seemed urgently important, the Bonsai Kitten website (complete with realistic pictures and testimonial) was all of the proof I needed. My parents had taught me the internet was dangerous. I knew not to give out personal information or meet people in person that I interacted with online, but no one ever told me that the seemingly reliable information I came across might be false. I had to learn the hard way. Had I done the proper research, I would have discovered that the bonsai kitten site was created by college students as a joke.

Take a look at some of these other web hoaxes and consider challenging your students to think critically about them. What could be a potential reason that an advertising firm would start a website about tiny giraffes? Someone is bound to remember the original Direct TV commercial.

Boilerplate The Victorian Era Robot

The British Stick Insect Foundation

Dehydrated Water

Clones-R-US

Dog Island

A Robot That Can do Your Homework!

2011-03-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

Assuming, of course, that your homework is to walk around the outside edge of a square, the title of this post is completely accurate. I thought it would get your attention. While it might not sound like a miraculous feat, programming a robot to move around the perimeter of a square is actually a pretty challenging task, as the Jollyville Robotics Club students discovered this week.

After a lesson on how to make the robot turn, students were let loose to solve the problem on their own. I wandered around the room answering questions and giving advice, but more than that, I listened to the heated conversation of young minds at work. There was trial and error as they downloaded program after program and tested their robots on the square. Frustration finally gave way to new strategies as they tried to measure the distance and convert their measurement into information they could use in their programming.

I listened as they debated which methods would produce the most accurate turn and how the robot should be built in order to support the programming. Finally, exasperated, one student looked at me and said "isn't there a way you can just program it to follow the line!?" Ah ha! Just for that, I led him to the tutorial section of the programming software and showed him the "Follow a Line" program. Sometimes the solution is obvious, other times, not so much, but don't ever be afraid to be creative, because it might be simpler than you ever dreamed.

A Computer Monitor is a Square

2011-03-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

A computer monitor is a square. It has four equal sides and four right angles. Mrs. Davis's second grade students can tell you this (and certainly much more) after a recent geometry unit in which they learned to identify and compare a variety of shapes based on their attributes.

I think most experienced teachers would agree that when studying geometry, it is important for students to have a variety of hands-on experiences in which they identify these figures in real-world settings. Playing a slideshow with pictures of shapes might not be the most effective way to teach the content to students.

However, when the end of the unit comes, and it's time for the children to demonstrate what they've learned, a product such as a PowerPoint presentation could be an excellent way for students to practice their technology skills and prove that they've learned something.

Many teachers, especially in primary grades, are scared away from products such as PowerPoint presentations because they seem too difficult and intricate for young students to create. Teachers don't know where to begin and don't want to spend two weeks in the lab creating a product that would take students and hour to make with paper.

Mrs. Davis has found a perfect solution to this problem and with it, has empowered her students to use technology in a way that is not only effective, but best of all, easy! By utilizing the school's network shared folder for students, Mrs. Davis was able to creat a basic PowerPoint template and save it in a location where all students could access it once they had logged in to the network.

Students simply had to log in to the computer, navigate to the shared folder, open the PowerPoint template and save it into their own personal folder. Once they had saved it, they could focus on adding the most important information, as well as their own personal touches. They could practice opening, saving, typing and formatting - the most primary technology TEKS, while at the same time explaining what they knew about geometry. Simple yet effective, my favorite combination!
(Above: Two girls discuss what they will add to their PowerPoint presentations)

Re-Thinking Classroom Structure

2011-03-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

There's so frequently talk in education about reform and best practices that sometimes it's hard to get behind good ideas knowing they will likely transform before we can implement them. There is one thing however, that I noticed consistently during my time in the classroom. Students are highly interested in what their peers have to say. It may seem like common sense, but allowing students to talk and learn from one another is a surefire way to keep them engaged. The best modern teachers are not teachers who lecture for hours, rather, they are teachers that allow their students the opportunity to be in control of their learning and in control of their classroom.

It is for this reason that I love the document camera. This technology is giving teachers who may have been previously uncomfortable or even unaware of how, the ability to create a more student-centered classroom. At any moment, the teacher can ask a student to come to the camera and model a strategy, share a great piece of writing, read from a book or demonstrate a process. (Photos are taken from Mrs. Cushing's Kindergarten class)

Last, but Certainly not Least

2011-02-17T08:17:00.001-08:00

It took half of the school year, and yes we were in the last group in RRISD, but Jollyville teachers finally have their mounted projectors and document cameras! As they turn in their old overhead projectors, teachers are cautiously stepping into the new digital age and recognizing the benefits almost instantly.

Constantly, people are stopping me in the hallway to tell me about how thrilled they are to have this new equipment available in their classroom. I hear stories about how engaged and excited the students are to share their work and to view others. With the document cameras, teachers are giving their classrooms over to their students. Children are at the front of the room, modeling their strategies for math and reading, doing science demonstrations and showing their writing samples to the whole class. The best part? There is no preparation for the teacher ahead of time.

Like all other technology, we must embrace this with the understanding that we'll be hearing about something newer and better by the end of the year. But also as with all new technology, we can use it's novelty to excite our students and encourage them to take an active role in their own learning and in the education of others.

Below, one of Ms. Kohn's third grade students models his problem solving strategies for the class.

Photostory Book Reports

2011-01-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

Third grade students in Mrs. Dixon's class have been reading the popular Beverley Cleary book, Ramona's World. After reading the book, several students used the Photostory program to create video book reports. In order to do this, students needed to create drawings, photograph their drawings, upload the photographs, record voice narration and select background music. Check out one of the published projects below!

Links for Learning

2010-04-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Picture a classroom where all students are engaged in meaningful, individualized learning activities while the teacher merely facilitates. You might see one student creating his own book while another is studying her favorite animal in great detail and a third student explores food chains that he has learned about in science.

I witnessed a similar scenario this week, and the best part? They were second grade students. I happened to see Mrs. Carter's class in the computer lab one day and I stopped in, curious to see what they were doing. She explained that she was giving them some time to explore the links posted on her website.

As I looked around the room, a little boy excitedly showed his friend the video of the platypus that he was watching on a National Geographic website. Mrs. Carter opened the site for me, happy to share. The National Geographic- Creature Features page provides facts, information and real life videos of nearly 100 different animals; perfect for a class who is studying just this.

Simultaneously, there was a girl working on a Storybird, a collaborative storytelling project that allows students to tell a story using the posted artwork of artists from around the world. Mrs. Carter had found a way to engage all of her students with activities that they felt personally interested in, and that had merit in the classroom.

If you would like to share some new links for learning with your students, you can find them here on her TeacherWeb page:

Thanks for sharing, Mrs. Carter!

Welcoming Spring

2010-03-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

Wow! With TAKS Writing, Dr. Seuss week, Spring Break, book fair and a talent show, the month of March flew by in a blur or excitement. If you asked me to pick my favorite part of it all, I'd have to tell you that it was when the entire school performed a flash dance to the Black Eyed Peas "Tonight", started by Mrs. Yoder at the talent show. Thinking about it still brings a smile to my face.

However, through all of the bustle, I never forgot to bring along my trusty Flip Camera to catch a glimpse of the fun. While I can't fit an entire month's worth of footage into one post, I'll touch on a few of my most innovative observations.

To begin, lets rewind a full month. We find ourselves in the library with one of Jollyville's lovliest ladies, Mrs. Slone, and a class of third graders. This year, Mrs. Slone is making an effort to incorporate the use of new technology in the library. She came to me and asked for support and for several weeks, we have been discussing how to use the ActiveSlate and Promethean software to enrich her grade level lessons. Now here we are, about to see whether our preparation has paid off.

She has chosen to do a lesson on fractions, which correlates to the ARRC for the third nine weeks. After reading a story about fractions to her students, she brings them to the front of the library where a computer and projector are set up, along with an ActiveSlate. You can just see the excitment in the students faces as Mrs. Slone explains what the ActiveSlate is and how it will be used. Then, opening a district created flipchart, she begins her fraction review. Almost immediately, before she can even ask the first question, hands go up. Everyone wants a chance with the new tool.

Gradually, the slate makes it's way around the room to each student, as they answer questions about parts of a whole and parts of a group. This is what I love about a tool like the ActiveSlate. Everyone gets to interact with the board, without ever leaving their seats, but most importantly, students are begging to answer questions about fractions! Even the students who may have been too shy to raise their hand will tenatively take the board and jot down their answer for the group. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed observing this lesson, and I only hope that the teachers can see the value in planning things like this for their class.

A few weeks ago, I set all teachers up with a Learning.com account. I offered trainings to each grade level and even volunteered to be in the lab if they decided to use the site with their classes. It's never fun to push something on people who are already too busy, but if I can provide a tool that enhances what they are already doing, and is easy for them, I am happy to do so. I just have to prove that it is easy, and worthwhile. So, I brace myself for their reaction when, after they've had a chance to explore the site and love what it has to offer, I have to tell them that students first need to learn the (###lastnamefirstinitial###) login information.

In spite of this, the kindergarten teachers were the first to bring their students down to explore. I won't lie, it was not an easy task getting the students logged in to the computers, helping them navigate to the website, and getting them logged in on Learning.com, especially since we want them to do the bulk of the typing themselves. With many students still mastering their knowledge of letters, and hands too small to hold a mouse properly, it took us a while.

I knew all of the effort was worth it though, when I looked over and saw a boy working on the letter "F" a bit later, who exclaimed to his friend, "Wow! Look they used a football for F! Yes!" The lesson that they were working on introduced each letter of the alphabet and showed them where to find it on the keyboard. It was an easy beginning lesson, and obviously very motivational for the students. Take a look at the kindergarteners hard at work. (Click for full size)

Parallel Parallels

2010-02-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

This is our TAG teacher Mrs. Kolodzinski. I'm sure she'll be glad that I posted this picture of her.There are always great things happening in Mrs. Kolodzinski's room. Every time I walk down to talk to her, I end up staying longer than expected to browse all of the student projects that she has displayed. Today, I'll share with you a few of my recent favorites. More examples of both projects can be found on her TeacherWeb Page.

First, I couldn't get enough of these tessellation projects that the fifth graders created in Microsoft Powerpoint. The visual completely pulls you in. I had trouble picking just one to display. This student used an understanding of the ways in which shapes tesselate, along with contrasting colors to make a beautiful project.

Also within the geometry unit, students recorded vocabulary videos using the webcam to give themselves an avatar. If you visit her website, you'll see some fun examples. I personally find the unicorn pretty entertaining.

Finally, students took a digital camera around campus looking for examples of the geometric concepts they had been studying. Using their pictures, they created a photostory to share with other students. This particular photostory is very amusing, the girls are creative and throw in a little extra dialogue to keep us hooked. Below is a sample clip. Find the whole movie, along with others on Mrs. K's website.

Thank you to Mrs. Kolodzinski and her creative students for keeping us entertained, and educated! Keep up the great work.

Spring Semester Robotics Club

2010-02-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

A little more than halfway through February, our Winter/ Spring semester robotics club is well underway. Fourth graders attended their third meeting yesterday. They worked hard to complete buidling of their basic robot. Shown below, are two teams putting their heads together to finish thier bot.

After teams finished building their robot, they were responsible for watching a video on programming and then creating a basic program using the "brick" or body of the robot. The programs included commands such as "move foward", "move backward", turn left or right or "play sound". Next week, students will begin learning how to write a much more complex program using the NXT software on the computers.

A New Perspective

2010-02-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to share what our fifth grade students have been working on in art class. The topic that they are studying is scale. In order to demonstrate their understanding of scale, they were tasked with taking photographs to show false scale, then, using photo editing software to crop them in a way that best captures their idea. I was lucky to get into the lab on Tuesday as they were working and see some of these young artists in action.

On many computers, I was able to see the beginning stages of the students' work and get a feel for what their idea was. A favorite seemed to be stepping on their classmates with a giant foot; part of which is seen above. At other computers, I encountered students who were finished with their assignment and were allowed to experiment with adding various effects to their photo. I was really impressed with the creativity of some of the students.

Finally, my curiosity got the best of me and I asked the art teacher, Mr. Stewart, if he would send me a sample of a finished project. The response was fantastic. Below, I've included one of the finished fifth grade projects. Way to go Mr. Stewart. We applaud your new approach to a familiar idea.

Trial and Error

2010-02-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Towler and Mrs. Armistead's kindergarten classes continued to practice their typing skills, while at the same time, practicing their alphabet. Today, they learned what makes a laptop different from a desktop computer, then, they got to log in, open TuxPaint and practice typing their name. The consensus from the teachers, "It was a good lesson, but we'll probably stick with the lab!" It was difficult to get around the room to all computers, but the kindergarteners are getting to the point where they are able to log in to a computer independently, which certainly makes things much easier!

2010-02-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

Get excited, teachers! Those Flip Cameras and Web Cameras that you requested at last semester's training have arrived. To refresh your memory, a Flip Camera is a miniature video camera that plugs into the computer with a pop-out USB connection. Teachers discussed using the FlipCam to record commercials for an economics unit, have students go on geometry scavenger hunts around the school using the camera, or get video of cool classroom activities. The Web Cameras are small cameras that work when plugged in through a USB connection. They can be used for video conferencing, recording lessons in the classroom or capturing activities on camera. The WebCam software also includes fun masks and filters that students can use to hide their faces while on screen. There are so many ways to use video to your advantage in the classroom. Synthesis of orginal content is a high order thinking skill that can students can access when you challenge them to create their own content related movies. Not only that, but video can be used to bring awareness to other teachers and students throughout the school, community and even the world. Check out the amazing video below put together by a class right around the corner at Anderson Mill Elementary.

Bringing the world to your classroom

2010-01-22T12:34:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of joining Ms. King's fifth grade class as they took a trip to a North Carolina school. From the comfort of their classroom, Ms. King's students conferenced over Skype with a fourth grade class on the east coast. The students took turns asking each other questions about food, hobbies, local weather and school.

King's class seemed to enjoy anticipating the responses and reactions of the other students and were excited to learn that at their new friends' school, fourth graders are the oldest students. There, fifth graders are a part of middle school.

This group of fifth graders has been meeting with classrooms all over the country and comparing their style of life to our own here in Texas. To see where else they have been, you can visit Ms. King's blog at http://jollyvilletech.blogspot.com/.

Starting Early

2010-01-20T06:39:00.000-08:00

They were loud, they were squirmy, they were full of questions, and they were excited. On Tuesday, starting at 8:15, each kindergarten class came to the computer lab. The lesson for the day was simple- log in to the computer using your own ID and Password, open and close a program, log off of the computer.

45 minutes later, we had almost accomplished that task. If you asked any of the kindergarteners what their favorite part of the morning was, I'm sure they would tell you about the program they got to play with, KidPix. Once logged on, students were able to open KidPix and freely explore the drawing tools.

All in all, it was a fairly successful morning, with only a few glitches. I know the classes can't wait to be back in the lab, and I can't wait to see them. Two thumbs up to the Kinder teachers for all of their patience, and willingness to get students on the computers.

Ms. King's Vocabulary Showcase

2010-01-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

The voice that you hear in the above video is that of one of Ms. King's fifth grade students. Using a LogiTech webcam, she had students choose and avatar and then record themselves reading science vocabulary definitions. Definitely more fun than the traditional 'sit and get' vocabulary instruction! Take a look at the rest of the videos found on Ms. King's class website.

http://teacherweb.com/Blog/TX/JollyvilleElementary/MsKing/1/default.aspx

Second Grade Poets

2010-01-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

In this third marking period, second grade students are studying different types of poetry. To supplement thier unit, each class went to the computer lab to use the Read, Write, Think website. On the site, they were able to type their poems into pre-created templates. Follow this link to find other wonderful, interactive resources for elementary classrooms! http://www.readwritethink.net/classroom-resources/student-interactives/

Check back soon for pictures

The New Year is Here

2010-01-05T07:33:00.000-08:00

Happy January, Jollyville readers! Welcome back from what was hopefully a relaxing break. Now that we are getting into the second semester and routines are setting in, I thought it was time to start recognizing some of the awesome things that I have seen happening in Jollyville classrooms.

Many new ideas have made their way on campus this year, from video conferencing to robotics club. I am especially impressed with the number of teachers who have decided to dive headfirst into the seemingly daunting task of blogging in the classroom. I have expressed my thoughts on the wide variety of benefits that blogging brings to all subject areas. Nonetheless, I realize how much work it can be to get a blog up and running, especially with a group of students. I want to pay special attention to the teachers who have decided to do just that. Below, you will find a list of blogs started in Jollyville classrooms. Feel free to visit and leave your comments. I'm sure the feedback would be appreciated. Keep up the great things that you are doing, teachers and staff.

Kinder Julie Armistead

Kinder Sandra Towler

Grade 2 Lori Davis

Christine Carter 2nd

Deborah DeCoux 4th

Abbie Scott 4th

Kay Belanger 5th