11 in 11 Linky!

Found this great linky party over at A Teeny Tiny Teacher, go look at it...now...well after you view my linky stuff of course! :)

Okay...here it goes!

11. Favorite Movie- The best movie in the whole world is Serendipity hands down.

10. Favorite TV Series-Raising Hope
I know it's a little "different" but I find it absolutely HILARIOUS! Especially MawMaw!

And I can't leave out Biggest Loser! My Tuesday nights were not complete without sitting in front of the TV eating ice cream and watching these people work their hineys off...What? Don't judge!

9. Favorite Restaurant-I Love Love Love Gianno's Italian Restaurant-Yuuuummm!

8. Favorite New Thing I've Tried-This year I have really jumped on the blogging and Twitter-ing band wagon! I am in love with it and the great networking that it has given me. I think I am addicted!

7. Favorite Gift I have Received-Hmmmmm this is tough. I would have to say the gift of being able to do what I love each and every day! I get to work with technology and kids all day! I have to say that I have the best job in the world and I am so blessed!

6. Favorite Thing I've Pinned- Okay, so I have to say that this is another addiction of mine. I've recently fallen in love with Pinterest. I don't have many pins but my favorite is...
well lemme go look...
ok, back now...my favorite is the T-shirt scarf I found on Kevin and Amanda (I made one yesterday! Wooo Hoo!)

5. Favorite Blog Post- My favorite was my Voicethread post where I showcased the great work of my CC class at Thanksgiving. They did such an amazing job and I was so proud of them and even more proud to show off their hard work to you guys!
http://trendytechtipsbd.blogspot.com/2011/11/whats-that-you-say.html

4. My Favorite Accomplishment-Does it count if it's not completely accomplished yet? Well I'm writing this post so I say it is! I am in school right now to finish my Elementary Education degree. Each time I finish a class I give myself a little pat on the back. Can't wait to be completely done. Then moving on to a Master's in Instructional Technology. But right now that's the accomplishment I'm working on! :)

3. My Favorite Picture-Oh My...do you know what you are asking? I cannot choose just one. I am a picture fanatic and I'm sure you don't have 5 hours to spend on my blog going through my pictures. So how bout my favorite camera? The new Nikon...you know the one Ashton Kutcher advertises? Love it!

2. My Favorite Memory- Hmmm... Working in education you guys know there are so many memories made daily. But my favorite memory was probably Christmas. It is my favorite time of year and I love spending it with my family!


1. Goal for 2012-How much time ya got? I want to finish school, lose weight (duh), start running, learn how to cook (cause right now I can't boil water!), buy a house....hmmm that's all for now I guess!

Finally...My First Packet!!!!

So let me start out by saying how absolutely AMAZED I am by all of the teachers on Teachers Pay Teachers! You guys are just WOW! I could never, ever create anything near all of the cool things that you do, but I figured I would try my best. So here is my first packet! It is filled with 8 winter activities that would be great for literacy centers, math centers, small group work or even as a whole group activity! Lots of printouts, cut outs, worksheets, etc. Here's a small preview below! Click on the preview if you would like to see more!

Love a Little Linky, Linky!

I just joined Farley's, over at Oh Boy, Fourth Grade, linky party for December and have already made some great connections! If you haven't seen her blog you should def. check her out!!! Some amazing stuff goin' on over there with that one!!! So here's my Currently...

If you'll notice I'm thinking about my poor, beautiful, brand spankin' new...well 2010 but I just got it in August car! It was stolen right out of my driveway on Saturday morning. :( I'm crushed. I mean what kind of a *&%?#%>%&*(@< not so nice person steals a car?!?! So everybody pray for my precious to be returned to me, please.

In other news I'm stalking Teaching Blog Addict...great blog for me to keep up with all you guys' wondrous ideas! If you haven't been there...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? Here's the link! :)

Holiday Card Project...Techie Style!

So I, with quite a few other teachers at my school, joined the Holiday Card Project by Projects by Jen. (If you have never heard of her...WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?...please go check her out...her global projects are AWESOME! Anywho, back to the Holiday Card Project. It is where classes from around the world were put into groups of 30. The students then created cards and sent them to each class in their group. Thus...at the end of the project, each class should receive 29 Christmas cards! This was a great way to work on writing skills! But you know me...I had to put my techno twist on it! I created a Google Map and each time we got a card we placed a pin marker on the school, as well as included the link to the schools webpage so we could learn more about them. This way we learned, not only about the students, but about their community and the landforms around them. The students loved it! They looked forward each day to "flying" to more schools! I'll post pics soon! This just goes to show...ANYTHING can be better with technology!

Have a Merry Bloggy Christmas, Y'all!

I got this from Ladybug's Teacher Files, a wonderful blog! You should def. go check it out!!! Just wanted to wish all my bloggy friends a very Merry Christmas! I'm sure you're counting down the days...hours...and probably minutes too, (let's be honest) until that last little wild thing darling leaves out the door for Christmas break!




Wanna spread this Christmas cheer? Here's the code! Thanks to Ladybug Teacher!
<center><img border="0" src="http://i.picasion.com/pic47/390109be555607b7a116f3604985474f.gif"/></a></center>

Christmas TPT Product

So since I just got my new DJ Inkers Fontastic Too CD and some gorgeously cute clip art, I decided to try them out and create!!! I made this great little activity where the students work on making words plural while decorating a tree! Click on the picture below to check it out! Only $3.00!!! Great for literacy centers!

Christmas Around the World

My 5th graders do a unit each year entitled Christmas Around the World, where they learn about the different beliefs, traditions and symbols of Christmas in different countries, including Russia, Germany, Italy, Canada, Mexico, etc. This year I would like to up the bar and have them connect with someone from each country that they are studying! This would give them an opportunity to get a first hand description of Christmas in different countries! So what did I do??? I created a Skype in the Classroom, of course! Click below to join my project and connect with my students!

What's that You Say???

Ok, my new love is Voicethread! Voicethread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that can be used to display images, drawings, document, videos...ANYTHING really! I have known about it for quite awhile, but haven't really had the chance to use it with one of my classes until now I do believe I am addicted...(the first step, they say, is admitting your problem!) The application is suuuuuuuper easy! All you have to do is create an account, which of course, is FREE! You then upload whatever you want to display. I did this with my Cross Categorical class on Thanksgiving senses, so they had already typed up a little poem about what they sense on Thanksgiving in the previous week, so I uploaded those. After that you create an identity for each student. You can use their picture or a clip art image, just as long as it represents them. Once that is done the students open the Voicethread and they can then record what they want to say about their item. For example, we were working on fluency with the Cross Cat class, so they read their Thanksgiving Senses poem. Then they can comment, using voice recording, webcam, or text on other students slides. You can then decide whether you want the Voicethread to remain private or allow others to view and comment on the slides. You, as the creator, can also moderate the comments to make it safe! Very collaborative...Very interactive....VERY FUN! Below is our Thanksgiving Senses Voicethread! I was so proud of the students! I'd love to hear how you would use Voicethread in your classroom! Comment below!

Flipping Over Digital Books!

I am so excited to share this awesome website with you called FlipSnack! Simply upload your students' work and create a really neat looking flip book that you can send out to parents, embed in your website or blog and much more! One of my 3rd grade groups researched all different types of spiders. They each typed their information into a template slide that I created using PowerPoint. Once they were finished, we saved their slides as .pdf files (easy to do with a free PDF creator!). I then uploaded the PDF's to the FlipSnack website and created my book! Instead of the boring PowerPoint slideshow, the kids can now flip the pages of an interactive book, complete with a title page and binding! These are so neat to create and the books are even customizable (yes I made up that word!) to make them look just like you want! Best part of all....it's free to sign up!!! Love it! Click here to sign up and make sure to take a look at our finished spider project below!

Chunks that Gobble!

Make sure to check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store! Kristy and I have uploaded some great new printouts including this Chunky Turkey chunk game. Students have to match the word on each feather to the correct chunk on each turkey. There are 10 different turkeys and each turkey has 4 matching feathers! A great literacy center activity or mini lesson! Only $5.00!!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chunky-Turkeys

Tarheel Traveler Teaching Idea

Click here to vote for my lesson daily and help me win a cash grant and iPad for our school! Tarheel Traveler Teaching Idea

Monkeying Around with Math

So I found another great website while browsing one of my favorite blogs, Free Technology for Teachers, and had to re-post! Math Chimp is a great site where you can choose your grade level, 1st-5th, and what common core standards you want your students to focus on, and it provides you with a number of online math games customized to your needs! I think this is a great way to get your kids excited about math, while making sure they are working on the correct skills! Click below to get monkeying around with math!

http://www.mathchimp.com/

Tarheel Traveler Teaching Idea

Hey Everyone! Click here to vote for my lesson using Glogster and Google Earth! The winner receives a cash grant and a prize! Vote EVERYDAY and pass it along to everyone you know! :) Tarheel Traveler Teaching Idea

What's the Hype with Skype?

So today I did my first Skype session with a group of 2nd graders in Mrs. Cozart's class. We connected with another 2nd grade class in Baltimore, MD! The kids had so much fun introducing themselves and learning about one another's school, classroom, and community! I could not believe how easy it really was! All I had to do was sign up for a Skype account, install it on the computer, plug in my webcam...and off we go!!! To find the class, I simply signed up for Skype in the Classroom and created a project looking for 2nd grade classrooms around the globe who would like to do a year long connection with another group sharing what they were learning throughout the year. I got messages back almost immediately!

We plan to reconnect with the class again within the next couple of weeks. Hopefully we will be able to connect with some other classes around the globe throughout the year as well. We would also like to add some authors, illustrators, and people of different professions to our contacts as well!

If you have never Skyped, you don't know what you are missing! It is such an awesome global project for kids of all ages! It helps them to learn about the world around them while talking to others their own age! To learn more about Skype and how to get it in your classroom, click here! What are you waiting for? Join the hype with Skype!!!

What's On Your Fridge?

As a kid, I loooooved those great magnetic letters that you put on your refrigerator! I thought it was so cool to be able to move them all around and make new words and phrases. Ok, so who am I kidding? I still love those things! Well of course I had to find a digital version...only better! Browsing another favorite blog, Donna's Tech Page, I found Magnetic Kids Poetry! It has an actual fridge that you move over words and phrases to make sentences or create poetry. There are hundreds of words and phrases! So much fun! This could be used as a literacy lesson, grammar, punctuation...etc.! Best of all, you can save, so you could drag the exact words or phrases that you want the children to use before a lesson, save it, and they could open it and begin creating! Click on the thumbnail below to try it out for yourself! 

http://kids.magpogames.com/playonline.cfm

You Ain't Never Gonna Believe!...

Wow, that was hard even to type! If you're like me, you are constantly correcting the grammar of your little darlings! (Especially in a little country town like Sophia!) I found this great game called Road to Grammar on one of my favorite blogs, Free Technology for Teachers! It lets you choose what type of grammar you would like to focus on and the kids play a simple game. If they choose the wrong answer, the game tells them why it was incorrect. It's a lot of fun for children and adults alike! Great for extra playtime, quick game during snack time, etc. They don't even know they're learning! Click below to try it out!

http://www.roadtogrammar.com/junior/

Going Ga Ga for Google Docs

So my new favorite toy...I know I say that about everything...but it is!...is Google Docs! What a great tool to use with the kids! Google Docs is a free online version of a word processor, spreadsheet, multimedia presentation, and database all in one website! They look similar to the Microsoft Office software, only you don't have to pay out the wazoo to own it. All you have to do is sign up for a free gmail account. What I really like is that they are all web based. Therefore, they are easy to get to from any computer, as long as you have Internet access. Students without Microsoft Office can still create on the computer!

One of the best perks of Google Docs is the form tool. The form can be used to create surveys, which can be emailed out. The results are automatically sent to a spreadsheet so that the answers can be reviewed. I have used the form for many different things. I had my 4th graders come up with 4 new flavors of ice cream for an imaginary ice cream company. They then created the survey and emailed it out to the teachers. When they came back to me the next week, all of their results were in the spreadsheet for them to then analyze! It took a boring paper and pencil lesson and jazzed it up! I have also used them as a technology issues form for my teachers. Whenever they have a problem, they fill out the form and it emails me. Very simple!

As you can tell, Google Docs has so much to offer! Why $200 for software anymore when something better is right at your fingertips!?


Click here to get started!!!

MMMMM Smells like Math!

Are you tired of those same old math worksheets that you've been using with your students year after year? Well Math Fact Cafe is a wonderful website where you can create, customize and print worksheets for your students with the simple click of a mouse! Create sheets on money, time, multiplication...the list is endless. And it doesn't stop there! If you don't have time to create your own can download one of the pre-made worksheets just as easily! If you aren't in the mood for worksheets then you can create customized flash cards for your students or simply let them play some wonderful math games! This site is a great resource for teachers so definitely take a look and enjoy a warm, soothing cup of MATH!

Make Your Students Go EEEEEEK!

Check out TeachHub's great Halloween inspired writing prompts, science experiments, activities and much more! Not only are these activities educational, but they are centered around a holiday that students LOVE, so it's sure to keep their attention! What better way to spend Halloween at school than to learn and have fun doing so!

**Be sure to check out the rest of TeachHubs great resources while your are there! The website it filled with numerous lesson ideas, teacher blogs, professional development opportunities...the list is endless!**

http://www.teachhub.com/

Your Wish is my Command!

Well...maybe not my command, but definitely the command of the great website, Wall Wisher! This is a great collaborative website, where the participants can be sitting at all individual computers and see what others have added to the wall! I've used this website for a few different activities with my kids. All of the posts have to be approved by the teacher before going live, which is great when working with older students! One of the first times I used it, I had my fifth grade students post a sticky to the wall telling what they were going to miss about our school when they moved on to the middle school. Once all 100 fifth graders posted to the wall it could then be embedded onto a teacher site where parents and other students can read the responses. This was a great activity that students, parents and teachers all loved. I've seen on some other great sites where people embed videos and links into their walls. Instead of having students write a research paper, have then post to the wall wisher! This resources has endless possibilities! How would you use it?

Click here to sign up for FREE!!! http://www.wallwisher.com/

Work "SMART"er!

Whether you have a SMART board or a Promethean board, if you're anything like me, your interactive white board has become a staple in your daily classroom activities! Usually I enjoy making my own SMART notebook lessons, however, I do dabble in SMART Exchange here and there, just to get some good ideas. Recently, while browsing for some cute lesson ideas, I found some great Halloween activities, ready for use! These activities deal with all subjects, including math and literacy, for all different grade levels! My favorite thing is that they can easily be customized to the needs of your students. To download some of these great interactive lessons, click on the image below! ** Remember, to download lessons, you do have to be a member...but sign up is quick, easy, and FREE, which makes it totally worth it!**

Are you in the DEN?

One of my new favorite resources is the Discovery Education Network! Many of my teachers love it for it's countless amount of great streaming videos covering everything from Magic School Bus episodes to following deep sea divers into unknown territory. But there is much more to the DEN than many people know! As a member of the Discovery Education Network, you can create assignments and even assign them to students. When the students complete them, you are notified from Discovery! I have used the assignment builder to create video quizzes, writing prompts, and much much more! There is a place for you to upload your resources, as well as view resources from other teachers! The DEN is definitely a great network for teachers to work with one another to create globally competitive students! Best part of all, the DEN is FREE! Click below to view the DEN and all they have to offer for your classroom!

What in the world is a "glog?"

Though it may be a funny little word, a glog is an AMAZING tool for both students and teachers to use! A glog is simply a digital poster. What makes a digital poster better than a paper one? Easy!...You can include, not only text and photos, but animated graphics, videos, links to documents...the list is endless! Glogs can be used by teachers to introduce a lesson, such as the one here, or used by students as a research project, such as the one here. Glogs can be as simple or as complex as you like! Everyone, from ages 5 to 105, can create a glog! Click here to start glogging with your students! http://www.edu.glogster.com/

What are you searching for?

Many times I allow the children to use the Internet to research and find their own images to add to their projects. However, I am very weary of Google and Bing, simply for the fact that they are not filtered and nearly anything can come up by simply searching for french fries for example. I love Google for myself, and I use it often, but it makes me uncomfortable to let the children use it on their own. Therefore, I searched for some kid friendly search engines and came across searchenginewatch.com whichs lists quite a few good ones! Here's some to name a few...if you know of more, please add to my list!

Ask Jeeves for Kids
www.ajkids.com

Kids Click!
www.kidsclick.org

Looksmart's Kid Directory
http://search.netnanny.com/?pi=nnh3ch=kids

Yahooligans
www.yahooligans.com

Along Came a Turtle...

New Market was recently visited by a very friendly, and very cuddly, little turtle by the name of Morpheus Fortuna. Morpheus is from Pennsylvania. He travels around to different schools throughout the United States and learns about the different cultures and communities in each state. What does this have to do with technology you might ask? Well Morpheus helps promote global learning. When Morpheus arrives in your school, you are asked to update his Twitter account, his blog, and his wikispace. The students can view these sites to learn where Morpheus has been and what he has learned. They can learn about other cultures and communities without even leaving their classroom. We also took lots of pictures with Morpheus and created Animoto videos with them and Skyped with a class that had him previously. Morpheus is a wonderful tool for all grade levels to help introduce our children to the "outside world!" To have Morpheus visit your school or just learn more about him click here! http://morpheusfortuna.wikispaces.com/home

Click below to view our 2nd Grade Animoto video with Morpheus!
http://animoto.com/play/XWUFOAmPZJu3R3402xfGJg

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!!!

I was looking for some good digital story Web 2.0 tools and came across this great website! www.fodey.com On this website, students can type in a story and make it look like a newspaper clipping. I used it with my second graders recently. We watched a video on Christopher Columbus and talked about his voyage to America. Then the students because "reporters" for the Spanish Times! The website was so easy to use! They created a name for their paper, a date for when it was released (October 12th, 1492 for us of course!), a headline, and then typed their story! They came out so great! Here is an example:

I'm so excited to use this site with some of my other grade levels...the story possibilities are endless, and it's a neat way for the students to publish their work rather than just on plain white copy paper!

"Wordle" You Waiting For?

Not only does it have the CUTEST name....but it is one of the best websites I have found to use with students!www.wordle.net  It, like many of the other sites I use, can be as simple or as in depth as you like, depending on how comfortable you are with Web 2.0 tools and what level your students are at! A wordle is a mash up of words, (a word cloud), all about one subject. Students simply type their words into a text box on the website, hit go...and they have a wonderful wordle! They can use as few or as many words as they like. For the more advanced students, there is an advanced button, where they can use numbers to decide the weight (size) and color of each word. They can also change the layout, font, background, etc.

Some ways that I have used wordles in the past:

• All About Me-Student Favorites
• Character Description-describe, compare, and contrast characters in a story
• Community Helpers-describe job, clothes, and how they help community
• Authors-list their books, and subjects
• Good Citizens-describe what a good citizen is and does
• Class Lists-a cute, different way to display your class list

The list of uses is endless. I have used this website with Kindergarteners through 5th grade. While the work is simple, the end product looks like computer professionals put it together. Your students will absolutely love this website! And best of all....IT'S FREE!!! So WORDLE you waiting for? Send me some of your ideas on how to use a wordle word cloud!

Blog All About It!

A blog is defined by Mr. Webster as "a website on which an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis." Blogs can be used for an endless number of things....including student writing!!! Blogging is a wonderful, new, exciting way to help your students, of any age, with their writing skills! You can blog about ANYTHING from describing your favorite book character to comparing and contrasting different landforms throughout the US. It can be as simple or as in depth as you would like. You could have students answer with a single sentence or a 5 paragraph essay. 

Blogging not only helps the students improve their writing skills, but it also helps the teacher to gauge how well their children have grasped the understanding of the essential question. By simply posting the essential question and having the students respond with the answer, the teacher can then evaluate the things he/she needs to focus more on or the things the students have mastered.

A blog can be a wonderful collaborative tool in the classroom as well. When students have created their post, teachers, students, and even parents, can then view the blog and make comments. This can begin a classroom discussion with the touch of a keyboard!

While there are many blogs out there, the safest one I have found is www.kidblog.org. You, as the teacher, create student account with the click of a mouse, and can control who can view the page, read the posts and make comments. KidBlog is a blogging tool that can be as open or as private as you want. Teachers, students, parents, and guests all must have a password to view the page.

Blogging gets students EXCITED about writing! They enjoy reading what their teacher or peers have to say in their comments and it only makes them want to write more! So what are you waiting for??? Go get your BLOG ON!!!

9/11 Lessons, Videos & More

With it being the 10th anniversary of the tragic 9/11 attacks, there are some wonderful learning tools available to show your students. These not only help to teach them about America's history, but also about community and country, and coming together as a whole. Here are some links to some great resources for K-5 students.

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/?ErrMsg=Please%20provide%20a%20Username%20and%20Password&returnUrl=player%2Ediscoveryeducation%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ecfm%3FguidAssetId%3D9ACC3141-CBA4-4F74-A6F9-25737A8546E5%26blnFromSearch%3D1%26productcode%3DUS&query_string=

http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/911/

http://www.911memorial.org/teach-learn

http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks/videos#911-timeline

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/september11th/

Hope these help! :)

Welcome!

Hi All! I have started this blog as a resource for teachers. Hopefully you will find it useful in incorporating various types of technology when creating your lessons! I plan to include websites, programs, lesson ideas, etc. for K-5 teachers.