Troop BES

Troop BES has moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:05:00 +0000

Due to my new position within the district, my Troop BES blog got a little bit of a makeover and a new residence. :)

Troop BES is now EdTech Chic!

Check it out, post a comment, and visit often to get great new ideas, tips, and tricks! Make sure you check out the Web 2.0 directory!

Happy blogging! :)

Evaluating Technology Use in the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:13:00 +0000

I read an interesting article in TCEA's TechEdge magazine this morning. It discusses the effective use of technology in the classroom. Just because all of the students in a class are working on laptops DOES NOT necessarily mean learning is taking place. Teachers (and administrators!) need to ask these questions in order to evaluate the technology use in their classrooms and schools:

Is the technology being used "just because it's there"?
Is the technology allowing the teacher/students to do old things in old ways?
Is the technology allowing the teacher/students to do old things in new ways?
Is the technology creating new and different learning experiences for students?

It is good to know how technology is being used and if it is being used effectively. Think about how you, as an educator, can move your use of technology to a deeper more meaningful level within your classroom.

Google Apps for Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:56:00 +0000

Are you curious about the "Google Apps" hype?! Check out this great presentation that will give you 32 ways you can use Google Apps in your classroom.

Want to have some Google fun?! Try Google's new "A Google a Day" search puzzle. Your students will love it!

Welcome to the blogosphere!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:59:00 +0000

Check out some of these AWESOME blogs created by BES teachers...

Heather Deramus - Kindergarten
http://kindersmarties.blogspot.com/

Renate Moudry - Kindergarten
http://kindergartencowpokes.blogspot.com/

Kelci Adams - First Grade
http://firstgradesweeties.blogspot.com/

MaryLou Zeiders - Fourth Grade
http://m-m-qb.blogspot.com/

Want your own?! Come see me and I can help you get started!!! Don't think you have time?! Don't be silly! If you can send an email, you can post to a blog! Come on...everyone's doing it! :)

21 Signs You’re a 21st Century Teacher

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:01:00 +0000

Courtesy of EdTech

1. You require your students to use a variety of sources for their research projects...and they cite blogs, podcasts, and interviews they've conducted via Skype.

2. Your students work on collaborative projects...with students in Australia.

3. You give weekly class updates to parents...via your blog.

4. Your students participate in class...by tweeting their questions and comments.

5. You ask your students to study and create reports on a controversial topic...and you grade their video submissions.

6. You prepare substitutes with detailed directions...via Podcasts.

7. You ask your students to do a character/historical person study...and they create mock social media profiles of their character.

8. Your students create a study guide...working together on a group wiki.

9. You share lesson plans with your teacher friends...from around the globe.

10. Your classroom budget is tight...but it doesn't matter because there are so many free resources on the web you can use.

11. You realize the importance of professional development...and you read blogs, join online communities, and tweet for self development.

12. You take your students on a field trip to the Great Wall of China...and never leave your classroom.

13. Your students share stories of their summer vacation...through an online photo repository.

14. You visit the Louvre with your students...and don't spend a dime.

15. You teach your students not to be bullies...or cyberbullies.

16. You make your students turn in their cell phones before class starts...because you plan on using them in class.

17. You require your students to summarize a recent chapter...and submit it to you via a text message.

18. You showcase your students' original work...to the world.

19. You have your morning coffee...while checking your RSS feed.

20. You are reading this.

21. You tweet this page, blog about it, "like" it, or email it to someone else...

Dogs & Digits

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:56:00 +0000

Mrs. Johnston and Mrs. Long

Our Family Math Night ("Dogs & Digits!") was a wonderful night filled with math games, computer activities, and ... hot dogs! Thanks to everyone who came to play, work, and to those who suggested that I wear the hot dog costume this year! :)

Google Docs for Faculty

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:47:00 +0000

I am OBSESSED with Google Docs. It's the easiest way I have found to create sharable documents - for personal AND educational uses. Need to plan a menu with other families for a summer trip?! Use a shared Google Spreadsheet! Want your students to collaborate on a class story?! Use a Google Document. Here are some other ways we, as teachers, can use Google Docs in school, courtesy of Tech Tools for Schools.

Geocaching in the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:23:00 +0000

I have become very interested in geocaching with elementary students since hearing about it at the TCEA convention in February. I have ordered a geomate.jr GPS unit that is highly recommended for kids and have found a wealth of sites that talk about "educaching." There is SO MUCH you can do with GPS units in the classroom and I can't wait to do some fun stuff with our BES students!

Here are some classroom ideas...

Math

Create a path and at each turn tell your partner the angle to measure to make the turn.
Have students walk and plot on a map the end points of a given shape and see their result.
Find the elevations of different points and graph those elevations.
Have students go outside and step off an area, graph it, and then find the area or perimeter.
Practice adding and subtracting 3-digit numbers to come up with GPS coordinates to travel from one cache to another.

Science

Make a botanical tour of your campus marking the locations of different plants and include a tour guide that gives each plant's scientific name and characteristics.
Give your students the locations of different types of rocks. Their job is to classify each rock when they find the cache.
Create a virtual outdoor classroom by marking the locations of different habitats to visit as examples.

Language Arts

Hide different parts of a sequential story in different caches around your campus. Students must find each part of the story and decide the proper sequence.
After reading a class story, hide props for the characters/setting/etc. and have students locate them with the GPS. Meet back together to do a retelling of the story.
Send students to a coordinate and have them write a description of the object they find there.

Here are some helpful sites I found...

http://www.terraclues.com/
https://sites.google.com/site/fisdgeocaching/lessons
http://www.geocaching.com/default.aspx
http://www.educaching.com/
http://educacher.blogspot.com/

Double Pay for Earth Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:33:00 +0000

BES is participating in Recycle Forward, an innovative program that recycles used technology to raise money for new technology for schools, and is asking community members for help.

We are recycling used cell phones, inkjet and laser cartridges, laptops, PDAs, iPods, video games, GPS Systems, DVDs, scientific and graphing calculators, LCD monitors and digital cameras.

How can you help? You can turn your trash into our treasure while feeling good about helping the environment. Most people have old cell phones to dispose of, and almost everyone uses cartridges, either at home or at work, in fax machines, copiers and printers. By donating these used items you can assist BES with earning much needed funds to provide today's students with the technical education they need to thrive in tomorrow's workforce.

What is Embedit.in?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:55:00 +0000

Embedit.in allows you to easily embed documents, images, and text files into your website! Simply ulpoad your file, copy the embed code, paste it into your website, and voila!

What kinds of files can I embed?

Pretty much any kind of document, image, or text file. To be specific:

* Documents: Word (DOC/DOCX), Excel (XLS/XLSX), PowerPoint (PPT/PPTX), WPD, ODT, ODP, ODS, PDF
* Images: GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, PSD
* Vector Graphics: API, EPS, PS
* Text: TXT, RTF, CSV
* Code: HTML, SQL, JS
* Web: Web pages or other URLs

You can embed files up to 20 MB. See the examples below!

How does annotation work?

If you want to call out certain sections of your document, use embedit.in's red pen and highlighter to annotate the document before you publish it. On the customize screen, click Start drawing, and move your mouse over the document. You will see a red pen you can use for freeform annotation. Move your mouse over text to get a highlighter tool. Your annotations are automatically saved as you draw, and the erase button removes all annotation from your embed.

Edmodo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:31:00 +0000

Do you use Facebook? Do you think your students use Facebook? If you said no, I might have to disagree. I think it's safe to say that most of our students these days are using some sort of social networking at home. And they definitely see their parents and older siblings doing it!

Edmodo is a wonderful site that looks very much like Facebook, but is safe for students and teachers to use at school. As we strive to move to paperless teaching in this new digital world, sites like Edmodo allow teachers to assign work, track grades, poll students, and go digital with ease!

Check these out from the Edmodo blog...

7 Brilliant Ways to use Edmodo that will Blow. Your. Mind.

Ok, maybe we’re exaggerating. But they are pretty fun ideas:) Following are unique ways to use Edmodo that go beyond the basic features.

Science Fair Exhibition Hall: Create a “Science Fair” group and send everyone in the school the group code so they can view powerpoint, glogster, video summaries of student science projects. A great Virtual Exhibition to showcase student work.
Playground: Kids are kids and sometimes they just have something funny that they are dying to share. Create a “Playground” group where students have free reign to post whatever they want (with guidelines for appropriate use of course — encourage expression and creativity, but reinforce the need for boundaries and appropriate behavior).
In the News: Create a Current Events Group and allow students to post articles and blogs that are relevant to classroom curriculum. Review posts at your morning meetings.
21st Century Field Trips: On your next field trip, leave the worksheets at home. Divide students into small groups, (ensuring at least one cell phone is available in each group). As they wander through the museum or landmark, post scavenger hunt questions on the Edmodo mobile app to which students race to respond.
Lunch Count: Create a simple poll each morning – as students walk in the door, keep Edmodo open on your classroom computer and ask them to ‘check in’ on the poll on their Edmodo account. Presto – instant lunch count, attendance, or whatever information you need to track.
Data Tracking Diary: Create a Data Tracking Group and use it as a filter on your calendar. Students can enter daily data points on the calendar (growth of classroom plants, weather charts, countdown to Spring break), then filter the calendar to show only these entries. Print it or export to .csv and use the data for graphing or qualitative analysis.
Announcements and Special Events: Celebrate milestones by creating a classroom group that highlights birthdays, college acceptance, sporting events, and other milestones in students lives.

Check out this great blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:16:00 +0000

While doing some research yesterday, I came across a great blog with some fun stuff for teachers. It's mostly a party and decorating blog, but the author offers FREEBIES once a month and this month's was for TEACHERS! Check out "It's Always a Party at the Parkers" and don't forget to take a look at her February FREEBIE - a classroom Valentine's Day printable party pack!

** Note: this blog may be blocked at school. Sorry! You might just have to check it out at home.

TCEA: Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:26:00 +0000

My last day at TCEA was jam packed. By the time I left the convention center at 5:00, my head was spinning and the drive home was filled with a million thoughts about where to start and how to get everything done I want to get done! I can't wait to start organizing what I learned so I can get going! Here are some of the sessions that really got me excited...

The Zombie Teacher Project

Midlothian ISD offers a 24-hour staff development opportunity in which teams of 4 compete to record and produce an education 4-minute video. This is usually offered in the summer and teams check in at 9:00 am at "Zombie Central" to get their instruction packet and check out equipment. By 9:00 am the next morning, the finished product MUST be turned in. Nancy Bergvall, from MISD, said their first year they expected to have 4-5 teams sign up. They had 14! And the second year 25 teams participated. One team even flew to San Antonio to film! This project, they said, built camaraderie, increased the staff's awareness of available technology resources and increased technology know-how. Keep your eyes and ears open for a Zombie Teacher Project in BISD!!

The Frisco Fab Five

Frisco ISD presented on 5 technology projects that were a success in their district this year. The one that really caught my eye was geocaching. Click here to read what Wikipedia says about Geocaching. FISD pairs students with one GPS device, gives them a virtual map of the caches, and turns them loose! Sometimes they even involve PE and run the caches! They use Altoid cans wrapped in camo duck tape for the caches and laminate all paper that goes in them so they're weather proof. Some ideas on how to integrate this into our curriculum include keyword gathering, unit review questions, and evaluation stations. I would like to see items that the students must classify and then take a picture of their finished work with a digital camera. Then all they have to do is turn in the camera for a grade!

Best Classroom Teacher Blogs

"A blog is a window into your classroom." I thought this was a great way to open this session. It became apparent to me that teacher blogs are quickly taking the place of teacher websites because they are SO much easier to navigate, personalize, and update. Another great piece of advice...do you have a blog that you visit often? Check out that blog's blogroll (their list of followed blogs). You might find another one that you love! Here are some of the better blogs that were presented at this session:
Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog
A Primary Blog for the 21st Century
The Braman Bunch
Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs

Wax Museum

Wow! This session really got me fired up! We've seen the wax museum idea again and again, but I loved how this district incorporated technology into their project. Their third grade students researched a famous person (check out facts4me.com - login with open, access until March 12!), wrote a script, designed a costume and props, and then collected in the library for their exhibit. They pre-recorded their first-person speech and the teacher imported it onto a laptop that attendees could listen to. (My thoughts are to use the new RM talking points instead of a laptop!) White Oak Elementary also put all of the speeches onto iPods for "special visitors" to use as they viewed exhibits...like a guided walking tour! I thought this was brilliant and an excellent use of the school's technology resources!

Who Gives a Flip?!

Yet another session that left my head spinning! Chris Hulce from Country Day in Fort Worth gave us a wealth of ideas for using Flip videos in the classroom. He also showed us several examples and really got me excited! The lip dub was the most prominent of the examples (I really want to do this with BES!). Some other ideas: have your students make a commercial or advertisement, create a music video, public service announcements, produce skits and plays (great for foreign language classes), and videos to promote your school (like introducing a new student or faculty member!). Then, at the end of the year, have a Flip Film Festival!!

Full Day at TCEA

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 03:41:00 +0000

My day started at 8 am with Skype and ended at 5 pm with web design. It was a wonderful full day filled with new tools, tricks, and tips that I can't wait to share with BES. I want to share, first, the message from the keynote speaker - Leigh Ann Tuohy, inspiration of The Blind Side. This. Woman. Is. Amazing. And she reminded me why we do what we do. To help kids. We have to go the extra mile and get out of our comfort zone for the benefit of others. She really put things into perspective when she said that she is convinced that the inventor of the cure for cancer lives in inner city Memphis. Give someone hope and opportunity and the sky is the limit. Hope and opportunity. That's our job as teachers. Two words.

Here is a review of what sessions I attended today and what I learned:

Skyping with Authors
This session was AMAZING and really got my wheels turning about using Skype in the classroom. I know some of you are already Skyping, but we're going to take it to the next level by bringing authors right into your classroom!! During this session we actually skyped with two children's authors; Kate Messner and Steven Krasner. Many authors will do a free 20 minute session and some even do writer's workshops via Skype!!!

You Too Can Create an Elementary Film Festival
This session was also awesome!!! A tech specialist from Bryan ISD presented on how he helped a low SES school in BISD get on the map with a film festival. K-4 grade classes scripted, recorded, and produced Films in several categories including Public Service Announcement, Science Newscast, and Best Use of Music. They created a mock red carpet, dressed in formal attire, and even had trophies for the winning classes. The community really bought into it and it is now an annual event. Can't wait to do one for BES!!!

A Website is a Terrible Thing to Waste
This session really solidified how important our teacher sites are. The presenter said, "If you build it, they will come." I couldn't agree more. We need to all look at our teacher sites and make sure they are making our lives easier and engaging our students. If they're not - it's time to revamp. Here are some good points: hook them with your About Me page, your home page is critical-consider it like the cover of a book, create and maintain an assignments page! Remember, keeping an up-to-date website encourages your kids to visit it which promotes reading for information!!!

Some of the booths I visited and attended presentations at are:

AverMedia (I won a document camera at this one!!!)
Learning.com
Learning Resources (maker of EasySpeak mics-new toy called a Talk Points)
Schoology (like Facebook for your classroom!)
BrainPOP
Factsforme.com
Mackin e-books

Looking forward to another chilly, but productive day of technology awesomeness tomorrow! Hope you're all ready to dive right in when I get back!!!

TCEA Scholarship!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:01:00 +0000

A few months ago I applied for a professional development scholarship from TCEA that would allow me to complete their CTS certification course (which costs $750!). Renate and Ann graciously wrote letters of reference for me and I tried to put all of my passion for technology into a one-page essay. A few weeks ago I received a call that I was the winner of the $1000 scholarship and was invited (with 4 guests!) to a reception at the TCEA convention in Austin. Wow!!! Last night was the award reception and my family joined me. I am thrilled to begin the TCEA Campus Technology Specialist certification program and look forward to learning more fabulous tricks and tools to share with you!!!

Family Literacy Night

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:47:00 +0000

Our Superintendent, Mr. Bell

Mrs. Johnston and her son, Jake

Our wonderful BES staff!

Last night was Family Literacy Night at BES. We had a great turn out and everyone enjoyed our carnival theme! We had face painting, a balloon maker, popcorn and corn dogs, and activities for every age. We even had our green screen studio set up to record favorite book titles and a carnival themed photo backdrop! Thank you, Mrs. Kaldis, for a wonderfully planned and fun evening and thank you for all who attended and helped out!

Handbook for 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:43:00 +0000

These tips were in our BISD Student and Family Wellness newsletter this month and I thought they were good enough to pass on!

Live with the 3 E's - Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
Read more books than you did in 2010.
Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes a day.
Do not compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is about.
Remember that no one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Each day give something good to others.
Do the right thing!

My New Favorite Children's Book

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:20:00 +0000

The book fair is going on right now at our school and I spent 30 minutes today camped out on the floor, surrounded by books, in heaven! I picked out a few for home, a few for friends, and a bunch for school. The one that I read a half dozen times (through tears!) and bought 2 copies of is called Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel. It is the story of a family who builds a home and saves a special tree in the process. Over the years the tree becomes a part of their family. The story is written in the form of a letter from a father to his children. It is a sweet, heartfelt story that addresses loss and moving on. I highly recommend this story for both young and experienced readers. Definitely one to keep on the bedside table!

Cool new toy!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Have you ever heard of QR codes? QR stands for "quick response." You can use these little bar codes to embed important information (as in text) or redirect someone to a URL. People can get a free app on their mobile device to read or scan the code and see the information. Some neat ideas I came across for educational uses are...

treasure hunts with text clues
link to interactive book reviews
question of the week with qr codes
promote your blog or teacher site

To get started, you first have to create code and then get the reader. To generate a QR bar code, go to http://qrcode.kaywa.com/. Type in text or a URL and click on Generate! Search for free QR readers or scanners. I use the free QR Reader for iPhone. Try these out...

Laugh of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:39:00 +0000

Thank you, Patti Clay, for giving me a chuckle!

MORE BLOGS!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Ok, after that last post, I came across some other blogs that I have to share. Check these out!

Tomie dePaola

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:09:00 +0000

I came across a great new blog today, written by children's author Tomie dePaola. One of my favorite things on the blog is a link to Tomie himself reading Strega Nona. Enjoy!

Coffee Break with Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 20:28:00 +0000

This week we launched our new technology training initiative...COFFEE BREAK WITH TECHNOLOGY! Brenham ISD is really working hard to offer new and exciting ways to deliver and receive technology training. Beginning next week, Ann DeBolt, Kim Strauss, and myself will be traveling to all 6 campuses in BISD to present mini technology training sessions. This is similar to our' Troop BES Scout Meetings that I started in August. Now, however, every campus will be able to participate! Ann, Kim and I will rotate through each campus on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so each campus will have new content each week. VERY EXCITING! In January, you can attend the following sessions:

Create "Word Clouds" with Wordle! - Jessica Johnston

What is Project Share? - Ann DeBolt

Update your Website for the Spring Semester - Kim Strauss

To register, login to Eduphoria and go to "workshops." Earn those tech bucks!

AWESOME video by Magnolia High School!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Ann DeBolt shared this with us and I just HAD to share it with you! It brought tears to my eyes. Neat students and a very neat project created by Magnolia High School!!

Great Game Site for Kids!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:11:00 +0000

4Kids.org has WONDERFUL games for your students to play! There are vocabulary games, math games, and even just some fun stuff. :)

In addition, they have a collection of articles and websites that your students can browse to find information about topics like animals, history, technology and more! You can even search for specific keywords!