Thursday, July 21, 2016

Flipquizme.Com

   I just discovered this site and what I really want to know is why did I not ever find this before now???

   Flipquizme.  is a free site where you develop your own Jeopardy style review of your topic and use it with your students! Of course there is an upgrade  which you pay for and then can  copy and paste  other games that  other teachers have made.

  Flipquizme is a site where you custom tailor  your own review game for use with your students.   I tried using a similar jeopardy  game for review this year with my students. I wish I would have had this  - it should be really fun!  Even thought I did  not use this site - most of the kids did like my version , but this would be even better!

  There is a built in timer for each answer. You plug in how many teams you have , so it keeps track of that also. You can also deduct points for wrong answers.

  If you look at the Demo, you can get a good idea of how it works. You can revel the answer which is fun and a good reinforcement!  Aware the points and go on to the next question!  There is a tutorial from 2014 on Y Tube- but I think  will be very easy to use!
www.flipquizme.com

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Still More Benefits of Blogging!

    Sorry  to say( not really) but the more I keep reading  and thinking about  the benefits of blogging  with students. I can't wait to do this and encourage my teachers to do also with their classes!  Yes I know  we need more laptops!!!

   Using blogs with students  will cause development of expertise in one subject area. Maybe not all students but a majority will  .  When reading and writing is focused on one topic increased learning , and skills will be  seen( according to reports I've read- which I  would assume would be the case.This will create for the students and the class a vast database of learning that is built on.

  Blogging will expose new literacy's  that students will need to function in the every expanding information based society on the internet.   New information grows rapidly every  month. Students will learn a way to process , analyze and interpret their findings .

  More and more careers will require research, organization  and syntheses  of ideas . This will help many students obtain and advance in   their career choice.


Thursday, July 14, 2016

More Benefits of Blogging in Schools

  The more I read about blogging with students, the more I see  how many benefits there are.  I know that all students are different but it seems  totally worth it to explore  blogging  within you class and subject.

  Blogging expands the walls of the classroom. Blogging helps students connect with each other outside of t he class  by  allowing them to  share comments and questions . The possibility also exists of connecting with others that are not in the physical class.   Students can connect with other students who have the same grade and subject,  or experts/ authors  to discuss results, thoughts. experiments, ect.

    Blogging with students has the active/ reflective learning archived. The blog keeps a history of the work that is done in an organized  and shareable space which can show growth  and development in writing and  thinking skills.

  Thirdly, the blog is tool that supports different learning styles. Students who are shy or self conscious  in class may feel blogging is a safer way to share.  All students have a voice and ideas that they can share thru writing, video clips, art, ect. Students then feel a sense of ownership which can lead to greater participation.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

WWW.CoffeecupsandLessonplans

  This site( coffee cups and lesson plans)  is written by a 6th grade teacher. She has tons of terrific ideas which I think could be adapted either up or down a grade or two. I am planning on sharing this site with  my middle school teachers  just because her ideas seem to make learning interesting and fun . If the students are more engaged then they will become more interested and also learn more!

  She has a page of dedicated  to reading and writing topics. This has lots of ideas fir writing  activities. She also suggests books to use for writing prompts. Many of the activities  are for low cost ( teachers pay teachers ) or  Free!  Free is always good.

  There is also a math page  which also has many ideas  for activities ad lessons that will help students learn and remember Math skills.

   There is a Freebies page that lists recent freebies. Also  there is a clip art page  that highlights quality clip-art( mostly free).
Al long the way ( int the reading and writing section there are a few science and social studies activities that give teachers ideas to help them create  and expand their lessons.

All around , check this out  to see the ideas  and activities  on this site. I think you will find something or an idea to use!

Friday, July 8, 2016

Benefits of Blogging By Students

     The classroom walls expand by student blogging.They can connect with other students in their school and collaborate and communicate with them.  They can share ideas, insights, and questions about the book or topic at hand.  As they acquire skills they can also share  perhaps podcasts ( audio & video)  or photos!  They can also share links  they might find that are related  to the book or subject at hand.  They will be constructing and expanding their knowledge.

  By blogging , the comments , questions, review, and sharing is archived. As educators we will be able to  see the history of the student  thinking and wiring  and thus see the progression/ growth of this  work as it develops.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Blogs for School Book Clubs

  I am going to create a blog for our school book clubs . I think I am deciding on  having two blogs (but am not sure yet) , one for 7th grade and one for 8th grade. 

 What I want students to be able to do is to leave comments on the books  they are reading within in the  group.  This will also allow between meetings   a way for students to bounce around question and ideas   about the story. Perhaps at the end , also creating a readers guide for the book When they are finished  we might even be able ( big wish) to get the author ot comment to questions! 

 Students may also bounce around ideas for titles  for the next month . They can suggest titles and we can vote on it when the  book is finished. 

 Use of the blog for the book group will allow for a constructivist   tool for he student  to  build their interest and ideas. Hopefully  this will encourage more independent reading by the students in the group. I am hoping to have it open to all students in the school and this will perhaps more students to joining the book groups! 

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Blogging for School Students- First Steps

  Before your class (or group) starts blogging, it would be a good idea to send a letter hoe to parents and guardians  discussing how the group will work.

   Include in this also a permission letter with terms and condition that both student and parent will sign and return.  This will lay out students behavior  on the blog,  and what is expected of the student. This can also include consequences for students who do not follow the guidelines. 

  We want students  to become users of blogs by sharing ideas, analyzing the work/ book given  and participating/ collaborating with their classmagtes. This may lead to more global interaction thru the internet.