Music to My Ears: Tour the States!

It's Friday, it's late, and I'm tired. I have lots to say but not much energy to get it out. However, I thought before I sack out for the evening, I would share an awesome music video - "Tour the States" by Renald Francoeur. I came across this while I was "pinning" last night and found this infectious tune to be too good not to share with my students and my blog followers (Do I have any of those? For the sake of my tired teacher psyche, let's just say I do:-).

Makes you want to take a little trip somewhere, doesn't it?

 

My students love, love, love this song and its awesome artwork. By now, the "Fifty Nifty United States" song is getting a little old for my fifth graders, and the beat and lyrics to this piece have them well on their way to reciting all of the states and capitals (whether they realize it or not!). It's from an album titled Brain Beats, a collection of educational songs for this generation of students. You can purchase the Brain Beats CD from Marbles the Brain Store. The album is also available on Amazon and iTunes, and you can download "Tour the States" individually from either source for $0.99.

I haven't been able to find the music video anywhere but YouTube, so I used the YouTube Downloader to get the video to my Dropbox file to share it with my class at school. Regardless of what grade you teach, things like this that get your class excited and saying "How did they do that?" make it all worth it, even when you are out-of-your-mind tired. Good night!  



Classroom Collaboration Series: 5 Reasons to LOVE Edmodo!

I kind of let the Classroom Collaboration Series go by the wayside over the summer, so it's time to start it up again! I have known about Edmodo for a while, but have always had so many other "techKNOW toys" to play with that I never truly implemented it. Now that I'm using it to have my students collaborate and to keep connected to other teachers, I don't know why I've waited so long! If you haven't jumped on the Edmodo wagon, here are five reasons why you need to set up an account and get your students connected!
1. First and foremost, it teaches your students proper social networking! When you set up your Edmodo account, the first word that will come to mind is "Facebook." It surely resembles it, right down to the color sceme. However, Edmodo is a means for students to communicate and collaborate online within the parameters of the classroom. As the teacher, you can monitor what students post on your group wall (the only way students can communicate with one another, no "chatting") as they discuss posted topics and complete assignments. Only the teacher, students, and parents have access to your Edmodo space (via password) unless you choose to set it to public. You set rules and guidelines for what students can put online, and can set their status to "read only" until they can post properly. Students have to create their own username and password in order to access the classroom space you have created, so they learn the additional responsibility of keeping track of their personal information.
2. It streamlines your online resources to one place.  Links and Google Docs can be posted to your Edmodo library. Your students, when logged into Edmodo, can access these resources for the assignments you post. You can also post links and videos to your group page for the student to view as well. For example, I love, love love, the awesomeness that it Animoto. I or the students can post their Animoto slideshows for us to view securely.
3. Assignments, Quizzes...AND Polls!!! No, really! You can post directions for an assinment to your group page and include the necessary files and links to complete it.  When students complete it, they just post their assignment and attach their completed files...completely paperless! There's also a way to create quizzes for students to complete right on Edmodo. The quizzes can take a variety of forms, from multiple choice to short answer. You can even set it so students automatically see how they scored for instant feedback. I also like how you can create a quick opinion poll to gauge how your class feels about a topic - and the students like it, too!
4. You can connect to other teachers. As a teacher you can make connections to other educators through using your Edmodo profile. Although your students and classes can't "see" each other, you can keep in touch professionally with your colleagues within your school or around the country (or world, for that matter). You can also join communities, such as ones on technology, to learn from and assist other teachers. Another feature is that you can "follow" publishers such as Sheppard Software or Spelling City to keep up with the resources they provide.
5. It's FREE, and so is the APP!!! All of this fantastic online collaboration costs you nothing. That being the case, it is pretty impressive all that you can do with this "free version," when so many online resources limit your capabilities (or at least cause you to find creative ways to work around buying them). You and your students can also download the free app for iPhone/iPad/iPod or Android so Edmodo can be accessed anywhere!
Edmodo is pretty much an ideal virtual classroom. While nothing can replace being together in the classroom to work and learn from each other, Edmodo can keep you connected to your students when weather, illness, or distance are in the way. I can't wait to see where using this resource leads me this school year!
http://www.edmodo.com

Sunny D Book Spree

Gasp! She does exist!

Yes, I have been MIA in the bloggerverse for over a month. I figured between the majority of teachers being on "brain-cation" for the summer and then the whirlwind of setting up a classroom (which is essentially like setting up a home away from home), we all had enough to keep us busy. I did write some posts over the summer that you may want to read for this school year, so check out my June and July postings.
So...what better way is there to start out the new school year than receiving free books for your classroom? The Sunny D Book Spree is now going on until November 30th! It's pretty cut and dry (or should I say  freshly squeezed?): send in 20 UPC labels from eligible bottles along with the completed form (available here) and Sunny D sends you 20 books for your grade level.

Wee! It's a Book Spree!

I participated last year and can say that it's a great way to expand your classroom library. The books they send you are brand new, high-interest titles that will appeal to your students. The reading level of the books varies as well. Pictured above are some of the books I received last year from Sunny D.

Have your students bring in Sunny D labels for some new reads for your room! You could even tie in some math with this project and have your students calculate the percentage of labels they have brought in, or the probability of reaching your label goal by the postmark date. Either way, your classroom library will be "D-lighted" to add some more books to its shelves!

http://sunnyd.com/bookspree/for-teachers.php

Create Your Own Webquests at Zunal.com!

So do you know what day of the week it is? Me neither. Isn't summertime grand?!
Remember when I told you about those technology classes I was taking last month? In doing so, I learned about another cool web tool that I can't wait to start using this upcoming year. Webquests are a fun, interactive means of having your students use online resources to learn about a topic and apply knowledge. Give your students a task, links for the activities they need for the assignment at hand, and they're off on a virtual learning journey.
That being said, my new favorite online "toy" for teaching is Zunal. This website allows you to create and store wonderful, structured webquests for your students for FREE. I had never heard of Zunal before and I am very impressed with how easy it is to use. When you go to create a new webquest, there are already preset categories and pages for the essential parts of your webquest, such as introduction, task, process, and evaluation. You don't have to create any buttons or pages yourself; all you need to do is enter the text, links, and images. To make your webquests even more engaging, you can also add files (great for if you want to include a study guide or worksheet you've created), video from YouTube, Vimeo, and TeacherTube (but not SchoolTube!!! Huge bummer!), pictures, and Vokis. It's up to you how "blinged" out you like to make your webquests, but Zunal give you plenty of means to make your webquests dazzle.
One of the best things about the template Zunal gives you is it includes a page in your webquest for evaluation that allows you to create a rubric for your task. All you have to do is enter the performance descriptors you want to inlcude for your final project. And since it's right there in the webquest, your students can refer to it as they work. There is also a mobile version of Zunal so your students can interact with the webquests you create using an iPad or Android device as well. As with most free resources, you can upgrade to the paid version where you can add more pages to your webquests, quizzes, games, etc. With the free account you can make as many webquests as you'd like.
Another plus is you can search for webquests created by other teachers on Zunal. There are literally thousands to choose from in any subject area and every grade level. If you have a Portaportal, you can bookmark your favorite webquests or ones you have created so they are easy for your students to access when needed.
Here's the link to a webquest I created on Abraham Lincoln. Check it out and others on Zunal, and soon you'll be setting up your own account so you can make webquests for your own classroom!
http://zunal.com/
http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=156042

Celebrate the Fourth with TJ and the Revo!

So I just got back from a weeklong teacher institute in Colonial Williamsburg, which I will gladly blog about once I get my bearings. In the meantime, I thought you would enjoy this contemporary take on the Declaration of Independence, set to the tune of One Republic's "Too Late to Apologize." You may laugh now, but your students will love to see TJ (Thomas Jefferson), Ben Franklin, and friends groove out to these historical lyrics. Even better - look up the lyrics to this song and discuss the meaning of them with your class. You might find they are inspired to set other events in history to today's music.  Better yet - Soomo Publishing just came out with another music video, this time for women's sufferage (set to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"). I've posted both of theses videos via YouTube for convenience, but you can easily look these videos up on TeacherTube or SchoolTube to share with your class if YouTube is blocked on your school filter. Have a safe and fun Fourth of July, and remember to stay in the techKNOW this summer!

http://soomopublishing.com/declaration/

http://soomopublishing.com/suffrage/

Classroom Collaboration Series: VoiceThread

Looking for a cool way this summer to keep your students engaged with technology? Here's a way you can make a virtual field trip, an online lesson, a display of student work, or a virtual discussion with your class - VoiceThread.
This is, in a nutshell, what you can do with VoiceThread. Add images or pictures (which could be screen shots of math problems worked out in class, pictures from a field trip, student illustrations, you name it) to create a slideshow. Then, for each slide, you as the teacher may choose to add your voice or type descriptions to each of the slides. You can also write on the images as you record your voice to reference points of interest.
Once you complete your VoiceThread, you can have your students find it online. As they view your VoiceThread, they can make comments on each slide! For example, you may want your students to respond to an image about a science experiment to show what they remember, or it could be as simple as having them leave their memories on a picture from a school field trip. They can comment by typing a response or leaving a recorded message. If you have a webcam available, your students can respond using that as well. What happens after your students comment on the VoiceThread is that you create an online conversation. You and the class can go back and view the show together to view each other's feedback - a great way to review information. Your students can go back and view the VoiceThreads on their own as well to reinforce content or take a virtual field trip of sorts over and over again. You can also download the VoiceThread app to your iPad so you students can access it there as well.
This resource is free...to an extent. Creating a VoiceThread Educator account is free, and the app for iPad is a free download as well. You get 250 MB of space (or 50 VoiceThreads) using your account on the computer, and you can make up to five VoiceThreads using the app. Each VoiceThread you create can have up to 50 slides on your free account (which I think is plenty). You can make it work for you as a free resource if you are willing to delete the VoiceThreads that you aren't using so you don't run out of space. And if you really like it, you can consider getting a classroom license so you can go further with this resource.
If you search on VoiceThread, you will find caboodles of examples of how you can use it in your classroom. Take a look and see the possibilities you could use this for in the fall!
https://voicethread.com/
http://voicethread.com/products/k12/educator/
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voicethread/id465159110?mt=8

APP Time: Presidents vs. Aliens

Yes, that's the name of this app.
In a way, it seems all sorts of wrong to follow up a tribute to Mister Rogers with something so absolutely silly. However, with the presidential election this fall, students will have a lot of interest in the presidents and the fun facts about them. So, for $0.99, the app Presidents vs. Aliens (from the same developer of Stack the States)will help your class learn about past and present commanders-in-chief, all while taking out some alien creatures.
The app asks students questions about a president and shows four pictures of the presidents (with their names) to choose from. The questions range from identifying the president, quotes, nicknames, or facts about the president or time period. You can adjust the level of difficulty and types of questions by clicking on the question mark on the main menu. I'm adding that because I had trouble figuring out where to go to adjust the level at first. This way, you can use this app for younger students who may need to work on just identifying the presidents, to really upping the ante for your "big kids" (such as yourself).
 You will be shown the correct answer if you are wrong (which is good, because some of those questions are down right hard), but if you touch the correct president, the fun begins. You will get to take the president you have correctly selected and shoot him at the mass of aliens that has infiltrated the Washington, D.C., landmark in the background. It requires a little bit of strategy, but it's great fun to send the president airborne into a sea of little neon creatures. When you have taken out all the aliens, your score will show and you will "earn" a new president for your collection. Once you collect all 44 presidents, you can proceed to the bonus games Executive Order and Heads of State, already included on the app.
Presidents vs. Aliens also teaches your students test taking skills and inferencing. For example, one of the questions might be "Who was president during the Wright Brothers' first flight?" showing the date as well. They have to use logical thinking based on the four presidents shown to determine the best answer for the time period. This is a super app to start off the countdown to Election Day in November and learn fun facts about the exective office. Hail to the chief - but watch out for that alien behind you!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/presidents-vs.-aliens/id427418941?mt=8