Nearpod in 1st Grade with Mrs. Romei

Jen Williams shared this awesome resource in her Extended Studies newsletter, and I thought it was fantastic. In the video below, 1st grade teacher Mrs. Romei shares how she uses Nearpod lessons in her classroom to extend ideas with some of her students. Thanks for sharing, Mrs. Romei! You can also click these links to download the Shapes and The Moon lessons she used with her students.

I Am Collages with PicCollage Kids & Seesaw

There are so many amazing ways to use images in PicCollage Kids as graphic organizers to allow students to add their own information for inquiry, reading comprehension, and math. This I Am collage idea from Erintegration is a super fun way to introduce this method and encourage students to write, be creative and tell about themselves. I downloaded the FREE instructions from her Tpt store, but I changed it a bit. Instead of using a QR code to have the students scan and download images, I put the images into Seesaw for students to access. Keep reading to find out how.

Popplet Idea

I love this idea for Johnny Appleseed day from @funin1st. Could be adapted for any story retell or pulling details from informational text.

Our Hopes

I was at Orchard yesterday, and I absolutely adored this display in the primary hallway. I believe this is from Mrs. Lang's first graders, but the topic appeared to be something that all classes had discussed.

I love the idea of having students think about their hopes and dreams, and write those down. In some classrooms, I saw this done as a shared writing or interactive writing chart. Students talked about lifelong goals, but also hopes and dreams for kindergarten, first grade, etc. Some were simple and some were deep, but I love the idea of having students think about these things, process them, and write them. What a cool idea, Orchard!

Compare & Contrast with Feltboard App!

One of my most favorite apps (besides Seesaw, of course) is this Feltboard app. It seems like a really simple app, but there are so many learning activities that students can creatively complete using it. It's not a free app, but I would definitely say it's worth the $2.99 cost. I have used it for art, writing, math and science concepts. Read more to see how we used it in Mrs. Johnson's first grade to compare and contrast characters from the story The Tortoise and the Hare!

Weekly Tech-y Newsletter

Click the image to download a PDF of the newsletter and access links.

"I Can ..." Use Technology!

Technology should not be seen as "something extra" you have to do, but a way to enhance the learning that is happening in your classroom. Transform something from your curriculum and make it better by using technology - that is the real magic in using these tools! Here is a great kindergarten example using the Wonders curriculum.

One Class at a Time Grants

We got a great reminder today about this wonderful resource for Billings teachers! Check out the KTVQ and First Interstate Bank One Class at a Time Grants to earn money for classroom awesomeness! CLICK HERE to find out more!

Class Dojo Stories

Many of you are familiar with Class Dojo, an awesome FREE website to promote positive student behaviors and communication with parents. I used Class Dojo in my kindergarten class and I absolutely loved it, and so did students and parents. One of the things I love is that how you use it is totally and completely up to YOU. You can customize how you award points, and what "rewards" you give for points. Look at Pinterest to see tons of awesome ideas on how you can use Class Dojo and creative rewards your students can earn.

Creation Apps to Use with Seesaw

I've updated my collection of creation apps that work awesome with Seesaw! Most are FREE!

Weekly Tech-y Newsletter!

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Directed Drawing on Seesaw

When I saw this on Pinterest, I fell in love with the adorable school bus directed drawing activity by Proud to be Primary. 

It occurred to me that a directed drawing activity like this one would be a perfect way to introduce the Seesaw drawing tool to students! By giving them step by step directions, I could ensure they were using all of the features in the drawing tool and seeing how they could create something amazing! We created these little beauties in Mr. Anderson's first grade today. 

Keep reading to  learn more.

Interactive Word Wall with Seesaw QR Codes

Earlier this fall, I read this post on the blog Buggy for First about portable word walls and loved the idea. It's saves a ton of space, and students can take the words with them to their seats to use, then return to the wall. 

However, I also thought it would be fun to "tech up" this idea by adding an interactive component to it. Using Seesaw, I could attach QR codes to the back of each word card. When the students scan the QR code, they see a video of the word being read and spelled. Seesaw, I love you! Keep reading for detailed instructions on how I made these. If you'd like to download the QR codes for the words that I created, you can CLICK HERE.

Seesaw Training October 13th

Awesomely, the biggest request I've received since the beginning of the school year is to come into classrooms and help teachers get started with Seesaw. Wahoo! I absolutely love helping students begin keeping digital portfolios of their work. And I love that teachers are excited about Seesaw! For those of you who want to learn more, or who used it a little bit last year and want a refresher, I am having a Seesaw training on October 13th. We will begin at 4:00pm, and meet in room 301 of Lincoln Center.

Rainbow Numbers

I spotted these on Mrs. Bishop's Seesaw learning journals and they're awesome! She used the rainbow math writing to 10 concept, but had her students use the FREE app Draw & Tell to draw their rainbows and numbers. By uploading to Seesaw, they could also record their voices to demonstrate their understanding of counting. Awesome job, @BishopKinders! You can also click the link HERE to download a rainbow math freebie from A Cupcake for the Teacher.

Tips for getting iPad centers started in your classroom!

Weekly Tech-y Newsletter!

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Work Work Aps for K-2

If you have a favorite to add, email me or post it in the comments below!

Dot Day with Epic!

Celebrate International Dot Day with Epic!

Get Seesaw SuperPowers with September PD in your PJs Sessions!

The biggest request I have had since school started is for me to come into classrooms and help teachers get started using Seesaw. Wahoo! This makes me so happy, as Seesaw is my absolute favorite digital tool to use, and I think using Seesaw is a huge benefit to our students, teachers and parents. You can always book me into your classroom to help with Seesaw, and I LOVE coming in and helping with this! However, Seesaw is also offering some great PD in Your PJs for all levels of Seesaw users. You can learn about Seesaw from the comfort of your own home ... in your pjs! If you're interested in checking out their webinars, click below to see the schedule and pre-register.

Seesaw also has tons of great videos and helpful tools on their Resources page. From the Seesaw homepage, click the Resources tab and search for the topic you're looking for.

Top 50 Totally FREE Kids Apps from Smart Apps for Kids

If you don't subscribe to the Smart Apps for Kids FREE App Alerts, I would recommend that you do so ASAP. They send a weekly email with lists of apps that are free, and descriptions about each app. Really cool and helpful.

This week they compiled a list of the Top 50 Totally FREE Kids Apps. This list is FANTASTIC and features many of my classroom favorites. CLICK HERE to read the list and download the apps from the App Store.