Document Camera

Does your school use document cameras?  At the beginning of this year my answer would have been no.  After starting here last year, I wondered why.  


Document Cameras are pretty amazing.  I'd go so far as to say they are a better use of instructional funds in the classroom than an Interactive Whiteboard (am I allowed to say that?!?).  There are so many amazing uses for a document camera (sure, many of them do follow the old 'sage on the stage' classroom model...or do they?).  I'll get back to that...


So why didn't anyone have a document camera?  Number one reason?  They're expensive...SO expensive, or so I thought.  We're a mid-sized Title I school, so I feel like helping my teachers get as much technology integrated into the classroom for effective instruction is my number one priority.  I would love to hand out document cameras like Santa, but it seemed so cost prohibitive- until it wasn't.  

Through a lot of work (especially with one teacher), we ended up finding a document camera that is inexpensive and works great.  The IPEVO Point 2 View USB Camera* ended up meeting all of the items on my wishlist and (honestly) surpassing them.  So maybe you're like I was...I thought there is no way a $69 camera (with free shipping) can be usable in the classroom.  We ordered one to test out and I was very pleasantly surprised.  


It has great resolution and (though it doesn't have an integrated light), it does really well in low light (teachers frequently turn the lights off for demonstrations).  It will take still photo snapshots, works really well with Skype, too.  The thing my teacher like most is that it has double mirroring, so that they can have the camera facing them and don't have to work around it.  The biggest problem that I thought we had was that these cameras don't natively save video (which none of my teachers have wanted), but if you download Picassa, it will record video.


So in response to sage on the stage...I've been in many classrooms where the teachers have a document cameras- it ends up being so interactive for the kids.  I've seen them used with science, to demonstrate how to mount slides and use the microscope- it ensures that all kids can see & understand what to do.  I've seen a document camera help kids use a protractor to measure angles- they don't have to 'gather around' anymore, they can work with their manipulatives in their own area- which leads them to make discoveries.  I've seen student work go from their desk to being projected in 10 seconds.   I've seen 11-year olds basically running a writing seminar from projected work.  Kids are reading along with the teacher and they're interested & engaged.


These cameras made it possible for all classes to have a document camera, rather than each grade level sharing one and having to wait to use it.  Teachers have been so happy and excited to use them in their classes.


Consider this camera if you're in the market for a document camera.  We're still figuring out all of the specific aspects of these cameras (I will be glad to share our learned knowledge), but I definitely haven't been disappointed.


*I wish I could say that I receive free products from Amazon and/or IPEVO...I don't.  I just like them.

Friday Treats: 3.16.2012

Happy Weekend all!

Bloom’s Taxonomy- a clickable wheel, with activity suggestions & things to learn…pretty sweet & easy to understand.  Bloom's frequently seems vacuous.

Math Clock- this seems like it might be advanced for elementary level (and for me), but you could do a math clock that is more simple (like do 6 x 2) and just tape it over your actual clock for a week- just to mix things up.

Print bookmarks for your students, it prints on 8.5 x 11 cardstock...there are four designs.  These designs are pretty great- simple, elegant, yet fun for kids:

I think this is a great idea:  it’s a month of questions.  It’s made to use at the dinner table, but maybe you could use in your classroom- morning meeting, on Twitter, Journaling...

50 Ways to use a Document camera in your classroom (love a document camera!)

Smartboard & lesson resources

I love Mason Jars, here’s a printable one, this link has more.

How can you use a treat?  I'm thinking of places I can use these Mason Jars.

*In most cases did not create these, nor am I taking credit for them.  See the links above for the person who owns the rights to them (where applicable) 

Friday Treats: 3.9.2012

Happy Friday!  I hope you have a great weekend.

I love this idea:  It’s a super low-tech take on social media.

So you can’t really have your kids tweeting (like as in Twitter), but you could have them write a tweet.  You could make a ‘Twitter Board’ and have kids respond to stuff in ‘tweet’ on paper (a tweet is no more than 140 characters…including spaces).  You could have them tweet about something they learned or what the main idea of a story or a lesson is.  Kids really like Twitter- I used it with my students when I was teaching. 

If you give this a go, let me know, I’d love to see it!

SWEET testing strategy

 

inspired by: http://teachingmyfriends.blogspot.com/2012/03/great-blog-land-find.html

This is a great idea- painting (or coloring) like Michelangelo did for the Sistinechapel!

Wrongis wrong, right is right printable:

 

15 Grammar Goofs that make you look silly (I attached it, too)

  
























*In most cases did not create these, nor am I taking credit for them.  See the links above for the person who owns the rights to them (where applicable)  

How are we using iPads?

...it's the bajillion-dollar question.  How are we going to use iPads?  We've ordered a class set, I'm excited, the kids [will be] excited, we're all excited.  But after the initial glow of 'Christmas morning' jubuliation wears off, where will be?  I don't want to be left with an uber-expensive 'look-we've-got...' sort of operation.  I want teachers & classes to use the iPads, and not just for games.  


So the plan is that I am going to design some lessons that will integrate iPads.  I know it's what I need to do, but it seemed so much easier when I was planning & committing to doing it.  Now that I'm trying to wade through the plethora of iPad resources, it's proving to be a little more difficult.  I think I'm putting more pressure on myself than I need to.  In my head, these lessons will be super-dynamic, engaging, and instructional.  I want them to be {in a word}...perfect.  When the teachers roll the iPad cart down the hall, I want them to be armed with the best lesson that will be exciting, but attainable, and let them feel confident that they can use these iPads for anything.  


Can I do it?  Probably...and I'm not kidding.  I think know I can.  I'm just having flashbacks of undergrad where I'm trying to start a history paper- I just don't know where to begin.  Fast forward a half hour and I'm in the zone.  Once I get there it will happen.  


So, while I'm waiting to get there, do you have any perfect iPad lesson ideas?  I'm waiting...!

Friday Treats: 2.24.2012

As I've discussed before, I send out Friday Treats to my staff each week.  Today I thought, why not share them a little more widely, so I hope you enjoy them.  I've kept the links from where these awesome ideas originally came from* (they are infrequently my own).

Bloom’s Taxonomy for Parents- has explanations that parents could understand for the levels & some activities.  This might help with continuing learning at home- maybe with literacy?  

This is an interesting article about how you might be able to foster creative thinking by doing things differently.  Their example is pouring milk before cereal when making breakfast.  Let your kids see you doing things in different ways…maybe they’ll start seeing the world + learning differently. J 

Finger painting without the mess…

 I squirted two primary colors into each of the three Ziploc freezer bags, put a white piece of paper under them, and taped the whole thing down with painter's tape. Then I let the eager boys have at it!

This site Freeology.com has all sorts of free printables. 

I liked this one:

I thought this was a nice behavior tracker…kids start at the middle and can see where they want to go-

 

…although I think I would chance the top one to Parent Contact, too.  Why not contact parents when kids are really great too?  I bet they’d love to hear that their child is amazing!

Along those same lines, you could cut 4 x 6 paper, have the kid decorate one side about their accomplishment, and you could write on the back and send it in the mail as a postcard to the parent. 

Brown Bag Book Club…such a cute idea- grade level classes could get together to discuss a book and snack on a healthy snack too (you can buy plain popcorn & brown bags- just put the popcorn in the bag and microwave…no need for oil or butter & is way cheaper than the ‘microwave popcorn’

(the info is…Title, Characters, Setting, Main Idea, Author’s Purpose)

How cool is this? Brown Bag Book Club! Glue the graphic organizer/response to the front of a lunch bag- after the students complete the form and then get into the groups to discuss the book, fill the bags with popcorn! Tasty fun!

Printable Cat in the Hat (the hat) as activity…

 

Free Printable for a or an…

Enjoy your weekend…

*I did not create these, nor am I taking credit for them.  See the links above for the person who owns the rights to them (where applicable)

Wordle: Beyond the Novelty

I've always enjoyed a good Wordle...they get right to the point, they're very visual (like me) and frequently colorful.  It's always nice to see them around school.  I always thought (as do most people I know) that Wordle was a great 'creative' tool for kids to see their work in another way or to design sharp-looking printables.


Basically, Wordle takes text from the location  you point it to (pasted text, a website, a delicious link) and makes it into a sassy Word Cloud (the level of sassiness is customizable), but more importantly, the more times a word shows up in the text, the larger it shows up in a wordle.  So in this Blog entry, Wordle is going to be the largest word since I typed Wordle many, many times.

Lately, however, I've realized the great possibility of Wordle.  One fantastic use that I got emailed to me was feedback from adult training sessions.  Rather than sending a long email with 30 people's comments (that would have largely been echoing similar sentiments), I received a Wordle, that let me see what people thought quickly and easily.  


I was thinking last week that when students are researching a topic, a Wordle might be just the tool to use to help them get at the main point quickly.  Students freqently get overwhelmed when reading a large volume of information online- especially when they are exposed to it for the first time.  If they copied and pasted that text into Wordle, they would be able to see the main points of the article (since they would be the largest words), and could focus their attention there.  


How else do you use Wordle (with adults or kids)?

Very Pinteresting, Indeed.

I love Pinterest.  


I never thought I would.  My good friend @leedawn82 tried to persuade trick me into joining Pinterest for weeks before I actually joined last summer.  Shortly after setting up my first Board, I learned that it is true what the critics say...it IS a HUGE time eater.  But I disagree with those who categorize it as a time waster.  I would counter that it saves me a great deal of time.  Let me explain...


I like to send out Friday Treats to my teachers.  I think it's a great way to make new things available to them in a low-stress way.  I just send out an email called Friday treats with all sorts of items (printables, lesson ideas, apps, funny images about comma usage...).  It's a nice way of letting them know that I appreciate their work from the week and here's some resources you might be able to use.  I use Pinterest to find roughly 99% of these items.  In my off-time (or in less-than riveting meetings), I'll pop onto Pinterest and start pinning away.  I know that many of the things I will find on Pinterest will be high-quality, useful to my teachers and quick for me to understand.  So, rather than spending 4 hours on Google, sifting through natural male enhancement and security warnings about malicious sites, I can get all of my Friday treats squared away in 10 minutes.  That's a win for me, and for my teachers.  I know the Friday treats are valuable- I see them getting printed and laminated around my building.


Aside from work, Pinterest offers me a great opportunity to try new things.  There are recipes, sewing patterns, craft ideas, all sorts of stuff.  The good thing...no, the BEST thing is that you start out by seeing an image of it. I don't have to click some mystery link only to discover the link is to something completely unusable.  Before I investigate, I know (mostly) what I'm getting myself into.  


Pinterest is searchable, so instead of just trolling around, I can usually find exactly what I think I'm looking for in under a minute. Time Saved? Check.


Do I frequently go home and while 'watching' a movie with Mr. Technology, spend three hours pinning furiously?  Yes, frequently.  Do I think that's a negative?  Not a chance.  


I've been reading this week that Pinterest has changed the internet forever. Do I think that's true?  Probably not.  But if just a little of Pinterest's wonderfully visual organization model can rub off on the www, I'd be a happy lady.


Off to send those Friday Treats...


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Try out my new iPad Pinterest Board.


If you are interested in Pinterest and would like an invitation, leave a comment below asking for one & I'll send you one.