Learning in Progress

Below are a few of the different web tools I've discovered and tried out over the past few months.  I think my favorite in the group is Voki, although Popplet has some possibilities.     Lost voice?   No problem—teach on using Voki!  The gray boxes/tabs in the top right of this picture are where you click to customize I lost my voice a while back, but powered through thanks to the help of talking avatars at Voki .   I first learned about this back during the Fall when a fellow librarian emailed me about it. You can sign up for the free version and get the basics that will allow you to save an avatar, or you can do what I did, and just type in your text and let an avatar like Abe Lincoln do the talking for you. To get started, you may want to click on the “Learn” tab at the top of the screen to learn more about how to use Voki in the classroom, or you could jump right i...

Data Made Easy & Working Towards Closing the Gap When I taught English I was a bit obsessed with analyzing unit test results to see which content I needed to re-teach.   I spent hours identifying the skill each question covered, going through student tests, and tallying up the numbers.   Despite the painstaking challenge of reviewing all the test data I had generated in class, the process paid off in the long run because I could see the areas that we needed to work on.   As I “perfected” my system, I began to share the results with students, and they began to set individual goals for progress .   This process was even more rewarding as students achieved goals and a greater understanding of the content. Needless to say, when I saw The Instant Data idea collection technique from Tonya’s Treats for Teachers , I had a forehead slap moment.   The idea is so simple and quick that I really wish I had seen this years ago...

Teachers in my school recently received Epson ELPDC document cameras.  Those cameras, as well as a number of other document camera models, can be used as a video camera.  Those videos can then be uploaded to SchoolPointe, the website hosting company that our school uses . Use Your Epson ELPDC Document Camera to Make a Video For those of you who just got the new   document cameras, you can use your camera to create a video of students presenting their own work, solving problems or reading a story.   You can also take it one step further and with this model of camera you can use it to actually video your class.   I made a quick how-to video which can be found on the LMC website (see below) - please excuse the awkward cameo visual appearance.   This is another way that we can create recordings of students to collect evidence for those A&H and PL/CS program reviews. Ho...

These are resources I've shared with my teachers over the last few months for Science & Math. Children’s Literature & Science If you’re looking for a way to introduce a science topic, or want to add some opportunity for cross-curricular planning, check out “Using Children’s Literature to Teach Science” by Patricia Bishop McKean.   Click through the links in gray on the right side of the screen to see the book suggestions.   She has lists for topics dealing with: Earth Science and Astronomy, Math Connections, Physics, Chemistry, & Process Skills.   For each book listed, when you click on the link, you will find a summary of the book and some lesson activities.   You could, for example use The Cat in the Hat , in honor of Read Across America Week, as an introduction to force & inertia .   By examining the end of the story and the Cat’s apparent magical manner of clea...