And the Adventure Continues...With a Teacher Appreciation Link-Up!

Wow blogger friends! I know I've been absent from my blog for the past two weeks. What a crazy two weeks it's been!

Landform Presentations

My kiddos completed their landforms PowerPoint presentations and presented them to our Principal, Superintendent, and my college coordinator. They did an AMAZING job! I'm so proud of them. They know how to use Google Docs to create slides, how to find information and pictures on the internet, how to copy & paste that information, and how to site their sources...and they're only in 2nd grade! Now we're beginning a WebQuest on the Water Cycle (I found this through a search) and my kiddos are excited to learn how to make a Prezi and a SAM (Stop Animation Movie). I'm excited to teach them how to do this too! I cannot wait to see what they come up with.

Teacher Appreciation Link-Up

I've heard from some blogs that I follow that there is to be a MAJOR FREEBIE event on Sunday, May 6th. Check out one of the links from A Modern Teacher by clicking on the picture link below.


 

iPad

With graduation looming so very soon :-), my family pitched in and purchased an iPad 2 for me! I'm quickly learning how to use this new (to me) piece of technology in the classroom. I attended The Mobile Learning Conference last Friday and learned so much! I'm so excited to try some of these new ideas with my kiddos!

Well friends, that's all I have for now. My kiddos will be arriving at school soon, so I must prepare. I'm looking forward to a Friday edition of Fun Friday Freebies!

Thanks again for following. I'm enjoying the blog-o-verse so very much!

~Sandy

Technology and Minds Like Sponges

What a great day today! My cooperating teacher and I took our students to start a WebQuest on landforms that I put together today. It all started as a simple project, but it has quickly become a huge project. 


It doesn't matter though...I'm so excited to see how creative our students get as they being working collaboratively on researching landforms. They are going to work in small groups to gather information about five different landforms (mountains, hills, valleys, plains, and plateaus--per Michigan GLCEs). Once they have researched they are going to input their information into a 2-3 slide PowerPoint. We even have a group that is going to complete a SAM animation project in addition to their PowerPoint. I cannot wait!


I was worried about how the children would do completing a simple WebQuest liked through our classroom blog...but I shouldn't have been. They did amazingly well! I was so incredibly proud of them. Their minds are like sponges when it comes to working on the computer. All of my students quickly grasped how to navigate between our blog and the Google Docs that I had created. It just goes to show that they can exceed my expectations! 


On another note, I found some AMAZING free items for my blog on shabbyblogs.com. I totally revamped my background and blog title with freebies I gained from her website. She blogs too...I am her most recent follower. I totally suggest going to see all of the cool blog graphics she has at her site.


Well, it's late so I'm off. Thanks for checking in! I hope to have you visit again soon!


~Sandy

Active Mind

I have a decent amount of time to think on my way home. My son is in 4th grade & is very inquisitive, but often we ride home in relative silence. I think we enjoy the quiet and just not having to do anything. 


Of course, I am not speaking, but I am definitely thinking. My To-Do List doesn't ever seem to end. I'm always thinking of my students:

1. the diverse needs that fill the classroom, 
2. how we can reach these children on their own levels,
3. how we  make learning fun,
4. the fun parts of the day...etc.

Speaking of fun parts of the day...we have one really well-behaved child in our classroom that has been showing some interesting personality traits. It's been so much fun to watch the humorous side come out lately. As we were lining up to go to the buses this afternoon I was telling my students how they have to take turns at the beginning of our bus line (I have one student who repeated "Can I have some gum?" ALL the way to the buses the other day...ugh!) and this student says "How about me?" This wasn't just a regular question. Oh no! This was said with a sway, a swagger, and a flip of the hair. Sometimes at the end of the day I'm just so exhausted; I'm ready to go home and be finished with teaching responsibilities. This child totally made my day! I received a splendid reminder that this is part of the reason I choose to be a teacher!

Part of the reason I named this post Active Mind was because I'm working on a lesson about landforms for my second graders. I was thinking it through most of my way home. I'm trying to integrate technology into this lesson. I think I've found an awesome way to do this. I'm not sure what a "LiveBinder" is, but I found one that I plan on using to help my kids use our computer lab to learn. We're going to complete a WebQuest, then make a PowerPoint. My cooperating teacher & I are SO excited about this!

Well, my nephew wants to spend some auntie time with me...life outside of teaching and family beckons. Until next time :-)

~Sandy :-)