What Can I Add???

I've read the previous blogs.  It seems we are all on the same page at this point.  We're all trying to implement various apps into our classroom, and the kids are loving it.  In my classroom, we use our iPads daily even if it's just to log into Think Through Math or Sumdog or XtraMath.  It's been great to have more access for students than when we had just two desktops sitting in our classrooms. 

We've also experimented with apps like PicCollage and ShowMe, and the kids have had fun "explaining what they know."   My new teacher favorite is Nearpod.  I can use this during small group time at my table, and I love the report I can send myself at the end of each group's session that gives me feedback on how each child did.  I don't have to recall later what they could or couldn't do or spend time making notes while the kids are transitioning to their next station.

I'm still trying to learn what works and what doesn't work when it comes to apps and technolgy.  The kids are even faster and smarter than I am when it comes to using them, but that's ok! You can teach this "old dog" (21 years in the classroom) some new tricks, and she'll use them or at least try to! :)

Emerging Technologies in the Classroom

If we take a look back at education twenty years ago and we compare it with today’s education, we can recognize the complete different approach that fits the new global learner.

Every year we are faced with new challenges that require changes. All these changes have the same purpose; that our students reach their full potential and learn.

It is a fact that technology increases the pace of such changes. Today’s learner is given a variety of tools to acquire knowledge, tools that many of teachers are just familiarizing themselves with.

For some, incorporating technology has been somewhat of a struggle. However, we all use technology in our classes because we know, that our students’ futures might depend on the ability to use technology efficiently and purposefully.

I have had the opportunity to have an IPad for two years in my class. I've always tried to use it in my stations. I've used Istation, some books that can be read it through the Ipad and different math applications.

The IPad has become a pivotal tool for my stations. I still use Istation and different applications for mathematics.

Recently, I have introduced other applications such as: Chatterkid. The students used this tool to create presentations about important historical figures and were able to record their narrations.

 We have used Pieces Basic in math. Through this program, the students are able to manipulate the ten blocks and create the numbers with them.

We have used the camera to take pictures around the campus, relating our surroundings with essential science concepts.

Kahoot is a favorite for the kids. It can be used cross curricular, providing a fun way of checking for understanding.

Pic Collage and Seesaw will be introduced in the near future.

The biggest obstacle to introduce the applications to our kids the race against time.

Nevertheless, thanks to the great support provided by our math specialist, we will introduce Seesaw and she will be directly involved in the process by providing training for the students.

Our students are playing with the Ipads and they do not realize they are actually learning. It’s great to have them!

By Alexandra Hernandez

The YEAR of Many FIRSTS Including this BLOG Post!!

  As I sit here and think about what I want to blog about today, I can't help but think about how I used the iPads in my classroom last year vs. how I have used them to date.  I first received my set of iPads last year because I am a Speed 21 teacher.  After the initial shock of not having desktop computers in my classroom,  I came to the realization that those type of computers were not coming back to the classroom and I really did enjoy having the extra space that I had without that big computer table in my room.  Last year, I will admit that I used the iPads primarily for Lexia, AR testing, QR codes for my listening station and for QR Hunts around the school.  Every once in a while, we used the camera for different things and I would try a math app every now and then, but I was not consistent and my kids were not really creating anything themselves.  This year, to date, my 1st graders have already used the iPad for the Pic Collage App to create different ways to make a number and have taken pictures around the school of nouns (persons, places and things) that they then downloaded into a 3 way template they found on the Pic Collage App to sort them into person, place or thing.  They have amazed me with the things they have been able to do on this APP and we are just getting started!!  They have been very EXCITED every time that I say we are going to use the iPads and of course there will be many more times to come! 

  Then, not knowing the excitement level I had with what we have done so far would Escalate x4 when I introduced them to the Kahoot APP...LOL!  Last week, my class played our first ever Kahoot game that reviewed the 3 forms of energy.  The enthusiasm and energy level in my classroom that came with this game was AMAZING!  I have included a link to a video of my classroom so that you can get a glimpse of their excitement.  I hope that it gets you excited to use it too!  I plan to use this game frequently this year.  Even my own 8th grader says that she plays it at school too and LOVES it!  :)
Kahoot Game: https://goo.gl/photos/p4Y1m8CiVPt68X3N7

  I can admit that I was never ever scared of using/trying the iPads in my classroom, I was just not sure exactly how to use them.  With the training that has been provided this year, I can say that I feel very comfortable to try any APP now and will enjoy using them throughout this school year with my 1st graders.  I am lucky to have been given the opportunity...YAY!  :)

IPADS for the Math Classroom

It has been interesting implementing the IPADS. I was very hesitant initially not knowing how and what exactly it was that I wanted to do.  I had learned about different ideas of apps we could use during the summer. However, I wanted something that could really help me complement/supplement the instruction provided daily.  I was looking for something that would be more specific to use with math.  At the CAMT conference, I learned about some apps that could be easily integrated in my daily teachings.  Some I have already explored and used with the students, and others I still plan to use during this school year.   You can read more about each of them at the Math Learning Center webpage: http://catalog.mathlearningcenter.org/apps. These apps feel a lot like manipulatives, yet they are so much more than that.  In that page you can find a description and an explanation of each app.

 

 

 

Here you can see the students using Number Pieces Basic to learn about decimals:

 

Just today they were using Number Pieces to multiply using the distributive property.  

  

 

The kids have enjoyed using them so far. 

Loving This!!

So, after our iPad meeting the other week and hearing about how everyone was using Pic Collage, I decided to give it a try. I didn't do anything glamorous with it and could only figure out how to save their collages to the iPads' camera rolls, but it was successful and the kids loved it! I used it with a Science lessons on mixtures and solutions and the kids did a fabulous job of learning how to use the app and creating the collages. I've discovered that they are much faster learners than I am with the iPads and they are teaching me how to use some of the apps!

One of my favorite apps though has been 30 Hands. This has been a great app to use with decimals in math! I can have the kids write a decimal or a fraction and then have them record how they would say it out loud. This has been a great way for me to assess which students are really getting the concepts and who needs more work!

I haven't been brave enough to try google classroom yet, but I might have to soon... It's gotta be better than trying to lug all of those iPads home to grade the Pic Collages and 30 Hand creations they've been making!

On a more consistent day to day note, I have loved using the iPads in my math stations this year! The students love sitting around the room with them and are so motivated to get right to work when they are at the technology station! Right now I am mainly using them for Think Through Math in my math stations, because even though they would be great for science, there's a glitch with Adobe Flash Player and Stemscopes, but I know people are trying to find a work around for that. Hopefully soon!