Inspiring

A fellow teacher introduced me to "Whole Brain Teaching" and thought I would share it with you all!
There are many videos on YouTube about "Whole Brain Teaching", however this video inspired me to try "Whole Brain Teaching" in my first grade classroom.  It engages students and activates their brain while listening and learning.  I use the oral cues and rules in my classroom and my students respond quickly and are excited to be active participants.

Kidblog

I did it!  I started a Kidblog!  Now don't get too excited!  Baby steps…  I created the blog and added my students and wrote an introductory post.  Now the fun begins!  I can't wait to work with my students with creating their blogs!  They were so excited about our Animoto video I know they will be excited to share their learning with their families and other students.  If you have any ideas on what I can do with my class and their Kidblog, please leave a comment!



I am reposting this helpful YouTube video about how to use Kidblog in your classroom.  It explains how easy it is to start Kidblog.

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms Part 2

Technology can be scary!  I was completely overwhelmed with the notion about integrating technology in the classroom.  Here I am, thinking, "Wow!  Not bad!  I know a little about using Smart Boards in my class..."  Little did I know, that is just the tip of the iceberg of implementing technology in the classroom!
Thank goodness for this book:  Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools.
I  am truly enjoying this book!  It is such a relief to understand what I am reading about something I  understand a little about!
I want to start a blog with my class and in the future, have my students create their own blogs.  I was feeling comfortable about this after reading Chapter 3:  Weblogs:  Get Started!  It is a great explanation of how to implement blogging in the classroom (and how to refine mine!).  Edublogs and 21 Classes are two blog spaces for teachers to use with their classes.  Both websites offer suggestions as to how to implement and sensor student blogging.

Chapter 4 amazes me as to how we are living in a world of technology that permits us to communicate and share across the world!  What a great example of this is the story of the Wikipedia post about the tsunami of Christmas 2004 .
I'm not sure if I would count Wikipedia as an accurate source for classroom research projects (even though Steve Jobs said it is "one of the most accurate encyclopedias in the world").  I find it difficult to rely on a source that anyone can edit and submit it.  However, I do find it useful for a general understanding of a subject or event.  I do like the idea of using wikis in the classroom for students to create a class Wikipedia.  One example of this was how Mrs. Maine used wikis with her students.  I like how Mrs. Maine used wikis in her biology classroom.  She used it with her students to share the experiments and data with all her classes.  It was a great way to share the experiences and work!

Check out this YouTube video of how to use Kidblog!  It provides useful step by step instructions about using Kidblog!  Cannot wait to get started!