What Good News/What Bad News (I Got the Key to my New Room)

Okay the good news first: I got the key to my new room. And more good news: when I went to get the key, I also got to meet my new principal!  (I'm thankful that she offered to hand out keys a little early. I don't want to spend the rest of my summer vacation getting reading for school to start, but I do like to have access. I've been working on a few things at home this summer, and I was very happy to get a pile of projects out of my entryway and into the classroom!)

And more good news! My room is in a great location. It's close to the parking lot and the office. It's also much closer to the cafeteria than my old room was, and it's very close to the bathrooms, which will be great for first graders.

Carmen, my next door neighbor from last year, is smart, supportive, and funny, and I just loved having her next door. Guess what? She has moved to a new room, also, and we will still be pretty close. So that's good news!

Bad news, you ask? Really? Are you sure you're ready? It's pretty bad.

What's that saying? "A picture is worth a thousand words?" Are the thousand words more like screaming sounds?

The bad news: my new room.



That's a lot of boxes, friends. You can barely even see the counter!



Are you thinking that it looks like it's pretty disorganized? Yeah, me too. It bothers me that I see at least one bookcase on its side. I should have fixed that before taking a picture...



And this picture couldn't be more misleading! Doesn't it look like the room is just gigantic?! I can assure you that it's not!



The doors in the first picture lead to the classroom next door. The doors in this picture lead to a closet. It's not big enough for too much, but I'm planning to put my little fridge and microwave in there... and if there's room, I'll fill the rest of the space with textbooks.

Total side note: In the last picture, you can see a little pink dollhouse. It was given to me by a principal from a few years ago. She is a total gem, loves kids like crazy, and passed this dollhouse along to me when her daughter decided she was too old for it. I love it! Every time we have Choice Time, my students get that dollhouse out first. And I always think of Michelle, and what a treat it was working with her!

So I have some work to do... and this year I'm going to shake things up just a bit.  When the room is unpacked and organized and ready for students, I'll take pictures and let you know...because it will be good news!

Talk Blocks

When I ordered the Talk Points I talked about in my last post, I also ordered a set of five Talk Blocks!



The Talk Blocks are pretty much the same idea as the Talk Points.  You can record messages on them and play them back later. But there are a few differences:

1. While the Talk Points hold a ten-second message, the Talk Blocks hold a thirty-second message.

2. Talk Blocks are more expensive.

3. Talk points are cylindrical, and the Talk Blocks are a square shape.

4. The Talk Blocks have a clear, removable cover. Big deal, you say? Well, you can remove the cover and place a picture under it. Or a word. Or a drawing. You know, each Talk Block can be personalized in some way.

So I have a couple of ideas to use right away. You knew I did, right?

My first idea is to use the Talk Blocks for book recommendations. Each week five students (five because I have five Talk Blocks, but I'm hoping to get a class set at some point!) would get turns to recommend books. Each student would choose a favorite book, write something about it, and then record himself reading it. The written piece might include elements from recent reading comprehension lessons, if applicable. It could be along the lines of the children's recommendations in Reading Rainbow episodes. After the students have completed  their recommendations, each Talk Block, along with a copy of the book being recommended could be placed in a central area to be shared with other students.

Another thought I had was to use them for science and art. We do lots and lots of animal studies in my class. A student could research an animal, complete a writing piece, and record himself or herself reading it. The Talk Block could be placed with student- created diagrams and maps related to the animal, as well as texts, and the class could take a gallery walk!  Other students could view the diagram and push the Talk Block to learn more about the animal.

I'm so pleased to have two interesting new technology toys tools to use with my first graders when school starts.

Need some Talk Blocks of your own? Click HERE.

Talk Points

I'm so, so excited about my new Talk Points!

One day, I was exploring all over the web and I came across these little gems. I saw this picture on Amazon and read the descriptions.



Talk Points are little recordable devices. There's a switch on the back that you flip to record a message. Then move the switch to "play" and press the button to hear your message. I saw them and thought that they would be so useful at literacy centers. Sometimes when the activity is new, students need a reminder about what to do, even if I've already given directions. If I had Talk Points, I thought, students could press the button, hear the directions again, and get on with their work.

I began reading reviews... and honestly, they were mixed. Some people said that the Talk Points were really useful for classrooms, that children thought they were fun and engaging, and they were easy to use. A few people said that they were great for giving students directions. Others complained that it was too easy to erase the recorded messages on the Talk Points, that they were not made well, or that students played with them rather than using them for their intended purpose. A few reviews said that the time limit, ten seconds, wasn't long enough to be useful. (I got out my iPhone stopwatch and recorded myself giving a few different directions that I might use for literacy centers. I figured that if I was going to need more than ten seconds, then perhaps I need to teach the center better to start with.)  So those negative reviews sounded more like management issues than product issues to me, and I decided to order the Talk Blocks, anyway.

Of course, that two-day, Amazon Prime shipping was a little to slow for me. Haha. I was so excited thinking about the possibilities that every time I heard a truck drive by I nearly ran out to the front porch!

And two days later...  they arrived, right on schedule! Here's a photo to show their size.



I unwrapped them immediately and began trying them out!

Though I haven't used them with students, yet, I think they are going to be just exactly what I wanted! No, the sound quality isn't nearly as good as the Bose speakers in my car. And no, ten seconds isn't even close to an entire lesson. But for a quick review of instructions (for students who can't read instructions!) they will be great.

I had another thought, as well. The set I got has five Talk Points, all different colors. I was thinking that I could record a different math problem into each one, and put all five at a math center. Students could listen to the problem, discuss with a partner, listen again to clarify and solve together!

I just know I'm going to come up with tons of ways to use these! I can't wait to try them out with my students!

 

Finding Technology Where I Thought There Was None

When teachers talk about their amazing tech tools, it used to make me feel a little jealous. A whole class set of iPads? I wish! But after going on a treasure hunt in my own house, I am feeling excited and lucky. I have more than I thought I had!

Of course, I still have a few items on my wish list. I'd love love love to have a few iPads or e-readers for students to use. And I found a little gadget today called a Boogie Board.

 



The "Rip" model allows students to make sketches on the pad, and then save their work as a PDF. Aaaaaaagh! Fun! Want!

But I'm still feeling pretty happy! Look what I found!



Let's see... what have we here? First, that's a third generation iPod nano in the top left. Funny, that iPod just "appeared" at our house a few years ago. Someone left it at some point, but we can't figure out who it was! We've asked everyone we know, but there have been times when lots of kids are coming and going, and I'm guessing that it belonged to a teenager. One of life's mysteries. Thank you to it's original owner... I'm taking it to school!

Next, in the top middle is a Nikon CoolPix camera that one of my daughters got for Christmas a few years ago. She loved that camera and has taken very good care of it. But now she has an iPhone, which is super convenient... and the camera doesn't get used. Isn't she sweet to donate ithe camera to my classroom?!

In the top right, an "OLD" iPhone. It's actually an iPhone 4, so not completely ancient... I'm going to load stories and Reading Rainbow episodes onto it and let my first graders enjoy it! Of course, it can also be used for still photography and video recording.

Bottom left: Check it out!...a near-antique! ...Kids, that's an iPod. When it was purchased, that's the only name it had. Now it's referred to as a Classic. Purchase date was 2006, and my husband used this during his very long commute on the train. He watched movies and listened to music and frankly, we were all a little amazed. You can hear the hard drive spinning away... Gone is my husband's long commute, and with it his need for this iPod. It's mine now! My students can use it to watch Reading Rainbow or listen to reading.

That camera in the middle of the bottom row is a Flip Video. It's a great little camera, and the students will be using it in a completely "hands-on" way.

And finally, my iPod nano. I've been running with this little gem for years now. And I love it. But my wonderful husband upgraded it for my birthday last week. The addition of the radio on my new iPod is a treat. Now I can tune in to television shows at the gym! So the old nano goes straight to my classroom, too.

Look around your house! See what you can find!

 

 

Technology in First Grade on the First Day

Did I mention that the day I spent at Google was inspiring? No? Well, I've been thinking of everything school and Google and technology and collaboration and creativity ever since... and while I can't give Google credit for all my ideas... that day made a difference for me.

I had an extremely hard year last year. I had unbelievable challenges. The population at my school is not a particularly easy one anyway, but last year was extra special, if you know what I mean. It was one of *those* years. Times a hundred. Or maybe a thousand. Egad. I worked way, way too hard. I'm feeling the need for a margarita just writing about it!

When school ended, I didn't feel relieved right away. My husband jokes that I was experiencing a little Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Whatever it was, it took a few weeks for it to sink in--- That. Year. Finally. Ended. Soon after that, I let a few thoughts about next year sneak into my brain. And when I went to the Google Geo Teachers Institute, I admit my expectations were low. Heck, I was still trying to forget last year, and I wasn't ready in the least to begin thinking about next year. But then I met some talented teachers and learned about some amazing tools and I got all excited.

Last year, the technology in my room was limited to the four iPods my students use to listen to stories. I take that back. I also had a MacBook Pro (district issue!), a LCD projector and document camera, and my own iPhone. I used the camera on my phone every single day for both still shots and video. And the document camera, LCD and MacBook got quite a bit of use. But I didn't have a lot in terms of "hands on" technology tools for my students.

Our school had two beautiful computer labs.



Okay, I'm not so sure about "beautiful," but I was really pretty thrilled when I first saw them. Brand new iMacs! There were thirty computers in each one, so during my lab time (every day for 30-40 minutes) my students each had an iMac to use. However, they had limited choices for how they used those computers. Wait. Who am I kidding?! Their choices were so limited that THERE WAS NO CHOICE. Two days a week, students used an online math program. Bleh. Three days a week, they used an online program with a reading emphasis. The math program was somewhat engaging, and the students liked it better than the reading program. The reading program caused many children to throw tantrums and refuse to participate. Honestly, I can't blame them. It was as close to a drill and kill phonics ditto on a computer that I've ever seen. But even worse than a ditto, if students missed any questions on a level, they had to re-do all the "activities" on that level. And there wasn't any teaching happening in this program. Omg. I could go on for hours. The kids hated it and I hated it, and despite the "research" praising the program and outlining all the magical things it could do, it just didn't work for my students.

Every day, I thought about those instructional minutes. Thirty to forty minutes per day were dedicated to those two programs (mandatory, with each students' minutes monitored by the district,) and yet I felt like I never had enough time to teach everything I felt I needed to. I started to share my feelings, and explain the reasons why I thought the time was not well spent. Every child, no matter his reading/math levels, was required to be "on" that computer for  the prescribed number of minutes every day. I just didn't see the point. They weren't engaged, it wasn't good instruction, and at least twenty students asked to use the bathroom during the computer lab time every single day. That was telling!

Thankfully, I was heard. At the end of the year, the decision was made to break up the computer labs and distribute the computers among all the classrooms. Yahoo! So now I can add "four iMacs" to my classroom technology inventory. And although I probably won't be able to completely wiggle out of having to use those online math and reading programs (it will likely be required for some students), I have bigger plans for  those iMacs!

And so... some of my plans for incorporating technology on the first day of school:

1. I am going to teach a quick lesson on how to use Photo Booth on the iMacs, and on the very first day, I will have students record themselves talking about... themselves! I plan to put all those recordings together into a little show about our class. Students can learn about each other when they watch it, and you can bet I'll have some writing activities to follow up the viewing! (Likely they won't watch it the first day, but probably a couple of days later.)

2.  I'll be using my iPhone... to take pictures and video of students on the first day. I always send a note home with students during the first week. Last year, my notes looked like this:



I had ordered those post cards from Vistaprint several years ago. This year, I'm going to create my own cards and I'm planning to include a photo of each child. I will also be taking video to use in my Back to School Night presentation.

2. While scrounging around home for any technology bits to take to school (more on that later), I found the Flip Video camera that I got for free a few years ago. All I had to do was attend a workshop to learn to use it, and it was mine! I know that there are better versions. I got my Flip Video about four years ago. But it takes decent video and it is simple enough for a first grader to use successfully.



And those first graders are going to use it a lot this year. I want students to take videos of each other, and we are going to start the first day. Our first project is going to be a presentation about the rules. After I teach procedures to the students, I am going to have one student record while the other students practice and demonstrate. Behavior is a gigantic issue at my school! Last year some of us were on a committee to help establish new procedures based on PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.) I will review those procedures from last year, have students record each other, and we will compile to create a group project. And I know I can find a way to share that project with the other classes at our school. Bazinga!

4. And my last bit of technology for the first day... my students will be taking lots of digital pictures! I know, I know, my plans are pretty heavy on the visual technology side. But we have to start somewhere, right? I want students to have practice using the digital cameras I have (old cameras my children and friends of mine used before we all had iPhones!) First they need to know how to use the cameras, and then later they can do great things with the pictures!

I'm actually getting excited about going back to school! I can wait to share lots of technology tools with my first graders, and watch them use them in meaningful ways!

New Pete the Cat Book!

I ordered two copies of this new book today. My little darling "A" wasn't the only one in my class who loved Pete last year... all my students loved Pete!



I can't wait to read it and share it with my first graders!

And guess what?! There's another new Pete book coming out in October! Such fun!



 

Listen to Reading

I remember spending hours on the couch snuggled up with blankets and a cat or two, reading with my children. I have so many fond memories of reading them the same book, over and over.  With my daughter, Alexandra, that favorite book was Red Is Best by Kathy Stinson. For Cameron, it was a little board book called This Is Me by Lenore Blegvad.



He loved that book, and I  loved it, too. "This is my bed. This is my light. These are my kisses and this is goodnight." It was so worn and falling apart by the time he was three that I bought a second copy. It's a treasure.

So many of my students at school haven't had the experience my own children and I had. Lots of my students last year have parents who cannot read in English. Others have parents who work two or three jobs and just aren't there to read.

While it's obviously not a substitute, providing a time and resources for children to listen to reading gave my students a way to listen to stories... and for some students, it was the same story, over and over again!

A few years ago, I wrote a grant and got four iPod Nanos for my classroom. I loaded every recorded story I could find onto the iPods... some were from CDs I'd purchased, a couple were from iTunes, and some were free mp3s I found online. I had four iPods, so I made four totes of books. In each tote, I put a copy of every story on the iPod. And then I let the kids loose with them.

Oh my! They LOVED the iPods!

One student found his favorite book thanks to the iPods. Darling little "A," who is pretty tough on the outside, absolutely fell in love with Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. And Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes. And Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. If there were a "Pete the Cat learns Calculus while standing next to smelly garbage and juggling knives," he would love that, too. Pete just somehow spoke to "A."



Every change he got, "A" grabbed an iPod, and listened to one of the Pete the Cat stories. And after a few days, he was singing along. And magically, his reading skills improved dramatically over a month or two. Now, "A" is hooked. He's a reader for certain. I can't let the iPod take all the credit, but the opportunities "A" had to listen made a huge difference for him. I fully expect that he'll be back at the beginning of the year, asking if he can listen during recess or after school!

So yesterday, I got a new iPod for my birthday (THANK YOU KEN!) so I'm going to take my old iPod to school. It's a second generation... so it may not last forever! My students have been really careful with the other iPods, so I don't see why this one can't last a while longer. Of course, I'll erase all the Lady Gaga, ACDC, U2, Black Eyed Peas, and Wicked songs that were on my running playlist!

On that note, here's a tip for iPods in the classroom: Don't make playlists. I can't tell you how many times my students erased the playlists. It was unintentional, and it confused them! I showed the children how to go right to the "Music" section and match the file names with the book titles. My first graders were completely able to do this---even those who were not yet decoding proficiently.