A Reflection of My Year



WOW! I have completed 11 years of teaching! I can still remember my first position, starting out! Now look at me. This year has been so amazing! God placed opportunities and opened many doors for me this year and to him I owe all the honor and praise. Teaching is my passion and heart and this year I was able to show others just that.

Now that the summer is here, it is time to begin planning for another amazing year...classroom theme, Math activities and projects, and of course more integration of technology. Next school term, I will be fully embracing the Flipped Classroom model!

I am excited to attend ISTE in a few days and all my planned workshops is on the Flipped Classroom. I have already started collecting ideas, resources, and formats for my students to share in this journey with me.

I hope you visit to be a part of our journey as well!


A Reflection of My Year




2012-2013 Reflections from F.i.T. on Vimeo.

PLANKS ~ Projects Linking Academics and Navigating Knowledge and Skills

F.I.T. Exercises Series

A Collection of fun strategies, projects, and activities!

 

P.L.A.N.K.S.

ProjectsLinking Academics and Navigating Knowledge and Skills

I am so honored and blessed to be a part of this educational world. I love discovering and creating new ways to bring math alive in my classroom. My energy and passion for education allows my students to experience mathematics in a creative and innovative way. This new series is a collection of fun strategies, activities, and projects that will help motivate and inspire students to learn math.

Series 1 of our F.I.T. Exercises is our P.L.A.N.K.S. P.L.A.N.K.S. stand for Projects Linking Academics and Navigating Knowledge and Skills. Providing students with projects is a great opportunity to link what they have learn (academics) and navigate how well they can apply that knowledge with their skills to create a final product.

Each of the 9 projects in this series can be adapted to any grade, skill level, and topic. Directions and rubrics are provided for each P.L.A.N.K.S.

 

Get your copy of P.L.A.N.K.S. today to begin having F.I.T. in  your classroom!

Purchase your copy in our Store!


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Digital Book Available

VISIT ME on Facebook at Dream Makers Educational Services to see how you can get your free copy!

My first e-book is now ready for download. I am so excited to have the opportunity to provide you with resources for you to easily access and use in your classroom! From Blooms Taxonomy, QR Codes, Choice Boards, RAFTS, projects, and more...I wanted to share with you resources to motivate and inspire your students.



For only $2.99, you can bring fun, engaging, and motivating projects, activities, and strategies to your classroom!

Click here to get your copy today! A Collection of Digital Instructional Tools

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On the 5th Day...5 iPad Apps I Love

I wrote an article on Edudemic of my 5 favorite iPad Apps...Check it out!

Free iPad Apps I Love Using In My Classroom

On the 7th Day.....7 Tips to Effectively Use iPads in Your Classroom

This is my first year using iPads, so I started out with these simple things and it has really helped to maintain sanity in my classroom while students are using the iPads.

1. Create a ipad contract for students and teachers.
2. Create a set of rules and procedures for students to follow while using iPads. Establish procedures from getting iPads to returing them.
3. Teach your students how to properly use the iPads. Model all procedures, iPad functions, keys, etc.
4. Assign each students a iPad to use daily. Require that students only use their assigned iPad each day.
5. Create an iPad Sign-in/Sign-out sheet. This will help with accountablity.
6. While students are using their iPads, monitor, monitor, monitor! They are less likely to venture off and explore if they know you are watching at all times.
7. Don't be afraid to take student's iPad privileges. My first removal of iPad from  a student was when he changed the background. Small, but it was big enough to let students know that I was very real!

Have fun! Students enjoy using them, they are engaging, and it motivates them to learn.

Fun Interactive Whiteboards to Engage Students in Math

We all know that in math, you write. When I first started teaching, I had a class set of individual whiteboards with expo markers and erasers for students to practice solving problems. When the board was filled, students erased their work and continued working on another problem. I always hated not having the opportunity to save their work for discussions or later viewing.

Now with the wonderful digital world and the iPads in my classroom, my students are able to work out problems, record in words the process, and share it. Below I have listed my favorite interactive whiteboard apps that engages students in math. They are all fun, engaging, and FREE!

Each app provide students with the opportunity to doddle, record a voice over, and share. I have listed a few highlights of each below.

1.      ShowMe  Easy to use!

2.      ScreenChomp Records you while you doodling. You can also include images from your iPad camera roll.

3.      EduCreations Educreations not only allows you to doodle, record, and share, it also provides you with realistic digital ink, photos and ink.

4.      Doodle Buddy My students love this one. Is gives you the same opportunity as the others, but you also have the option of backgrounds such a dot paper, tic-tac-toe boards, etc.

For more ideas on fun ways to integrate technology into your classroom, check out our other posts!

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Evernote + iPad = e-Portfolio

Evernote is a wonderful free app for students to be creativeand stay organized. Evernote is a digital tool that provides students with the opportunityto create a digital file of their notes, projects, assignments, and more.

Evernote is a great tool to use as an e-portfolio for students to view, analyze, reflect upon and share their educational growth as a learner in my class. Students will be able to store anything in itand access it anywhere, from school, home, or their phone.


5 Ways To Use Evernote

1. Take notes in class. – Students can write their notes in Evernote or write handwritten notes and take a picture of it to save in Evernote.
2. Go paperless. – Students can use Evernote to save all their notes and assignments.
3. Textbooks on the Go - Take pictures of required text or digital images from their textbook and save it into Evernote.
4. Multiple Notebooks – Create multiple notebooks to organize different subjects.
5. Recorded Lessons – You can record audio notes right in Evernote to ensure you didn’t miss anything from the class lecture.

For more ideas on fun ways to integrate technology, visit our other posts!

Using Digital Tools to Integrate Blooms Taxonomy

I love to integrate multiple educational researched based activities in my daily lessons. This is an example of a lesson that incorporates the 6 (six) levels of Blooms Taxonomy using digital tools

Visit my article on Edudemic: http://edudemic.com/2012/11/35-digital-tools-that-work-with-blooms-taxonomy/
Tweet it! Like it! Pin it!

A Blooms Taxonomy Math Lesson on Systems of Linear Equations

Remember: Create a mindmap to demonstrate when isthe best situation to use each method for solving systems of linear equations.

Understand: Tweet your favorite method to solve systems of linear equations and explain why.

Apply: Given a system, use ScreenChomp to solve ande xplain the steps to solving the system of linear equations.

Analyze: Create a Stickyboard to explain thedifference between the methods of solving linear equations.

Evaluate: Assess using Socrative to determinewhether or not you understand how to solve systems of linear equations.

Create: Use Sock Puppet to compose a skit on the3 methods to solve a system of linear equations.



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

3 Think FASTS ~ Fun Assessment Strategy Tools for Students

In my class students dread taking assessments because they are so boring. With all the new technology they are experiencing in their lives, traditional teaching styles must be enhanced with the integration of technology.

With a class set of iPads and 80% of my students with an iPhone or Android creating online assessments was a great idea. There are many to choose from that can suite your needs.

Here are 3 assessment tools I've had great success with using iPads, iPhones, and Androids.

1. Nearpod is an interactive presentation and assessment tool. Teachers create a multimedia presentation and then share it with students. The teacher controls what the students view, students engage in presentation through quizzes, surveys, polls, or writing. It's easy, free, and engaging. www.nearpod.com

2. Socrative is a smart response student assessment tools that allow teachers to engage and assess students with exercises and activities. www.socrative.com

3. Polls Everywhere is an assessment tool that allow teachers to assess students using their iPad, smart phone, desktops, or laptops. Students respond as a text message, using a URL, or using Twitter. The teacher creates multiplier choice or open end questions using the free site. Unfortunately if your audience is more than 30, you will have to pay. Questions can be integrated into PowerPoint or Keynote presentations to create the ultimate multimedia presentation, where responses are shown live.
www.polleverwhere.com

Each of these can be used to assess prior knowledge, an understanding of knowledge after the end of a unit, or be used as practice, warm-ups, or exit slips activities.

Other options are Google Docs, Survey Monkey, Class Scape, and Study Island.

www.funintegratingtechnology.blogspot.com

Felecia Young

Twas The Day Before Exams

Just for the holiday season. What happens the day before exams?

Twas the day before exams and all through the class not a student was bored or even sleep.

Their teacher set out to find such engaging apps, so none of them would want to take a nap.

They came in class and got their iPads, with a twinkle in their eyes, she knew they were glad.

To help them with those exams that were drawing near, she found some apps to help them prepare

Ones to assess and engage, and those that brought life to each page
Apps to interact and participate and those to help collaborate

The first was Socrative to warm up their brain. Then Study Blue to help them train. Sonic Pic and Story Kit to create. And Collaborate.me and Today's Meet to collaborate.

The students were engaged and doing so great. She didn't notice it was getting so late. Now it was time to end of class and she can tell the kids had a blast!

Nearpod was used for a review that was interactive and fun. And to end with a video reflection of their day, iMovie was chosen to complete that one.

Class was over and kids were fill with such glee, they felt confident they would pass their exam successfully.

These were the apps she used in her class. They turned the kids traditional review into a blast.

Try a few and you will see. How these apps can engage your students successfully. They allow the students to interact and collaborate.
Using engaging apps for review projects they can create.

Happy Apping to all and to all Good Apping!

By Felecia M Young


To read more about each happy, be sure to check out our other posts and pages! Happy Apping!