Debbie Smith, Educational Technology
Office: 512-732-9100
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Mustang Blog
  • Coding
    • Hour of Code: Students >
      • Hour of Code Map
      • Hour of Code Video
      • 5 Reasons to Learn to Code
      • First Grade Coding Activity
      • Hour of Code Activities for 2-8
    • Hour of Code : Teachers
  • Resources
    • Staff Resources >
      • Eduphoria
    • Student Resources
    • Apps >
      • Apple Classroom
      • Book Creator Comic Pages
      • BrainPop Class Creation
      • Brainstorming Apps >
        • Notability
      • Nearpod
      • Padlet
      • Scratch
      • Strip Designer
      • Symbaloo
    • iPad Contracts
    • Making and Using QR Codes >
      • What is a QR Code?
      • Using QR Codes in the Classroom
      • Making QR Codes
      • QR Code Resources Page 1
      • QR Code Resources Page 2
    • The Juno System (courtesy of Marianna Husain)
    • Stop Motion Video
    • Thnglink >
      • Thinglink for iLeap
    • Twitter
    • Weebly
  • EISD Ed Tech Website
  • EE Learning Lab
  • EE Home Page

The Bromlow Bloggers

10/27/2013

0 Comments

 
A couple of weeks ago, Haley Bromlow emailed me to ask about setting up blogs for her students. I was thrilled as I had been wanting to try using the Weebly app on the student iPad as a means of providing a safe place for students to house their writing. After conferring with Janet Couvillion, who I knew had had great success with this at Forest Trail, I launched into the set up process which is definitely the most time consuming  piece of the puzzle. 

Here are the steps we took to get started:                                                                                                      
Let me know if you are interested in setting up classroom blogs for you students. I would be happy to help!
0 Comments

Pierre, the Valley View Detective

10/19/2013

0 Comments

 
While looking for a campus using Nearpod in their classrooms that we could observe for the purpose of planning our next TechTuesday, Kelly and I stumbled upon something quite amazing happening. It seems that the RTI teachers at Valley View were looking for a meaningful way to support their 3rd and 4th Grade students in Math. Enter the creative genius of Lorrie Salome. Lorrie dreamed up a plan that she hoped would engage all students while at the same time finding the students that were struggling and the concepts that they were struggling with and offering those students the support that they needed. Here is how it works.

Lorrie created a character - a French detective named Pierre and his poodle side kick - who spend their days traveling around the campus looking for Math problems to solve. The RTI team creates a story problem using Pierre as a focus and Lorrie uses Photoshop to create the needed pictures and then drops them into Nearpod. Then the team with the added bonus of the wonderful Margie Brown take the final product into classrooms and push their Nearpod slides out to the student iPads. 

In the presentation that we saw, Lorrie had VVE's Coach Sanderson as the main character. You can see the results in the slides below. The students loved every minute of it. The iPad component of the project was accompanied by a paper and pencil activity on which students were encouraged to do their best work so that they could have a chance at being selected as the next student in the adventures of Pierre. 

Results of the Nearpod portion of the project were compiled immediately and what happens next is really the best part of this story. Lorrie uses Thinglink to create a document with links to activities that will serve as intervention tools for those students who had struggled with the concept and activities that would challenge those who had had no difficulties with it. The RTI team takes these Thinglinks back into the classrooms, they pull the students who they need to work with and they get down to business. 

It is a great example of strong collaboration between people with a single vision - the definition of a great PLC. If you and your team would like to see it in action, please let Kelly and me know. It would be a great use of your PLC time and we would be happy to set it up for you!
0 Comments

This is What Learning Looks Like

10/11/2013

1 Comment

 
Last week, Elizabeth Hudgins invited the leadership team into her classroom to see her 5th Graders working their way through an assortment of Math centers. It was a delightful experience from start to finish. The students were engaged, the conversations were magical and the room was a beehive of activity. There were 5 centers, each one offering a unique challenge and lots of opportunities for collaboration and problem solving. Thanks for sharing your class with us, Elizabeth, and thanks for all of the hard work that you put into making this happen for your students. 
1 Comment

Students Helping Students

10/10/2013

0 Comments

 
Third Grade definitely has the right idea about how to maximize student learning with the iPads. One class learns a skill and that class teaches their peers. 

In this case, Laura Wright's class taught Dianne Watts' class how to make a Math photo album in the photo app. Photo albums come in handy when you want to group photos for easy access. 

We now have 2 classes who are experts in this subject, so If you want your students to know how to do this, you can contact these two teachers or, of course, you can contact me!
0 Comments

Question Types and Puppet Pals

10/8/2013

3 Comments

 
Alison Grossimon's lesson on the 3 types of questions was well thought out and so very engaging from start to finish. 
Picture
She began with a careful explanation of the three types of questions: literal, interpretive and evaluative. Students were given ample time to ask questions 
Alison had developed a clear and concise rubric to guide the students in this learning experience. After the rubric was covered, she went over the parameters for the students' work in Puppet Pals and again, they were allowed to ask questions to clarify the learning. 
Picture
questioning_activity_puppet_pals.pdf
File Size: 19 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Finally, it was time to dive into Puppet Pals. The slideshow below shows the students in action. 
Here are two examples of the great student projects created. 
3 Comments

hAPPY Friday! Bookabi App Integration Snapshot

10/3/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
This week's hAPPy Friday app is Bookabi. Bookabi is an app that lets children of all ages write and illustrate stories. Check out the App Integration Snapshot that I created for this app. Included in this snapshot, you will find links to a video tutorial and to a List.ly list of Bookabi resources that I have accumulated for you.


As always, I would love to help you integrate this app into your classroom curriculum. Just say the word and I am there! :)



0 Comments

Want to Know How to Use Aurasma? Ask a 3rd Grader!

10/2/2013

0 Comments

 
Aurasma is an augmented reality platform and is an app on all of the student iPads. Aurasma uses advanced image and pattern recognition to blend the real world with rich interactive content. Laura Wright's class used this app this work as a culminating activity for a Science Unit on Landforms. 
Picture
The landforms were created and labeled and each of them contained a volcano. Part of today's activity was to watch as the 3rd Grade Scientists added the correct ingredients to make their volcanoes erupt. 

Before the volcano erupted, the students created an appropriate Aura: a dolphin for their oceans, a dinosaur to roam the valleys, etc. This is a video of one of Laura's students showing me how Aurasma works. 

Here is a List.ly of some great Aurasma resources:

Augmented Reality
View more lists from Debbie Smith
0 Comments
    Picture

    Debbie Smith

    Educational Technologist
    Eanes Elementary School

    Categories

    All
    Apple Classroom
    Apple TV
    Art
    Book Creator
    Dash
    Ebckpack
    Everyday Math
    Face Time
    Fifth Grade
    First Grade
    Fourth Grade
    Gmail
    IBook Author
    ILeap
    Ipads
    Keynote
    Kindergarten
    Math
    Memes
    Nearpod
    Notability
    Pages
    Paper 53
    Plickers
    Post It Plus
    Professional Development
    Project Based Learning
    Puppet Pals
    Scribble Press
    Second Grade
    Showbie
    Socratic Seminar
    STEAM
    Stop Motion
    Strip Designer
    Technology Conferences
    ThingLink
    Third Grade
    Three Ring
    Timeline
    TurboCollage

    Archives

    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    RSS Feed

    Counter for tumblr
    Website Stats