Computer Science- Scratch and Code.org

One of my favorite things to do with my 3rd graders last year was teach them how to code.  I will admit that I know very little about writing code, but thanks to programs like Code.org, I could teach them to love computer science!  If you haven't checked out Code.org for your class, you are missing out!

Shout out to my father-in-law for introducing me to Scratch.  This is an AWESOME computer science site created at MIT.  It's geared toward elementary level students, and has a huge library of games an activities that incorporate code.  Here's what Scratch has to say about the program:

There are areas designated for creating programs, playing games, and even reading material supporting computer science education at the elementary level.  This is a great program- I am considering introducing some basic things to my 1st graders, but I know the older elementary grades would do well with this!  

Example of a task under the "Create" folder.  This is very similar to the tasks on Code.org.  Here, students fit the directions together like puzzle pieces to manipulate the cat into doing what they want it to do.  

Sample of an activity under "Games"

Hang in there, teachers!  The year is almost over! :) 

It's a new week- what technology are you using with your students this week?

AppleTV + Interwrite = No Need for SMARTboards?!

One of the things that has been a tech life-saver for me this year is my Apple TV.  We do not have access to SMARTboards in my new school, but we do have projectors and pull down screens.  My projector is an old model and does not have an HDMI input, so I had to order a converter cord, but that was an easy and cheap fix!

Using AppleTV in the classroom *almost* eliminates the need for a SMARTboard.  I say almost because the screen is still not interactive, but you can still do almost anything you need between the AppleTV and the Interwrite system.

I use the Explain Everything app with my AppleTV.  I use it with my personal iPad.  This allows me to turn on Airplay and walk around the room while I am teaching.  Interwrite provides the same freedom- it is just easier for me to import lessons and images into Explain Everything.

Here are some great screenshots from Explain Everything:

This is a really great app if you don't mind spending the 3 dollars- to me it is TOTALLY worth it!  Between this app and my Interwrite board- I am barely missing my SMARTboard this year!

Keyboarding

A hot topic right now in schools is keyboarding.  Several conversations I've heard at different schools ask questions about when is the right time to start teaching keyboarding, how much to expect from students, and- possibly most pressing- how will we accomplish a keyboarding task with limited tech access?

Keyboarding skills are now time-sensitive for students.  Standardized testing is shifting to computerized administration, but may schools still don't offer typing electives until middle school.  I thought I would share 2 programs I have had experience with- Typing Pal and Tux Typing.

I used Typing Pal last year with my 3rd grade class.  Since the students would be tested in 4th grade for the Smarter Balanced assessment, our principal recommended that we take 1 hour each week to devote strictly to keyboarding.  One thing I really enjoy about Typing Pal:  It has several lessons at the beginning specific to proper finger placement and posture.  These are essential to developing good typing skills.  The program bumps the students up a level once they meet proficiency for both speed and accuracy.  My 3rd graders loved this program, and often raced each other during our keyboarding hour.  Many of them accessed the program at home for extra practice.  

I love that Typing Pal shows you individual student reports, including a breakdown of whether or not their finger placement is working.  

Finger placement is essential with the Typing Pal program.

Screenshot of a typical student report- categories on the left. 

Another program I have used is Tux Typing.  I had *almost* forgotten about this program in the midst of Typing Pal, but I recently found out that my school had access to it on CD (yay!), so I had it installed on my student computers.  This one is better- in my opinion- for the younger grades to get motivated to learn keyboarding skills,  It's much more colorful and appealing to the eye.  I think many of my 3rd graders would have found it a little silly, but let me tell you the 1st graders go NUTS for time on this program!

...see what I mean?  FUN!  

Regardless of which program you use for keyboarding in your classroom, this is now an ESSENTIAL skill for all students!  I had my first keyboarding lesson in 7th grade.  Now that would be way too late to start!  There are tons of great programs out there- these are just 2 of many!  Get your students on the computers and get them typing- I think it's never too early to start!  

IXL and Raz-Kids

2 programs I have really missed using this year are IXL and Raz-Kids.  These are paid programs that my current school/district does not subscribe to.  They are fairly expensive, so I understand the hesitation to purchase them for classrooms, but I feel the void of not using them this year.  I recently wrote a grant to get funding for Raz-Kids for next year's first graders- we'll see what happens with that.

Let's talk about IXL first.

IXL provides standards and skills-based practice for students in grades K-12.  I have used IXL with Kindergarten classes, as well as 3rd grade.  It's a great program because it has any skill you could want students to work on, and you can monitor their progress as they use the program.

This is JUST the first grade math page.  You can assign students a subject or skill to work on independently at the computer or on a tablet.  They can also access IXL at home.

Sample question from IXL first grade math.

My school purchased the math license for IXL, so we only used it for math practice.  We had other programs that centered on reading...one of the programs for the younger grades was Raz-Kids.  

Here is a student home page.  They have to read several books before they can build their Raz Rocket.  The Rocket is also an optional feature- teachers can elect to turn this off.  I think the Rocket is pretty fun, but I can see how it could be distracting for the younger students.

This is an example of what a student would see as part of his or her reading choices- all done according to their guided reading level.  Teachers can choose levels for students, or let Raz-Kids assign them a level to work through based on their tests.

Sample page from a story.  Raz-Kids will read to the students through a certain level (I believe it's H).  

Sample page from a quiz.  The program will read the questions to the students through level H.  Students can take the quiz as many times as needed in order to pass.

When so much emphasis is placed on phonics, Raz-Kids is a wonderful tool to reinforce comprehension.  Unfortunately it runs about $99.95 per classroom (with bulk rates offered), so it can be a little spendy for large schools and districts.

Spelling City

Spelling City is a pretty popular site, partially because it is a free site and also because it offers fun ways for students to practice their spelling words.  There is a typing component as well, which is great to reinforce keyboarding skills.  I used this site frequently with my 3rd grade students, and this year I have taught my 1st grade class to use it effectively.  They really love playing the games, and I know it has contributed to their wonderful scores on their weekly spelling tests!

This is the home page your students will see when they access your Spelling City page.  They can choose from the lists at the bottom of the page.  I typically only show the current week's list for my students to practice, since we build our lists around our phonics skill for the week.

The students can choose from any of the activities in the green column, or the pink column if you choose to pay for the extended version of the site.  Personally, I think the free version serves all the needs of my class.

This is Hang Mouse.  The students LOVE this game!  They get 6 changes to guess the letters in the word, or else the cat gets the mouse.

This is the spelling test portion of Spelling City.  Students hear the word spoken and used in a sentence, then they type it into the blank space.

I like to use Spelling City at my Word Work station during Balanced Literacy time.  I also find that students will beg to go on the site during free time or inside recess.  What a great resource! 

Symbaloo

This is just a small mention for a BIG site- Symbaloo.  I am constantly changing/rearranging/adding to my Symbaloo page.  Basically it's a huge bookmark bar for some really amazing sites.  Here is just a small bit of my finds so far.

My Symbaloo page so far. Many of the icons come already set on the page- I've deleted several to make room for some of the programs I use in my classroom.  Like I said, it's a work in progress...but I have come across this GREAT resource...

This is NatGeo Kids- all these books right in one place for the kids to use for research, reading practice, or just simple learning and entertainment!  These books are amazing, and with Common Core requiring more and more non-fiction text, this resource is absolutely perfect for my 1st graders.

One example page...the site will read the text to them and highlight the words as they go, so students can follow along.

I was only introduced to Symbaloo this year, and I am still exploring the thousands of resources it has.  It's a great one to centralize all the sites we as teachers consistently visit.

Plickers

One of my favorite tech elements to use in my classroom is Plickers.  It is a surprisingly simple program that has saved me so much time--not to mention PAPER--and has fascinated my students.  Plickers is pretty simple- you just create a free account and print the Plicker cards.  Each student gets a card (I gave them to the student with the corresponding number).  The direction the student holds the card up will send the chosen answer to the computer/tablet/phone for recording.  Here's a basic outline of how it works:

First, visit www.plickers.com and create a FREE account.  Make sure you download the app onto your mobile device.

Next, download a set of Plicker Cards for your class.  **Helpful hint: I glued mine onto cardstock and laminated them.  I also wrote the letters on the back of the cards, so students could see what letter they are holding up to answer.  

Create your questions in the "library" section of the Plickers home page.  Using your camera, open the Plickers app and capture all the signs the students hold up.  Plickers will tell you when it has captured each card.  The blue box indicates the response has been recorded.

Responses are recorded and "graded", and put into a super handy graph for you!

Plickers has been so amazing for my class.  We are limited in our paper resources, and this has been a tremendous help!  It is especially useful for exit tickets.

It's a great program for tech-shy teachers or beginners.  Give it a try!

Accountability to the Student

I have been at my school for 6 months now, and it has been such a change from my previous school/district.  The tangible technology students have regular access to here is somewhat limited.  Not having a SmartBoard has challenged my teaching for sure, as well as having to get out of the habit of saying "grab an iPad" to my class (my previous school provided iPads for every classroom for student use.)  I have 2 desktop computers in my room, as well as my teacher computer, which I let students use on occasion.  1st grade has 10 iPads that rotate through our rooms, so we have them once every 6 days, and the students love them.  I bring my personal iPad and allow my students to work on it daily.  I also use it for as much interactive tech as possible, such a Plickers.

I spent 3 years helping teachers implement a new, technology-heavy math curriculum into their classrooms, and I loved my role as a "go-to" tech person in my school.  I was recently reminded that, as teachers in 2015, our job is to prepare students for this ever-changing world that is largely driven by data.  We must prepare them for jobs that don't yet exist- that will use technology that hasn't been invented yet- to solve problems that we don't yet know are problems.  This is only part of what has sparked my interest in becoming a technology coach.  I know I'm not the only teacher who feels this obligation to my students, so I'm setting up this site to document my successes and failures as I try to incorporate as much technology for my students as possible in a technology-limited space.  With any luck there will be more successes than failures!