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Here is some shortcut codes and a useful video explaining how to get your head around using a Mac for those newbies out there
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WebsitesLinks to a variety of informative and fun websites.
Here are some of the great sites available – some are just for fun, while others will really make you think. Primary level
"Don't go yet, because there's lots of airplanes and birds covering the sky!" warns a wary air-traffic controller from his cardboard perch above a mockup of a plane loaded with his classmates. But it's only a minor delay for students of the Yellow Pod, a small segment of the 460 kindergartners who attend the Auburn Early Education Center, in Auburn, Alabama. Soon, they will be virtually winging their way to Brazil on a fantasy flight aboard their handcrafted plane, culminating two and a half months of preparation for the role-playing exercise as part of a yearlong study of South America.
At this award-winning kindergarten learning center, shared with a special education preschool, the students decide what projects they want to tackle, and teachers guide them to resources, on the Internet and in books, that help them create something from what they learn. Whether they're building an airplane or a cruise ship, or conducting a funeral for the class praying mantis, AEEC students are learning more than basic facts and skills. They are acquiring a taste for the process of lifelong learning. "These kids have a very authentic, real purpose for learning," says AEEC principal Lilli Land. "When you want to find something out, what do you do? You go to the computer, you get on the Internet, you get a book. You don't go to an adult and just have them feed you all the information. You have to learn to be a problem solver; you have to learn to be resourceful. So we teach them to be lifelong learners, and you have to keep them excited about the process of learning." Although the project-based curriculum generates much of the enthusiasm for learning here, a recent infusion of technology -- putting interactive whiteboards in every classroom -- has raised the bar for students and teachers. Touching a giant screen, teacher Sandy Armstrong calls up a wall-size map of South America and points to Brazil. "That is a big place!" shouts a boy kneeling in front of her. And when she starts a video clip of an imposing anaconda, he says, "I'll bet he's gonna slide and slither and try to bite him." "When they put it in our classroom and I saw everything that it could do just playing with it, and my kids were so excited, I could see what a difference it made in a matter of weeks," says Armstrong. "Even the teachers that have been teaching for twenty-five years that are afraid to jump into technology, they have jumped in with both feet. It's rejuvenated their ideas and their motivation." As part of the school's literacy focus, a dedicated technology coach gives one-on-one instruction to students, who can manipulate giant letters on the interactive whiteboard. "They have a lot of problems when it comes to m and w," says Armstrong. "When they can flip the m over and it becomes a w, they get it. They'll say, 'Oh, it's standing on its head!' It's so much fun for them to do, and they're actually in charge of it. They have the power and, therefore, it's more pertinent to them." As standardized-test pressure bears down on even the youngest learners and their teachers, Lilli Land challenges other principals to adopt AEEC's project-based-curriculum approach. "We're teaching all the required content area, but we're doing it in a way that's more innovative, creative, that's off the path of what most people choose," Land says. "But there are many people who think, 'Well, we have to have the workbooks; our kids have to do drill and practice.' That's just scratching the surface, and it's also turning kids off to learning. And so you have to really be confident and trust in what you know is appropriate and good for young children, and believe that if you're actually involving the children every day in activities that are going to make progress in the academic areas, they're going to be fine on assessment."
Transcript
Narrator: Creating the school to serve nearly 500 three- to five-year-olds might seem like the recipe for disaster. Some days are chaotic here. Like when the Auburn University Pep Squad shows up. Or when a tornado touches down nearby. Principal: Boys and girls, please move into your weather locations at this time. We will come around and check on everyone. Narrator: But on a typical day, the students and staff at Alabama's Auburn Early Education Center are busily engaged in learning adventures, like sailing a cardboard cruise ship to Africa. Teacher: Okay, Jordan and Dillon are going to pass your life vests out to you. Narrator: Or flying a plastic plane to Brazil. Teacher: You go ahead and give all your boarding pass. Narrator: For them the lifelong learning exploration can't begin too soon. Teacher: Bon voyage! Narrator: Just about everything that goes on here involves long-term projects that students undertake as a class. Sandy: Do you know where that is, what it's called? Student: South America, Brazil. Sandy: It is Brazil. And this is the place that you are you are studying about. Student: That is a big place! Sandy: It is a big, big place. Narrator: The theme for each project evolves out of the natural curiosity of the kids. Teacher: Here is some information about the camel, and it says, "The animal..." Narrator: Once the students decide on a theme, teachers guide them to resources and books and on the Internet, to help focus their efforts. Lilli: Let's say that the theme is Brazil. And they begin to study Brazil by going the Internet, they look up information. Then they decide if we want to go there. And the teachers pose to them, "Well, how can we get there?" Student: And if they didn't have the map, they couldn't get there. Sandy: They couldn't get there! Lilli: Then they may decide, "Well, we're going by plane, we need to construct some type of model of plane. And the teachers get the Internet resources, the book resources. They take them on the field trip. Sandy: Where did you get the information to know that? Sandy: Well, we went to the Auburn Airport to see all the instruments. There was instruments inside planes to make it work. Student: These make us how fast we're going, how slow. And these... Lilli: The kids are very highly motivated to be involved, because they're doing it for a reason. It's not just an arbitrary "cutesy" activity that has no real meaning or value for them. So that's why teaching using thematic curriculum keeps the kids very engaged in the activities. Teacher: You have to have your passport to get on the plane. Student: This is your Captain speaking. We're flying to Brazil, and we don't expect a lot of turbulence. Lilli: All of it involves developing the plan, carrying it through, writing about it, and cooperation, problem solving, critical thinking, are all pieces to getting that project complete. Stayce: Remind everybody what we decided that we needed at our funeral. Narrator: With a bit of skillful coaching, everyday events, like the death of the class pet praying mantis can trigger engaging projects. Stacye: Can you share with them what you decided needed to go on the tombstone? Student: Bugs' name. Stacye: Bugs' name. Narrator: After her students decided to give the deceased a funeral, teacher, Stacy Jones, found a way to fold all of their required curriculum into the project. Among other things, they practiced writing and drawing by designing invitations for the ceremony. Stacye: I got in science. I got in social studies. I got in math, I got in writing. I got in everything all through an authentic purpose for learning. They were interested. And once you have been interested, they can't get enough information. They love school, because they're interested, because it's authentic. Student: I went to the dentist for them to take pictures of my teeth. And I got... Narrator: Since most kindergartners favorite subject is themselves, personal stories are at the center of the literacy curriculum mere. Student: I forgot that I had a virus. And when I went home, I threw up on myself. Are there any questions? Narrator: Each day, three students get a chance to tell their story, and answer questions about it. Stayce: At the beginning of the year, every story is one sentence. "I went to the beach." "I went shopping." "I went to the mall." And as the children are asking these questions, they realize, "I need to be sure to say these details, because it's a pretty important part." Student: I fell, and then I hit my head on my table. It was a round table, and it was a coffee one. Stayce: Journal is great. Academically, they're writing, they're reading every day. But more importantly, they're going to be talking to people the rest of their life. So that's my big push for it is learning how to socialize and communicate with other people. Stayce: All right, which story are you going to vote on? Are you going to vote on the teeth? Are you going to vote on the sick? Narrator: The students consider each story and vote on which one to write about and illustrate that day. Stayce: Hey, guys, I'm looking for those periods that go at the end of sentences. Stayce: Now I hear another sound in "hi-s." "Hi-s." Student: "C?" Stayce: Mm hm. Narrator: Early student writing rarely conforms to conventional spelling rules. But principal Lilli Land sees value in allowing creative alternatives. Lilli: A five-year-old child should not be expected to spell every word conventionally correct. Many 35-year-olds may not spell every word conventionally correct, but use "spell check" when they're on the computer. But with a young child, you want to turn them onto the writing. "Man, I can write this! You know, I can be an author!" Student: I'm having a good time. Lilli: So you get those juices going, you get the kids interested. They write, and then the way that they write gives the teacher very useful information about where they are in their development in the stages of reading. Coach: I would probably say you're exactly right. Most of the time we're going to see that "s," it's going to be an "s." Stayce: Right. Coach: And we're still looking at September so let's look at where he is now. Stayce: All right. Narrator: In addition to a dedicated reading coach, the Center has installed "Smart Boards" in every classroom to enhance their literacy effort. Sandy: What's that letter? Student: "b." Sandy: "b." All right. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to pull this "b" on top of that "d." Pull it down. Now, are they the same? No. Sandy: Before you could show it to them. But the fact that they can bring it over and put it on top of each other, and because they can manipulate it, makes it so much easier for them to learn, and it's so much fun for them to do. And they're actually in charge of it. they have the power. And therefore, it's more pertinent to them, I think. Sandy: What's that letter? Student: "n." Sandy: What's that letter? Student: "e." Sandy: What's that letter? Student: "n." Sandy: Look how smart you are. You're so smart, I can't even take it! All right, what comes after... Teacher: How do you like going on the big white boards, and going on the Internet? Jared: You can just learn! Lilli: Technology has really just taken us to another level. Teacher: It says, "All the plants or plant life of a place." Lilli: When kids have questions about things that they are learning, then it's just with a click of the mouse, and they're there. And not only can they just get information, but they can see all kinds of pictures. They can see video clips. So it just opens the door to their world of learning. Sandy: Look! It's not anaconda. It's an otter! Why do you think the otter's coming up there? Student: ’Cause he eats anacondas! Sandy: He's probably saying, "Look! I have dinner. I'm going to eat me some anacondas," isn't he? Sandy: These kids have a very authentic, real purpose for learning. Teacher: Now, Jordan's going to stamp your passport. Lilli: We're trying to teach them to be lifelong learners. What are resources? When you want to find something out, what do you do? You don't go to an adult, and just have them feed you all the information you know. You have to learn to be a problem solver. And you have to be resourceful. And we have to keep them excited about the process of learning. Student: Don't go yet! Because there's lots of airplanes and birds covering the sky. Student: Okay. I'm hanging up A marble rolls down a ramp, and children cheer as it reaches the target they have adjusted numerous times. After a small-group reading of Frog and Toad, children gather in a community of inquiry to discuss the nature of being scared and brave at the same time. In an adjacent area, two children complete their construction of treasure chests. They begin classifying rocks as gems or geodes, sorting them into the compartments of their wooden creations. A child preserves flowers using waxed paper and heavy books in the science center. These are activities occurring in a project- and play-based early learning classroom, where children are exploring the concepts of living and non-living things. These and other early learning experiences that support inquiry and creativity have significant long-term benefits. Thinking is an art form, similar to the actions of a visual artist perfecting his or her craft. We must focus on creative learning dispositions early, during the brain's most active period of synaptic growth. I suggest five strategies that can be implemented in early learning classrooms and beyond, to support children's long-term success with rigorous learning standards. The strategies range in complexity and cultural commitment. Therefore, I recommend starting small and building a culture of student-centered learning and flexibility, prior to full-scale implementation. 1. Practice PBL and STEM Within Community Partnerships PBL (project-based learning) supports teachers in developing authentic learning experiences with a focus on inquiry-based instruction. Content is key, so I recommend outlining flexible project guides vetted through learning standards within the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. For example, the traditional community helpers project can extend beyond the policeman, firefighter, and grocer careers by focusing on a marine biologist, astronaut, civil engineer, or architect. Then align the project guides to relevant community partners and request that they provide you with authentic problems to solve. You can guide or assist professional project partners to ensure the creation of age-appropriate questions with a focus on community impact. Align each project with a greater good by allowing young students to be change agents within their local communities. Whether it is planting milkweed for an endangered butterfly species or donating excess crops from your edible schoolyard to the local food bank, there are many ways to make impact tangible for children. 2. Engage in Purposeful Play A kindergarten student rolls sushi in the dramatic play center during The Ninja Project, an exploration of the senses. Purposeful play should be the central learning experience in early learning classrooms. It's a natural way of learning that supports creativity and imagination. Learning centers should include a library, manipulatives, science, dramatic play, engineering/blocks and art/makerspace areas. Provision these learning centers to support your project work and learning objectives. Intentional teaching opportunities can be incorporated through open-ended literacy and mathematics games, science experiments, and fine motor skills, to name a few. Couple these materials with oral language and Bloom's Taxonomy poster prompts placed in each center for quick reference. Use the prompts to intentionally scaffold children's thinking as you coach and model their play. 3. Provide Opportunities for Student-Centered Constructionism Turn your art center into a mini-makerspace, as it abounds with DIY materials. Engage students in the design process by creating a visual poster about design steps. Include the following steps:
4. "Bloom" Your Books Bloom's Taxonomy is complex, so rather than tackling the content in its entirety, vet out age-appropriate question prompts and use them to guide your read-aloud conversations. Planning ahead and intentionality are key. Repurpose the library pockets that are used for checking out books and index cards to intentionally level comprehension questions in your weekly picture book selection. The tactile prompt can be placed in the back of the book for future use, allowing you to build a library of "bloomed" books. Support your children's deeper understanding of the picture book's purpose through small group discussions, advancing your level of questioning each day. 5. Partake in Picture-Book Philosophy Picture books hold deep philosophical curiosities. Create a community of inquiry as a social-emotional tool to build a respectful discussion community. Teach children to listen and respect the ideas of others. Give them freedom to change their minds when new information arises. With time and ongoing discussion, you will witness your students' thinking evolve. Teaching Children Philosophy offers an excellent resource for free book suggestions with accompanying guides. A strong house must be built upon a solid foundation. We must nurture children's minds in early learning through play, wonder, imagination, and exploration to ensure success as they move forward in their learning careers. You have the power to make a change in your school or classroom. I encourage you to take the first steps! Parent involvement is the number one predictor of early literacy success and future academic achievement. However, according to a 2007 report by National Endowment for the Arts, there are more literate people in the United States who don't read than those who are actually illiterate. How do we change that pattern for the future of our children?
PreK/Early Childhood Development Domains Educators and parents alike know that preschool-age children need a lot of modeling to navigate through social/emotional, cognitive and gross/fine motor skills. Many experts in the field of education in the last decade have emphasized the importance of play-based curriculum and its vital role in developing a child's imagination and social skills. Learning to get along with others is modeled and developed throughout the preK years and a child's formative years through programs under the umbrella of SEI (Social/Emotional Skills): anger management, problem-solving and empathy skills. Kindergarten teachers are thankful for the beginning role that preK teachers play in this initial modeling and development. Fine and gross motor skills are honed through everyday preK learning activities such as cutting, drawing, sorting, painting, catching, throwing, kicking, hopping, jumping and writing one's name. Cognition Domain: Early Literacy Needs Today However, recent preK research has focused specifically on cognition within early childhood development and on how parent involvement fits into preK literacy development. Past early literacy research emphasized the importance of daily adult/child reading time, as well as having 100 or more books in one's home, and its link to a child being academically ready and successful in kindergarten. Recent research has proved that reading as a stand-alone activity will not help children with pre-literacy skills (Phillips et al., 2008). Unfortunately, the latest research on parent involvement in early literacy has stressed that children need to be given more specific skills while being read to in order to be successful with early literacy skills (Roberts, Jurgens, & Burchinal, M., 2005). Parent Involvement: What Skills Need to be Part of a Daily Routine? Parent involvement in early literacy is directly connected to academic achievement. Children need parents to be their reading role models with daily practice in order to navigate successfully through beginning literacy skills. According to research, parents should focus on the words on the page while reading with their preK reader (Evans, Shaw, Bell, 2000). Here are some strategies for beginning and seasoned readers' literacy success:
Using games to teach can increase student engagement and add meaning to learning. Hands-on apps give children the ability to mix tactile play with a digital experience. Thanks to augmented reality, more and more apps in the market blur the line between digital and analog. For example, Bloxels, new from Pixel Press, uses color-coded blocks that can be scanned in with an iPad camera to create a video game level. Osmo is another digital/analog blend. The kit includes a stand and a reflector for an iPad camera, enabling users to play with physical tangram puzzles or word games. Hands-On Game Jam This summer, I organized a hands-on game jam day at the A. Harry Moore School at New Jersey City University, which serves students from ages 3- 21 who have low-incidence disabilities. Many of the students are in wheelchairs. For the opening whole-group session, I showed a BrainPOP video about video games. Next, everyone was given a hands-on task: to explore the "playability" of objects. Each table had an assortment of plastic cups, ping-pong balls, string, tape, and other items. The goal was to make a simple game out of everyday objects. A cup would no longer serve its intended purpose for drinking water. Instead, it became a basketball hoop, a phone (attached to a string), and a hat! This theme reoccurred throughout the day. Tactile and kinesthetic learning would be paired with game-like activities. For more on the playability of objects, check out Institute of Play's Beta Game Kit. Teachers next hosted 30-minute breakout sessions in different classrooms, taking care to ensure that students were as active as possible in playing, creating, and designing. One room featured Compose Yourself, a new game from ThinkFun (publisher of the coding board game Robot Turtles, Laser Maze,MakerStudio, and other fun learning toys). Compose Yourself was designed by music composer Philip Sheppard. As with many good games, Compose Yourself emphasizes play first. After all, writing music is hard. To play, choose cards from the set. Each is transparent and adorned with a measure of music notes. They can be flipped around or turned over. Enter one of the four accompanying codes on each card into a computer browser and listen to a world-class orchestra play the melody back! Students can then download and share their compositions. They can also print out their songs. This enables children to play with musical compositions. This video shows you how to play Compose Yourself. Playing With Tech Constructasaurus, playable for free on BrainPOP Jr.'s GameUp page, was next. Developed by the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, it gives students the opportunity to build a dinosaur. Once built, the dinosaur is "tested" -- too top heavy and it might tip over! This game activity worked well on an interactive whiteboard. Another classroom remixed the party game HedBanz. The facilitating teacher adapted the reverse-charades guessing game to also include objects, and students were given blank index cards to make their own variations. Teacher-facilitated modifications helped achieve the goal of keeping everyone engaged in a playful experience. The gym featured Sphero, the robotic iPad-controlled ball. Students were given the chance to maneuver it though an obstacle course. Not surprisingly, some children opted to play around with the Sphero, guiding it outside of the planned obstacles. Keeping with the spirit of play and fun, this was encouraged. I ran the Makey Makey session. The kit essentially hacks a computer's keyboard to a tiny, external device. Next, attach one end of the color-coded alligator clips to the Makey Makey device and the other end to a low-conductive object, like fruit, Play D'oh, or aluminum foil. Doing so turns everyday objects into computer keys, such as the space bar or the arrow keys. Using one of the many Makey Makey-themed Scratch projects, I turned bananas into a drum kit. When students walked into the room, they were greeted with me playing the banana cowbell. At first, one of the children remarked that it was "all weird and awkward" to use anything but the keyboard attached to the laptop. After I explained basic circuitry, I handed her some Play D’oh. I then challenged her to make a customized video game controller. By the end of the session, she remarked, "This was fun!" As it turned out, the girl who began as a skeptic played a round of Pac-Man using her hacked game controller! Keeping the Fun in Game-Based Learning Games should serve as a tool for teaching and learning. Don't let the constraints of rules create a structure that is too rigid. Students require freedom to play within the game's system. Hands-on, tactile play is an engaging solution to keep game-based learning fun! Parent involvement in their children's education can be one of the biggest predictors of student success. This guide offers 19 proven strategies for increasing family engagement and strengthening the home-to-school connection. The recommendations were contributed by the educators and parents of the two great communities at Edutopia.org and GreatSchools.org. Great Article By Lisa Johnson regarding the why to use iPads in the classroom to get maxium results. I think we would all agree that a classroom with iPads looks and functions very differently than a classroom without iPads. While many administrators and support staff complete standard walk-throughs, some of them struggle with what to look for beyond the basics when it comes to evaluating a classroom infused with iPads.
Recently, our district started offering iLEAP academies, which blend classroom site visits and in-house professional development for districts all over my state. Many of the attendees are administrators, support staff, and teachers that have limited familiarity with 1:1 classrooms but are seeking best practices to take back to their own schools and campuses as they implement a 1:1 iPad initiative or pilot. When I began searching for ways to facilitate this type of classroom visit, I happened on an excellent list ofobservation tips for a traditional classroom but found nothing specifically tailored to iPads. Thus, I felt there was need to create a "What to Look For" list that would embody the behind-the-scenes and not-always-obvious instructional pieces to look for when visiting a classroom with iPads. These tips are very granular and specific to iPads, but could easily be adapted for other 1:1 settings. Student Behavior
Author's note: Many thanks to Cathy Yenca, amazing teacher and fellow Apple Distinguished Educator, for letting me share snapshots of her 1:1 iPad classroom as a framework for my look-for list and this post. LISA JOHNSON'S PROFILE The school year is over! Yeah! But as you know, teachers' minds immediately turn to what we can do differently next year. Considering the fact that classroom management is one of the biggest challenges teachers face, we are always searching for something that will work. This year I started using ClassDojo, a classroom management system that has consistently helped me with the behaviors in my classroom. It's very easy to set up whether you're using an Apple or Android device -- there's an app available for both. With this tool, I was able to accomplish the following three goals. 1. Improving Behavior ClassDojo is simple to use. You set up a class, or classes. Each class has avatars assigned for each of your students. Once your class is set up, you have the ability to award points, affectionately known as "dojos" in my classroom, for positive or negative behavior. You can award individual or multiple students. The app comes with a list of behaviors, but you can create your own list. That's what I did as the school year wore on (i.e. homework, contest winner, etc.). ClassDojo can be used with your interactive whiteboard, laptops, desktops or smart phones. Students get immediate feedback to their behavior by the distinctive sound made when their avatar is clicked. I rarely assign negative behavior points. My students know that if they earned a negative, it had to be a big deal. I found that positive points motivate my students and have a greater impact on their behavior. Students love getting "dojo" points! They love hearing the sound of a positive dojo, and dread the sound of a negative one. A positive or negative sound has everyone looking at the board and then getting back to work. Teachers are a creative bunch and have found a variety of ways to use those points. I buy a prize at a one dollar store to award the student with the most points at the end of every quarter, and then I reset their bubbles. You choose what's best for you and your students. But even without prizes, I know students enjoy accumulating points. I introduced ClassDojo to other teachers in my school, and even those who are not tech-savvy use it. When students come to me for Book Club or Math Intervention, I have separate "dojo" classes for each of them. The students respond to ClassDojo. 2. Sharing Data ClassDojo automatically keeps track of the behavior in your classroom by tracking the behaviors that were clicked. You can set it up to create reports that are emailed to the parents. Parents can connect through printed or emailed invites. Once they connect, they receive an email every Friday reminding them to view their child's reports. The parents of my students enjoy receiving the reports because it keeps them in the loop. The reports are easy to read. You are able to set the range, daily or weekly, that you want to view. The information is provided in a donut that shows the percentage of clicked behaviors and underneath a written version of the data for each day. This data can all be accumulated into end-of-year reports. ClassDojo recently added Trendspotter, which allows the teacher to look for trends in student behavior. This is a great way to reflect on what is or is not working in your classrooms. For example, you may notice that on Fridays you have the greatest amount of negative points. You can use this data to reflect on why Fridays seem to be difficult, what you can do to change it, and use data from Trendspotter to see if your strategies worked. Students also have access to their data if you provide them with accounts. Print their login codes, and let them sign in. They can customize their avatars, which they love, and keep track of their dojo points even when they’re not in school. 3. Saving Time ClassDojo saves time by recording behaviors and accomplishments in the class with just one click. I don't know about you, but I remember a time when I would put checkmarks on the board. Usually I ran out of room, and even worse, it was completely ineffective. I leave ClassDojo on the Smartboard all day. It's not always visible, but the sound can be heard. Whether I'm working with small groups or greeting students at the door, I have my iPhone in my hand. I'm ready to give out positives or negatives without leaving my seat or entering the classroom. A definite time saver! ClassDojo recently added some great new features: attendance, a timer, and my favorite: Random. I created a behavior called "deserving random" which I use during our transitions. You can connect with ClassDojo and its users on Twitter, Facebook, Edmodoand Pinterest. Seeing what others have shared will help you decide whether to make this your go-to classroom management tool for the new school year. Looking for information on guiding classroom communities, minimizing disruptions, and developing class routines to help students stay engaged and focused on learning? This resource collection is packed with useful tips, tools, and advice. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER 2, 2014 | UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 4, 201 Resources by Topic: Building Positive Learning Communities
Teaching Class Rules and Routines
Facilitating Student Focus and Attention
Addressing Disruptive Behaviors
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