Math Stories Using Draw & Tell App

I have posted about the app Draw & Tell before, and wanted to share a couple of projects from Orchard Elementary today.  Draw & Tell is a great app that allows kids to draw, use stickers and record their voices to tell stories.  I really like using this app to tell math stories.  There is also a Princess Fairytale Maker app and a Superhero Comic Maker app that you can get in bundle with Draw & Tell for $2.99.  It's fun to have all of these apps to allow your students choice in the stickers and backgrounds they use for their storytelling.

  

Earth Day Adobe Voice Projects

Mrs. Olson's first graders from Boulder made some amazing Adobe Voice projects to celebrate Earth Day, and I am excited to share a couple examples with you!  Her students had been studying ways to help the earth before I came into their classroom, and had written ideas down onto sticky notes. When I visited, I showed them how to publish their ideas using the app Adobe Voice.  They were amazingly quick learners and created some wonderful videos!  Click the images below to see some examples, and search my blog for "Adobe Voice" to see a tutorial on using this awesome free app!

FREE Apps I Would Put on Every K-2 iPad

These are apps that I love that are FREE!  They work well for K-2 classrooms, and many would be great for older students, as well.

Mother's Day Ideas

Mother's Day is right around the corner, and technology provides a fun way to help your students celebrate their moms!  Keep reading for some fun and easy Mother's Day project ideas.

Scribble Press FAQs!

I shared about the app ScribblePress Deluxe at the Tech Fair on Monday, and I am excited that so many of you are excited about using this app in your classrooms!  Our tech department purchased some free licenses of this app, so if any BPS teachers would like it installed on your iPads, please submit a Help Ticket and ask Deana Elder to send it to your iPads.  (It's usually $4.99, so this is a great deal!)

As I am using this app in classrooms, I have noticed a couple of things:

Duck! Rabbit! Padlet

The Amy Krouse Rosenthal author study for week 2 of the BPS Book Club focuses on the story Duck! Rabbit!  This is a very short, simple story about differing points of view, and is fun for readers of all ages.

To share our perspectives on this book, I worked with some first graders at Beartooth to make a collaborative Padlet.  Click "Read more" to see how we did it!

Created with Padlet

Free & Discounted Apps for Special Needs Students

Finding good assistive technology for students who need it can be difficult and expensive!  During Autism Awareness & Acceptance Month, many good quality apps for special needs students (particularly to aid these students in communication) are free or discounted.  Read the post on the Smart Apps for Kids site to see these apps and download from the app store.  You can also sign up for their weekly "free apps" emails, which often feature apps that are suitable for special needs students.

Safe Searches for Inquiry Projects

I have been asked this question a lot lately, as spring is here and many teachers are focusing on awesome inquiry and research projects in their classrooms:  What is the best place for students to safely search for facts and information about their topic?

Adobe Voice Awesomeness

Ms. Adkins from Alkali Creek sent me this example of an Adobe Voice project her first graders worked on.  Such an awesome opinion piece!

Scribble Press Deluxe Stories in 2nd grade

I was excited when Ms. Miller from Eagle Cliffs asked me to come help with a lesson in her 2nd grade classroom using Scribble Press Deluxe.  This app was FREE a couple of weeks ago, and many of you had the opportunity to have it installed onto your iPads.  (If you didn't, and you want it, email Deana Elder and ask her to pretty please it install it on your iPads!)  I had used the original Scribble Press, which I liked, but wasn't happy with the sharing options.  So I was super excited to try this one out!

Green Screen Biographies in Grade 1

I have been so excited to work with Mrs. Westrope and her first graders to finish up these biography projects using green screen technology!  Mrs. Westrope and her students put a ton of work into these projects, by brainstorming a list of famous people, then finding books in the library to learn more about the people.  The students then narrowed it down to five famous people that they would like to study and learn more about.  As a group, they created word webs for these people.

Seesaw at Centers

I was happy to visit Ms. Romersa's kindergarten last week to help her students use Seesaw during centers. I had visited her class before to teach Seesaw whole group, and they were rockstars!  This was a fun opportunity to check in and review with them.

BrightLoop Learning

Kally Miller from Eagle Cliffs shared this AMAZING resource at the Cadre 2016 Demo Slam this morning.  I have never heard of it, and it's super cool.  A great way to keep track of assessments (can also track behaviors, similar to Class Dojo), and keep notes of student progress.  Check it out!

Digital Tools Shared at Cadre 2016 Demo Slam!

Today at our last Cadre 2016, the teachers participated in a Demo Slam! and shared their favorite tools in under 3 minutes each.  So many amazing tools were shared, including iPad apps, organizational tools, ways to get music, Chrome extensions, and favorite websites.  Visit the Participate Learning collection below to see these teachers' fave digital tools.  SLAM!

1st Grade Animoto Projects

So proud of Mrs. Romei and her first graders at Broadwater, who "gave it a go" and tried something new this week!  Mrs. Romei had her students use the free app Animoto to create some awesome projects, showcasing what they have learned about the sun.  

The students then posted on Seesaw, and Mrs. Romei shared on her Seesaw blog.  You can check out her blog here.  Mrs. Romei said Animoto was really easy and fun to use!  She'll be presenting at Tech Fair 2016, so be sure to check out her session!

Seesaw Blogs!

Seesaw blogs are an awesome way to share student learning with other classrooms, and connect student learning outside the walls of your class!  If you're already using Seesaw, it's super easy to set up.  It is still teacher-moderated and safe!  This Symbaloo is a collection of BPS classroom Seesaw blogs - use these links to check out what other teachers and students are doing, and model good digital citizenship by discussing posts and composing comments with your class.

If you have a Seesaw blog that I could add to this list, please email me or add to the comments below! If you need more information on Seesaw blogs, visit their Teacher Resource center and search "Seesaw blogs", or watch the video below:

Power Up! BPS Tech Fair 2016 Schedule

The schedule for Tech Fair 2016 is ready, and it's going to be a great morning of learning with friends and colleagues!  Thanks to all of the teachers who are presenting - so excited to learn from you all. Check out the schedule by clicking the image above.  Remember, signing up as a session attendee doesn't necessarily "reserve" a spot for you - so be sure to get to your sessions early!

Class Dojo Big Ideas Videos

Have you guys checked these out yet?!  Class Dojo has partnered with PERTS to make some really great, short videos that will engage your students and help them learn about the brain, growth mindset, and working hard, among other things.  Even if you don't use Class Dojo, you can find these videos on their YouTube channel.  On the Class Dojo website, there are discussion guides you can download, as well.

Resources for Using iPads in Grades K-2

Awesome article by Monica Burns, full of resources for K-2 teachers looking to implement iPads into their classrooms.

Resources for Using iPads in Grades K-2